Korean Past Negation: Saying 'Didn't' with 안 and -지 않다
Learn to form Korean negative past sentences meaning 'didn't do' using 안 + past verb and -지 않았어요, with clear contrasts to positive past forms.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
In Korean, saying 'I didn't see him' is not a single word like English 'didn't.' Instead, you negate the verb and then mark past tense. The most common elementary pattern is 안 + verb stem + past ending, giving 안 봤어요 (an bwatseoyo). A slightly more formal equivalent is verb stem + -지 않았어요 (-ji anasseoyo), as in 보지 않았어요 (boji anasseoyo). This lesson focuses only on negative past statements, so you can clearly say what did not happen without confusing negation with irregular past forms.
By the end, you can…
- make a negative past sentence with 안 + verb + past tense ending.
- make a negative past sentence with -지 않았어요.
- distinguish 'didn't do' from 'couldn't do' in basic Korean.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
안 봤어요.
I didn't see (it/him/her).
an bwasseoyo
Casual polite negative past of 보다 (boda, 'to see'). 안 goes directly before the verb.
안 갔어요.
I didn't go.
an gasseoyo
Negative past of 가다 (gada, 'to go'). The past ending -았어요 combines with the stem to sound like 갔어요.
안 먹었어요.
I didn't eat.
an meogeosseoyo
Negative past of 먹다 (meokda, 'to eat'). Useful for meals and snacks.
보지 않았어요.
I did not see (it/him/her).
boji anasseoyo
More formal negative past using -지 않았어요. Common in writing and polite speech.
가지 않았어요.
I did not go.
gaji anasseoyo
Formal negative past of 가다. The -지 않- pattern feels slightly more deliberate than 안.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
For short verbs, put 안 before the verb and then add the past polite ending -았어요/었어요: 안 봤어요 (an bwatseoyo), 안 먹었어요 (an meogeotseoyo), 안 만났어요 (an mannasseoyo). For a more formal or written feel, use the verb stem plus -지 않았어요: 보지 않았어요 (boji anasseoyo), 먹지 않았어요 (meokji anasseoyo). Both mean 'didn't,' but 안 is more common in everyday conversation.
When to use it
Use negative past forms to report that an action did not happen: 어제 안 갔어요 (eoje an gatseoyo, 'I didn't go yesterday'), 그 영화를 안 봤어요 (geu yeonghwareul an bwatseoyo, 'I didn't see that movie'). Do not use these for inability. 'I couldn't go' is 못 갔어요 (mot gatseoyo), not 안 갔어요. 안 means you chose not to or simply did not; 못 means you were unable to.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
어제 친구를 만났어요?
Did you meet your friend yesterday?eoje chingureul mannasseoyo?아니요, 안 만났어요.
No, I didn't meet him/her.aniyo, an mannasseoyo그럼, 영화는 봤어요?
Then did you see a movie?geureom, yeonghwaneun bwasseoyo?영화도 보지 않았어요.
I didn't see a movie either.yeonghwado boji anasseoyoA little context goes a long way
Korean politeness is carried by verb endings, not pronouns. 안 봤어요 and 보지 않았어요 are both polite, but -지 않았어요 can sound more formal or written. With close friends, you may hear 안 봤어 (an bwatseo) or 안 봤어요 shortened in fast speech. Choose the ending based on your relationship and setting, not on the negation itself.
One thing to watch for
Using 안 with the wrong past tense form, such as saying 안 봐요 for 'I didn't see.'
Try this instead: 안 봐요 means 'I don't see' or 'I am not seeing.' For the past, use 안 봤어요 (an bwatseoyo) or 보지 않았어요 (boji anasseoyo). The past ending must be present.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'I didn't eat' using 안?
Show a sample answer
안 먹었어요. (an meogeotseoyo)
안 comes before the verb stem 먹-, and the past polite ending -었어요 is added. 안 먹지 않았어요 would be redundant because it uses two negative patterns.
2Change 안 갔어요 to the more formal -지 않았어요 pattern.
Show a sample answer
가지 않았어요. (gaji anasseoyo)
The verb stem 가- takes -지 않았어요. Both 안 갔어요 and 가지 않았어요 are correct; the second is more formal.
3Which sentence means 'I couldn't see him,' not 'I didn't see him'?
Show a sample answer
못 봤어요. (mot bwatseoyo)
못 expresses inability or impossibility, while 안 expresses simple negation or choice. 안 봤어요 means 'I didn't see him,' but 못 봤어요 means 'I couldn't see him.'
To say 'didn't' in Korean, negate the verb with 안 or -지 않다, then add the past polite ending. Use 안 for everyday speech and -지 않았어요 for a more formal tone, and keep 못 separate for 'couldn't.'
Progress is saved on this browser.
Practice real time conversations on Yapr for faster learning.
Put today’s Korean into a conversation with an AI tutor. Speak, make mistakes, and try again.
Practice on Yapr