📘Grammar 25: How to Use ~지 못하다 – Expressing Inability in Korean

📘 How to Use ~지 못하다 – Expressing Inability in Korean

Want to say “I can’t swim,” “She couldn’t come,” or “They can’t speak Korean” in Korean?

Then you need to learn how to use ~지 못하다, the polite and formal way to express inability, lack of skill, or impossibility.

This guide will teach you how to use ~지 못하다 naturally, how it differs from 못, and how to make polite negative sentences with examples and Romanization.

---

💡 What Does ~지 못하다 Mean?

~지 못하다 is used to say “cannot do” something in a formal and polite way. It can be used with any verb to express inability due to skill, circumstance, or permission.

Structure:

• Verb stem + 지 못하다

🔤 Conjugation Forms

• Present: 지 못해요
• Past: 지 못했어요
• Future: 지 못할 거예요

Examples:

• 하다 → 하지 못해요 – I can’t do it
• 가다 → 가지 못해요 – I can’t go
• 먹다 → 먹지 못해요 – I can’t eat

📘 Example Sentences

• 저는 수영하지 못해요 – I can’t swim
  jeo-neun su-yeong-ha-ji mot-hae-yo
• 그녀는 오지 못했어요 – She couldn’t come
  geu-nyeo-neun o-ji mot-haet-seo-yo
• 한국어를 잘하지 못해요 – I can’t speak Korean well
  han-guk-eo-reul jal-ha-ji mot-hae-yo
• 어제 잠을 자지 못했어요 – I couldn’t sleep yesterday
  eo-je jam-eul ja-ji mot-haet-seo-yo

📊 Grammar Summary Table

Verb	Negative Ability Form	Meaning	Romanization
하다	하지 못하다	can’t do	ha-ji mot-ha-da
가다	가지 못하다	can’t go	ga-ji mot-ha-da
먹다	먹지 못하다	can’t eat	meok-ji mot-ha-da
자다	자지 못하다	can’t sleep	ja-ji mot-ha-da

📊 Comparison Table: ~지 못하다 vs 못 + Verb

형태	예시 문장	설명	Romanization
~지 못하다	가지 못해요	공식적, 문어체, 격식 있는 상황에 적합	ga-ji mot-hae-yo
못 + 동사	못 가요	일상 회화, 구어체, 자연스럽고 자주 사용	mot ga-yo
~지 못했어요	먹지 못했어요	과거형 정중 표현	meok-ji mot-haet-seo-yo
못 + 동사(과거)	못 먹었어요	간결한 회화체 표현	mot meo-geo-sseo-yo
~지 못할 거예요	이해하지 못할 거예요	미래형 정중 표현	i-hae-ha-ji mot-hal geo-ye-yo
못 + 동사(미래)	못 할 거예요	실용적, 간결한 표현	mot hal geo-ye-yo

❗ Common Mistakes

• ❌ 못하지 못해요 → ✅ 하지 못해요
• ❌ 못지 않아요 → ✅ 지 못해요
• ❌ 안 지 못해요 → ✅ 못 해요 or 하지 못해요

🧪 Mini Quiz – Test Yourself!

1. How do you say “I can’t eat”?
   a) 먹지 못해요
   b) 못 먹지 않아요
   
   Click to Show Answer

   ✅ a) 먹지 못해요

2. Translate: “She couldn’t come yesterday.”
   a) 어제 오지 못했어요
   b) 어제 안 오지 못했어요
   
   Click to Show Answer

   ✅ a) 어제 오지 못했어요

3. Which is correct for “I can’t sleep”?
   a) 자지 못해요
   b) 자지 않지 못해요
   
   Click to Show Answer

   ✅ a) 자지 못해요

✅ Conclusion

Now you know how to express inability politely in Korean using ~지 못하다.

• Use it to say you cannot do something due to circumstances or skills
• It’s more formal than 못 + verb
• Perfect for polite conversation, writing, and professional contexts

Try these sentences yourself:

• “I couldn’t understand” → 이해하지 못했어요
• “We can’t go today” → 오늘 가지 못해요

📘 Coming Up Next

Next lesson: How to Use ~지 마세요 – Telling Someone Not to Do Something in Korean
Learn how to politely say “Don’t do it”, “Don’t go there”, and more!

---

Related Keywords:
learn korean, korean grammar, 지 못하다, inability in korean, korean negative verbs, 못, korean expressions, romanized korean