Meaning and Usage
"불가능" means "impossible" or "not feasible." It is a noun often used to describe situations, actions, or conditions that cannot be done or achieved.
Common Contexts
You will frequently see "불가능" in formal or written contexts, such as business, academic, or official discussions. It can also appear in everyday conversation when emphasizing that something cannot be done.
Collocations and Patterns
- 불가능하다: to be impossible; the most common verb form used with this noun.
- 불가능에 가깝다: to be close to impossible; used to express extreme difficulty.
- ~하는 것은 불가능하다: it is impossible to do ~; a common grammatical pattern.
Register and Politeness
"불가능" itself is neutral but often appears in polite or formal speech when combined with polite verb endings like "-해요" or "-합니다."
Common Mistakes
Learners sometimes confuse "불가능" with "안 가능" or "못하다." "불가능" is a noun meaning "impossibility," while "안 가능" is less common and "못하다" is a verb meaning "cannot do." Use "불가능하다" as the adjective form to say "is impossible."