Do not break it in Korean 🇰🇷

Sentence info.

• Structure: The sentence consists of two parts—깨지 and 마십시오. The root verb is 깨다 (“to break”). In forming a negative command in Korean, the verb is conjugated into its “-지 말다” form. Here, the stem 깨지 (from 깨다) is combined with 마십시오, which is the honorific, formal negative imperative of “do not do.”

• How it's formed:
 – Start with 깨다 (“to break”).
 – Change it to the causative stem 깨지.
 – Add 마십시오 (the formal, honorific imperative form of “don’t do”), resulting in 깨지 마십시오 (“Do not break it”).

• Tips to remember:
 – Recognize the pattern: [verb stem]+지 마십시오 is used for polite, formal prohibitive commands.
 – Notice that removing the 다 from the dictionary form and adding 지 before 마십시오 is a common method to form these prohibitions.
 – Compare with other examples like 가지 마십시오 (“Do not go”) to reinforce the pattern.

• Alternate expressions:
 – 깨지 마세요. (Less formal but still polite.)
 – 깨지 마. (Casual form, used among friends or in informal situations.)
 – You can also use a different verb with a similar meaning, such as 부수다 (“to break apart”): 부수지 마십시오.

• Romanization: 깨지 마십시오 is romanized as “kkaeji masipsio.”

a few seconds ago