LESSON 21

Negative Sentences

You have learned to say no with ani or ani o. To make a complete negative sentence, you can use an abbreviated form of this word (an) in front of the verb:

Handeuponeul an sasseoyo.

핸드폰을 안 샀어요.

I didn’t buy a cell phone.

Gim-ssi-ga an wayo.

김씨가 안 와요.

Mr. Kim isn’t coming.

Geu yeonghwa ajik an bwasseoyo.

그 영화 아직 안 봤어요.

I didn’t see that movie yet.

But you do not use an with isseoyo: there is a special verb eopseoyo = does not exist. You can make a stronger negative by using mot = not at all; not possibly; can’t instead of an:

Handeuponeul mot sasseoyo.

핸드폰을 못 샀어요.

I didn't buy a cell phone.

Gim-ssi-ga mot wayo.

김씨가 못 와요.

Mr. Kim isn’t coming.

Juin-eul mot bwasseoyo.

주인을 못 봤어요.

I couldn’t see the owner

Bumonim-kke jeonhwa-reul an haesseoyo.

부모님께 전화를 안 했어요

I didn’t call my parents.

Bumonim-kke jeonhwa-reul mot haesseoyo.

부모님께 전화를 못했어요.

I couldn’t call my parents.

Yori-reul jal an haeyo.

요리를 잘 안 해요.

Usually, I don’t cook.

Yori-reul jal mot haeyo.

요리를 잘 못해요.

I can’t cook well.

Sukje-reul da an haesseoyo.

숙제를 다 안 했어요.

I didn’t do all of my homework.

Sukje-reul da mot haesseoyo.

숙제를 다 못 했어요.

I couldn’t do all of my homework

Except for very short sentences, Koreans prefer to say their negatives in a more complicated way. They change the verb to a special form we’ll call the -ji form and then add anayo (않아요).

You will learn to make the -ji forms for new verbs in Lesson 23. The negative of an equational sentence like A = B is a bit different:

Sinmun-eul saji anasseoyo.

신문을 사지 않았어요.

I didn’t buy a newspaper.

Beoseu-ga oji anayo.

버스가 오지 않아요.

The bus is not coming.

Some examples of negative sentences:

Geu-ga jeonhwa reul an haeyo.

그가 전화를 안 해요.

He didn’t call me.

Na-neun hakgyo-eseo gongbu haji anayo.

나는 학교에서 공부하지 않아요.

I don’t study in school.

Na-neun don i eopseoyo geu rae seo, geuk jang-e gaji mot haeyo.

나는 돈이 없어요. 그래서 극장에 가지 못해요.

I haven’t any money, so I can’t go to the theater.

Geu yeonghwa-reul mot bwasseoyo.

그 영화를 못 봤어요.

I couldn’t see that movie.

Gage-e gatjiman, amugeot-do saji mot haeseoyo.

가게에 갔지만 아무것도 사지 못했어요.

I went to the store. But I couldn’t buy anything.

Geogi-seo gudu palji anayo?

거기서 구두 팔지 않아요?

Don’t they sell shoes there?

Gudu an parayo.

구두 안 팔아요.

They don’t sell them at all.

Geu du haksaeng-eun yeongeo-reul jal mot haeyo.

그 두 학생은 영어를 잘 못해요.

Those two students couldn’t (didn’t) speak in English well.

Na-neun Hangungmal-eul jal mot haeyo.

나는 한국말을 잘 못해요.

I can’t speak Korean well.

English formula	Korean formula
A = B.	A ga, B eyo.	A가 B에요.
A is B.

Examples:

Joe-neun moksa imnida.

저는 목사입니다.

I’m a preacher.

Gimssi-neun seonsaengnim imnida.

김씨는 선생님입니다.

Mr. Kim is a teacher.

English formula	Korean formula
A ≠ B.	A-neun, B-ga anieyo.	A는 B가 아니에요.
A is not B.

Jeo-neun moksa-ga animnida.

저는 목사가 아닙니다.

I’m not a preacher.

Gimssie-neun seonsaengnim-i anieyo.

김씨는 선생님이 아니에요.

Mr. Kim is not a teacher.

Chaeki sajeonieyo.

책이 사전이예요.

The book is a dictionary.

Chaekeun sajeoni anieyo.

책은 사전이 아니예요.

The book is not a dictionary.

Keompyuteoga noteubukieyo.

컴퓨터가 노트북이예요.

The computer is a laptop.

Keompyuteoneun noteubuki anieyo.

컴퓨터는 노트북이 아니예요.

The computer is not a laptop.

Notice that the affirmative sentence attaches the verb ieyo directly to the noun (B) but in the negative sentence the word ani is attached to the copula and the noun (B) is followed by the subject particle. The noun A is also followed by the subject particle. (It is the bigger subject of the whole expression B-ga anieyo.) But this can be changed to the topic particle in order to emphasize the not.

Please note as well that a couple of the above examples are written in the formal style. In that style, you use 입니다 and 안입니다 instead of 에요 and 아니에요.