않아
ahn-ah
aa
descriptive
않다
To say auxiliary that negates a verb or adjective (-지 않다) politely in the present tense, use 않아요 (ahn-ah-yoh) · aayo. Below is the full conjugation of 않다 across the three tenses and three everyday speech levels.
Grammar note (descriptive): Descriptive verbs (형용사) function like adjectives in Korean and conjugate the same way as regular action verbs. They cannot take the progressive -고 있어요 or imperative forms. 좋다 (to be good) → 좋아요; 크다 (to be big) → 커요 (으-irregular).
Conjugation table
pron. = pronunciation guide · RR = Revised Romanization
| Tense | Casual (반말) | Polite (요) | Formal (합니다) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | 않아요 ahn-ah-yoh aayo | 않습니다 ahn-seum-nee-dah aseumnida | |
| Past | 않았어 ahn-ah-ssuh aasseo | 않았어요 ahn-ah-ssuh-yoh aasseoyo | 않았습니다 ahn-ah-sseum-nee-dah aasseumnida |
| Future | 않을 거야 ahn-eul guh-yah aeul geoya | 않을 거예요 ahn-eul guh-yae-yoh aeul geoyeyo | 않을 겁니다 ahn-eul guhm-nee-dah aeul geomnida |
Other useful forms
Honorific / Command Polite (-(으)세요)
않으세요
ahn-eu-sae-yoh
aeuseyo
Suggestion / Let's Polite (요)
않아요
ahn-ah-yoh
aayo
Question Polite (요)
않아요?
ahn-ah-yoh-?
aayo?
Connective "and" — (고)
않고
ahn-goh
ago
Conditional "if" — (면)
않으면
ahn-eu-myuhn
aeumyeon
Progressive (고 있어요)
않고 있어요
ahn-goh ee-ssuh-yoh
ago isseoyo
Want to (고 싶어요)
않고 싶어요
ahn-goh shee-puh-yoh
ago sipeoyo
Can / Able to ((으)ㄹ 수 있어요)
않을 수 있어요
ahn-eul soo ee-ssuh-yoh
aeul su isseoyo
Because / So (아/어서)
않아서
ahn-ah-suh
aaseo
Noun form — (기)
않기
ahn-gee
agi
Noun form — (음)
않음
ahn-eum
aeum