Negation 안 못 -지 않다

Ability vs unwillingness.

Goals

안 vs 못 vs -지 않다.

Steps

Refusal vs inability pairs.
안 먹었어요 vs 못 먹었어요 contrast.
Written neutral -지 않았어요.

Common mistakes

Using 안 for physical inability always.

Study rhythm: Skim “Negation 안 못 -지 않다” for structure, then re-read aloud. Fifteen-minute sessions usually beat one long cram when you are learning Korean from scratch.

Hands-on: Write three new sentences (do not copy the examples) using this pattern. When you learn Korean, forcing fresh sentences shows gaps early.

Listening: Pair this lesson with any short clip whose Korean subtitles reuse the same grammar. Notice endings in interviews versus narrators — the same rule may sound softer or stiffer.

Particles & patience: If vocabulary is easy but sentences feel wrong, slow down on markers. Revisit the core explanation above before adding more flashcards.

Examples & practice: mini conversation

Read across: English meaning → Korean sentence → romanization (Konglish-style pronunciation guide, not official MR).

Speaker	English	Korean	Romanization
친구	Did you eat?	밥 먹었어?	bab meogeoss-eo?
나	안 먹었어—diet. 초콜릿은 못 참아.	an meogeoss-eo. chokollis-eun mot chama.	an meogeoss-eo. chokollis-eun mot chama.
친구	안 vs 못—won’t vs can’t.	의지 vs 능력.	uiji vs neungnyeok.
나	어제 회의 못 갔어—버스 놓쳤어.	eoje hoe-ui mot gasseoyo. beoseu nochyeoss-eoyo.	eoje hoe-ui mot gasseoyo. beoseu nochyeoss-eoyo.
친구	Long form 먹지 않았어요—stiffer.	먹지 않았어요—딱딱.	meokji anh-ass-eoyo—ttakttak.
나	I’ll use 안 for habits, 못 for bad luck.	습관은 안, 운 나쁨은 못.	seupgwaneun an, un nappeum-eun mot.