Welcome to the second session of Negation!
Let’s continue to learn some useful negative expressions. In this session, you will be learning the use of the negative suffix “~지 말다,” and the special negative verbs “이다, 있다, and 알다.”
Negative Suffix : “~지 말다”
It is used to create negative imperatives and propositional sentences. The negative suffix “~지 말다” is attached to a verb stem and this structure is used to tell someone not to do something. An imperative sentence and a propositional are similar, but let’s take a look at the difference between these two forms.
1. Imperative Sentence
You can use this imperative form when you want to tell someone not to do something or the speaker orders the listener not to do something.
오늘은 집에 가지 마요. (Please don't go home today)
걔랑 공부하지 마라. (Don't study with him)
이 음식은 먹지마. (Don't eat this food)
그 방에서 나오지 마십시오 (Please don't come out from the room)
수업시간에 떠들지 마세요. (Please do not make any noise during class)
2. Propositional Sentence
You can use this propositional form when you suggest that someone (or a group including the speaker) should not do something or the speaker proposes to the listener not to take an action.
오늘은 우리 밥 먹지 말자. (Let's not eat a meal today)
우리 걔랑 놀지 말자. (Let's not hang out with him/her)
우리 거기 가지 마요. (Let's not go there)
쓰레기 아무데나 버리지 맙시다. (Let’s not throw the trash anywhere)
Special Negative Verbs :
이다 -> 아니다 (to be -> not to be)
있다 -> 없다 (to have/exist -> to not have/exist)
알다 -> 모르다 (to know -> do not know)
Some verbs have special negative forms that are not created by simply adding the negative suffix “~지 말다.” Instead, they have entirely different forms for their negative meanings. Let’s discuss these special negative verbs “이다, 있다, and 알다” one by one more detail.
Negative verb “이다 -> 아니다”
The verb “이다” is used to express that the subject is equal to something like “A equals B” and should be attached to the preceding noun because it cannot stand alone. However, the negative form “아니다” is an independent verb and cannot be attached to the predicate noun.
For example,
희지는 학생입니다. (Heeji is a student)
=> 희지는 학생이 아닙니다. (Heeji is not a student)
=> 희지는 학생 아닙니다 (X)
제 아버지는 교수입니다. (My father is a professor)
=> 제 아버지는 교수가 아닙니다. (My father is not a professor)
=> 아버지는 교수 아닙니다 (X)
When you make a negative sentence using the negative verb “이다 -> 아니다,” you can notice that this predicate noun is different from other regular nouns and makes the negative sentence unnatural grammatically.
That is why it should be attached by the subject case marker “~이/가” to the predicate noun as the default case marker in order to avoid misunderstanding between the two subjects. It indicates that the subject and the predicate noun have equal status in the sentence by adding the case marker to the predicate noun.
Right now, if you are a beginner in the Korean language, it could seem unusual to have two subjects in a sentence. However, it is frequently used in Korean.
In this session, let’s focus on how to use the negative verb “이다 -> 아니다” first, and the double subject and object will be discussed later.
Formal Honorific Sentence
제 친구는 경찰관입니다. (My friend is a police officer)
제 친구는 경찰관이 아닙니다. (My friend is not a police officer)
아머님이 가정주부이시다. (My mother is a homemaker)
아머님이 가정주부가 아니시다. (My mother is not a homemaker)
할아버지는 국회의원이시다. (My grandfather is a National Assemblyman)
할아버지는 국회의원이 아니시다. (My grandfather is not a National Assemblyman)
우진이는 변호사입니다. (Woojin is a lawyer)
우진이는 변호사가 아닙니다. (Woojin is not a lawyer)
아버님이 요리사이십니다. (My father is a chef)
아버님이 요리사가 아니십니다. (My father is not a chef)
Informal Honorific Sentence
제 언니는 간호사예요. (My older sister is a nurse)
제 언니는 간호사가 아니예요. (My older sister is not a nurse)
저는 소방관이에요. (I am a firefighter)
저는 소방관이 아니에요. (I am not a firefighter)
어머니는 군인이셔. (My mother is a solider)
어머니는 군인이 아니셔. (My father is not a solider)
아버지가 판사세요. (My father is a judge)
아버지는 판사가 아니세요. (My father is not a judge)
강아지는 천사야. (Puppy is an angel)
강아지는 천사가 아니야. (Puppy is not an angel)
네(너)가 범인이야. (You are a suspect)
너는 범인이 아니야. (You are not a suspect)
Negative verb “있다 -> 없다”
Before learning the negative form of “있다 -> 없다,” the verb “있다” has two different functions. The first is to show the subject’s location with the case marker “~에” (Location).
The other is to indicate that someone has something with the case marker “~에게/~한테” (Possession). However, regardless of its different functions, the negative form “없다” is the default form.
Location
나는 집에 있다. (I am at home)
나는 집에 없다. (I am not at home)
지갑이 차에 있다. (The wallet is in the car)
지갑이 차에 없다. (The wallet is in the car)
Possession
내 동생에게/한테 차 키가 있다. (My younger brother has the car key)
내 동생에게/한테 차 키가 없다. (My younger brother doesn’t have the car key)
나는 집이 있다. (It is me who has a house)
내 친구는 차가 없다. (It is my friend who doesn’t have a car)
Negative verb “알다 -> 모르다”
The verb “알다” is used to express that you know or understand something. So, you can use the negative form “모르다” when you do not know something or you lack knowledge about something.
그는 내 이름을 안다. (He knows my name)
그는 내 이름을 모른다. (He doesn’t know my name)
나는 그 사실을 압니다. (I know the fact)
나는 그 사실을 모릅니다. (I know the fact)
나는 답을 알았다. (I knew the answer)
나는 답을 몰랐다. (I didn’t know the answer)