naneun suyeongeul mos hae.

나는 수영을 못 해.naneun suyeongeul mos hae.
I cannot swim.
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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 하- plus the present tense ending -아/어. In Korean, adverbs and verbs are generally written as separate words, so 못 해 is correct rather than 못해 in standard spacing (though in casual typing you might sometimes see them run together).
Why is the verb 하다 conjugated as 해 here, and how would you make it polite?

This is the present tense, informal style of 하다:

  • Dictionary form: 하다
  • Informal present: 해
    To make it polite, you could say:
  • 못해요 (informal polite)
  • 못합니다 (formal polite)
    Thus, “나는 수영을 못 해요” is a friendly but polite way to say the same thing.
Can you omit 나는 and just say 수영을 못 해?
Yes. Korean often drops the subject when it’s clear from context. If you’re talking about yourself, 수영을 못 해 (“(I) can’t swim”) is perfectly natural in conversation.
Why does the object come before the verb in 수영을 못 해?

Korean is an SOV (Subject–Object–Verb) language. The normal order is:
Subject (나는) → Object (수영을) → Verb (못 해).
That’s why 수영을 precedes 못 해 rather than following it.

Could you say 나는 수영 못한다 instead?
Grammatically, 나는 수영을 못한다 with the object particle 을 is fine in written/plain style. However, in spoken Korean you’ll almost always hear the more relaxed 해 ending. 못한다 sounds very formal/plain (and a bit stiff) and is used mostly in writing or narration.