Middle School - Grade 8
Lesson 13: "Only" / "Nothing but..."
Noun + 밖에 + Negative Verb
Expressing "Only"
This is a very common way to say "only" or "nothing but." It has a special rule: it **must** be followed by a negative verb like 없어요 (to not have) or 안 해요 (to not do).
The literal meaning is "outside of [Noun], [it doesn't exist]." This creates the meaning of "only [Noun]."
The Formula
The Formula: Noun + 밖에
Just attach 밖에 directly after the noun. It doesn't matter if it ends in a vowel or consonant.
... + 밖에 + Negative Verb
우유 우유밖에 없어요
"(There is) only milk." (Lit: "Outside of milk, there isn't.")
이것 이것밖에 몰라요
"(I) only know this." (Lit: "Outside of this, I don't know.")
Examples in Action
"ONLY" (QUANTITY)
냉장고에 우유밖에 없어요.
There is only milk in the fridge.
"ONLY" (ACTION)
저는 한국어밖에 못 해요.
I can only speak Korean. (Lit: I can't do [anything] outside of Korean)
"ONLY" (PEOPLE/THINGS)
학생이 한 명밖에 안 왔어요.
Only one student came. (Lit: Outside of one student, [they] didn't come.)
Coming Up Next...
You've learned to say "when..." (`-(으)ㄹ 때`). Next, let's learn how to say "**every time...**"