않다

Etymology
Contraction of.

Verb

 * 1)  to not do something
 * 1)  to not do something
 * 1)  to not do something

Usage notes
inherits the nature of the main term that it negates. Therefore it behaves as an adjective when it negates an adjective, and behaves as a verb when it negates a verb.

The adverb is used to negate a verb, and has a more informal connotation. Compare:



Certain terms or expressions have a strong (sometimes obligatory) preference for one negation type or another. For example, adjectives derived from are usually negated by, as do inherently negative verbs such as  and. By contrast, negated rhetorical questions obligatorily require.

negates only the verb or adjective, whereas negates the entire embedded clause. While this difference is often not semantically meaningful, it can also lead to contrasting meanings, such as when the particle is involved:



In the first case, only the verb is negated. In the latter, the entire clause is negated.

For a history of this construction, see.