naneun suyeongeul mos hae.

to do

Breakdown of naneun suyeongeul mos hae.

• ~을: object particle
• ~는: topic particle
• 나: I

Questions & Answers about naneun suyeongeul mos hae.

What does 나는 mean, and why is 는 used here?

나는 breaks down into 나 (the informal “I”) + 는 (the topic marker). In Korean, the topic marker 는 highlights what you’re talking about—in this case, “as for me.” You could instead use the subject marker 이/가 (나는 → 내가) if you want to emphasize “I” as the doer, but 는 is more natural when stating your ability or inability.

Why is 수영 followed by 을?

을 is the object particle used after a noun ending in a consonant (수영 ends in ㅇ). It marks 수영을 as the direct object of the verb 하다 (“to do”). So 수영을 못 해 literally means “(I) cannot do swimming.”

What’s the difference between saying 못 하다 and 안 하다?

Both are negative, but:

• 못 하다 means “unable to do” (lack of ability, opportunity, or circumstances).
• 안 하다 means “choose not to do” (volitional negation).
  Here, 나는 수영을 못 해 expresses “I can’t swim,” not “I don’t choose to swim.”

Why are 못 and 해 written separately instead of as one word?

못 is an adverb (“cannot”), and 해 is the verb stem plus the present tense ending . In Korean, adverbs and verbs are generally written as separate words, so is correct rather than in standard spacing (though in casual typing you might sometimes see them run together).