Cours de coréen ᚛ Level 2 - Korean for Beginners #1 (Lessons 31 to 60) ᚛ Leçon 32 - Negation in Korean [안] [-지 않다]
Negation in Korean [안] [-지 않다]
There are two ways to express negation in Korean.
Negation with -지 않다
It is possible to express negation in Korean with the form
-지 않다 which is attached to the verb as follows:
[Stem]지 않다
- 먹다 (= to eat) → 먹지 않다 (= not to eat)
- 읽다 (= to read) → 읽지 않다 (= not to read)
- 하다 (= to do) → 하지 않다 (= not to do)
The -지 않다 form is actually a new verb that can be conjugated in all the forms and tenses, as we had seen in the previous lessons.
먹지 않아?
→ Aren't you eating?
이 책을 읽지 않았어요.
→ I haven't read this book.
그거 하지 않을 거야.
→ I won’t do it.
Negation with 안
A second way of expressing negation, which is much more widely used in speech than the -지 않다 form because it is shorter, is by using the word
안 before the verb, as follows:
안 [Verb]
- 먹다 (= to eat) → 안 먹다 (= not to eat)
- 읽다 (= to read) → 안 읽다 (= not to read)
- 하다 (= to do) → 안 하다 (= not to do)
The verb can of course be conjugated as we wish.
안 먹어?
→ Aren't you eating?
이 책을 안 읽었어요.
→ I haven't read this book.
그거 안 할 거야.
→ I won’t do it.
안 and verbs in -하다
General rule
Many verbs ending in -하다 like 공부하다 (= to study), 일하다 (= to work), 청소하다 (= to clean), 요리하다 (= to cook), etc., are somewhat peculiar verbs. Indeed, most of these verbs are in fact a shortcut to express the act of doing something. So, in their long version, we use the object particle 을 / 를.
- 하다 (= to do)
- 청소하다 = 청소를 하다 (= to do cleaning = to clean)
- 요리하다 = 요리를 하다 (= to do cooking = to cook)
When you use the word 안 to express negation, it is necessary to use the long version of verbs in -하다.
청소를 안 해요?
→ Aren't you cleaning up?
(not 안 청소해요?)
요리를 안 했어.
→ I haven't cooked.
(not 안 요리했어.)
Also, as you know, the object particle 을 / 를 is optional in simple cases. So, it can usually be omitted.
일 안 할 거야.
→ I won’t work.
운동 안 했어.
→ I haven’t done exercise.
Exceptions in -하다
Please note that this rule is only valid for verbs that are compositions of a common noun and the verb 하다 to express the concept of performing an action. Verbs like 좋아하다 (= to like), 싫어하다 (= to hate) or adjectives such as 약하다 (= to be weak), 강하다 (= to be strong), 똑똑하다 (= to be smart), 친절하다 (= to be kind) are not action compositions.
안 좋아해.
→ I don't like.
(not 좋아를 안 해. which makes no sense)
안 피곤해.
→ I'm not tired.
(not 피곤을 안 해. which makes no sense)
안 and compound verbs
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Opposite verbs
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Summary table of structure
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Exercises
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