Yet another in the series of random questions!

[Nytyngayl]

I should get my own subforum for this.... XP

With the ~なさい　form, is there a way to make it negative?

For example if I wanted to say something like "Don`t do that" is to say something like "Don`t do that" is that even possible with ~なさい？

Is, for example, ないなさい possible?

Thanks again.

[Datenshi]

The only obvious case I can think off the top of my head is やめなさい/よしなさい (stop it). You can't say ないなさい because ない isn't an action, and なさい　is a command so it has to come with a verb.

[Nytyngayl]

The only obvious case I can think off the top of my head is やめなさい/よしなさい (stop it). You can't say ないなさい because ない isn't an action, and なさい　is a command so it has to come with a verb.

Well, yes, but I was more referring to something like "don`t X." Something like, "don`t run." Is that even possible, or should I find a different way to say it?

[MistressPookyChan]

After consulting with my dictionary/hubby, we couldn't think of anything that would work.

In fact, it sounds a bit like a housewife disciplining her kids/husband.

たろう君、早くごはんを食べなさい.- Tarou, hurry up and eat your dinner!

[Datenshi]

Well, yes, but I was more referring to something like "don`t X." Something like, "don`t run." Is that even possible, or should I find a different way to say it?

Well yeah, and to repeat what I said, やめなさい／よしなさい　is the only example I can think of, as in 走るのをやめなさい = don't run (i.e. stop running), 走るのはよしなさい = don't run (i.e. do not start running).

[Ertai87]

Well, according to my Japanese class at my university (this was taught in Japanese 2, for reference, in case anyone cares), "Do not do something", or, better "you must not do something" is 〜てはいけません. I think it's used reflexively by default (e.g. "I mustn't do X"), but you can probably make it however you want by adding a subject.

[Puu]

.....there's always dialect to help you through...? In certain places, you can say ～なさんな。like: ケーキを食べなさんな! I'm not sure it's used for all verbs, though. I think maybe it only works for る-verbs...? Sorry, I've only heard it with a handful of verbs, at times when I was close enough to observe Kagoshima (Southern Kyuushuu) housewives angry with their children...

of course, there's always ～ないで, but it's a more pleading form than ～なさい, so that's slightly different as well.