خودداری کردن khoddâri kardan: to Refrain

خودداری کردن means “refrain, abstain, deliberately avoid doing something.” Its complement normally begins with از: از پاسخ دادن خودداری کرد “she refrained from answering.” The subject of خودداری کردن is also understood as the performer of the avoided action.

This lexical choice of از belongs to the broader system described under verb–preposition valency.

The predicate is formal-neutral in reports and especially common in regulations, safety instructions, news, and careful argument (formal/administrative). In ordinary conversation, a direct negative verb is often simpler: دست نزن “don’t touch” instead of از دست زدن خودداری کن. The register difference is functional, not a difference in truth conditions.

Principal parts

Only کردن inflects. Neutral subjunctive and imperative forms normally omit affirmative بـ: خودداری کنم، خودداری کن. Negation attaches to the light verb: خودداری نمی‌کنم، خودداری نکردم، خودداری نکنم. Because the lexical meaning is already negative, these grammatical negatives require careful interpretation.

Core paradigm

The complement begins with از

The avoided behavior can be a noun (از مصرف الکل), an action noun (از ورود), or a long infinitive (از باز کردن در). All are noun-like complements of از. A definite noun inside the action may still take را, but the avoided activity itself is not a direct object of خودداری کردن.

The formula خواهش می‌شود از ... خودداری کنید is widespread in signs (formal/administrative). It layers an impersonal request over a polite plural imperative. Clear professional writing may simply use از ... خودداری کنید.

Control: who avoids the action?

The subject of خودداری کردن controls the subject of the dependent action. In مریم از پاسخ دادن خودداری کرد, Maryam is the person who does not answer. A different performer cannot be inserted as an ordinary subject inside the long infinitive.

If another person is to avoid the action, make that person the subject of خودداری کردن or use a causative directive: از مهمان‌ها خواستیم از عکاسی خودداری کنند “we asked the guests not to take photographs.”

The finite کنند now agrees with بازدیدکنندگان. This clause is not a second subject placed inside an infinitive; it is the complement of خواستند.

Lexical negativity and grammatical negation

Affirmative خودداری کرد already entails a deliberate non-action: “refrained.” Grammatical negative خودداری نکرد reverses that stance: “did not refrain.” In a suitable context it strongly suggests that the action occurred, but logically it only denies restraint; completion of the embedded action may still require context.

Voluntary restraint and nearby alternatives

خودداری کردن normally implies control or a deliberate decision. An accidental failure to act uses a different verb: نتوانست پاسخ دهد “could not answer,” فراموش کرد پاسخ دهد “forgot to answer.” Formal پرهیز کردن از overlaps with “avoid,” especially for risks, habits, and moral or medical advice. اجتناب کردن از is more formal and often bureaucratic.

In ordinary speech, a direct negative command is usually more natural. به سیم دست نزن is concise; از تماس با سیم خودداری کن sounds like a posted instruction. Neither is inherently more polite—the latter is simply more institutional.

Nominal خودداری

خودداری از + noun/action can itself be a noun phrase: خودداری از مصرف دخانیات ضروری است. It has no tense or subject agreement until another predicate is added. Formal prose uses this nominal pattern heavily because it can package a prohibition as an abstract policy statement.

Orthographically, derived noun خودداری is one word, while light verb کردن remains separate: خودداری کردن, not خود داری کردن and not خودداری‌کردن.

Tehran speech and register choice

The regular colloquial forms خودداری می‌کنه، خودداری می‌کنن are possible (informal, regional: Tehran), especially when paraphrasing a rule or report. In spontaneous conversation, speakers usually replace the entire predicate with a direct negative or نخواستن “not want/refuse.”

Common Mistakes

1. Omitting از

2. Adding را to the از complement

3. Giving the infinitive another subject

4. Splitting or joining the wrong boundary

Key Takeaways

• Inflect only کردن and introduce the avoided action with از.
• The subject of خودداری کردن normally controls the subject of the avoided infinitive.
• Affirmative خودداری کرد means non-action; negative خودداری نکرد negates restraint and usually implies action.
• The predicate is common in formal instructions and reports; direct negative verbs are more natural in everyday conversation.
• Write خودداری کردن with خودداری closed and the light verb separated.