What situations would I use なくて over ないで when trying to express the negative te-form of a verb?

So for verbs, I’m trying to get a clear idea on what the difference in usage is for saying something like「走らないで」vs「走らなくて」.

What is the difference between ~ないで and ~なくて?

6 comments
  1. The only time I can think of when I’d use 走らなくて is if I said something like, 走らなくていい活動 meaning “an activity where you don’t have to run.”

    Or you can add も to the end of it and say, 走らなくてもいいよ, “You don’t have to run.”

  2. For the difference between なくて and ないで I would recommend using a less specific verb than 走る because when the action is singular the usages don’t tend to overlap.

    The basic difference between なくて and ないで is the point of the sentence. When you are expressing an idea relating to a verb not being performed it will be なくて. When the intent of the sentence is to speak specifically about NOT doing something it will be ないで.

    雨が降らなくてよかったです。→ I’m glad it didn’t rain. (Intention of the sentence is to express your feelings about it not raining.)
    急がなくていいですよ。→ You don’t have to hurry. (Intention is to express it is not necessary to hurry.)
    締切に間に合わなくて、応募できませんでした。→ I didn’t make it before the deadline, so I couldn’t apply. (The result of not making it in time was that you could not apply.)

    走らないでください。→ Please do not run. (Straightforward, the opposite of run. Not run.)
    歯を磨かないで、出かけました。→ I left home without brushing my teeth. (Point is that I did not brush my teeth.)
    ネクタイを買わないで、友達に借りました。→ Instead of buying a necktie, I borrowed one from a friend. (Point is that I did not buy a necktie.)

  3. You got a great explanation, so my only comment is on the quality of the question: that is a *great* question!

    It’s funny the things you learn how to choose to use without thinking, even though there is something that means basically the same thing as something else. There really is no replacement to just hanging out with native speakers and copying them to make things comfortable, but not everyone has that chance.

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