A1
안 and 못 — not, and can’t
How Korean negates with 안 and 못, the longer 지 않다 form, and the verbs that have their own negative words.
안 is the ordinary negative and goes before the verb as a separate word.
안 먹어요.
An meogeoyo.
I don’t eat it.
오늘은 안 가요.
Oneureun an gayo.
I’m not going today.
못 is inability
못 says you cannot, and it means something outside you prevented it — no time, no skill, no permission. Choosing between the two is choosing whether you are declining or unable.
못 갔어요.
Mot gasseoyo.
I couldn’t go.
안 갔어요 is I didn’t go, a decision. 못 갔어요 is I couldn’t, a circumstance. English needs a different verb to make the distinction; Korean changes one syllable.
하다 verbs split
With a noun+하다 verb, the negative goes between the two parts rather than in front.
안 공부해요.
공부 안 해요.
공부하다 is 공부 plus 하다, so the negative sits before 하다. The same applies to 못: 공부 못 해요. It is heard both ways in speech, but this is the form that is taught.
The long form
지 않다 attaches to the stem and means the same as 안. It is more formal, more written, and unavoidable with longer verbs.
먹지 않아요.
Meokji anayo.
I don’t eat it.
The 못 equivalent is 지 못하다: 가지 못해요.
Some verbs have their own negative
있다 → 없다, 알다 → 모르다. Using 안 with these is wrong rather than merely unnatural.
안 알아요.
몰라요.
모르다 is the word for not know. 안 알아요 is not said. The same goes for 없다 rather than 안 있다 — see 있다 and 없다.