Grammar
-지 말고
Meaning
Intermediate-ji malgo
Means 'do not do X, and instead...'. It connects a prohibited action to the action you should take instead. Attach -지 말고 to a verb stem.
Form
Verb stem + -지 말고, with no batchim distinction: 가다 → 가지 말고, 먹다 → 먹지 말고, 앉다 → 앉지 말고. It is the -고 form of -지 말다, the verb used for negative commands (가지 마세요, 'do not go'). Because it carries that command sense, the second clause is normally an order, a request, or a suggestion — -(으)세요, -(으)ㅂ시다, -아/어야 하다, -(으)ㄹ까요. It attaches to verbs only, not to adjectives, and it cannot be used to state a plain past fact.
Examples
엘리베이터를 타지 말고 계단으로 나가야 합니다.
You should not take the elevator; you should go out by the stairs.
택시를 타지 말고 지하철을 탑시다.
Let's take the subway instead of a taxi.
혼자 걱정하지 말고 선생님께 물어보세요.
Do not worry by yourself; ask the teacher.
여기에 앉지 말고 저쪽에 앉으세요.
Do not sit here; please sit over there.
Common mistakes & nuance
The most common mistake is confusing -지 말고 with -지 않고. Use -지 말고 when you are telling someone what to do instead, and -지 않고 when you are simply describing what did not happen: 아침을 먹지 않고 학교에 갔습니다 ('I went to school without eating breakfast') is a statement, so 먹지 말고 would be wrong there.
Similar grammar
- 대신(에)
대신(에) follows a noun or a noun-like phrase to mean 'instead of N' (버스 대신에 지하철을 탔습니다). -지 말고 does the same job across a verb, so it can take a whole action as what is being ruled out — and unlike 대신(에), it carries a 'do not' instruction rather than a neutral swap.