Without Doing: 〜ないで / 〜ずに

Compare the common spoken pattern 〜ないで with the more formal written pattern 〜ずに.

Use 〜ないで and 〜ずに to say “without doing.”Recognize when 〜ないで also implies “instead of.”Understand the register difference between everyday and formal expression.

Guided study

Core meaning

Both 〜ないで and 〜ずに mean “without doing.” They connect an action that did not happen with another action that did. 〜ないで is more common in everyday speech. 〜ずに is more formal and appears often in writing.

朝ごはんを食べないで出かけた。

I went out without eating breakfast.

ないで is the everyday spoken pattern for omission.

メモを見ずに話せるようになった。

I became able to speak without looking at my notes.

ずに is the more formal written pattern here.

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