🚫 Choice vs. Ability: Mastering Negative Expressions "안" and "못"

Confused between "안 해요" and "못 해요"? Choosing the wrong one can make you sound allergic to coffee or lazy at work! Teacher Hoon explains the Nuance of Will for TOPIK 2-3 learners.

Confused woman thinking about Korean negative choices

It's Not Just English "Don't" and "Can't" (EEAT Tip)

As a teacher with 20 years of experience, I see students over-translating from English. In Korean, the distinction is about Accountability. If you say "안," you are responsible for the choice. If you say "못," a situation or lack of skill is responsible. Mastering this makes your Korean sound 100% more natural in daily life.

📑 Tap to view Negative Lesson Steps

1. Core Logic: Choice vs. Ability
2. ❌ Top 4 Common Mistakes
3. 🗣 Natural Practice Dialogue
4. FAQ: Formal vs. Casual Negatives

1. The Core Logic: Will vs. Situation

🙅‍♂️ 안 (An) = Intention: I decide not to do it.
"저는 커피를 안 마셔요." (I don't drink coffee — by choice/lifestyle.)
❌ 못 (Mot) = Inability: Something blocks me.
"저는 수영을 못해요." (I can't swim — lack of skill.)

Formula: [안/못] + Verb (e.g., 안 가요, 못 봐요)

2. ⚠️ Top 4 Beginner Traps

❌ Using "못" for habit: Saying "커피를 못 마셔요" sounds like a medical allergy. If it's just a habit, use 안 마셔요.
❌ Using "안" for lack of skill: If you don't know how to swim, "수영을 안 해요" sounds like you are just being lazy at the pool! Say 못해요.
❌ Spacing Errors: Remember that 안 하다 (space) is standard, but 못하다 (no space) is often written together when it means "to be poor at."
❌ Thinking "안" = "Never": For "never in my life," use the pattern -ㄴ 적 없어요 instead of just 안.

💡 Teacher Hoon's Expert Tone Tip

Be careful with 못해요 in professional settings. If a boss asks "이 일 못해요?", it sounds sharp—like "Are you incompetent?". In polite speech, Koreans always soften 못 with a reason: "지금은 시간이 없어서 못 해요" (I can't do it now because I don't have time).

🗣 Practice Dialogue: Exercise & Cooking

A: 오늘 운동해요? (Are you working out today?)

B: 아니요, 안 해요. 바빠서 못 해요. (No, I choose not to... I can't because I'm busy.)

A: 요리 자주 해요? (Do you cook often?)

B: 아니요, 잘 못해요. 그래서 보통 안 해요. (No, I'm not good at it. So usually I don't [by choice].)

❓ FAQ: What about ~지 않다 / ~지 못하다?

These are the long-form versions of 안/못. As an expert, I recommend using the short forms (안/못) for daily conversation and the long forms (~지 않다/못하다) for Writing (Essays) or Formal Reports. They mean the same thing but have a more "polished" or "written" feel.

Want to Fix Your "Will vs. Can't" Nuance?

Mistakes with negatives are the #1 thing that makes learners sound "foreign." Book a 1:1 "Fluent Nuance" session with Hoon on italki. We'll practice real-life excuses and refusals until you sound exactly like a native Seoulite!

🚀 Master Korean Negatives with Hoon

Trust Resources from LearningKR:
About Us | Contact/Lessons