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Alina
Can adjectives be used with ~지 말다?
Jun 3, 2019 3:31 PM
Answers · 2
No. 말다 means intentionally not doing something. -지 말다 cannot be used with an adjective directly because adjectives can't represent an intentional action.
For most emotion-related adjectives, there is a corresponding verb in the -아/어하다 form which can be used with -지 말다.
For example,
- 슬프다(a), 슬퍼하다(v) -> 슬프지 마(X), 슬퍼하지 마(O) = Don't be/feel sad.
- 좋다(a), 좋아하다(v) -> 좋지 마(X), 좋아하지 마(O) = Don't rejoice.
- 아쉽다(a), 아쉬워하다(v) -> 아쉽지 마(X), 아쉬워하지 마(O) = Don't feel sorry.
In each of these examples, the first phrase (marked X) with the adjective sounds strange and unnatural.
June 4, 2019
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Alina
Language Skills
English, German, Korean, Russian
Learning Language
English, German, Korean
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