📘Grammar 24: How to Use ~지 않다 – Making Negative Sentences in Korean

📘 How to Use ~지 않다 – Making Negative Sentences in Korean

Want to say “I don’t know,” “She didn’t go,” or “We won’t eat” in Korean?

Then you’ll need to learn how to use ~지 않다, the standard and polite way to make negative sentences in Korean. It’s used in formal situations, writing, and polite speech.

This lesson will show you how to use ~지 않다 with various verbs, the difference between this and other negative forms, and how to use it in daily conversations.

---

🚫 What Does ~지 않다 Mean?

~지 않다 means “to not do” something. It is attached to verb stems and used to make polite negative sentences.

It can be applied to both **action verbs** and **descriptive verbs (adjectives)**.

Structure:
Verb stem + 지 않다

🔤 Conjugation Rule

• Present tense: 지 않아요
• Past tense: 지 않았어요
• Future tense: 지 않을 거예요

Examples:

• 하다 → 하지 않다 – to not do
• 가다 → 가지 않다 – to not go
• 먹다 → 먹지 않다 – to not eat

📘 Example Sentences

• 저는 가지 않아요 – I don’t go
  jeo-neun ga-ji an-a-yo
• 그는 공부하지 않아요 – He doesn’t study
  geu-neun gong-bu-ha-ji an-a-yo
• 어제 먹지 않았어요 – I didn’t eat yesterday
  eo-je meok-ji an-at-seo-yo
• 그녀는 울지 않았어요 – She didn’t cry
  geu-nyeo-neun ul-ji an-at-seo-yo
• 나는 피곤하지 않아요 – I’m not tired
  na-neun pi-gon-ha-ji an-a-yo

📊 Grammar Summary Table

Verb	Negative Form	Meaning	Romanization
가다	가지 않다	not go	ga-ji an-da
하다	하지 않다	not do	ha-ji an-da
먹다	먹지 않다	not eat	meok-ji an-da
보다	보지 않다	not see	bo-ji an-da

❗ Common Mistakes

• ❌ 가지 안아요 → ✅ 가지 않아요
• ❌ 안 공부지 않아요 → ✅ 공부하지 않아요
• 하나의 부정 표현만 사용해야 함 (중복 사용 주의!)

🧪 Mini Quiz – Test Yourself!

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

   ✅ a) 먹지 않아요

2. Translate: “She didn’t go.”
   a) 그녀는 가지 않았어요
   b) 그녀는 안 가지 않았어요
   
   Click to Show Answer

   ✅ a) 그녀는 가지 않았어요

3. Which is correct?
   a) 울지 않아요
   b) 울지 않지 않아요
   
   Click to Show Answer

   ✅ a) 울지 않아요

✅ Conclusion

Now you can make polite and formal negative sentences in Korean using ~지 않다!

• Attach 지 않다 to the verb stem to express negation
• Use 지 않아요 (present), 지 않았어요 (past), 지 않을 거예요 (future)
• It’s more formal than using 안, and perfect for writing or polite speech

Practice these examples:

• “I didn’t understand” → 이해하지 않았어요
• “I don’t like it” → 좋아하지 않아요

📘 Coming Up Next

Next lesson: How to Use ~지 못하다 – Expressing Inability in Korean
Learn how to say “I can’t swim”, “She couldn’t come” and more!

---

Related Keywords:
learn korean, korean grammar, korean negative sentences, 지 않다, how to say don’t in korean, formal negation, romanized korean