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I'm aware that 行かない means "don't go" (hope I'm not wrong).

What I don't understand is the function of で. What's its use in this sentence? (I usually see that character used in です).

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alex
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2 Answers2

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いかないで, without any other context, is the short way of saying いかないでください, "please don't go". A Japanese verb ending with the positive て　or negative ないで as a single, one-word sentence, is a "please do / please don't" situation:

走らないで（ください）(please) don't run

座らないで（ください）(please) don't sit down

喋らないで（ください）(please) don't talk

来て（ください）(please) come

見て（ください）(please) look

聞いて（ください）(please) listen

omitting ください is often done in casual conversation. It can also give the request a strong feeling when it is omitted.

ericfromabeno
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  • This answer sounds legit to me. No idea why the downvote. – alex May 09 '18 at 14:31
  • I get a lot of downvotes, unfortunately. Many are reasonable, in the sense that my answers come from personal experience, and are not very technical or linguistically detailed. Some I suspect are "trollish", but I do make mistakes, so I try not to judge. – ericfromabeno May 09 '18 at 14:35
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    Again, not me who downvoted, but you say "If you ever see a Japanese verb ending with the positive て　or negative ないで, by itself, it is always a "please do / please don't" situation:" and that's just not true. The "ないで" form has more uses than just a negative command/request. Do you have a grammar reference book or something that you can use to double check your first thoughts for answers? – Leebo May 09 '18 at 22:15
  • interesting. Sorry, I don't have such a book readily to hand, though I suppose the internet could provide. ...If I changed my statement to "Japanese verb root form with the positive て　or negative ないで, by itself with no other context, it is a "please do / please don't" situation:" .... would that be a correct statement, because that is what I meant. – ericfromabeno May 10 '18 at 07:06
  • I assume you're referring to the way て is used to link multiple verbs in a single sentence, for tense agreement purposes, but that is not what the questioner was addressing in their question. – ericfromabeno May 10 '18 at 07:10
  • The issue is where you say when it appears by itself (i.e. without ください which you said is being omitted as an abbreviation) that it always means "please don't". If that's not what you meant, then it's worded confusingly. It can mean that, but it can also mean "do X without." It's the "always" that is what I imagine someone could justify a downvote for, but again, it wasn't me who downvoted. – Leebo May 10 '18 at 08:01
  • hmm. Yeah, I worded it confusingly... I meant TOTALLY on its own, the way the questioner phrased their question. I wasn't going for any sort of completeness. That's my bad. >_< I will make some edits. – ericfromabeno May 10 '18 at 11:17
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The で indicates a request. Incidentally 行かない means "won't go" - 行かないで is "don't go".

Gene
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