Can not do it in Korean 🇰🇷

못하다 info.

Tips to remember the word:
• Think of “못” as a marker meaning “cannot” added before “하다” (to do). The sound “mot” echoes the English word “not.”
• Remember that “못하다” literally means “to not be able to do,” similar in construction to modal verbs in English.

Explanations:
• 못하다 is comprised of 못 (cannot) + 하다 (to do) and is used to express inability.
• It indicates that someone is unable to perform an action due to circumstances or limitations.
• The nuance is about inability rather than a choice not to do something.

Other words with a similar meaning:
• 하지 못하다 – a more formal, periphrastic way of saying “cannot do.”
• 불가능하다 – means “to be impossible” (often used in more formal or written contexts).

Conjugations (using 못하다 as the base verb):

Infinitive form:
• 못하다 (mot-hada)

Present tense:
• Informal low: 못해 (mot-hae)
• Informal polite: 못해요 (mot-hae-yo)
• Formal: 못합니다 (mot-hamnida)

Past tense:
• Informal low: 못했어 (mot-haesseo)
• Informal polite: 못했어요 (mot-haesseoyo)
• Formal: 못했습니다 (mot-haetseumnida)

Future tense:
• Informal low: 못할 거야 (mot-hal geoya)
• Informal polite: 못할 거예요 (mot-hal geo-yeyo)
• Formal: 못할 것입니다 (mot-hal geos-imnida)

Examples of sentences using 못하다:
• 나는 그것을 못해요.
  Romanized: Naneun geugeoseul mot-hae-yo.
  Meaning: I cannot do it.
• 어제는 너무 피곤해서 일을 못했어요.
  Romanized: Eoje-neun neomu pigonhaseo ireul mot-haesseoyo.
  Meaning: I was too exhausted to work yesterday.
• 내일은 시간이 없어서 못할 거예요.
  Romanized: Naeil-eun sigani eopseoseo mot-hal geo-yeyo.
  Meaning: I won't be able to do it tomorrow.

a few seconds ago