Today, we’ll be looking at the usage of the Korean grammar pattern “Verb + 지 말다,” with some examples.
The equivalent meaning of this grammar pattern in English is: “Don’t do (something).”
Usage :
If you want to say “Don’t do something,” you can use this grammar pattern.
This pattern is used to prohibit the action or state of the main verb.
Generally, we use this grammar pattern in the forms: -지 마세요, -지 마요, or -지 마.
Conjugation rule :
To use -지 말다 in a sentence, first remove -다 from the base form of the verb, and then add -지 말다 to the verb stem, regardless of whether the stem ends with a consonant or vowel.
Example: The verb 가다 (“to go”). To say “Don’t go,” we remove 다, leaving the stem 가, and then add -지 말다. The conjugation is:
가지 마세요. – Very polite
가지 마요. – Polite
가지 마. – Impolite / casual
Let's see some example sentences :
1) Don't sit.
앉지 마세요.
2) Don't go.
가지 마세요.
3) Don't smoke here.
여기서는 담배를 피우지 마세요.
4) Don’t call.
전화하지 마요
5) Don't make a noise in the classroom.
교실에서는 떠들지 마세요.
6) Don't get sick and always stay healthy.
아프지 말고 항상 건강하게 지내세요.
Related Grammar Patterns:
Thank you for reading. If you have any questions or suggestions, comment down below.
