ないで

Without Doing

Level 2Sounds Like naide

The pattern ないで connects two actions, showing that the first action was skipped while performing the second. It translates to "without doing" or "instead of doing."

How It Works

The pattern ないで is a versatile connector used in three primary ways:

1. Manner/Circumstance: It describes how the main action is performed by highlighting what was not done. For example, "I went to school without eating breakfast."
2. Substitution: It indicates that instead of doing Verb A, you did Verb B. This often implies a choice between two alternatives.
3. Casual Request: In casual speech, ないで is used as a shorthand for ないでください. Omitting 「ください」 makes the tone casual and direct, suitable for friends and family. The specific nuance (such as a plea or a command) depends on intonation and context.

Conjugation Rules:

  • Group 1 (U-verbs): Change the final ～う to the あ-column equivalent and add ないで. Note: For verbs ending in a vowel + う (such as 買う（かう） or 会う（あう）), the ～う changes to わ（わ） instead of あ（あ）. (e.g., 書く（かく） → 書かないで; 使う（つかう） → 使わないで)
  • Group 2 (Ru-verbs): Remove ～る and add ないで. (e.g., 食べる（たべる） → 食べないで)
  • Irregular: する becomes しないで; 来る（くる） becomes こないで.

Important Distinction: Unlike なくて, which is used for adjectives or to express a cause/reason with verbs (e.g., 食べられなくて困った), ないで focuses on the manner of the action or a substitution.

Examples (5)

  1. 砂糖を入れないでコーヒーを飲みます。

    I drink coffee without putting in sugar.

    Word by Word: Sugar (object) put-not-and coffee (object) drink.

    Here, 'not putting in sugar' describes the manner in which the coffee is drunk.

  2. 昨夜は寝ないで勉強しました。

    Last night, I studied without sleeping.

    Word by Word: Last night (topic) sleep-not-and study did.

    This shows that the action of studying was performed in the state of not having slept.

  3. 学校に行かないで映画を見ました。

    Instead of going to school, I watched a movie.

    Word by Word: School to go-not-and movie (object) watched.

    In this context, the pattern shows a substitution: watching a movie instead of the expected action of going to school.

  4. 傘を持たないで出かけてしまった。

    I went out without taking an umbrella.

    Word by Word: Umbrella (object) hold-not-and go out (regret).

    This uses てしまった to show regret for going out without an umbrella.

  5. 行かないで！

    Don't go!

    Word by Word: Go-not-and!

    This is a casual negative request, a shortened version of ないでください. Depending on intonation, it can be a soft plea or a direct instruction.

Common Mistakes

  • Using なくて (nakute) to express 'without doing'.

    朝ごはんを食べなくて学校に行きました。
    朝ごはんを食べないで学校に行きました。

    なくて usually indicates a cause or reason. The incorrect example sounds like 'Because I didn't eat breakfast, I went to school.' Use ないで to mean 'without'.

  • Using ないで with adjectives.

    この部屋は広くないで寒いです。
    この部屋は広くなくて寒いです。

    ないで can only be used with verbs. To connect negative adjectives, you must use なくて.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

ないでLevel 2Without Doing

Learn This First

To understand 'nai-de' (without doing), a learner needs to know how to conjugate verbs into their negative forms based on their verb group. Since 'nai-de' acts as a negative conjunctive form, familiarity with the standard 'te-form' for connecting actions is essential for understanding its grammatical role in a sentence.

Words in This Pattern

ないで