LEARN + JAPANESE / Note 96 JLPT N5
Without Doing It (〜ないで)
ないで attaches to a verb’s negative stem and connects two clauses, marking the first action as one that didn’t happen while the second one did. It’s built from ない, which you already know, plus で instead of a full negative ending.
I left the house this morning without drinking coffee.
I went to bed without taking a bath.
In Real Life
ないで always describes one event happening in place of, or instead of, another, “did B without doing A.” It isn’t a general-purpose negative connector, it specifically frames the missing action as notable, something you’d normally expect to happen first.
I drink water instead of cola.
Instead of eating out, I cook for myself.
In Real Life
Used with an ongoing habit like this, ないで shifts toward “instead of,” swapping one habitual choice for another rather than describing a single missed event.
Vocabulary
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| to laugh | |
| to take | |
| lunch break | |
| to take a break | |
| to work overtime | |
| to turn on | |
| to put on (pants, shoes) | |
| bicycle | |
| to exercise | |
| gym | |
| instead | |
| by oneself | |
| habit | |
| to eat out | |
| to cook | |
| to choose | |
| to put up with, endure | |
| to omit, skip | |
| to leave out, abbreviate | |
| usually, normally |