N3 · Expressions (N3)
ずに: without doing
doing one thing without another
ずに is a slightly more formal ないで: one thing happens without another happening first.
Take the ない-form, remove ない, and add ずに: 食べない becomes 食べずに, 行かない becomes 行かずに. The meaning is "without doing": 朝ご飯を食べずに出かけた, "I went out without eating breakfast". The two irregular verbs need care: する gives せずに, and 来る gives 来ずに.
In this meaning ずに and ないで are interchangeable. ずに sounds a little more formal and is common in writing and careful speech; ないで is the everyday form. The difference is one of tone, not of meaning.
Where they part company is everything else ないで can do. A request is always ないでください, never ずにください. And neither of them is the usual way to give a reason: when not doing one thing causes another, Japanese uses なくて: 分からなくて困った, "I did not understand, and was stuck".
ず is a remnant of the classical negative, which is why する becomes せ here and not し: the old stem survived inside the fixed form. English speakers who build the form from しない end up with しずに, which does not exist.
The form
| る-verb | 食べずに |
| う-verb | 行かずに |
| する | せずに |
| くる | 来ずに |
| compare: everyday | 食べないで |
| compare: written | 食べず |
The rules one by one
Take the ない-form, drop ない and add ずに.
傘を持たずに出かけた。I went out without taking an umbrella.
する becomes せずに, never しずに.
彼は何も説明せずに帰った。He went home without explaining anything.
ずに and ないで mean the same here; ずに sounds a little more formal.
辞書を使わずに読んでみてください。Try reading it without using a dictionary.
Requests with ください use ないで, not ずに.
ここに車を止めないでください。Please do not park here.
A closer look
ずにはいられない and ずに済む
Two fixed patterns are built on ずに. ずにはいられない is "cannot help doing", literally "cannot stay without doing": 笑わずにはいられなかった, "I could not help laughing". It describes an urge too strong to resist.
ずに済む is "get away without having to": 電車が動いていたので、タクシーを使わずに済んだ, "the trains were running, so I did not need a taxi". Something that looked necessary turned out not to be, and the speaker is relieved.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
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the verb is する or a noun with する
the form is せずに.
予約せずに店に入れた。We got into the restaurant without booking.
ず comes from classical Japanese, where the negative stem of する was せ; the modern しない uses a different stem.
How to spot it
- ずに
- せずに
- 何も〜ずに
- ずにはいられない
Example sentences
今朝は朝ご飯を食べずに家を出た。This morning I left home without eating breakfast.
誰にも相談せずに会社を辞めた。He quit his job without talking it over with anyone.
最後まで諦めずに頑張りました。I kept going to the end without giving up.
いつも砂糖を入れずにコーヒーを飲みます。I always drink my coffee without sugar.
彼女は何も言わずに部屋を出ていった。She left the room without saying a word.
夜も寝ずに仕事を続けた。He kept working through the night without sleeping.
8 more example sentences
地図を見ずに目的地に着いた。I reached my destination without looking at a map.
鍵をかけずに出かけてしまった。I went out without locking the door.
彼は休まずに十時間運転した。He drove for ten hours without a break.
よく考えずに返事をしてはいけない。You should not answer without thinking carefully.
連絡もせずに来るなんて、珍しいね。Turning up without even getting in touch — that is not like you.
その話を聞いて、笑わずにはいられなかった。When I heard that, I could not help laughing.
電車が動いていたので、タクシーを使わずに済んだ。The trains were running, so I did not need a taxi.
弟は一度も休まずに学校に通った。My younger brother went to school without missing a single day.
Worth knowing (1)
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ずに is not a reason
When not doing one thing causes another, Japanese uses なくて: バスが来なくて遅刻した. ずに only says that one thing happened without the other; it does not say that the second happened because of it.
宿題が終わらなくて、寝られなかった。My homework was not finished, so I could not go to bed.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
The rule "take the ない-form and drop ない" gives し for する, and that is exactly where it breaks. ずに keeps the old stem せ, so the form is せずに, and with a noun 勉強せずに.
Without doing: ない off, ずに on — and する turns into せずに.
Your turn
8 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.