〜ない方がいい: meaning and usage

How to form it

• verb (nai-form)+方がいい

How it is used

Advice not to do something: “you'd better not”. Fairly direct, so it is often softened with 「と思います」. Positive advice uses the past form, 「〜た方がいい」, but the negative uses the plain 「ない」 form.

Examples

1. 彼女は今怒っているので話さない方がいい。

   She's angry right now, so it's better to not speak to her.

2. 夜遅くまでゲームをしない方がいいですよ。

   You'd better not play games until late at night.

3. この水は飲まない方がいいと思います。

   I don't think you should drink this water.