English–Korean
“can't” in Korean
Korean
Pronunciation
Romanizationmot
Example
죄송하지만 저는 그걸 못해요.choe song ha ji man cheo neun keu geol mo tae yo
I'm sorry, but I can't do that.
How to say “can't” in Korean
“Can't” in Korean is 못 (mot).
A planned action is prevented either by limited ability or by an outside obstacle.
Example sentences with 못
아침에 알람 소리를 못 들어서 못 일어났어요.a chi me al lam so ri reul mot teu reo seo mot i reo na sseo yo
I couldn't get up this morning because I couldn't hear the alarm.
Tips for using 못
- Recognizing this form before a verb makes everyday Korean replies shorter and easier to follow.