Now put them side by side. Same sentence, one word different, and you have said two very different things about yourself.
술을 안 마셔요. / I don’t drink. *(my choice)* 술을 못 마셔요. / I can’t drink. *(my body won’t let me)*
meanschoose not to · unable to
aboutwill · ability or circumstance
고기를 …안 먹어요: I’m vegetarian · 못 먹어요: it makes me ill
This matters socially. Turning down food with 안 먹어요 says you did not want it. 못 먹어요 says you cannot have it. Koreans hear the difference immediately, and the second one is the polite way out of a dish you must refuse.
연습 Practice
이 레슨에는 풀어 보는 문제가 7개 있습니다. 앱에서 하나씩 맞히며 넘어갑니다. 7 exercises come with this lesson — open it to work through them.
치즈감자