Don’t be so hard on yourself.
Example: Your classmate failed a test. He’s very sad about it, and talks constantly about how stupid he is and how he should have studied more. You want to tell him not to be sad about the mistake he made, so you say “Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
Don’t get your hopes up.
Example: Your friend bought a lottery ticket and believes she will definitely win. She’s talking about all the new cars and houses she will buy with the 10 million dollars. You want to tell her not to be so excited about something that is not certain to happen, so you say, “Don’t get your hopes up.”
Don’t mention it!
Example: You helped your friend move from one apartment to another, and he says “thank you.” You want to say it was no problem for you to help, so you say “Don’t mention it!”
Don’t leave it to the last minute.
Example: Your son has a big science project for school, but he hasn’t started working on it yet. He says he has lots of time because it’s due in three months. You want to tell him to be careful not to wait until the last day to finish the project, so you say “Don’t leave it to the last minute.”
Don’t hold your breath.
Example: Your cousin believes his ex-girlfriend will come back to the relationship. You think this probably will not happen soon… actually, it’s possible that she will never come back. You want to tell him not to hope for something that will take a long time and might never happen, so you say “Don’t hold your breath.”
Don’t bother.
Example: The internet is not working in your house. Your mother says she will restart the computer. You’ve already restarted the computer three times, and it didn’t work. You want to tell your mother not to do something that will have no result, so you say, “Don’t bother.”
Don’t worry about a thing.
Example: You and your wife have just come home from the hospital with a new baby, and she is very tired from taking care of the baby. You want to tell her that you will do everything and she can relax, so you say, “Don’t worry about a thing. I’ll cook dinner and clean the house.”
Don’t take it out on me!
Example: Your best friend had a bad day at work, and she is being unfriendly to you. You want to tell her not to be angry and frustrated with you because of her bad day, so you say “Don’t take it out on me!”
Don’t jump to conclusions.
Example: Your friend suspects her husband has another lover, because she has seen him having lunch with another woman. You want to tell her not to believe her husband is cheating before she knows all the facts, so you say, “Don’t jump to conclusions.”
Don’t stoop to his level.
Example: Your sister’s colleague has been saying bad things about her at work. For revenge, your sister has begun to say bad things about him, too. You want to tell her not to do something bad to a person who did bad things to her, so you say, “Don’t stoop to his level.”
English Expressions with "Don't"
