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N3

ずに

Without doing

朝あさご飯はんを食たべずに仕事しごとに行いったから、仕事しごと中ちゅうに倒たおれた。

Because I went to work without eating breakfast, I fainted in the middle of my job.

Explanation

「〜ずに」 attaches to the verb's ない-stem and means the same as 「〜ないで」: 'without doing ...': 「朝ご飯を食べずに学校へ行った」 (I went to school without eating breakfast). It is more written and formal than 「〜ないで」 and appears in news, novels and business documents.

Mixed up with

Biggest trap: 「する」 becomes 「せずに」, not 「しずに」. The options will include 「しずに」.

「〜ずに」 and 「〜ないで」 describe an accompanying state (went to school without eating); 「〜なくて」 gives a reason or joins items (couldn't buy it because I had no money) and cannot be used for an accompanying state.

Examples

  1. 水みずを飲のまずに運動うんどうをしていたから、頭あたまが痛いたい。

    Because I exercised without drinking water, I have a headache.

  2. 何なにも知しらずにあんなこと言いってごめんなさい。

    Sorry for saying those things without knowing the full story.

  3. 忘わすれずに届とどけてくれてありがとうございます。

    Thank you for remembering to bring it to me.

Tested 2 times in past papers

N3 · Dec 2022, Q42N2 · Dec 2014, Q42