～ないでください
please don’t
～ないでください is the polite way to ask someone not to do something. It is made by taking the ない-form of a verb and adding でください.
It is the negative partner of ～てください (“please do”): ～てください asks for an action, while ～ないでください asks the listener to hold back from one. It maps directly to English “please don't ...”.
Asking someone not to do something
Use it for rules, warnings, and everyday polite requests.
ここで写真を撮らないでください。
“Please don't take photos here.”
- ここ = here
- で = place-of-action marker
- 写真（しゃしん）= photo
- を = object marker
- 撮らないでください（とらないでください）= please don't take
ドアを閉めないでください。
“Please don't close the door.”
- ドア = door
- を = object marker
- 閉めないでください（しめないでください）= please don't close
How to form it
Verb ない-form + でください
- 撮る（とる）= to take (a photo) → 撮らないでください（とらないでください）= please don't take
- 食べる（たべる）= to eat → 食べないでください（たべないでください）= please don't eat
- 来る（くる）= to come → 来ないでください（こないでください）= please don't come
Key idea
Negative verb + でください = “please don't”. Make the ない-form first, then simply attach でください, no other changes are needed.
Built on the same stem
Updated .