지 말다

Overview

The 지 말다 grammar pattern is the primary way to express prohibition or a negative command/request in Korean. It directly tells someone not to perform a specific action or suggests not doing something together.

---

Usage

This pattern is attached directly to the verb stem of an action verb. The 말다 part then conjugates according to the desired politeness level and sentence type (imperative or propositive). It is used when you want to:

• Directly command someone not to do something: "Don't go!" (가지 마세요!)
• Request someone not to do something: "Please don't worry." (걱정하지 마세요.)
• Suggest not doing something together: "Let's not eat that." (그것을 먹지 말자.)

It carries a stronger sense of prohibition or negative instruction compared to simply negating a verb with ~지 않다 or 안 ~.

---

Conjugation Rules

The 지 말다 pattern is straightforward to conjugate:

1. Take the verb stem (remove 다 from the dictionary form).
2. Attach -지.
3. Attach 말다, and then conjugate 말다 according to the desired politeness level and sentence ending.

Here are common conjugations of 말다 used with 지:

• Informal Imperative (plain): ~지 마라 (e.g., 가지 마라 - Don't go!)
• Informal Imperative (polite): ~지 마요 (e.g., 가지 마요 - Don't go, please.)
• Formal Imperative (polite): ~지 마세요 (e.g., 가지 마세요 - Please don't go.)
• Formal Imperative (very polite): ~지 마십시오 (e.g., 가지 마십시오 - Please do not go.)
• Propositive (let's not): ~지 말자 (e.g., 가지 말자 - Let's not go.)

Example:

• 가다 (to go) -> 가 + 지 말다 -> 가지 마세요 (Please don't go.)
• 먹다 (to eat) -> 먹 + 지 말다 -> 먹지 말자 (Let's not eat.)

---

Knowledge Plus

• Distinction from ~지 않다: While ~지 않다 (or 안 ~) simply negates a verb (e.g., "I don't go"), ~지 말다 specifically expresses a prohibition or negative command/suggestion (e.g., "Don't go!").
• The verb 말다 itself means "to stop," "to cease," or "to quit." When combined with -지, it literally means "to stop doing [verb]."
• This pattern is fundamental for giving negative instructions and is widely used in everyday conversation.