Negation with 지 않다

This grammar pattern attaches directly to the stem of a verb. In English, we put "not" before the verb. In Korean, 지 않다 comes after the verb stem. The word 않다 actually acts like a verb itself. This means you need to conjugate 않다 at the end. The main verb stays in its stem form forever. It is like a parent holding a child's hand. The main verb is the parent, and 지 않다 is the child. The child (않다) is the one who changes clothes for the weather. The weather represents the tense or the politeness level. This structure is very stable. It does not care if the verb stem ends in a vowel. It does not care if the verb stem has a consonant. It just snaps right onto the end like a Lego brick.

1. 1Creating this form is a simple three-step process.
2. 2Find the dictionary form of the verb (e.g., 먹다, 가다).
3. 3Drop the 다 to find the verb stem (e.g., 먹, 가).
4. 4Attach 지 않다 to that stem (e.g., 먹지 않다, 가지 않다).
5. 5Now, you must conjugate the 않다 part. For the polite present tense, 않다 becomes 않아요. For the formal present tense, it becomes 않습니다. For the past tense, it becomes 않았어요.
6. 6먹다 (to eat) -> 먹지 않아요 (do not eat).
7. 7가다 (to go) -> 가지 않아요 (do not go).
8. 8예쁘다 (to be pretty) -> 예쁘지 않아요 (not pretty).

Use 지 않다 when you want to be polite or formal. It is perfect for a job interview. Imagine you are asked if you speak French. You can say, 프랑스어를 하지 않습니다. This sounds very professional. It is also great for writing emails or essays. In these cases, it is preferred over the short 안 negation. Use it when you are ordering food and want to be specific. If you hate spicy food, tell the waiter, 맵지 않게 해주세요. Use it when describing things that are not true. "This bag is not expensive" becomes 이 가방은 비싸지 않아요. It adds a nice, rhythmic flow to your speech. It feels a bit more deliberate than the short form. Use it when you want to emphasize the negation clearly.

Do not use 지 않다 with verbs that have their own negative versions. The biggest examples are 있다 (to have/be) and 알다 (to know). You should use 없다 instead of 있지 않다. You should use 모르다 instead of 알지 않다. Using 지 않다 with these will make you sound like a robot. Also, avoid using it in very casual, fast-paced talk with close friends. In those moments, the short 안 is much more natural. If you are shouting "I'm not going!" while running, 안 가! is better than 가지 않아!. It is a bit too heavy for light, snappy slang. Think of it like wearing a tuxedo to a backyard BBQ. It’s not wrong, but it’s a bit much.

One common mistake is conjugating the main verb instead of 않다. You might want to say 먹어요지 않아. This is wrong. Keep the main verb as a stem: 먹지. Another mistake is forgetting the space. There is always a space between 지 and 않다. It should be 먹지 않아요, not 먹지않아요. Some people also forget that 않다 is an adjective/verb combo. In the present tense for verbs, some learners try to use 않는다 in polite speech. Stick to 않아요 for daily life. Also, watch out for the spelling. It is 않, not 안. The ㅎ is quiet but it is very important. Even native speakers sometimes make typos here when they are tired!

How is this different from 안? 안 is the "Short Negation." You put 안 before the verb, like 안 먹어요. 지 않다 is the "Long Negation." It goes after the verb. 안 is very common in spoken Korean. It is fast and easy. 지 않다 is more formal and common in writing. If a verb is very long, 지 않다 often sounds better. For example, 아름답다 (to be beautiful) sounds better as 아름답지 않아요 than 안 아름다워요. Think of 안 as a quick "no" and 지 않다 as a formal "it is not the case." They mean the same thing, but the "vibe" is different. It's like the difference between saying "Nope" and "I do not."