TOPIK II · LEVEL 3
-아/어서는 안 되다
-아/어서는 안 되다 means 'must not / should not do A' (prohibition).
능력·허락·의무Can, may & mustHan: 피우다 + 어서 contracts to 피워서.
Examples
다른 사람의 물건을 함부로 만져서는 안 된다.You shouldn't carelessly touch other people's things.
시험 시간에 늦어서는 안 돼요.You must not be late for the exam.
박물관에서 사진을 찍어서는 안 됩니다.You must not take photos in the museum.
Don’t mix up
-아/어서는 안 되다vs-(으)면 안 되다Same meaning; -(으)면 안 되다 is everyday, -아/어서는 안 되다 sounds stricter and more formal.How to build it
V/A+아서는/어서는/해서는 안 되다
들어가다 → 들어가서는 안 돼요, 늦다 → 늦어서는 안 돼요
- Stronger and more formal than -(으)면 안 되다.
- Common in rules, signs and serious warnings.
Classic mistake
Wrong: 여기에서 담배를 피우서는 안 돼요.
Right: 여기에서 담배를 피워서는 안 돼요.
피우다 + 어서 contracts to 피워서.
Practise -아/어서는 안 되다 on real TOPIK questions
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All TOPIK grammar- -(으)ㄹ 만하다Use it to say an action is worth doing, or that something is good enough or bearable to do.
- -(으)ㄹ 필요가 있다/없다-(으)ㄹ 필요가 있다/없다 means 'it is necessary / there is no need to …'.
- -는 게 낫다-는 게 낫다 means 'it's better to A (than B)', comparing options.
- -지 않으면 안 되다-지 않으면 안 되다 is a strong 'must' (literally 'if you don't, it won't do').
- -아/어야겠다-아/어야겠다 shows the speaker deciding, usually right now, that something needs to be done: "I'd better…" or "I should…".
- -기(가) 쉽다/어렵다-기(가) 쉽다/어렵다 means 'easy / hard to do A'; also 'likely / unlikely to happen'.
- -(으)ㅁ-(으)ㅁ turns a verb or adjective into a noun; it is used in notes, notices, memos and written records.
- -(으)며-(으)며 is a formal, written 'and' (listing) or 'while' (two actions at once).
- -(이)야-(이)야 emphasizes a topic as obvious or as the only one meant: 'as for N, of course …'.