잘 못하다(cannot do well, to be not good at)

잘 못하다(cannot do well, to be not good at)

'잘 못하다' (can't do well) is a slightly different expression than '못 하다' (cannot do) in Korean. The key difference lies in the presence of '잘' (well) in the expression '잘 못하다'. The difference in meaning comes from the space between the words, which changes the overall meaning of the phrase.

1. 못 하다 (cannot do): This expression indicates that someone is unable to do something at all.
2. 잘 못하다 (can't do well): This expression indicates that someone can do something, but not well or proficiently.

Here are some example sentences to illustrate the difference:

Example 1:

• 못 하다: 저는 노래를 못 해요. (I cannot sing.)
• 잘 못하다: 저는 노래를 잘 못해요. (I can't sing well.)

Example 2:

• 못 하다: 제가 수영을 못 해요. (I cannot swim.)
• 잘 못하다: 제가 수영을 잘 못해요. (I can't swim well.)

Example 3:

• 못 하다: 그는 춤을 못 춰요. (He cannot dance.)
• 잘 못하다: 그는 춤을 잘 못춰요. (He can't dance well.)

Example 4:

• 못 하다: 저는 그림을 못 그려요. (I cannot draw.)
• 잘 못하다: 저는 그림을 잘 못그려요. (I can't draw well.)

In each example, '못 하다' implies a complete inability to perform the action, while '잘 못하다' suggests that the person can perform the action but not with a high level of skill or proficiency.