免得

miǎnde

conjunction HSK 6 #6,585

Meanings

早点出发，免得迟到。

Zǎodiǎn chūfā, miǎnde chídào.

Leave early so as not to be late.

你多穿点衣服，免得感冒。

Nǐ duō chuān diǎn yīfu, miǎnde gǎnmào.

Wear more clothes so you don't catch a cold.

我写下来，免得忘了。

Wǒ xiěxià lái, miǎnde wàng le.

I'll write it down so I don't forget.

把门锁好，免得小偷进来。

Bǎmén suǒ hǎo, miǎnde xiǎotōu jìnlái.

Lock the door so that thieves don't get in.

grammar

Pattern: [action], 免得 [undesirable outcome]. The clause before 免得 is a precaution, and the clause after is what you want to avoid.

usage

免得, 以免 (yǐmiǎn), and 省得 (shěngde) are all similar. 以免 is more formal/written, 省得 is more colloquial, 免得 is in between.

免 miǎn

得 de