Grammar Info

N5 Lesson 9: 6/13

～ないで下(くだ)さいPlease don't (Polite request)

In casual speech, ください can be omitted, resulting in the request finishing in で

Structure

Verb［ないで］+ ください
Politeness Levels

Details

  • Part of Speech

    Expression

  • Word Type

    Auxiliary Verb

  • Register

    Polite

About ないでください

ないでください is an expression that is used to politely ask someone 'not' to do something. It is a combination of the casual negative form of a verb, the で particle, and ください (the conjunctive form of くださる).

ください is classified as honorific language, a type of polite speech that is used to refer to the actions of other people. The ください form of くださる is used almost exclusively for making requests. くださる is the honorific language equivalent of くれる.

In friendly conversation, ください may be omitted from this expression, and the で form itself can be used as a very casual way of saying 'please don't do (A)'.

Caution

Although ください is the polite form of くれる, ください is considered the base form of this phrase, and ないでくれ (the conjunctive form of くれる) would be considered far too casual in most situations.

Examples

--:--

    行(い)かないでください。

    Please don't go.

    ここでサッカーをしないでください。

    Please don't play soccer here.

    泣(な)かないでください。

    Please don't cry.

    一人(ひとり)にしないでください。

    Please don't leave me alone.

    それを食(た)べないでください。

    Please don't eat that.

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      ないでください – Grammar Discussion

      Most Recent Replies (9 in total)

      • durtle9831

        durtle9831

        There is actually a really similar grammar point that explains the thing i got confused about in a broader application. Hope this helps someone.

        • ないで | Japanese Grammar SRS .
      • KrisV70

        KrisV70

        I often get this grammar point wrong ないでください
        て+は+いけません
        Is the construction I use.

        I am saying you mustn’t play soccer here if I understand it correctly.
        And it is still polite.

        What am I missing here?

      • Wimble

        Wimble

        Apologies if this is the wrong place, but for the example sentence:
        トイレに行くのは忘れないでください。
        Is the の in 行くのは used for nominalisation?
        If so, does 忘れる need to act on a “noun phrase” and does this extend to all transitive verbs?

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