12.2. Uses of the Suspective -지

12.2.1: Any Base + -지만 but

1. A. 형제 있으세요?
   Do you have brothers and sisters?
   B. 언니는 있지만 동생은 없어요.
   I have an older sister, but no younger siblings.
2. A. 그 집 애들이 공부를 잘 해요?
   Are the children in that family good students?
   B. 딸은 똑똑하지만, 아들은 공부를 못 해요.
   The daughter is bright, but the son isn? much of a student.
3. 날이 좀 덥지만, 테니스나 칠까요?
   The day is a bit hot, but shall we play some tennis or something?
4. A. 아버님이 뭐 하세요?
   What does your father do?
   B. 대학 교수이셨지만, 이제는 은퇴하셨어요.
   [He] used to be a college professor, but now he? retired.
5. A. 저분은 연세가 많으세요?
   Is that person old?
   B. 나이는 많지만, 마음은 젊어요.
   He is old in years, but his heart is young.

Phrases consisting of a verb base plus -지만 mean (so-and-so) but. . .We can retain the Korean phrasing by using though, although: Although I have an older sister. . ., Though the daughter is bright. . . The translation but, of course, is much more natural, and conveys the Korean more realistically.
The special phrase 그렇지만, literally meaning It is so, but. . ., is used at the beginning of sentences in the same way we use however or on the other hand, on the contrary. The expression -지만, then, is a device to put together two sentences that could be said separately, with the second introduced by 그렇지만. . .

12.2.2: Long Negatives in -지 않아요, -지 못해요

In addition to the short negative forms that you have learned to make by prefixing verbs and adjectives with 안 and 못, there is a more complex type of negative made with:
Plain Base + -지 않아요 or Plain Base + -지 못해요

6. A. 언니는 요즘 뭐 해요?
   What’s your older sister up to these days?
   B. 인제는 우리하고 같이 살지 않아요.
   She doesn’t live with us anymore.
7. A. 저집 딸이 똑똑합니까?
   Is the daughter in that family bright?
   B. 딸은 똑똑하지만, 아들은 똑똑하지 못합니다.
   The daughter is bright, but the son isn’t bright at all.
8. A. 샌디씨 ? 오빠가 결혼했습니까?
   Sandy – is your older brother married?
   B. 아니오, 오빠는 아직 결혼하지 않았습니다.
   No, he isn’t [hasn’t] married yet.
9. A. 피아노를 치세요?
   Do you play the piano?
   B. 아니오. 피아노를 치지 못 합니다.
   No, I don’t know how.

The LONG NEGATIVE is a phrase which consists of a Plain Base + -지 form followed by a negative element. The -지 form names the verb; the element following it carries the other meanings for the phrase ? negativeness and tense, as well as the meaning carried in its ending (Polite Style, etc.).
The element 않- following the -지 suspective form in long negative phrases is, in origin, a negative form of the auxiliary base 하-, that is, a form of 안 하- shortened to 않아요 ? in effect, a new verb with the base form 않-, which behaves in the same way as the base 많- (there are) many.
The past tense of a long negative is made by putting 않- into the past tense; the -지 suspective form remains unchanged:

The long negative differs from the SHORT NEGATIVE (the one you have been using up until now) only in that it is a phrase rather than a single word; the meaning of each corresponding form is the same. Here is a group of representative examples. Every verb has both forms except for the copula, which has only the form 아니에요.
Present Tense

Past Tense

Long negatives with the STRONG NEGATIVE 못 cannot, emphatically not rather than 안 not are made in the same way.

Note that, with descriptive verbs, long strong negatives have the added nuance of dissatisfaction on the part of the speaker, or a sense that the situation was not up to expectation.

In the examples above the long negatives have the polite-style endings. Other endings are also possible, when you want to put the negative into some larger sentence, for example, you can put a negative sentence into the construction with -지만 but discussed above.

Finally, note also that the long negatives are more appropriate for longer verbs (i.e. bases with three or more syllables) and complex verb expressions (e.g. -고 싶어요) that sound awkward or marginal preceded by 안:

12.2.3. Negative Commands and Suggestions in -지 마-ㄹ-

You have noticed that the polite forms in 요 can be used as a statement (가요 I’m going ), a question (가세요? Are you going? ), a command (가세요! Please go! ), and occasionally even a suggestion (가요! Let’s go! ).
The negative forms of these can be used as statements (안 가요 or 가지 않아요 I’m not going . 못가요 or 가지 못해요 I can’t go ) and as questions (안 가세요? or 가지 않으세요? Aren’t you going? 못가세요? or 가지 못하세요? Can’t you go? ), but not as commands or suggestions:

*앉지 않아요! for Don’t sit!
*보지 않아요! for Don’t look!

Negative Commands
Instead, you make negative commands (prohibitions) and negative suggestions (dissuasions) with another auxiliary verb 마-ㄹ- avoid (an L-extending base) added to the suspective -지:

10. Base 들- listen :
    듣지 마세요!
    듣지 말아요!    Don’t listen!
    듣지 마십시오!
11. Base 앉- sit :
    앉지 마세요!
    앉지 말아요!     Don’t sit down!
    앉지 마십시오!
12. Base 보- see; look :
    보지 마세요!
    보지 말아요!     Don’t look!
    보지 마십시오!

Negative Suggestions
You have learned the ending for suggestions in the formal style, with the shape -(으)ㅂ시다 as in 시작 합시다! Let’s begin! To make negative suggestions you add this ending to the unextended base of 마-ㄹ-
and produce the form 맙시다 to use after the suspective -지:

13. 책을 보지 맙시다!
    Let’s not look at our books!
14. 오늘은 걸어가지 맙시다! ? 시간이 없어요.
    Let’s not go on foot today ? there? no time.
15. A. 뭘 마실까요? 양주로 할까요?
    What shall we drink? Shall we have some sort of Western liquor?
    B. 오늘은 술을 하지 맙시다.
    Let’s not do any drinking today.

12.2.4. Negative Honorifics

In speaking about an esteemed person, you can add the honorific element to the long negative in any of several ways:
a. You can make the verb honorific (가요 > 가세요 ) and then build the negative on this: 가시지 않아요. This is the most common.

b. You can make the verb negative (가요 > 가지 않아요), then build the honorific on that: 가지 않으세요. This is also common.

c. You can make the verb honorific (가요 > 가세요), build a negative on this (가세요 > 가시지 않아요 ) and build a further honorific on that: 가시지 않으세요. Usually such double honorifics are overdoing things, and you would do well to avoid them.

The 못 negative behaves in the same way: 가시지 못해요, 가지 못하세요, and 가시지 못하세요 are all [s.b. esteemed] can’t/won’t go.

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