Negation: 안, 못, ~지 않다
Three ways to make negative sentences in Korean.
Korean has three main ways to make negative sentences, and choosing the right one matters because they convey different nuances. 안 placed before the verb is the simple negative ('I don't / am not / won't'). 못 placed before the verb means 'cannot' — it indicates inability rather than choice. The longer pattern -지 않다 attached to the verb is equivalent to 안 but more formal and emphatic.
학교에 안 가요 means 'I'm not going to school' (probably by choice). 학교에 못 가요 means 'I can't go to school' (something is stopping me). 학교에 가지 않아요 means the same as 안 가요 but sounds more deliberate. The 안/못 distinction is essential — saying 못 when you meant 안 implies you wanted to do something but couldn't, which can lead to social misunderstanding. Practice the contrast with concrete situations until it becomes automatic.
안 — Simple Negation (won't / don't)
Place 안 before the verb/adjective. It means you choose not to or it simply isn't. For 하다 verbs, put 안 between the noun and 하다: 공부 안 해요.
못 — Cannot / Unable to
Place 못 before the verb. It means you are unable to due to lack of ability or circumstances. For 하다 verbs: 못 해요 or noun을/를 못 해요.
How It Works
Korean has three negations and they are not interchangeable. 안 negates by choice or simple fact — you do not do something, or it is not the case. 못 negates by inability — you cannot, because of lack of skill, permission or circumstance. -지 않다 is the longer, more formal equivalent of 안.
The difference between 안 and 못 is the one that carries real meaning. 안 먹어요 means 'I don't eat it', which could be preference, diet or choice. 못 먹어요 means 'I can't eat it', implying allergy, inability to handle spice, or something preventing you. Saying the wrong one changes what you are telling people about yourself.
Placement is simple for ordinary verbs: put 안 or 못 directly before the verb. 안 가요, 못 가요. But 하다 compounds split, and this is the detail that trips almost everyone. 공부하다 becomes 공부 안 해요, not 안 공부해요 — the negation goes inside the compound, between the noun and 하다. The same applies to 못: 운전 못 해요.
-지 않다 attaches to the stem and conjugates normally: 가지 않아요, 먹지 않아요. It is more common in writing and formal speech than in casual conversation, where 안 dominates.
Where You'll Hear It
The 안 / 못 distinction becomes socially important around food, which in Korea is a frequent topic. 매운 거 못 먹어요 ('I can't eat spicy food') is understood as a genuine limitation and your host will adjust. 매운 거 안 먹어요 ('I don't eat spicy food') sounds like a preference and may be gently challenged. Learners who use 안 when they mean 못 often end up with a dish they cannot handle.
못 also covers circumstantial failure, which is extremely common in everyday excuses. 어제 못 잤어요 ('I couldn't sleep yesterday') and 시간이 없어서 못 갔어요 ('I couldn't go because I had no time') are both about circumstances rather than ability.
The 하다 split shows up constantly because 하다 verbs are everywhere. 공부 안 했어요, 운동 안 해요, 요리 못 해요 — getting the word order right here is one of the clearest markers of whether someone has internalised the pattern or is translating.
-지 않다 is worth recognising even if you rarely produce it, because written Korean, news and formal announcements use it heavily.
Cultural & Language Note
안 and 못 encode a distinction English handles with context: 안 갔어요 means you chose not to go, 못 갔어요 means something prevented you. Koreans hear the difference as socially meaningful — saying 안 갔어요 about a friend's wedding sounds like you could not be bothered, while 못 갔어요 signals circumstances beyond your control.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
With 하다 verbs, the negator goes inside the compound: 공부 안 해요, not 안 공부해요. This trips up nearly every learner at first. Also, 지 않다 is the written or formal counterpart to 안 — both are correct, but stacking them as 안 하지 않아요 produces an unintended double negative.
How to Practice This Lesson
Settle 안 versus 못 with one question: is it that I choose not to, or that I am unable to? Run ten familiar activities through that question and say the right negation for each — 술 안 마셔요 if you choose not to drink, 술 못 마셔요 if you physically cannot.
The 하다 split needs separate mechanical drilling because word order is not something you can reason out mid-sentence. Take five 하다 verbs and write the negative of each: 공부 안 해요, 운동 안 해요, 일 안 해요, 요리 안 해요, 전화 안 해요. Say them until the split feels natural rather than deliberate.
Skip producing -지 않다 for now. Recognise it when reading, but spend your speaking practice on 안 and 못, which is what conversation actually runs on.