TOPIK I · LEVEL 1
-이/가 아니다
Negates a noun: 'is not N'. It is the negative of 이다 and conjugates like an adjective: 아니에요, 아닙니다, 아니야.
문장 끝·말투Endings & speech styleHan: 아니다 takes the subject particle 이/가, not the object particle 을/를.
Examples
이건 제 가방이 아니에요. 제 가방은 검은색이에요.This isn't my bag. My bag is black.
오늘은 휴일이 아니라서 은행이 문을 열어요.Today isn't a holiday, so the bank is open.
죄송하지만 여기는 회의실이 아닙니다.Sorry, this is not the meeting room.
Don’t mix up
-이/가 아니다vs없다없다 denies existence or possession; 이/가 아니다 denies identity: 돈이 없어요 'I have no money' vs 이건 제 돈이 아니에요 'This isn't my money.'
-이/가 아니다vs-지 않다-지 않다 negates verbs and adjectives; 이/가 아니다 negates nouns: 가방이 비싸지 않아요 vs 비싼 가방이 아니에요.How to build it
N (consonant)+이 아니다
N (vowel)+가 아니다
학생 → 학생이 아니다, 학생이 아니에요; 의사 → 의사가 아니다, 의사가 아닙니다
- The noun takes the subject particle 이/가 (often dropped in speech: 학생 아니에요); 아니다 is written with a space.
- Spelling: 아니에요 (polite), not 아니예요; formal 아닙니다; casual 아니야.
- Use it only with nouns. To negate verbs and adjectives use 안 or -지 않다: 안 비싸요.
- Before a noun it becomes 아닌 (학생이 아닌 사람); 'not A but B' is A이/가 아니라 B: 오늘이 아니라 내일이에요.
Classic mistake
Wrong: 저는 학생을 아니에요.
Right: 저는 학생이 아니에요.
아니다 takes the subject particle 이/가, not the object particle 을/를.
Practise -이/가 아니다 on real TOPIK questions
Hannim plans each day up to your exam date: questions on this pattern, reviews, full mock papers and graded writing. 7 days free, no card.
Start 7-day free trialMore level 1 grammar
All TOPIK grammar- -(으)시--(으)시- goes inside a verb or adjective to show respect to the person doing the action (the subject).
- -(으)세요-(으)세요 is the polite honorific ending: it shows respect to the subject in statements and questions (선생님은 책을 읽으세요), and with action verbs it politely tells or asks the listener to do something (앉으세요).
- -(으)ㅂ시다-(으)ㅂ시다 suggests doing something together: 'let's …' in a formal, polite style.
- -(으)ㄹ까요?Use -(으)ㄹ까요? to suggest something ("Shall we…?"), offer help ("Shall I…?"), or ask someone's guess ("Do you think…?").
- -이다이다 is the copula 'to be': attached to a noun, it says what something is (X is Y). It conjugates like an adjective into every speech style.
- -아요/어요-아요/어요 is the everyday polite ending: add it to a verb or adjective stem to speak politely to almost anyone, about the present or habits.
- -이에요/예요-이에요/예요 means 'to be' and links a noun to the subject in polite everyday speech, as in 'X is Y.'
- -ㅂ니까/습니까Asks a question in the formal polite style (하십시오체): interviews, announcements, customer service, presentations, the military.
- -ㅂ니다/습니다-ㅂ니다/습니다 ends a statement in the formal polite style (하십시오체), as in news, speeches, presentations and when talking to strangers or superiors.
