TTMIK10 Flashcards
Noun condition 조건 gathering 모임 possibility 가능성 difficulty 어려움 initialization 초기화 deadline 기한 schedule 일정 straw 빨대 운동 warm up exercise 준비 운동 the house next door 옆집 construction 공사 concern 우려 workplace 직장 large company, conglomerate 대기업 handling, processing 처리 participant 참가자
Verb to be burned 타다 to make a plan 계획을 세우다 to get a perm 파마하다 to get a haircut 머리 자르다 to take time 시간이 걸리다 to be forgotten 잊혀지다 to suffer a loss 손해를 보다 to panic 당황하다 to be sold out 품절되다 take out a loan 빚을 내다 to get confused, to be mistaken 헷갈리다
Descriptive Verb to be thick 두껍다 to be early 이르다 to be shameless 뻔뻔하다 to be simple and convenient 간편하다 to be stupid 멍청하다 to be special 특별하다
Adverb all day long 하루 종일 luckily 다행히 without leaving anything, without anything left over 남김없이 for a long time 오랫동안 late at night 밤늦게 separately 따로 repeatedly, frequently 자꾸 unexpectedly, unlike what one would expect 의외로 actually, in real life 실제로 (not) exactly, (not) much 딱히
to work out well, to be resolved well → 일이 잘 풀리다 (Lesson 6)
Things are not working out today. → 오늘 일이 잘 안 풀려요.
cannot focus on work → 일이 손에 안 잡히다
nothing works out → 되는 일이 없다
to not make sense; to be nonsensical → 말도 안 되다 (Lesson 21)
Stop talking nonsense. → 말도 안 되는 소리 그만해요.
to be talkative; there is considerable controversy (over sth) → 말이 많다
to bring up a topic → 말을 꺼내다
to not know anything → 하나도 모르다 (Lesson 26)
to not hurt at all → 하나도 안 아프다
by any possibility, out of a low probability → 만에 하나
to hit = 맞히다
I know it is close, but it is hard to hit it at the first try. → 아무리 가깝다지만 한 번에 맞히기는 어려워요. (Lesson 3)
to discuss = 논의하다
We have decided to discuss it tomorrow. → 내일 논의하기로 했어요. (Lesson 5)
We have decided to discuss it over lunch. → 점심을 먹으며 논의하기로 했어요. (Lesson 22)
We will practice together while listening to music. → 노래 들으면서 같이 연습할 거예요.
We have decided to practice together while listening to music. → 노래 들으면서 같이 연습하기로 했어요.
with one’s eyes closed = 눈을 감은 채
to meditate = 명상하다
I meditate with my eyes closed. → 눈을 감은 채 명상을 해요. (Lesson 8)
as a result of raining → 비가 오는 바람에 (Lesson 13)
The concert has been canceled because of the rain. → 비가 오는 바람에 공연이 취소됐어요.
to move = 움직이다
I can hardly move, let alone walk. → 걷기는커녕 움직이지도 못하겠어요. (Lesson 18)
Maybe because I ran a marathon yesterday, I can hardly move, let alone walk → 어제 마라톤을 뛰어서인지 걷기는커녕 움직이지도 못하겠어요. (Lesson 23)
injury = 부상
risk = 위험
There is certainly a certain amount of risk for injuries. 부상의 위험이 없지 않죠. (Lesson 29)
There are certainly difficult aspects, too. → 어려운 부분도 없지 않아 있죠.
Lesson 1. Advanced Idiomatic Expressions 12 / 얼굴 (Face)
This is an Advanced Idiomatic Expressions lesson related to 얼굴, face. In order to fully understand and use the expressions introduced in this series, it is essential that you understand the grammatical structure of the sentences. When you come across a grammar point that you are unfamiliar with, please go back and review the related TTMIK lessons.
Keyword:
얼굴 = face
- 얼굴이 낯이 익다 = to look familiar
(낯이 익다 = to be familiar with)
—> Technically speaking, 얼굴 and 낯 refer to the same thing, which is “one’s face”, but 얼굴 is used every day whereas 낯 is used more often as part of the idiomatic expressions “낯이 익다” (to be familiar) and “낯설다” (to be unfamiliar). When you see someone who looks familiar or who you feel like you have met before, you can say, “얼굴이 낯이 익어요”.
Ex)
저 사람 제가 어디서 봤죠? 얼굴이 낯이 익어요.
= Where did I see that person? He looks familiar.
- 어디서 많이 본 얼굴이다 = to look familiar
(어디서 = somewhere)
—> Here, 어디서 does not mean “where”, but actually “somewhere”. The expression is literally translated as “it is a face that I saw a lot somewhere”, meaning the same thing as the first expression, 얼굴이 낯이 익다.
Ex)
어디서 많이 본 얼굴인데 누군지 모르겠어요.
= She looks quite familiar, but I do not know who she is.
- 얼굴이 까맣게 타다 = to have a tan (on one’s face)
(까맣게 = in black, 타다 = to be burned)
—> Although getting a tan and having a sunburn are two different things, in Korean, 타다 (to be burned) usually refers to getting a sun tan. To make the difference clear, sometimes people will differentiate by saying “까맣게 타다 (to be burned black)” to talk about a suntan, and “빨갛게 타다 (to be burned red)” or “빨갛게 익다 (to be cooked red)” to talk about a sunburn.
Ex)
휴가 다녀왔어요? 얼굴이 까맣게 탔네요.
= Were you on a vacation? Your face is tan.
- 걱정스러운 얼굴을 하고 있다 = to look worried
(걱정스러운 = worried, concerned)
—> Literally translated, this expression means “to be doing/wearing a worried face”. This expression can be used when you want to emphasize the fact that someone seems worried rather than whether or not he/she is actually truly worried.
Ex)
왜 그렇게 걱정스러운 얼굴을 하고 앉아 있어요?
= Why are you sitting there looking all worried?
- 얼굴에 쓰여 있다 = to be written all over one’s face
(쓰여 있다 = to be written)
—> When you say that something is written on someone’s face, it means that you can read his or her thoughts or emotions.
Ex)
거짓말이라고 얼굴에 다 쓰여 있어요.
= I know it is a lie. It is written all over your face.
- 얼굴을 붉히다 = to blush; to be angry
(붉히다 = to make something turn red)
—> When your face turns red (in other words, when blood rushes to your face), it could be either because you are embarrassed and are blushing, or because you are upset.
Ex)
이건 그렇게 얼굴 붉힐 일이 아니에요.
= This is not something to be mad about like that.
- 얼굴만 내밀다 = to just say “hi”
(내밀다 = to stick out)
—> When you just “stick your face out/in”, just as you would “pop your head in/out” to say “hello”, you are not doing much to interact with other people. When you stop by a place very briefly and just say “hi”, you can say “얼굴만 내밀다” or “얼굴만 비치다”. 비치다 describes how the light or color is reflected on something.
Ex)
가기 싫어도 잠깐 얼굴만 내밀고 와요.
= Even if you do not want to go, just stop in and say “hi”.
- 아는 얼굴이 없다 = to not know anyone (in a certain place)
—> Literally translated, it means “there is no face I know”, so the actual meaning is that you do “not know anyone in a certain place”. You can say this when you visit a place after a long absence or when you go to a gathering for the first time.
Ex)
오랜만에 왔더니 아는 얼굴이 별로 없네요.
= Since I have come back after quite a long while, there are not many people that I know.
- 모르는 얼굴들이 많다 = there are a lot of people one does not know
—> Similar to 아는 얼굴이 없다, when you say that there are a lot of faces that you do not know, it means that you do not know most of the people who are with you in a certain place or group.
Ex)
오랜만에 왔더니 모르는 얼굴들이 많네요.
= I have not been here for a while, and now there are a lot of people who I do not know.
- 얼굴이 좋아 보이다 = to look great, healthy
—> When you say “your face looks good”, it does not mean that someone is good looking, but rather that someone is looking healthier than before, or that someone has gained some (but not too much) weight.
Ex)
오랜만이에요. 전보다 얼굴이 좋아 보이네요.
= Long time no see. You look healthier and look like you have (healthily) gained some weight compared to before.
- 무슨 얼굴로 = how can you be not ashamed to ~
(무슨 = what kind of)
—> When you have done something bad or something that you should be ashamed of, you might not want to see other people. Therefore, when you have done something bad to someone and you still have the nerve to show your face, others can say, “how can you show your face?”, meaning “how can you be not ashamed to do this?”
Ex)
여기를 무슨 얼굴로 찾아왔어요?
= How can you be not ashamed to visit me here?
- 얼굴에 철판을 깔다 = to be shameless
(철판 = steel plate, 깔다 = to lay; to pave)
—> When someone is shamelessly asking for a favor or voicing a strong opinion, or when someone does not have a sense of guilt about something they did, you say that his/her face is “thick” in Korean (얼굴이 두껍다). An exaggeration of this expression is 얼굴에 철판을 깔다 (to have a layer of steel on one’s face).
Ex)
저 사람은 얼굴에 철판 깔았나 봐요. 어떻게 여기를 또 오지?
= That person is really shameless. How can he come here again?
Lesson 2. To go/come to do something / -(으)러 가다/오다
In this lesson, we are going to look at the structures -(으)러 가다 and -(으)러 오다 which are used when you talk about going somewhere to do something or are coming from a place in order to do something. If you refer to a dictionary, -(으)러 is used to indicate the purpose of an action, but in actual usage, the nuance of “purpose” is often weakened. If you want to emphasize the meaning of “in order to”, you can use the expression -(으)려고 or in a more formal speech style, you can use the expression 위해서 (See Level 3 Lesson 17). These structures are quite common when talking about everyday activities and are extremely useful to know.
Examples
놀러 가다 = 놀다 + -(으)러 + 가다
Literal translation: to go “in order to” play
Natural translation: to go “and” hang out; to hang out
고기 잡으러 가다 = 고기 + 잡다 + -(으)러 + 가다
Literal translation: to go “in order to” catch fish
Natural translation: to go fishing
The same applies to -(으)러 오다, and since you are talking about “coming”, you can only say this about someone coming to the place where you are rather than going to a place where you are not present.
Also, with many expressions in English where you would see nouns used, you will see that verbs replace those nouns in Korean translations. For example, “to go to bed” is not “침대로 가다” in natural Korean, but rather “자러 가다 (literally, to go in order to sleep)” in Korean.
Sample Sentences
석진 씨요? 운동하러 갔어요.
= Seokjin? He went to the gym.
= Seokjin? He went out to exercise.
저는 이제 자러 갈게요.
= I will go to bed now.
옷 찾으러 왔어요.
= I’m here to pick up my clothes.
점심 먹으러 갈래요?
= Do you want to go for lunch?
영화 보러 가고 싶어요.
= I want to go see a movie.
잠깐 인사하러 왔어요.
= I just came by to say “hi” quickly.
또 놀러 오세요!
= Please visit us again.
스키 타러 가자!
= Let’s go skiing.
수영하러 갈래요?
= Do you want to go swimming?
여기가 제가 피아노 배우러 가는 곳이에요.
= This is the place where I go to learn to play the piano.
If you want to add one’s destination, you could add it before -(으)러 가다/오다 or between -(으)러 and 가다/오다.
Examples
저는 이제 방에 자러 갈게요. = Now, I will go to my room to sleep.
저는 이제 자러 방에 갈게요. = Now, I will go to my room to sleep.
수영장에 수영하러 갈래요? = Do you want to go to a pool to swim?
수영하러 수영장에 갈래요? = Do you want to go to a pool to swim?
Please note that -(으)러 is always combined with the verb stem only without any suffixes such as -았/었/였- or -겠-.
Examples
석진 씨요? 운동했으러 갔어요. (X) → 석진 씨요? 운동하러 갔어요. (O)
저는 이제 자겠으러 갈게요. (X) → 저는 이제 자러 갈게요. (O)
점심 먹을 거러 갈래요? (X) → 점심 먹으러 갈래요? (O)
Lesson 3. I know it is… but it is still… / 아무리 -(이)라지만, 아무리 -(ㄴ/는)다지만
In this lesson, we are going to learn how to use 아무리, which we already covered in Level 7 Lesson 14, along with the ending -라지만 or -다지만 to basically talk about something that is too excessive or not considered appropriate. It can take on various meanings depending on the specific context, so pay close attention to the sample sentences.
- 아무리 -(이)라지만
- 아무리 -(ㄴ/는)다지만
The phrase basically has the meaning of “I know it is so-and-so but it is still too excessive, not appropriate, a bad idea, impossible, or incomprehensible.”
First, you need to understand 아무리. We introduced 아무리 in Level 7 Lesson 14, but to briefly recap what we learned in that lesson, 아무리 is often used with -아/어/여도 to mean “no matter how much you do something” or “how matter how something is so-and-so”.
아무리 비싸도 살 거예요.
= I will buy it no matter how expensive it is.
아무리 바빠도 밥은 먹어야 돼요.
= No matter how busy you are, you have got to eat.
아무리 어려워도 포기하지 않을 거예요.
= No matter how hard it is, I will not give up.
So those are some sample sentences using 아무리 -아/어/여도. With an understanding of what 아무리 means in mind, let us take a look at today’s grammar structures.
(1) 아무리 + NOUN + -(이)라지만
Rule: If the noun ends with a consonant, it is followed by -이라지만, and if it ends with a vowel, -라지만.
(2) 아무리 + VERB STEM + -ㄴ/는다지만 (action verb)
Rule: If the verb stem ends with a consonant, it is followed by -는다지만, and if it ends with a vowel, -ㄴ다지만.
(3) 아무리 + VERB STEM + -다지만 (descriptive verb)
Rule: If it is the verb stem of a descriptive verb (예쁘다, 춥다, 빠르다, etc.), it is followed by -다지만.
Those are the three variations that today’s grammar point is used in and they commonly have these meanings:
I know it is so-and-so but it is still …
It is true that it is so-and-so but it is still …
Sure, it is so-and-so but still …
So in a way, you are acknowledging one fact and then presenting another, usually contrasting viewpoint. 아무리 has the meaning of “no matter how (much)” and -지만 has the meaning of “but” so combined, they form a sentence pattern that has the meanings above.
Sample Sentences
아무리 친구라지만, 어떻게 그런 부탁을 할 수 있을까?
= I know she is a friend, but how can she ask me such a favor?
아무리 가족이라지만, 이해할 수 없어요.
= I know he is my family, but I cannot understand him.
아무리 가까운 친구라지만, 돈을 허락 없이 쓰면 안 돼요.
= I know you are close friends, but you cannot use his money without permission.
아무리 요즘 인기가 많다지만, 너무 비싸요.
= I know it is popular these days, but it is too expensive.
아무리 사람을 많이 만난다지만, 어떻게 다혜 씨를 기억 못 해요?
= (Talking to Dahye) I know he meets a lot of people, but how does he not remember you?
아무리 잘 먹는다지만, 어떻게 피자 세 판을 먹어요?
= I know he eats well, but how can he eat three pizzas?
아무리 바쁘다지만, 전화는 할 수 있잖아요?
= I know he is very busy but he can make a phone call, can’t he?
아무리 그렇다지만, 이건 너무했네요.
= I know it is true, but this was too much.
Please note that it sounds more natural if you use “아무리 -아/어/여도” when you talk about you and the listener, though. For example, if you complain about someone who does not call you to your friend, you can say “아무리 바쁘다지만, 전화는 할 수 있잖아요? (= I know he is very busy but he can make a phone call, can’t he?)”. However, if you are talking directly to the person who does not call you, it is more natural to say “아무리 바빠도 전화는 할 수 있잖아요? (= I know you are very busy but you can make a phone call, can’t you?)”.
Lesson 4. Suggesting Choices / -(이)나, -(이)라도
In this lesson, we are going to learn how to suggest or choose an option that is perhaps not the most desirable, using the grammar points -(이)나, and how it is different from -(이)라도.
-(이)나
Noun ending with a consonant + -이나
Noun ending with a vowel + -나
In Level 6 Lesson 18, we introduced -(이)나 as a way to say “either A or B”. Let us recap briefly.
커피나 우유 = coffee or milk
밥이나 빵 = rice or bread
집이나 사무실 = home or office
In these examples, you are not really choosing between A or B, but rather saying that either A or B will suffice or will be applicable. So that is basically what -(이)나 does, and we are learning a different usage.
When to use -(이)나
You can use -(이)나 to suggest or choose an option that is maybe not the most desirable or most interesting at the time, and it can often be translated to “just” in English. If what you want is a proper 5-course meal but all you can have right now is a sandwich because you are very busy, you can say “I will just have a sandwich (because that is all I have available now even though it is not the best option).” Or if your friend has a big test coming up in a few days and wants to join you at a party, you can tell them to “Just prepare for your test (and do not think about partying even though partying is what you want.)” -(이)나 can be used in these situations.
Sample Sentences
저는 피자나 먹을게요.
= I will just eat pizza.
(Potential hidden meaning: I know there are better things to eat if I go out to eat with you, and pizza is not what I want the most now, but I will compromise and just eat this pizza because I have something to do now or feel lazy.)
저는 그냥 청소나 할게요.
= I will just do some cleaning.
(Potential hidden meaning: I have some other things I would rather do, but I cannot do them now so all I can do is cleaning the house, at least for now, until the situation gets more favorable for me.)
저는 집에서 TV나 볼게요.
= I will just watch TV at home.
(Potential hidden meaning: I know watching TV at home is probably not the most productive activity I can do now, but all my plans have been cancelled and the weather is not so great, and I am feeling lazy on top of that. So I guess I will just stay at home and watch TV.)
숙제나 빨리 해.
= Just hurry up and do your homework.
(Potential hidden meaning: You probably do not want to do your homework now and there are more exciting things you have in mind, but you should just do what you have got to do.)
빨리 라면이나 끓여.
= Stop wasting time and just make some ramyeon noodles.
(Potential hidden meaning: You were going to make some ramyeon but then you were distracted by something more exciting to talk about. Making ramyeon is probably not the most attractive activity for you right now but just do it.)
More Sample Sentences
빨리 앉기나 해.
= Just sit down.
빨리 오기나 해.
= Just come over here.
이거나 보고 말해.
= Just look at this before saying anything.
다른 이야기 그만하고 이거나 빨리 결정합시다.
= Let’s stop talking about other things and just decide this one.
휴대폰 새로 사려고 생각하지 말고 지금 쓰는 거나 잘 써.
= Do not think about buying a new phone and just use the current one well.
내일 주말인데 영화나 볼까요?
= It is the weekend tomorrow. Shall we watch a movie?
내일은 집에서 그냥 게임이나 할 거예요.
= I will just play video games at home tomorrow.
When to use -(이)라도
In Level 5 Lesson 15, we introduced -(이)라도 as a way to suggest something is not the best out of all choices. Let us compare this with -(이)나 and see how these two expressions are different.
1.
피자나 먹을게요.
= I will just eat pizza (even though there are other options).
피자라도 먹을게요.
= I would be willing to eat pizza (if there is nothing else available because I am really hungry).
- In both cases, you imply that pizza is not the first thing you would want, but 피자나 indicates that you could find other options if you tried whereas 피자라도 means it is really the only thing you have and you need to be happy with that choice.
2.
청소나 할게요.
= I will just clean the house.
청소라도 할게요.
= I will even clean the house or something.
- In both cases, you do not want to do any 청소 but there are no other options. However, 청소라도 indicates that it is even a sacrifice or disappointment to do 청소 but you know you would have to do it.
3.
TV나 볼게요.
= I will just watch TV.
TV라도 볼게요.
= If there is nothing else I want to do, I will at least watch TV or something.
- TV라도 has a stronger sense that TV watching is not a fun activity and something that you will have to resort to mainly because there is nothing else you can do.
4.
이거나 결정합시다.
= Let’s just decide this.
이거라도 결정합시다.
= Let’s at least decide this.
- 이거나 has the sense of “Let’s not talk about other things. This is the priority now.” and 이거라도 means “We cannot decide anything else so let’s decide this one at least.”
Lesson 5. To decide to, To agree to / -기로 하다
In this lesson, we will take a look at how to use -기로 하다 to talk about what you have decided or agreed to do. You can talk about plans, decisions, or rules using this sentence ending. It can be used flexibly with various tenses. -기로 했어요 in the past tense can be used to talk about plans or decisions, and -기로 해요 and -기로 하죠 in the present tense can be used to make a suggestion.
Structure
Verb stem + -기로 하다
If you break down the structure, you can see that first of all, you turn the verb into the -기 noun form. And you add -로, which represent a method or direction. -(으)로 is also used when you mention your choice, as in 이걸로 할게요, which means “I will buy this one.” (Here, 이걸로 is short for 이것으로.) And by putting everything together, the structure takes on the meaning of “to decide or choose to do something in this way”.
Sample Sentences
어떻게 하기로 했어요?
= What have you decided to do?
* When you talk about plans, 어떻게(= how) is frequently used to mean “what” you are going to do, in the sense that you are talking about “how” to deal with the situation.
내일 다시 만나기로 했어요.
= We have decided to meet again tomorrow.
내일 같은 시간에 여기서 만나기로 해요.
= Let’s meet again here at the same time tomorrow.
따로 가기로 했어요.
= We have decided to go separately.
어디에서 만나기로 했어요?
= Where are you going to meet?
공항에서 바로 만나기로 했어요.
= We have decided to meet directly at the airport.
그건 취소하기로 했어요.
= I have decided to cancel that.
이거 안 하기로 하지 않았어요?
= Haven’t we agreed to not do this?
우리 다음에는 계획 먼저 세우기로 해요.
= Next time, let’s make plans first.
10시에 만나기로 했는데 아직 아무도 안 왔어요.
= We were supposed to meet at 10 o’clock, but nobody is here yet.
You can also use some other verbs along with -기로 instead of just using 하다.
약속하다 = to promise
ex) 10시에 만나기로 약속했는데 아직 아무도 안 왔어요.
= We promised to meet at 10 o’clock but nobody is here yet.
정하다 = to decide
ex) 다 같이 가기로 정했으면 같이 가야죠!
= If we decided to go all together, we must go together!
결정하다 = to decide
ex) 다른 거 사기로 결정했어요?
= Have you decided to buy a different one?
마음먹다 = to make up one’s mind
ex) 운동 열심히 하기로 마음먹었어요.
= I have made up my mind to work out hard.
Lesson 6. Advanced Idiomatic Expressions 13 / 일 (Work)
This is an Advanced Idiomatic Expressions lesson related to 일, which means “work”. In order to fully understand and use the expressions introduced in this series, it is essential that you understand the grammatical structure of the sentences. When you come across a grammar point that you are unfamiliar with, please go back and review the related TTMIK lessons.
Keyword:
일 = work
- 일을 쉬다 = to be not working, to be between jobs
→ 쉬다 means “to rest” and in this context, it means that you are not working at the moment, rather than taking a short break during your work hours. It usually has the meaning of being “temporarily between jobs”, so it cannot be used to describe someone who is in retirement and has no plans to start working again. You can say 일을 쉬고 있어요 either when you are looking for a new job or when you are taking a leave from your current job.
Ex) 요즘 일을 잠깐 쉬고 있어요.
= I am not working at the moment.
- 일할 맛이 나다 = to find it enjoyable to work, to be motivated to work
→ 맛 means “taste” and 맛이 나다 literally means “to taste like” something. For example, 이상한 맛이 나다 is “to taste strange”. 일할 맛, therefore, literally translated, would mean “the taste to work”. What this phrase actually means, however, is that working is enjoyable and fun due to certain reasons, such as good profits, great office atmosphere, high self-esteem, etc.
Ex) 요즘에 주문이 별로 안 들어와서 일할 맛이 안 나요.
= There are not many orders coming in these days so I do not feel motivated to work.
- 일 복이 많다 = to have a lot of work coming in
→ 복 means luck or good fortune and to describe someone who has a lot of work coming in, either always or temporarily, you say 일 복이 많다, which literally means to “have a lot of work-related luck.” Sometimes you can also hear the phrase 일 복을 타고 나다 (to be born with a lot of work luck, or to be destined to work a lot in one’s life).
Ex) 일 복이 너무 많으셔서 그래요. 일 좀 줄이세요.
= It is because you are a magnet for work. Cut down on some work.
Ex) 요즘 일 복이 터졌어요.
= I have a ton of work to do these days.
- 일을 벌이다 = to start something new, to start a new (potentially unnecessary) project
→ 벌이다 literally means to start a project or event, wage war, or stage a protest. The passive voice form of 벌이다 is 벌어지다, which translates to “to happen” or “to take place.” And 일을 벌이다 means to start doing something new, either a new project or some new trouble that you are causing. Depending on the context, it is often used to criticize the fact that someone is starting something unnecessarily while they are already busy with other things.
Ex) 왜 자꾸 새로운 일을 벌여요? 원래 하던 거부터 마무리해요.
= Why do you keep starting something new? Finish what you were working on first.
- 일하고 결혼하다 = to know nothing but work, to be always working
→ 결혼하다 means to get married, 일하고 결혼하다 literally means to be married to work. It means that they are always working and never doing anything else.
Ex) 그 사람은 맨날 일밖에 안 해요. 일하고 결혼했어요.
= He does nothing but work. He is married to his job.
- 일이 잘 풀리다 = to work out well, to be resolved well
→ 풀다 means to “resolve” or “untie” something, and the passive voice, 풀리다, means to “be resolved.” So 일이 잘 풀리다 means either that something just went well, or a problem was resolved smoothly.
Ex) 요즘은 일이 잘 풀려서 스트레스를 안 받아요.
= Everything works out smoothly these days so I am not stressed.
It is often used in the negative form as well.
Ex) 일이 잘 안 풀리니까 포기하고 싶어요.
= Because things do not work out smoothly, I want to give up.
- 일이 손에 안 잡히다 = cannot focus on work
→ 잡다 means to “grab” or “hold” something, and the passive voice, 잡히다 means “to be grabbed” or “to be held”, but also has the meaning of “can be held.” So all put together, 일이 손에 안 잡히다 means that you want to focus on work but you cannot, usually because you have something on your mind that worries or bothers you.
Ex) 오늘 아침에 핸드폰을 잃어버려서 지금 일이 손에 안 잡혀요.
= I lost my phone this morning so I cannot focus on work now.
- 일밖에 모르다 = to not be interested in anything else but work
→ -밖에 is used with a negative sentence to form the meaning of “only”, so 일밖에 모르다 means “to know only work” or “to know nothing but work”. It is used to describe whose only interest is work.
Ex) 그 사람은 일밖에 몰라서 주말에도 맨날 바빠요.
= He is not interested in anything else but work, so he is always busy even on the weekend.
- 볼일 = something to take care of; an errand to run
→ 보다 means to “see” but in the expression 볼일, it is closer to “to tend to” or “to take care of”. So 볼일 can be an errand to run or something to take care of. Two verbs that are commonly used with 볼일 are 보다 and 있다. 볼일을 보다 usually means to take care of something to do, but in a very casual setting, it can also mean “to go to the bathroom”. 볼일이 있다 means to “have” something to take care of.
Ex)
볼일이 있어서 잠깐 해외에 나와 있어요.
= I am overseas for a short while to take care of something.
- 일도 아니다 = to be very easy to do; to be a piece of cake
→ Literally translated, this phrase means “to not even be work.” It is used to refer to something that is very easy to do.
Ex) 저한테 이 정도는 일도 아니죠.
= For me, this is a piece of cake.
- 일이 산더미처럼 쌓여 있다 = to have a lot of work; to be loaded with work
→ 산 is a “mountain” and 더미 is a “pile”. 쓰레기 더미 is a pile of trash, and 빚 더미 is a pile of debt. 산더미 (pronounced like 산떠미) is only used figuratively to mean “a mountain of” something, instead of referring to an actual mountain.
Ex) 아침 일찍 출근했는데 아직도 일이 산더미처럼 쌓여 있어요.
= I came to work early in the morning but there is still a ton of work to do.
- 되는 일이 없다 = nothing works out
→ 되다 here means “to be fulfilled well” or “to be accomplished well”, so this phrase literally means “nothing is fulfilled well” or “nothing is accomplished well”. When things do not work out as expected or planned, you can use this expression.
Ex) 저는 왜 이렇게 되는 일이 없을까요?
= Why on earth do you think things do not work out for me?
Lesson 7. Listing Possible Scenarios / -거나, -(ㄴ/는)다거나
In Level 6 Lesson 18, we learned that there are multiple expressions for saying “or” in Korean: -(이)나, -거나, 아니면. Depending on what kind of words you are linking, you have to use different words for “or”, and when you link verbs, you use -거나. Let us review with some example sentences.
비가 오면 집에서 영화를 보거나 책을 읽어요.
= When it rains, I watch a movie or read a book at home.
이걸로 음악을 듣거나 영화를 볼 수 있어요.
= You can listen to music or watch movies with this.
그 사람은 지금 회사에 있거나 체육관에 있을 거예요.
= I think he is either at his office or at the gym now.
(You are making an assumption here, you -을 거예요 is used even though it is in the present tense.)
However, you might have seen some people say “verb stem + -(ㄴ/는)다거나” instead of “verb stem + -거나”.
Ex) 이걸로 음악을 듣는다거나 영화를 볼 수 있어요.
= You can listen to music or watch movies with this.
-(ㄴ/는)다거나 is a combination of -(ㄴ/는)다 and -거나, but when you just list two or more facts, -거나 and -(ㄴ/는)다거나 are interchangeable.
비가 오면 집에서 영화를 보거나 책을 읽어요.
= 비가 오면 집에서 영화를 본다거나 책을 읽어요.
= When it rains, I watch a movie or read a book at home.
이걸로 음악을 듣거나 영화를 볼 수 있어요.
= 이걸로 음악을 듣는다거나 영화를 볼 수 있어요.
= You can listen to music or watch movies with this.
Sometimes, people attach -거나 or -(ㄴ/는)다거나 to both verb stems, and add an extra verb, 하다. That way, they can imply that there are more possible scenarios other than the examples mentioned.
비가 오면 집에서 영화를 보거나 책을 읽어요. = When it rains, I watch a movie or read a book at home.
비가 오면 집에서 영화를 보거나 책을 읽거나 해요. = When it rains, I do things like watching a movie or reading a book.
이걸로 음악을 듣는다거나 영화를 볼 수 있어요. = You can listen to music or watch movies with this.
이걸로 음악을 듣는다거나 영화를 본다거나 할 수 있어요. = You can do things like listening to music or watching movies with this.
-(ㄴ/는)다거나 -(ㄴ/는)다거나 하다 is much more commonly used than -거나 -거나 하다, though.
Sample Sentences
저는 일요일에는 영화를 본다거나 책을 읽는다거나 해요.
= On Sundays, I do such things like watch a movie or read a book.
옷이 안 맞는다거나 마음에 안 든다거나 하면 가서 다른 걸로 바꾸세요.
= If the clothes do not fit or you do not like them, go change into something else.
조금 춥다거나 열이 난다거나 하면 바로 알려 주세요.
= If you are a little cold or have a fever or something, please let me know right away.
저는 노래를 부른다거나 그림을 그린다거나 하면서 스트레스를 풀어요.
= I relieve stress as I sing or I draw.
Then, when are they NOT interchangeable?
Since you put more emphasis on the “listing examples” aspect by adding -(ㄴ/는)다, you cannot replace -거나 with -(ㄴ/는)다거나 when you use -거나 with the meaning of “either A or B”.
그 사람은 지금 회사에 있거나 체육관에 있을 거예요. (natural)
= 그 사람은 지금 회사에 있다거나 체육관에 있을 거예요. (unnatural)
= I think he is either at his office or at the gym now.
Also, when you list just some of all the possible examples, -(ㄴ/는)다거나 is more natural than -거나.
Ex)
A: 아이들 키우면서 어떨 때 제일 힘들어요?
= What is the hardest part about raising children?
B: 그럴 때 제일 힘들죠. 아프다거나, 둘이 싸운다거나… (more natural)
= You know, the hardest times are when they are sick or when they fight and stuff.
B: 그럴 때 제일 힘들죠. 아프거나, 둘이 싸우거나… (less natural)
* If you say “아프거나, 둘이 싸우거나…”, it sounds more like you are saying “Either when they are sick or when they fight.
Sample Conversations
1.
A: 저는 스킨십 별로 안 좋아해요. = I don’t really like physical contact with people.
B: 스킨십요? = Physical contact?
A: 네. 손을 잡는다거나, 팔짱을 낀다거나, 그런 거요. = Yeah, like holding hands or crossing arms, things like that.
2.
A: 경화 씨는 왜 회사 그만뒀대요? = Did you hear about the reason why she quit her job?
B: 특별한 이유는 없대요. = She said that there was no special reason.
A: 에이, 설마요. 이유가 있었겠죠. 회사에 너무 싫어하는 상사가 있었다거나, 다른 회사에서 더 좋은 조건으로 오라고 했다거나. = No way. There must have been a reason, such as there was a boss who she really hated, or another company offered better terms.
3.
A: 혼자 밥 먹을 때도 이렇게 예쁜 그릇에 먹어요? = Do you eat your food on pretty plates like this even when you eat by yourself?
B: 아니요. 집에 손님이 온다거나, 음식 사진을 찍는다거나, 그럴 때만 예쁜 그릇을 꺼내죠. = No. Only times like when a guest comes over, or when I take photos of the food, then I take out the pretty plates.
Lesson 8. While Keeping the Current State / -(으)ㄴ/는 채로
Listing two actions using “while”
When you talk about doing an action “while” doing another action, there is another grammar point you can use, which is -(으)면서. It can be used in sentences like these.
집에 가면서 음악을 들었어요.
= I listened to music while I was going home.
일을 하면서 커피를 마셨어요.
= I drank coffee while I was working.
Like in the examples above, -(으)면서 is used when you talk about two actions that are happening at the same time. However, there is a different grammar point you need to use when you want to list two states or one action and one state.
Linking a state with another state or action using “while”
The main word to understand is 채. It is a “dependent noun” (의존명사 in Korean), which means that it can only be used as part of a longer expression.
채 means “the way it is right now” or “the existing state”, and is usually followed by 로. And 채로 can be used in these forms depending on whether the main verb is conjugated into the past tense form or the present tense form.
The action happened in the past: -(으)ㄴ 채로
The action is taking place right now: -는 채로
Note that the “tense” we are talking about above is not the tense of the entire sentence. The entire sentence itself can be in any kind of tense. Let us take 앉다 as an example.
앉다 means “to sit”. 앉은 is the past tense modifier form for 앉다. “Someone who sat” is 앉은 사람, and “the place where I sat” is 제가 앉은 곳. So if you use 앉은 채로, it means that you have sat down, and you are maintaining that state.
앉은 채로 = while seated; still sitting
Sample Sentences
앉은 채로 들으세요.
= Listen to me while seated.
앉은 채로 두 팔을 높이 들어 보세요.
= Try raising both of your arms high while seated.
앉은 채로 옆으로 조금만 가 보세요.
Try moving slightly to the side while seated.
If you look at the sentences above, the action of “sitting down” already happened in the (near) past, since you are already seated, and that is the current state. You are linking the current state with another action.
More examples
옷을 입다 = to put on clothes
옷을 입은 채로 수영장에 들어갔어요.
= I went into the swimming pool while still wearing my clothes.
신발을 신다 = to put on shoes
신발을 신은 채로 방에 들어갔어요.
=I went into the room while still wearing my shoes.
컵을 손에 들다 = to hold a cup in one’s hand
컵을 손에 든 채로 뛰었어요.
=I ran while holding the cup in my hand.
침대에 눕다 = to lie down on the bed
침대에 누운 채로 영화를 봤어요.
= I watched a movie while lying on my bed.
안경을 쓰다 = to put on glasses
안경을 쓴 채로 선크림을 발랐어요.
= I put on some sunblock while wearing my glasses.
Dropping -로 at the end
-(으)ㄴ 채로 is the full expression, but the particle -로 is often dropped.
컵을 손에 든 채로 뛰었어요.
= I ran while holding the cup in my hand.
= 컵을 손에 든 채 뛰었어요.
안경을 쓴 채로 선크림을 발랐어요.
= I put on some sunblock while wearing my glasses.
= 안경을 쓴 채 선크림을 발랐어요.
When is -는 채로 used?
-는 채로 is used with a verb that is not describing an action but describing a state, such as 있다, 없다, 알다, or 모르다.
Sample Sentences
교과서를 잃어버려서 책이 없는 채로 학교에 갔어요.
= I lost my textbooks, so I went to school without the textbooks.
저는 아무것도 모르는 채로 그 방에 들어갔어요.
= I went into that room without knowing anything.
In colloquial Korean, people often just say 모른 채로 instead of 모르는 채로, and it is usually accepted.
저는 아무것도 모르는 채로 그 방에 들어갔어요.
= 저는 아무것도 모른 채로 그 방에 들어갔어요.
-는 채로 can still be used with action verbs when you want to emphasize something that is ongoing, but in that case the verb is usually used in the present progressive tense.
Sample Sentences
아이를 울고 있는 채로 놔두고 왔어요.
= I left a baby crying.
컵을 손에 들고 있는 채로 뛰었어요.
= I ran while holding the cup in my hand.
Lesson 9. Various Usages of the Ending -걸(요)
In this lesson, we are going to look at a sentence ending that you can hear particularly often in Korean song lyrics. It is -걸(요), and the letter 걸 is often used as a word play opportunity because it sounds similar to the English word “girl”.
-걸(요) is a very interesting sentence ending that can express quite specific meanings. You can usually replace -걸(요) with something else, even though the nuanced meaning can be slightly lost, so in this lesson, we will introduce alternative sentences as well.
4 usages of -걸(요)
The ending -걸(요) is used (1) when you show your exclamation when you find out something new, (2) when you give supporting evidence or facts while explaining or claiming something, (3) when you make an assumption about something, or (4) when you express regret about something you did or did not do in the past.
For usage number (1) and (2), you use -(으)ㄴ/는걸(요), and for usage number (3) and (4), you use -(으)ㄹ걸(요).
Let’s take a look at the 4 different usages in more detail. Except for the sentences for usage number (4), you can either use a period or a question mark at the end. When you put a question mark at the end, it sounds more like you are expecting an answer from the listener.
Usage #1
When you find out something new and find it interesting or amazing, you use -(으)ㄴ/는걸(요). This usage is much less common in real life than usage #3.
Sample Sentences
이거 생각보다 어려운걸요.
= I find this to be more difficult than I thought.
(= 이거 생각보다 어려운데요.)
의외로 재미있는걸요?
= Surprisingly, I find that it is fun!
(= 의외로 재미있네요.)
오! 실제로 보니 더 좋은걸?
= Oh, this looks better in person!
(= 오! 실제로 보니 더 좋은데?)
Usage #2
When you give supporting evidence or facts while explaining something or making a claim, you use -(으)ㄴ/는걸(요). This usage is also less common than usage #3.
Sample Sentences
그런데 항상 제가 제일 일찍 도착하는걸요.
= But I am always the one to arrive first!
(= 그런데 항상 제가 제일 일찍 도착해요.)
저는 그 사람 이름도 모르는걸요.
= I don’t even know his/her name!
(= 저는 그 사람 이름도 몰라요.)
어제 벌써 이메일을 보냈는걸요.
= I already sent the e-mail yesterday!
(= 어제 벌써 이메일 보냈어요.)
Usage #3
When you make an assumption about something, you use -(으)ㄹ걸요. This is the most common usage of 걸(요) and because of -(으)ㄹ, it looks like it is in the future tense, but it is used to show your assumption about the past, the present or the future. Please note -(으)ㄹ걸요 is only used in response to what someone else has said.
Sample Sentences
아마 오늘 그 가게 문 안 열걸요.
= That store will probably not open today.
(= 아마 오늘 그 가게 문 안 열 것 같아요.)
경은 씨도 이미 알걸요.
= I think Kyeong-eun already knows.
(= 경은 씨도 이미 알 거예요.)
마케팅 회의요? 오늘 세 시일걸요.
= The marketing meeting? It is probably 3 o’clock today.
(= 마케팅 회의요? 오늘 세 시일 거예요.)
주연 씨한테 말해 보세요. 자기가 하겠다고 할걸요?
= Try asking Jooyeon. I assume she will say she wants to do it herself.
(= 주연 씨한테 말해 보세요. 자기가 하겠다고 할 거예요.)
공연 벌써 시작했을걸요?
= I am sure the show has already started.
(= 공연 벌써 시작했을 것 같아요.)
Usage #4
When you express regret about something you should have done or should not have done, you use -(으)ㄹ걸. Please note that it is used to show your regret about the past even though you see -(으)ㄹ, which is usually used for the future tense. For this usage, you do not end the sentence in -요 because you are talking to yourself. Also, unlike the usages 1 to 3, you do not raise the tone at the end of the sentence, but rather lower the tone.
Sample Sentences
내가 그냥 참을걸.
= I just should have held back.
회사 들어오기 전에 여행 좀 많이 다닐걸.
= Before I joined the company, I should have traveled more.
어제 공부 좀 더 하고 잘걸.
= I should have studied a little more before I went to bed yesterday.
If you would like to say that you should NOT have done something, you should use -지 말걸, which is a combination of -지 말다 and -(으)ㄹ걸.
파마하지 말걸.
= I should not have gotten my hair permed.
머리 자르지 말걸.
= I should not have had my hair cut.
Lesson 10. Sentence Building Drill 18
In this series, we focus on how you can use the grammatical rules and expressions that you have previously learned to train yourself to comfortably make Korean sentences.
We will start off with THREE key sentences and practice changing different parts of these sentences so that you do not end up simply memorizing the same three sentences. We want you to be able to be as flexible as possible when making Korean sentences.
Key Sentence #1
원래 오늘 친구랑 만나기로 했는데, 일이 산더미처럼 쌓여 있어서 못 나갔어요.
= I was originally supposed to meet with my friend, but I could not go out because I had a ton of work piled up.
Key Sentence #2
요즘 아무리 일이 바쁘다지만, 잠깐은 만날 수 있잖아요.
= I know you are really busy these days, but we can meet just for a little bit, can’t we?
Key Sentence #3
저는 헬스장에 간다거나 공원에 산책하러 간다거나 할 때는 항상 음악을 듣는 편이에요.
= I always have a tendency to listen to music when I go to the gym or go for a walk in the park.
Expansion & variation practice with key sentence #1
Original sentence
원래 오늘 친구랑 만나기로 했는데, 일이 산더미처럼 쌓여 있어서 못 나갔어요.
= I was originally supposed to meet with my friend, but I could not go out because I had a ton of work piled up.
1.
원래 오늘 친구랑 만나기로 했는데 = I was originally supposed to meet with my friend
원래 오늘 친구 집에 가기로 했는데 = I was originally supposed to go to my friend’s place
원래 어제 전화를 주기로 했는데 = they were originally supposed to call me yesterday
원래 내일까지 끝내기로 했는데 = I was originally supposed to finish it by tomorrow
원래 지난 토요일까지 받기로 했는데 = I was originally supposed to receive it by last Saturday
2.
일이 산더미처럼 쌓여 있어서 못 나갔어요. = I could not go out because I had a ton of work piled up.
일이 아직도 산더미처럼 쌓여 있어요. = I still have a ton of work piled up.
일이 아직도 산더미 같아요. = I still have a ton of work.
퇴근해야 되는데 일이 산더미처럼 쌓여 있어요. = I have to get off work but I have a ton of work piled up.
일이 산더미처럼 쌓여 있는데 어디 갔어요? = We have a ton of work piled up. Where did you go?
Expansion & variation practice with key sentence #2
Original sentence
요즘 아무리 일이 바쁘다지만, 잠깐은 만날 수 있잖아요.
= I know you are really busy these days, but we can meet just for a little bit, can’t we?
1.
요즘 아무리 일이 바쁘다지만 = I know you are really busy these days but
요즘 아무리 시간이 없다지만 = I know you really do not have time these days but
요즘 아무리 우리가 만날 시간이 없었다지만 = I know we really have not had time to meet lately but
요즘 아무리 이게 유행이라지만 = I know this is really in fashion these days but
요즘 아무리 제가 텔레비전을 많이 본다지만 = I know I watch a lot of television these days but
2.
잠깐은 만날 수 있잖아요. = We can meet just for just a little bit, can’t we?
잠깐은 통화할 수 있잖아요. = We can talk on the phone for just a little bit, can’t we?
잠깐은 이야기할 수 있잖아요. = We can talk for just a little bit, can’t we?
잠깐은 앉았다 갈 수 있잖아요. = You can take a seat for just a little bit, can’t you?
잠깐은 들어올 수 있잖아요. = You can come in for just a short while, can’t you?
Expansion & variation practice with key sentence #3
Original sentence
저는 헬스장에 간다거나 공원에 산책하러 간다거나 할 때는 항상 음악을 듣는 편이에요.
= I always have a tendency to listen to music when I go to the gym or go for a walk in the park.
1.
저는 헬스장에 간다거나 공원에 산책하러 간다거나 할 때는 = when I go to the gym or go for a walk in the park
친구들을 만난다거나 모임에 간다거나 할 때는 = when I meet my friends or go to a gathering
요리를 한다거나 청소를 한다거나 할 때는 = when I cook or clean the house
공부를 한다거나 책을 읽는다거나 할 때는 = when I study or read a book
영화를 본다거나 게임을 한다거나 할 때는 = when I watch a movie or play games
2.
항상 음악을 듣는 편이에요. = I always have a tendency to listen to music.
항상 이 옷을 입는 편이에요. = I always have a tendency to wear these clothes.
항상 이 카페에 가는 편이에요. = I always have a tendency to go to this cafe.
항상 산책을 하는 편이에요. = I always have a tendency to go for a walk.
항상 집에만 있는 편이에요. = I always have a tendency to only stay home.
Lesson 11. Expressing Assumptions / -(으)ㄹ 텐데
In this lesson, you will learn how to show your assumption about a certain situation using -(으)ㄹ 텐데. When you use this grammar point, your assumption is always accompanied by some kind of suggestion, doubt or question.
The construction of -(으)ㄹ 텐데
-(으)ㄹ 텐데 is originally a shortened form of -(으)ㄹ 터인데.
The key element here is 터, which originally means a “place” or a “spot”. It is not very commonly used on its own, but you can find it in many compound words and idiomatic expressions.
놀이터 = playground for kids 쉼터 = rest area 공터 = vacant lot 전쟁터 = battlefield 낚시터 = fishing area 터를 잡다 = to pick out a location 터를 닦다 = to establish the foundation
So -(으)ㄹ 터 literally means “a place to do” something or “a place where something will happen”, and the actual meaning of 터 in real-life sentences is “situation”. So you can think of -(으)ㄹ 터 as a “situation”, “context”, or “circumstance” where something will happen.
So all together, -(으)ㄹ 텐데 means “looking at the situation, I can see that A will happen or is happening” or “judging from the circumstances, it must be like this”.
Sample Sentences
바쁠 텐데 나중에 이야기해요. (suggestion)
= You must be busy. Let’s talk later.
피곤할 텐데 앉아서 좀 쉬어요. (suggestion)
= You must be tired. Take a seat and get some rest.
제 전화번호 알 텐데 왜 전화를 안 했을까요? (question)
= I’m sure he knows my number. I wonder why he did not call me?
밖에 추울 텐데 괜찮을까요? (doubt)
= It must be cold outside. Will it be okay?
Omitting the other clause
Even when the sentence ends with -(으)ㄹ 텐데 and does not include another statement, you can consider a suggestion, doubt or question omitted.
이거 비쌀 텐데…
= This must be expensive.
= 이거 비쌀 텐데 (왜 샀어요?)
아닐 텐데…
= That cannot be true.
= 아닐 텐데 (왜 그렇게 말하는 거예요?)
피자 곧 올 텐데.
= The pizza will be delivered soon.
= 피자 곧 올 텐데 (어디 가요?)
Don’t use -(으)ㄹ 텐데 for a fact that everybody knows
- (으)ㄹ 텐데 can only be used to express an assumption. If you do not know the time and are just guessing “It must be close to 3 o’clock.”, you can say 벌써 세 시 거의 다 됐을 텐데요. But if you can see the clock on the wall, using the same sentence would sound unnatural.
- (으)면 -(으)ㄹ 텐데
- (으)ㄹ 텐데 is often used with -(으)면 to express the speaker’s hopes or wishes.
Sample Sentences
너도 같이 가면 좋을 텐데.
= It would be nice if you were also coming with us.
친구랑 같이 살면 재밌을 텐데.
= It would be fun if I lived together with my friend.
조금 덜 더우면 좋을 텐데.
= It would be nice if it was a bit less hot.
-았/었/였으면 -았/었/였을 텐데
If you use the past tense suffix -았/었/였- with -(으)면 -(으)ㄹ 텐데, you can express that you wish a situation that is contrary to reality would happen, or wish that what already happened in the past were different.
Sample Sentences
여름이었으면 야외 수영장에서 수영했을 텐데.
= If it had been summer, we would have swum in the outdoor swimming pool.
거기에 그 사람이 올 줄 알았으면 나도 갔을 텐데.
= If I had known that he would be there, I would have also gone.
공부 열심히 했으면 시험 더 잘 봤을 텐데.
= If I had studied hard, I would have done better on the exam.
Lesson 12. Sharing What You Have Seen or Heard / -던데요, -다던데요
In this lesson, we will take a look at the endings -던데요 and -다던데요(with some variations in form), which are used to talk about something you experienced, observed, or heard about. You can still convey the same kind of meaning without using these endings, too, but they add more flavor and detail to the sentence.
Although -던데요 and -다던데요 look similar, they are used in very different circumstances. In summary, -던데요 is used to talk about your past experiences or observations, and -다던데요 is used to relay some information that you heard.
How to use -던데요
When you use -던데요, you are talking about something you experienced or witnessed in the past, and you are also expecting the other person to show a reaction.
Conjugation
- Verb stem + -던데요 (if the action happened as you were witnessing it)
- Verb stem + -았/었/였- + -던데요 (if the action had already happened when you saw it)
- Noun + -(이)던데요
Sample Sentences (The sentences in parenthesis are just examples and not the only possible interpretations.)
어제 갑자기 눈이 오던데요.
= It suddenly snowed yesterday. (I saw it myself! What do you say about that?)
어제 전화 안 하던데요.
= They did not call me yesterday. (You said they would. What happened?)
or
= They did not call me yesterday. (That is how it went. What do you think?)
봤는데, 너무 비싸던데요.
= I saw it, but it was too expensive.
그 사람 한국어 잘하던데요.
= He spoke good Korean! (Didn’t you say he does not speak Korean?)
or
= He spoke good Korean! (Did you know that?)
오늘 잘하시던데요.
= You saw you doing a good job today.
손님이 오셨던데요.
= It seems like you have a guest. (Are you aware of it?)
그 게임 어제 처음 해 봤는데 생각보다 어렵던데요.
= I tried that game for the first time yesterday and it was more difficult than I had thought.
그 책 현우 씨한테 이미 빌려줬던데요.
= He/She had already lent the book to Hyunwoo (when I checked).
Note that in all of the sample sentences above, you are expecting some kind of reaction from the listener, so it will usually sound unnatural if you just end your conversation there.
How to use -다던데요
You can use -다던데요 when you want to relay a fact or a piece of information that you heard from someone. -다던데요 is short for -다고 하던데요. -다고 하다 means to “say that…” and the following part is the ending -던데요 that was introduced above.
Conjugation
- Descriptive verb stem + -다던데요
- Action verb stem ending with a vowel or the consonant ㄹ (in this case, ㄹ is dropped) + -ㄴ다던데요
- Action verb stem ending with a consonant except for the consonant ㄹ + -는다던데요
- Verb stem + -았/었/였- + -다던데요
(If the verb is an action verb, it means that the action had already happened by the time you heard about it. If the verb is a descriptive verb, it means that the state had been true at one time, but it was not true anymore by the time you heard about it.)
- Noun + -(이)라던데요
Sample Sentences (The sentences in parenthesis are just examples and not the only possible interpretations.)
내일 회의 안 한다던데요.
= I heard that there is no meeting tomorrow. (Were you told otherwise?)
수요일에 다시 온다던데요.
= They said they would come back on Wednesday. (What do you think?)
지금은 안 판다던데요.
= I heard they do not sell it now. (What should I do now?)
여행 혼자 간다던데요.
= He told me he is going on the trip alone. (Did you think he was going with someone else?)
거기보다는 여기가 더 넓다던데요.
= I heard it is more spacious here than there. (Shall we choose this place then?)
아직 학생이라던데요.
= I heard she is still a student. (That is not what YOU heard, right?)
이렇게 하면 된다던데요.
= They said that you just do it like this. (Why is it not working?)
다혜 씨도 점심 사무실에서 먹는다던데요.
= I heard that Dahye also eats her lunch in the office.
미국에 있을 때는 선생님이었다던데요.
= I heard that he/she was a teacher when he/she was in the USA.
준배 씨가 청소했다던데요.
= I heard that Joonbae had cleaned it up.
Lesson 13. As a result of / -는 바람에
There are several ways to indicate a reason for something. The most commonly used expression is 때문에, and you can also use 덕분에 to mean “thanks to”. 때문에 can be either neutral or negative, and 덕분에 is usually positive.
And the grammar point for this lesson, -는 바람에, is generally used to talk about a negative result or something that was not the most ideal outcome. 바람 means “wind”, so you can think of -는 바람에 as “in the wind of” something that happened.
Structure Verb stem(reason) + -는 바람에 + outcome(in the past tense)
Examples
실수를 하는 바람에 = as a result of making a mistake
넘어지는 바람에 = as a result of falling over
갑자기 친구가 들어오는 바람에 = as a result of my friend suddenly coming in
제 친구가 사람들한테 다 말하는 바람에 = as a result of my friend telling everyone
휴대폰을 떨어뜨리는 바람에 = as a result of dropping my cellphone
Replacing -는 바람에 with -아/어/여서
In most contexts, -는 바람에 can be replaced with -아/어/여서, but the emphasized meaning of a “negative outcome” is lost as -아/어/여서 is more neutral. For example, 제 친구가 사람들한테 다 말하는 바람에 sounds like a negative result will be mentioned after that, but 제 친구가 사람들한테 다 말해서 can be followed by either a negative or a positive result.
- Negative result with -는 바람에
제 친구가 사람들한테 다 말하는 바람에, 우리 비밀 계획을 모두 알게 됐어요.
= As a result of my friend telling everyone, they all found out about our secret plan. - Neutral result with -아/어/여서
제 친구가 사람들한테 다 말해서, 모두 도와서 일을 빨리 끝냈어요.
= My friend told everyone, so everybody helped and we finished the work early.
Sample Sentences
컴퓨터가 갑자기 고장 나는 바람에 숙제가 다 지워졌어요.
= My computer suddenly broke down so my homework got deleted.
지갑을 집에 놓고 오는 바람에 선물을 못 샀어요.
= I left my wallet at home, so I could not buy a present.
오늘 아침에 늦게 일어나는 바람에 수업에 지각했어요.
= I got up late this morning so I was late for class.
Idiomatic expressions using 바람
We are looking at -는 바람에 in this lesson, and the word 바람(= wind) has many interesting idiomatic usages. Let’s look at some of the most commonly used idiomatic expressions related to 바람.
- 무슨 바람이 불어서
= why; why suddenly
(literal translation: due to what kind of wind blowing)
ex) 무슨 바람이 불어서 이렇게 일찍 일어났어요?
= Why did you get up so early, unlike usual? - 바람을 넣다
= to inflate, to tempt someone to do something (undesirable)
(literal translation: to put in air)
ex) 자전거 타이어에 바람 좀 넣어야 돼요.
= I need to put some air in my bike tires.
ex) 공부 열심히 하고 있는 애한테 왜 바람을 넣어요?
= The kid is studying hard now. Why tempt him (to do something that’s not as desirable as studying)? - 바람맞다
= to be stood up
(literal translation: to be hit with the wind, to have wind blown at oneself)
ex) 친구랑 약속 있어서 나갔는데 바람맞았어요.
= I had plans to meet with a friend, but I was stood up. - 바람을 쐬다
= to get some fresh air
ex) 집중이 안 돼서 바람 좀 쐬고 올게요.
= I cannot focus so I will go out and get some fresh air. - 잠옷 바람으로
= while still in one’s pajamas
(It is used when you leave the house in your pajamas, without having the time to change into other clothes.)
ex) 전화 받고 급하게 나오느라 잠옷 바람으로 나왔어요.
= I came out in a hurry after getting a phone call, so I came out in my pajamas.
Lesson 14. Expressing Reactions / -다니/라니
When you see or hear something that is very interesting, ridiculous or hard to believe, you can express your reaction using the grammar structure -다니/라니. It is used in various forms based on what comes before it.
Conjugation - Verb stem + -다니 (present tense) - Verb stem + -았/었/였다니 (past tense) - Noun + -이다/아니다 + -라니 (present tense) - Noun + -이다/아니다 + -았/었/였다니 (past tense) You mention the "circumstance" first, followed by -다니/라니, and then express your reaction to the circumstance. Your reaction is usually expressed through phrases like 신기하다 (to be interesting), 믿을 수가 없다 (to be impossible to believe), 화가 나다 (to be upsetting), 말이 안 되다 (to make no sense), but it can still be flexible.
Sample Sentences
5월에 눈이 오다니 너무 신기하네요.
= It is so interesting that it is snowing in May.
또 거짓말을 하다니 정말 화가 나네요.
= It makes me so angry that they lied again.
이게 100만원이라니 너무 비싼 거 아니에요?
= This costs 1,000,000 won? Isn’t it too expensive?
아직도 안 왔다니 이게 말이 되나요?
= He is still not here? Can you believe it?
저 사람이 범인이 아니라니 말도 안 돼.
= He is not the culprit? No way.
Omitting the part after -다니/라니
When it is easy to guess the intended meaning after -다니/라니, the following part is often omitted and the sentences ends with -다니! or -라니! as an exclamation. The translation of such sentences will depend on the context.
Ex)
5월에 눈이 오다니!
= (I cannot believe that) it is snowing in May!
또 거짓말을 하다니!
= (I cannot believe that) he lied again!
이게 100만원이라니!
= This costs 1,000,000 won! (It is ridiculous!)
There is also another -다니, which is short for -(ㄴ/는)다고 하니. As you learned in Level 5 Lesson 17, -(ㄴ/는)다고 하다 means “to say that S + V”, and -니 is the same as -니까. Therefore, -(ㄴ/는)다고 하니 literally means “since someone says that S + V”.
Ex)
제이슨 씨도 한국어를 공부하신다니 제 책을 드릴게요.
= (Talking to Jason) Since you are saying that you are also studying Korean, let me give you my book.
은희 씨 이사 간 집은 회사에서 가깝다니 다행이네요.
= I heard that Eunhee’s new house is close to the office. That’s a relief.
However, -(ㄴ/는)다고 하니 can also be used to express your reaction when you see or hear something that is very interesting, ridiculous or hard to believe.
Ex)
제이슨 씨가 한국을 떠난다니!
= (I cannot believe that) Jason is leaving Korea!
이걸 익히지도 않고 먹는다니!
= (I cannot believe that) you eat this uncooked!
Then, what is the difference between -다니 and -(ㄴ/는)다니?
If you use -다니, it implies that you are expressing your reaction as you experience something, whereas if you use -(ㄴ/는)다니, it implies that you are expressing your reaction after you hear about it.
Ex)
(1)
제이슨 씨가 한국을 떠나다니! = (I cannot believe that) Jason is leaving Korea! / (I cannot believe that) Jason has left Korea!
제이슨 씨가 한국을 떠난다니! = (I heard and I cannot believe that) Jason is leaving Korea!
You can say the first sentence as you hear the news that Jason is leaving Korea or right after you found out that Jason had just left Korea, whereas you cannot say the second sentence if Jason has already left Korea. In that case, you could say 제이슨 씨가 한국을 떠났다니!
(2)
이걸 익히지도 않고 먹다니! = (I cannot believe that) you are eating this uncooked! / (I cannot believe that) you just ate this uncooked!
이걸 익히지도 않고 먹는다니! = (I heard and I cannot believe that) you eat this uncooked!
You can say the first sentence as you see someone eating “this” uncooked or right after you saw someone eating “this” uncooked, whereas you cannot say the second sentence if someone has already eaten “this” uncooked.
Also, since -(ㄴ/는)다고 can quote future tense sentences, you can express your reaction with -(ㄴ/는)다니 when you see or hear something about the future, whereas you cannot with -다니.
Ex)
제이슨 씨가 다음 달에 한국을 떠나다니! (awkward)
제이슨 씨가 다음 달에 한국을 떠난다니! (natural)
= (I cannot believe that) Jason is leaving Korea next month!
-(으)라니
When someone tells you to do something, and you find it very interesting, ridiculous or hard to believe, you can express your reaction using -(으)라니, which is short for -(으)라고 하니.
Sample Sentences
이걸 혼자 다 하라니 말도 안 돼요.
= Telling me to do this all by myself is nonsensical.
두 시간 걸려서 왔는데 다시 집에 가라니! 싫어요.
= Are you telling me to go back home even though it took me two hours to come here? I don’t want to.
팔 굽혀 펴기를 100개 하라니… 하고 싶어도 못 해요.
= (I cannot believe that) you are telling me to do 100 push-ups. I cannot do it even if I wanted to.
이렇게 더운데 에어컨을 켜지 말라니 너무해요.
= Telling us not to turn on the air conditioner when it is this hot is so mean.
Lesson 15. Question Ending: -니?
In this lesson, we are going to learn how to use -니 at the end of a 반말 sentence. We looked at -다니/라니 in the previous lesson, but this sentence ending is not related to it.
When can you use -니?
You can only use the -니 ending as a question, to a child or someone who you are very close to, or when you are talking to yourself, wondering about something out loud. You cannot use it on anyone older than you.
What kind of meaning does it have?
When -니 is added at the end, the general meaning of the sentence does not change, but the tone of voice becomes different. By using -니 at the end of a question, you sound more like an older person talking to a child. You can also use it to scold someone younger.
Comparison #1
Regular question: 다들 어디 있어? = Where are you guys?
-니 question: 다들 어디 있니? = Where are you guys? (You are probably talking to a group of children as an adult.)
Comparison #2
Regular question: 뭐 해? = What are you doing?
-니 question: 뭐 하니? = What are you doing? (You either sound like a teacher/adult talking to a child or like you are talking to a very close friend who would not mind you talking “down” to them.)
Comparison #3
(Mom talking to her child)
Regular question: 엄마가 몇 번 말했어? = How many times did I tell you?
-니 question: 엄마가 몇 번 말했니? = How many times did I tell you? (You sound more upset.)
Usage examples
1. An adult talking to a child (or someone much younger) 꼬마야, 넌 이름이 뭐니? = Little kid, what is your name? 민송이는 무슨 색깔 좋아하니? = Minsong, what color do you like? 엄마 어디 계시니? = Where is your mom? * On rare occasions, you will hear an adult using -니 questions at other, younger adults. This is definitely not polite and it shows the speaker's perception of the listener as someone younger or lower that they do not need to show respect toward.
2. Talking to a close friend (In this case, you can change -니 to -냐 to have the same meaning, but -냐 sounds much stronger, so -냐 is more commonly used by men and -니 is more commonly used by women. You need to be careful when using this ending, because if the other person does not feel like you are very close to them, they might be offended.) 1너는 왜 우니? = Why are YOU crying? 여기서 혼자 뭐 하니? = What are you doing alone here? 왜 자꾸 이랬다 저랬다 하니? = Why do you keep going back and forth about your decision?
- Poetic usage (especially song lyrics)
여우야, 여우야. 뭐 하니? (a line from a popular children’s song)
= Fox, fox. What are you doing?
나의 반쪽을 채워 줄 너는 어디 있는 거니?
= The one who will fill my other half, where are you?
4. Scolding a kid or a close friend 너 왜 선생님 말 안 듣니? = Why do you not listen to your teacher? 너 제정신이니? = Are you even in your right mind? 너 또 거짓말이니? = Are you lying again?
5. Talking to oneself 나 뭐 하니? = What am I even doing? 뭐래니? = What are they talking about? = What? (뭐래니? is short for 뭐라고 하니? and is used when you think what someone says is ridiculous.) 나 오늘 왜 이렇게 예쁘니? = (Looking in the mirror) Why am I so pretty today? 나 왜 이렇게 멍청하니? = Why am I so stupid?
Lesson 16. Various Usages of the Ending -게
This lesson is about the usage of -게. It can be used (1) to convert a descriptive verb or adjective into an adverb, or (2) to indicate the purpose or aim of an action. We will look at both usages, with a bigger emphasis on the second one.
Making adverbs
Take the verb stem of a descriptive verb and add -ㄴ or -은, and you have an adjective.
Ex) 작다 (to be small) [verb] → 작은 (small) [adjective]
Ex) 빠르다 (to be fast) [verb] → 빠른 (fast) [adjective]
Now instead of -ㄴ or -은, add -게 to the verb stem and you will get an adverb.
Ex) 작다 (to be small) [verb] → 작게 (in a small amount/scale) [adverb]
Ex) 빠르다 (to be quick) [verb] → 빠르게 (quickly, at a fast speed) [adverb]
Let us look at some more examples of adverbs ending with -게.
이상하다 (to be strange) → 이상하게 = strangely
맛있다 (to be tasty) → 맛있게 = in a tasty way
느리다 (to be slow) → 느리게 = slowly
싸다 (to be cheap) → 싸게 = cheaply, inexpensively, at a cheap price
부드럽다 (to be soft) → 부드럽게 = softly, in a soft manner
The usage of -게 as an adverb ending is quite easy to understand and very commonly seen in Korean sentences. However, not every word ending with -게 is the adverb form of a descriptive verb. That leads us to the second usage of -게.
Indicating the purpose or aim of an action
When you see -게 attached at the end of an action verb, it is not being used as an adverb, but rather as an adverbial phrase. In this case, -게 shows the purpose, aim or end goal of an action. It is often translated to “so that (one can)…” or “in order to”.
The difference between an adverb and an adverbial phrase is that you can use adverbs on its own in more diverse contexts, whereas adverbial phrases are more specifically made for the specific sentences they are used in.
For example, the verb for “to be slow” is 느리다 and the adverb form is 느리게. The word 느리게 can be used on its own in diverse contexts. If you look at the action verb 잡다 (= to catch, to hold), changing it to 잡게 does not make it a pre-existing adverb. 잡게 CAN be used in a specific sentence with a specific context, but not out of context, and 잡게 is certainly is not a word registered in dictionaries. Please note this difference before using -게 with action verbs.
Basic form
Simply put -게 after a verb stem, and then add a following clause about what needs to be done for the purpose to be achieved.
Sample Sentences
수업을 시작하게 여기로 모이세요.
= Gather here so that we can start the class.
저녁 같이 먹게 빨리 오세요.
= Come here quickly so that we can have dinner together.
일찍 도착하게 서둘러 주세요.
= Please hurry up so that we can arrive early.
People sometimes say what needs to be done first and then the -게 phrase after, to talk about the purpose Ex) 여기로 모이세요, 수업을 시작하게. 빨리 오세요, 저녁 같이 먹게. 서둘러 주세요, 일찍 도착하게.
Negative form + -게
You can use 안, 못, or -지 않게 to mean “so that you do not” or “in order not to”.
Sample Sentences
비 안 맞게 조심하세요.
= Be careful not to get rained on.
넘어지지 않게 조심하세요.
= Be careful not to fall down.
애들이 못 만지게 높은 데에 두세요.
= Put it in a high place so that kids cannot touch it.
-(으)ㄹ 수 있게
Since -게 has the meaning of “so that…” or “in order to”, it is often used in conjunction with -을 수 있다 and makes -(으)ㄹ 수 있게.
Sample Sentences
마감 기한을 지킬 수 있게 미리 준비해 주세요.
= Prepare in advance so that you can meet the deadline.
멀리서도 볼 수 있게 크게 써 주세요.
= Write it in big letters so that you can see it even from far away.
모두 다 들을 수 있게 큰 소리로 말해 주세요.
= Say it out loud so that everybody can hear you.
Alternative expressions
There are two other ways you can express “in order to” and they are -도록 and -기 위해서.
In most of the sentences introduced in this lesson, -게 can be replaced with -도록, but the sentence will sound more formal with -도록.
ex) 모두 다 들을 수 있게 = 모두 다 들을 수 있도록
-기 위해서, however, is a very formal expression and cannot replace -게 in many of the sentences used in this lesson. Using -기 위해서 in casual everyday sentences can be very unnatural.
Lesson 17. It is more of a… than… / -(ㄴ/는)다기보다, -(이)라기보다
This lesson is about an expression you can use to rephrase or correct someone’s remark or make your description about something more accurate. It can be translated to “rather than”, “it is more correct to say”, or “it is more of a… than…”.
Structure
- Action verb stem + -ㄴ/는다기보다 [present tense]
- Descriptive verb stem + -다기보다 [present tense]
- Verb stem + -았/었/였다기보다 [past tense]
- Noun + -(이)라기보다
Understanding the detailed meaning
-다기보다 is shortened from -다고 하기보다 and -라기보다 is from -라고 하기보다, which means “rather than saying…”.
-보다 is used to compare things and means “than” or “compared to”.
-기 is used to turn a verb into a noun form.
So by saying -다(verb ending) + 기보다 or -라기보다(mentioning a noun), you are saying “rather than saying A, I think B is a more accurate way to put it.” To emphasize the contrast between two descriptions, -는 is commonly added at the end to form -다기보다는 or -라기보다는. The meaning of the sentence still stays the same with -는 added.
Sample Sentences
하기 싫다기보다는, 시간이 안 될 것 같아요.
= It is not really that I do not want to do it, but I do not think I will have time.
어렵다기보다 시간이 오래 걸려요.
= Rather than difficult, (it is more accurate to say that) it is time-consuming.
그건 일이라기보다는 취미예요.
= Rather than work, it is (more of) a hobby.
많이 먹는다기보다는 자주 먹어요.
= It is not really that I eat a lot; it is that I eat often.
Commonly used structures
There are some common words and phrases that are used in conjunction with -다기보다/라기보다 to make the meaning more clear. Some of the examples will be with -는 at the end of -다기보다/라기보다 and the others without -는.
- 꼭 + -다기보다/라기보다
꼭 means “must, specifically, without fail” and in this structure, it adds the meaning of “not necessarily”.
꼭 제 말이 맞는다기보다, 이런 부분도 생각하자는 거예요.
= I am not necessarily saying I am right. I am suggesting we should think about this aspect, too. - -다기보다/라기보다 + -에 가까워요
이건 일이라기보다는 취미에 가까워요.
= Rather than work, it is closer to a hobby. - 딱히 + -다기보다/라기보다
When used with a negative sentence or meaning, 딱히 means “not particularly” or “not specifically”.
딱히 하기 싫다기보다, 안 해도 될 것 같다는 말이에요.
= I am not specifically saying that I do not want to do it but that I feel like I do not have to do it. - -다기보다/라기보다 + 그냥
저는 스키를 잘 탄다기보다 그냥 좋아해요.
= I am not really good at skiing. It is more accurate to say I just like it. - -다기보다/라기보다 + -것 같아요
그 사람은 엄청 미남이라기보다는, 특별한 매력이 있는 것 같아요.
= Rather than being incredibly handsome, I think he has got his own special charm. - -다기보다/라기보다 + -(으)ㄴ/는 편이에요
그 사람은 머리가 좋다기보다는 노력을 많이 하는 편이에요.
= Rather than smart, I think he is on the hard-working side. - -다기보다/라기보다 + -는 거죠
하고 싶어서 한다기보다는, 해야 되니까 하는 거죠.
= I do not necessarily do it because I want to, but because I have to.
Lesson 18. Let alone / -은/는커녕
In this lesson, we are going to look at how to use -은/는커녕 to talk about something that is “not even” done or “far from” happening. -은/는커녕 is often translated to “let alone” and used with negative meanings. The part that follows is usually a worse situation or outcome than the part that comes before -은/는커녕.
Structure
- Noun + -은/는커녕
- Verb stem + -기 + -는커녕
Examples 숙제는커녕 = let alone homework 도와주기는커녕 = let alone helping 무섭기는커녕 = let alone being scary, far from being scary but rather… 칭찬은커녕 = let alone a compliment
Commonly used expressions
To emphasize and complete the meaning of -은/는커녕, there are several expressions that are used together with it in a lot of sentences. Look at these common combinations.
A는커녕 B도 (-도 here means “not even”.)
A는커녕 B조차 (-조차 means “not even” and makes the sentence more formal.)
A는커녕 B만 (-만 means “only” or “just”.)
Sample Sentences
학생들이 공부를 열심히 하기는커녕 수업에도 안 왔어요.
= Let alone study hard, the students did not even come to the class.
= I was expecting the students to (at least) study hard but they did not even do that. They did not even come to the class.
칭찬 받기는커녕 야단만 맞았어요.
= Let alone compliments, all I got was scolding.
= Rather than getting a compliment, I actually only got scolded.
제 여동생은 주말에 집안일을 돕기는커녕, 거의 집에 있지도 않아요.
= My younger sister does not even stay at home on the weekend most of the time, let alone help with the house chores.
돈이 남기는커녕 모자랐어요.
= Instead of having money left over, we did not even have enough.
저는 해외는커녕 서울 밖에도 안 나가 봤어요.
= Let alone overseas, I have never even been out of Seoul before.
숙제를 다 하기는커녕 시작조차 못 했어요.
= I could not even start the homework, much less finish it.
Alternative expressions
1. -은/는 고사하고
This can be used interchangeably with -은/는커녕 in most cases but can sound more formal.
우승은커녕 예선 통과도 못 했어요.
= Let alone winning, we did not even pass the preliminary round.
= 우승은 고사하고 예선 통과도 못 했어요.
저는 비행기는커녕 아직 기차도 못 타 봤어요.
= Let alone airplanes, I have never even taken a train.
= 저는 비행기는 고사하고 아직 기차도 못 타 봤어요.
When -은/는 고사하고 is used in the sense of “needless to mention (something)”, its usage is different from -은/는커녕. For example, in a sentence like “그 사람은 일을 못하는 것을 고사하고, 일단 연락이 안 돼요.”, the expression -은/는 고사하고 means “before you even talk about (something)” or “not even discussing (a certain topic)”. This usage is not found in -은/는커녕.
- -은/는 물론이고, -뿐만 아니라
You can express a similar meaning with -은/는 물론이고(= that is for sure, and…) or -뿐만 아니라(not only that, but also…), but these expressions have a wider range of usage, as you can be listing actions or states that are not directly related, or you can be listing two positive things together.
그 사람은 요리는 물론이고, 설거지도 안 해요.
= He does not even do the dishes, let alone cook.
제 학생들은 숙제를 안 해 올뿐만 아니라, 숙제가 있는 줄도 몰라요.
= My students not only do not do their homework but also do not even know they have homework.
- 말할 것도 없고
말할 것도 없고 literally means “there is not even anything to talk about” or “there is no reason to mention it”. It is very similar to -은/는 물론이고 and -뿐만 아니라.
저는 비행기는 말할 것도 없고 아직 기차도 못 타 봤어요.
= Let alone airplanes, I have never even taken a train.
- Example of a positive sentence
그 사람은 노래는 말할 것도 없고 바이올린 연주도 잘해요.
= He is not only good at singing, but also good at playing violin.
Grammatically incorrect but accepted sentences using -은/는커녕
When using -은/는커녕 in their sentences, a lot of native Korean speakers often omit the verb that is linked to the noun in the part right before -은/는커녕. For example, if you are saying that someone does not eat vegetables “let alone” drink enough water, you are comparing 채소를 먹다 and 물을 충분히 마시다. A grammatically correct sentence will be 그 사람은 채소를 먹기는커녕 물도 충분히 안 마셔요. But quite often, you will see people saying sentences like 그 사람은 채소는커녕 물도 충분히 안 마셔요.
Technically, this sentence is incorrect because you cannot “drink” 채소. But even with the related verb omitted, you can easily understand the intended meaning. For this reason, you will see a lot of grammatically incorrect sentences associated with -은/는커녕.
Lesson 19. Even if it means I have to… / -아/어/여서라도
In Level 5 Lesson 15, we looked at the grammar point -(이)라도, which is used to suggest an idea that might not be the most ideal option, but can serve the purpose in the given situation.
-아/어/여서라도 is simply a combination of -아/어/여서(= by doing something) and -라도, and means “even if it is by doing” something or “even if I have to do” something for a wanted outcome. This expression is very commonly used and therefore has a lot of fixed expressions.
Structure
- Verb stem + -아/어/여서라도
Sample Sentences
밤을 새서라도 마무리할게요.
= I will finish it even if I have to stay up all night.
다른 약속을 취소해서라도 꼭 갈게요.
= I will be there for sure, even if I have to cancel other plans.
돈을 빌려서라도 살 거예요.
= I am going to buy it even if I have to borrow money.
지구 전체를 다 뒤져서라도 찾아낼 거예요.
= I will find it even if it means I have to search the entire planet.
Commonly used expressions
- 무슨 수를 써서라도 = no matter what I have to do
무슨 means “what kind of” and 수 means “method”, “way”, or “idea”. 무슨 수를 써서라도 literally means “no matter what kind of method I have to use”.
Ex)
무슨 수를 써서라도 다음에는 제가 우승할 거예요.
= No matter what I have to do, I will win the 1st place next time. - 무슨 짓을 해서라도 = no matter what I have to do
짓 means “deed” or “behavior”, and it is not a very respectful word. So by saying 무슨 짓을 해서라도, you are saying that you will achieve the goal “by doing whatever it takes”, and that deed is probably not going to be a very nice or graceful thing to do.
Ex)
무슨 짓을 해서라도 복수할 거예요.
= I will get my revenge no matter what I have to do. - 어떻게 해서라도 = no matter what I have to do, whatever it takes
어떻게 해서라도 is a very neutral expression, because it literally means “even by doing it regardless of how”.
Ex)
어떻게 해서라도 다음 달까지 끝내 볼게요.
= I will try and finish it by next month no matter how I do it. - 빚을 내서라도 = even if it’s by getting a loan
빚 is debt and 빚을 내다 means to get a loan or to borrow money (usually a big amount). Even when you are not talking about an actual debt or loan, you often hear this expression used to emphasize how important something is to do or buy regardless of whether you can afford it or not.
Ex)
이런 건 빚을 내서라도 사야 돼요.
= Even if you have to get a loan, you need to buy this.
A different usage of -아/어/여서라도
In this lesson, we are looking at the usage of -아/어/여라도 in the sense of “even if it is by doing” so-and-so, but when the part -아/어/여서 to mean “because”, in combination with -라도, it can also mean “at least because” or “at least for the reason of”.
Ex)
저는 창피해서라도 그런 말 못 할 것 같아요.
= I do not think I would be able to say such a thing, at least out of embarrassment.
Lesson 20. Sentence Building Drill 19
In this series, we focus on how you can use the grammatical rules and expressions that you have previously learned to train yourself to comfortably make Korean sentences.
We will start off with THREE key sentences and practice changing different parts of these sentences so that you do not end up simply memorizing the same three sentences. We want you to be able to be as flexible as possible when making Korean sentences.
Key Sentence #1
아까 거기는 공원이라기보다는 아이들이 노는 놀이터인 것 같던데요.
= That place earlier, rather than a park, I thought it was closer to a playground where kids play.
Key Sentence #2
어제 컴퓨터가 갑자기 고장 나는 바람에 발표 준비는커녕 아무것도 못 했어요.
= As a result of the computer breaking down suddenly yesterday, I could not do anything, let alone prepare for the presentation.
Key Sentence #3
회의가 곧 시작될 텐데 우리 회의에 늦지 않게 사무실로 돌아갈까요?
= I guess the meeting will start soon, so shall we go back to the office so that we are not late for the meeting?
Expansion & variation practice with key sentence #1
Original sentence
아까 거기는 공원이라기보다는 아이들이 노는 놀이터인 것 같던데요.
= That place earlier, rather than a park, it looked like it was closer to a playground where kids play.
1.
아까 거기는 공원이라기보다는 = that place earlier is, rather than a park…
여기는 프랑스 음식점이라기보다는 = this place is, rather than a French restaurant…
이 책은 초보자용이라기보다는 = this book is, rather than for beginners…
이 앱은 영상 편집 앱이라기보다는 = this app is, rather than a video editing app…
그 배우는 인기가 아주 많다기보다는 = that actor is, rather than being very popular
2.
아이들이 노는 놀이터인 것 같던데요. = It looked like it was a playground for kids.
문을 닫은 것 같던데요. = It looked like it was closed.
무슨 사진관인 것 같던데요. = It looked like some sort of photo studio.
피아노 학원인 것 같던데요. = It looked like it was a piano school.
주연 씨 자리에 없는 것 같던데요. = It looked like Jooyeon was not at her desk.
Expansion & variation practice with key sentence #2
Original sentence
어제 컴퓨터가 갑자기 고장 나는 바람에 발표 준비는커녕 아무것도 못 했어요.
= As a result of the computer breaking down suddenly yesterday, I could not do anything, let alone prepare for the presentation.
1.
어제 컴퓨터가 갑자기 고장 나는 바람에 = as a result of the computer breaking down suddenly yesterday
어제 회사에 지갑을 놓고 오는 바람에 = as a result of leaving my wallet at my office yesterday
친구들이 소문을 내는 바람에 = as a result of my friends spreading the rumor
핸드폰을 실수로 초기화하는 바람에 = as a result of resetting my phone by mistake
노트북 충전기를 안 가져오는 바람에 = as a result of not bringing my laptop charger
2.
발표 준비는커녕 아무것도 못 했어요. = I could not do anything, let alone prepare for the presentation.
선물은커녕 아무것도 못 샀어요. = I could not buy anything, let alone a present.
저녁은커녕 점심도 못 먹었어요. = I could not even have lunch, let alone dinner.
휴가를 가기는커녕 주말에도 못 쉬어요. = I cannot even rest on the weekend, let alone go on vacation.
이름은커녕 얼굴도 기억이 안나요. = I do not even remember his face, let alone his name.
Expansion & variation practice with key sentence #3
Original sentence
회의가 곧 시작될 텐데 우리 회의에 늦지 않게 사무실로 돌아갈까요?
= I guess the meeting will start soon, so shall we go back to the office so that we are not late for the meeting?
1.
회의가 곧 시작될 텐데 = I guess the meeting will start soon, so…
그렇게 앉으면 나중에 허리 아플 텐데 = if you sit like that, I think your back will hurt later, so…
갑자기 일정을 바꾸면 다른 사람들이 안 좋아할 텐데 = if you change the schedule suddenly, I guess other people will not like it, so…
그렇게 하면 더 비쌀 텐데 = it will become more expensive if you do it that way, so…
자꾸 그러면 들킬 텐데 = if you keep doing that, you will get caught, so…
2.
우리 회의에 늦지 않게 사무실로 돌아갈까요? = Shall we go back to the office so that we are not late for the meeting?
나중에 헷갈리지 않게 지금 결정할까요? = Shall we decide now so that we will not be confused later?
내일 바쁘지 않게 지금 해 놓을까요? = Shall we do it now so that we will not be busy tomorrow?
아이들이 만지지 못하게 여기에 둘까요? = Shall we put it here so that kids cannot touch it?
다른 사람들이 볼 수 없게 여기에 숨길까요? = Shall we hide it here so that other people will not be able to see it?
Lesson 21. Advanced Idiomatic Expressions 14 / 말 (Word)
This is an Advanced Idiomatic Expressions lesson related to 말, which means “words” or “language”. In order to fully understand and use the expressions introduced in this series, it is essential that you understand the grammatical structure of the sentences. When you come across a grammar point that you are unfamiliar with, please go back and review the related TTMIK lessons.
Keyword:
말 = words, language, what one says
- 말을 높이다 = to speak formal language to someone
→ 높다 means “to be high” and 높이다 means “to make something go higher” or “to raise” something, so if you say 말을 높이다, it means to speak in 존댓말, with respect and formality. It is usually used in negative form to tell someone that they can feel free to use 반말 to you. The act of starting to speak 반말 to someone is 말을 놓다, so you can say 말 놓으세요 to someone who is unnecessarily speaking 존댓말 to you.
Ex)
저한테는 말 안 높이셔도 돼요. 말 편하게 하세요.
= You do not have to speak formally to me. Please speak casual language to me.
- 말도 안 되다 = to not make sense; to be nonsensical
→ 되다 means “to become”, so if you say 말이 안 되다, it literally means “it does not become a word/language”. When you experience something ridiculous, and you think it is nonsensical, you can say 말이 안 돼요. If you use -도, which means “even”, and say 말도 안 되다, it sounds stronger because it means “to not even make sense”. If you would like to say that something makes sense, on the contrary, you can just say it without 안, 말이 되다. However, you can’t use 도 with 말이 되다 to say 말도 되다 because it does not sound natural.
Ex)
말도 안 돼. 한국어 한 달 배우고 토픽 6급을 땄다는 게 말이 돼?
= Impossible. Does it make sense that he/she passed TOPIK level 6 after learning Korean for a month?
- 말을 아끼다 = to save one’s breath, to not say much
→ 아끼다 means to save or cherish something so that it is not wasted. So 말을 아끼다 means that there are definitely things you could say, but you choose not to speak much on the matter. This is usually done to avoid unnecessary trouble or interest from other people.
Ex)
저도 하고 싶은 말은 많았지만, 오늘 기자들 앞에서는 말을 아꼈습니다.
= I had a lot that I wanted to say, too, but in front of the reporters today, I did not say much.
- 말이 많다 = to be talkative; there is considerable controversy (over sth)
→ 많다 means “to be a lot”, so 말이 많다 can simply mean that someone is talkative. However, if you describe a thing or an event as 말이 많다, it means that there is a lot of controversy over a thing or event. You can imagine a situation where a lot of people are criticizing it.
Ex)
요즘 그 회사에 대해서 말이 많아요.
= There is a lot of controversy about that company these days.
- 말이 통하다 = to understand each other well, to click
→ 통하다 means “to connect” or “to go through”. When two people are described as 말이 잘 통하다, it means that they can relate to each other well and are on the same wavelength. When you describe someone as 말이 통하는 사람, it means that they understand what you say and you can have good conversations with them.
Ex)
오랜만에 말이 통하는 친구를 만나서 너무 좋아요.
= I am so happy to have made a new friend that I can have good conversations with, for the first time in a while.
- 말이 안 통하다 = to be unreasonable, to be ridiculous
→ While 말이 통하다 can be used either to talk about two or more people clicking well with one another or someone understanding you well, 말이 안 통하다 is usually used about one person who is difficult to talk to because they are unreasonable or ridiculous. If you say 말이 안 통하다 about two people not understanding each other, the context is usually about not speaking the other person’s native language.
Ex)
말이 통해야 이야기를 하지… 그 사람이랑은 도무지 말이 안 통해요.
= To have a conversation, you need to mutually understand each other. He is just unreasonable. You cannot talk to him.
- 말문이 막히다 = to be at a loss for words, to be speechless
→ 말문 literally means “word door”, which refers to your mouth and 막히다 means “to be blocked”. You never refer to your mouth as 말문, but with this idiomatic usage, when you just do not know what to say because you are shocked or overwhelmed, 말문이 막히다 is quite commonly used.
Ex)
갑작스러운 제안에 너무 놀라서 말문이 막혔어요.
= At the sudden offer, I was so surprised that I did not know what to say.
- 말을 꺼내다 = to bring up a topic
→ 꺼내다 means “to take something out” or “to pull something out”. Imagine pulling words out of your mind that you have had for a while. It can be used for either heavy topics that you have been hesitating to mention or light topics that you are briefly mentioning.
Ex)
저도 오랫동안 고민하다가 어렵게 말을 꺼낸 거예요.
= I also hesitated for a long time before I brought it up with difficulty.
- 말 나오지 않게 하다 = to prevent people from talking about something, to not let others complain about something
→ 말이 나오다 literally means “words come out” but it is often used to mean that people are talking about something negative, either complaining about it or criticizing it. For example, if you play the drums at midnight every day and your apartment building neighbors start talking about it, that is 말이 나오다. This expression is often used in the form 말이 나오지 않게, which means “so that people do not criticize it”.
Ex)
더 이상 말 나오지 않게 앞으로 더 조심하세요.
= Be careful so that there will not be any more talk about it in the future.
- 말이 아니다 = to be in a terrible situation, to be in an unspeakable condition
→ The literal translation of 말이 아니다 can be misleading, but what it actually means is 말할 수 있는 상태가 아니다 (to not be in a situation that can be spoken of). When a situation or condition is really bad and unspeakable, you can say 말이 아니다.
Ex)
지금은 정말 상황이 말이 아니에요.
= Right now the situation is really terrible.
- 말이 말 같지 않다 = to not be worth listening to
→ Literally translated, 말이 말 같지 않다 means “words do not sound like words”. When someone’s words or remarks are so ridiculous that they seem like noise or meaningless sound, you can use the expression 말 같지 않다. Some variations are 말 같은 소리를 해야지 (= You need to say something that makes sense, not the current nonsense.), 말 같지 않은 소리 그만해 (= Stop talking nonsense.), 사람 말이 말 같지 않아? (= You think what I am saying is not worth listening to?). And these expressions are often in 반말 because it is not a very respectful expression to begin with.
Ex)
내 말이 말 같지 않아? 왜 자꾸 그러는 거야?
= Do you think what I am saying is worthless? Why do you keep doing that?
- 입에 발린 말을 하다 = to pay lip service, to flatter
→ 바르다 means to apply something on a certain surface, like lotion or cream. 입에 발린 말 literally means “words that are coated on the mouth” or “words that are applied on the mouth” and it refers to lip service or flattering words that may not necessarily be true.
Ex)
그 사람은 맨날 입에 발린 말만 해요. 다 믿으면 안 돼요.
= He always only pays lip service. You should not believe everything he says.
- 할 말을 잃다 = to be at a loss for words, to not know what to say
→ 잃다 means “to lose” and 할 말을 잃다 means that you have lost the words to say. You can usually use this expression to talk about something absurd or hard to believe. 할 말을 잃다 often also carries the sense of “giving up” and “not even trying to persuade otherwise” because the other person’s behavior or remark is so ridiculous.
Ex)
그 사람이 너무 뻔뻔하게 나와서 제가 할 말을 잃었어요.
= He acted so shamelessly that I was at a loss for words.
Lesson 22. Various Usages of the Ending -며 / -(으)며, -(이)며
In this lesson, we are going to look at the suffix -며, which can be used for a variety of purposes. You can use it to list or connect two nouns or verbs. You use -(으)며 to connect verbs and -(이)며 to connect nouns.
Structure
- Verb stem + -(으)며
- Noun + -(이)며
Usage #1
You can connect two verbs in a parallel manner using -(으)며, and it can be interchangeable with -고. It is also often used to replace -고 to avoid repetition. -(으)며 is less commonly used in daily conversations and used more often in formal speech or in written Korean.
Ex)
이 컴퓨터는 가볍고, 빠르며, 가격이 높지 않아요.
= This computer is light, fast, and inexpensive.
= 이 컴퓨터는 가볍고, 빠르고, 가격이 높지 않아요.
이 방법은 간편하고, 효과가 좋으며, 누구나 사용할 수 있어요.
= This method is simple and effective, and can be used by anyone.
= 이 방법은 간편하고, 효과가 좋고, 누구나 사용할 수 있어요.
Usage #2
You can use -(으)며 to connect two actions that are happening at the same time, in the sense of “while doing something”, and it is mostly interchangeable with -(으)면서, but -(으)며 sounds more formal in most cases. One exception where -(으)면서 is different from -(으)며 is when -(으)면서 is used in the sense of “even though”.
Ex)
아이들은 웃으며 사진을 찍었어요.
= The kids took photos while laughing.
= 아이들은 웃으면서 사진을 찍었어요.
저는 커피를 마시며 책 읽는 걸 좋아해요.
= I like reading a book while drinking coffee.
= 저는 커피를 마시면서 책 읽는 걸 좋아해요.
손님이 지갑을 꺼내며 물었습니다. “얼마예요?”
= The customer asked as he pulled out his wallet. “How much is it?”
= 손님이 지갑을 꺼내면서 물었습니다. “얼마예요?”
Usage #3
When you connect nouns, you use -(이)며 instead of -(으)며. But the usage of -(이)며 is quite different from other words that mean “and” in Korean. The most common words for listing items are -하고, -와/과, -(이)랑 and 그리고. These words are used to mention a limited number of items, like “A and B” or “A, B and C”.
But when you use -(이)며 to list nouns, you imply that not every item is being mentioned and there are likely more that can be mentioned.
Examples
1.
책이며 공책이며 바닥에 다 떨어져 있었어요.
= Things like books and notebooks were all on the floor.
책이랑 공책이랑 바닥에 다 떨어져 있었어요.
= Books and notebooks were all on the floor.
- -(이)며 tends to be used in repetition, after each noun that is mentioned, just like -(이)랑.
2.
얼마 전에 이사를 했는데, 식탁이며 의자며 아직도 살 게 많아요.
= I moved recently, and I still have a lot of things to buy like a kitchen table and chairs, etc.
얼마 전에 이사를 했는데, 식탁이랑 의자를 사야 돼요.
= I moved recently, and I need to buy a kitchen table and chairs.
Please also note that if you see -이며 after what seems like a verb, it is because the verb’s verb stem ends with -이, like 움직이다, which changes to 움직이며.
Lesson 23. Maybe because… / -아/어/여서인지
In this lesson, we are going to take a look at how to say “maybe because…” in Korean. The structure you use to say this is -아/어/여서인지 and it comprises of -아/어/여서 and -인지.
- 아/어/여서 = because
- 인지 = whether or not
And after -인지, there is actually an omitted part, which is 모르겠지만(= I do not know but). So in full, it is -아/어/여서인지 모르겠지만(= I do not know if it is because … but), but the 모르겠지만 part is very commonly dropped. The omitted part could also be other expressions along the same lines, such as 확실하지 않지만(= it is not certain but), 정확히 알 수 없지만(= cannot know exactly but), etc.
Example
일요일이어서인지* 사람이 많네요.
= Maybe because it is a Sunday, there are a lot of people.
* 일요일이어서인지 = 일요일이다 + -아/어/여서인지
Original form
일요일이어서인지 모르겠지만, 사람이 많네요.
= I do not know if it is because it is a Sunday but there are a lot of people.
Variations
1. 그래서인지 = maybe because of that
Ex)
그래서인지 오늘 기분이 안 좋아 보이더라고요.
= Maybe because of that, he did not seem to be in a good mood today.
* 그래서인지 is often shortened to 그래선지, especially in colloquial situations.
2. 어쩌면 -아/어/여서인지 = maybe because ... (어쩌면 = maybe, perhaps) Ex) 어쩌면 너무 많이 떨어뜨려서인지 제 휴대폰이 갑자기 안 켜져요. = Maybe because I dropped it too much, my phone suddenly will not turn on.
- -아/어/여서인지 몰라도 = I do not know if it is because … but
Ex)
모임 장소가 너무 멀어서인지 몰라도, 참가자가 적었어요.
= I do not know if it was because the meetup place was too far away, there were not many participants.
Alternative expressions
- -기 때문인지 = maybe because …
Instead of using -아/어/여서 to mean “because”, you can also use -기 때문 + -인지 to express almost the same meaning.
Ex)
잠을 너무 많이 자서인지 허리가 아파요. = 잠을 너무 많이 잤기 때문인지 허리가 아파요.
= Maybe because I slept too much, my lower back is aching. - -아/어/여서 그런지 = maybe because …
Between -아/어/여서 and -인지, if you add 그렇다, it becomes -아/어/여서 그런지, which does not change the overall meaning, but just makes the sentence a little softer and more colloquial. -아/어/여서 그렇다 literally means “it is like that because …”
Ex)
아까 콜라를 너무 많이 마셔서인지 배가 아파요. = 아까 콜라를 너무 많이 마셔서 그런지 배가 아파요.
= Maybe because I drank too much cola earlier, my stomach hurts.
Sample Sentences
오늘 커피를 너무 많이 마셔서인지 잠이 잘 안 와요.
= Maybe because I had too much coffee today, I cannot sleep.
날씨가 좋아서인지 바닷가에 가고 싶어졌어요.
= Maybe because the weather is good, now I feel like going to the sea.
살이 좀 빠져서인지 더 젊어 보여요.
= Maybe because you have lost some weight, you look younger.
제가 어제 잠을 많이 못 자서인지 오늘은 공부에 집중이 안 돼요.
= Maybe because I did not sleep well last night, I cannot focus on my studies today.
바람이 많이 불어서인지 어제보다 추운 것 같아요.
= Maybe because it is very windy, it feels like it is colder than yesterday.
Lesson 24. I guess I will have to… / -아/어/여야겠다
We are going to look at the commonly used sentence ending -아/어/여야겠다 in this lesson, and it is used to say things like “I guess I will have to…” or “I need to…” Basically, you are making an assumption about what needs to be done. In order to fully understand -아/어/여야겠다, you need to understand -겠- really well first. The suffix -겠- was covered in Level 6 Lesson 16, and here is a quick summary.
Understanding -겠-
You can use -겠- to express your assumption or intention or to ask someone about their intention. You can commonly see -겠- in fixed expressions such as “잘 먹겠습니다. (Thanks for the food. / Let’s eat. / I will enjoy the food.)” or “알겠습니다. (I see. / I understand what you are saying.)” but it is also frequently used to talk about what you are willing to do, like “제가 하겠습니다! (I will do it. / Let me do it.)”.
Construction
-아/어/여야겠다 is a combination of -아/어/여야 하다 and -겠-, and it is frequently used when you are talking to yourself, as well as when you are talking to someone else.
-아/어/여야 하다 = to have to
-겠- = show of assumption/intention
→ -아/어/여야겠다 = I guess I will have to; it looks like I need to; I understand that I should
Understanding -아/어/여야겠다
-아/어/여야겠다 is used not only to express “I guess I will have to” in the literal sense, but also to express what you think needs to be done, after you see something or get new information. When it is used in the latter sense, the meaning is often not translated but rather, understood through context. And obviously, -아/어/여야겠다 is only used with action verbs.
Sample Sentences (when you are talking to someone)
우리도 서둘러야겠어요.
= (I guess) We should hurry up, too.
다시 확인해 봐야겠어요.
= (I guess) I will have to check again.
품절되기 전에 빨리 주문해야겠어요.
= (I guess) We will have to order it quickly before it is sold out.
한 시간 정도 기다려야겠어요.
= We will have to wait for about an hour.
차 막히기 전에 출발해야겠어요.
= We will have to leave before the traffic gets bad.
Sample Sentences (when you are talking to yourself)
잠깐 쉬어야겠다.
= I need to take a break for a little while.
나중에 먹어야겠다.
= I am going to eat it later.
나도 이거 사야겠다.
= I need to buy this, too.
이제 집에 가야겠다.
= I need to go home now.
-지 말아야겠다
Earlier in this lesson, you learned that -아/어/여야겠다 can be used to express what you think needs to be done, after you see something or get new information. On the contrary, if you want to express what you think should not be done, you can use -지 말아야겠다, which is a combination of -지 말다 and -아/어/여야겠다. You could also say 안 -아/어/여야겠다 or -지 않아야겠다 for the same meaning, but -지 말아야겠다 is most commonly used.
Sample Sentences
이제 플라스틱 빨대를 쓰지 말아야겠어요.
= I think I should stop using plastic straws from now.
앞으로는 6시에 퇴근하지 말아야겠어요.
= I think I should not leave work at 6 o’clock from now on.
밤늦게 뭘 먹지 말아야겠다.
= I think I should not eat late at night.
너무 무리하지 말아야겠다.
= I think I should not work too hard/go overboard.
Lesson 25. To be bound to… / -기/게 마련이다
In this lesson, we are going to look at an expression you can use to talk about something that happens all the time or has a very strong tendency to happen. The main word for this expression is 마련, and you use it in the form of “Verb stem + -기 마련이다” or “Verb stem + -게 마련이다.”
Conjugation
- Verb stem + -기/게 마련이다
The full expression -기/게 마련이다 can be translated to “to be bound to”, “to be prone to”, “to be expected to”, or “to be natural that it happens”. Although it can be translated to “to be bound to”, it does not mean that something will “definitely” happen. Rather, it means that something “can definitely” happen, but also might not happen. You can use either -기 or -게 before 마련이다, but -기 is more commonly used.
The word 마련 is also used in the verb 마련하다, which means “to prepare” or “to prepare and obtain” something, like 대책을 마련하다(= to come up with a countermeasure), 음식을 마련하다(= to prepare food), 집을 마련하다(= to buy a house to live in), etc. Be careful not to mix up these two kinds of meanings. In this lesson, we will only focus on the structure -기/게 마련이다.
Example
좋은 일이 생기기 마련이에요.
= Good things are bound to happen.
결국 진실은 드러나기 마련이에요.
= The truth is bound to come to light eventually.
그럴 때가 있기 마련이에요.
= You are bound to have such times.
Alternative expressions
To express a similar meaning, you can also say -게 되어 있어요(= it is bound to be like that; it is designed to be that way; it is supposed to be like that) or -(으)ㄹ 가능성이 커요(= there is a big possibility that…; it is likely that…). (-게 되어 있다 was covered in Level 7 Lesson 25.)
좋은 일이 생기게 마련이에요.
= Good things are bound to happen.
= 좋은 일이 생기게 되어 있어요.
= 좋은 일이 생길 가능성이 커요.
결국 진실은 드러나게 마련이에요.
= The truth is bound to come to light eventually.
= 결국 진실은 드러나게 되어 있어요.
= 결국 진실은 드러날 가능성이 커요.
Using -다 보면 with -기/게 마련이다
Since -기/게 마련이다 is used to talk about a high probably or strong tendency of something happening, the expression -다 보면 is commonly used together with it. “Verb + -다 보면” means “when you do something for a while” or “as you do something, you will experience so-and-so.”
Sample Sentences
사업을 하다 보면 어려움이 있기 마련이에요.
= When you run a business, you are bound to have difficulties (from time to time).
살다 보면 후회하는 일이 있기 마련이에요.
= As you live your life, there are certainly things you regret.
축구를 하다 보면 다치기 마련이죠.
= When you play soccer, you are bound to get hurt from time to time.
여러 사람이 같이 일을 하다 보면 오해가 있기 마련이에요.
= When several people work together, there will sometimes be misunderstandings.
-(으)면 -기/게 마련이다 is also commonly used.
Sample Sentences
준비 운동을 안 하면 다치기 마련이에요.
= If you don’t warm up before exercising, you are bound to get hurt.
시간이 지나면 잊혀지기 마련이에요.
= If time passes, it is bound to be forgotten.
* 잊혀지다 is grammatically incorrect because the two types of passive verb endings are used TOGETHER in one verb, -히- and -아/어/여지다. The correct form is 잊히다. However, as you learned in Level 6 Lesson 21, especially with some verbs, people tend to use this kind of “double passive voice” even though it is grammatically incorrect.
Lesson 26. Advanced Idiomatic Expressions 15 / 하나 (One)
This is an Advanced Idiomatic Expressions lesson related to 하나, which means “one”. In order to fully understand and use the expressions introduced in this series, it is essential that you understand the grammatical structure of the sentences. When you come across a grammar point that you are unfamiliar with, please go back and review the related TTMIK lessons.
Keyword:
하나 = one
- 하나도 모르다 = to not know anything
→ 도 usually means “also” or “too” in positive sentence, but when it is used with a negative expression, it can mean “not even”. So 하나도 모르다 takes on the meaning of “to not even know one” and therefore means “to know nothing”.
Ex)
뭐가 뭔지 하나도 모르겠어요.
= I have no idea what is going on.
= I have no idea what is what. (I am confused.)
- 하나도 없다 = to not have any, there is none
→ The literal translation of 하나도 없다 is “there is not even one”, so it means that there is no amount of something. You can use this expression about things you can count, like 의자가 하나도 없어요(= There are no chairs.) and things you cannot count, like 돈이 하나도 없어요(= I have no money at all.). For things you can count, you can replace 하나도 with 한 개도 to sound more casual.
Ex)
세상에 쉬운 일이 하나도 없네요.
= There is nothing easy in this world.
- 하나 없다 = to not have any, there is none, one is missing
→ 하나 없다 and 하나도 없다 look similar and are translated similarly, but the usages are different. One difference is that it can be used to mean “one is missing”, like 여기 컵 하나 없어요(= We lack one cup here.), but the idiomatic usage in a negative sentence is more interesting. With 하나도 없다, the subject that comes before 하나도 usually has a subject marking particle, like 연필이 하나도 없어요(= As for pencils, I do not have any.), which creates a longer pause and time to anticipate the following part. However, 하나 없다 is shorter and therefore is more closely attached to the subject, often with the subject marker omitted, and 하나 없다 is often changed into the modifier form of 하나 없는, like 주름 하나 없는 피부(a skin without even a single wrinkle).
Ex)
창문 하나 없는 사무실에서 일하고 싶지 않아요.
= I do not want to work in an office without even a single window.
- 하나도 안 아프다 = to not hurt at all
→ Although the degree of a certain pain is not countable, since the expression 하나도 안 is used in the sense of “not even one” or “not even a small bit”, 하나도 안 아프다 means “to not hurt at all”.
Ex)
다행히 매트 위에 떨어져서 하나도 안 아팠어요.
= Luckily, I fell onto the mattress so it did not hurt at all.
- 하나도 남김없이 = without leaving anything, without anything left over, completely
→ 남기다 means to leave something behind or to not finish something, like unfinished food or unfinished homework. 남김 is the noun form of it and by adding -없이 after it, it takes on the meaning of “without anything left”. 하나도 남김없이 is used to describe something that is done or should be done thoroughly and completely.
Ex)
하나도 남김없이 저 방으로 옮기세요.
= Move everything to that room, without leaving anything behind.
- 하나밖에 없는 = one and only, one of a kind
→ -밖에 없다 means to “only have” something, and 하나밖에 없다 means “to only have one”. This expression is often used in the modifier form of 하나밖에 없는 to mean “one and only” or “one of a kind”. For example, 세상에 하나밖에 없는 가방이에요 means “This bag is one of a kind.” or more literally, “There is only one bag like this in this world.”
Ex)
하나밖에 없는 오빠한테 이럴 거야?
= I am your one and only brother and you are going to do this to me?
- 만에 하나 = by any possibility, out of a low probability
→ 만 means ten thousand, so 만에 하나 literally means “one out of ten thousand (cases)”. When something is considered highly unlikely but you want to mention the probability of something happening, you can say 만에 하나 to emphasize the meaning of “if” or “so, what if?”
Ex)
만에 하나 그날 갑자기 비가 오면 어떡해요?
= I know it is unlikely, but what if it suddenly rains that day?
- 하나만 알고 둘은 모르다 = to only know one thing and not more, to know only one side of the whole story
→ When someone can only see one thing and fails to see beyond it, you can use this expression. It is usually used when the speaker can see a bigger picture.
Ex)
애들은 정말 하나만 알고 둘은 모른다니까. 숙제 다 하면 아이스크림 주려고 했는데.
= Kids really cannot see beyond what is right in front of them. I was going to give them ice cream once they have finished their homework.
- 하나부터 열까지 = from A to Z, every little detail, through and through
→ 하나부터 열까지 literally means “from one to ten” and it is often used together with words like 알다(= to know), 설명하다(= to explain), 신경쓰다(= to mind, to care about), etc.
Ex)
내가 하나부터 열까지 다 설명해 줘야 돼?
= Do I have to explain everything in detail?
- 하나를 보면 열을 알다 = you see one and you have seen them all
→ When you see one aspect of something or someone, you can often see what the whole picture must be like. For example, when you see someone being rude to their friends, you can guess that they will be rude to other people, including yourself. You can use this expression in such situations, and when you want to link it with other phrases, you can start your sentence like 하나를 보면 열을 알 수 있다는데(= they say that you can see what someone is like from one behavior, and…), or 하나를 보면 열을 안다고(= like the saying “you see one and you know ten”).
Ex)
하나를 보면 열을 알 수 있다는데, 여기서 이렇게 행동하면, 집에서는 어떻겠어요?
= They say that you see one and can know ten, and if he behaves like this here, what will he be like at home?
Lesson 27. Showing Empathy or Shock / 얼마나 -(으)ㄹ까(요), 얼마나 -(으)면
When you are asking about the amount or degree of something, you can use the word 얼마나 to say things like “how big(얼마나 큰)”, “how fast(얼마나 빠른)”, “how high(얼마나 높은)”, etc. In this lesson, we are going to look at two useful expressions using 얼마나.
1.
얼마나 -(으)ㄹ까(요)
얼마나 means “how much” or “to what extent”, and -(으)ㄹ까(요) expresses a guess or assumption, so together, “얼마나 + verb stem + -(으)ㄹ까(요)” literally means “how … will it be?”.
Ex)
저 건물은 얼마나 비쌀까(요)?
= How expensive will that building over there be?
= I wonder how expensive that building over there is.
If you use “얼마나… -(으)ㄹ까(요)” with a word relating to one’s feelings, such as 좋다, 아프다, 힘들다, 속상하다, 기쁘다, etc., you can express empathy by imagining the other person’s situation. In this case, it is often followed by 생각하니(까) to mean “thinking about how much/to what extent one must have done so-and-so”. If you are talking about a past incident, you can use “얼마나… -았/었/였을까(요)”.
“얼마나… -(으)ㄹ까(요)” is often used when you are thinking out loud, and not necessarily expecting someone’s answer. In that case, you say it in 반말 without -요.
Sample Sentences
얼마나 좋을까?
= How good would it be?
= How happy he must be!
얼마나 아플까요?
= How painful would it be?
= How painful it must be!
얼마나 아팠을까?
= I wonder how painful it must have been.
= I wonder how painful it was.
얼마나 힘들었을까요?
= I wonder how hard it must have been.
= I wonder how hard it was.
그 사람이 얼마나 힘들었을까 생각하니 가슴이 아파요.
= It breaks my heart to think about how much he must have suffered.
제 친구들이 얼마나 고생했을까 생각하니 미안하네요.
= I feel bad thinking about how much work it must have been for my friends.
2.
얼마나 -(으)면
얼마나 means “how much” and -(으)면 means “if”. The literal translation of “얼마나 + verb stem + -(으)면” is “if something is at what degree/extent” but the actual meaning is “in order for THAT to be have happened, there must have been this much of THIS”. The part before -(으)면 can be in the past tense, too, like 얼마나 -았/었/였으면.
Examples
얼마나 추웠으면 = how cold he must have been (in order for him to do that)
얼마나 바쁘면 = how busy she must be (in order for her to do that)
얼마나 맛있으면 = how tasty it must be (in order for that to happen)
얼마나 -(으)면 is usually paired with endings like -겠어(요)? or -(으)ㄹ까(요)?
얼마나 A + -(으)면 + B + -겠어(요)?
= How (much) A do you think it is for B to happen?
얼마나 A + -(으)면 + B + -(으)ㄹ까(요)?
= How (much) A do you think will it have to be for B to happen?
Sample Sentences
얼마나 무거웠으면 끈이 끊어졌을까?
= I wonder how heavy it was for the strap to be cut.
얼마나 재미있었으면 게임을 열 시간 동안 했을까?
= I wonder how fun it was for them to play the video game for 10 hours.
= The game must have been a lot of fun because they played it for 10 hours.
얼마나 노래를 불렀으면 목이 저렇게 쉬었을까요?
= I wonder how much she sang for her voice to be that hoarse.
얼마나 급했으면 선생님이 직접 전화했겠어요?
= It must have been so urgent because the teacher called in person.
얼마나 걱정됐으면 제가 여기까지 왔겠어요?
= Can you guess how worried I was to come all the way here?
= I was so worried that I came all the way here.
