📘 How to Use ~지 못하다 vs 못 – Expressing Inability in Korean Do you want to say “I can’t go,” “I couldn’t sleep,” or “I’m not able to speak Korean well” in Korean? Then you should learn the difference between 못 and ~지 못하다 , the two main ways to express inability or failure to do something in Korean. Though they mean similar things, they differ in nuance, formality, and usage. 📌 What Do 못 and ~지 못하다 Mean? 못 + verb : can’t, unable to (casual and spoken) ~지 못하다 : cannot, unable to (more formal or written) Both expressions are negative and indicate inability or failure, but the way they’re built and used is slightly different. Structure: 못 + verb (placed directly before the verb) Verb stem + 지 못하다 (conjugated like any verb) 📘 Example Sentences 못 가요 – I can’t go mot ga-yo 가지 못해요 – I cannot go ga-ji mot-hae-yo 못 봤어요 – I couldn’t see mot bwat-seo-yo 보지 못했어요 – I wasn’t able to see bo-ji mot-haet-seo-yo 한국어를 잘 못 해요 – I can’t speak Korean well...