ずに

The grammar structure ずに expresses "without doing" something. It indicates that an action was performed while not doing something else that might normally be expected. It is the classical/literary equivalent of ないで and is used in both written and spoken Japanese, though it carries a slightly more formal tone.

Formation

Attach ずに to the negative stem (the same stem used for 〜～ない) of a verb:

• 食べる → 食べずに (without eating)
• 行く → 行かずに (without going)
• 飲む → 飲まずに (without drinking)
• 話す → 話さずに (without speaking)

Exception: The verb する becomes せずに (not さずに).

Usage

ずに is used to describe how an action is performed – specifically, by not doing something else. The subject of both clauses is the same.

ずに vs. ないで

Both ずに and ないで mean "without doing", and in most cases they are interchangeable. However, there are some differences:

• ずに sounds more formal and literary; ないで is more conversational.
• When making a request (e.g., "Please don't do X"), only ないで is used:
  みないで見ないでください。

  Please don't look.
  (ずに cannot be used here.)
• ずに focuses more on the manner or circumstance in which the main action was done.

Common patterns

ずに is often paired with expressions of continuation or result: