6. Korean Negative Expressions 부정 표현

 

Korean Negative Expressions for Beginners

In Korean, there are different ways to express negation (부정 표현). Depending on the situation, you can use:

✅ 안 – Simple negation (not)
✅ -지 않다 – Formal negation (not)
✅ 못 – Inability (cannot)
✅ 이/가 아니에요 – Negative identification (is not)

Let’s go through each one with examples and compare their differences!

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1. 안 – Simple Negation (Not)

안 is placed before the verb or adjective to make a negative sentence. It is commonly used in everyday conversation.

🔹 Sentence Structure:

👉 안 + Verb/Adjective

Verb/Adjective Positive Negative (with 안)

가다 (to go)	학교에 가요. (I go to school.)	학교에 안 가요. (I don’t go to school.)
먹다 (to eat)	밥을 먹어요. (I eat rice.)	밥을 안 먹어요. (I don’t eat rice.)
예쁘다 (to be pretty)	꽃이 예뻐요. (The flower is pretty.)	꽃이 안 예뻐요. (The flower is not pretty.)

📌 Tip: 안 works with most verbs and adjectives, except for 하다 verbs!
For 하다 verbs, put 안 before 하다:

• 공부하다 (to study) → 공부 안 해요. (I don’t study.)
• 운동하다 (to exercise) → 운동 안 해요. (I don’t exercise.)

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2. -지 않다 – Formal Negation (Not)

-지 않다 is a more formal way to say not. It is often used in written language or polite speech.

🔹 Sentence Structure:

👉 Verb/Adjective stem + -지 않다

Verb/Adjective Positive Negative (with -지 않다)

가다 (to go)	학교에 가요. (I go to school.)	학교에 가지 않아요. (I do not go to school.)
먹다 (to eat)	밥을 먹어요. (I eat rice.)	밥을 먹지 않아요. (I do not eat rice.)
춥다 (to be cold)	날씨가 추워요. (The weather is cold.)	날씨가 춥지 않아요. (The weather is not cold.)

📌 Tip: -지 않다 and 안 have the same meaning, but -지 않다 sounds more polite and neutral.

💬 Casual speech: "안 가요."
💬 Polite/formal speech: "가지 않아요."

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3. 못 – Inability (Cannot)

못 is used to express inability due to a reason (lack of skill, external circumstances, etc.).

🔹 Sentence Structure:

👉 못 + Verb

Verb Positive Negative (with 못)

가다 (to go)	학교에 가요. (I go to school.)	학교에 못 가요. (I cannot go to school.)
먹다 (to eat)	밥을 먹어요. (I eat rice.)	밥을 못 먹어요. (I cannot eat rice.)
수영하다 (to swim)	수영해요. (I swim.)	못 수영해요. (I cannot swim.)

📌 Tip: For 하다 verbs, put 못 before 하다:

• 공부하다 (to study) → 공부 못 해요. (I cannot study.)
• 운전하다 (to drive) → 운전 못 해요. (I cannot drive.)

📌 Difference between "안" and "못"

• 안 먹어요. → "I don’t eat (by choice)."
• 못 먹어요. → "I can’t eat (because I’m sick, allergic, etc.)."

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4. 이/가 아니에요 – Negative Identification (Is Not)

이/가 아니에요 is used to say that something is NOT something.

🔹 Sentence Structure:

👉 Noun + 이/가 아니에요

Noun Positive Negative (with 이/가 아니에요)

학생 (student)	저는 학생이에요. (I am a student.)	저는 학생이 아니에요. (I am not a student.)
의사 (doctor)	그는 의사예요. (He is a doctor.)	그는 의사가 아니에요. (He is not a doctor.)
한국 사람 (Korean)	저는 한국 사람이에요. (I am Korean.)	저는 한국 사람이 아니에요. (I am not Korean.)

📌 Tip:

• If the noun ends in a consonant, use 이 아니에요 (학생 → 학생이 아니에요).
• If the noun ends in a vowel, use 가 아니에요 (의사 → 의사가 아니에요).

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🔎 Comparing the Negative Forms

Expression Meaning Example Sentence

안	Not (simple negation)	저는 운동 안 해요. (I don’t exercise.)
-지 않다	Not (formal negation)	저는 운동하지 않아요. (I do not exercise.)
못	Cannot (inability)	저는 운동 못 해요. (I cannot exercise.)
이/가 아니에요	Is not (negative noun)	저는 의사가 아니에요. (I am not a doctor.)

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🎯 Quick Quiz (Test Yourself!)

1️⃣ Choose the correct negative form:
🔹 저는 커피를 (안 마셔요 / 못 마셔요). (I don’t drink coffee.)
🔹 저는 수영을 (안 해요 / 못 해요). (I cannot swim.)
🔹 이 사람은 선생님(이 아니에요 / 안 해요). (This person is not a teacher.)

2️⃣ Translate into Korean:
🔹 "I do not watch TV."
🔹 "I cannot go to work today."
🔹 "This is not a book."

Comment your answers below! ⬇️😊