Is it possible to use causative sentences to say "not to do"?


How to use Japanese causative sentences to say the following?

> He had me not wash the dishes.

I believe that "彼は私に皿を洗わせませんでした。" is not the answer because its translation
becomes "He has not made me wash the dishes.".




Using the terms from snailboat's link:

  * **Not [force doing]**  
_He didn't have me wash the dishes (but I washed them because I was bored)._  
Similar to → He did not force me to wash the dishes.

  * **Force [not doing]**  
_He had me not wash the dishes (because I'm really clumsy)_.  
Similar to → He forced me to not wash the dishes.

Verbs in the form 〜せなかった/〜せませんでした are ambiguous and can work for both of these
two meanings. It will only mean one or the other depending on the context. You
will need to rephrase it if you want to be absolutely clear. There are many
options, but just to give a few:

  * **Not [force doing]**
    * 洗わせることはしなかった
    * 洗えとは言わなかった
    * 洗わせようとはしなかった
  * **Force [not doing]**
    * 洗うことを許さなかった
    * 洗うことを禁じた
    * 洗わないように指示した




Using the terms from snailboat's link:

  * **Not [force doing]**  
_He didn't have me wash the dishes (but I washed them because I was bored)._  
Similar to → He did not force me to wash the dishes.

  * **Force [not doing]**  
_He had me not wash the dishes (because I'm really clumsy)_.  
Similar to → He forced me to not wash the dishes.

Verbs in the form 〜せなかった/〜せませんでした are ambiguous and can work for both of these
two meanings. It will only mean one or the other depending on the context. You
will need to rephrase it if you want to be absolutely clear. There are many
options, but just to give a few:

  * **Not [force doing]**
    * 洗わせることはしなかった
    * 洗えとは言わなかった
    * 洗わせようとはしなかった
  * **Force [not doing]**
    * 洗うことを許さなかった
    * 洗うことを禁じた
    * 洗わないように指示した

