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Unit 18: Negative Sentences (안)

We already know how to say "It is not" (아니에요) and "I don't have" (없어요). But how do we say "I do not go" or "I do not eat"?

There are two ways to make a verb negative in Korean, but today we will learn the easiest and most common one for everyday speaking: adding 안 (an).

1. Adding 안 before the verb

The word 안 acts just like "not" or "don't" in English. You simply place it directly in front of the verb.

  • 가요 = I go -> 안 가요 = I do not go
  • 먹어요 = I eat -> 안 먹어요 = I do not eat
  • 바빠요 = I am busy -> 안 바빠요 = I am not busy

Past tense works the same way! * 갔어요 = I went -> 안 갔어요 = I did not go

2. The 하다 (ha-da) Verb Exception

This rule is very easy, but there is one major exception: verbs that end in 하다 (like 공부하다, 일하다).

Many 하다 verbs are actually just a Noun + 하다 (to do). * 공부 (study) + 하다 (to do) = 공부하다 (to study) * 일 (work) + 하다 (to do) = 일하다 (to work)

Because '안' must be placed directly before the action, you cannot put it before the noun. You have to split the noun and the verb, and put 안 right before 하다.

  • 공부하다 (to study) -> 안 공부하다 (X - Incorrect!) -> 공부 안 하다 (O - Correct!) -> Present polite: 공부 안 해요. (I don't study).

  • 일하다 (to work) -> 일 안 해요. (I don't work).

Descriptive 하다 verbs

Wait! If the 하다 verb is a descriptive verb (an adjective), it cannot be split because it isn't made of a Noun + Action. For example, 좋아하다 (to like) or 깨끗하다 (to be clean). For these, you just put 안 at the very front!

  • 안 좋아해요. = I do not like it.

3. The Other Way: -지 않다

You will also see the ending -지 않다 attached to verb stems (e.g. 가지 않아요, 먹지 않아요). This means the exact same thing as 안, but it is slightly more formal and often used in writing. In spoken Korean, 안 is much more natural!

Summary

  • Place 안 directly before the verb to make it negative.
  • Split Noun+하다 action verbs and put 안 in the middle: Noun + 안 + 해요.