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.

jeoneun uyureul an masyeoyo.
I don't drink milk.
jeoneun uyureul mot masyeoyo.
I can't drink milk.
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.
jeoneun suyeongeul mot haeyo.
I can't swim.
tteokbokkireul mot meogeoyo.
I can't eat tteokbokki (too spicy).
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.
oneul chingureul an mannayo.
I'm not meeting a friend today.
jigeum jeonhwareul an haeyo.
I'm not calling right now.

Vocabulary

KoreanEnglish
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