N4 Sequential Actions

~ないで: meaning, usage and examples

~ないで means: without V-ing.

Updated 9 November 2026 · By the My Senpai team · Spotted a mistake? Tell us

Examples

1. 朝あさごはんを食たべないで、学校がっこうに行いきました。

   I went to school without eating breakfast.

2. 何なにも言いわないで、帰かえってしまいました。

   He went home without saying anything.

3. 辞書じしょを使つかわないで、新聞しんぶんを読よみました。

   I read the newspaper without using a dictionary.

4. 傘かさを持もたないで出でかけて、雨あめにぬれました。

   I went out without an umbrella and got wet in the rain.

When to use it

ないで means doing the second action without doing the first: 朝あさごはんを食たべないで、学校がっこうに行いきました (I went to school without eating breakfast). It describes how you did something, or that you did one thing instead of another: 電車でんしゃに乗のらないで、歩あるいて帰かえりました. At the end of a sentence, ないでください is a polite request not to do something.

Nuance

Neutral and common in speech. In written or formal Japanese, ずに has the same meaning: 食たべずに. Often the skipped action is something you usually do, so there can be a feeling of "unusually" or "carelessly".

Compare

なくて gives a reason: 時間じかんがなくて、食たべられませんでした (I had no time, so I could not eat). ないで describes the manner: 食たべないで出でかけました (I went out without eating). ないでください is a request: 写真しゃしんを撮とらないでください.

Tip: Use なくて for "because not", and ないで for "without". 来こないで can only mean "without coming" or "please do not come".