✅Beginner 12: Making Negative Sentences in Korean – I Don’t Eat, I Didn’t Go

📘 Beginner 12: Making Negative Sentences in Korean – I Don’t Eat, I Didn’t Go

Welcome to Day 12! ❌ Today’s lesson is all about saying what you don’t do, didn’t do, or won’t do in Korean. Negatives are essential in daily conversation – whether you're declining an offer, expressing an opinion, or correcting something.

You’ll learn two main ways to express negation in Korean: ✔️ 안 + Verb ✔️ Verb + 지 않다

📌 Method 1: 안 + Verb

The most commonly used way to say "not" in Korean is to simply add 안 before the verb.

✔️ Structure: 안 + Verb (used in speech)

  • 저는 안 먹어요. (jeo-neun an meok-eo-yo) – I don’t eat.
  • 안 가요. (an ga-yo) – I’m not going.
  • 안 자요. (an ja-yo) – I don’t sleep.

Very natural and casual – perfect for conversations!


📌 Method 2: Verb + 지 않다

This is a more formal, slightly written or official way of negating a verb.

✔️ Structure: Verb stem + 지 않아요 (present)
Verb stem + 지 않았어요 (past)

  • 저는 먹지 않아요. – I don’t eat.
  • 가지 않아요. – I don’t go.
  • 공부하지 않아요. – I don’t study.

💡 Both forms are grammatically correct and often interchangeable, but 안 is more common in daily speech.


📘 Negative in Past and Future

You can use the same structures for past and future tense too!

  • 어제 안 갔어요. – I didn’t go yesterday.
  • 공부하지 않았어요. – I didn’t study.
  • 내일 안 갈 거예요. – I won’t go tomorrow.

📘 Common Verbs with Negatives

Positive Negative (안) Romanization Meaning
가요안 가요an ga-yoI don’t go
먹어요안 먹어요an meok-eo-yoI don’t eat
자요안 자요an ja-yoI don’t sleep
해요안 해요an hae-yoI don’t do
마셔요안 마셔요an ma-syeo-yoI don’t drink
일해요안 일해요an il-hae-yoI don’t work

💬 Real-Life Dialogue with Negatives

👧 수지: 커피 마셨어요? – Did you drink coffee?
🧑 준호: 아니요, 안 마셨어요. – No, I didn’t drink.

👧 수지: 주말에 일해요?
🧑 준호: 아니요, 일하지 않아요. – No, I don’t work.


🧪 Mini Quiz – Can You Say No?

  1. How do you say “I don’t go” in Korean?
    a) 안 가요
    b) 안 갔어요
    c) 안 갔을 거예요
    Click to Show Answer

    ✅ a) 안 가요

  2. What is the formal way to say “I didn’t study”?
    a) 공부하지 않았어요
    b) 공부 안 했어요
    c) 공부가 없어요
    Click to Show Answer

    ✅ a) 공부하지 않았어요

  3. Translate: “I won’t eat.”
    a) 안 먹어요
    b) 먹지 않을 거예요
    c) 안 먹을 거예요
    Click to Show Answer

    ✅ c) 안 먹을 거예요


✅ Conclusion

🛑 Awesome work! Now you can express what you don’t do or didn’t do in Korean!

  • ✔️ Use 안 + verb for natural conversation
  • ✔️ Use verb + 지 않아요 for formal/written forms
  • ✔️ Apply these in past, present, and future tenses


📘 Coming Up Next

Tomorrow: Day 13: Real-Life Conversation Practice – What Did You Do Yesterday?
Let’s practice everything you’ve learned in a full real-life dialogue!

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