Advanced · Everyday Korean
Korean negative questions: give a clear yes-or-no answer
Interpret Korean negative questions, identify what 네 or 아니요 agrees with, and restate the predicate when a short reply could be misunderstood.
A short yes can leave the main fact hidden
Someone asks 아직 안 했어요? and you answer 네. Did you finish the task, or are you agreeing that you have not done it? A listener may use context to interpret the reply, but a high-stakes plan should not depend on one syllable.
This advanced conversation lesson focuses on Korean negative questions. You will separate the negative wording from the fact being checked, read replies in context and replace an ambiguous 네 or 아니요 with a complete predicate.
The goal is not to memorise a cultural slogan about how all Koreans answer. Actual speakers can vary, bilingual conversations can mix expectations and a surprised question can do more than request information. The reliable repair is to say the fact you mean.
Separate agreement from the underlying fact
In the illustrated sequence, 네 aligns with the negative proposition offered by the question, and 안 가요 states the fact. To reject that proposition, a speaker can say 아니요, 가요. — “No, I am going.”
This is a useful starting pattern, not permission to erase context. 네 can acknowledge that you heard someone, accept a suggestion or move the conversation forward. Identify the question and following predicate before translating it as an isolated English “yes.”
Keep the predicate in every answer
| Question | Negative fact | Positive fact |
|---|---|---|
| 오늘 안 가요? | 네, 오늘 안 가요. | 아니요, 오늘 가요. |
| 아직 못 끝냈어요? | 네, 아직 못 끝냈어요. | 아니요, 벌써 끝냈어요. |
| 예약이 없어요? | 네, 예약이 없어요. | 아니요, 예약이 있어요. |
The labels “negative fact” and “positive fact” describe the predicate, not whether the news is good or bad. 안 가요 and 없어요 are grammatically negative; arriving or having no reservation may still be welcome in a particular situation.
못 끝냈어요 describes not having managed to finish. Its opposite in the table is 벌써 끝냈어요, “I already finished.” Repeating only 네 would hide the contrast that matters.
Notice a question that seeks confirmation
| Korean | Working meaning | Clear reply |
|---|---|---|
| 오늘 휴무인 거죠? | It is closed today, right? | 네, 오늘은 쉬어요. |
| 추가 비용은 없는 거죠? | There is no additional charge, right? | 네, 추가 비용은 없어요. |
| 취소된 건 아니죠? | It has not been cancelled, right? | 취소되지 않았어요. |
거죠? often presents an understanding for confirmation. 아니죠? asks the listener to confirm a negative expectation. These endings can also carry stance or surprise; they are not neutral information requests in every context.
A 2026 National Institute of Korean Language answer distinguishes an ordinary negative question from a confirmation question and notes that English-style replies are also heard. That makes a one-word response especially risky. In the last row, 취소되지 않았어요 omits the response word and supplies the decisive fact. If it had been cancelled, say 취소됐어요. The predicate prevents 네 or 아니요 from doing all the work.
Repair an ambiguous deadline exchange
| Speaker | Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Lead | 보고서 아직 못 끝냈어요? | You have not finished the report yet? |
| Writer | 네. | Yes / right. [Scope needs context.] |
| Lead | 못 끝냈다는 뜻이에요? | Do you mean you have not finished? |
| Writer | 아니요, 보고서는 끝냈어요. 검토를 아직 못 했어요. | No, I finished the report. I have not reviewed it yet. |
| Lead | 그럼 검토는 언제 끝나요? | Then when will the review be finished? |
| Writer | 오늘 세 시까지 끝내겠습니다. | I will finish it by three today. |
The first 네 did not identify whether “the report” included the review stage. The follow-up asks for the intended meaning. The writer then separates drafting from review and gives a deadline for the remaining task.
This invented workplace exchange shows two sources of ambiguity: the short answer and the scope of 끝냈어요. A full predicate can still be incomplete if the people define the task differently.
Read a six-sentence analysis of the repair
첫 대답인 “네”만으로는 작성자가 어느 내용을 확인했는지 분명하지 않았다.
팀장은 부정 의문문을 반복하지 않고 “못 끝냈다는 뜻”인지 구체적으로 물었다.
작성자는 보고서 작성과 검토를 구분하여 이미 끝난 일과 남은 일을 밝혔다.
따라서 문제는 단순히 긍정과 부정 중 하나를 잘못 선택한 데에만 있지 않았다.
업무의 범위가 서로 달랐기 때문에 완전한 문장도 추가 확인이 필요했다.
중요한 일정에서는 대답의 서술어와 남은 일의 마감 시각을 함께 확인하는 편이 안전하다.
Read an English translation
The first reply, “네,” did not make clear which content the writer was confirming.
The team lead did not simply repeat the negative question, but specifically asked whether the writer meant that the task was unfinished.
The writer distinguished writing the report from reviewing it, identifying what was complete and what remained.
The problem therefore was not limited to choosing the wrong word between an affirmative and a negative response.
Because the two people defined the scope of the work differently, even a complete sentence required further confirmation.
For an important schedule, it is safer to confirm both the predicate of the answer and the deadline for the remaining task.
The passage treats ambiguity as a joint information problem. It does not label the writer rude or the lead unreasonable. Notice the limiting construction 데에만 있지 않았다: the yes/no choice was one issue, but not the only one.
Use a four-step repair when accuracy matters
| Step | Korean move | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 제가 이해한 게 맞는지 확인할게요. | Signal that you are checking your understanding. |
| 2 | 오늘은 안 가신다는 뜻이에요? | State the proposition you heard. |
| 3 | 네, 오늘은 안 가요. | Confirm it with the full predicate. |
| 4 | 내일 오전에 갈게요. | Add the next relevant plan. |
The subject honorific in 가신다는 fits a question about someone who warrants that form. Change the grammar for your relationship rather than copying it mechanically.
A repair can be brief. The essential improvement is the repeated fact, not a long apology for asking. When dates, money or responsibilities are involved, the extra predicate costs less than correcting a mistaken action later.
Make the intended fact explicit
- Answer 오늘 안 가요? so that it is unmistakable that you are not going.
- Answer the same question so that it is unmistakable that you are going.
- Why is 네 alone risky after three questions in one message?
- What fact does 네, 예약이 없어요 state?
- The customer asks 추가 비용은 없는 거죠?. Write a clear confirmation that there is no extra charge.
- In the report dialogue, what was finished and what remained?
- Explain why a complete sentence can still need clarification.
- Write a polite repair question for “You mean it was not cancelled?”
Check the answers and explanations
- 네, 오늘 안 가요. The predicate explicitly states the negative fact.
- 아니요, 오늘 가요. It rejects “not going” and states the positive fact.
- The listener may not know which question 네 answers. Repeat the relevant fact or answer the questions separately.
- It states that there is no reservation. 없어요 is the decisive predicate.
- 네, 추가 비용은 없어요. This repeats the exact cost proposition being confirmed.
- Writing the report was finished; reviewing it remained. The writer promised to finish the review by three.
- The two speakers may use the same predicate for different task scopes. Name the completed and remaining parts.
- 취소되지 않았다는 뜻이에요? It asks whether the intended fact is that cancellation did not occur.
Rewrite one real-life negative question using fictional details. Give both possible full answers. If either reply still leaves a date, amount or task scope unclear, add one follow-up question.
A small listening check
Pronunciation help: Listen beyond 아니요
The first response word corrects the earlier assumption, but the following predicates contain the facts: the report is finished and the review is not.
Listen and choose
Play the sound, then select the Korean you heard. The answer buttons unlock after playback. This is one short practice item, not a pronunciation assessment.
Listen before choosing.
Reference and cautious comparison
- National Institute of Korean Language: negative and confirmation questions — The January 2026 answer distinguishes ordinary negative questions from confirmation questions and explicitly warns that a bare 응 or 아니 can feel ambiguous.
- NIKL Korean teacher-training material: negative questions — Section 5.9 presents 응/아니 with a negative question. This older teaching account is a starting comparison; this lesson does not copy its broad cultural generalisations.
- Korean–English Learners’ Dictionary — Check 안, 못, 아직, 벌써 and the predicates used in the examples.
- Korean With a Local: ask for clarification — Use repeat, slow-down and meaning checks when the uncertainty is about hearing as well as yes/no scope.
Reviewed September 4, 2026. Found a mistake? Send a correction.