Negative Form -지 않다

-지 않다 is the long-form negation in Korean, functioning similarly to the short form 안 but sounding more formal, emphatic, or literary. It's essential for formal writing and emphatic speech.

Basic Pattern

Formula: Verb Stem + 지 않다

Attach 지 않다 to any verb stem:

• 가다 → 가지 않다 (don't go)
• 먹다 → 먹지 않다 (don't eat)
• 하다 → 하지 않다 (don't do)
• 좋다 → 좋지 않다 (not good)

Then conjugate 않다 for politeness/tense:

• 않아요 (present polite)
• 않습니다 (present formal)
• 않았어요 (past polite)

Present Tense Forms

Informal Polite: -지 않아요

Most common spoken form:

• 가지 않아요 (don't go)
• 먹지 않아요 (don't eat)
• 하지 않아요 (don't do)
• 보지 않아요 (don't watch)
• 읽지 않아요 (don't read)

Formal Polite: -지 않습니다

Business/formal settings:

• 가지 않습니다 (don't go)
• 먹지 않습니다 (don't eat)
• 동의하지 않습니다 (don't agree)
• 생각하지 않습니다 (don't think)

Casual: -지 않아

With close friends (rare):

• 가지 않아 (don't go)
• 먹지 않아 (don't eat)

Note: More common to use 안 in casual speech

• 안 가 (more natural than 가지 않아)

-지 않다 vs 안

Key Differences

-지 않다:

• More formal
• More emphatic
• Written language
• Slower, more deliberate

안:

• More casual
• Quick and natural
• Spoken language
• Everyday speech

Comparison Examples

Formal (-지 않다):

• 그것을 믿지 않습니다 (I don't believe that)
• 동의하지 않아요 (I don't agree)

Casual (안):

• 그거 안 믿어요 (I don't believe that)
• 안 동의해요 (I don't agree)

Same meaning, different register

When to Use -지 않다

Formal Writing

Essays, reports, articles:

• 이 방법은 효과적이지 않다 (This method is not effective)
• 증거가 충분하지 않습니다 (The evidence is not sufficient)

Emphatic Negation

Strongly denying:

• 절대 포기하지 않을 거예요 (I will absolutely not give up)
• 다시는 하지 않겠어요 (I won't do it again)

Long/Complex Sentences

When sentence is already complex:

• 시간이 충분하지 않아서 끝내지 못했어요
• Better flow than multiple 안s

Certain Verb Combinations

Sounds better with specific verbs:

• 동의하지 않다 (disagree)
• 후회하지 않다 (don't regret)
• 포기하지 않다 (don't give up)

Past Tense: -지 않았다

Past Negative: -지 않았어요

Didn't do:

• 가지 않았어요 (didn't go)
• 먹지 않았어요 (didn't eat)
• 하지 않았어요 (didn't do)
• 보지 않았어요 (didn't watch)

Formal Past: -지 않았습니다

• 참석하지 않았습니다 (didn't attend)
• 동의하지 않았습니다 (didn't agree)

Comparison with 안

Long form: 가지 않았어요 Short form: 안 갔어요

Same meaning, short form more common in speech

Future Tense: -지 않을 거예요

Future Negative

Won't do:

• 가지 않을 거예요 (won't go)
• 먹지 않을 거예요 (won't eat)
• 하지 않을 거예요 (won't do)

Emphatic Future Negative

Strong refusal:

• 절대 포기하지 않을 거예요 (I will never give up)
• 다시는 하지 않을 거예요 (I will never do it again)

With -겠-

-지 않겠-:

• 가지 않겠어요 (won't go - strong will)
• 하지 않겠습니다 (won't do - formal promise)

With Adjectives

Descriptive Verbs

Works naturally with adjectives:

• 좋지 않아요 (not good)
• 크지 않아요 (not big)
• 예쁘지 않아요 (not pretty)
• 맛있지 않아요 (not delicious)
• 재미있지 않아요 (not interesting)

More common than 안 with some adjectives

Degree/Intensity

Not very/not particularly:

• 그렇게 크지 않아요 (not that big)
• 별로 좋지 않아요 (not particularly good)

Questions with -지 않다

Negative Questions

Rising intonation:

• 가지 않아요? (Don't you go? / Aren't you going?)
• 좋지 않아요? (Isn't it good?)
• 동의하지 않으세요? (Don't you agree? - honored)

Often expects positive answer:

• 재미있지 않았어요? (Wasn't it fun? - expecting "yes, it was")

Formal Questions

-지 않습니까?:

• 동의하지 않습니까? (Don't you agree? - formal)
• 가능하지 않습니까? (Isn't it possible? - formal)

Honorific Form

-지 않으시다

For honored subjects:

• 가지 않으세요 (don't go - honored)
• 드시지 않으세요? (Don't you eat? - honored)
• 믿지 않으십니까? (Don't you believe? - formal honored)

Conjugate 않다 with -시-

Double Negatives

-지 않을 수 없다

Can't not do / Must do:

• 가지 않을 수 없어요 (can't not go = must go)
• 믿지 않을 수 없어요 (can't not believe = must believe)

Strong emphasis on necessity

Common Expression

-지 않을까요?

• 괜찮지 않을까요? (Won't it be okay? / It might be okay)
• 좋지 않을까요? (Won't it be good? / It might be good)

Suggestion or conjecture

With Progressive -고 있다

Not doing (progressive)

Pattern: -지 않고 있다

• 일하지 않고 있어요 (not working - currently)
• 공부하지 않고 있어요 (not studying - currently)

Less common than simple negative

Position in Sentence

Verb-Final Position

Korean word order maintains verb at end:

• 저는 학교에 가지 않아요 (I don't go to school)
• 그 사람을 믿지 않아요 (I don't trust that person)

With Multiple Verbs

Each verb can be negated:

• 가지도 않고 오지도 않아요 (neither goes nor comes)

Common Expressions

괜찮지 않아요

Not okay / Something's wrong:

• Used when something is problematic

쉽지 않아요

Not easy:

• Common way to say something is difficult

나쁘지 않아요

Not bad:

• Moderate positive (it's okay/decent)

틀리지 않아요

Not wrong / Correct:

• Confirming correctness

Stylistic Differences

Written Korean

Prefer -지 않다:

• 이 방법은 적절하지 않다 (This method is not appropriate)
• 증거가 명확하지 않습니다 (Evidence is not clear)

Spoken Korean

Prefer 안:

• 이 방법 안 좋아요 (This method is not good)
• 증거가 안 명확해요 (Evidence is not clear)

Formal Speech

Use -지 않다:

• 동의하지 않습니다 (I don't agree)
• 찬성하지 않습니다 (I don't support)

With -지 못하다

Long Form of 못

Can't / Unable to:

• 가지 못해요 (can't go)
• 먹지 못해요 (can't eat)
• 하지 못해요 (can't do)

More formal than 못

Difference

-지 않다: Choice (don't) -지 못하다: Inability (can't)

Examples:

• 고기를 먹지 않아요 (don't eat meat - choice)
• 고기를 먹지 못해요 (can't eat meat - allergy/unable)

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Overusing in Casual Speech

Too formal: 친구에게 "가지 않을 거야" More natural: 친구에게 "안 갈 거야"

Use 안 in casual conversation

Mistake 2: Wrong Conjugation of 않다

Wrong: 가지 않어요 (should be 않아요) Right: 가지 않아요

않다 conjugates like 하다 (않아요, not 않어요)

Mistake 3: With Impossibility

Wrong: 하지 않아요 (when meaning "can't do") Right: 하지 못해요 or 못 해요

Use 못/지 못하다 for inability

Mistake 4: Unnecessary Formality

Overly formal: Casual text: "오늘 가지 않을 거예요" Better: Casual text: "오늘 안 갈 거예요"

Match register to situation

Practice Sentences

Formal Writing

• 이 방법은 효과적이지 않습니다 (This method is not effective)
• 결과가 만족스럽지 않았습니다 (Results were not satisfactory)
• 동의하지 않는 사람도 있습니다 (Some people don't agree)

Emphatic Speech

• 절대 포기하지 않을 거예요 (I will absolutely not give up)
• 다시는 그러지 않겠어요 (I won't do that again)
• 믿지 않아요 (I don't believe it - emphatic)

With Adjectives

• 그렇게 어렵지 않아요 (It's not that difficult)
• 별로 좋지 않아요 (It's not particularly good)
• 나쁘지 않아요 (It's not bad)

Summary Comparison

Feature	-지 않다	안
Formality	More formal	More casual
Usage	Writing, formal speech	Daily conversation
Emphasis	More emphatic	Neutral
Length	Longer	Shorter
Common	Written/formal	Spoken/casual
With adjectives	Natural	Also natural

Key Points

• ✅ Pattern: Verb stem + 지 않다
• ✅ More formal: Than 안
• ✅ Conjugate 않다: Like regular verb (않아요, 않습니다)
• ✅ Written language: Preferred in formal writing
• ✅ Emphatic: Stronger negation than 안
• ✅ Works with adjectives: 좋지 않아요
• ✅ Future: -지 않을 거예요
• ✅ Past: -지 않았어요
• ✅ Casual speech: Use 안 instead

-지 않다 is essential for formal Korean but less common in everyday speech. Use it in writing, formal situations, or when you want to emphasize your negation. For casual conversation, stick with 안 for more natural-sounding Korean.