Part 12 - Negative Sentences

Part 12.1 - 안 + Verb — Simple Negative

Basic Information

To make a simple negative sentence in Korean, the adverb 안 is placed directly before the verb. This means “not” and is used to negate the verb simply and clearly.

It is the most common and straightforward way to form a negative sentence in everyday speech.

Grammar Rule

Structure:
안 + Verb
Example:
안 가요 — “I don’t go.”
안 먹어요 — “I don’t eat.”

Example Sentences

Korean	English
저는 커피를 안 마셔요.	I don’t drink coffee.
그는 학교에 안 가요.	He doesn’t go to school.
오늘은 공부를 안 해요.	I’m not studying today.
저는 영화를 안 봐요.	I don’t watch movies.

Important Notes

• 안 always goes directly before the verb it negates.
• This form is casual to polite informal and very common in spoken Korean.
• Don’t use 안 together with ~지 않아요 for the same verb — it’s double negation and incorrect.
• Note: 안 is not used with adjectives to form negatives. Instead, negative adjectives use ~지 않아요. See Part 12.2 below for details.

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Part 12.2 - ~지 않아요 — More Formal / Neutral Negative (Verbs and Adjectives)

Basic Information

The grammar pattern ~지 않아요 is used for polite or neutral negation of both verbs and adjectives. It literally means “do not (verb/adjective),” and is more formal or polite than using 안.

This form is the only correct way to make negative sentences with adjectives, since 안 cannot be used with adjectives.

Grammar Rule

1. Take the verb or adjective stem.
2. Add ~지 않아요.
3. Conjugate 않아요 according to the polite informal present tense.

Structure:
Stem + ~지 않아요
Examples:
Verb: 먹지 않아요 — “do not eat”
Adjective: 크지 않아요 — “is not big”
예쁘지 않아요 — “is not pretty”

Example Sentences with Adjectives

Korean	English
그 집은 크지 않아요.	That house is not big.
오늘 날씨가 좋지 않아요.	The weather is not good today.
그 사람은 예쁘지 않아요.	That person is not pretty.
이 음식은 맵지 않아요.	This food is not spicy.

Example Sentences with Verbs

Korean	English
저는 고기를 먹지 않아요.	I do not eat meat.
그는 운동하지 않아요.	He does not exercise.

Important Notes

• ~지 않아요 can be used with both verbs and adjectives.
• 안 is only used with verbs, never with adjectives.
• Negative adjectives formed with ~지 않아요 are more polite and formal than alternative negative adjectives like 않다 by itself.
• You can also form the past negative by changing 않아요 to 않았어요, e.g. 좋지 않았어요 — “was not good.”

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Comparing 안 + Verb and ~지 않아요

Summary of Differences

Aspect	안 + Verb	~지 않아요 (Verbs & Adjectives)
Formality	Casual to polite informal	Polite, neutral, or slightly formal
Usage	Common in everyday conversation	Common in writing, formal speech, polite conversation
Sentence Length	Short and simple	Longer, more formal sounding
Usage with Adjectives	Cannot be used with adjectives	Can be used with adjectives
Double Negation	Not used with ~지 않아요	Not used with 안

Example: Both Forms with Verbs

저는 커피를 안 마셔요. — I don’t drink coffee. (Casual, conversational)
저는 커피를 마시지 않아요. — I do not drink coffee. (Polite, neutral)

Example: Adjectives (Only ~지 않아요 possible)

그 영화는 재미없지 않아요. — That movie is not boring.
(Cannot say: "안 재미없어요")

Practice Tip

When negating verbs, both forms are possible; when negating adjectives, always use ~지 않아요. Practice sentences with both to get comfortable.

End of Lesson

Now you understand two main ways to negate verbs and adjectives in Korean. Remember: 안 + verb is the easiest negation for verbs in daily speech, and ~지 않아요 is the polite form for verbs and the only form for adjectives.

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