My Korean Lesson

'Can' and 'can't' in Korean: 잘, 못

How can we talk about the capability like "can" or "can't" in Korean? There are two ways. One is to use adverbs and the other is to use the expressions. In this post, you will learn the adverb level of "can" and "can't."

0. Words

Here are some words that you will see in this lesson!

피아노 [pi-ah-no] piano 테니스 [tae-ni-seu] tennis

치다 [chi-da] to hit, to play

춤 [chum / choom] (noun) dance

춤을 추다 [chu-meul chu-da] (verb) dance

노래 [no-lae] (noun) song

노래하다 [no-lae-ha-da] (verb) sing a song

공부 [gong-bu] (noun) study

1. Using Adverbs

You can attach adverbs right in front of the verbs to show can or can't. They are not that difficult if you learn them by scratching surface-wise level, but if you delve deeper, there are more things to consider. I will show you beginner-level parts first and then show more advanced parts and tips with fordable sections. If you want to read and study further or more than a beginner level, please continue to read those sections as well. Then, let's take a look one by one!

1. 잘 well

1) 잘 [jal] has a lot of meanings in Korea. Here are some definitions.

a. well

b. skillfully

c. carefully, closely, attentively

4. properly

5. thoroughly

6. easily

Lots of meanings, right? It is a good word to know because you can apply it in many situations! Since 잘 has "well, skilfully, or easily" meanings, this word can be used to express the capability. You can put this 잘 before the verb with a space.

타케시 씨는 테니스를 찰 쳐요. [ta-kae-si ssi-neun tae-ni-seu-leul jal chyeo-yo]

Takesi can play tennis well. = Takesi is good at playing tennis.

↪ 잘 [jal] is placed before the verb 쳐요 [chyeo-yo]. 쳐요 came from the basic form 치다 [chi-da] which means hit. You hit the tennis ball, so we use 치다 to mean play tennis.

저는 피아노를 잘 쳐요. [jeo-neun pi-ah-no-leul jal chyeo-yo]

I can play the piano well. = I am good at playing the piano.

↪ You "hit" the keys of the 피아노 [pi-ah-no]. So, here again, we say 치다 to mean play the piano.

민지 씨는 춤을 잘 춰요? [min-ji ssi-neun chu-meul jal cho-yo?] Is Minji good at dancing?

네, 잘 춰요. [nae, jal cho-yo] Yes, she is.

2) For 하다 verbs, use "잘하다" meaning "do well/can do well". It is one word, so write 잘하다 without a space between 잘 and 하다.

켄트 씨는 공부를 잘해요. [kaen-teu ssi-neun gong-bu-leul jal-hae-yo]

Kent studies well. = Kent gets good grades.

↪ 공부 [gong-bu] is a noun, meaning study. When someone is "공부를 잘해요," it usually means he or she gets good grades.

수 씨는 한국어를 잘해요. [su ssi-neun han-gu-geo-leul jal hae-yo] Su speaks Korean well.

↪ When someone is skilled in a foreign language, the Korean word "잘하다" is used.

앤디 씨는 노래를 잘해요? [an-di ssi-neun no-lae-leul jal hae-yo?] Is Andy good at singing?

네, 잘해요. [nae, jal hae-yo] Yes, he is.

잘했어요! [jal-hae-sseo-yo] Well done! = Good job!

↪ It is a common phrase to give a compliment!

Advanced Level: 잘하다 Vs. 잘 하다

You've seen 잘하다 as one word, but actually, there is "잘 하다" with a space as well.

잘하다: do things well, do things right, can do things with skill = can

야구를 잘해요. [ya-gu-leul jal-hae-yo] (I) am good at playing baseball.

잘 하다: do things without any trouble, things go smoothly.

일은 잘 하고 있어요? [i-leun jal ha-ho ee-sseo-yo?] Is your work going smoothly?

Many Koreans probably mix them up and do not know the difference. If you are a beginner-level student, please know that 잘하다 without space is used to say "well."

2. 못 can't

1) 못 [mot] is used in front of a verb and it means that someone can't do the action due to the lack of the ability or the opportunity to do the action.

연지 씨는 테니스를 못 쳐요. [yeon-ji ssi-neun tae-ni-seu-leul mot chyeo-yo]

Yeonji is not good at playing tennis. / Yeonji can't play the tennis.

↪ You can use the word '못' to convey two different meanings. Firstly and usually, you can use it to say that Yeonji is not good at playing tennis. Secondly, you can also use it to indicate that she cannot play tennis at the moment for some reason, no matter if she has the real ability to play it well or not. In this case, you will deliver meaning with the context. You can add more words to do so, for example, you can add '지금 [ji-geum] now'.

저는 피아노를 못 쳐요. [jeo-neun pi-ah-no-leul mot chyeo-yo]

I can't play the piano.

↪ Without context, it can mean both!

민수 씨는 춤을 잘 춰요? [min-su ssi-neun chu-meul jal cho-yo?] Is Minsu good at dancing?

아니요, 못 춰요. [ah-ni-yo, mot cho-yo] No, he can't.

2) For 하다 verbs, the antonym of 잘하다 is 못하다.

율 씨는 노래를 잘해요? [yul ssi-neun no-lae-leul jal hae-yo?] Is Yul good at singing?

아니요, 못해요. [ah-ni-yo mot hae-yo] No, he can't.

Advanced Level

A comparison between 못하다 vs. 못 하다

못하다 (without a space) the capability is not good enough ↔ 잘하다

노래를 못해요. I can't sing. - I can sing, but my singing ability is horrible. I am a bad singer!

못 하다 (with space) impossible to do

노래를 못 해요. I can't sing. - I have a cold, so my voice is not coming out today! / My friends took the microphone, so I didn't have a chance to sing.

3) You've learned about the negative adverb '안'. But do you know how '안' is different from '못'? '안' means 'not'. It indicates that you can do something, but you choose not to do it. On the other hand, '못' means 'can't'. It implies that you don't have the ability or opportunity to do something.

저는 우유를 안 마셔요. [jeo-neun u-yu-leul an ma-shyeo-yo]

I don't drink milk. (I don't like the flavor of it, so choose not to drink.)

저는 우유를 못 마셔요. [jeo-neun u-yu-leul mot ma-shyeo-yo]

I can't drink milk. (I have lactose intolerance.)

3. 잘 못 not well

Here's an interesting fact: the Korean word "잘 못 [jal mot]" means "not doing well". It is used to show that one doesn't have the ability to do the action. Despite containing the word "잘" which means "well", the phrase actually has the same meaning as "못 can't". In this case, "잘" is just used for emphasis and describes "못".

노래를 잘해요. I can sing well. = I am good at singing.

↔ 노래를 못해요. = 노래를 잘 못해요. I am not good at singing.

피아노를 잘 쳐요. I can play the piano well.

↔ 피아노를 못 쳐요. = 피아노를 잘 못 쳐요. I can't play the piano well.

Language Tip!

There is a word 잘못 (잘 and 못 but without any space), this word means a mistake, error, wrong!

죄송해요. 잘못했어요. I'm sorry. I was wrong.

잘 못했어요. I didn't do well.

Can you see the difference from the examples above? When you talk, the meaning will be delivered with context so you don't have to worry about it. But if you practice writing, it will be good to pay attention to decide which one to use.

2. Quiz

Here are some quizzes for you. Try to think of the answer before you check!

3. Wrap-up: can and can't in Korean

You can express your ability to do V well with 잘.
잘 V: 잘 치다, 잘 먹다, 잘 추다 -잘하다 (have ability)
You can express you can't do V either due to lack of the ability of opportunity with 못.
못 V: 못 치다, 못 먹다, 못 추다 -못하다( lack of ability)