ないで

ないで

Japanese

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) ないで [nàídé] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [na̠ide̞]

Suffix

ないで • (-nai de) 

1. Do not do something and ~

   中(なか)田(だ)さんは大(おお)阪(さか)に行(い)かないで京(きょう)都(と)に行(い)った。

   Nakada-san wa ōsaka ni ikanai de kyōto ni itta.

   Mr. Nakada didn’t go to Osaka; he went to Kyoto.

2. Without doing ~

   ナンシーはきのう朝(あさ)ご飯(はん)を食(た)べないで学(がっ)校(こう)へ行(い)った。

   Nanshī wa kinō asagohan o tabenai de gakkō e itta.

   Nancy went to school yesterday without eating her breakfast.

   辞(じ)書(しょ)を使(つか)わないで読(よ)んでください。

   Jisho o tsukawanai de yonde kudasai.

   Please read it without using a dictionary.

3. "Verb + ないで + ください": Please do not do ~

   まだ帰(かえ)らないでください。

   Mada kaeranai de kudasai.

   Please don’t go home yet.

4. "Verb + ないで + 欲しい": I want you not to do ~

   電(でん)話(わ)しないで欲(ほ)しい。

   Denwashinai de hoshī.

   I want you not to call me. (Don’t call me.)

5. "Verb + ないで + もらう": I will have you not to do ~

   やかましくしないでもらいたい。

   Yakamashiku shinai de moraitai.

   I want to have you not make noises. (Don’t make any noises.)

6. "Verb + ないで + おく": I do not do ~ (in advance); I leave ~ (in a state) without doing ~

   まだあるから買(か)わないでおきました。

   Mada aru kara kawanai de okimashita.

   Because I still have it, I didn’t buy it (in advance).

Usage notes

• If the ないで clause expresses something that one is expected to do, it will be translated as “without doing ~”, but if not, it will be translated as “do not do something and ~”.
• ないで is often used to combine two sentences, but it can also be used with the auxiliaries ください, 欲しい, もらう and おく.
• ないで is only used with verbs. It is never used with adjectives.
• If ないで is used without the auxiliaries, it will imply that the speaker is emphasizing negation, because the contents of the ないで clause are contrary to the speaker’s expectation.
• If the で in ないで means “and”, then ずに can be used to replace ないで. Thus, ずに can be used in sentences 1, 2, and 3, but not in sentences 4, 5 and 6.
• The difference between ないで and ずに is that ないで is used in informal speech or conversational Japanese, whereas ずに is used in formal speech or written Japanese.
• ないで can be replaced by なくて only when the ないで clause indicates some cause for emotion which is expressed in the main clause. ずに cannot be used in such sentences.

  僕(ぼく)は英(えい)語(ご)が話(はな)せないで恥(は)ずかしかった。 ― boku wa eigo ga hanasenai de hazukashikatta. ― I felt ashamed because I couldn’t speak English.

  僕(ぼく)は英(えい)語(ご)が話(はな)せなくて恥(は)ずかしかった。 ― boku wa eigo ga hanasenakute hazukashikatta. ― I felt ashamed because I couldn’t speak English.

• Sentences that are structured as “X is not Y but X” use なくて instead of ないで.

  私(わたし)は学生(がくせい)ではなくて先生(せんせい)です。 ― watashi wa gakusei de wa nakute sensei desu. ― I am not a student but a teacher.[1]

Synonyms

• なくて (nakute)
• ずに (zuni)

References

1. “Main Entries: -nai de”, in A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar, 1st edition, 5-4, Shibaura 4-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-0023, Japan: The Japan Times, January 1, 1989, →ISBN, pages 271-273