못해
moh-tae
motae
못하다
To say cannot (do) politely in the present tense, use 못해요 (moh-tae-yoh) · motaeyo. Below is the full conjugation of 못하다 across the three tenses and three everyday speech levels.
Grammar note (하다 verb): 하다 verbs are formed with a Sino-Korean noun + 하다 (e.g. 공부하다 = study + do). 하다 conjugates irregularly: the ㅏ in 하 contracts with the -아/-어 suffix to give 해 (not *하어). Present polite: 해요; past polite: 했어요. The formal ending is 합니다 (not *하습니다). Most noun+하다 compounds follow this pattern uniformly. See all 하다 verbs →
Conjugation table
pron. = pronunciation guide · RR = Revised Romanization
Highlighted = where the stem changes
| Tense | Casual (반말) | Polite (요) | Formal (합니다) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | 못해요 moh-tae-yoh motaeyo | 못합니다 moh-tahm-nee-dah motamnida | |
| Past | 못했어 moh-tae-ssuh motaesseo | 못했어요 moh-tae-ssuh-yoh motaesseoyo | 못했습니다 moh-tae-sseum-nee-dah motaesseumnida |
| Future | 못할 거야 moh-tahl guh-yah motal geoya | 못할 거예요 moh-tahl guh-yae-yoh motal geoyeyo | 못할 겁니다 moh-tahl guhm-nee-dah motal geomnida |
Other useful forms
Honorific / Command Polite (-(으)세요)
못하세요
moh-tah-sae-yoh
motaseyo
Suggestion / Let's Polite (요)
못해요
moh-tae-yoh
motaeyo
Question Polite (요)
못해요?
moh-tae-yoh-?
motaeyo?
Connective "and" — (고)
못하고
moh-tah-goh
motago
Conditional "if" — (면)
못하면
moh-tah-myuhn
motamyeon
Progressive (고 있어요)
못하고 있어요
moh-tah-goh ee-ssuh-yoh
motago isseoyo
Want to (고 싶어요)
못하고 싶어요
moh-tah-goh shee-puh-yoh
motago sipeoyo
Can / Able to ((으)ㄹ 수 있어요)
못할 수 있어요
moh-tahl soo ee-ssuh-yoh
motal su isseoyo
Because / So (아/어서)
못해서
moh-tae-suh
motaeseo
Noun form — (기)
못하기
moh-tah-gee
motagi
Noun form — (음)
못함
moh-tahm
motam