-지 말다
ji malda
Grammar · 1 sense
don't do
Examples
기대도 하지 마.
Don't expect anything.
복도에서 뛰지 마세요.
Don't run in the hallway.
선생님이 내일 시험을 보니까 시험 시간에 늦지 말라고 했어요.
The teacher told me not to be late for the exam tomorrow.
When you'd hear it
This pattern is common in spoken instructions and warnings, from casual commands like 하지 마 to polite requests like 하지 마세요. It also appears in reported instructions with -지 말라고 하다, including workplace, school, and public-sign contexts.
What learners get wrong
-지 말다 gives a prohibition, while -지 않다 simply describes not doing something. Compare 늦지 마세요, “Don't be late,” with 늦지 않아요, “I'm not late” or “It isn't late.”
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