2 · Negation
Don't: -지 마세요 and -지 맙시다
the negative command and suggestion
Requests and suggestions are negated not with 안 but with the verb 말다 after -지: 가지 마세요, "please don't go".
A request or a suggestion cannot be negated with 안 or -지 않다. Instead the stem takes -지, and a form of the verb 말다 (to stop, to refrain) follows: 가지 마세요, "please don't go"; 먹지 마세요, "please don't eat it". -지 is the same for every stem; only 말다 changes.
말다 loses its final l before several endings, which is why its forms look irregular. The polite request is 마세요, the formal command 마십시오, the formal "let's not" 맙시다. Among friends it is -지 마, "don't", and -지 말자, "let's not". In polite conversation -지 마요 and -지 말아요 are also heard, for both "don't" and "let's not".
With some nouns of action, 말다 can follow the noun directly: 걱정 마세요, "don't worry", is as common as 걱정하지 마세요. And a negative request can be made gentler with 주다: -지 말아 주세요, "please do not", which is common in notices and polite requests.
English speakers are tempted to negate a request with 안. 안 가세요 is grammatical, but it is an honorific statement or question — "she is not going", or "aren't you going?" — not "don't go". The same goes for -지 않으세요. Only 말다 makes a negative command.
The form
| polite request | 가지 마세요 |
| formal command | 가지 마십시오 |
| let's not, formal | 가지 맙시다 |
| let's not, among friends | 가지 말자 |
| don't, among friends | 가지 마 |
| after a noun | 걱정 마세요 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
Negative requests use -지 마세요, never 안.
여기에서 사진을 찍지 마세요.Please do not take photos here.
"Let's not" is -지 맙시다, or among friends -지 말자.
오늘은 늦게까지 일하지 맙시다.Let's not work late today.
Among friends and to children, the command is -지 마.
울지 마. 괜찮아.Don't cry. It's all right.
Notices and formal announcements use -지 마십시오.
문에 기대지 마십시오.Do not lean against the doors.
With some nouns of action, 마세요 follows the noun directly.
너무 걱정 마세요.Don't worry too much.
A closer look
Softer ways to say don't
-지 마세요 is polite in form but direct in content, and said to a stranger it can sound like a reprimand. Adding 주다 turns it into a request for a favour: 여기서 담배 피우지 말아 주세요, "would you please not smoke here". Signs often use -지 마십시오 or, more gently, 삼가 주세요, "please refrain".
Between friends, -지 마 can sound affectionate rather than bossy, depending on the tone: 걱정하지 마, "don't worry", is a comfort, not an order. The polite -지 마요 sits between the two levels and is common in conversation with people of your own age.
How to spot it
- -지 마세요
- -지 마
- -지 맙시다
- -지 말자
- 마십시오
Example sentences
수업 시간에 휴대폰을 사용하지 마세요.Please do not use your phone in class.
위험하니까 만지지 마세요.It's dangerous, so please don't touch it.
비밀번호는 다른 사람에게 알려 주지 마세요.Do not tell anyone else your password.
내일 약속 잊지 마!Don't forget about tomorrow!
우리 이제 싸우지 말자.Let's not fight any more.
잔디밭에 들어가지 마십시오.Keep off the grass.
8 more example sentences
밤늦게 전화하지 마세요.Please don't call late at night.
이 우유는 오래돼서 마시지 마세요.This milk is old, so don't drink it.
회의 중에는 이야기하지 맙시다.Let's not talk during the meeting.
엄마, 걱정하지 마. 금방 갈게.Don't worry, Mum. I'll be there soon.
그 사람 말은 너무 믿지 마세요.Don't believe everything he says.
수영장에서 뛰지 마십시오.Do not run by the pool.
오늘은 술 마시지 말자.Let's not drink tonight.
창문을 열지 말아 주세요.Please do not open the window.
Worth knowing (1)
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Not this, but that
A "don't" followed by what to do instead is joined with -지 말고: 택시 타지 말고 지하철 타세요, "don't take a taxi — take the underground". The last verb decides how polite the whole sentence is.
오늘은 나가지 말고 집에서 쉬세요.Don't go out today; stay at home and rest.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
안 세우세요 is an honorific statement or question — "you are not parking here" — and cannot forbid anything. A negative request always needs 말다: 세우지 마세요.
Don't is -ji maseyo: requests are negated with the verb malda, never with an.
Your turn
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