Lesson 7

Negation & Prohibition

Express negation with 안/못 and prohibition with -지 마세요. Understand the difference between inability and refusal.

안 vs. 못 — Negation

안 (voluntary negation): placed before a verb to express 'don't / won't'. Shows choice or unwillingness. 못 (inability): placed before a verb to express 'can't'. Shows inability due to skill, circumstance, or external reasons. 하다 verbs: 안 해요 / 못 해요 (not 안 하다요).

저는 고기를 안 먹어요. (채식주의자예요.)jeoneun gogireul an meogeoyo. chaesikjuuijayeyoI don't eat meat. (I'm a vegetarian.)

목이 아파서 노래를 못 해요.mogi apaseo noraereul mot haeyoMy throat hurts so I can't sing.

-지 마세요 / -지 마 — Don't (prohibition)

Attach -지 마세요 to the verb stem to tell someone not to do something (polite). Use -지 마 for casual speech. Stronger version: -지 마십시오 (formal). Common in signs, instructions, and warnings.

여기서 뛰지 마세요.yeogiseo twiji maseyoPlease don't run here.

걱정하지 마. 내가 도와줄게.geokjeong haji ma. naega dowajulgeDon't worry. I'll help you.

절대jeoldaenever / absolutely

Examples절대 거짓말하지 마세요.jeoldae geojitmal haji maseyoNever tell lies.

금지geumjiprohibition / ban

Examples여기는 사진 촬영이 금지예요.yeogineun sajin chwalyeongi geumjiyeyoPhotography is prohibited here.

허락heorakpermission

Examples부모님께 허락을 받아야 해요.bumonimkke heorak-eul badaya haeyoYou need to get permission from your parents.

거절하다geojeorhadato refuse / to decline

Examples부탁을 거절하기가 어려워요.butak-eul geojeorhagi-ga eoryeowoyoIt's hard to refuse a favor.

불가능하다bulganeunghadato be impossible

Examples오늘 안에 끝내는 건 불가능해요.oneul ane kkeunnaeneun geon bulganeunghaeyoFinishing it within today is impossible.

어렵다eoryeopdadifficult / hard

Examples혼자서 하기 어려워요.honjaseo hagi eoryeowoyoIt's hard to do alone.