LEARN + KOREAN / Note 17 TOPIK I
I Can't, Not Won't (못 vs 안)
a
I Like It, I Don’t only covered 안, the negative for personal choice. Korean has a second one, 못, for things you’re physically or circumstantially unable to do. Same position in the sentence, right before the verb, completely different meaning behind it.
In Real Life
안 마셔요 sounds like preference, you just don’t drink milk. 못 마셔요 signals an obstacle: you’re lactose intolerant, or it makes you sick. Say 못 먹어요 about a food you simply dislike and it can land strangely, like you’re claiming a physical inability you don’t actually have.
pyoga eopseoseo konseoteue mot gayo.
I can't go to the concert, there are no tickets.
In Real Life
없어서 in that last sentence means “because there are none,” built on 없다 plus a reason ending, -아서/-어서. It’s not this lesson’s grammar point, that gets its own lesson later, but it’s common enough that it’s worth spotting on sight before then.
Vocabulary
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
suyeong | swimming |
konseoteu | concert |
pyo | ticket |
jeonhwa | phone call |
areubaiteu | part-time job |
sul | alcohol |
dambae | cigarette |
unjeon | driving |
maeunmat | spicy taste |
allereugi | allergy |
himdeulda | to be tough, hard (physically or mentally) |
pigonhada | to be tired |
apeuda | to be sick, to hurt |
gwaenchanta | to be okay, fine |
unjeonmyeonheo | driver's license |
daieoteu | diet |
chaesikjuuija | vegetarian |
geukbokhada | to overcome |
eojjeol su eopda | it can't be helped |
pogihada | to give up |