Day 23: Saying no

★ 안 vs 못 · -지 않다 · the four verbs that have their own negative · 아직 / 이제 · 30 min

Korean has two negatives, and the difference is the one English marks with won't versus can't:

안 가요. — I'm not going. (my choice) 못 가요. — I can't go. (something prevents me)

Choosing wrongly says something you did not mean. And four common verbs refuse both negatives entirely and have their own opposite word instead (section 3) — that is the part learners keep getting wrong for years.

1. ★★ 안 and 못

### 안 = don't, won't — a choice or a simple fact### 못 = can't — inability, or something in the way

Both go directly in front of the verb:

★ The distinction is real and Koreans hear it. Saying 술 안 마셔요 means you choose not to drink; 술 못 마셔요 means your body cannot. In Korean drinking culture these two answers get very different responses — and 못 마셔요 is the one that ends the pressure.

⚠️ 못 is pronounced [몯] before a consonant and links forward before a vowel: 못 가요 [몯까요] · 못 먹어요 [몬머거요] · 못 해요 [모태요]. Day 2's sound rules, still running.

⚠️ 하다 verbs split around both

★ The noun and 하다 come apart, and the negative goes in the gap. This is because 공부하다 is really 공부 + 하다 — two words that have grown together.

2. -지 않다 and -지 못하다 — the long forms

### stem + 지 않아요 = 안 · stem + 지 못해요 = 못

★ Same meaning. The long form is more formal, more written, and slightly more emphatic. In speech the short form wins almost every time — but you will read the long form constantly, and there are two places where it is the natural choice:

• with descriptive verbs — 쉽지 않아요 sounds better than 안 쉬워요
• with long verbs — 이해하지 못했어요 rather than 이해 못 했어요

⚠️ Never combine them. 안 가지 않아요 is a double negative and it is wrong.

3. ⚠️★ Four verbs with their own negative word

These do not take 안 or 못. They have a separate opposite, and using 안 with them marks you instantly.

★ You have used 없어요 and 몰라요 since week 1 — today just makes the rule explicit:these four are lexical opposites, not negated verbs.

⚠️ 좋다 is not one of them. 안 좋아요 is perfectly correct (it's not good), and 싫어요 is a stronger, separate word (Day 13) — not simply "not 좋아요".

4. ★ 별로, 전혀, 아직, 이제

★ 아직 안 / 아직 못 is the "not yet" of Korean and there is no separate word for it. 아직 안 왔어요 (they haven't come yet), 아직 못 했어요 (I haven't managed it yet).

5. Dialogue

민수: 알렉스 씨, 오늘 저녁에 술 마실까요?Alex: 죄송해요, 저는 술 못 마셔요.민수: 아, 안 마셔요? — Alex: 아니요, 못 마셔요. 알레르기가 있어요.민수: 아, 그렇구나! 그럼 커피 어때요?Alex: 좋아요. 그런데 저녁은 아직 안 먹었어요.민수: 그럼 밥 먼저 먹어요. 매운 거 괜찮아요?Alex: 매운 건 잘 못 먹어요. 별로 안 좋아해요.민수: 그럼 삼계탕 어때요? 하나도 안 매워요.Alex: 삼계탕이 뭐예요? 아직 몰라요.민수: 닭이랑 인삼이요. 맛있어요!Alex: 좋아요, 먹어 볼게요.

★ The whole day is in Minsu's third line. He hears 못 마셔요, checks with 안 마셔요?, and Alex corrects him — 아니요, 못 마셔요. ★ That correction changes the social situation entirely, and it is the reason the distinction is worth learning.★ Also note 아니요 answering a negative-ish question, plus 아직 안 먹었어요, 잘 못 먹어요, 별로 안 좋아해요, 하나도 안 매워요, 아직 몰라요 — five negative shapes in one conversation.

6. Exercises

A. ★ 안 or 못?

1. I've decided not to go. → ___ 가요.
2. I have to work, so I can't go. → ___ 가요.
3. I'm vegetarian, I don't eat meat. → 고기 ___ 먹어요.
4. It's too spicy, I can't eat it. → ___ 먹어요.
5. I don't drink (by choice). → 술 ___ 마셔요.

B. ⚠️ 하다 verbs.

1. 공부하다 → don't study 2. 운동하다 → can't exercise 3. 전화하다 → didn't call

C. Long form.

1. 안 가요 → 2. 안 먹어요 → 3. 못 가요 → 4. 안 어려워요 →

D. ⚠️★ Give the negative.

1. 있어요 2. 알아요 3. 맛있어요 4. 재미있어요 5. 좋아요

E. Fill in.

1. ___ 안 좋아해요. (not really)
2. ___ 안 마셔요. (not at all)
3. ___ 안 먹었어요. (not yet)
4. ___ 안 해요. (not any more)
5. ___ 안 매워요. (not at all spicy)

F. Translate.

1. I can't go today. 2. I don't eat meat. 3. I haven't eaten yet.
2. I don't know yet. 5. It's not spicy at all. 6. I can't drink alcohol.

G. ⚠️ Fix the mistake.

1. 안 공부해요.
2. 안 있어요.
3. 안 알아요.
4. 안 가지 않아요.
5. 안 맛있어요.

7. Today's 10 sentences (flashcards)

1. 오늘 못 가요. — I can't go today
2. 안 가요. — I'm not going
3. 술 못 마셔요. — I can't drink alcohol
4. 고기 안 먹어요. — I don't eat meat
5. 공부 안 해요. — I don't study
6. 아직 안 먹었어요. — I haven't eaten yet
7. 아직 몰라요. — I don't know yet
8. 별로 안 좋아해요. — I don't really like it
9. 하나도 안 매워요. — It's not spicy at all
10. 재미없어요. — It's boring

8. 📲 Upload to LangNote

Upload section 1 (안 vs 못), section 3 (the four verbs) and section 7 → study language Korean.

★ Negate ten sentences you already say fluently tonight. Placement and choice only become automatic on sentences you do not have to think about.

Tomorrow: question words, all together — and the ones that behave differently from English.

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