LEARN + KOREAN / 51 of 125 TOPIK I
Can't, Formally -지 않아요
a
In a short chat, 안 가요 is an easy “I’m not going.” In a more careful explanation, 가지 않아요 says the same thing with -지 않다. Attach -지 않다 for a plain negative; -지 못하다 says the action could not be done.
bihaenggipyoga neomu bissaseo olhae hanguge gaji mothaeyo.
Tickets are too expensive, so I can't go to Korea this year.
je bangeun keun changmuni isseoseo eodupji anayo.
My room has a big window, so it's not dark.
maeil cheongsohaeseo jijeobunhaji anayo.
I clean daily, so it's not messy.
neomu mugeowoseo honja beoriji mothaeyo.
It's too heavy, so I can't throw it away alone.
In Real Life
This long form shows up constantly in exactly the settings -습니다 gets used for: news reports, official notices, formal writing. The short forms 안/못 and the long forms -지 않다/-지 못하다 aren’t tied to a specific register by grammar rule, but in practice they cluster with the same formal-versus-casual split.
wandukongeul jeonhyeo meokji mothaeyo.
I can't eat peas at all.
Hint · 힌트
전혀 (“not at all”) almost always demands a negative verb right after it. You’ll essentially never see 전혀 in a positive sentence; it exists specifically to intensify a denial, the Korean equivalent of “not even a little.”
naemsaega ganghaeseo yanggogireul meokji anayo.
I don't eat lamb because the smell is strong.
Vocabulary
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
bihaenggipyo | plane ticket |
beorida | to throw away |
honja | alone |
wandukong | peas |
yanggogi | lamb |
naemsae | smell |
jeonhyeo | not at all |
chaesikjuuija | vegetarian |
jonggyo | religion |
iseullam | Islam |
yujepum | dairy products |
geulluten | gluten |
bigeon | vegan |
haesanmul | seafood |
gyeongwallyu | nuts |
pyeonsikhada | to be a picky eater |
sikdan | diet, meal plan |
yeongyang | nutrition |
seongbun | ingredient, component |
museullim | Muslim |
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