“Don’t Do It” in Korean ~지 마/~지 마세요 Grammar

You might have heard this grammar particle before if you’re a fan of Korean shows and dramas! There are a lot of “가지 마” (don’t go),  “울지 마” (don’t cry), “하지 마” (don’t do it) in Korean shows said by actors, and many more similar phrases. Adding the ~지 마 at the end of a verb is a simple and straightforward way to say “don’t do something” and really convey that urgency or emotion.

Building Out ~지 마/~지 마세요

Using ~지 마 or 마세요 is very simple. No matter if the verb ends in a consonant or vowel you attach it the same way! No tricky alternative rules or special cases, which makes this grammar piece very beginner-friendly.

Here is a quick run through:

먹다 + ~지 마세요 : 먹지 마세요: don’t eat
하다 + ~지 마세요 : 하지 마세요: don’t do it
신경쓰다 + ~지 마 : 신경쓰지 마: don’t mind
전화하다 + ~지 마 : 전화하지 마: don’t call

Difference Between ~지 마 & ~지 마세요

The simple ~지 마 is the more informal way. If you are not talking to a friend or someone you are close with it can come off as aggressive or direct. Meanwhile ~지 마세요 is the polite way, usable with anyone from strangers, to co-workers, or your teacher. ~지 마세요 form uses the 시 honorific particle I have covered before which you see in 안녕하세요 as well! Please check it out if you are interested to learn a bit more about in-depth, and how you can use it to be a true formal ‘you’ and much more!

Luckily swapping between the informal and honorific ~지 마 & ~지 마세요 versions is simple.  Something like “가지 마” just becomes “가지 마세요” and so on for all other cases. So it’s a simple upgrade to remember.

How can you make it even more polite and softer?

~지 마세요 is still a command, even though it’s honorific and much more polite. To take it another level you can use “~지 말아 주세요”. Adding in the extra “~ㄹ아 주” turns the phrase into asking for help instead of telling someone what to do.

“가지 마세요” becomes “가지 말아 주세요“: please don’t go
“걱정하지 마세요” to “걱정하지 말아 주세요”: please don’t worry

Example Phrases and Full Sentences

So let’s go through some vocabulary with ~지 마. And then I’ll give you some example sentences with each level laid out to give you a nice basis to work from!

하지 마: don’t do it
가지 마: don’t go
움직이지 마: don’t move
보지 마: don’t look
잊지 마: don’t forget
기다리지 마: don’t wait

신경쓰지 마: don’t care/mind
걱정하지 마: don’t worry
포기하지 마: don’t give up
울지 마: don’t cry
행복하지 마: don’t be happy

사지 마: don’t buy
먹지 마: don’t eat
마시지 마: don’t drink
웃지 마: don’t laugh
말하지 마: don’t talk
전화하지 마: don’t call

Informal:

월요일에 술을 마시지 마: don’t drink alcohol on Monday
오늘은 지각하지 마: don’t be late today
돈이 없으면 사지 마!: if you don’t have the money, don’t buy it!

Polite:

너무 걱정하지 마세요: don’t worry too much
약속을 어기지 마세요: don’t break your promise
그거 먹지 마세요! 곰팡이가 있어요: don’t eat that! there’s mold

Polite Request:

도서관에서 소리 내지 말아 주세요: please don’t make noise in the library
복도에서 뛰지 말아 주세요: please don’t run in the halls
아무한테 말하지 말아 주세요: please don’t tell anyone