Short Negation: 안 and 못

짧은 부정

Verb Conjugation

Overview

Korean has two short negation words that go before the verb:

Word Meaning Nuance
안 not Simple negation, choice, or preference
못 cannot Inability, impossibility, or circumstances beyond control

These are called "short negation" (단형 부정) because the negation word is simply placed before the verb. This contrasts with "long negation" (~지 않다, ~지 못하다), which is covered in a separate lesson.

안: Simple Negation (Not / Don't)

Form

Place 안 directly before the verb or adjective:

안 + verb/adjective

Positive Negative English
가요. 안 가요. I don't go.
먹어요. 안 먹어요. I don't eat.
바빠요. 안 바빠요. I'm not busy.
좋아요. 안 좋아요. It's not good.
알아요. 안 알아요. (= 몰라요) I don't know.

With action verbs

Korean Romanization English
커피 안 마셔요. keopi an masyeoyo. I don't drink coffee.
오늘 안 가요. oneul an gayo. I'm not going today.
아직 안 먹었어요. ajik an meogeosseoyo. I haven't eaten yet.
운동 안 해요. undong an haeyo. I don't exercise.
숙제 안 했어요. sukje an haesseoyo. I didn't do my homework.

With descriptive verbs (adjectives)

Korean Romanization English
안 바빠요. an bappayo. I'm not busy.
안 추워요. an chuwoyo. It's not cold.
안 비싸요. an bissayo. It's not expensive.
안 아파요. an apayo. It doesn't hurt.
안 예뻐요. an yeppeoyo. It's not pretty.

안 with 하다 verbs

For noun + 하다 compound verbs, 안 goes between the noun and 하다:

Positive Negative English
공부해요. 공부 안 해요. I don't study.
운동해요. 운동 안 해요. I don't exercise.
요리해요. 요리 안 해요. I don't cook.
전화해요. 전화 안 해요. I don't call.

Important: Place 안 between the noun and 하다: 공부 안 해요 (correct), not ~~안 공부해요~~ (awkward/incorrect for most 하다 verbs).

When NOT to use 안

안 is not used with:

Verb Why Use instead
있다 (exist) Use 없다 없어요 (not 안 있어요)
알다 (know) Use 모르다 몰라요 (not 안 알아요)
이다 (to be) Use 아니다 아니에요 (not 안 이에요)

While 안 알아요 is technically understood, native speakers strongly prefer 몰라요. Similarly, 없어요 is the standard negation of 있어요.

못: Inability Negation (Cannot)

Form

Place 못 directly before the verb:

못 + verb

Positive Negative English
가요. 못 가요. I can't go.
먹어요. 못 먹어요. I can't eat.
해요. 못 해요. I can't do it.
왔어요. 못 왔어요. I couldn't come.

Usage examples

Korean Romanization English
한국어를 못 해요. hangugeoreul mot haeyo. I can't speak Korean.
어제 못 갔어요. eoje mot gasseoyo. I couldn't go yesterday.
매운 음식을 못 먹어요. maeun eumsigeul mot meogeoyo. I can't eat spicy food.
시간이 없어서 못 왔어요. sigani eopseoseo mot wasseoyo. I couldn't come because I had no time.
수영을 못 해요. suyeongeul mot haeyo. I can't swim.
아파서 못 일했어요. apaseo mot ilhaesseoyo. I couldn't work because I was sick.

못 with 하다 verbs

Like 안, 못 goes between the noun and 하다:

Positive Negative English
운동해요. 운동 못 해요. I can't exercise.
요리해요. 요리 못 해요. I can't cook.
수영해요. 수영 못 해요. I can't swim.

When NOT to use 못

못 is not used with adjectives (descriptive verbs):

Incorrect Why Correct alternative
못 예뻐요. Adjectives don't take 못 안 예뻐요. / 예쁘지 않아요.
못 비싸요. Adjectives don't take 못 안 비싸요.
못 좋아요. Adjectives don't take 못 안 좋아요.

못 is only for action verbs (things you do). You cannot be "unable" to be tall or pretty -- those are states, not actions.

안 vs 못: The Key Difference

Feature 안 (not) 못 (cannot)
Meaning Choice, preference, simple negation Inability, external circumstances
With adjectives Yes No
With action verbs Yes Yes
Nuance "I choose not to" / "It isn't" "I'm unable to" / "Circumstances prevent me"

Comparison examples

안 못 Difference
안 가요. (I'm not going. -- my choice) 못 가요. (I can't go. -- something prevents me) Choice vs inability
안 먹어요. (I don't eat it. -- I choose not to) 못 먹어요. (I can't eat it. -- allergy, inability) Preference vs impossibility
안 했어요. (I didn't do it. -- I chose not to) 못 했어요. (I couldn't do it. -- I tried but failed) Decision vs failure

Context examples

Situation 안 못
Vegetarian refusing meat 고기 안 먹어요. (I don't eat meat.) —
Allergic to meat — 고기 못 먹어요. (I can't eat meat.)
Choosing to stay home 오늘 안 가요. (I'm not going today.) —
Sick and unable to go — 오늘 못 가요. (I can't go today.)
Didn't study (lazy) 공부 안 했어요. (I didn't study.) —
Couldn't study (busy) — 공부 못 했어요. (I couldn't study.)

Word Order Recap

Type Order Example
Regular verb 안/못 + verb 안 가요, 못 먹어요
하다 compound noun + 안/못 + 하다 공부 안 해요, 운동 못 해요
Adjective 안 + adjective 안 추워요, 안 비싸요

Short vs Long Negation Preview

Short negation Long negation Meaning
안 가요. 가지 않아요. I don't go.
못 가요. 가지 못해요. I can't go.

Both forms convey the same meaning. Short negation is more common in speech; long negation is more common in writing and for emphasis. See the long negation lesson for details.

Common Mistakes

Mistake Correction Why
안 공부해요. 공부 안 해요. 안 goes between noun and 하다
못 예뻐요. 안 예뻐요. 못 cannot be used with adjectives
안 있어요. 없어요. Use 없다 to negate 있다
안 이에요. 아니에요. Use 아니다 to negate 이다
가요 안. 안 가요. 안/못 go BEFORE the verb

Summary

  1. 안 = simple negation ("not/don't"). Used with action verbs and adjectives.
  2. 못 = inability negation ("cannot"). Used with action verbs only.
  3. Both go before the verb: 안 가요, 못 가요.
  4. With 하다 compounds: noun + 안/못 + 하다 (공부 안 해요).
  5. 안 = choice/preference; 못 = inability/circumstances.
  6. 못 cannot be used with adjectives.
  7. Use 없다, 모르다, and 아니다 instead of negating 있다, 알다, and 이다 with 안.

Examples

오늘 안 바빠요.

oneul an bappayo.

I'm not busy today.

어제 못 갔어요.

eoje mot gasseoyo.

I couldn't go yesterday.

커피 안 마셔요.

keopi an masyeoyo.

I don't drink coffee.

한국어를 못 해요.

hangugeoreul mot haeyo.

I can't speak Korean.

아직 안 먹었어요.

ajik an meogeosseoyo.

I haven't eaten yet.

시간이 없어서 못 왔어요.

sigani eopseoseo mot wasseoyo.

I couldn't come because I didn't have time.