What is ないで?
ないで has two jobs. First, it connects actions to say "without doing X, I did Y," like eating breakfast without brushing your teeth, or leaving without saying goodbye. Second, it works as a soft way to tell someone not to do something, gentler than ないでください and much softer than the negative imperative.
Both uses are everywhere in daily Japanese, so this is one of those patterns that pays off immediately.
Formation
Start with the ない-form of any verb, then add で:
| Verb | ない-Form | ないで |
|---|---|---|
| 食べる (to eat) | 食べない | 食べないで |
| 言う (to say) | 言わない | 言わないで |
| 見る (to look) | 見ない | 見ないで |
| する (to do) | しない | しないで |
| 来る (to come) | こない | こないで |
Use 1: "Without Doing ~"
The pattern here is: Verb(Y) ないで + Verb(X) = "I did X without doing Y."
The ないで part comes first and sets up what was skipped. The final verb carries the tense.
- 朝ご飯を食べないで学校に行った
Went to school without eating breakfast - 傘を持たないで出かけた
Went out without bringing an umbrella
You can chain this with the て-form in the same sentence. The key difference is that て-form connects things you did do, while ないで connects something you didn't do.
Use 2: Soft Negative Request ("Don't...")
Used on its own, without a following verb, ないで becomes a gentle "please don't." It's the casual version of ないでください, and it's softer than blunt commands like な (negative imperative).
- 泣かないで
Don't cry - 心配しないで
Don't worry - 行かないで
Don't go
This sounds warm and personal. You'd say it to a friend, a partner, a child. For polite or formal settings, you'd extend it to ないでください. For something in between, there's also てもいい used in negative form to indicate that something is okay not to do.
ないで vs なくて
Both involve negatives, but they aren't interchangeable.
- ないで = without doing (describes manner/accompaniment)
- なくて = because [someone] didn't (describes reason/cause)
Compare:
- 勉強しないで寝た
Went to sleep without studying - 勉強しなくて困った
Didn't study, so I was in trouble
The first skipped studying and went to bed. The second suffered because they didn't study. Different nuance, different grammar.
Example Sentences
-
何も言わないで帰った。 (nani mo iwanaide kaetta.)
He left without saying anything. -
辞書を使わないで読んでみて。 (jisho wo tsukawanaide yonde mite.)
Try reading it without using a dictionary. -
心配しないで。大丈夫だよ。 (shinpai shinaide. daijoubu da yo.)
Don't worry. It'll be fine. -
砂糖を入れないでコーヒーを飲む。 (satou wo irenaide koohii wo nomu.)
I drink coffee without adding sugar. -
泣かないで。 (nakanaide.)
Don't cry. -
宿題をしないで学校に来た。 (shukudai wo shinaide gakkou ni kita.)
Came to school without doing homework. -
靴を脱がないで家に入らないで。 (kutsu wo nuganaide ie ni hairanaide.)
Don't come into the house without taking off your shoes. -
遠慮しないで食べてね。 (enryo shinaide tabete ne.)
Don't hold back, eat up!