How Korean tells someone to stop
To tell someone NOT to do something, attach -지 말다 to a verb stem and conjugate 말다 for politeness. 하지 마세요. ('Please don't do that.') is the everyday polite version. 하지 마. is intimate 반말. 하지 마십시오. is formal-deferential. To soften further, add -아/어 주다 ('do for me'): 하지 말아 주세요. ('Please don't do that — for me.') — common when you're requesting consideration, not commanding.
Stem + 지 말다
Take any action verb stem and add -지 말-, then conjugate. Stem-final batchim doesn't matter: 가다 → 가지 말-, 먹다 → 먹지 말-, 하다 → 하지 말-, 걱정하다 → 걱정하지 말- ('don't worry'). Note: -지 말다 only works on action verbs, not on adjectives — you can't say 춥지 마세요 ('don't be cold').
The politeness scale
Same stem, different ending depending on who you're talking to: • 반말 (intimate): 하지 마. (drop the -요, use -아/어 ending) • 해요체 (everyday polite): 하지 마세요. (the default) • 하십시오체 (formal-deferential): 하지 마십시오. (announcements, military, formal speeches) The form 마세요 is 말다 + honorific -시- + polite -어요, with the ㄹ of 말 dropping before -시- (a special ㄹ-irregular rule).
Softening: -지 말아 주세요
When 'don't' would feel too direct — like asking a stranger not to smoke, or a colleague not to share something — Koreans add -아/어 주다 ('do as a favor'): -지 말아 주세요. Literally 'please do me the favor of not doing it'. 여기서 담배 피우지 말아 주세요. ('Please don't smoke here.') is much softer than 피우지 마세요. which can sound like a scold.
Common patterns
걱정하지 마세요. ('Don't worry.') and 걱정 마세요. (with the verb stem dropped, very common) are everyday. 잊지 마세요. ('Don't forget.'). 늦지 마세요. ('Don't be late.'). With 반말: 걱정하지 마., 잊지 마., 늦지 마. Sign language on signs is usually formal: 들어가지 마시오. ('Do not enter.', -(으)시오 is a written-formal imperative).
Negative requests vs. negative statements
Don't confuse -지 말다 (negative command) with -지 않다 (negative statement). 저는 안 가요. / 저는 가지 않아요. = 'I don't go.' But 가지 마세요. = 'Don't go.' Different jobs: -지 말다 is for telling/asking someone else, -지 않다 describes.
