HowtoStudyKorean Unit 4 PDF

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Unit 4: Lessons 76 - 100
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Last Updated on December 19, 2020
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Table of Contents
Lessons 76 – 83
Lesson 76: Introduction to 는데, 는 데, 데 and 때…………………......................... p. 3
Lesson 77: ~는데 compared to ~는 데, 그런데………………................................. p. 10
Lesson 78: According to, due to: ~에 의하다, ~(으)로 인하다……………............ p. 18
Lesson 79: Difficult words: (그)대로, 인기, 당연하다, 알맞다, 전체………..…... p. 25
Lesson 80: Must not, should not: ~아/어서는 안 되다, ~(으)면 안 되다................. p. 34
Lesson 81: Because: ~(으)니(까)………………………………............................... p. 40
Lesson 82: Expressing surprise: ~구나, ~군(요)……………………........................ p. 47
Lesson 83: Expressing surprise: ~네(요)………........................................................ p. 52
Lessons 76 – 83 Mini-Test...................................... .................................................. p. 57
Lessons 84 – 91
Lesson 84: As soon as: ~자마자, ~자, ~는 대로……………................................... p. 60
Lesson 85: To know, to not know: ~ㄹ/을 줄 알다/모르다……….......................... p. 67
Lesson 86: Negating words and clauses: 아니라………........................................... p. 73
Lesson 87: To decide to: ~기로 하다………............................................................. p. 78
Lesson 88: The many meanings of ~다가…………………….................................. p. 81
Lesson 89: Comparing with fractions and orders of magnitude................................. p. 92
Lesson 90: Emphasizing a point: ~잖아(요)………….............................................. p. 101
Lesson 91: The many meanings of ~거든(요)……………….................................... p. 107
Lessons 84 – 91 Mini-Test.......................................................................................... p. 113
Lessons 92 – 100
Lesson 92: The many meanings of ~도록………………...................................... p. 116
Lesson 93: Turn a statement into a question: ~지/죠.............................................. p. 122
Lesson 94: To end up: ~게 되다………………………………….......................... p. 128
Lesson 95: Only, just: 뿐, 뿐만 아니라…………….............................................. p. 132
Lesson 96: If you want to/in order to: ~(으)려면……………................................ p. 137
Lesson 97: The difference between 갖다 and 가지다………................................. p. 140
Lesson 98: To pretend: ~은/ㄴ/는 척하다.............................................................. p. 147
Lesson 99: Even if: ~더라도................................................................................... p. 151
Lesson 100: The many meanings of ~텐데(요).……………….............................. p. 154
Lessons 92 – 100 Mini-Test..................................................................................... p. 163
Nouns: Verbs:
손자 = grandson 묻다 = to bury
손녀 = granddaughter 칭찬하다 = to praise
외아들 = only son 출석하다 = to attend
장모님 = mother in law 훈제하다 = to smoke a food
장인 = father in law
부인 = wife Passive Verbs:
성인 = adult 묻히다 = to be buried
연어 = salmon 피부가 타다 = to get a sun burn
산소 = grave
Adjectives:
그늘 = shade
무덥다 = hot and humid
그림자 = shadow
팔꿈치 = elbow
버섯 = mushroom
천국 = heaven
주민 = resident
Introduction
In this lesson, you will learn about a grammatical principle that you probably hear all the
time in Korean. Probably one of the most common grammatical forms in Korean is the
usage of ~는데. Why did it take me until Lesson 76 to finally introduce to this principle?
Its meaning is complex and difficult to understand, especially when a learner hasn’t quite
mastered the basics of Korean grammar. If you do completely understand the usage of
~는데 after my two lessons describing it, you either owe it to yourself for having a good
grasp of the Korean language, or you owe it to me for being a good teacher! Let’s get
started.
The Difference Between 데 and 때

First things first, I need to simply describe the difference between the words “때” and
“데.” In Lesson 42, you learned how 때 is used to refer to a time. For example:
저녁 때 = During dinner/evening time

방학 때 = During the school vacation
As it refers to a time, it can also be used to indicate the time in which something happens.
For example:
저는 돈을 받을 때 행복할 거예요 = When I receive (the) money, I will be happy

뼈마디가 아플 때 이 약을 드세요 = When your joints hurt, take this medicine
때 is a noun – a noun that refers to a “time.”
데 is another noun – but a noun that refers to a “place.” Synonyms of this word are
“장소” and “곳” which you should be familiar with by now. While 곳 and 장소 can be
used in many parts of a sentence, 데 is usually only used when being described by some
verb or adjective using the ~는 것 principle.
For example:
성인이 없는 데로 가자 = Let’s go to a place where there is no adults

주민들이 살 데가 없어요 = There is no place for the residents to live
혹시 가고 싶은 데가 있어요? = Do you have a place that you want to go to?
우리가 장인이 계시는 데에 갔어요 = We went to the place where my father-in-law is
우리가 처음에 만났던 데에 갔어요 = We went to the place that we met for the first time
돈이 없어서 갈 수 있는 데가 없었어요 = He had nowhere to go because he had no money
In Lesson 25, you learned how to create the meaning of anybody, nobody, anytime,
anywhere, nowhere, etc. You learned that you can create the meaning of “anywhere” or
“nowhere” using “데” for example:
아무 데나 = anywhere
아무 데도 = nowhere
The meaning of 데 to mean “place” is easy to understand in the examples that have been
presented so far. However, this becomes more complicated when you start learning about
other grammatical principles that can be easily confused with the sentences we made
earlier. Let’s dive right into this confusion.
~는데 vs. ~는 데
As you just learned, 데 can be placed as the noun in the ~는 것 principle to mean
“place.” This means that you will often see sentences that have the construction “~는
데.” For example:
성인이 없는 데로 가자 = Let’s go to a place where there is no adults

우리가 장인이 계시는 데에 갔어요 = We went to the place where my father-in-law is
돈이 없어서 갈 수 있는 데가 없었어요 = He had nowhere to go because he had no money
Notice the space between ~는 and 데. The space signifies that 데 is a noun (meaning
“place”) and the clause before “는” is describing the noun. However, “~는데” (without
the space) is a completely different grammatical principle and can create many different
meanings – all of which are very hard to grasp.
I will describe one of these meanings in the remainder of this lesson.
The Most Common Meaning of ~는데
The most common meaning of ~는데 when placed between two clauses is very similar
(but subtly different) than the English equivalent of “even though.” In English we use
“even though” to negate an upcoming clause. For example:
Even though I don’t like meat, I will try some.
In that sentence, you are negating the fact that you don’t like meat, and the second clause
(“I will try some”) indicates something opposing the first clause.
In Korean, you would use the grammatical principle ~지만 to create this meaning.
For example:
제가 고기를 안 좋아하지만 먹어볼 거예요
You could ask 100 Korean people and look in 100 Korean dictionaries for a concrete
definition of “~는데” and never get a straight answer. After constantly hearing it, using
it, and reflecting on it, my personal definition of this principle is:
A meaning that is slightly less strong than “even though,” and/or often times setting up
the situation for an upcoming clause.
Let’s work on the first part of that definition – a meaning that is slightly less strong than
“even though.” You can use this grammatical principle to mean “even though.” For
example, this sentence would be very similar to the sentence above:
제가 고기를 안 좋아하는데 먹어볼 거예요 = Even though I don’t like meat, I will try some
The second part of the definition provided above – “often times setting up the situation
for the upcoming clause” is the key to using the principle. ~는데 is often used in
sentences to connects two thoughts or ideas. Instead of separating them into two
sentences you can use “~는데” to join them together. For example, instead of saying:
제가 밥을 먹고 있어요. 사실 밥을 별로 좋아하지 않아요
You could more naturally say:
제가 밥을 먹고 있는데 사실 밥을 별로 좋아하지 않아요
In these cases, the first clause sets up the scenario for the second clause. The meaning
within this sentence also has a slight meaning of “even though.” For example, the
meaning of that sentence is somewhere between:
I am eating, and I don’t really like it

Even though I am eating, I don’t really like it
But even those translations are debatable and could change depending on the situation.
Translating ~는데 directly into English is very hard because not only is there no direct
translation, the meaning is very variable.
While sometimes the meaning it takes on might have this slight “even though” feeling (as
you have seen in the examples above), depending on the situation, it might not have that
feeling at all. The key to understanding this grammatical principle is understanding the
context of the conversation.
For example, if you wanted to ask a question to your teacher, you could do it like this:
저는 질문이 있어요. 이 일을 언제까지 해야 되나요?

= I have a question. Until when do we have to finish this work?
(When does this work need to be finished?)
However, while perfectly correct, that sentence could sound awkward in a lot of
situations. I’ve had the opportunity to speak to many foreigners who are studying Korean,
and the number one “mistake” that they often make is not connecting their sentences with
~는데. Using ~는데 really makes sentences flow off your tongue, and the more
comfortable you are with it, the more natural your Korean will sound. The sentence
above could very naturally be connected to look like this:
질문이 있는데 이 일을 언제까지 해야 되나요?

= I have a question…until when do we have to finish this work?
I think that the best way to understand how this principle can be used is to see it in a lot
of examples. Let’s get you on the right path right now with a bunch of examples right
here:
저는 아들 한 명 밖에 없는데 손자 세 명이 있어요
= I only have one son, but I have three grandsons
저는 참석을 못 하는데 저 대신에 저의 부인이 갈 거예요

= I can’t attend, but instead of me, my wife will go
제가 지금 가야 되는데 혹시 그것을 내일 저한테 줄 수 있어요?

= I have to go now; can you give that to me tomorrow?
우리는 이 일을 원래 해야 되는데 너무 복잡해서 하기 싫어요

= Even though we are/were supposed to do this (work), I don’t want to do it because it is
too complicated
어린이들을 많이 칭찬해 줘야 되는데 안 해 주면 성인이 돼서 문제가 생길 수 있어요
= You need to praise children a lot, and if you don’t, when they become an adult, there
could be problems
If the first clause occurred in the past, you can conjugate the first clause into the past
tense, just like with other grammatical principles like ~기 때문에. For example:
가게에 갔는데 버섯은 없었어요

= I went to the store, but there wasn’t any mushrooms
일찍 일어났는데 아직 안 피곤해요
= I woke up early, but I’m not tired yet (even though I woke up early, I’m not tired)
그림자를 봤는데 누구인지도 몰랐어요

= I saw the shadow, but I didn’t know who it was
손녀를 보러 가고 있었는데 사고가 나서 못 갔어요

= I went to go see my granddaughter, but I got into an accident, so I couldn’t go
어제 해변에 가서 로션을 많이 발랐는데 피부가 탔어요

= I went to the beach yesterday, and even though I put on a lot of lotion, I got a sun burn
우리가 20 분 전에 밥을 시켰는데 아직 도착하지 않았어요

= Even though we ordered our food 20 minutes ago, it still hasn’t arrived
선생님께 물어봤는데 문제를 이렇게 풀어야 된다고 했어요

= I asked the professor, and he said that we have to solve the problem this way
저는 원래 캐나다에서 왔는데 이제 한국에서 산 지 5 년 됐어요

= I’m originally from Canada, but I’ve been living in Korea for 5 years now
그 금이 원래 묻혀 있었는데 사람들이 이 지역에서 그 금을 자꾸 찾으려고 해서

드디어 어떤 사람이 찾았어요
= That gold was originally buried, but people kept trying to look for it in this area, so
eventually some person found it
This grammatical principle can be applied to adjectives as well. However, instead of

attaching ~는데, you must attach ~ㄴ/은데, where ~은데 comes after an adjective that
ends in a consonant, and ~ㄴ데 attaches directly to an adjective that ends in a vowel (or
with the consonant ㄹ). This applies to 이다 as well (and also remember that 싶다 is an
adjective).
You have learned many times that 있다 (usually) and 없다 (always) are adjectives.
Although this is true, ~은 is rarely added to these words. Therefore, I included 있다 and
없다 in the section above with verbs, where ~는데 is attached. I first introduced 있다
and 없다 acting differently than most adjectives in Lesson 28. You also see 있다 and
없다 act differently than other adjectives when applying other grammatical principles –
like when quoting questions (Lesson 53).
팔꿈치가 아픈데 언제 나을지 몰라요

= My elbow is sore, and I don’t know when it will get better
그 여자가 예쁜데 내 스타일이 아니야

= That girl is pretty, but she is not my style
저의 와이프가 예쁜데 장모님과 안 닮았어요

= My wife is pretty, but she doesn’t look like/resemble my mother-in-law
토론토는 되게 큰 도시인데 진짜 할 것이 없어요

= Toronto is a big city, but there is nothing to do there
여기가 너무 더운데 그늘이 있는 데로 가도 돼요?

= It is too hot here, can we go to a place where there is shade?
나는 그렇게 하고 싶은데 같이 할 수 있는 사람이 없어

= I want to do it like that, but I don’t have anybody to do it with
연어를 먹고 싶은데 훈제하는 기계가 없어서 못 먹겠어요

= I want to eat salmon, but I don’t have the machine to smoke it, so I can’t eat it
문제가 별로 없을 것 같은데 혹시 문제가 생기면 나에게 전화해 줘

= There probably won’t be a problem, but if one comes up, call me
지금 날씨가 아주 무더운데 비가 곧 올 거라서 시원해질 것 같아요

= The weather is very hot and humid now, but it will rain soon, so it will probably get
cooler
그 사진에 있는 사람은 저의 아버지인데 7 년 동안 한 번도 안 만났어요

= The person in that picture is my dad, but I haven’t seen him in 7 years
———————————————-
The following is an example of a sentence that a person said to me at school. The person
is in charge of preparing the science lab for us whenever we do experiments. She said it
like this:
선생님이 내일부터 실험을 할 건데 재료가 뭐 필요하세요?

= You (teacher) are going to be doing an experiment starting from tomorrow (as in, in
your classes this week), what (ingredients) do you need?
You might be confused with the use of “건데” in that sentence. Remember, 것 can be
shorted to 거. When this happens, 이다 is now attached to “거” to make “거이다.” When
이다 attaches to a noun that ends in a vowel, the “이” can merge to the noun. Now, when
I add ~ㄴ데 to this construction I come out with 건데. The above example could also be
written in either of the following ways:
선생님이 내일부터 실험을 할 것인데 재료가 뭐 필요하세요?

선생님이 내일부터 실험을 할 거인데 재료가 뭐 필요하세요?
———————————————-
~는데 is very versatile and using it makes your Korean sound very natural. The usage is
a little bit hard to get used to, but by adding ~는데 into your repertoire of Korean you
will very quickly discover its specific usage. I suggest using this principle very often,
especially (as I mentioned earlier) to join two clauses together where the first can give the
background scenario for the upcoming clause.
There are a few other ways that ~는데 can be used, but I will describe these in the next
lesson. For now… that’s it for this lesson!
Nouns: Verbs:
물품 = articles, goods 훈육하다 = to discipline
무지개 = rainbow 털다 = to dust off, to shake off
상업 = commerce, business 설득하다 = to convince, to persuade
걸레 = rag 꽂다 = to stick into
빗자루 = broom 짚다 = to put one’s hands on something
자물쇠 = a lock 염려하다 = to worry
허리띠 = belt 맞이하다 = to welcome/greet/receive guests
근로자 = ordinary workers 줍다 = to pick up
창의 = originality 감다 = to wind, to coil, to wrap around
최악 = the worst 선발하다 = to select, to pick out
검사하다 = to examine
Adjectives: 인정하다 = to acknowledge, to admit
섭섭하다 = to be upset 앓다 = to be in pain because of an illness
실용적이다 = to be practical 닦다 = to wipe
긴급하다 = to be very urgent 쓸다 = to sweep
간편하다 = to be simple, to be convenient
창의적이다 = to be creative
Introduction
In the previous lesson, you learned the meaning of 데 as a noun, and also learned how to
apply ~는데 to sentences. In this lesson, you will continue to learn about ~는데, and will
also learn about the meaning that is created if you put a space between ~는 and 데. Let’s
get started!
The Meaning of 그런데

In the previous lesson, you learned that you can use ~는데 between two clauses. When
used like this, “~는데” has a meaning that is slightly less strong than the expression
“even though,” where the first clause will often prepare the scenario for the second clause.
In Lesson 23, you learned about the word “그렇다” and how many grammatical
principles can combine with it. As you know, 그렇다 is an adjective. Therefore, ~ㄴ데
attaches to 그렇다 to create “그런데” (remember the ㅎ irregular, also introduced in
Lesson 23). The most common English translation of 그런데 is “by the way.” In my
opinion, this translation is not perfect.
In English, we would use “by the way” introduce a new topic that wasn’t previous being
discussed. I picture “by the way” being used in the following scenario:
Imagine you are talking with a friend about learning Korean. A few minutes go by, and
you both eventually run out of things to say about that topic. Things start getting a little
awkward, and then you remember that you bumped into your friend’s mother yesterday.
You might say:
“Oh, by the way, I bumped into your mother the other day.”
That is not really how 그런데 is used in Korean.
In order understand its meaning, we need to remember the purpose of 그렇다. 그렇다 is
used to refer to a situation. Grammatical principles are often attached to 그렇다 to add
their respective meanings to 그렇다.
A simple example of this is when ~아/어서 (Lesson 37) is added to 그렇다.
When some situation is being talked about, you can refer to that situation using 그렇다,
and then attach ~아/어서 to it to indicate “because of that situation…” For example:
Person 1: 비가 왔어요? = Did it rain?

Person 2: 응, 그래서 나가기 싫어요 = Yeah, that’s why/therefore I don’t want to go out
When we use 그렇다, we are referring to a situation that was previously known or
discussed.
When we use 그런데, the speaker acknowledges the situation (through 그렇다) and the
use of ~는데 sets up the next clause by indicating it will go in another direction. 그런데
is therefore used in sentences where a prior situation is slightly negated, and the speaker
will bring up other information.
It is difficult to give a simple English definition because we do not have the same type of
thing. Let’s look at some examples to help you grasp its usage. 그런데 would typically
be used in response to some previously stated sentence. Therefore, in the examples below,
I have included a sentence before “그런데” to give the usage some context.
Person 1: 집을 다 청소했어요 = I cleaned the whole house

Person 2: 그런데 바닥을 언제 닦았어요? = (But….) when did you wipe the floors?
Person 1: 지금 엄마를 보러 가려고 집에 가고 있어요 = I am going home to see mom now

Person 2: 그런데 제가 집에 갔을 때 엄마가 없었어요 = (But…) when I went home,
mom wasn’t there
You will often hear the word “근데” being used instead of 그런데. 근데 is a contraction
of 그런데, and therefore has the same usage. I specifically presented the meaning of
“그런데” first because I wanted to show you how it is created – and then now I can
introduce you to “근데” which is an evolved contraction. However, I feel that “근데” is
much more common in speech. Below are many examples. You could replace 근데 with
그런데 in all cases, but I prefer to use 근데.
Person 1: 좋은 결과가 드디어 나왔어요

= Finally, we got a good result (a good result came out)
Person 2: 근데 다른 사람들이 결과가 왜 최악이라고 해요?
= (But…) then why do other people say that the result is the worst?
Person 1: 우리가 검사를 해서 문제가 있다는 것을 깨달았어요

= We did an inspection, and we realized that there are many problems
Person 2: 근데 검사를 언제 했어요?
= (But…) when did you do the inspection?
Person 1: 다음 달부터 모든 학생들이 창의적인 물품을 만들 거예요

= From next month, all students will make a creative product/good
Person 2: 근데 이런 것이 중요하다고 교장선생님을 어떻게 설득해요?
= (But…) how do we convince the principal that this type of thing is important?
Person 1: 지난 주에 제가 경기를 잘해서 코치가 이번 경기에 저를 선발했어요

= I did well in the match last week, so the coach selected me for this game
Person 2: 근데 왜 이렇게 섭섭해 보여요?
= (But…) then why do you look so sad?
Person 1: 우리 회사에서 모든 근로자들이 경민이 제일 중요한 사람이라고 인정했어요

= All workers at our company agreed/admitted that Gyeong-min is the most important person
Person 2: 근데 그녀를 왜 아무도 안 좋아해요?
= (But…) then why does nobody like her?
Person 1: 우리 과학 수업에 학생들이 이해할 수 있게 항상 아주 간편하고 실용적인

내용만 해요
= During science classes, I try to always only do/teach simple and practical content so
students can understand it well
Person 2: 근데 학생들이 과학을 왜 싫어해요?
= (But…) then why do students not like science?
Before we move on to another grammatical principle, I would like to discuss another way
that ~는데 is commonly used.
Finishing a Sentence with ~는데
“~는데” is often added to the end of a sentence. The meaning isn’t entirely different than
what has already been described in the previous lesson and in this lesson with 그런데 but
its usage is slightly different so I am presenting separately.
We have seen how other grammatical principles can be added to the end of sentences. For
example, in Lesson 37 you saw how ~아/어서 can be used at the end of a sentence in the
following dialogue:
Person 1: 한국에 왜 가고 싶어?

Person 2: 너무 좋아서…
In that example, “~아서” ends the sentence, but only because the remainder of the
sentence can be assumed from context. Similar to how “Because I like it” is not really a
perfect sentence in English “너무 좋아서” is not really a perfect sentence in Korean.
In that same way, ~는데 can end a sentence – where the remainder of the sentence can be
assumed. Imagine this dialogue between two people:
Person 1: 내가 너무 더워서 창문을 열 거야 = I’m going to open the window because I’m so hot
Person 2: 나는 추운데…. = … But… I’m cold
This usage of ~는데 (when used at the end of a clause followed by nothing) creates a
similar meaning to “But….”. For example:
가기 싫은데… = But I don’t want to go…

맛없는데… = But it’s not delicious…
Using “But…” to translate these constructions into English works in a pinch (pun
intended), but it doesn’t fully describe how and when these types of constructions would
be used. These types of constructions are most commonly used when you are disagreeing
with what somebody says – and your response is indicating your feelings towards what
was said (directly or indirectly). For example, you can see in the example “나는
추운데,” Person 2 wasn’t directly telling Person 1 “Hey, don’t open the window, I’m
cold!” Instead, Person 2 was trying to point out that he/she is cold – and therefore,
doesn’t want Person 1 to open the window.
The same could be said for the other two examples above. For example:
Person 1: 빨리 가자! = Let’s go!

Person 2: 가기 싫은데… = (But…) I don’t want to go…
Person 1: 야채를 다 먹어라 = Eat all your vegetables

Person 2: 맛없는데 … = (But…) it’s not delicious…
I should point out, if you haven’t already guessed, that responding this way might be a
little bit rude. Responding this way feels like you are talking back to the listener – as if
you are thrusting your opinion towards him/her. However, this would depend on the
context and the tone in which it is said. It is possible to make ~는데 formal at the end of
a sentence by attaching ~요.
Let’s look at many examples:
Person 1: 그 플러그를 여기에 꽂아 봐요 = Try plugging that plug in here

Person 2: 너무 큰데 = (But…) it’s too big
Person 1: 빨리 와요! 우리 지금 바로 해야 돼요! = Come quick! We need to do it right away!

Person 2: 그렇게 긴급하지 않은데 = (But…) it’s not that urgent
Person 1: 와! 저 무지개를 봐 봐요! = Wow! Look at that rainbow!

Person 2: 별로 안 예쁜데 = (But…) it’s not that pretty
Person 1: 이 선을 여기에 감아 줘 = Wrap that line/cord around here, please

Person 2: 귀찮은데 = (But…) it’s annoying/I don’t want to
Person 1: 이 교무실을 쓸어 주세요 = Sweep this (teacher’s) office for me please

Person 2: 빗자루가 없는데요 = (But…) there is no broom
Person 1: 담요에 왜 이렇게 먼지가 많아요? = Why is there so much dust on the blanket?
Person 2: 아까 털었는데 = (But…) I shook it off earlier
Person 1: 그 선생님이랑 지금 바로 얘기해야 돼요

= I need to talk with that teacher right now
Person 2: 공항에서 손님을 맞이하러 나갔는데요
= (But…) the teacher went out to meet/greet the guests at the airport
Person 1: 저는 미래에 아직 무슨 일을 할지 몰라요

= I still don’t know what (job) I will do in the future
Person 2: 네가 아직 어려서 미래를 염려하지 않아도 되는데
= (But…) you are still young, so you don’t need to worry about the future
Person 1: 선생님이 오시기 전에 바닥에 있는 종이를 다 주워야 돼요

= Before the teacher comes, we need to pick up the papers on the floor
Person 2: 시간이 없을 것 같은데
= (But…) there probably won’t be enough time…
Different regions in Korea have different accents and dialects. My wife’s family all
comes from the province “전라남도,” which is in the southern part of the Korean
peninsula. People from this region usually pronounce the “데” in ~는데 as “디.” This is
not specific to just using ~는데 at the end of a sentence as you just learned, but also in
the middle of a sentence (separating two clauses) as you learned in the previous lesson.
I live in Seoul and on numerous occasions I have been able to correctly identify that the
person I am talking to is from 전라남도 just from hearing this different pronunciation. A
foreigner speaking Korean is usually shocking enough to Korean people, but imagine
how they might feel if you can identify their accent!
Sometimes I like to use “~는디” when I speak in Korean as well. “는디” comes out of
my mouth naturally sometimes because I have been exposed to it for so long.
Pronouncing ~는데 as “는디” in Seoul as a foreigner would be the equivalent to a

Korean person living in America learning English, but randomly busting out a thick
British Cockney accent. It will definitely make people laugh if you do it sometimes. For
example, the next time your Korean friend tells you to do something, you can say
something like:
이미 했는디 = But, I’ve already done it, or

하기 싫은디 = But, I don’t want to do it
In the previous lesson, you learned about “데” as a noun meaning “place.” Also in the
previous lesson, and continuing to this lesson, you learned the meaning that ~는데 can
create if it used to connect clauses, used at the end of a sentence, or used with 그렇다.
For the remainder of this lesson, I would like to introduce you to a similar looking (and
sounding) grammatical principle.
~는 데: To Take an Amount of Time or Resources
So far, you have learned the meanings that ~는데 can have. Notice that there is no space
between “는” and “데.” You also learned that ~는 (or any other ~는 것 derivative) can
describe “데” to refer to a place.
When described by a previous clause using ~는, “데” can have another meaning. When
describing “데” this way, the speaker can indicate that it takes a certain amount of time
(or resources) to complete an action. The action that is being done is placed before ~는
데, and the time (or resources) it requires is placed after ~는 데. Let’s look at a simple
example:
밥을 다 먹는 데 한 시간 걸렸어요
Here, the speaker is indicating how long it took to “eat all of the food” (밥을 다 먹는다).
This is placed before “~는 데” and the indication of how much time – one hour (한 시간)
describes how long it took. The translation for this sentence would be:
밥을 다 먹는 데 한 시간 걸렸어요 = It took an hour to eat all the food
The clause describing “데” always describes it using ~는, and not any other derivative of
~는 것. Below are many more examples:
여기까지 오는 데 시간이 많이 걸렸어요

= It took a long time for me to come here
자물쇠를 여는 데 시간이 왜 이렇게 오래 걸려요?

= Why is it taking so long to open the lock?
제가 우리 집에서 친구의 집까지 가는 데 5 분 걸렸어요

= It took 5 minutes for me to get from my house to my friend’s house
이 작은 걸레로 바닥을 다 닦는 데 시간이 많이 걸릴 거예요

= It will take a long time to wipe the floor with this small rag
Notice that the verb 걸리다 is often used when indicating that an action takes a certain
amount of time. You can also use this same style of sentence to indicate that doing an
action takes a certain amount of money, energy, or some other resource. For example:
그렇게 큰 박스를 드는 데 사람 두 명이 필요해요

= You need two people to lift that kind of a big box
집을 짓는 데 돈이 많이 들었어요
= It cost a lot to have this house built (literally: I put a lot of money into making this house)
Alright! I think that is enough about ~는데 and ~는 데.
————————————-
The usages and meanings of ~는데 are very confusing at first. To make the problem
more complex, ~는 데 sounds identical to ~는데 in speech. This often makes it very
confusing for Korean learners – who not only have a hard time understanding the subtle
nuance of ~는데, but also have to distinguish between ~는데 and ~는 데 – both of which
have more than one meaning.
The context can always help distinguish these sentences for you, but this will only
become easy if you expose yourself to Korean as much as possible (and of course, use
Korean as much as possible). ~는데 and ~는 데 are two grammatical principles that take
a lot of practice (using and hearing) to fully understand. So what are you waiting for? Get
out there and start practicing!
That’s it for this lesson!
Nouns: Verbs:
인상 = impression 심판하다 = to judge
첫인상 = first impression 자퇴하다 = to drop out of school
거리 = distance 뒷정리하다 = to clean up after one is done
잇몸 = the gums of teeth 연주하다 = to perform an instrument
심판 = referee 어기다 = to violate, to break the rules
밭 = field 승진하다 = to promote (a position at work)
옥수수 = corn 오해하다 = to misunderstand
나물 = herbs
오이 = cucumber Adverbs and Other Words:
호박 = pumpkin 나란히 = side by side
석양 = sunset
일출 = sunrise
차별 = discrimination
성차별 = sexual discrimination
인종 = race
호우 = torrential downpour
사망 = death
사망자 = dead people (death toll)
사망률 = death rate
악기 = instrument
야외 = outdoor
Introduction
In the previous two lessons, you were subject to the confusing explanations of ~는데 and
~는 데. Now that those two difficult/confusing lessons are finished, I can go easy on you
and describe some grammatical principles that aren’t as difficult to understand. In this
lesson, you will learn about ~에 의하다 and ~(으)로 인하다 which look similar but
sometimes create different meanings. Let’s get started.
According to/Due to: ~에 의하다

Attaching ~에 의하다 to a noun in a sentence is usually done in one of two ways.
The first usage requires you to attach ~(으)면 to ~에 의하다 to create ~에 의하면. The
whole construction attaches to a noun and creates the meaning of “according to (that
noun).” For example:
신문에 의하면… = according to the newspaper…

소문에 의하면… = according to rumors…
그 사람의 말에 의하면… = according to what that person says…
These constructions can now be placed in sentences where appropriate:
신문에 의하면 심장병 사망률은 아주 높아요

= According to the newspaper, the death rate for heart disease is very high
소문에 의하면 그 학생은 학교에서 자퇴했어요

= According to rumors, that student dropped out of school
그 사람의 말에 의하면 옥수수 밭은 저 쪽이에요

= According to what that person says, the corn field is that way
More examples:
심판에 의하면 저는 규칙을 어겼어요

= According to the referee, I broke the rules
치과 의사에 의하면 입에 잇몸 병이 생겼어요

= According to the dentist, a gum-diseased sprung up in my mouth
한국 사람에 의하면 이 나물을 먹으면 힘이 생겨요

= According to Korean people, if you eat this plant/herb, you will get energy
면접을 자주 하는 사람들에 의하면 면접을 볼 때 첫인상은 제일 중요하다고요

= According to people to do (give) interviews, when you get interviews, they say the
most important thing is the first impression
—————————————
The second usage of ~에 의하다 is a little bit more complicated, but still nothing to
worry about.
By attaching ~아/어 to ~에 의하다, you can create “~에 의해.” This is attached to nouns
to create the meaning of “due to…” You were first introduced to “~에 의해” way back
in Lesson 14.
As you learned in that lesson, you can attach ~에 or ~에 의해 to nouns in passive

sentences.
Remember that a passive verb cannot act on an object. This means that you can never
attach the particle ~을/를 to a noun that is predicted by a passive verb. For example:
밥은 제공된다 = Food is provided

집은 청소되었다 = The house was cleaned
음식은 요리됐다 = The food was cooked
Though there can never be an object in a passive sentence, other nouns can be in the
sentence to provide more information. In English we use words like “by” in passive
sentences to provide additional information. For example:
Food is provided by the school

The house was cleaned by my father
The food was cooked by the chef
In Korean, when something is done by a non-person, you can attach ~에 의해 to that

word. For example:
밥은 제공된다 = Food is provided

밥은 학교에 의해 제공된다 = Food is provided by the school
Also remember that ~에게 is the particle that has the same role of ~에 의해 in these
cases, but is used when the passive act is done by a person. For example:
집은 청소되었다 = the house was cleaned

집은 아버지에게 청소되었다 = The house was cleaned by my dad
집은 청소기에 의해 청소되었다 = The house was cleaned by the vacuum cleaner
Although acceptable and understandable, remember that Korean sentences are usually
not natural when said in the passive voice. However, it is important to know because
you will come across it from time to time.
—————————————
~에 의해 can also be used in active sentences. When used in active sentences, the most
common translation for “에 의해” is “due to.” For example:
사고에 의해 = Due to the accident
고속도로에서 발생한 사고에 의해 사람들이 지나가지 못했어요

= Due to the accident (that occurred) on the highway, people couldn’t pass
Because of the translation, the use of ~에 의해 in active sentences appears to be

completely different than its use in passive sentences. When you think about it, however,
they essentially have the same role in their respective sentences. In English, we might use
different words, so it sounds like they are different, but Korean people would use “~에
의해” in both of these situations:
Passive – The door was opened _____ the wind

Active – People couldn’t pass ______ the accident
If I told you to fill in the blanks in those two sentences, what would you write? Assume I
also told you to not use the word “because of” – because we have already talked about
how to say that in Korean.
The most natural way to say those two (in my mind) would be:
Passive – The door was opened by the wind

Active – People couldn’t pass due to the accident
In both sentences the words “by” and “due to” have the same role. In both situations, we
have a noun that is causing the predicating verb to occur; regardless of if it is active or
passive.
Even more so, in some situations the words “by” or “due to” could be interchanged in the
English translation without sounding awkward. For example:
공사에 의해 이 길은 막혔습니다 = Due to the construction, this road is blocked

공사에 의해 이 길은 막혔습니다 = This road is blocked by the construction
문이 바람에 의해 열렸어요 = The door was opened by the wind

문이 바람에 의해 열렸어요 = The door was opened due to the wind
Below are many more examples of ~에 의해 being used in active sentences:
안개에 의해 비행기가 못 떴어요 = The plane couldn’t take off due to the fog
안개에 의해 오이가 다 상했어요 = All of the cucumbers spoiled due to the fog
핼러윈에 의해 호박 가격이 올랐어요 = The price of pumpkins rose due to Halloween
구름에 의해 저는 석양을 잘 못 봤어요 = I couldn’t see the sunset due to the clouds
알람 소리에 의해 저는 뒷정리를 못했어요 = I couldn’t clean up due to the alarm going off
먼 거리에 의해 저는 저의 여자 친구를 자주 못 만나요

= I can’t meet my girlfriend often due to the long distance
성차별에 의해 여자들이 회사에서 승진하는 게 힘들어요

= It is difficult for women to be promoted in the workplace due to sexual discrimination
As I mentioned earlier in my description, in each situation what we have is a noun that is

causing the predicating verb to occur. You might be wondering what difference would be
created if “때문에” were used in these situations instead?
For example, look at the following two sentences:
안개 때문에 비행기가 못 떴어요 = The plane couldn’t take off because of the fog
공사 때문에 이 길은 막혔습니다 = The road is blocked because of the construction
Which one would sound more natural?
The plane couldn’t take off due to the fog, or

The plane couldn’t take off because of the fog
And,
The road is blocked due to the construction, or

The road is blocked because of the construction
In my mind, their differences don’t need to be distinguished. In English, and in Korean,

there can be more than one way to express the same idea. In speech, (both in English and
in Korean), I would be more inclined to use “because” and “때문에.” That doesn’t mean
that using “due to” and “~에 의해” never happens, though. Specifically, in print
(newspapers or signs on the road, for example), you might see “due to” or “~에 의해”
more often.
Also note that ~ㄴ can be added to ~에 의하다 to allow it to describe an upcoming noun.
We saw this being done with words of similar function like 대하다, 관하다 and
관련하다 in Lesson 34. For example:
환경에 대해 = About the environment

환경에 대한 것 = A thing about the environment
환경에 관해 = About/regarding the environment

환경에 관한 것 = A thing about/regarding the environment
환경에 관련해 = About/regarding the environment

환경에 관련한 것 = A thing about/regarding the environment
~에 의하다 can also be used in this same way. That is, you can use ~에 의하다 to
describe an upcoming noun. For example:
담배에 의한 사망은 증가하고 있어요

= Deaths due to smoking are increasing
매년 인종차별에 의한 사망자가 늘고 있어요

= Every year, the number of deaths due to racism (racial discrimination) is increasing
날씨에 의한 피해는 예방할 수 없는 문제예요

= Damage due to weather is a problem that we can’t prevent
모르는 사람과 같은 집에서 살면 오해에 의한 싸움이 자주 생겨요

= If you live with a person you don’t know, fights due to misunderstandings often occur
That is all you need to know about ~에 의하다, but I would like to also introduce you to
another similar grammatical principle before this lesson finishes.
Due to: ~(으)로 인하다

As you learned in the previous section, ~에 의해 can be used to indicate the noun that is
causing a predicating verb to occur. When used like this, it can be replaced by ~(으)로
인해 with little (or no) difference in meaning. Korean people say that the following
sentences are identical to the sentences in the previous section where ~에 의해 is used:
안개로 인해 비행기가 못 떴어요

안개로 인해 오이가 다 상했어요
핼러윈으로 인해 호박 가격이 올랐어요
구름으로 인해 저는 석양을 잘 못 봤어요
알람 소리로 인해 저는 뒷정리를 못했어요
먼 거리로 인해 저는 저의 여자 친구를 자주 못 만나요
성차별로 인해 여자들이 회사에서 승진하는 게 힘들어요
However, you can’t replace ~에 의하다 with ~(으)로 인하다 when ~(으)면 is attached
to create the meaning “according to.” For example, the following wouldn’t be used in
Korean:
신문으로 인하면 심장병 사망률은 아주 높아요
Like “~에 의하다,” the typical translation for “~(으)로 인하다” is “due to.” If you are
pressed to find a different English translation to distinguish them, you could use “as a
result of.” Below are some new examples:
그 사람은 사고로 인해 목숨을 잃었어요

= That person died from (due to/as a result of) a car accident
야외결혼식이 비로 인해 취소되었어요
= The outdoor wedding was cancelled due to/as a result of the rain
날씨로 인해 콘서트가 취소되었습니다

= The concert was cancelled due to/as a result of the weather
Like ~에 의하다, ~(으)로 인하다 can also be used to describe an upcoming noun. For
example:
담배로 인한 사망 = deaths due to smoking

호우로 인한 홍수 = a flood due to heavy rain
지진으로 인한 피해 = damage due to an earthquake
These described nouns can then go into sentences where appropriate. For example:
담배로 인한 사망은 증가하고 있어요

= Deaths due to smoking are increasing
그 지역에서 호우로 인한 홍수가 많이 생겨요

= In this region/area, there are a lot of floods that are caused by heavy rain
이번에 다행히 지진으로 인한 피해가 없었어요

= Thankfully, there was no damage due to the earthquake this time
It’s time for another difficult word lesson! In this lesson, instead of learning about some
Korean grammatical principles, the vocabulary is the lesson. As with previous “difficult
word” lessons, I will teach you some words that cannot be understood by simply looking
up the translation in a dictionary. Rather, these words need a detailed description to be
fully understood. You will learn about the following words in this lesson:
대로 = to be done the same as another action

– 그대로 = for something to be done as it once was
– 마음대로 = to do something as one’s heart desires
인기 = popularity
– 끌다 = to pull, to drag
당연하다 = to be obvious
알맞다 = to go well with
- 액자 = picture frame
전체 = the whole of something
- 행성 = planet
And the construction: ~바로 그 때문이다. Let’s get started.
As Experienced: 대로
“대로” is the type of noun that must be described by a preceding clause. You have
learned many other nouns like this, some of them being; 지 (Lesson 30), 적 (Lesson 32),
수 (Lesson 45) and 데 (Lesson 77). 대로 is described by a clause to indicate that some
action is done in the same way or form as one “experiences” an event.
Events often happen in the past, and people often refer to these experiences when
speaking. As such, words that inherently refer to one’s experience – like seeing, hearing,
feeling, expecting or guessing are often used to describe 대로 in the past tense. For
example:
제가 봤던 대로 / 제가 본 대로 = As I saw
제가 들었던 대로 / 제가 들은 대로 = As I heard
제가 느꼈던 대로 / 제가 느낀 대로 = As I felt
제가 예상했던 대로 / 제가 예상한 대로 = As I expected
제가 기대했던 대로 / 제가 기대한 대로 = As I expected
제가 짐작했던 대로 / 제가 짐작한 대로 = As I guessed
제가 생각했던 대로 / 제가 생각한 대로 = As I thought
I don’t want to get into the difference between ~ㄴ/은 and ~았/었던 in this lesson. If you
would like to see a discussion about this, I encourage you to check out Lesson 27.
The constructions above can be placed in sentences as appropriate, for example:
그 영화는 제가 예상한 대로 재미있었어요

= As I expected, that movie was funny
제가 들은 대로 이 지역 호박은 진짜 맛있어요
= As I heard, the pumpkins in this area are very delicious
제가 본 대로 인종차별은 그 나라에서 큰 문제예요

= As I saw, racism (discrimination based on race) is a big problem in that country
제가 생각했던 대로 악기를 연주하는 것은 어려워요

= As I thought, playing an instrument is very difficult
제가 느꼈던 대로 그 사람의 첫인상은 제 예상과 맞아요

= As I felt, the (my) first impression of that person met my expectations
제가 기대했던 대로 그 나쁜 학생이 학교에서 자퇴했어요

= As I expected, that bad student dropped out of school
제가 짐작했던 대로 우리 회사는 저를 승진시키지 않을 거예요

= As I guessed, my company will not promote me
대로 can also be described by clauses in the present tense. In these cases, the nature of
the sentence implies that one’s is still experiencing the situation. For example:
그 영화는 제가 예상하는 대로 흘러가고 있어요 = The movie is progressing (along) as

I expect
Two common verbs that are often used to describe 대로 in the present tense are 알다 (to
know) and 시키다 (to order). For example:
내가 시키는 대로 해 줘 = Please do it as I ask (as I order)

문제를 아는 대로 풀어 봐 = Solve the problem as you know it
—————————————
The meaning of 대로 is included in these two common adverbs:
마음대로 = to do something as one’s heart desires

그대로 = for something to be done as it once was
Remember what the purpose of “그” is when used by itself. It is used to refer to a
previous/known situation. “그대로” is used when one indicates that something is done
as that previous/known situation.
For example:
이 상황을 그대로 그냥 인정하세요

= Just accept the situation as it is
아무것도 만지지 말고 그냥 그대로 두세요

= Don’t touch anything – just leave it the way it is
먹고 싶은 것을 마음대로 고르세요
= Choose the food that you want to eat (whatever you want)
저는 유럽에 갈 건데 어디 갈지 정하지 않았어요. 제가 그냥 거기 가서 마음대로

여행할 거예요
= I’m going to Europe, but I haven’t set where I will go. I will just go there, and travel
wherever I want (wherever my heart desires)
Popular: 인기
인기 isn’t that hard of a word – its meaning (popularity) is usually the same in all
situations. However, a variety of verbs are used to act on 인기 that you would not expect.
The easiest (and most intuitive) word you can use with 인기 is “많다” to indicate that
somebody/something has a lot of popularity. For example:
그 만화책은 성인들에게 인기가 많아요

= That comic book is popular among adults
그 선생님은 키가 커서 학생들한테 인기가 많아요

= That teacher is popular (has a lot of popularity) among students because he is tall
그 식당은 이 지역 주민들에게 인기가 제일 많아요

= That restaurant is the most popular among residents of this area
Notice that the group that something is popular with should be attached to ~한테/에게/께.
A word that is commonly used with 인기 is “끌다,” which means “to pull.” Like 많다,
끌다 is used to indicate that one is popular (or has a lot of popularity). When 끌다 is
used in the present tense, some form of the present progressive (~고 있다, ~끄는
중이다) is usually used with 끌다. For example:
그 모자는 색깔이 예뻐서 인기를 끌고 있어요

그 모자는 색깔이 예뻐서 인기를 끄는 중이에요
= That hat is getting popular because the color is pretty
그 가수가 새로운 노래를 만들어서 이제 인기를 끌고 있어요

그 가수가 새로운 노래를 만들어서 이제 인기를 끄는 중이에요
= That singer made a new song, and now he/she is getting popular
그 선수가 세계에서 하키를 제일 잘해서 인기를 많이 끌고 있어요

그 선수가 세계에서 하키를 제일 잘해서 인기를 많이 끄는 중이에요
= That athlete/player is the best hockey player in the world, so he/she is getting popular
Notice that the particle ~를/을 is used instead of ~이/가 because 끌다 is a verb.
If something increases in popularity, you can use the verb 얻다 (to gain). For example:
그 물품이 영화에 나와서 인기를 얻었어요

= That product was in a movie, so it got popular
그 회사원이 승진을 해서 동료들한테 인기를 얻었어요

= That worker was promoted and gained popularity with his coworkers
우리 사업은 자연 재료만 사용하기 시작한 후에 인기를 얻었어요

= After our company started only using natural ingredients, we became popular
If something decreases in popularity, you can use 떨어지다 (to drop). For example:
그 노래의 인기는 떨어졌어요 = That song’s popularity dropped

아이폰 인기는 이제 떨어지고 있어요 = The iPhone’s popularity is dropping now
그 소문으로 인해 대통령 인기가 떨어졌어요 = The president’s popularity dropped due to that rumor
In addition, you could also use 있다/없다 to say that something is/isn’t popular:
그 영화는 인기가 있어요 = That movie is popular

그 영화는 인기가 없어요 = That movie isn’t popular
미국 대통령은 인기가 있어요 = The American president is popular

미국 대통령은 인기가 없어요 = The American president isn’t popular
To be Obvious, Correct, Natural: 당연하다
It is difficult to translate 당연하다 perfectly to English. A common definition of
당연하다 is “natural” or “correct.” However, I prefer “obvious” as a more accurate
definition.
Let me introduce this word to you first by using its adverb form “당연히.” By showing
you examples of this, I think you will better understand the meaning of 당연하다.
Look at the following examples:
그는 당연히 왔어요 = He obviously came… 

(Of course he came! Why wouldn’t he come?)
저는 내일 당연히 갈 거예요 = I am obviously going tomorrow 

(Of course I am going tomorrow! Why wouldn’t I go?)
The translation for 당연하다 in a dictionary is usually “natural,” which I guess could be
used as well. Notice the similarities in the following English translations:
그는 당연히 왔어요 = Naturally, he came yesterday

저는 내일 당연히 갈 거예요  = Naturally, I will go tomorrow
If somebody asks you a question and you want to respond by saying “Of course!” or
“Obviously!” you can use 당연하다. For example:
Person 1: 내일 갈 거예요? = Are you going tomorrow?

Person 2: 당연해요! = Of course!
You have yet to learn the meaning of attaching ~지 (informal) or ~죠 (formal) to the end
of a word (they will be introduced in Lesson 93). I don’t want you to worry about the
meaning of ~지/죠 yet. In cases where you are answering a question to say “Of course!”
or “Obviously!” you can attach ~지/죠 to 당연하다. The meaning doesn’t change in this
example – it is just done for effect. For example:
Person 1: 내일 갈 거야? = Are you going tomorrow?

Person 2: 당연하지! = Of course!!
Kids these days often replace 당연하다 with “당근” which actually means “carrot” as a
joke. For example:

Person 2: 당근! = Of course!
It is also common to attach 이다 to 당근, which allows for ~지/죠 to be attached. For
example:

Person 2: 당근이지! = Of course!
I guarantee that if you use “당근” in this situation while talking to a Korean person, you
will make them laugh.
당연하다 can also be used as an adjective. Now that you know the meaning of 당연하다
through its use as an adverb, you should have no problem figuring out its meaning as an
adjective.
As an adjective, 당연하다 describes situations that are obvious. For example:
당연한 거예요 = (That is) an obvious thing
그가 그 여자를 사랑하는 것은 당연해요

= It is obvious that he loves that girl
그 사람이 지난 1 년 동안 아주 열심히 일해서 그가 승진되는 게 당연한 거예요

= That person worked very hard during the last year, so it is obvious that he is getting promoted
그 가수가 다른 여자와 바람을 피운 후에 가수의 인기가 떨어진 게 당연한 거예요

= After that singer cheated on his wife (with another girl), it is obvious that his popularity dropped
The four statements above indicate that something is obvious. In English, it is common to
describe that something is obvious by asking “isn’t it obvious?” For example:
It’s it obvious that he loves that girl?
In Korean, you can describe an “obvious situation” by using “당연한 게 아니에요?” at

end of a sentence. For example:
그가 그 여자를 사랑하는 것은 당연한 게 아니에요?

= Isn’t it obvious that he loves that girl?
그 사람이 지난 1 년 동안 아주 열심히 일해서 그가 승진되는 게 당연한 게 아니에요?

= That person worked very hard during the last year, so isn’t it obvious that he is getting
promoted?
그 가수가 다른 여자와 바람을 피운 후에 가수의 인기가 떨어진 게 당연한 게

아니에요?
= After that singer cheated on his wife (with another girl), isn’t it obvious that his
popularity dropped?
알맞다: Appropriate/Suitable
I first learned the words 알맞다 and 당연하다 at the same time, and I found them very
difficult to distinguish. Now that you have a good base of what “당연하다” means, you
should have no problem distinguishing the two.
알맞다 is typically used when two (or more) things go well with each other – usually in
appearance, taste or smell. For example:
저 책상은 이 방에 알맞아요  = That desk looks good in this room

저 사진은 저 액자에 알맞아요  = That picture looks good in that frame
A similar word is “어울리다,” which can also be used in these situations. For example:
저 책상은 이 방에 어울려요  = That desk looks good in this room

저 사진은 저 액자에 어울려요  = That picture looks good in that frame
어울리다 is also used to indicate that two (or more) people get along. For example:
그 사람은 친구와 잘 어울려요 = That person gets along well with his/her friend
저는 우리 장모님과 잘 어울려요 = I get along well with my mother-in-law
The whole __: 전체

전체 is a noun that refers to “the whole” of something. It is typically placed after another
noun to indicate that one is referring to that entire noun.
If you have been keeping up with your Hanja studies, you can probably understand how
this meaning is created by seeing its Hanja characters. 전 (全) refers to “all” and 체 (體)
refers to a body or thing.
Here are some examples of 전체 placed after a noun to refer to the whole noun:
학교 전체 = the whole school

도시 전체 = the whole city
행성 전체 = the whole planet
회사 전체 = the whole company
These constructions can then go in sentences where appropriate:
학교 전체가 닫혀 있어요 = The whole school is closed

그 행성 전체에 물이 있어요 = There is water on that whole planet
우리는 도시 전체를 걸어 다녔어요 = We walked around the whole city
부장님이 회사원 몇 명을 해고할 거라고 해서 회사 전체가 긴장했어요 = The whole
company was nervous because the boss said he will fire some workers
That is why … _바로 그 때문이다
When I was at this stage of my Korean studies, I really wanted to know how to create the
following types of sentences:
That is why I want to go!

That is why I like her!
That is why I am learning Korean!
I wanted to know how to say “That’s why…” in Korean. At that time, I asked people and
the best answer I could get was:
… 바로 그 때문이다
First of all, let’s think about when (in English) we would use this type of sentence. I
would say this when some situation is being talked about – and I want to say that the
reason for doing something is because of this situation. I’m not going to explicitly state
this situation, because I can just refer to it by using “that.” For example, imagine I heard
that my best friend is going to a party tonight. I can say “That is the reason I want to go.”
I don’t need to say “Because my best friend is going, I want to go.” Because “my friend
going” is something that was already discussed, I can just say “That is the reason I want
to go.”
The construction “바로 그 때문이다” has the function of meaning “That is the reason.”
“그” refers to the situation that is already known, and “때문에” refers to the reason. The
purpose of “바로” in this construction is to mean something like “precisely” – to stress
that that is the reason. For example:
That is precisely the reason…
Now, we need to state the action that occurs as a result of this known situation. In order
to do this, we can turn the result into a noun using ~는 것. For example:
제가 가고 싶은 것 = (the noun of “I want to go”)

제가 그녀를 좋아하는 것 = (the noun of “I like her”)
제가 한국어를 배우고 있는 것 = (the noun of “I am learning Korean”)
Now we can place “바로 그 때문이다” after each noun to indicate the referred reason
why these actions will occur. For example:
제가 가고 싶은 것은 바로 그 때문이에요 = That is why I want to go

제가 그녀를 좋아하는 것은 바로 그 때문이에요 = That is why I like her
제가 한국어를 배우고 있는 것은 바로 그 때문이에요 = That is why I am learning Korean
It is also possible to simply place “그래서” before the action to indicate what will result
of a referred situation. As you learned in Lesson 37, 그래서 can be used to refer to a
reason discussed in a previous clause. For example:
그래서 가고 싶어요 = That is why I want to go (therefore, I want to go)

그래서 그녀를 좋아해요 = That is why I like her (therefore, I like her)
그래서 한국어를 배우고 있어요 = That is why I am learning Korean (therefore, I am
learning Korean)
Nouns: Verbs:
선풍기 = electric fan 참여하다 = to participate, to take part in
도전 = challenge 업다 = to carry on one’s back
도전자 = challenger 탓하다 = to blame
코피 = nosebleed 저장하다 = to save (a file on a computer)
주어 = a subject in a sentence 누락하다 = to omit
장애 = obstacle/barrier 거절하다 = to refuse
장애인 = disabled person
정서 = emotion, feeling Adverbs and Other Words:
정서장애 = emotional disorder 수백 = hundreds of
유아 = small/little child/toddler 수천 = thousands of
유아기 = early childhood period 수만 = tens-of thousands of
오염 = pollution 기타 = and other, and so on
고무 = rubber
대회 = big meeting, competition
Introduction
In this lesson, you will learn about two similar grammatical principles and their (similar)
respective meanings. In this lesson, you will learn how to use ~아/어서는 안 되다 to
mean “one should not” and ~(으)면 안 되다 to mean “one must not.” We will also look
at the positive meaning of using ~(으)면 되다, which is a very natural expression but
usually one that foreign learners of Korean don’t use right away. Let’s get started.
One should not: ~아/어서는 안 되다

In Lesson 49, you learned how to apply 되다 to many different types of sentences. In
addition to the meanings introduced in Lesson 9 and Lesson 14, you learned that 되다
can be used to indicate that there is “no problem” with something. For example:
사업이 잘 되고 있어요? = Is your business going well?

여기서 Wi-Fi 가 잘 돼요 = The Wi-Fi here works well
어제부터 선풍기가 안 됐어요 = The fan hasn’t worked since yesterday
You also saw that this can be applied to sentences with ~아/어도 to indicate that there is
“no problem” with an action being done. You might remember, the most common
translation for these types of sentences was “one may” or “one can.” For example:
지금 문을 열어도 돼요 = You may open the door now

제일 편리한 것을 선택해도 돼요 = You may choose the most convenient one
그 파일을 저의 컴퓨터에 저장해도 돼요 = You can store/save that file on my computer
Attaching ~아/어서는 안 되다 to the end of a clause indicates that there will be a
problem if the action is completed. This type of sentence is essentially the opposite of the
type of sentence above. Now, instead of indicating that there will not be a problem, (by
just using 되다) we are indicating that there will be a problem (by using 안 되다). The
typical English translation of this is usually “one should not.” For example:
밥을 많이 먹어서는 안 돼요 = You shouldn’t eat a lot

선생님을 무시해서는 안 돼요 = You shouldn’t ignore your teacher
장애인들을 놀려서는 안 돼요 = You shouldn’t make fun of disabled people
고무를 입에 넣어서는 안 돼요 = You shouldn’t put rubber in your mouth
그렇게 빨리 뛰어서는 안 돼요 = You shouldn’t run that fast
사람을 겉모습으로 평가해선 안 돼요 = You shouldn’t judge somebody on their looks
네 친구를 네 잘못에 대해 탓해서는 안 돼

= You shouldn’t blame your friends for your own mistakes
유아기에 애기들에게 우유를 줘서는 안 돼요

= During the early childhood period, you shouldn’t give milk to babies
새로운 도전을 그렇게 빨리 거절해서는 안 돼요

= You shouldn’t refuse new challenges that quickly
인터넷으로 동시에 수백 개의 물품을 사서는 안 돼요

= You shouldn’t buy hundreds of items from the internet at the same time
처음 만나는 사람을 첫인상으로 평가해서는 안 됩니다

= You shouldn’t judge somebody you meet for the first time on their first impression
아무 움직임 없이 한 시간 동안 앉아서 컴퓨터를 해서는 안 돼요

= You shouldn’t sit at a computer for an hour without any movement
Even though these sentences are used in the present tense, they are usually referring to
actions that occurred in the past (unless somebody is just making a general statement that
“one should not” do some action). For example, in the first example above:
그렇게 빨리 뛰어서는 안 돼요 = You shouldn’t run that fast
Immediately before that sentence was said, somebody was probably running too fast –
which caused somebody to say the sentence “그렇게 빨리 뛰어서는 안 돼요.”
This one is fairly straightforward. Let’s move on to the next one.
One must not: ~(으)면 안 되다
In Lesson 43 you learned about ~(으)면 and how it can be used to mean “if” or “when.”
For example:
내일 비바람이 오면 경기가 취소될 거예요

= If it storms tomorrow, the match/game will be cancelled
지금 환경을 보존하지 않으면 미래에 더 큰 문제가 생길 것 같아요

= If we don’t preserve the environment, there will probably be bigger problems in the future
오늘 그 사람을 만나면 낯선 사람으로 대할 거예요

= If I meet that person today, I’m going to treat him like a stranger
You can use “안 되다” after “~(으)면 to indicate that there will be a problem when/if a
something occurs. For example:
그렇게 하면 안 돼요 = You must not do it like that
This meaning is very similar to the meaning learned above (~아/어서는 안 되다), but I
like to think that the meaning is slightly stronger when you use ~(으)면 안 되다. Below
are more examples:
그 정보를 누락하면 안 돼요
= You must not omit that information
그 말을 영어로 하면 안 돼요
= You must not say that in English
이 차에 디젤을 넣으면 안 됩니다

= You must not put diesel fuel in this car
그런 말을 유아에게 하면 안 돼요
= You must not say that type of thing to a child
현재오염 문제를 무시하면 안 돼요

= You must not ignore the current pollution problem
정서장애가 있는 친구들을 놀리면 안 돼요

= You must not pick on friends with emotional disabilities
주어를 그 문장에서 그 위치에 쓰면 안 돼요

= You must not use the subject in that place in a that sentence
~(으)면 안 되다 is often used in the form of a question. When used as a question, one is
asking if there will be a “problem” if the action before ~(으)면 occurs. It is possible to
translate these types of sentences to English in many ways, which I have provided. For
example:
이렇게 하면 안 돼요?
= Can’t you do it like this?
= Are you able to do it like this?
= Is it okay if you do is like this?
= Will there be any problem if you do it like this?
더 빨리 하면 안 돼요?
= Can’t you do it faster?
= Are you able to do it faster?
= Is it okay if you do it faster?
= Will there be any problem if you do it faster?
조금 더 주면 안 돼요?
= Can’t you give me a little bit more?
= Are you able to give me a little bit more?
= Is it okay if you give me a little bit more?
= Will there be any problem if you give me a little bit more?
————————————
It is also possible to create a double negative with this type of question. For example, if
you wanted to ask if you could eat now, you could say:
밥을 지금 먹으면 안 돼요?
= Can’t we eat now?
= Are we able to eat now?
= Is it okay if we eat now?
= Will there be any problem if we eat now?
However, by making the original action negative, the speaker can ask if it is alright if
something is not done. For example:
밥을 지금 안 먹으면 안 돼요?
= Can we not eat now?
= Are we able to not eat now?
= Is it okay if we don’t eat now?
= Will there be any problem if we don’t eat now?
Other examples:
그 대회를 참여하지 않으면 안 돼요?

= Can we not participate in that event?
= Are we able to not participate in that event?
= Is it okay if we don’t participate in that event?
= Will there be any problems if we don’t participate in that event?
이번에 여행할 때 수천 장의 사진을 찍지 않으면 안 돼요?

= Can you not take thousands of pictures this time when we travel?
= Are you able to not take thousands of pictures this time when we travel?
= Is it okay if you don’t take thousands of pictures this time when we travel?
= Will there be any problem if you don’t take thousands of pictures this time when we travel?
———————————–
This form is actually a very polite way to ask for something to be done. As such, it is
common for ~아/어 주다 (Lesson 41) to be used with the question version of ~(으)면 안
되다. For example:
밥을 사 주시면 안 돼요?
= Are you able to buy me rice?
= Is it okay if you buy me rice?
교통카드를 충전해 주면 안 돼요?

= Are you able to charge my subway card?
= Is it okay if you charge my subway card?
If you ask somebody a question like this (or any other question asking if something can
be done), the answer that is typically given when it cannot be done is “안 돼요.” For
example:
교통카드를 충전해 주면 안 돼요? = Are you able to charge my subway card?

안 돼요 = No/I can’t do it here/It won’t work here
You can also use the form ~(으)면 안 되다 without “안” to create a different meaning. I
will talk about this next.
Suggesting that one should: ~(으)면 되다
By adding ~(으)면 되다 to the end of a sentence or clause, you create a meaning that is
very similar to ~아/어야 하다, which you learned in Lesson 46. This form has the
meaning of “you must” or “you should” depending on the situation. For example:
서울역에서 내려야 돼요 = You must/should get off at Seoul station
Using ~(으)면 되다 creates a similar meaning. For example:
서울역에서 내리면 됩니다 = You should get off at Seoul station
Here, the speaker is basically indicating “it/everything will be okay if you get off at Seoul
station.” Although the meaning is similar to ~아/어야 되다, using ~(으)면 되다 is more
of a suggestion. Because this is more of a suggestion, its meaning is very soft and is often
used by people when they are asked for advice. For example, one time a woman asked
my wife how to get to 사당 station, to which my wife replied:
다음 역에서 내리면 돼요
= You can/should get off at the next station
= There will be no problem (it will be okay) if you get off at Seoul Station
A more natural translation could sometimes be “one can.” For example:
조금만 넣으면 돼요 = Just put a little bit in

조금 더 올라가면 돼요 = Just keep going up a little bit further
코피를 휴지로 막으면 돼요 = You can block the nosebleed with a tissue
소금을 얼마나 더 넣어야 돼요? = How much more salt should I put in?
애기가 피곤하면 업어 주면 돼요 = If the baby is tired, you can carry him on your back
Nouns: Verbs:
비율 = ratio, percentage 보조하다 = to help, to aid
강사 = instructor, lecturer 꺾다 = to break something in half
총리 = prime minister 의지하다 = to lean on
반도 = peninsula 내기하다 = to bet
반딧불 = firefly 수다를 떨다 = to chat
옆방 = the room next door
Adjectives:
고속버스 = bus that goes on the freeway
연하다 = to be tender, to be soft
형제 = brothers
느슨하다 = to be loose, to be slack
치아 = teeth
억울하다 = to be unfair
충치 = tooth decay, cavity
빛깔 = color Adverbs and Other Words:
매듭 = knot 일회용 = one time use (disposable)
맨날 = every day
Introduction
In this lesson, you will learn how to use ~(으)니까 and ~(으)니 between two clauses to
create a meaning that is similar to ~아/어서. Of course, just like every other grammatical
principle, there are some subtle nuances that you should know about. Let’s get started.
Because of: ~(으)니까

In Lesson 37 you learned that you can place ~아/어서 between two clauses to create the
meaning of “because,” “so” or “therefore.” For example:
제가 배가 안 고파서 더 먹기 싫어요 = I don’t want to eat anymore because I am full

시험을 못 봐서 울고 싶어요 = I want to cry because I did poorly on the exam
You can also use ~(으)니까 between clauses to create a similar meaning. For example:
제가 배가 안 고프니까 더 먹기 싫어요 = I don’t want to eat anymore because I am full
The subtle difference between these two grammatical principles is that ~(으)니까 is
commonly used when the first clause is an excuse for why the second clause occurs (or
why it cannot occur). As such, sometimes there is the slight feeling that the speaker is
annoyed at the cause for something not happening. For example:
학교에 가야 되니까 지금 못 만나요

= I need to go to school, so I won’t be able to meet
옆방이 아주 시끄러우니까 저는 잠을 못 잤어요

= The room next to us is very loud, so I couldn’t sleep
그 셔츠를 사고 싶은데 돈이 없으니까 살 수 없어요
= Although I want to buy that, I have no money, so I cannot
Unlike ~ 아/어서, the clause preceding ~(으)니까 can be conjugated into the past tense.
For example:
어제 너무 바빴으니까 못 갔어요
= I couldn’t go yesterday because I was so busy
너를 좋아하지 않았으니까 헤어졌어

= I broke up with you because I didn’t like you
경기에서 진 것이 저의 자신감을 꺾었으니까 저는 더 이상 경기하고 싶지 않아요

= Losing in the game broke my confidence, so I don’t want to play (do it) anymore
It is also common to end a sentence with ~(으)니까. This is similar to ending a sentence
with “~아/어서,” in that the speaker is actually creating an incomplete sentence where
the end of the sentence can be assumed from context. In practice, this is typically used to
answer a question, where the answer starts with “because…” For example:
Person 1: 지금 만날 수 있어요? = Can you meet now?

Person 2: 아니요~ 못 만나요. 학교에 가야 되니까요 = No, because I have to go to school
Person 1: 그것을 살 거야? = Are you going to buy that?

Person 2: 아니요~ 못 사요. 돈이 없으니까요 = … No, because I have no money
Person 1: 나랑 왜 헤어졌어? = Why did you break up with me?

Person 2: 너를 좋아하지 않았으니까 = … Because I didn’t like you
Person 1: 신발이 왜 벗겼어요? = Why did your shoe come off?

Person 2: 매듭이 너무 느슨하니까 = … Because the knot was too loose
Notice here that you can add “~요” to end of “~(으)니까.” Similar to when ~는데 is used
at the end of a sentence (as you learned in Lesson 77), using ~(으)니까 like this can be
seen as a little bit rude – even if you attach ~요 to the end of it. Like ~는데, there is the
feeling that the person is talking back. Of course, this all depends on the situation and the
atmosphere of the conversation.
I said earlier that “~(으)니까” is commonly used instead of using “~아/어서” when the
first clause is an excuse to why the second clause can’t happen. I feel that this is true
most of the time, although it doesn’t always have to be an excuse. For example:
제가 숙제를 다 했으니까 이제 영화를 볼 수 있어요

= I am finished my homework, therefore, I can see a movie now
반딧불이 지금 날고 있지 않으니까 빛깔이 안 나와요
= The firefly is not flying now, so the color/light isn’t coming out (not shining)
누가 더 잘하는지 내기를 했으니까 저는 이번에 집중해야 돼요

= We made a bet of who is better, so I need to concentrate this time
총리를 보조하는 사람이 없으니까 두 명 정도 고용해야 될 것 같아요

= There are no people to help the prime minister, so we probably need to hire about two people
맨날 일회용 물병을 사서 물을 마시니까 방에 병이 많이 쌓여 있어요

= I buy disposable water bottles (and drink water through them every day), so there are a
lot of bottles piled up in my room
시험을 50 점 이상을 받는 학생의 비율이 아주 낮으니까 강사가 학생들이 시험을

다시 봐야 된다고 했어요
= The ratio/percentage of students who got a score of over 50 on the exam was very slow,
so the professor/teacher said that we would have to write the exam again
It is also common to use ~(으)니까 when one is making a suggestion. The same
translation of “because” can still be used in these sentences as well. For example:
버스가 복잡하니까 택시를 타자! = Let’s take a taxi because the bus is so crowded!
너무 더우니까 시원한 것을 먹을래요? = Let’s eat something cool because it is so hot
밥이 없으니까 라면 먹자! = Let’s eat Ramen because there is no rice
--------------------
You can see in some of the example sentences that adding ~(으)니까 causes irregular
words to change. In Lesson 7, you learned how irregular words change as a result of
adding different additions. This is the first time you have been introduced to adding
~(으)니까. Let’s look at how irregulars change as a result of adding this grammatical
principle.
‐ The ㅅ irregular, ㄷ irregular and ㅂ irregular all follow the same rules that were
introduced in Lesson 7. The addition of the vowel causes a change (or
elimination) of the last letter of the stem.
‐ The ㅡ and 르 irregular are not affected by this addition. The final letter in both
types of stems is a vowel, so “니” is added instead of “으니까.”
‐ Adding ~(으)니까 causes a change to stems ending in ㄹ. The ㄹ is removed, and

~니까 is added to the remaining portion of the stem. For example:
떨다 + ~(으)니까 = 떠니까
‐ Adding ~(으)니까 causes a change to ㅎ irregular words. The ㅎ is removed, and
~니까 is added to the remaining portion of the stem. For this addition, the ㅎ
irregular and ㄹ irregular follow the same rule. Anytime you have the option of
adding ~(으) as part of a grammatical addition, the ㅎ will be removed from the
stem and the grammatical addition without “으” will be added to the remainder of
the stem. For example:
그렇다 + ~(으)니까 = 그러니까

I talk about the meaning of 그러니까 as a common thing to say in conversation.
You can see this discussion in Lesson 101.
Below is a table showing the changes that result from adding ~(으)니까 to a word.
Irregular Word + ~(으)면
ㅅ Irregular 짓다 (to build) 지으니까
ㄷ Irregular 걷다 (to walk) 걸으니까
ㅂ Irregular 돕다 (to help) 도우니까
ㅡ Irregular 잠그다 (to lock) 잠그니까
르 Irregular 자르다 (to cut) 자르니까
ㄹ Irregular 살다 (to live) 사니까
ㅎ Irregular 그렇다 (to be like that) 그러니까
You will see these same changes to irregulars anytime you add something that begins in
~(으)ㄴ…. For example:
~(으)니 (later in this lesson)
--------------------
You can actually drop the “~까” from “~(으)니까” to create ~(으)니. We need to talk
about this in a separate section.
Because or Giving Background Information: ~(으)니
Remember first that you have already learned about adding “~니” to words in Lesson 21.
In that Lesson, you learned many ways that you can change your Korean sentences to ask
questions; one of which was by adding “~니” to the end of a sentence. For example:
몇 살이야? = How old are you?

몇 살이니? = How old are you?
집에 도착했어? = Have you arrived at home?

집에 도착했니? = Have you arrived at home?
In addition to this meaning, “~(으)니” can have the same meaning of “~(으)니까” as
described earlier in this lesson. That is; to create the meaning of “because” or “therefore”
just like the many other grammatical forms that have the same function. Although
~(으)니 typically isn’t used at the end of a sentence, it can be used instead of
“~(으)니까” in all the other cases, for example:
밥이 없으니 라면 먹자! = Let’s eat Ramen because there is no rice

어제 너무 바빴으니 못 갔어요 = I couldn’t go yesterday because I was so busy
학교에 가야 되니 지금 못 만나요 = I need to go to school, so I won’t be able to meet
너를 좋아하지 않았으니 헤어졌어 = I broke up with you because I didn’t like you
제가 배가 안 고프니 더 먹기 싫어요 = I don’t want to eat anymore because I am full
벌써 5 시이니 우리가 빨리 가야 돼요 = We have to go quickly because it is already 5:00
그 셔츠를 사고 싶은데 돈이 없으니 살 수 없어요

= Although I want to buy that, I have no money, so I cannot
제가 숙제를 다 했으니 이제 영화를 볼 수 있어요

= I am finished my homework, therefore, I can see a movie now
There is no need to distinguish the meanings of ~(으)니 and ~(으)니까. Officially,

~(으)니까 is simply a stressed/emphasized version of ~(으)니. What we can do, however,
is distinguish their usages – as I feel that (although their usages overlap), there are some
situations that are more likely to use ~(으)니 and vice-versa.
First, I feel that ~(으)니 is used much more frequently in writing, whereas ~(으)니까 is
much more common in speech.
“~(으)니” is also commonly used to provide information for the upcoming clause. This is
similar to the function of ~는데 that I introduced in Lesson 76 and Lesson 77. In those
lessons, I explained that ~는데 has a function of setting up a scenario for an upcoming
clause. The meaning within this sentence also has a slight meaning of “even though.”
I would say that “~(으)니” has this same function, except for that there is a slight
meaning of “because” instead of “even though.” I know that sounds confusing, let’s put
an example sentence with two clauses and separate them with ~는데 or ~(으)니 to
compare them.
제가 고기를 안 좋아하는데 먹어볼 거예요 = Even though I don’t like meat, I will try some
(Where the meaning of “even though” is very slight, and the first clause “I don’t like
meat” is setting up the second clause).
제가 고기를 안 좋아하니 안 먹을 거예요 = Because I don’t like meat, I’m not going to eat it
(Where the meaning of “because” is very slight, and the first clause “I don’t like meat”
is setting up the second clause).
The confusing thing here is that I have presented you with two meanings of “~(으)니” in
this lesson:
 To express the meaning of “because” or “therefore” like “~(으)니까, and

 The provide information for an upcoming clause, with a slight meaning of “because”
The question I am sure you want to ask is: How can I tell the two usages apart if they
almost have the same meaning (one meaning “because,” the other one “slightly meaning
because”)?
My answer: Does it really matter?
In real conversations with people, you don’t dissect sentences like this. In both situations,
the second clause happens after the first clause. If a direct causal link between the two
clauses can be assumed, then assume that the meaning of “~(으)니” is “because.”
However, if that causal link is less obvious, assume that the clause before “~(으)니” is
simply providing information for the upcoming clause.
When specifically used in the past tense, it is often more convenient to change the
translation of “~았/었으니” to “now that one has…” For example:
밥이 다 됐으니 많이 드세요! = Now that the rice is ready, eat a lot!

빨래를 다 했으니 지금 자도 돼요 = Now that I have finished the laundry, I can go to bed
충치를 치료했으니 치아가 이제 안 아파요 = Now that I treated my cavity, my teeth don’t hurt
연한 고기를 다 먹었으니 이제 기분이 좋아요 = Now that I ate soft meat, I feel great (happy)
제가 숙제를 다 했으니 이제 영화를 볼 수 있어요

= Now that I am finished my homework, I can see a movie
형제들이 다 죽었으니 저는 종교를 빼고 의지할 게 없어요

= Now that all of my brothers have died, I have nothing to lean on except religion
나는 요즘에 맨날 한식만 먹었는데, 친구를 만났으니 이탈리안 음식 먹자
= These days, I only eat Korean food every day, so now that I have met a friend (you),
let’s eat Italian food
Our website offers Short Stories for intermediate learners to practice their Korean reading.
~(으)니 shows up a lot in those short stories, so I can provide a bunch of examples:
어제부터 오랜만에 쉴 생각을 하니 설레었다

= I am excited because, from now on, I realized that I can rest
오랜만에 친구와 수다를 떠니 잠시 있고 있었던 옛 날 생각이 많이 났다

= (Because) I am chatting with an old friend, a lot of thoughts of the old days have come up
내일은 또 다시 바쁜 하루가 시작되겠지만 오늘 하루 열심히 충전을 했으니 내일이

두렵지 않다
= Tomorrow, another busy day will start, however, now that I have recharged for a day, I
am not afraid of tomorrow!
직장도 집에서 멀고 새로운 사람들이랑 새로운 직업으로 다시 일을 하려고 하니

적응이 잘 안 된다
= (Because) I am trying to work with new people, and my workplace is far from my
house, I am not adapting well
하지만 펭귄이 있는 곳은 동물원 입구에서 멀다고 하니 아빠와 나는 우선 다른

동물들을 먼저 봤다
= But (because) the place the penguins are was said to be far from the zoo entrance, so
Dad and I saw other animals first
처음에는 서른 살이 되면 나이가 많은 거라고 생각했는데 제가 서른 살이 되었으니

그렇게 생각하지 않아요
= At first I thought thirty years old was old, but (because) I am now thirty, I don’t think that way
You will find this grammatical principle in the TOPIK tests as well. I glanced at the 27th
Intermediate Test for a second and I found this sentence:
어려운 일을 끝내고 나니 기분이 매우 좋았다

= Now that I am finished the difficult work, I am/was very happy
The question was asking which sentence (amongst the sentence above and three others)
was incorrect. The sentence above was one of the sentences that was correct.
That’s it for this lesson! Hopefully that’s enough examples to get you accustomed to
“~(으)니.”
Nouns: Verbs:
낚싯줄 = fishing line 가속하다 = to accelerate
둥지 = bird’s nest 감속하다 = to decelerate
암호 = secret code 칠하다 = to paint
비만 = obesity 쓰다듬다 = to pet
식욕 = appetite
정상 = normal Adjectives:
장마 = rainy season 당황스럽다 = to be embarrassed
지필 = pen and paper 불안하다 = to be anxious, to be uneasy
생명 = life
Adverbs and Other Words:
생명보험 = life insurance
맨 = at the very begging, end, start, finish
해군 = navy
얼른 = adverb placed in sentences when
대령 = colonel
speaker wants listener to do something
면 = side/face quickly
표면 = surface
지면 = the ground surface
보도 = sidewalk
선반 = shelf
불안감 = anxiety
Introduction
In this lesson you will learn how to add ~구나, ~군 or ~군요 to the end of a
sentence. This grammatical form is often said when one realizes a new fact or piece of
information. Allow me to break it down more than that. Let’s get started.
Oh! I didn’t realize that...: ~구나, ~군 or ~군요

Just like many of the other grammatical principles that you have learned recently,
creating a direct English translation for ~구나, ~군 or ~군요 is difficult. Instead, it is
better to understand its usage and the subsequent meaning and feeling that it can create.
Regardless of if it attaches to a verb, adjective or 이다, these endings are added to the
end of a sentence that speaker just came to realize.
When adding this to an adjective or 이다, ~구나, ~군 or ~군요 are attached directly to
the stem of the adjective (or attached to 이 in the case of 이다). For example:
과학 선생님이구나
Let me explain when and why this phrase would be used.
As I stated earlier, ~구나, ~군 or ~군요 are added to the end of a sentence that the
speaker just came to realize. In effect, the speaker is showing surprise of this newly
discovered information. A speaker would use one of these endings at the end of a
sentence that he/she did not know before. In this situation, the speaker would have just
discovered that this person is a Science teacher. For example:
Person 1: 그 사람은 그냥 영어 회화 선생님이 아니야?

= That person isn’t an English teacher?
Person 2: 응. 원래 영어 회화 선생님인데 지금 과학선생님이야

= No, originally he was an English teacher, but now he is a Science teacher
Person 1: 아 진짜? 과학 선생님이구나

= Ah really? I didn’t know/realize he is a science teacher
Let’s look at another example, this time using an adjective.
Imagine you are going to go fishing for the first time. You go to the store to buy supplies,
and you see the price of fishing line. You are surprised because you didn’t realize that
fishing line is that expensive. In this case, you can say the following:
낚싯줄이 이렇게 비싸구나 = I didn’t know/realize that fishing line is this expensive
Below are more examples. As you may have guessed, ~구나 and ~군 are used in
informal situations and ~군요 is used in formal situations. Also, ~구나 is very common
in conversation – much more common than ~군. However, younger people commonly
use ~군 when chatting on the internet or on their phones.
해군에 대령이군요 = I didn’t realize that you were a general in the navy
네가 매우 똑똑하구나 = I didn’t realize that you are so smart
이 시험이 지필시험이구나 = I didn’t realize that this exam is a pen-and-paper exam
지구 표면은 거의 다 물이구나 = I didn’t realize that most of the earth’s surface is water
생명보험이 그렇게 중요하구나 = I didn’t realize that life insurance was that important
이 돌의 표면이 아주 부드럽구나 = I didn’t realize that the surface of this rock was so soft
보도로 맨 끝까지 걸어갈 수 있구나

= I didn’t realize that you could walk to the very end on this path
미국에서 비만이 아주 큰 문제이구나

= I didn’t realize that obesity was such a big problem in America
햇빛으로 지면이 이렇게 뜨거울 수 있구나

= I didn’t realize that the earth’s surface could get so hot from sunlight
이 전철에 가방을 올려놓을 수 있는 선반이 없군
= I didn’t realize that there was no shelf to put your bag onto on the subway
You have learned many examples where 있다 and 없다 – although adjectives – are
treated like verbs when adding some grammatical principle. Notice that when adding
~구나, ~군 or ~군요, you treat 있다 and 없다 like adjectives.
Also notice that ~이/가 is used on the subject of these sentences. In Lesson 17, I indicated
that one of the purposes of ~이/가 is to denote the subject of a sentence that the speaker
just realizes or is experiencing. The nature of the sentences using ~구나, ~군 or ~군요
make it more natural to use ~이/가.
In Lesson 23, you learned about 그렇다 (which is an adjective) and the many ways it can
adapt to grammatical principles. ~구나, ~군 or ~군요 are commonly added to 그렇다.
This construction is often used when the speaker wants to refer to the previous situation
and say “Oh! I didn’t realize that.” For example:
Person 1: 그 친구가 어디 갔어?

= Where did that friend go?
Person 2: 여기가 좀 불안해서 집에 갔어

= He was a little uncomfortable here, so he went home
Person 3: 그렇구나
= Oh… (I didn’t realize that fact)
——————————————–
When adding ~구나, ~군 or ~군요 to a verb, ~는 should be placed between it and the
verb. For example:
너도 암호를 모르는구나
= Oh, I didn’t realize that you didn’t know the password either
아들이 수영을 잘 하는군요 =

= Oh, I didn’t realize that your son is good at swimming
장마에 비가 이렇게 많이 오는구나

= Oh, I didn’t realize that it rains this much during the rainy season
강아지가 쓰다듬는 것을 싫어하는구나

= Oh, I didn’t realize that the dog doesn’t like to be pet
오늘 우리가 그냥 정상 수업을 하는구나

= Oh, I didn’t realize that we are just doing normal classes today
——————————————–
When adding this to a verb, adjective or 이다 in the past tense, you can attach ~구나,
~군 or ~군요 to ~았/었. For example:
벌써 먹었구나
= Oh, I didn’t realize that you already ate
어제 생일이었구나
= Oh, I didn’t realize that yesterday was your birthday
둥지가 나무에서 떨어졌구나

= Oh, I didn’t realize that the nest fell from the tree
수술을 받은 후에 식욕을 잃었구나

= Oh, I didn’t realize that you lost your appetite after the surgery
선생님도 그때 아주 당황스러웠군요
= Oh, I didn’t realize that you were very embarrassed at that time too
학교 앞 표면을 다 초록색으로 칠했구나

= Oh, I didn’t realize that you painted the front surface of the school green
——————————————–
~구나, ~군 or ~군요 are used when one realizes something. Inherently, one usually
realizes something about a fact that has already happened or is currently happening.
However, it is also possible to add ~구나, ~군 or ~군요 to a sentence conjugated to the
future tense. This would most commonly be done if one realizes that something will be
the case. The realization still happens in the present tense, but the event will happen in
the future. These realizations of future events are typically guesses, and therefore you
would most commonly see ~겠다 used instead of ~ㄹ/을 것이다. For example:
돈이 없겠구나 = Oh, we will probably not have money

당황스럽겠구나 = Oh, you will probably be embarrassed
——————————————–
Sentences using ~구나, ~군 or ~군요 have a feeling that the speaker is speaking to
himself/herself. This “self-talking” isn’t really part of the conversation – the speaker is
just kind of mumbling to “Ah, I didn’t realize _______.”
The question is, then, if that were the case, why would we need to use “군요?” Why
would we need to use polite speech if this form is used to talk to oneself? Well, you
won’t see this is any other grammar book (I don’t think), because this is my personal
opinion. I have been exposed to this form (in conversation, books, Korean tests, other
writings, etc…) and I have the feeling that sentences before “~구나/~군/~군요” are
mostly said to oneself.
I would say that, within one sentence, 90% of the feeling is that the speaker is speaking to
himself/herself. The remaining 10% is the speaker wanting to show the listener that
he/she is surprised about the fact. Therefore, while technically “self-speech,” a part of the
function of the sentence is to show the listener that the speaker is surprised. This is the
reason why we should use honorifics if the situation calls for it (if you are speaking to
somebody who deserves high respect).
Anyways, that’s just my observation.
Nouns: Verbs:
서류 = documents, papers 수출하다 = to export
외과 = the medical field of surgery 수입하다 = to import
욕실 = bathroom 귀가하다 = to return home
점검 = inspection 갚다 = to pay back
연예 = entertainment 분실하다 = to lose an object
선배 = one’s senior 신고하다 = to report to the police,
금액 = an amount of money government, some body
잔돈 = small change 돌보다 = to take care of
진통제 = painkiller
계좌 = account Adverbs and Other Words:
한동안 = for a while, for some time
Adjectives: 수시로 = frequently
불친절하다 = to not be kind 최선 = the best way or plan
비다 = to be empty
심각하다 = to be serious, to be critical
Introduction
In this lesson, you will learn the meaning of adding “~네(요)” to sentences. This
grammatical form has a very similar meaning and usage to ~구나/군/군요, which you
learned in the previous lesson. Let’s get started.
Expressing Surprise or Admiration: ~네(요)

In the previous lesson, you learned how to add ~구나/군/군요 to the end of a sentence.
You learned that a speaker can use this grammatical principle to indicate that one is
surprised about a certain fact. For example:
이 상황이 아주 심각하구나
= Ah, I didn’t realize that this situation is very serious
그 사람이 조금 불친절하구나
= Ah, I didn’t realize that person is a little bit unkind
한국어를 배우는 최선의 방법이 이 웹사이트로 배우는 것이구나

= Ah, I didn’t realize that the best way/method to learn Korean is through this website
Just like with ~구나/군/군요, a speaker can use “~네(요)” to express surprise to the
information he/she just received. The question all Korean learners have then, is: What is
the difference between “~구나/군/군요” and “~네(요)”?
The difference is so slight and in almost every situation, they do not need to be
distinguished. Nowhere on any test will you ever see a question asking you to
differentiate the two – and nobody would ever ask you to differentiate between the two.
However, that is not what this website is about – and I pride myself on being able to
distinguish things that have no business being distinguished.
Before we get to distinguishing seemingly identical things, let’s look at some examples of
“~네(요)” in use first. ~네(요) is added directly to the stems of verbs, adjectives and
이다 when the speaker expresses surprise about an event in the present tense. For
example:
아들이 귀엽네요 = Oh, I didn’t realize that your son is so cute

욕실이 아주 깨끗하네요 = Wow, the bathroom is so clean
이 음식점은 음식이 정말 맛있네요 = Wow, this restaurant’s food is really delicious
선생님! 영어를 너무 잘하시네요! = Teacher! I didn’t know you were so good at English
Now, how can we distinguish “~구나/군/군요” with “~네(요)?”
Remember what I said about “~구나/군/군요” in the previous lesson – that most of the
feeling within this grammatical principle is “self-speech.”
While “~네(요)” could also be seen as a form of “self-speech,” I feel that it is less so
compared to “~구나/군/군요.” That is, when you say “~네(요),” although part of the
feeling of the sentence is spoken to oneself (about 60%), a lot of it (about, 40%) is
directed at the other person in the conversation. Compare this with the 90% to 10% ratio
that I estimated with “~구나/~군/~군요” in the previous lesson.
I’d like to share with you a dialogue that brought me to these ridiculous estimations.
One of my students in my (Korean) school came into my office, where one of my

(Korean) coworkers was speaking to me in English. The student immediately said to the
teacher:
“선생님! 영어를 너무 잘하시네요!” = Teacher! I didn’t know you were so good at

English!
The teacher, in response, said “아니야~ 너무 못해!” = No! I’m so bad!
Notice here that the teacher responded to the student, which emphasizes that what the
student said was not only directed to himself, but also towards the teacher.
If, however, the student came into the room and said:
선생님! 영어를 너무 잘 하시군요 = Teacher! I didn’t know you were so good at English!
The chance of the teacher responding would be less, because most of the sentence was
directed at the person speaking and not to the other person.
In addition to this, while “~구나/군/군요” and “~네(요)” could be mutually

exchangeable in essentially any situation, “~네(요)” would be more likely to be used
when the speaker is impressed from a fact that he/she just realized. On the other hand,
“~구나/군/군요” would be more likely to be used when the speaker simply realizes some
mundane fact that he/she didn’t know before. Again I specifically say “would be more
likely” because neither of those are set in stone, and you could technically use
“~구나/군/군요” or “~네(요)” in either situation.
In the Korean novel I am reading right now, a father asks his daughter what the last thing
she said to her mother was (the mother is in a coma). The daughter thinks the last thing
she said was:
엄마 어린이 집 다녀왔습니다 = Mom! I’m home/came back from pre-school
However, the father thinks the last thing she said was:
엄마 학교 다녀왔습니다 = Mom! I’m home/came back from school
The daughter eventually convinces the father that she is right. At which point, the father says:
그랬어? 그랬구나. 어린이집이었구나. 아빠가 깜빡했네.

= Was it like that? Oh, I didn’t realize it was like that. I didn’t realize it was a daycare. I
guess/I didn’t realize that I forgot
In this example, within the same sentence the father uses both “네(요)”
and “~구나/군/군요” to signify that he just realized that new fact.
Alright, that is enough splitting hairs for one lesson. Let’s look at many examples. Try
not to pay attention to the English translations because it is hard to translate
“impressions” or “realizations” directly:
First, in the present tense:
아! 잔돈이 없네 = Oh, I didn’t realize that I don’t have any change

선배가 춤을 잘 추네요 = Oh, I didn’t realize that our senior dances really well
금액이 많이 나오네요 = Oh, I didn’t realize that it is so expensive
계좌가 완전히 비어 있네 = Oh, I didn’t realize that my account is completely empty
이 진통제가 진짜 잘 드네 = Wow, this painkiller really works
너의 남편이 애기를 잘 돌보네 = Wow, your husband looks after the baby well
그 회사가 그 제품도 수입하네 = Oh, that company also imports that product
외과 의사가 되는 것이 제일 어렵네요 = Wow, becoming a surgeon is really the most difficult
In the past tense, ~네(요) can attach directly to ~았/었. For example:
밥을 빨리 먹었네 = Oh, you ate really fast

점검을 벌써 받았네 = Oh, I you already got the inspection
분실한 돈을 찾았네 = Oh, you found the money that you lost
서류를 빨리 정리했네 = Oh, you organized the papers quickly
우리 계좌로 돈을 이미 보냈네 = Oh, you already sent the money to our account
아! 그래서 그 제품을 수출을 못 했네 = Oh, so that’s why you couldn’t export that product
——————————————–
In Lesson 35, you learned about adding ~겠다 to express possibility. In that lesson, I
described that this is commonly used when the speaker sees something or hears some fact,
and is stating that something “must be the case” based on that evidence. It is common to
attach ~네(요) to ~겠다 in these cases to express one’s realization (and/or impression) of
this evidence. For example:
아프겠네 = Oh, that must hurt

힘들겠네! = Oh, that must be so hard!
돈이 부족하겠네 = Oh, we probably won’t have enough money
빚을 빨리 갚아야 되겠네 = Oh, I should probably pay off this debt quickly
오늘 일찍 귀가해야 되겠네 = Oh, I should probably go home early today
안전 점검을 수시로 해야 되겠네 = Oh, I should probably do a safety check frequently
이것을 정부에 신고를 안 해도 되겠네 = Oh, I probably don’t have to report this to the
government
——————————————–
In the previous lesson, you learned how “~구나/군/군요” can be added to 그렇다. It is
also common to attach ~네(요) to 그렇다.
“그렇네(요)” is commonly used when another person states a fact for the first time
(usually something that the listener didn’t know or recognize up to that point). As the fact
is being stated, the listener is witnessing the fact for the first time. For example, look how
I describe the following exchange:
Person 1: 비가 많이 와요! = It’s raining really hard!

Person 1 could have known this fact all along, he or she doesn’t necessarily need to
witness that it is raining hard for the first time. He/she is just telling this fact to another
person who probably doesn’t know that it is raining hard.
Person 2: 그렇네! = Oh, it’s like that! (Oh! It really is raining hard!)
Person 2 probably didn’t know or recognize that it is raining hard, and he is probably
witnessing the heavy rainfall for the first time today. As he witnesses the heavy rainfall,
Person 1 tells him “It’s really raining hard!” At this point, Person 2 can express his
surprise by saying “그렇네!”
Here’s another example:
Person 1: 오늘 점심은 피자야! = Today’s lunch is pizza

Person 2: 그렇네! = Oh, it’s like that! (Oh! It really is Pizza for lunch today)
Person 2 probably didn’t know that the lunch today is pizza, and he is probably looking
at the menu for the first time. As he looks at the menu, Person 1 tells him “Today’s lunch
is pizza.” At this point, Person 2 can express his surprise by saying “그렇네!”
1) Choose the sentence that is properly using 때, 데 or 데:
a) 우리는 옛날에 살았던데에 한 번 가 봤어요
b) 제가 원래 서울에서 왔는데 지금 부산에서 살고 있어요
c) 제가 밥을 먹었을 데 거의 토할 뻔 했어요
d) 여자친구를 만나고 싶는데 시간이 없어요
2) Place the correct word in each of the following sentences:

a) 그 리포트를 다 쓰는____ 하루 걸렸어요
b) 지금 버스를 탄_____ 세 시간 되었어요
c) 사과가 바나나보다 더 맛있는____ 바나나가 건강에 더 좋아요
3) Choose the sentence that is correctly using ~에 대하다, ~에 의하다, or ~에 인하다

a) 저는 요즘에 죽은 우리 엄마에 의해 많이 생각하고 있어요
b) 신문에 인하면 그의 엄마가 여행하면서 돌아가셨어요
c) 교통사고로 인해 사람들은 도로에서 움직이지 못하고 있어요
d) 공사에 대해 사람들은 건물에 못 들어가요
4) Choose the incorrect sentence:

a) 제가 예상했던 대로 제 친구가 우리와 같이 가고 싶지 않았어요
b) 제 친구가 우리와 같이 오고 싶지 않은 것은 당연해요
c) 해질녘에 하늘 전체는 아름다운 색깔로 변했다
d) 대학교에 가고 싶어서 바로 그 때문이에요
5) Choose a natural answer to the following question:
혹시 스파케티를 좋아하세요?
a) 당연하지
b) 바로 그 때문이지
c) 스파케티에 의하지
d) 알맞지
6) Which of the following sentences does not fit with the other three?
a) 버스를 타면 됩니다
b) 버스를 타세요
c) 버스를 타시기 바랍니다
d) 버스를 타서는 안 됩니다

a) 이제 숙제를 다 했으니 마음이 편해요
b) 시간이 없으니 가게에 못 가요
c) 버스를 놓쳤으니 늦게 도착하지 않았어요
d) 사람들이 7 시 이후에 탄수화물을 많이 먹어서는 안 돼요
8) Choose the correct ending from the choices provided to fit naturally in the blank
below:
Person 1: 부장님! 저는 일을 다 했습니다

Person 2: 수고하셨어요! 아주 빨리 _________
a) 했네요
b) 해서는 안 돼요
c) 했군
d) 했으니까요
Answers:
1) B
2)
(space) 데
지
데
3) C
4) D
5) A
6) D
7) C
8) A
Nouns: Verbs:
특허 = patent 기소하다 = to prosecute
신제품 = new product 강연하다 = to give a lecture
폭탄 = bomb 전달하다 = to convey, to deliver info
폐기물 = waste materials 인쇄하다 = to print
급행 = express (train) 제하다 = to subtract, to deduct
붕대 = bandage, Band-Aid 더하다 = to add
연봉 = annual income, one’s yearly salary 환호하다 = to cheer
기다 = to crawl
Passive Verbs: 요구하다 = to demand
쓰러지다 = to collapse, to be knocked down 쓰러뜨리다 = to knock down
연장하다 = to extend, to renew
Adjectives:
처리하다 = to handle, to process
푸짐하다 = plentiful, abundant, generous
폐기하다 = to destroy
깔끔하다 = clean, neat and tidy
무리하다 = too much Adverbs and Other Words:
한참 = a long time
Introduction
In this lesson, you will learn about the grammatical principle ~자마자 and it’s less
common counterpart, ~자. Both have similar meanings, but as always I will dissect each
one so you can understand them more clearly by the end of this lesson. Let’s get started.
As soon as: ~자마자

This is actually one of the easiest grammatical principles to learn and understand,
especially because you have had tons of practice with learning new grammar by now. By
attaching ~자마자 to a verb at the end of a clause, the speaker indicates that an action
occurs “as soon as” another action does. For example:
집에 도착하자마자 밥을 먹어야 돼요 = As soon as we arrive at home, I need to eat
Just like many other Korean grammatical principles, the clause before ~자마자 is not
conjugated to the past or future tenses. Rather, ~자마자 is attached directly to the verb
and the tense can be assumed from the conjugation of the second clause. Below are many
examples:
버스가 출발하자마자 사람들은 움직였어요

= As soon as the bus moved, people started moving
경찰관들은 범죄자를 찾자마자 기소할 거예요

= As soon as the police find the criminal, they will prosecute him/her
제가 가르치기 시작하자마자 학생들이 조용해졌어요
= As soon as I started teaching, the students got quiet
비행기 바퀴가 땅에 닿자마자 승객들이 자리에서 일어났어요

= As soon as the plane’s wheels hit the ground, the passengers got out of their seats
선생님이 조용히 하라고 하자마자 애들이 웃음을 멈추었어요

= As soon as the teacher said “be quiet,” the students stopped laughing
내가 친구들한테 쇼핑을 하자고 하자마자 친구들이 다 바쁘다고 했어

= As soon as I asked my friends if they want to go shopping, they all said that they are busy
급행 열차가 도착하자마자 사람들이 무리하게 탔어요

= As soon as the express train arrived, people got on excessively
선수들이 나오자마자 저는 소리를 질러 환호할 거예요

= As soon as the athletes/players come out, I am going to scream and cheer
이 신제품이 나오자마자 우리가 특허를 신청해야 돼요

= As soon as this new product comes out, we have to apply for a patent
이 붕대를 풀자마자 애기가 기어 다니기 시작해도 돼요

= As soon as you unravel this bandage, the baby can start crawling around
공항에서 폭탄을 찾자마자 경찰관들은 그 폭탄을 처리해야 돼요

= As soon as the police find the bomb at the airport, they need to deal with it right away
인쇄가 다 되자마자 종이에 무엇이 쓰여 있는지 내용을 전달해 주세요

= As soon as the printing is all done, please tell me the contents that are written on the paper
이 정보를 이용하자마자 개인정보 보호를 위해 바로 폐기해야 돼요

= As soon as you use this information, in order to protect your personal information, you
should discard it right away
부장님을 만나자마자 제가 저의 계약을 어떻게 연장할 수 있냐고 물어볼 거예요

= As soon as I meet the boss, I will ask how I can renew/extend my contract
지금 버는 돈이 많지 않아서 내일 회사에 도착하자마자 연봉 인상을 요구할 거예요

= The money I make isn’t a lot, so as soon as I arrive at the office, I am going to
request/demand a raise in my salary
This grammatical principle is pretty straightforward, but there are ways we can create a
similar meaning using other grammatical principles. I would like to discuss these in the
next sections.
As soon as: ~는 대로
In Lesson 79, you learned about the noun “대로” and how it can be used to indicate that
one action is the same as some experience. For example:
예상한 대로 그 영화가 재미있었어요 = As I expected, that movie was funny
대로 can also be used to have a similar meaning as ~자마자. You can do this by
describing 대로 with a verb in the present tense by using ~는 것. For example:
집에 도착하는 대로 밥을 먹어야 돼요
= As soon as we arrive at home, I need to eat
제가 가르치기 시작하는 대로 학생들이 조용해졌어요

비행기바퀴가 땅에 닿는 대로 승객들이 자리에서 일어났어요

= as soon as the plane’s wheels hit the ground, the passengers got out of their seats
Notice that only present tense conjugations are used in the first clauses here as well.
Using this grammatical principle to mean “as soon as” is perfectly acceptable, and
Korean people say that the sentences with ~자마자 and 대로 have the same meaning.
That being said, I feel that ~자마자 is much more common than ~는 대로 – and I would
advise against using ~는 대로 in conversation. If you write a Korean test (TOPIK, for
example), you might see some questions asking for a similar form of “~자마자,” where
the answer will inevitably be “~는 대로.” But aside from that, I rarely see this form being
used.
Also notice that this is another grammatical principle that could easily be confused with
“~는데,” which you learned in Lesson 76 and Lesson 77. Below are the different
grammatical principles that could all be easily confused because they all have identical
pronunciations. The only way to tell them apart is by context and understanding the
situation of a sentence:
~는 데 – describing a place as “데” refers to a location

~는데 – setting up an upcoming clause while slightly negating the first one
~는 데 – indicating the amount of time or resources that were required to complete an action
~는 대로 – indicating that one action is the same as some experience
~는 대로 – indicating that one action happens as soon as another action happens
Now that you know about ~자마자 and ~는 대로, let me discuss how ~자 is used.
Three meanings of ~자
In Lesson 44, you learned how to use ~자 at the end of a sentence to suggest that a group
of people do something together. When ~자 is used to connect two clauses, it can have
various meanings – one of which overlaps with the meaning of ~자마자. I would like to
separate these meanings into three usages:
To indicate that one action occurs “as soon as’ another action does
~자 can be used to create essentially the same meaning that ~자마자 creates. Again, the
speaker indicates that an action occurs “as soon as” another action does.
When ~자마자 is used, it is possible that the actions have already happened, or it is
possible that they haven’t happened yet. For example, look at these three sentences:
집에 도착하자마자 밥을 먹어야 돼요
= As soon as we arrive at home, I need to eat
In this sentence, “arriving home” hasn’t happened yet.

= As soon as the police find the criminal, they will prosecute him/her
In this sentence “finding the criminal” hasn’t happened yet.
제가 가르치기 시작하자마자 학생들이 조용해졌어요

In this sentence, “starting teaching” has already happened.
~자 can replace ~자마자 to have a similar meaning when the actions have already
happened. Therefore, some of the sentences we created earlier would work if ~자 were
used instead of ~자마자. For example, all of these sentences would be acceptable:
버스가 출발하자 사람들은 움직였어요

제가 가르치기 시작하자 학생들이 조용해졌어요
비행기 바퀴가 땅에 닿자 승객들이 자리에서 일어났어요
선생님이 조용히 하라고 하자 애들이 웃음을 멈추었어요
내가 친구들한테 쇼핑을 하자고 하자 친구들이 바쁘다고 했어
급행 열차가 도착하자 사람들이 무리하게 탔어요
However, in sentences where the actions have not already occurred, ~자 cannot replace
~자마자. For example, these sentences that we made earlier would not be natural if ~자
replaced ~자마자:

선수들이 나오자마자 저는 소리를 질러 환호할 거예요
이 신제품이 나오자마자 우리가 특허를 신청해야 돼요
이 붕대를 풀자마자 애기가 기어 다니기 시작해도 돼요
공항에서 폭탄을 찾자마자 경찰관들은 그 폭탄을 처리해야 돼요
인쇄가 다 되자마자 종이에 무엇이 쓰여 있는지 내용을 전달해 주세요
이 정보를 이용하자마자 개인정보 보호를 위해 바로 폐기해야 돼요
부장님을 만나자마자 제가 저의 계약을 어떻게 연장할 수 있냐고 물어볼 거예요
지금 버는 돈이 많지 않아서 내일 회사에 도착하자마자 연봉 인상을 요구할 거예요
To show a cause-and-effect
It is also possible that ~자 could be used to show a cause-and-effect relationship between
the two clauses. For example:
바람이 불자 그 집이 쓰러질 것 같아요

= The house might fall down because of the wind blowing
엄마가 소리를 지르자 아기가 깜작 놀랐어요

= The baby was surprised because the mother raised her voice
물가가 비싸지자 사람들이 그 도시에 안 가요

= People don’t go to that city because the price of goods is getting expensive
~자 is not as common as other ways to show cause-and-effect that you have already
learned. For example, in Lesson 37 and 38 you learned how to use ~아/어서 and 때문에
to create this type of meaning. The sentences above would more likely be said as:
물가가 비싸져서 사람들이 그 도시에 안 가요

물가가 비싸지기 때문에 사람들이 그 도시에 안 가요
——————————-
Let me just step in to provide my personal insight on this ambiguous situation.
This is one of the reasons why learning a language can be so difficult. There are always
many, many ways that you can state the same thing. Not only that, but one thing can be
used to have many meanings.
For example, any of the following could be ways to translate “because” into Korean:
~아/어서
~기 때문에
~(으)니
~(으)니까
~자
(and others…)
Not only that, but each of those could have different translations/usages than “because.”
For example, ~자 could be used to create any of the following meanings:
– As soon as..
– Because…
– Let’s…
– And…
(and others…)
This is not related to the explanation of this lesson, but instead related to the study of
Korean (or any language) in general. I am including this here to attempt to describe the
ambiguity of languages. As a beginner of Korean (or maybe any language), learners try to
get definite, black-and-white answers for what something means. They want to hear that
“A means B, and C means D.” However, languages don’t work like that. Instead, “A
means B, but it could also mean X and Y. And C means D, but it can also mean X and
Y.”
As you progress into more difficult (and real) Korean, the key to understanding any
sentence is context. When we see ~자 being used, it might be very ambiguous if it is used
to indicate a cause-and-effect relationship or to indicate “as soon as.” For example:
엄마가 소리를 지르자 아기가 깜작 놀랐어요
What is the meaning of the sentence? Could it be:

1) The baby was surprised because the mother raised her voice, or
2) As soon as the mother raised her voice, the baby was surprised
I discussed a similar problem in my discussion with ~(으)니 (Lesson 81) and the
ambiguously similar meanings it can have. Is the Korean sentence above best translated
to the first English translation, or the second? The answer isn’t as important as you would
think. In both situations, the end result is the same. If you heard that Korean sentence in a
real conversation, you wouldn’t stop the speaker and say “Hold on a minute – did the
baby wake up because the mother raised her voice? Or as soon as she raised her voice?”
In most situations, you wouldn’t need the clarification, and if you did, the context would
probably make it clear.
——————————-
To indicate that one thing is inherently two things

When ~자 is attached to 이다, the speaker can indicate that one noun is inherently two
nouns. For example, if somebody is a teacher and also a student as well, they could say:
저는 선생님이자 학생이에요 = I am a teacher and a student
Here are more examples:
이 식사는 우리 점심이자 저녁이에요

= This meal is our lunch and dinner
요즘 핸드폰은 전화기이자 컴퓨터예요

= Cell phones these days are phones and computers
저의 남편은 저의 제일 친한 친구이자 제가 제일 사랑하는 사람이에요

= My husband is my best friend and the person who I love the most
One common way that ~자 is used with 이다 like this is when the speaker indicates that
this is the “first and last” of something. For example:
이것은 처음이자 마지막 기회예요

= This is the first and last chance
그 사람은 우리 나라의 처음이자 마지막 왕이었어요

= That person was our country’s first and last king
Nouns: Verbs:
풀 = grass 베다 = to cut
단식 = a singles match (in sports) 데우다 = to heat up
주거 = place of living, dwelling, residence 욕하다 = to swear, to insult
야심 = ambitions, aspirations 단식하다 = to fast
각도 = angle 남모르다 = for something to be secret or
수납 = storage unknown to people
수납장 = closet
청년 = young people Passive verbs:
징역 = prison 베이다 = to be cut
실권 = power
겉보기 = outward appearance
아마 = probably
한층 = much more
Adjectives:
과하다 = to be excessive 남몰래 = secretly
분명하다 = to be clear, to be for definite 온종일 = all day
미지근하다 = to be lukewarm
Introduction
In this lesson, you will learn two grammatical principles that can are commonly used
with the verb 알다 (to know). First, you will learn about ~ㄹ/을 줄 알다, and second you
will learn about ~다시피. Let’s get started.
To know (how to): ~ㄹ/을 줄 알다

By placing ~ㄹ/을 줄 알다 after a verb, you can indicate that one “knows how” to do that
action. For example:
각도를 잴 줄 알아요 = I know how to measure the angle

김밥을 만들 줄 알아요 = I know how to make 김밥
한국말로 욕을 할 줄 알아요 = I know how to swear in Korean
저는 그것을 할 줄 알아요 = I know how to do that
It is common to use this type of sentence as a question to ask if one “knows how” to do
an action. For example:
각도를 잴 줄 알아요? = Do you know how to measure the angle?

김밥을 만들 줄 알아요? = Do you know how to make 김밥?
한국말로 욕을 할 줄 알아요? = Do you know how to swear in Korean?
그것을 할 줄 알아요? = Do you know how to do that?
“줄” is one of these special nouns like “수” in ~ㄹ/을 수 있다 and “적” in ~ㄴ/은 적이
있다 that can only be described by something in the ~는 것 form.
You can also use the word “모르다” (to not know) instead of “알다” to state that one
“does not know how” to do an action. For example:
각도를 잴 줄 몰라요 = I don’t know how to measure the angle

김밥을 만들 줄 몰라요 = I don’t know how to make 김밥
한국말로 욕을 할 줄 몰라요 = I don’t know how to swear in Korean
저는 그것을 할 줄 몰라요 = I don’t know how to do that
It is also possible to use “모르다” to create a question. For example:
각도를 잴 줄 몰라요? = You don’t know how to measure the angle

김밥을 만들 줄 몰라요? = You don’t know how to make 김밥?
한국말로 욕을 할 줄 몰라요? = You don’t know how to swear in Korean?
그것을 할 줄 몰라요? = You don’t know how to do that?
————————————
There is another meaning that can be created by describing 줄. When creating this
meaning, it is possible for the word describing 줄 to be in the past, present, or future
tense.
When used this way, the speaker is stating that that he/she just realized something is not
true – but because of some lapse in judgment, originally thought that it was true. It is hard
to describe with words, so I will describe an example from my real life.
One day, I went to buy some 김밥 worth 2,000 won. When I paid the lady, she gave me a
weird look. She looked at me and said something like “aren’t you going to give me more
money?” After a minute of confusion, she looked down and said:
아~ 미안해요~ 천원만 준 줄 알았어요 = Oh, sorry, I thought you only gave me 1,000 won
(Notice that 주다 is describing 줄 in the past tense using ~ㄴ/은)
Another example would be if I was talking to somebody in my school using the low
respect form of speech. Afterwards, I realize that the person that I am speaking to is not a
student but is actually a teacher (which could actually happen in Korea because some
people look really young). In this scenario, I could say:
미안해요~ 학생인 줄 알았어요 = Sorry, I thought you were a student

(Notice that 이다 is describing 줄 in the present tense using ~ㄴ/은)
(Also remember that the rules of describing a noun are different for verbs and
adjectives/이다.)
Notice that the English translation for the sentence above could be the same as a quoted
sentence using 생각하다. For example:
학생이라고 생각했어요 = I thought you were a student
In order for you to understand the purpose of “줄,” let’s talk about the difference
between:
학생인 줄 알았어요 = I thought you were a student

학생이라고 생각했어요 = I thought you were a student
The difference between the two is that ~ㄹ/을 줄 알다 implies that there was a lapse in
judgment that caused the speaker to make a mistake. Whereas “~ㄴ/다고” just expresses
that the speaker thought something. For example:
그녀가 예쁘다고 생각했어요 = I thought she was pretty

This would be used if your opinion was that the girl is actually pretty.
그녀가 예쁜 줄 알았어요 = (Oh,) I thought she was pretty

This would be used if you originally thought the girl was pretty, but because of some
lapse in judgment (maybe you saw her from far away and couldn’t see her very well).
However, when you get new information (maybe you saw her close up, or your friends
told you that she is not pretty), you now realize that she actually isn’t pretty.
Depending on when the action that was mistaken occurs, it is possible to describe “줄” in
the past, present or future tense. For example:
아버지가 저에게 돈을 준 줄 알았어요 = I thought that dad gave me money

The speaker, for some reason, had a lapse in judgment and mistakenly thought that his
dad gave him money
아빠가 저에게 돈을 주는 줄 알았어요 = I thought that dad is/was giving me money

dad is giving him money
아빠가 저에게 돈을 줄 줄 알았어요 = I thought that dad will give me money

dad will give him money
Below are many examples where 줄 is being described in the past tense:
저한테 욕한 줄 알았어요 = I thought you swore at me

아빠가 풀을 이미 벤 줄 알았어요 = I thought dad already cut the grass
저의 손가락이 그 칼에 베인 줄 알았어요 = I thought my finger got cut by the knife
물이 미지근해서 아빠가 물을 데운 줄 알았어요
= I thought dad heated up the water cause it was lukewarm
그 남자가 남몰래 바람을 피우고 와이프와 이혼한 줄 알았어요

= I thought that man got a divorce with his wife because he had an affair without
anybody knowing
Below are many examples where 줄 is being described in the present tense:
그 사람들이 온종일 단식하는 줄 알았어요

= I thought those people fasted all day
그 선수가 단식 테니스만 잘하는 줄 알았어요

= I thought that player was only good at singles tennis
캐나다에서 영국 왕비가 실권을 쥐는 줄 알았어요

= I thought the Queen of England held all the power in Canada
그 선물을 겉보기로만 봐서 나쁜 선물인 줄 알았어요

= By only looking at the outside appearance, I thought you got me a bad present
그 청년이 야심이 많은 줄 알았는데 어떻게 5 년 동안 징역을 살았어요?

= I thought that boy had lots of aspirations, how could he have been in prison for five
years?
The English translations of the verbs seem to be more natural when translated into the
past tense. However, in the above examples, realize that 줄 is being described by
something in the present tense.
Below are many examples where 줄 is being described in the future tense:
내가 죽을 줄 알았어 = I thought I was going to die

우리가 내일 갈 줄 알았어 = I thought we were going tomorrow
나한테 돈을 줄 줄 알았어 = I thought you were going to give me money
옷을 수납장에 넣을 줄 알았어요 = I thought you would put the clothes in the closet
민지가 미국 대학교에 갈 줄 알았어

= I thought 민지 would be going to an American university
우리에게 남모르는 비밀을 말할 줄 알았어요

= I thought you were going to tell us some secret that nobody knows
여자 친구에게 과하게 욕을 해서 분명히 헤어질 줄 알았어요
= I thought for sure that your girlfriend would break up with you for swearing at her too
much
저번 훈련을 통해 그 선수의 실력이 한층 더 좋아질 줄 알았어요

= I thought that athlete’s ability would be much better because of the training last time
The speaker can use 모르다 in place of 알다 to indicate that something is true – but
because of some lapse in judgment, he/she originally thought that it wasn’t true. For
example, look at the difference between using 모르다 and 알다 in the following
examples:
그녀가 예쁜 줄 알았어요 = I thought she was pretty

This would be used if you originally thought the girl was pretty, but because of some
told you that she is not pretty), you now realize that she actually isn’t pretty.
그녀가 예쁜 줄 몰랐어요 = I didn’t know she was pretty

This would be used if you originally thought the girl wasn’t pretty, but because of some
told you that she is pretty), you now realize that she actually is pretty.
Other examples:
거기가 비싼 줄 몰랐어요 = I didn’t know it was expensive there

Originally you didn’t know it was expensive there, but you realized that you were wrong
– and it is actually expensive there
그 핸드폰이 좋은 줄 몰랐어요 = I didn’t know that cell-phone was good

Originally you didn’t know that cell phone was good, but you realized that you were
wrong – and it actually is good
네가 가고 싶지 않다고 한 줄 몰랐어 = I didn’t know you said you didn’t wanted to go

This is a confusing example, but it could still be used. Originally you didn’t know that
he/she said she didn’t want to go – but now you realize that she said she didn’t want to
go])
Referring to a Listener’s Perception: ~다시피
~다시피 can be used to refer to a listener’s perceptions. Technically the thing that
connects to the word is “~다시피.” The “다” is not part of the stem of the word, but
actually part of the grammatical principle itself.
~다시피 is most commonly added to 알다 to refer to what the listener knows. For
example:
너도 알다시피… = As you know…

선생님도 알다시피… = As you (teacher) know…
As you can see, ~도 is commonly added to the person. In addition to the speaker, the
listener “also” knows.
In times when the listener deserves a high amount of respect, it is common to also include
the formal ~(으)시, which you learned in Lesson 39. For example:
선생님도 아시다시피… = As you (teacher) know…

부장님도 아시다시피… = As you (boss) know…
~다시피 is often added to 보다 to refer to what the listener sees. For example:
너도 보다시피… = As you (can) see…

선생님도 보시다시피… = As you (teacher) (can) see…
부장님도 보시다시피… = As you (boss) (can) see…
You can use these constructions to refer to what the listener knows or is looking at in
sentences. For example:
부장님도 아시다시피 저는 내일 출장을 가야 돼요

= As you know, I have to go on a business trip tomorrow
너도 알다시피 나는 돈이 없어서 그것을 못 사

= As you know, I have no money, so I can’t buy that
너도 보다시피 우리 집 상황이 매우 안 좋아
= As you can see, the situation of our house is really not good
선생님도 보시다시피 제 가방에 아무것도 없어요

= As you can see, there is nothing in my bag
Nouns: Verbs:
핵심 = main point, key point 중단하다 = to halt, to stop in the middle of
농약 = pesticides 부양하다 = to support financially
소음 = noise from something, racket 교대하다 = to take turns, take over
영역 = territory 구별하다 = to distinguish
파업 = a (workers) strike
교포 = a foreign-born Korean Adjectives:
절벽 = cliff 인색하다 = to be cheap (with money)
영수증 = receipt 울퉁불퉁하다 = to be bumpy
주전자 = kettle
농산물 = crops, agriculture products
금년 = this year, the present year
눈사람 = snowman
관광지 = tourist attraction
고춧가루 = red pepper powder
Introduction
In this lesson, you will learn how to use the word 아니라 (from the word 아니다) to
negate a preceding noun. In doing so, you will also see how you can negate an entire
clause by applying ~는 것 to a verb, adjective or 이다. Let’s get started.
Something is, while something isn’t: 이/가 아니라

You learned way back in Lesson 8 that you can use the word “아니다” to indicate that
something is not something. For example:
저는 선생님이 아니에요 = I am not a teacher

나는 너의 친구가 아니야 = I am not your friend
여기는 관광지가 아니에요 = Here (this place) is not a tourist attraction
Remember that ~이/가 should be attached to the noun before 아니다.
By replacing “다” with “~라,” you can create “아니라,” which can be placed between
two clauses. The speaker uses “아니라” to contrast the two clauses – indicating that the
first thing is not something, and the second is something. For example, if we look at a
very simple sentence:
그 사람은 학생이 아니라 선생님이에요
In this sentence, the speaker is indicating that the person is not a student, and is a teacher.
For example:
그 사람은 학생이 아니라 선생님이에요 = That person is not a student, he is a teacher
아니라 cannot be conjugated into the past or future – rather, the final clause will indicate
the tense. For example:
제가 선생님이 아니라 학생을 도와주는 사람이에요

= I am not a teacher, I’m a student helper
제가 선생님이 아니라 학생을 도와주는 사람이었어요

= I wasn’t a teacher, I was a student helper
Below are many more examples:
저것은 사람이 아니라 눈사람이에요

= That is not a person, it is a snowman
그게 쓰레기가 아니라 저의 영수증이에요

= That is not garbage, it is my receipt
지금 뿌리는 것이 농약이 아니라 그냥 물이에요

= The thing that I am spraying now is not pesticide, it is just water
가장 맛있는 한식은 김치가 아니라 삼겹살이에요

= The most delicious Korean food isn’t Kimchi, it is 삼겹살
지금 냄비에 넣는 게 소금이 아니라 고춧가루예요

= The thing I am putting in the pot now is not salt, it is red pepper powder
집이 바다에서 가깝지만 집 근처가 해변이 아니라 절벽이에요

= The house is close to the ocean, but near our house isn’t a beach, it is a cliff
여기는 캐나다 영역이 아니라 미국 대사관이라서 미국 영역이에요

= This place (here) is not Canadian territory, because it is the American embassy, it is American territory
여기서 사는 것에 있어서 문제가 공장에서 나는 소음이 아니라 공장에서 나는 냄새요

= The problem about living here is not the noise coming from the factory, it is the smell
coming from the factory
Notice that these types of sentences could easily be confused with adding ~라(서) to
아니다 to indicate the cause of something. You saw sentences like this created in Lesson
37. For example:
저는 선생님이 아니라(서) 그것을 잘 몰라요 = I don’t know that because I’m not a teacher
In the next section, I will introduce how 아니라 can be used not just after a simple noun,
but how it can also be used after a noun described using ~는 것.
A clause is, while another clause isn’t: ~는 게 아니라
In Lesson 26, you learned how to describe a noun using a verb or adjective using ~는 것.
It is common to create one of these nouns and use it immediately before 아니라. This
allows the speaker to contrast the two clauses before and after 아니라 – indicating that
one clause is not something, while the other clause is. For example:
저는 밥을 먹는 것이 아니라 공부하고 있어요 = I’m not eating, I’m studying

그 여자는 예쁜 것이 아니라 못생겼어요 = That girl isn’t pretty, she is ugly
In practice (not just with this grammatical principle, but all the time in Korean) 것이 can
be condensed to 게. When using 아니라 to negate a prior clause, this is almost always
done. For example, the sentences above would sound more natural if 것이 were replaced
with 게:
저는 밥을 먹는 게 아니라 공부하고 있어요 = I’m not eating, I’m studying

그 여자는 예쁜 게 아니라 못생겼어요 = That girl isn’t pretty, she is ugly
저는 인색한 게 아니라 그냥 돈이 없어요

= I’m not cheap, I just don’t have any money
파업을 금년에 하는 게 아니라 내년에 할 거예요

= We don’t go on strike this year, we will do it next year
길이 울퉁불퉁한 게 아니라 네가 운전을 못하는 거야

= It is not that the road is bumpy, it is that you can’t drive well
주전자가 망가진 게 아니라 버튼을 안 눌러서 안된 거예요

= It is not that the kettle is broken, it doesn’t work because you didn’t press the button
우리 둘 다 같은 시간이 일하는 게 아니라 교대하는 거에요

= We don’t both work at the same time, we take turns doing it
여기는 농산물을 파는 곳이 아니라 핸드폰을 파는 곳이에요

= This place isn’t a place for selling crops, it is a place for selling cell-phones
저는 한국에서 태어난 게 아니라 캐나다에서 태어난 교포예요

= I wasn’t born is Korea, I am a foreign-born Korean born in Canada
제가 그 사람을 싫어하는 게 아니라 우리는 그냥 잘 어울리지 못해요

= It’s not that I don’t like that person, we just don’t get along well
이 숙제 핵심은 이 두 개를 구별하는 게 아니라 두 개를 설명하는 거예요
= The main point of this homework is not to distinguish these two things, it is two
explain them both
제품 생산을 중단하는 게 아니라 그 문제를 해결해서 곧 다시 생산할 거예요

= It is not that we are halting production of this product, it is just that we are fixing the
problem and we will soon produce it again
제가 한국에 가고 싶은 이유는 일하고 싶은 게 아니라 한국말을 배우고 싶기

때문이에요
= The reason I want to go to Korea is not to work, but to learn Korean
이 문제를 해결하는 최선의 방법은 파업을 하는 게 아니라 우리가 만나서 문제를

어떻게 해결하는지에 대해 얘기해야 하는 것이에요
= The best way to solve this problem is not to go on strike, it is for us to meet and talk
about how we can solve the problem
————————————–
The first time I knew that my understanding of Korean grammar was getting really good
was when I was trying to make the following sentence:
“The reason I am learning Korean is not for my girlfriend, but for her parents”
I wanted to say this sentence to a friend of mine, and I had never made a sentence like it
before. I would like to walk you through my thought process when I first had to create a
sentence like this.
As you know, you can use ~를/을 위해 to create the meaning of “for.” For example:
저는 한국말을 저의 여자 친구를 위해 배우고 있어요 = I am learning Korean for my

girlfriend
You should also know by now that “위해” is actually an adjective (the fact that it is an
adjective instead of a verb is irrelevant aside from the fact that it has to be conjugated as
an adjective) with a “dictionary” form of “위하다.” Because it is an adjective, even
though it is commonly used as “위해,” it can also be used as “위한” to describe an
upcoming noun – much like 대하다, 관하다, 관련하다 (Lesson 34), 의하다 and 인하다
(Lesson 78). For example:
이것은 저의 여자 친구를 위한 것이에요 = This thing is (a thing) for my girlfriend
In order to make the sentence that I wanted to say, I used my knowledge of 위하다, ~는
것 and ~는 게 아니라 and came up with:
제가 한국말을 배우고 있는 이유는 저의 여자 친구를 위한 게 아니라 그녀의

부모님을 위한 것이에요
= The reason I am learning Korean is not for my girlfriend, but for her parents
Note that you could just as easily say:
저는 저의 여자 친구를 위해 한국말을 배우고 있는 게 아니라 그녀의 부모님을 위해

배우고 있어요
= I am not learning Korean for my girlfriend, but I am learning it (Korean) for her parents
Though those two sentences essentially have the same meaning, there is a slight
difference in emphasis in the two – the first sentence emphasizing the reason why I am
learning the language.
Anyways, I thought I would share that story of how awesome I am.
————————————–
The word “그것이” is often contracted to “그게” and is often placed before 아니라 to
refer to a prior situation and indicate “it is not that.” For example:
그게 아니라 나는 너를 그냥 보고 싶어 = It’s not that, I just want to see you

그게 아니라 저는 돈을 벌어야 돼요 = It’s not that, I just need to earn money
But in these situations, there would always need to be some sort of context that would
create a situation where these sentences could be used.
Finally, the construction “다름이 아니라” is often used in some specific formal
situations. If one is talking to a co-worker/client/boss (etc…), people usually start off by
making small talk about some other (non-work related) topic. If you want to stop the
personal chit-chat and start talking about some real facts/business/whatever, saying the
phrase “다름이 아니라” is similar to the English expression “alright, let’s get to business
here.”
Nouns: Verbs:
하품 = yawn 대다 = to press against
부품 = mechanical part 알아듣다 = to understand what one hears
음악회 = concert 맡기다 = to entrust with somebody
보관소 = storage center 해내다 = to finish a job or task
분실물 = a lost item 적용하다 = to apply rule, law, discount
수리비 = repair cost 매매하다 = to buy and sell
짝사랑 = one sided love 신용하다 = to trust
우등상 = the prize given to a winner 우등하다 = to win, to be the best at
중소기업 = small and medium enterprises 임대하다 = to lease, to rent
Adjectives:
싱겁다 = for something to be tasteless
정숙하다 = to be quiet, mature and virtuous
애매하다 = to be ambiguous
Introduction
In this lesson, you will learn how to add ~기로 하다 to the end of a sentence or clause to
indicate that one “decides to do” an action. The usage and translation are fairly
straightforward, to the point that the construction can almost be thought of as an idiom.
However, I do feel that this is a grammatical principle that deserves its own lesson. Let’s
get started.
To decide to do: ~기로 하다

In Lesson 29, you learned how to add ~기 to words to change a verb or its entire phrase
into a noun. For example, look at the following sentence:
내가 친구를 공원에서 만난다 (to meet a friend in a park),
We can change this phrase into a noun by attaching ~기. For example:
내가 친구를 공원에서 만나기…
Now that this is a noun, there are various things that we can do with it. One thing we can
do is attach ~(으)로 to ~기 and finish the phrase with 하다. For example:
내가 친구를 공원에서 만나기로 한다
When ~기로 하다 is added to the end of a clause like this, the speaker indicates that
he/she has “decided” to do that action. For example:
제가 친구를 공원에서 만나기로 했어요 = I decided to meet my friend in the park
The verb before ~기로 is always conjugated in the present tense, even though the
sentence usually describes an action that was decided to be done in either the past or the
future. For example:
우리가 내일 만나기로 했어요 = We decided to meet tomorrow

우리가 어제 만나기로 했어요 = We decided to meet yesterday
Also notice that the “하다” at the end of the clause is in the past tense, as this form
typically describes an action that was decided to be done. In other words, the decision
occurred in the past.
This is a straightforward principle that has a simple and accurate translation. All I can do
to help you now is show you a ton of example sentences:
저는 선생님이 되기로 했어요

= I decided to become a teacher
내일 친구랑 음악회에 같이 가기로 했어요

= I decided to go to the concert with my friend tomorrow
지금부터 그 친구를 신용하지 않기로 했어요

= From now on I decided to not trust that friend
애기가 이제 하품을 많이 해서 집에 곧 가기로 했어요

= I decided to go home soon because the baby is yawning a lot now
이제 그 일을 다 해내서 한 달 동안 쉬기로 했어요

= Now that I have finished all of that work, I decided that I will rest for a month
우수상을 주는 역할을 교장선생님께 하시기로 했어요

= We decided that the principal will have/take/do the role of giving out the top award
정부가 그 규칙을 땅을 매매하는 중소기업에 적용하기로 했어요

= The government decided to apply that rule to small and medium businesses that buy
and sell land
그 부품이 고장이 나서 수리비가 얼마인지 알아보러 가기로 했어요

= That part is broken, so I decided to go to the store tomorrow to see how much the repair
cost will be
핸드폰을 아직 못 찾아서 내일 학교 분실물 보관소에 가기로 했어요

= I still haven’t been able to find my phone, so tomorrow I am going to go to the school’s
lost-item storage place (the lost-and-found)
우리 집에 안 쓰는 방이 있어서 그 방을 학생들에게 임대하기로 했어요
= There is a room in our house that we don’t use, so we decided to rent it out to students
저는 그 여자를 아주 좋아하지만 짝사랑이라서 얘기를 안 하기로 했어요

= I really like that girl, but it is a one-sided love (she doesn’t like me), so I decided to not
talk with her
Notice in the sentence above that you can also apply this grammatical principle to a
situation that one decides not to do.
저는 한국에서 태어났지만 태어나고 바로 미국으로 이사해서 한국어를 알아들을

수 없어요. 그래서 한국어를 이제 배우기로 했어요.
= I was born in Korea but moved to America right after I was born, so I can’t understand
Korean. Therefore, I decided to learn Korean now.
You will also find times where the word “결정하다” (to decide) is substituted for
“하다.” For example:
서울에 지하철로 가기로 결정했어요

= We decided that we would take the subway to Seoul
I find myself using ~는데 (Lesson 76 and 77) to give information or context as to why
the action was decided. For example:
어제 먹어 봤는데 너무 싱거워서 소금을 조금 넣기로 했어요

= I tried (eating) it yesterday, and it was too bland so I decided to put a bit of salt into it
저는 어제 학생들에게 설명했는데 내용이 조금 애매해서 다시 하기로 했어요

= I explained it to the students yesterday, but the content is a little ambiguous so I
decided to explain it again
우리가 원래 내일 만나기로 했는데 우리 둘 다 너무 바빠서 다음 주로 연기했어요

= We originally decided to meet tomorrow, but we delayed it to next week because we were both so busy
원래 떡볶이를 먹기로 했는데 친구 한 명이 매운 것을 못 먹어서 다른 것을 먹었어요

= We originally decided to eat 떡볶이, but we ate something different because one friend can’t eat spicy things
When an action placed before ~기로 하다 was originally supposed to happen but doesn’t,
the construction is often translated to “supposed to do.” For example:
원래 떡볶이를 먹기로 했는데 친구 한 명이 매운 것을 못 먹어서 다른 것을

먹었어요 = We originally were supposed to eat 떡볶이, but we ate something different
because one of my friends can’t eat spicy things
Pretty cool grammatical principle that will make your Korean sound really good!
That’s it for this Lesson!
Nouns: Verbs:
천재 = genius 섞다 = to mix
박쥐 = bat (the animal) 지급하다 = to give money, to pay
유리 = glass 폭발하다 = to explode
침실 = bedroom
형태 = the shape of something Passive Verbs:
회장 = boss, chairman 섞이다 = to be mixed
눈길 = a snowy road
Adverbs and Other Words
해물 = seafood
도 = temperature, degrees
해산물 = seafood
살짝 = slightly
재시험 = retest
영하 = below zero (temperature)
임산부 = pregnant woman
영상 = above zero (temperature)
보수적 = conservative
한가운데 = in the very middle
Introduction
In this lesson, you will learn about the various usages of ~다가, which is often placed
between two clauses. There are many meanings that ~다가 can have, and it is often
confused with other grammatical principles that have similar meanings. Because of this
confusion, this grammatical principle has plagued learners of Korean for years. Let’s get
started.
For one action to halt, and for another action to begin: ~다가
If you have come across ~다가 in some form before this lesson (I’m sure you have if you
are on lesson 88!) then you probably had some trouble trying to understand exactly when
this principle should be used. The difficulty lies not only in its seemingly identical usages
to other grammatical principles but also in the different meanings ~다가 can create.
Understanding how and when ~다가 is used was probably the first time that I understood
a grammatical principle from deciphering its usage in conversation/books rather than
reading descriptions from dictionaries or having people tell me what it means. The good
thing about ~다가 is that it is usually fairly easy to understand when heard/seen, which
allows for learners to grasp its meaning before starting to use it on their own. After
enough exposure, it is much easier to understand how it can be used – at least that is the
way it was for me. Because of this, instead of trying to use ~다가 in sentences right away,
I suggest listening for it in your Korean conversations and looking for it in your Korean
readings before immediately trying to make your own sentences.
Nonetheless, I never had good explanations of the specific meaning(s) of ~다가 when I
was studying. Therefore, in order to help every other learner of Korean, I am going to do
my absolute best to explain the meanings in this lesson.
~다가 is used to expresses that one action occurs after another. On the surface, this
sounds like many other grammatical principles (for example: ~고, ~아/어서 or ~는데).
However, let me start distinguishing ~다가 from other grammatical principles by
showing you two simple examples:
학생은 열심히 공부하다가 잠이 들었어요

= The student studied hard and then fell asleep
요리를 하다가 주방에서 불이 나서 급하게 가스레인지를 껐어요

= I was cooking, and then a fire started in the kitchen so I urgently turned off the stove
When the verb before ~다가 is in the present tense (as in the above two examples), the
sentence implies that this action was halted (or cut short) – and the subject performs the
following clause. For example, if we look at those two sentences again:

Here, the student was studying. However, this studying was halted/cut short because he
fell asleep

Here, I was cooking. However, this cooking was halted/cut short because a fire started in
the kitchen and I turned off the stove.
The examples above show ~다가 being attached to verbs, but it can also be attached to
adjectives as well. For example:
날씨가 춥다가 갑자기 더워졌어요

= The weather was cold, and then suddenly became hot
When the first clause in conjugated in the present tense (as in the above examples), the
first action is halted, and therefore didn’t finish. Therefore, the result of completing that
action is often not stated in the upcoming clause. Rather, the action that caused the first
action to halt is often stated in the upcoming clause.
A common English translation for these types of sentences is “while.” Note that “while”
can have many meanings in English, one of them indicating that two actions progress
along together (as is the meaning of ~(으)면서 from Lesson 62). When using ~다가,
“while” one action is occurring, something else happens which causes the first action to
halt.
Let’s look at many more examples:
침실에서 자다가 갑자기 돌아가셨어요

= While sleeping in the bedroom, he suddenly passed away
돌아가시다 is a formal way to say somebody dies. It is similar to “passed away” in English.
열심히 운동하다가 갑자기 쓰러졌어요

= While exercising hard, suddenly I collapsed
제가 집을 청소하다가 잃어버린 열쇠를 찾았어요

= While I was cleaning the house, I found the key that I lost
과학 천재가 실험을 하다가 실수로 집을 폭발시켰어요

= While the science genius was doing an experiment, he accidently blew up his house
재시험을 준비하다가 몸이 안 좋아져서 시험을 포기했어요

= While studying for the retest, my body/health became bad so I gave up (studying for) the exam
학생은 열심히 공부하다가 친구가 놀러 와서 친구랑 수다를 떨었어요

= While the student was studying hard, his friend came (to play) so (he stopped studying
and) they started chatting
회장이 직원들을 월급을 지급하다가 시스템이 고장이 나서 다 못 했어요

= While the chairman was paying the employees, the system broke so he couldn’t do it all
사무실에서 일하다가 회장님이 들어와서 모든 직원들이 인사하려고 일어났어요

= While working at the office, the chairman/boss came in so all of the workers (stopped
working and) got up to greet him
It is possible to add ~았/었 to the word that is attached to ~다가. When this is done, the
action before ~았/었다가 completed before the action in the next clause started. In these
sentences, the end result of completing that action is often stated in the upcoming clause.
Let’s look at four actions that we saw in sentences above with ~다가 and see how we can
make sentences using ~았/었다가 with those same actions:
학생이 열심히 공부하다가 잠이 들었어요

= The student studied hard and then fell asleep
Here, the student was studying. However, this studying was halted/cut short because he
fell asleep
학생이 열심히 공부했다가 친구를 잘 못 만나서 나쁜 학생이 되었어요

= The student studied hard, and then met bad friends and then became a bad student
Here, the student completed studying before the next action of “becoming a bad student”
takes place. The act of “the student studying hard” was completed – and him “becoming
a bad student” is the end result of this action completing.
————————

= I was cooking, and then a fire started in the kitchen, so I urgently turned off the stove
Here, I was cooking. However, this cooking was halted/cut short because a fire started in
the kitchen and I turned off the stove.
요리를 했다가 먹을 사람이 없어서 다 버렸어요

= I cooked, and because there was nobody to eat the food, I threw it all away
Here, I completed cooking before the next action of “throwing it away” takes place. The
act of “cooking” was completed – and me “throwing away the food” is the end result of
this action completing.
————————
침실에서 자다가 갑자기 돌아가셨어요

= Suddenly, while sleeping in the bedroom, he passed away
Here, he was sleeping. However, the sleeping was halted/cut short because he passed
away.
그 침실에서 잤다가 그 다음 날에 아팠어요

= I slept in that bedroom, and then the next day I was sore
Here, I completed sleeping before the next action of “being sore” takes place. The act of
“sleeping” was completed – and me “being sore” is the end result of this action
completing.
————————
열심히 운동하다가 갑자기 쓰러졌어요

= While exercising hard, suddenly I collapsed
Here, I was exercising. However, the exercising was halted/cut short because I collapsed.
열심히 운동했다가 운동을 그만둬서 살이 다시 쪘어요

Here, I completed exercising before the next action of “gaining weight” takes place. The
act of “exercising” was completed – and me “gaining weight” is the end result of this
action completing.
————————
Below are more examples:
해물을 먹었다가 토했어요

= I ate seafood and then threw up
박쥐가 날아갔다가 또 나타났어요

= The bat flew away and then came back (showed up) again
저는 공무원 시험을 준비했다가 포기했어요

= I prepared to write the exam to become a government worker, and/but then I gave up
저는 그녀한테 데이트를 하자고 했다가 거절당했어요

= I asked her if she wanted to go on a date, and then I was rejected
임산부가 전철을 탔다가 자리가 없어서 전철에서 내렸어요

= The pregnant woman got on the subway, and because there was no seat, she got off
날씨가 영하 10 도까지 떨어졌다가 다시 영상으로 올랐어요

= The weather fell to 10 degrees below zero, and then went back up above zero again
장모님이 한때 보수적이었다가 나이가 들면서 성격이 변했어요

= At one time my mother in law was very conservative, but as she got older, her
personality changed
————————
Let’s look at how ~다가 and ~았/었다가 can be different by studying their usages with
가다 and 오다. Look at the following two sentences:
1) 저는 학교에 가다가 친구 집에 갔어요

2) 저는 학교에 갔다가 친구 집에 갔어요
In only one of the sentences above did I go to school.
1) In the first sentence, the action of “going to school” did not finish. Here, while I was
going to school, the action was interrupted/halted/cut short and I went to a friend’s house.
2) In the second sentence, the action of “going to school” finished. Here, I went to school,
and then after that went to my friend’s house.
We can do the same with 오다. Notice how the endings of the following sentences are
different because of the context that 오다가 or 왔다가 creates:
그 사람들이 가게에 오다가 버스가 고장 나서 돌아갔어요

= While those people were coming to the store (while they were on their way), their bus
broke down so they went back
그 사람들이 가게에 아침에 왔다가 급히 떠났어요

= Those people came to the store in the morning and left quickly
————————
~다가 is commonly attached to 있다. “있다가” is almost synonymous with “later,” as its
construction literally implies “after we are here” or “after this.” It can be used by itself, or
in sentences. 조금 is often used before 있다가 to indicate “just a little bit later.” For
example:
Person 1: 언제 가고 싶어요? = When do you want to go?

Person 2: 있다가 = Later
저는 조금 있다가 해산물을 먹으러 갈 거예요
A time frame can also be put before “있다가” to indicate how much later. For example:
10 분 있다가 = 10 minutes later

1 년 있다가 = 1 year later
These constructions can be used in sentences. For example:
10 분 있다가 나가자! = Let’s leave in 10 minutes!

우리는 아마 1 년 있다가 결혼할 것 같아요 = We will probably get married in a year
———————————
In order for you to get a better understanding of ~다가, let’s look at some ways that
~다가 is commonly used incorrectly.
When we saw ~다가 attached to a verb in the present tense, that action was halted (and
not finished) because of some unanticipated event “coming up.” It would not be correct
to use ~다가 if that action finishes as planned in the sentence. For example, the following
would be incorrect:
재료를 다 섞다가 드세요

재료를 다 섞다가 10 분 동안 비비세요
In these sentences, the speaker gives the command to do something after “the appropriate
completion of mixing the ingredients.” In both examples, it would be more appropriate to
use ~고 or ~아/어서. For example:
재료를 다 섞고 드세요
재료를 다 섞어서 드세요
재료를 다 섞고 10 분 동안 비비세요
재료를 다 섞어서 10 분 동안 비비세요
If we want to use the first clause “재료를 다 섞다가” in a correct sentence, we should
insert some action that causes the first action to halt or be interrupted. For example:
재료를 다 섞다가 거품이 생겼어요

= While mixing all the ingredients, bubbles formed
재료를 다 섞다가 떡의 형태가 변했어요

= While mixing all the ingredients, the shape/form of the rice cakes changed
The two sentences above could be correct, but they would probably be used if somebody
asked the speaker “why did you stop mixing the ingredients?” When you use ~다가, the
final clause usually indicates what the subject does that interrupts the first action. In the
two sentences above, it could be assumed from context that the speaker “halted” the
mixing of the ingredients, but it doesn’t need to be specifically implied.
However, if I was just telling a story with no prior context, it would be better for me to
indicate what the subject does that interrupts the first action. For example:
재료를 다 섞다가 거품이 생겨서 멈췄어요

= While mixing all the ingredients, bubbles formed so I stopped
재료를 다 섞다가 떡의 형태가 변하면 드시면 됩니다

= While mixing all the ingredients, if the shape/form of the rice cakes changes, you can
eat it
Notice that the underlined actions are performed by the same person who is performing
the action attached to ~다가. Again, usually sentences with ~다가 indicate what the
subject does that interrupts the first action. In context, it is possible to not include this
information, but without context, it is usually included.
———————————-
Wow, that can be confusing. Let’s move on to another usage of ~다가.
The second action is caused by the first action: ~다가
This usage of ~다가 is very similar to grammatical principles that mean “because,” like
~아/어서, ~기 때문에 or ~(으)니까.
The difference between ~다가 and the other grammatical principles learned previously to
mean “because” is that there often isn’t a direct connection as to why the first clause
causes the second clause. Instead, it is usually implied that while one is doing the first
action, something about that action caused the action in the second clause to occur. For
example:
제가 빨리 걷다가 발가락을 부딪혔어요

= I was walking fast and then (because I was walking fast) stubbed my toe
Notice the incredibly subtle difference between that sentence and the following:
제가 빨리 걸어서 발가락을 부딪혔어요

= Because I was walking fast I stubbed my toe
In the second example, you are indicating that the sole reason that you stubbed your toe
was because you were walking too fast – and there is a direct connection between the two
behaviors. However, in the first example, you are indicating that you were walking fast –
and while you were walking fast, something about that action caused you to stub your toe.
I’ll talk about this ambiguity below, but first let me show you some more examples:
눈길을 걷다가 넘어졌어요

= I was walking on a snowy road, and then – something about walking on a snowy road
caused me to fall
친구만 믿다가 결국 가족을 잃었어요

= I only trusted my friend, and then – something about only trusting my friend caused me
to eventually lose my family
해물만 먹다가 식중독에 걸려서 병원에 갔어요

= I only ate seafood, and then – something about only eating seafood caused me to get
food poisoning and go to the hospital
우리가 계속 얘기하다가 선생님의 말씀을 못 들었어요

= We were talking, and then – something about us continually talking caused us to not
hear what the teacher said
——————————
Here is my take on ~다가 and the trickiness of understanding its meaning. Notice that it
can be difficult to understand what meaning is being expressed. For example, in the
example we saw at the beginning of the lesson:
This could actually have two meanings. The two meanings you have learned would be:

= The student studied hard and then – something about him studying hard caused him to
fall asleep
Or

= While the student was studying hard, he fell asleep
How can we distinguish between the two? Well… look at both of the sentences (in
English). Despite there being a slightly different translation – is the meaning that is being
expressed all that different? In the first sentence; the student studies hard, and then after
that falls asleep. In the second sentence; the student studies hard… and then while
studying, he falls asleep…
So… ask yourself… Are they really that different? Korean learners try to distinguish
these types of things, but really, they don’t need to be distinguished. You are hearing this
more and more in your Korean studies these days. The meaning a sentence is heavily
dependent on the context. As always, use the context of a sentence to help you clarify the
meaning. I hope this has been an enlightening experience for you.
Adding ~다가 to ~에
In addition to the two meanings described above, you will often hear “~다가” attached to
“~에” when referring to a place. For example:
밥을 냉장고에 넣어 = Put the rice in the fridge

밥을 냉장고에다가 넣어 = Put the rice in the fridge
유리에 붙여 주세요 = Please stick it on the glass

유리에다가 붙여 주세요 = Please stick it on the glass
재료를 그릇에 섞어 = Mix the ingredients in the bowl

재료를 그릇에다가 섞어 = Mix the ingredients in the bowl
돈을 탁자에 놓았어요 = I put the money on the table

돈을 탁자에다가 놓았어요 = I put the money on the table
펜을 어디에 두었어요? = Where did you put/leave the pen?

펜을 어디에다가 두었어요? = Where did you put/leave the pen?
이불을 다 침실에 넣었어요 = I put the blankets in the bedroom

이불을 다 침실에다가 넣었어요 = I put the blankets in the bedroom
팔에 로션을 살짝 발랐어요 = I applied a little bit of lotion (slightly) to my arm

팔에다가 로션을 살짝 발랐어요 = I applied a little bit of lotion (slightly) to my arm
의자를 방 한가운데에 두고 와요 = Put the chair in the middle of the room and come (back)
의자를 방 한가운데에다가 두고 와요 = Put the chair in the middle of the room and
come (back)
Korean people would say that the sentences above with ~에 and ~에다가 sound identical
and have identical meanings.
———————————-
As ~에 is often omitted in words like “여기,” “저기,” 거기,” and “어디”, ~다가 is often
added directly to those words. Here we can see these constructions in sentences:
밥을 여기다가 넣어 = Put the rice here

거기다가 붙여 주세요 = Please stick it there
이불을 다 저기다가 넣었어요 = I put the blankets there
펜을 어디다가 두었어요? = Where did you put/leave the pen?
———————————-
~에다가 isn’t used when somebody goes to a place, for example:
While “나는 집에 갔어요” would be natural, “나는 집에다가 갔어요” would be

unnatural.
———————————-
Although I expressed that ~에 and ~에다가 can have the same meaning, ~에다가 is
more likely to be used when one thing is being added to something else. For example:
저는 샌드위치에다가 김치를 넣었어요 = I put kimchi in the sandwich

(~에다가 implies here that there is already some other stuff in the sandwich, and you are
adding even more stuff to it)
커피에다가 설탕을 넣었어요 = I put sugar in my coffee

(~에다가 implies that there was already something there [essentially, the coffee was
already there], and that you are putting more stuff [the sugar] into what is already there.)
An example that I used today actually, was when I was getting my lunch at my school’s
cafeteria. I had my tray out, and an 아주머니 always puts the fruit on our tray for us. By
the time I got to her, my tray was full, so I asked her if she should put the fruit next to my
rice (where there was a small place left over). So, I said:
여기에다가 두세요 = Please, put it here

(implying that she is putting the fruit in a place where there is already something there)
Nouns: 연락처 = one’s contact information
화가 = painter 시아버지 = a woman’s father in law
밤중 = the middle of the night 시어머니 = a woman’s mother in law
모음 = vowel
자음 = consonant Verbs:
인삼 = ginseng 비하다 = to compare to
성함 = a high respect for a name 끼어들다 = to cut in-front of, to bud-in
필통 = pencil case 이민하다 = to immigrate
베개 = pillow
강당 = lecture hall, auditorium Adjectives:
일종 = one type of… 특이하다 = to be unusual, to be unique
성분 = ingredients, components
앞니 = front teeth
생전 = in one’s whole life
어금니 = molars
재작년 = two years ago, the year before last
자판기 = vending machine
이민자 = immigrant
Intrdocution
In this lesson, you will learn a variety of new words and grammatical principles that you
can use in comparative sentences. Previously, way back in Lesson 19, you learned how to
make comparisons in sentences by using ~보다. In this lesson, you will learn how
비교하다 and ~에 비해 can also be used to make comparisons. In addition, you will
learn how to compare situations using orders of magnitude and fractions. Let’s get started!
To compare: 비교하다
Before we get into anything too complicated, I want to talk about the word “비교하다”
briefly. 비교하다 is an actual verb that means “to compare,” which makes it different
than ~보다. Where ~보다 is a particle that is attached directly to a noun that is being
compared, 비교하다 is a verb that is conjugated at the end of a clause or sentence.
비교하다 can be used simply in sentences to mean “to compare.” For example:
저를 그 사람과 비교하지 마세요

= Don’t compare me with that person
저의 시어머니가 저를 자기 딸과 항상 비교해요
= My mother-in-law always compares me to her daughter
우리는 수업 시간에 이 화가를 옛날 화가하고 비교했어요

= During class, we compared this painter with painters from a long time ago
Notice that ~와, ~과, ~랑, ~이랑 or ~하고 should be attached to the noun that the object
is being compared with.
You can use the grammatical principles that you learned in Lesson 43 to create sentences
that say “if/when one compares.” For example:
저는 그 사람과 비교하면 더 똑똑해 보여요

= If you compare me to that person, I look smarter
이 차를 BMW 와 비교하면 이 차는 훨씬 싸요
= If you compare this car with a BMW, this car is much cheaper
이 베개를 저것과 비교하면 이 베개가 훨씬 부드러워요

= If you compare this pillow with that one, this pillow is much softer
다른 건강 식품과 비교하면 인삼이 몸에 더 좋아요

= If you compare ginseng to other health products, ginseng is better for your body
You could use ~보다 (from Lesson 19) to create essentially the same meaning as these
sentences. For example:
저는 그 사람보다 더 똑똑해 보여요 = I look smarter than that person

이 차는 BMW 보다 훨씬 싸요 = This car is much cheaper than a BMW
The “비” in “비교하다” originates from the Chinese (Hanja) character 比 which refers to
a comparison. Another Korean word where you can find this character is 비하다 (比
하다), which can be used to create sentences similar in meaning (and structure) to those
with ~보다. I will talk about this in the following section.
Comparing with 비하다

비하다 is a verb that is similar in function to verbs like 대하다 (Lesson 13), 위하다
(Lesson 13) and 관하다 (Lesson 34). Let’s look at how these words are used:
그 회계사는 정부에 대해 나쁜 말을 했어요

= That accountant said bad things about the government
저는 친구를 위해 빵을 만들었어요
= I made bread for my friend
이 문제에 관해 회의가 있을 것이다

= There will be a meeting relating to this problem
비하다 is often used like these words. If you attach ~에 to a noun and place 비해(서)
after it, you can compare that noun to something else. For example:
우리 아들은 또래에 비해 훨씬 똑똑해요

= Our son is much smarter compared to his peers
한국어는 영어에 비해 모음이 더 많아요
= There are more vowels in the Korean language compared to English
동물의 어금니가 앞니에 비해 더 강해요

= The molars of animals are stronger compared to their front teeth
한국 인구는 캐나다 인구에 비해 조금 많아요

= The population of Korea is a little bit higher compared to the population of Canada
우리 학교는 다른 학교에 비해 영어 선생님이 많아요

= Our school has more English teachers compared to other schools
Orders of Magnitude: 배
Now that you know how to use ~보다, ~에 비해 and 비교하다 to make comparisons, I
want to teach you how to compare things by orders of magnitude. For example, you
already know how to create a sentence like this:
I am stronger than you
But you haven’t been able to state that you are stronger by a certain order of magnitude.
For example, to create these types of sentences:
I am twice as strong as you, or

I am three times stronger than you
To create these types of sentences, “배” acts a counter of orders of magnitude. Note that
because we are counting things (we are counting orders of magnitudes), the number
before “배” should be a pure Korean number – just like any other counter.
For example:
두 배 = twice (two times)

세 배 = three times
네 배 = four times
You can use these constructions in sentences to compare things by a certain order of
magnitude. For example:
두 배 더 강하다 = two times stronger (twice as strong)

다섯 배 더 똑똑하다 = five times smarter
These constructions can then go into sentences where appropriate. For example:
저는 저의 남동생보다 두 배 더 강해요
= I am twice as strong as my younger brother
저는 재작년에 비해 돈을 두 배 더 벌고 있어요
= I am earning twice as much as I did the year before last
이 자판기가 편의점보다 식품을 세 배 더 비싸게 팔아요

= This vending machine sells food products for three times the price (three times more
expensively) of a convenience store
우리 학교 강당은 제가 다녔던 중학교 강당에 비해 두 배 더 넓어요

= Our school’s auditorium is twice as big/wide as the auditorium of the middle school I
used to attend
캐나다 사람들은 그 나라 사람들보다 생전에 돈을 두 배 더 벌 수 있어요

= Canadians can earn twice as much money in their lives as people of that country
우리 학교 학생들은 같은 나이에 다른 학교 학생들보다 다섯 배 더 똑똑해요

= The students at our school are five times smarter than students of the same age at
different schools
이 줄이 다른 줄보다 두 배 더 빨리 움직여서 사람들이 자꾸 이 줄에 끼어들어요

= This line is moving twice as fast as other lines, so people keep budding into this line
In practice (in English and Korean), you don’t need to state what you are comparing to –
as often times constructions like “twice as much” or “ten times as much” are compared to
the implied present or original situation. For example:
그 동안 집값은 열 배 비싸졌어요
= During that time the price of went up ten fold
우리는 두 배 더 빨리 가고 싶어요
= We want to go twice as fast
밤중에 택시를 타면 가격은 세 배 더 비싸요

= If you take a taxi in the middle of the night, the price is three times more expensive
지난 10 년 동안 한국 생활 수준은 두 배 높아졌어요
= Over the past ten years, the standard of living in Korea doubled
Sometimes you will see ~(으)로 added to 배. My wife feels that the example sentences
above (without ~(으)로) are equivalent in meaning to the sentences below (with ~(으)로).
If anything, she says that the sentences above would be more common. Nonetheless,
these are grammatically possible:
저는 재작년에 비해 돈을 두 배로 더 벌고 있어요
이 자판기가 편의점보다 식품을 세 배로 더 비싸게 팔아요
우리 학교 강당은 제가 다녔던 중학교 강당에 비해 두 배로 더 넓어요
우리 학교 학생들은 같은 나이에 다른 학교 학생들보다 다섯 배로 더 똑똑해요
캐나다 사람들은 그 나라 사람들보다 생전에 돈을 두 배로 더 벌 수 있어요
이 줄이 다른 줄보다 두 배로 더 빨리 움직여서 사람들이 자꾸 이 줄에 끼어들어요
우리는 두 배로 더 빨리 가고 싶어요
그 동안 집값은 열 배로 비싸졌어요
밤중에 택시를 타면 가격은 세 배로 더 비싸요
지난 10 년 동안 한국 생활수준은 두 배로 높아졌어요
————————–
If you want to use a number with a decimal, you can use the word “점” in Korean which
literally translates to a “point” or “spot.” Take note of how the numbers below would be
pronounced:
2.5 = “이 점 오”
3.6 = “삼 점 육”
10.4 = “십 점 사”
We can compare things by orders of magnitude using numbers with decimals. The
numeral is typically written instead of the words (for example, writing 2.5 instead of 이
점 오) when writing numbers containing a decimal. For example:
그 주식 가격은 2.5 배로 올랐어요 = That stock’s price went up 2.5 fold
————————–
Now that you know how to compare things by orders of magnitude of whole numbers, it
would be good to learn how to do this with fractions. I will talk about this in the next
section.
Korean Fractions
Using fractions to say “one half,” “one third” or “one quarter” in Korean is counter-
intuitive as an English speaker. When creating a fraction in Korean, the denominator (the
number on the bottom) is said first, and the numerator (the number on the top) is said last.
Between the two, “분의” should be said. For example:
2 분의 1 = one half 4 분의 1 = one quarter 5 분의 2 = two fifths

3 분의 1 = one third 6 분의 1 = one sixth 10 분의 1 = one tenth
“분” comes from the Chinese character 分 which (if you have been keeping up with your
Hanja studies, you should know) refers to a part or division. Essentially, when you say
something like “4 분의 1,” you are literally saying “one part of four.”A few things to note
before we move on:
1) The Chinese numbers (일, 이, 삼, 사, etc..) are used when speaking these numbers:
1/4 is read as “사 분의 일”
2/5 is read as “오 분의 이”
1/3 is read as “삼 분의 일”
2) “의” is typically pronounced as “에” in these constructions. You might want to check
out our pronunciation notes of 의 to learn more about this phenomenon. Korean people
get confused about this as well, and often think that “~에” should be attached to 분 when
they write it because that’s the way they pronounce it.
3) The constructions above show how those fractions would be spoken in Korean. When
writing those fractions, it could also be possible to write the fraction.
4) When referring to a portion of some noun as a fraction, the fraction is most commonly
placed after the noun with ~의 attached to the noun to describe the fraction. I talk about
this function of ~의 as a way to describe things in Lesson 23. For example:
“사람의 2 분의 1” = one half of people

“저의 친구의 3 분의 1” = one third of (my) friends
“이민자의 10 분의 1” = one tenth of immigrants
Grammatically, it is also possible to place the fraction before the noun. In these cases,
~의 is typically added to the fraction so that it can describe the noun. For example:
“2 분의 1 의 사람” = one half of people

“3 분의 1 의 친구” = one third of (my) friends
“10 분의 1 의 이민자” = one tenth of immigrants
Now that we know this, let’s look at ways that fractions can be used in sentences.
————————–
Imagine your friend gives you a massive plate of food, and you know that you won’t be
able to eat it all. You want to ask him to only give you a portion of the original amount of
food. You could say that you will only eat a fraction of that amount by saying the
following:
나는 그것의 3 분의 1 만 먹을 건데 = (but…) I’m only going to eat one-third of that
Notice that the fraction we created is the object of the sentence. Below are more
examples where the fraction is the object – where the verb acts on the fraction:
저는 그 영화의 3 분의 1 을 봤어요
= I watched one third of that movie
화가가 전체 그림의 4 분의 1 을 벽에 그렸어요

= The painter painted one quarter of the whole painting on the wall
저의 친구 연락처의 10 분의 1 을 잃어버렸어요
= I lost one-tenth of my friends’ contact information
————————–
Imagine you want to state that a certain fraction of something is made up of one thing in
particular. For example, if you want to state that there are a lot of immigrants in Canada,
you can indicate the amount of people specifically using a fraction. For example:
캐나다가 특이한 게 인구의 1/4 은 이민자예요

= The unique thing about Canada is that the population is one-quarter immigrants
Notice here that the fraction we created is actually the subject of the sentence. Below are
more examples where the fraction is the subject of a sentence:
우유의 성분의 1/5 은 물이에요

= One fifth of the components/ingredients of milk is water
요즘에 학생의 3 분의 1 은 그 필통을 가지고 있어요

= These days, one third of students have that pencil case
아이폰이 일종의 컴퓨터인데 사람의 3 분의 1 이 핸드폰으로만 써요

= The iPhone is a (one) type of computer, but one third of people use it only as a phone
많은 사람들이 이 수업에 등록했는데 등록한 사람의 성함의 5 분의 1 은 목록에 없어요

= A lot of people registered for this class, but one fifth of the names of the people who
registered aren’t on the list
————————–
If you want to compare something by a fraction of an order of magnitude, you can

describe the fraction with the thing that is being compared with ~의. Following that
construction, you can attach ~만큼 (which you learned about in Lesson 72) to the
fraction. For example:
저는 제 친구 용돈의 1/2 만큼 받아요

= I get half the amount of allowance as my friend
When saying “1/2,” it would be more natural to simply use the word “반” meaning
“half.” However, in this lesson I am focusing on fractions.
It would also be acceptable to change the style of the sentence and use one of the types of
sentences that you have learned previously. For example:
제가 받는 용돈은 제 친구가 받는 용돈의 2 분의 1 이에요

= The allowance that I receive is half of that of what my friend receives
It would also be natural to simply create the opposite of this sentence and change the
fraction to “two times” using 배. For example:
저의 친구는 저보다 용돈을 두 배 더 받아요

= My friend gets twice the (amount of) allowance that I get
우리 집은 강남에 있는 집의 4 분의 1 만큼 싸요
= Our house is a quarter cheaper than the houses in 강남
우리 집값은 강남에 있는 집값의 4 분의 3 이에요

= The price of our house is three-quarters that of the price of houses in Gangnam
This is math-related, and is confusing. Notice that I had to use different fractions to refer
to the same thing in the two examples above. In the first example, I am using the adjective
싸다, which means I am indicating that our house is 25% cheaper than houses in
Gangnam. In the second example, if I used the fraction “4 분의 1” that would translate
to “the price of our house is one quarter the price of houses in Gangnam” – meaning our
house is 75% cheaper than houses in Gangnam. However, by using the fraction
“4 분의 3” in the second example, I am indicating that it is 75% of the price, but 25%
cheaper – which is the same meaning as the sentence above. Confusing, I know.
제가 외국 사람이라서 친구들이 낸 돈의 1/3 만큼 냈어요
= Because I am a foreigner, I paid one third (of the amount of) the money that my friends paid
제가 외국 사람이라서 제가 낸 돈은 친구들이 낸 돈의 1/3 이에요

= Because I am a foreigner, the amount (money) that I paid is one third the amount
(money) of that of my friends
————————–
Korean people would usually not use a fraction when talking about distance. If referring
to a distance in kilometers and the measurement was smaller than one kilometer, instead
of using a fraction they would refer to it in meters. For example:
Half a kilometer = 500 미터 (“오백 미터”)
For distances between whole numbers of kilometers, they would use a decimal. For
example:
1.5 kilometers = 1.5 킬로미터 (“일 점 오 킬로미터”)
For example:
우리는 어제 가게까지 1.5 킬로미터를 걸었어요

= We walked 1.5km to the store yesterday
————————–

Nouns: Verbs:
야당 = opposition party (in politics) 새다 = to leak
여당 = ruling party (in politics) 맞서다 = to stand up against, to oppose
이익 = benefit/profit/gain 도입하다 = to introduce an item
수도꼭지 = tap/faucet 반영하다 = to reflect
식후 = after a meal 재활용하다 = to recycle
식전 = before a meal 수강하다 = to take a course
한숨 = short sleep 수료하다 = to finish a course
전용 = for use only by the noun before it
수료증 = a certification for completing a class Passive Verbs:
말대답 = talk back 종료되다 = to be finished, completed, off
Adjectives: Adverbs and Other Words:

곱다 = to be beautiful 꼼꼼히 = meticulously/precisely
촌스럽다 = for a style to look awkward
꼼꼼하다 = to be meticulous
Introduction
In this lesson you will learn how to end sentences with ~잖아 or ~잖아요. Though this is
a very common ending in conversational Korean, English speakers often cannot figure
out exactly what it means. The main reason for this is simply because it is hard to
translate directly into English. In this lesson, there will be many examples that describe
specifically the situation where this grammatical form can be used. Let’s get started.
The meaning of ~잖아 or ~잖아요

As I already mentioned, adding ~잖아 or ~잖아요 to a word at the end of a sentence is
very common in Korean. The meaning that the construction creates is very difficult to
translate, but easier to describe. Therefore, when reading the example sentences in this
lesson, pay more attention to the descriptions after the sentences that I provide than the
actual translations.
~잖아 or ~잖아요 can be attached to verbs, adjectives or 이다 at the end of a sentence. It

creates a meaning that loosely translates to “as you know/you know/don’t forget that…”
In practice, this is used when you are talking to somebody who already knows (or should
already know) the fact that you are stating, and you are asserting to this person that
he/she knows (or should know) this fact. A common word that you will find ~잖아 or
~잖아요 attached to is 맞다.

For example:
맞잖아요! = I told you it was correct! You should have known that this was correct!
Description of when this would be used:
Imagine yourself with a friend, and somebody asks the two of you what the capital of
Canada is. You say that the capital of Canada is Ottawa, and your friend says the capital
is Vancouver. After debating for a bit, the person who asked you the question says that
the capital of Canada is in fact Ottawa. In this case, you could say to your friend:
오타와가 맞잖아! = I told you Ottawa was correct/You should have known that Ottawa
was correct!
Similarly, if you know that the capital city of Canada isn’t Vancouver – and your friend
should have known that too, you could say:
밴쿠버 아니잖아! = It’s not Vancouver! You should know that it is not Vancouver!
-------------------------
Let’s look at other examples of ~잖아(요) being used. In order for you to get the hang of
the usage, I will provide detailed descriptions of the situation where each sentence would
be used:
내일은 토요일이잖아요! 그래서 우리가 일찍 가야 될 것 같아요 = You should know

that tomorrow is Saturday, so we should probably go early!
Imagine yourself with a friend discussing what time you should go to the park tomorrow.
Because tomorrow is Saturday, you know that there will probably be a lot of people at the
park on Saturday. Your friend should also know this, so you can use ~잖아(요) to
indicate that this should be information that is already know. Therefore, you can say to
your friend: “don’t forget/you should know that tomorrow is Saturday! So we should go
early because of that!”
-------------------------

나는 돈이 없잖아! = Don’t forget that I don’t have any money/you should know that I
don’t have any money
Imagine yourself with your girlfriend but with no money (which I don’t recommend, but
it could happen if you forget your wallet or something). You tell her that you forgot your
wallet and therefore have no money on you. Your girlfriend later asks you to buy her a
cup of coffee, to which you can respond “Don’t forget that I don’t have any money/you
should know that I don’t have any money!” Since you have already told your girlfriend
that you don’t have your wallet she should already know this information.
-------------------------
윌리가 배고프잖아! = Willy is hungry!/You should know that Willy is hungry/Don’t

forget that Willy is hungry!
Okay, so my name is actually “Willy” and I heard this sentence this morning. I will
explain the situation of why it was used. I was at my wife’s house and we were talking
about what we were going to make for lunch. My mother-in-law suggested that we make
something small, to which father-in-law responded “윌리가 배고프잖아!”
As I mentioned in the previous example – the important thing to remember is that the
listener should already know the fact that is being said. In this case, I am (actually)
always hungry, and my father-in-law was making an assertion to his wife that “don’t
forget, Willy eats a lot and is going to be hungry if we cook something small!”
-------------------------
~잖아(요) is also commonly used when one is describing some long situation (like a
story). When this happens (in any language) it is common to provide some sort of back-
story that is often common knowledge before getting to the actual story. For example:
제가 어제 회사에서 조금 아팠잖아요…… 그래서 집에 가서 밥을 먹고 갑자기

토했어요~ 그래서 병원에 갔어요.
Imagine yourself at work the day after being sick. A co-worker heard that you went to the
hospital last night. He asks why you went to the hospital, and you respond with
“remember/don’t forget/as you know I was sick at work yesterday… Then, I went home
and ate, and suddenly threw up, so I went to the hospital.” Notice that in this example as
well, the listener should know about the fact that you were sick yesterday.

-------------------------
선생님이 왜 화가 났냐고? 선생님에게 말대답을 했잖아! 선생님에게 그렇게

맞서면 당연히 선생님이 화가 나실 거예요 = Did you just ask why the teacher was
mad? You should know that (it is because) you talked back to him! If you oppose the
teacher like that, obviously he is going to get mad
Imagine you are talking to your friend, and he is telling you that he is in detention at
school. Your friend says to you that he doesn’t understand why he ended up getting a
detention. In response to this, you can tell him “you talked back to the teacher!” Here,
your friend should know that he talked back to the teacher (of course, he was the one who
did it). You can assert to him that he knows this by saying “선생님에게 말대답을
했잖아.”
-------------------------
수료증을 받고 싶으면 수료를 해야 돼요. 근데 당신이 수료를 아직 안 했잖아요 = If

you want to get the class certification, you need to finish the class. But, you should know
that you didn’t finish the class yet
Imagine you are asking for a certification for taking a class. You are talking with
somebody in the administration office, who is trying to tell you that you need to finish the
class in order to get the certification. In this situation, the person in the office can say
“you should know that you didn’t finish the class.”
-------------------------
그거를 거기다가 버리지 마! 플라스틱을 재활용해야 되잖아 = Don’t throw that (out)
there! You should know that we have to recycle plastics.
Imagine you are with your son, and he throws his plastic bottle in the regular garbage can.
You taught him many times that recycling is important, so he should know to throw the
plastic bottle in the recycle bin. At which point, you could say “you should know that
we/you should recycle plastic.”

Below are many more examples without the long-winded description. Notice that I use
“you should know” to translate the feeling of ~잖아(요). This isn’t a perfectly accurate
way to describe the nuance of ~잖아(요), but it is the best I can do.
너무 촌스러워 보이잖아 = You should know that you look so awkward!

수도꼭지를 안 잠갔잖아! = You should know that you didn’t turn off the water faucet!
이 서비스는 이미 종료됐잖아 = You should know that this service is already finished
이 길은 자전거 전용 길이잖아요 = You should know that this road is a road only for
bicycles
그렇게 하면 우리에게 이익이 없잖아요

= You should know that if we do it that way we will have no profit/benefit
여당이 야당보다 권력이 훨씬 크잖아요

= You should know that the ruling party has more power than the opposition party
내일 우리가 그 제품을 도입할 거잖아

= You should know that we have to introduce that product tomorrow
그 약을 식전 말고 식후에 먹어야 되잖아요

= You should know that you should take that medicine after a meal, not before
오늘 운동하자고? 나는 어제 한숨도 못 잤잖아!

= Did you say “let’s exercise today?” You should know that I didn’t sleep a wink last night!
선생님이 이 시험이 성적에 반영되지 않는다고 그랬잖아요

= You should know that the teacher said that this exam won’t show up on our grade
그 사원이 항상 꼼꼼하잖아! 이 일도 잘할 수 있을 것 같아
= You should know that that employee always works very meticulously. I think he will
be able to do this job well too.
여기 물이 새잖아요. 그래서 우리가 테이프로 구멍을 막아야 돼요

= You should know that the water is leaking here. Therefore, we should cover the hole up
with tape
제가 한 달 동안 꼼꼼히 수강을 했잖아요. 그래서 제가 환경 문제에 대해 많이

배웠어요
= You should know that I meticulously took the class for the past month. So, I learned a
lot about environmental problems,
-------------

A few more things to be aware about before we finish:
Additional grammatical principles are never attached to the end of 잖아(요). Therefore,
you will always find it at the end of a sentence.
My wife always tells me that adding ~잖아(요) to the end of a sentence makes it sound
like you are being rude or mean. Almost as if you are saying “I TOLD you it was like
that!” Though she says this, I constantly hear people using ~잖아(요) all the time without
sounding or looking angry. Nonetheless, she is telling me that you should be cautious if
using this form to an elder or to somebody who deserves high respect.
In a recent lesson, you learned about ~알다시피 and how it can be used to mean “as you
know.” Though ~알다시피 and ~잖아(요) have different usages, their meanings are
quite similar. Therefore, I suggest that if you want to use “~잖아(요)” to an elder –
consider using ~알다시피 first. For example, if your boss asked you why you were late
for work yesterday, you could say:
제가 어제 아팠잖아요! = Don’t forget/You should know that I was sick yesterday
But if you say that sentence, you are (in a way) asserting to your boss that he/she should
know that you were sick, which might sound very rude. Instead, you could say:
부장님도 아시다시피 저는 어제 아파서 회사에 늦게 왔어요 = As you know, I was

sick yesterday, so I was late
If you said this sentence instead, it would sound much more polite and probably wouldn’t
get you in trouble.
------------------------
In addition to all of this, ~잖아(요) is commonly attached to 있다. This construction

should not be seen as the meanings of “있다” and “잖아(요)” put together. Instead,
“있잖아” or “있잖아요” can be thought of as one unit. “있잖아” or “ 있잖아요” are
commonly used at the beginning of sentences when somebody is trying to think of what
they want to say or if they are indicating that they have something to say. For example:
있잖아… 오늘은 재활용을 해야 되는 날이야 = So, you know,… Today is the day to
do recycling

Nouns: Verbs:
후계자 = heir/successor 숙이다 = to hang one’s body/head forward
영리 = profit 표시하다 = to express, show, indicate
비영리 = non-profit
의료 = medical treatment Passive Verbs:
재단 = foundation 중독되다 = to be addicted
품질 = the quality of a product
Adjectives:
물속 = inside water
끊임없다 = to be constant
얼룩 = stain/smear/smudge
겸손하다 = to be modest
국경 = border
화창하다 = for weather to be bright, clear, nice
국경선 = border line
이두근 = biceps Adverbs and Other Words:
삼두근 = triceps 끊임없이 = constantly
실내화 = slippers/house shoes
냉방 = air conditioning
Introduction
In this lesson, you will learn how to add ~거든(요) to the end of a sentence or to connect
two clauses. Like many grammatical principles in Korean, the meaning of ~거든 depends
on the situation and context of when it is used. In this lesson, I will break down all the
possible meanings of ~거든(요) and explain their usages. Let’s get started.
Teaching the listener what he or she doesn’t know ~거든(요)

In Lesson 37 you first learned how a speaker can indicate a reason using ~아/어서.
~아/어서 usually connects two clauses to have the meaning “so/therefore/because.” For
example:
저는 밥을 먹고 있어서 지금 가고 싶지 않아요
= I don’t want to go now because I am eating
바닥이 추워서 실내화를 신었어요

= I put on slippers (indoor shoes) because the floor is/was cold
우리는 비영리재단이라서 돈을 안 받아요

= We don’t accept money because we are a non-profit organization
Assuming the appropriate context, it would be possible to eliminate the clause after
~아/어서. These sentences would normally be used in response to a question asking
“why” something is or is not occurring. For example:

Why don’t you want to go now?
저는 밥을 먹고 있어서… = Because I am eating…
Why are you wearing slippers?

바닥이 추워서…= ... Because the floor is cold…
Why don’t you accept money?

우리는 비영리재단이라서… = Because we are a non-profit organization…
The examples above aren’t really full sentences in English or Korean, but you will
commonly hear them uttered given the correct context leading up to them.
It is also possible to place ~거든(요) after a clause to provide reason. For example, the
three examples from above could be written as:
Why don’t you want to go now?

저는 밥을 먹고 있거든요 = Because I am eating
Why are you wearing slippers?

바닥이 춥거든 = ... Because the floor is cold
Why don’t you accept money?

우리는 비영리재단이거든 = Because we are a non-profit organization
Here’s an example from my own life. I was at hotel enjoying their breakfast buffet one
morning, and I noticed that my wife took about 10 macadamia nuts from the buffet. I
asked her “마카다미아를 왜 이렇게 많이 가져왔어?” (Why did you take so many
macadamia nuts?) To which she responded:
마카다미아를 좋아하거든!
= Because I like macadamia (nuts)
Notice that those technically are not full sentences in English even though they could be
naturally spoken. Again, you would use sentences like this is when somebody is asking a
question, and you only need to provide a reason. In other words, the speaker is providing
information (or teaching) that the listener doesn’t know. The context for giving the reason
doesn’t have to come from another person asking a question. It is also possible for the
speaker to provide his or her own context to later provide a reason for. For example:
저는 요즘에 너무 늦게 자요. 일이 많거든요

= These days I am going to bed too late. Because I have so much work.
In both situations, you can see that ~거든(요) is used to provide information to the
listener that the listener doesn’t know yet. In a sense, this is the opposite function of
~잖아(요), which was discussed in the previous lesson.

~거든(요) is very easy to attach to verbs, adjectives and 이다 because no irregulars occur
when ~ㄱ is added to any stem. Below are many examples:
In the example sentences below, I made it so the speaker provides the prior context that
warrants him/her to say a sentence with ~거든(요). Again, it’s also possible that this
information could be provided by another person. This was done just for simplicity, and
so that you can specifically see that ~거든(요) is used to provide some sort of new
information that wasn’t previously known to the listener.
문을 닫았어요. 이제 냉방 중이거든요.
= I closed the door. Because the air conditioner is running.
셔츠를 입어야 될 것 같아요. 이두근이 너무 크거든요.

= Looks like I’d better put on a shirt. Because my biceps are too big.
이 제품이 인기가 많아요. 품질이 아주 좋거든요.

= This product is popular. Because the quality (of it) is very good.
컴퓨터를 쓸 때 고개를 그렇게 숙이지 마. 목이 아프거든

= When you use a computer, don’t bend your head forward like that. Your neck will be
sore
(Korean people commonly use “아프다” in the present tense to suggest that one does not
do something because he or she will get/be hurt. For example, if you were going to pick
up a heavy box, I could say “하지 마! 허리 아파!”
오늘 우리가 밖에 나가야 돼요. 날씨가 아주 화창하거든요

= We need to go outside today. The weather is very bright and clear.
트럼프 대통령이 미국과 멕시코 국경에 벽을 못 세워요. 국경이 너무 길거든요.

= Trump can’t build a wall on the border between America and Mexico. The border is too
big.
All of the examples so far have shown ~거든(요) attached to a word in the present tense.
You can also give the listener information about something that occurred in the past by
attaching it to ~았/었. For example:
물속에 안 들어갔어. 너무 무서웠거든.

= I didn’t go into the water. Because it was too scary
그 셔츠를 벗었어요. 얼룩이 셔츠에 생겼거든요.

= I took that shirt off. Because the shirt got stained (a stain came up)

내가 멕시코 경찰에 잡혔어. 국경선을 넘었거든.
= I was caught by the Mexican police. Because I crossed the border
이 화창한 날씨를 보니 기분이 아주 좋아요. 2 주일 동안 비가 끊임없이 왔거든요.

= I’m so happy to see this clear weather. Because it rained constantly for two weeks.
이제 직원들이 부장님을 아주 잘 하고 있어요. 부장님이 아직 자기 후계자를

지명하지 않았거든요.
= Everybody is being nice to the boss now. Because he hasn’t chosen/designated his
successor yet.
It is also possible to give the listener information about something that will occur in the
future by attaching ~거든(요) to ~ㄹ/을 것이다. For example:
내일 못 가겠어. 친구를 만나러 서울에 갈 거거든

= Tomorrow I won’t be able to go. Because I’m meeting a friend in Seoul
건강보험을 들어야 돼요. 거기서 의료를 못 받을 것이거든요

= We need to get insurance. Because we won’t be able to get medical treatment there.
담배를 피워 보지 마세요. 한번만 해 보면 바로 중독될 것이거든요

= Don’t try cigarettes (smoking). If you try it just once, you’ll get addicted.
Remember that 것 can be shortened to 거, in which case “이” in 이다 can be omitted. In
the example above, it looks like “~거든요” is attached directly to “거.” In effect this is
true, but this is a contraction of “갈 것이거든요.”
--------------------
The examples so far have all ended with ~거든(요). As the addition of ~거든(요)
inherently implies that the listener isn’t aware of the information before it, it is common
for a sentence ending in ~거든(요) to set up for an upcoming sentence. In other words,
the sentence spoken after ~거든(요) is usually something that now makes sense because
the listener heard the new information attached to ~거든(요). Let’s look at an example:
Imagine I just said this sentence:
제가 프랑스어도 할 수 있어요
= I can speak French as well
If you were to just say this sentence, the listener wouldn’t know how you are able to
speak French. However, by prefacing this with a sentence ending in ~거든(요), you can
provide information as to how/why you are able to speak French. For example:

제가 캐나다 사람이거든요. 그래서 프랑스어도 할 수 있어요
= I’m Canadian. So, I can speak French as well.
In a way, the first sentence (the one ending in ~거든요) provides new information to the
listener that he/she can use to make sense of some upcoming information. Below are
more examples:
일을 아직 안 했거든요. 그래서 오늘 회사에 가서 해야 될 것 같아요

I haven’t done that work yet. So, I’ll probably have to go to the office and do it.
어제 일을 다 했거든요. 그래서 오늘 할 일이 없어요

= I finished all of my work yesterday. Therefore, I have nothing to do today.
오늘 친구를 만나러 서울 갈 거거든요. 혹시 같이 갈래요?

= I’m going to Seoul to meet a friend tonight. Would you like to go together?
우리가 언제 할지 달력에 표시했거든요. 깜빡하지 말고 그 날에 꼭 와야 돼요

= I marked it on the calendar. Don’t forget, and make sure you come that day.
It looks weird sometimes when you translate these sentences into English simply because
there is no perfect definition for certain grammatical principles. The meaning of
“providing information for the upcoming sentence while implying a slight meaning of
‘because’” is the best I can do in this case.
--------------
In addition to this meaning, ~거든 can be placed between two clauses to have the
meaning of “if” or “when” similar to ~(으)면 or ~ㄴ/는다면 that you learned about in
Lesson 43. The difference is that ~거든 is more usually used when the second clause
ends with an imperative conjugation (when somebody tells somebody to do something)
or some other form of suggestive ending.
However, this usage is not very common, but it does come up every once and a while.
For example:
바지가 너무 크면 교환해! = If the pants are too big, change them!

바지가 너무 크거든 교환해! = If the pants are too big, change them!
숙제를 다 하거든 알려줘! = Let me know when you are done your homework!
숙제를 다 하면 알려 줘! = Let me know when you are done your homework!

If you are studying for the intermediate TOPIK test, be prepared to answer a question like
the following:
Choose the grammatical principle that can replace the underlined section in the following
sentence:
길이 미끄러우면 버스를 타!
a) 미끄러운데
b) 미끄럽잖아
c) 미끄럽다가
d) 미끄럽거든
--------------
Finally, it’s quite common for people to attach ~거든(요) to 아니다 to express their
disagreement with some fact. This is often done by the younger generation and usually
used when they are trying to thrust their disagreement into the conversation. For example:
Person 1: 그 남자가 너무 잘생겼어 = That man is so handsome

Person 2: 아니거든! = No! (He’s not!)
Person 1: 그 사람이 아주 겸손했어 = That person is so modest

Person 2: 아니거든! = No! (He’s not!)

1) Choose the most natural grammatical principle for the blank below:
아~ 왜 이렇게 늦게 왔어? 내가 어제 너한테 늦게 오지 말라고 했______
a) ~기로 했어
b) ~잖아
c) ~네
d) ~거든
2) Choose the most natural ending to the following:
그 음식이 건강에 나쁜 이유는 …
a) 재료를 넣자마자 먹었어요

b) 들어 가 있는 재료가 맛있잖아요
c) 농약이 없거든요
d) 재료가 아니라 농약이 들어가 있기 때문이에요
3) Choose the correct sentence:
a) 저는 원래 계약을 연장하거든 회사가 예산이 없다고 해서 연장을 못 했어요

b) 저는 원래 계약을 연장하는 데 아니라 했는데 회사가 예산이 없다고 해서 연장을
못 했어요
c) 저는 원래 계약을 연장하기로 했는데 회사가 예산이 없다고 해서 연장을 못
했어요
d) 저는 원래 계약을 연장하다가 했는데 회사가 예산이 없다고 해서 연장을 못
했어요
a) 제가 급행열차를 타자마자 잘 못 탄 것을 깨달았어요

b) 제가 급행열차를 타자 잘 못 탄 것을 깨달았어요
c) 제가 급행열차를 탔자마자 잘 못 탄 것을 깨달았어요
d) 제가 급행열차를 탔는데 잘 못 탔어요

5) The following question replaces the numbers in the sentence with their respective
words (for example, “천” instead of “1000”). Note that this is normally not done.
However, I feel like if I wrote the actual numbers in the question, it would be too easy to
answer:
그 사람이 매월 백 만원을 월급으로 받는데 월급에 오 분의 일을 세금으로 내야

되고 십 만원은 급식비로 나가요. 그래서 두 비용을 빼고 매월 25 일에 그 사람은
_____________ 받아요:
a) 백 만원
b) 구십 만원
c) 팔십 만원
d) 칠십 만원
6) Which of the following could ~다가 not be used in place of the blank:
a) 제가 공책에 글을 빨리 쓰_____ 손을 다쳤어요

b) 은행에서 청구서를 냈____ 친구를 만났어요
c) 그 학생이 열심히 공부를 했_____ 시험을 포기했어요
d) 외식을 하____ 집에 돌아왔어요
7) Choose the correct grammatical principle to be placed in the blank below:
죄송합니다. 저한테 욕을 ________________.
a) 하신 줄 알았어요
b) 기로 했어요
c) 비교합니다
d) 하시잖아요

Answers:
1) B
2) D
3) C
4) C
5) D
6) B
7) A

Nouns: Verbs:
댁 = one’s residence/home 따다 = to get, to obtain, to win
뇌물 = bribe 닳다 = to be worn down
상금 = prize money 갖추다 = to prepare, make preparations for
학과 = a department in school 비기다 = to tie in a match, game
소득세 = income tax 부과하다 = to impose, to levy
피로감 = fatigue 강요하다 = to force, to impose
피해자 = victim 이주하다 = to immigrate
금메달 = gold medal 저지르다 = to commit a crime
삼각형 = triangle 양치질하다 = to brush one’s teeth
직사각형 = rectangle
정사각형 = square Adjectives:
동그라미 = circle 피로하다 = to be tired, to be fatigued
미세먼지 = microdust 삭막하다 = to be dreary, desolate
미세하다 = minute
깨끗이 = cleanly
Introduction
In this lesson, you will learn about the Korean grammatical principle ~도록, which has
confused foreign learners of Korean for ages. I think the confusion with this grammatical
principal stems from the fact that there are so many translations for the same Korean
usage. I will break it all down for you step by step, so you have no reason to worry. Let’s
get started.
~도록: To cause a situation to occur

There are many ways that ~도록 can be translated to English. As is typical with Korean,
knowing what translation to use in English depends on the situation in which ~도록 is
used. Although the English translation might differ, the Korean usage of ~도록 is
actually the same in all cases. You might be tempted to separate the uses of ~도록 based
on their English translations, but one of the goals of this lesson is to show that all of the
sentences with ~도록 have a common theme: ~도록 causes some situation to occur.
Depending on who is causing what, or what is causing whom, or who is causing whom,
or what is causing what, the translation to English might be different. Here we go.

Translation 1: So that, in order to…
~도록 can be attached to adjectives or verbs to have the meaning of “so that” or “in order
to.” For example:
아침에 일찍 일어나도록 어젯밤에 일찍 잤어요

= I went to bed early last night in order to get up early in the morning
One way to look at this is to think that the clause before ~도록 (getting up early)
“occurs” because of the main action in the sentence (going to bed early). This fits with
my description above where I state that ~도록 causes some situation to occur. This is also
true for the sentences below:
버스를 놓치지 않도록 정류장으로 뛰어 갔어요

= I ran to the bus stop so that I would not miss the bus
학생들이 알아들을 수 있도록 천천히 말했어요

= I spoke slowly so that the students could understand me
입 냄새가 나지 않도록 매일 양치질을 열심히 해요

= I brush my teeth well everyday so that my mouth/breath doesn’t smell
내일 할머니 댁에 일찍 갈 수 있도록 짐을 미리 다 쌌어요

= I packed all of my bags so that I can go to grandma’s house early tomorrow
엄마 아빠에게 칭찬을 받을 수 있도록 방을 깨끗이 청소했어요

= I cleaned my room (cleanly) so that I could receive praise from mom and dad
미세먼지가 심한 날에 목이 아프지 않도록 꼭 마스크를 써야 돼요

= On days that the micro-dust is severe, you should definitely wear a mask so that your throat doesn’t get sore
그 범죄자는 범죄를 저지를 때 피해자가 자기를 알아볼 수 없도록 마스크를 써요

= The criminal wears a mask so that the victims can’t recognize him when he commits a crime
This meaning of ~도록 is very commonly seen in signs around Korea. For example, you
may see signs that say:
다른 승객들이 불편하지 않도록 신문을 읽지 마세요

= Please don’t read a newspaper on the train so that other passengers are not
uncomfortable
There is a sign at the gym that I work out at that has the following message:
모든 회원님들이 사용할 수 있도록 긴 시간 동안 기구를 사용하지 마세요

= Don’t use a machine for a long time so that all members can use them

---------------
Recall that one of the usages of ~게 (from Lesson 56) is to create this same meaning.
~도록 can be replaced with ~게 in all of the above sentences. For example:
버스를 놓치지 않게 정류장으로 뛰어 갔어요

학생들이 알아들을 수 있게 천천히 말했어요
입 냄새가 나지 않게 매일 양치질을 열심히 해요
내일 할머니 댁에 일찍 갈 수 있게 짐을 미리 다 쌌어요
미세먼지가 심한 날에 목이 아프지 않게 꼭 마스크를 써야 돼요
그 범죄자는 범죄를 저지를 때 피해자가 자기를 알아볼 수 없게 마스크를 써요
Although ~도록 and ~게 can be used interchangeably in these types of sentences, you are
more likely to see ~도록 on signs and in formal writing. I would much rather say “~게”
in my sentences over “~도록.” If you plan on taking a TOPIK test, you’ll find that there
are commonly questions asking you to replace ~도록 with a grammatical principle that
has the same meaning. For example, the question might ask what can replace the
underlined section below to have the same meaning:
버스를 놓치지 않도록 정류장으로 뛰어 갔어요
Possible choices might be:
a) 는데
b) 고
c) 게
d) 아도
Easy peasy.
Translation 2: I will, I will be sure to…

In the sentences above, some situation “causes” the clause before ~도록 to occur. That
same idea allows ~도록 to be attached to verbs and then followed by a verb (usually
하다) in the future tense. For example:
내일까지 하도록 하겠습니다 = I will do it by tomorrow
Despite the differences in translation, try to notice the similarities with the sentences
introduced in Translation 1 in the way that ~도록 is used. Again, the clause before ~도록
is being made to occur. How will it occur? Well, we don’t know that specifically, but we
know that the speaker of the sentence will be taking care of it.

In essence, this is simply a way for a speaker to indicate that he will do something in the
future. It is typically used in formal settings (like in a work environment) as it contains
the feeling that the speaker will “be sure to” to do the action. Below are more examples:
제가 지금부터 열심히 일하도록 할게요

= I will (be sure to) work hard from now on
서류를 준비해서 오후에 주도록 하겠습니다

= I will (be sure to) prepare the documents and give them to you in the afternoon
지난 경기를 안타깝게 비겨서 이번에 꼭 이기도록 할 거예요

= We unfortunately tied the previous match, so this time I will (be sure to) win
이 대회의 상금이 크기 때문에 대회를 이길 수 있도록 열심히 노력할 거에요

= The prize money for this contest is big, so I will (be sure to) try hard to win
이 삭막한 공간을 리모델링해서 새로운 공간으로 만들어 내도록 하겠습니다

= We will renovate this dreary space and turn it into a new one
In these sentences, the speaker is indicating that he will be sure to do the action attached
to ~도록. It is also possible to apply this same idea to a command.
Translation 3: Be sure to…

This is the same idea that I’ve been referring to since the beginning of the lesson. A
speaker can use ~도록 attached to an action that he would like to be done. This could be
directed at a listener, or directed at a general audience (like the general public). Again,
the clause before ~도록 is being made to occur. For example:
쿠키를 사각형 모양이 되도록 만들어 주세요

= Be sure to make the cookies into a triangle shape
기한 내에 서류를 갖춰서 학과에 내도록 하세요

= Be sure to prepare the documents within the timeframe and submit them to the department
중요한 선거가 곧 있으니 뇌물을 받지 않도록 주의하세요

= There is an important election soon, so be careful to not accept any bribes
소득세를 기한 안에 내지 않으면 벌금이 부과되기 때문에 꼭 3 월 31 일까지 내도록 하세요

= If you don’t pay your taxes in the timeframe, a fine will be imposed, so be sure to pay by March 31st
Those commands are directed at somebody. However, it is also possible to refer to the
fact that someone gave a command to someone else. This could be seen as another
translation.

Translation 4: To make, to force
It is possible to use ~도록 to refer to a command that was given. For example:
부장님은 모든 직원들이 회의에 참석하도록 했어요

= The boss made all of the workers come to the meeting
부모님은 제가 대학교에 진학하도록 강요하셨어요

= My parents forced me to go to University
선생님이 학생들을 동그라미 모양으로 서도록 했어요

= The teacher made the students stand in a circle
As I’ve been saying this whole lesson – all of these different uses of ~도록 are the same.
We just give them different translations in English, which makes us think that they
should be different in Korean. Because we’re technically always talking about the same
usage, it is sometimes possible for there to be more than one translation for ~도록 in a
sentence. For example, the following two sentences (from “Translation 1”) would also be
appropriate using the current translation:
엄마 아빠에게 칭찬을 받을 수 있도록 방을 깨끗이 청소했어요

= I cleaned my room (cleanly) to make mom and dad praise me
그 범죄자는 범죄를 저지를 때 피해자가 자기를 알아볼 수 없도록 마스크를 써요

= The criminal wears a mask to make his victims not recognize him when he commits a crime
Although there are no commands in these two sentences, you could see how the
translation of “make” would work. Again, it doesn’t matter how we translate it to English.
The clause attached to ~도록 is being made to happen.
Translation 5: To the point of, to the extent of…

~도록 can be used to indicate that one does an action to a certain extent. For example:
선수는 숨을 못 쉬도록 빨리 뛰었어요 = The athlete ran fast to the extent that he
couldn’t breathe
By looking at this sentence, we can see immediately how this usage fits the general usage
of ~도록 that we have been referring to the entire lesson. The athlete made the action of
“not being able to breathe” occur because he ran so much. Again, this action was made to
occur.
제가 김치를 질리도록 먹었어요 = I ate kimchi to the extent that I was sick of it
우리는 발이 아프도록 걸어 다녔어요 = We walked around to the point that our feet hurt
자전거를 피로감이 느껴지도록 빨리 탔어요 = I rode my bike to the point that I felt fatigued

군인들은 눈을 감고 총을 쏠 수 있도록 훈련을 받았다 = The soldiers trained to the
extent that they could shoot guns with their eyes closed
This style of sentence is often used as a metaphor (most commonly with 죽다) to indicate
that one does something to some metaphoric extreme. For example:
제가 죽도록 당신을 사랑할 거예요 = I will love to the point that I will die
금메달을 따기 위해 맨날 죽도록 운동했어요 = In order to win the gold medal, I
exercised every day to the point that I would die
---------------
This usage is used in the Korean national anthem. The first verse of the anthem is:
동해 물과 백두산이 마르고 닳도록…
“동해 물” refers to the water in the East Sea, and “백두산” is a mountain in Korea (it’s
actually on the border of North Korea and China, but has cultural significance for all
Korean people). I don’t want to write the next line, because it gets confusing. However, it
refers to Korea living “long and forever.”
The line above provides the metaphor that Korea will live forever, until “the East Sea is
dry, and 백두산 is completely worn down” - both of which would never really happen.
---------------
A common word that ~도록 is used with is “지나다.” By using “지나도록,” you can
indicate that a certain amount of time has passed since something happened. For example:
우리는 3 년이 지나도록 못 만났어요 = We haven’t met in three years

이틀이 지나도록 밥을 안 먹었어요 = I haven’t eaten in two days
My brain likes to compartmentalize things. I feel these types of sentences fit mostly with
the “extent” translation above. Although you probably wouldn’t normally say it like this,
you could write those sentences as:
우리는 3 년이 지나도록 못 만났어요

= We haven’t met in so long (to the extent that) three years have passed since we last met!
이틀이 지나도록 밥을 안 먹었어요

= I haven’t eaten in so long (to the extent that) two days have past
---------------

Nouns: Verbs:
새 = bird 태우다 = to pick up (in a vehicle)
똥 = poo 태우다 = to burn something
향기 = good smell/fragrance 안내하다 = to guide
암내 = smelly armpits 교정하다 = to correct/emend a mistake
생계 = life/living 다녀가다 = to stop in (come then go back)
재산 = wealth/fortune 의도하다 = to intend
남녀 = men and women/couple 결심하다 = to decide
사장 = boss of company
동사 = verb Adjectives:
명사 = noun 노엽다 = to be angry
부사 = adverb 허전하다 = to be missing something
형용사 = adjective 합당하다 = to be reasonable
위원회 = committee
Adverbs and Other words:
일반적 = usual
정시= a set time
단계적 = in phases
간신히 = barely
때마침 = just in time
Introduction
In this lesson, you will learn how to add ~지 or its formal equivalent ~죠 to the end of a
sentence. The meaning that this grammatical form has is usually tricky for foreign
learners of Korean to pick up on – but don’t worry, I am here to explain everything to
you! Let’s get started!
Turn a Statement into a question using ~지/~죠

By adding ~지/~죠 to the end of a sentence (i.e. attached to a verb or adjective) you can
turn a statement into a question. What do I mean by that? Well, I can give you a perfect
example.
First off: I am from Canada, and in Canada (much to the humor of Americans) we say
“eh” at the end of a sentence to create this same meaning. For example, if I just wanted to
say that ‘it is cold,’ I would say:
It is cold
However, by placing ‘eh’ at the end of that sentence, I can turn that sentence into a
question. For example:
It is cold, eh? = It is cold, isn’t it?

~지/죠 can be used to have this function in Korean sentences. For example:
날씨가 추워요 = It is cold

날씨가 춥죠? = It is cold, isn’t it?
날씨가 춥지? = It is cold, isn’t it?
Note that ~지 is used in informal situations and ~죠 is used in formal situations.
More examples:
선생님! 바쁘죠? = Teacher! You are busy, aren’t you?

가기 싫지? = You don’t want to go, don’t you?
네가 지금 한국말을 잘하지? = You speak Korean well now, don’t you?
이 향기가 좋지? = This smell/fragrance is nice, isn’t it?
그 사람의 가족이 재산이 많죠? = That person’s family has a lot of wealth/assets, right?
Notice that ~지 and ~죠 get attached directly to the stem of a verb or adjective in every
case. No irregulars come into play when attaching ~ㅈ to the stem of words, so it is
always easy to use..
You can add ~지/~죠 to sentences in the past tense as well. In these cases, ~지/~죠 gets
attached directly to ~았/~었. For example:
어제 학교에 안 갔죠? = You didn’t go to school yesterday, did you?

어제 월급을 받았죠? = You got paid yesterday, didn’t you?
결심을 아직 안 했죠? = You still haven’t decided yet, have you?
똥을 쌌지? = You went poo, didn’t you?
그때 마음이 조금 허전했죠? = You were a little bit sad/empty at that time, weren’t you?
It can also be used in the future tense. For example:
선생님도 갈 거죠? = Teacher, you are going too, right?

밥을 안 먹을 거죠? = You aren’t going to eat, right?
사장님! 내일 손님을 안내할 거죠? = Boss! You will guide the guests around tomorrow, right?
위원회가 내일 모일 거죠? = The committee will meet tomorrow, right?
In all of the examples provided above, the speaker is asking the listener a question.
Notice that in all cases (just from the style/feel of the sentence) that the speaker sort of
knows the answer to the question, and is almost just re-affirming what he/she thinks of
the situation. Again, notice the difference in feel between these two:
날씨가 추워요? = Is it cold?

날씨가 춥죠? = It is cold, isn’t it?

The speaker in the first example probably does not know the answer to the question
(hence, the reason why he/she is asking the question). However, in the second example,
the speaker might know the answer to the question – but is re-affirming his/her beliefs of
the situation.
This same principle can be applied to questions in which the sentence has a question
word in it as well. For example:
카드를 어디에 두었죠? = Where did you place/put the card?

그 사람이 어디서 살고 있죠? = Where does that person live?
청구서를 언제 냈죠? = When did you pay the bill?
점심으로 뭐 먹었죠? = What did you eat for lunch?
This is the same phenomenon we saw when ~지/죠 was added to sentences without a
question word, but in these cases the addition of “eh?” or “isn’t it?” to the English
translation is illogical. For example:
점심으로 뭐 먹었죠? = What did you eat for lunch, didn’t you?
This English translation is illogical
Instead, the four sentences above using “~지/죠” have the same translation of those
sentences not using “~지/죠.” Notice the following sentences have the same translation
as the four sentences shown above:
카드를 어디에 두었어요? = Where did you place/put the card?

그 사람이 어디서 살고 있어요? = Where does that person live?
청구서를 언제 냈어요? = When did you pay the bill?
점심으로 뭐 먹었어요? = What did you eat for lunch?
While those sentences have the same translation, their meaning is slightly different. As
with the sentences without a question word, adding ~지/죠 gives the sentence the subtle
difference that the speaker is reconfirming his/her beliefs.
Even though the speaker is asking a question (and therefore, inherently doesn’t know the
answer to the question), one would use those examples to ask a question when he/she sort
of knows the answer to the question (and by “sort of” I mean that maybe the speaker
forgot the answer or something similar).
The only way you could translate those sentences to accurately show this meaning is to
add a lot of additional words. For example:
카드를 어디에 두었죠? = Where did you place/put the card? Or “Ah, where did you put
that card, again? I could have sworn I saw you put it down somewhere, but I can’t
remember where you put it.”

In practice, this same form is often used when people are asking questions to themselves.
For example, if somebody lost their card, you might hear them say:
“아~ 카드를 어디 두었지?” = Ah, where did I put my card again?… I just had it and
now I can’t remember where I put it.
In Lesson 63, you learned about ~ㄹ/을까 and how it can be used to ask questions to
oneself In Lesson 63, you were shown the following sentences:
(내가) 밥을 먹을까? = Should I eat rice?

(내가) 뭐 먹을까? = What should I eat?
Regardless of tense, it is unnatural to use ~지 to ask yourself a question when there is not
a question word being used in the sentence. For example:
밥을 먹지? = I am eating, right? - (This is illogical if directed to yourself)

밥을 먹었지? = I ate, right? - (This is illogical if directed to yourself)
밥을 먹을 거지? = I will eat, right? - (This is illogical if directed to yourself)
All of those sentences are logical if directed at somebody else.
Those sentences are illogical because the speaker is asking himself what he is doing.
This is also illogical if the acting agent (the subject) of the sentence is another person. For
example:
선생님이 밥을 먹었지? = The teacher ate, right?

(This sentence is perfectly logical if you ask it to another person, but not when asked to
yourself)
However, it is very natural to use ~지 to ask yourself a question when there is a question
word being used in the sentence. The acting agent of the sentence can either be you or
some other person/thing. For example:
내가 뭐 먹었지? = What did I eat again?

선생님이 어디 갔지? = Where did the teacher go?
그 사람이 누구지? = Who is that teacher?
그 사람이 누구였지? = Who was that person?
이 명사를 어떻게 쓰지? = How do I use this noun?
동사와 형용사의 차이가 뭐지? = What is the difference between a verb and adjective?

When asking yourself about what you should do, who you should meet, when you should
go, where you should go, or how you should do something, you will commonly see the
following forms:
뭐 하지? = What should I do?

누구를 만나지? = Who should I meet?
언제 가지? = When should I go?
어디 가지? = Where should I go?
어떻게 하지? = How should I do it?
밥을 뭐 먹지? = What should I eat?
바퀴를 어떻게 갈지? = How should/can I change the wheel?
The last thing I want to say about this usage is that you should notice that using “~지/죠”
like this effectively softens the question somebody asks. Because the usage sort of
implies that the speaker also knows (or should know) the answer as well, asking a
question with “~지/죠” makes the question less direct and a little bit softer. There may be
some situations where you might find “~지/죠” being used, where there no way the
speaker could/should know the answer to the question. In these cases, the use of “~지/죠”
simply softens the question, and there really isn’t any additional subtle meaning.
Of course!
Though ~지/~죠 usually takes on the meaning described above, it is also commonly used
as an ending that is placed on the end of a verb or adjective as a response to a question.
When you respond to a question with the use of ~지/~죠, it gives the response a feeling
that one is also saying "of course" or something like that. For example:
내일 갈 거야!? = Are you going tomorrow

갈 거지= Yeah, I am going (of course I am going tomorrow)
(also notice in this example how ~지/~죠 is added to 이다, or the future conjugation of
~ㄹ/을 것이다)
Person 1: 배고파? = Are you hungry?

Person 2: 배고프지! = Of course I'm hungry!
Person 1: 소득세를 안 내? = You don’t pay income tax?

Person 2: 내지! = Of course I pay (it/income tax)!
Person 1: 내년에 내가 인터넷고등학교로 갈 거야 = I’m moving/going to (an) Internet

High School next year
Person 2: 거기서 직접 수업을 안 해요? = Do you not do lessons in person there?
Person 1: 하지! = I do (of course I do!)

In Lesson 79 you learned about the word 당연하다 and how it is often used as
'당연하지' to mean 'of course!' Instead of responding with the verb that was in the
question (as in above with "가다" and "배고프다"), you can simply respond with
"당연하다" with the addition of "~지/죠". For example:
배고파요? = Are you hungry?

당연하지!! = Of course!!
When used like this ~지 is much more commonly used than ~죠. The reason behind this
is that it is generally informal to use this conjugation in this way, and it doesn't make
sense to use a formal conjugation in an informal way.
In these cases, the only way to distinguish whether the speaker is asking a question or
simply using ~지/~죠 to and a sentence in a normal way is by the context and by the tone
of the person's voice. In most cases, it is clear that the speaker is asking a question
because (as in any language) their tone gets higher as they end a sentence.
Using ~지/~죠 with 아/어야 하다/되다

In Lesson 46 you learned that you can add 어/아야 하다/되다 to words to indicate that
one "must" do something. For example:
저는 지금 가야 돼요 = I must go now
~지 (and less commonly ~죠) can actually replace 하다/되다 and the respective
conjugation that would be added to that word. For example:
나는 지금 가야지! = I must go now

열심히 공부를 해야지! = You need to study hard!
사람들이 크리스마스에 크리스마스트리를 만들어야지! = People need to put up a
Christmas tree for Christmas!
Replacing 하다/되다 with ~지 or ~죠 is fairly colloquial. Therefore, while ~지 is

commonly used in this form ~죠 is slightly less common, and only really used if you are
in a situation where you are very close to a person, but he/she is older than you so you
want to be slightly more formal than just using ~지.
I’m not sure if a textbook would say the same thing, but that is what I have noticed with
my experience with the language.
However, the usage that I described earlier in this lesson (where ~지/죠) can be used to
change a statement into a question is used very frequently in informal (~지) and formal
(~죠) situations.

Nouns: Verbs:
찌개 = stew 간호하다 = to nurse/to care for
에어컨 = air conditioning 증가하다 = to increase
인구 = population 이르다 = to arrive/reach
인간 = human/human being 발전하다 = to develop, to improve
대중교통 = public transportation 망가지다 = to be broken
막차 = last bus/last train
독립 = independence Adjectives:
장 = chapter (of book) 튼튼하다 = to be robust/strong
사투리 = dialect
Adverbs and Other words:
우울증 = depression
서서히 = gradually/slowly
장학금 = scholarship
순전히 = purely
양초 = candle
중앙 = middle/center
요일 = day of week
밤새 = overnight
부서 = department
의학 = medicine (as a field of study)
Introduction
We have discussed the usage of 되다 in many earlier lessons, including Lesson 9, Lesson
14, Lesson 49 and Lesson 80. Using 되다 combined with ~게 (from Lesson 56) will be
discussed in this lesson. Let’s get started!
To end up: ~게 되다
In Lesson 56, you learned that ~게 can be attached to the stem of a verb to indicate that
something is “made” to happen. In other earlier lessons, you learned that 되다 can be
used to indicate that something “becomes” something. Therefore, you can use ~게 되다
to indicate a situation was “made to become” a certain way. For example:
저는 그 여자랑 사랑에 빠지게 되었어요 = I was made to become falling in love with her
Although you could consider it a direct translation from the Korean sentence, it doesn’t
sound natural in English. In English, we usually use the phrase “to end up” to describe
this type of meaning. For example:
저는 그 여자랑 사랑에 빠지게 되었어요 = I ended up falling in love with her

Using this form indicates that the events that occurred happened out of one’s control,
almost by chance or fate. I first came across this grammatical form while reading a book,
where the main character said something like:
저는 그 회사에 취직하게 되었어요 = I ended up getting a job at that company
When I first saw that sentence, I wondered how it differed from this sentence:
저는 그 회사에 취직했어요 = I got a job at that company.
As I mentioned earlier, the result of the first sentence happens without the subject having
much influence on the outcome. In this sense, using ~게 되다 can make the sentence
sound humble. For example:
저는 그 회사에 취직했어요 = I got a job at that company

Here, it is almost as if that person is boasting about the fact that he got a job, maybe
because of how awesome he is.
저는 그 회사에 취직하게 되었어요 = I ended up getting a job at that company

Here, the feeling is more humble because the speaker had no influence on the outcome,
thus not flaunting his awesomeness.
Below are many examples:
막차를 타게 되었어요
= I ended up taking the last train
우리가 목적지에 이르게 되었어요

= We ended up arriving at our destination
그 일을 끝내야 해서 밤새 일하게 되었어요

= We had to finish that work, so we ended up staying up all night
동생이 죽은 후에 제가 우울증에 겪게 되었어요

= After my brother died I ended up suffering from depression
그 학생이 아주 똑똑해서 장학금을 받게 되었어요

= That student is so smart that he ended up receiving a scholarship
한국 사람들이 끝까지 싸워서 결국 독립하게 되었어요

= Korean people fought to the end and eventually ended up getting independence
무슨 요일에 갈지 결정을 못해서 그냥 토요일에 가게 됐어요

= We couldn’t decide what day to go on, so we just ended up going on Saturday

다리를 튼튼하게 만들었지만 바람 때문에 망가지게 되었어요
= We made the bridge really strongly/rigidly, but it ended up breaking because of the wind
날씨가 갑자기 매우 더워져서 에어컨을 급하게 사게 되었어요

= The weather suddenly got very hot, so I ended up urgently buying an air conditioner
우연히 산 복권이 당첨이 돼서 하루 아침에 부자가 되게 됐어요

= Luckily, the lottery ticket I bought won, so in a morning I ended up becoming rich
무엇을 먹을지 결정을 못해서 그냥 집에 있던 찌개를 먹게 되었어요

= We couldn’t decide what to eat, so we ended up just eating the stew that had at home
저는 중앙 정부에서 가장 중요한 일을 하는 부서에서 일을 하게 되었어요

= I ended up working at the central government working on a task in the most important department
새로 생긴 대중교통으로 인해 그 도시의 인구가 갑자기 증가하게 되었어요

= Due to the newly built mass transportation (system), that city’s population ended up
suddenly increasing
이 책의 첫 장은 단어가 아주 어려워서 모두들 사전을 가지고 읽게 되었어요

= The words in the first chapter of that book are very hard, so everybody ended up
reading it with a dictionary
서서히 발전하는 의학기술로 전 세계적으로 인구가 계속 증가하게 되었어요

= Due to gradually developing medical techniques, the population of the world ended up
continually increasing
제가 만든 양초를 친구들이 좋아해서 친구들을 위해 양초를 많이 만들게 되었어요

= My friends like the candles I make, so I ended up making a lot of candles for them
저의 남편의 사고로 인한 부상으로 죽을 때까지 제가 남편을 계속 간호하게 되었어요

= Due to my husband’s injury from his accident, I ended up having to take care of (be a
nurse for) him until he died
제주도에서 오래 살아서 이제 말을 할 때 저도 모르게 제주도사투리로 말을 하게 돼요

= I lived in Jeju for a long time, so when I speak, I don’t even know it but I end up
speaking with a Jeju accent

~게 되다 can also be used with adjectives, but I would advise against doing this. You
may come across people doing, or you may see it from time to time in books, but using
~아/어지다 (which you learned in Lesson 18) has essentially the same meaning, and is
much more natural than using ~게 되다 with adjectives. For example:
날씨가 춥게 되었어요 = The weather ended up getting cold (unnatural)

날씨가 추워졌어요 = The weather got cold (natural)
그 여자가 뚱뚱하게 되었어요 = That girl ended up getting fat (unnatural)

그 여자가 뚱뚱해졌어요 = That girl got fat (natural)
In previous lessons, you have learned about words like 만약 (Lesson 43) and 어쩌면
(Lesson 59). You learned that these words have very little meaning and are placed in
sentences specifically for feeling.
The word 어쩌다 is another one of these words, and it is used in sentences that end in
~게 되다 (or other situations where something happens by chance and one has little
impact on the outcome). Look-up “어쩌다” in the dictionary and you will see something
like “accidentally” or “by chance.” However, just like 만약 and 어쩌면 – 어쩌다 has
very little meaning unless used in a specific sentence where its feeling can come out. You
will often see 어쩌다 in sentences that end in ~게 되다. For example:
어쩌다 그녀를 버스에서 보게 되었어요 = I ended up seeing her on the bus

어쩌다 시험을 합격하게 되었어요 = I ended up passing the exam

Nouns: Verbs:
술자리 = drinking party 물다 = to bite
무늬 = pattern/design 뜯다 = to pick at, to pluck
줄무늬 = stripes 물어뜯다 = to bite and pull on
체크무늬 = plaid 도망가다 = to run away, to leave quickly
얼룩무늬 = camouflage 괴롭히다 = to harass, to torment
꿈속 = in a dream 파내다 = to dig out, pick out
신혼여행 = honeymoon 패하다 = to be defeated, to lose
노예 = slave
후유증 = aftereffects, aftermath
부작용 = side effect
짝퉁 = a knock off item
곰팡이 = mold
생리 = menstruation
현상 = phenomenon
나무뿌리 = root of a tree
숙소 = lodging/accommodations
원주민 = aboriginal/native
겉 = exterior
벌레 = bugs, insects
Introduction
In this lesson, you will learn how to use 뿐 in a variety of situations. First, you will learn
how to attach 뿐 to a noun. Then, you will learn how to describe ~뿐 with a verb or
adjective by using ~ㄹ/을. Let’s get started.
Attaching 뿐 to a noun
뿐 can be attached directly to a noun to indicate that there is nothing other than the noun
it is attached to. For example:
이제 걱정할 것은 부작용뿐이다 = There is nothing other than the side effects to worry about now
You could also translate 뿐 simply to “only” or “just.” For example:
이제 걱정할 것은 부작용뿐이다 = The only thing to worry about now is the side effects
내가 원하는 유일한 것은 너뿐이야

= The only thing I want is you

그 창고에 있는 것은 짝퉁뿐이에요
= The only thing in that warehouse is fakes
그 지역에서 살아 남은 사람들은 원주민뿐이에요

= The only people left in that area are the natives
사람들이 나무뿌리를 다 파내서 여기 있는 게 풀뿐이야

= People dug up all of the roots of trees, so the only thing left here is grass
제가 하고 싶은 것은 와이프랑 신혼여행을 가는 것뿐이에요

= The only thing I want to do is go on a honeymoon with my wife
It is common to attach ~만 to 뿐 followed by 아니라 to indicate that there is some other

noun involved to. For example:
너뿐만 아니라 나도 경기에서 패했어
This usually translates to “not only… but…” For example:
너뿐만 아니라 나도 경기에서 패했어= Not only you, but I also lost the match
커피뿐만 아니라 간식도 샀어요

= Not only did I buy coffee, but I also bought snacks
곰팡이뿐만 아니라 벌레도 있어요

= Not only is there mold, but there are bugs as well
가족뿐만 아니라 친구들도 사랑해야 돼요

= Not only family, but you also need to love your friends too
그 셔츠에 무늬가 너무 신기해요. 줄무늬뿐만 아니라 얼룩무늬도 있네요

= That shirt’s pattern is cool. Not only is there striped, but there is camouflage pattern as well
So far you have only seen 뿐 attached to nouns. In this usage, 뿐 is a particle and is not a
word on its own.
It is also possible to describe 뿐 with verbs, adjectives and 이다, making it a pseudo-
noun like 수, 적, 데 and others. Let’s look at that next.

Describing 뿐 with a verb, adjective or 이다
By attaching ~ㄹ/을 to a verb, adjective or 이다, you can describe 뿐. Its translation is
often similar to a situation you could have created in the previous section. I would like to
illustrate this for you by providing you the ends of two possible sentences:
… 라면뿐이에요
… 라면일 뿐이에요
The ends of those sentences might both translate to “just ramen” or “only ramen.”
However, the context given before each one would likely be different. When you use the
first one, you are indicating (as I described in the previous section) that there is literally
nothing but ramen remaining. So, for example, we could create the beginning of the
sentence to be:
집에 있는 음식을 다 먹어서 이제 먹을 수 있는 게 라면뿐이에요

= I ate everything in the house, so the only thing left is just ramen
The second one has a different meaning and purpose. When you use the second one, you
are indicating that there is nothing particular or special about the thing describing 뿐. So,
for example, we could create the beginning of the sentence to be:
물을 조금 넣었다고 화를 이렇게 많이 내? 그냥 라면일 뿐이야.

= I just put a little bit of water in it, why are you so mad? It’s just ramen.
Here, there is nothing special about ramen. It’s just ramen. The listener should relax and
realize that there is nothing particularly special about this, and therefore shouldn’t be so
upset.
This can be confusing because both sentences essentially end with “just ramen.” It is
important to recognize that 뿐 attached to a noun and 뿐 being described by a
verb/adjective/이다 create a different meaning and nuance. Here are more examples of
뿐 being described by something:
그냥 돈일 뿐이에요 = It’s nothing… it’s just/only money

그것은 농담일 뿐이에요 = It’s just a joke
사고의 후유증일 뿐이에요 = It’s just the after effects of the accident
제가 배우가 되는 것은 꿈일 뿐이에요 = Becoming an actor is just a dream
그것을 사는 것은 돈 낭비일 뿐이에요 = Buying that is just a waste of money
꿈속에서 생기는 일은 그냥 꿈일 뿐이에요

= Things that happen in one’s dream are just dreams
저는 그냥 모든 일에 최선을 다 할 뿐이에요
= I just do my best in everything I do

청소를 그렇게 하면 겉에만 깨끗해질 뿐이야
= If you clean it like that, it’s just the outside that will be clean
생리를 하는 것은 그냥 자연스러운 현상일 뿐이에요

= Menstruating is just a natural phenomenon
그 친구를 술자리에 초대하고 싶지 않을 뿐이에요

= That friend just won’t want to invite you to the drinking party
네가 여기서 있는 것은 이 문제를 더욱 어렵게 할 뿐이야

= You being here just makes the problem worse
---------------------
~ㄹ/을 것 gets added even if the action is in the past tense. In these cases the ~ㄹ/을 뿐
gets attached to 았/었. For example:
저는 하늘을 봤을 뿐이에요 = I was just looking at the sky

네가 시키는 대로 했을 뿐이야 = I was just doing as you ordered
In this sense, it is possible to use 뿐 not just at the end of a sentence, but in the middle of
a sentence. If you do this, 뿐 does not get conjugated in any way, and the whole
construction is used to describe a state in which something is done.
그녀는 저를 쳐다봤을 뿐 그냥 앉아 있었어요

= She just sat there staring at me
강아지가 저를 쳐다봤을 뿐 도망가지 않았어요

= The dog just sat there staring at me, not running away
그 노예가 창문 밖을 봤을 뿐 아무 말도 하지 않았어요
= That slave just looked outside and didn’t say anything
그 남자는 손톱을 물어뜯을 뿐 전화를 받지 않았어요

= The man didn’t answer his phone, and was just biting his fingernails

Not only …, but B: ~ㄹ/을 뿐만 아니라
Earlier we saw that ~뿐 can be attached to nouns and followed by ~만 아니라 to say
“Not only a noun but another noun.” By using ~ㄹ/을 뿐만 아니라, you can create this
same meaning, but applied to verbs or adjectives. For example:
그는 가난할 뿐만 아니라 못생겼어요

= He is not only poor, but ugly
Below are more examples;
그 학생이 친구를 괴롭힐 뿐만 아니라 돈도 뺏어요

= That student doesn’t just harass his friend, but he also takes his money
이 회사는 집을 제공할 뿐만 아니라 차도 제공해요

= Not only does this company provide housing, but it also provides a car
음식이 없을 뿐만 아니라 음식을 살 수 있는 돈도 없어요

= Not only do we not have any food, but we also don’t have any money to buy food
either

Nouns: Verbs:
연기 = smoke 개발하다 = to develop
뒷맛 = aftertaste 저축하다 = to save money
경기장 = sports stadium 낭비하다 = to waste
현관 = entrance room 찾아오다 = to visit, to come looking for
인내 = patience/endurance 찾아가다 = to visit, to go looking for
인내심 = patience 취직하다 = to find a job
정치 = politics 무시하다 = to ignore
식탁 = dinner table 반대하다 = to oppose (changed from
소풍 = outing/picnic/excursion 반대되다)
서점 = bookstore 없애다 = to get rid of, to remove
경치 = view/scenery 힘쓰다 = to do something with a lot of effort
자기개발 = self improvement, self development
Adverbs and Other Words
Adjectives: 참 = really/very/extremely
새콤하다 = to be sour 새해 = new years
활짝 = widely (open), fully (in bloom)
Introduction
In this lesson, you will learn how to combine two previous grammatical principles to
come up with ~(으)려면. Let’s get started.
If one wants to be able to: ~(으)려면

In Lesson 32 you learned how to connect two clauses with ~(으)려고 to indicate that one
does an action for the intent or purpose of doing another. For example:
소풍을 가려고 도시락을 쌌어요

= I packed a lunch box with the intent of going on a picnic
이제 취직을 하려고 이력서를 쓰고 있어요

= Now I am writing a resume with the intent of finding a job
In Lesson 43 you learned how to connect two clauses with ~(으)면 to create the meaning
of “if” or “when.” For example:
식탁이 없으면 식사를 할 때 불편해요

= If there is no dinner table, having a meal is uncomfortable
그 사람이 저를 찾아오면 저한테 말해 주세요

= If that person comes looking for me, please tell me

~(으)려고 and ~(으)면 can combine to form ~(으)려면. Its meaning is a combination of
the two put together, as if one were to say ~하려고 하면... . Korean grammatical
principles can often combine and contract with each other like this. Now that you have a
good base of many of the simple ones, you will see this type of thing often as you
progress to later lessons. For example, ~한다고 해 often combines and contracts to
~하대 which you will learn in Lesson 102.
The combined grammatical principle ~(으)려면 creates the meaning of “if one intends
to,” or sometimes more simply “if one wants to.”
Sentences with ~(으)려면 by their nature often end with ~아/어야 하다, ~이/가
필요하다 (Lesson 46) or imperative ending like ~세요 or 아/어라 (Lesson 40). Below
are many examples:
그렇게 비싼 것을 사려면 돈이 많이 필요해요

= If you intend to buy something that expensive, you need a lot of money
서울에 가려면 지하철을 타세요!

= If you intend to go to Seoul, then take the subway!
주소를 바꾸려면 직접 와야 돼요
= If you intend to change your address, you should come in person
이 일을 끝내려면 인내심이 많이 필요해요

= If you intend to complete this task, you need a lot of patience
뒷맛을 없애려면 새콤한 것을 먹어야 돼요

= If you want to get rid of that aftertaste, you need to eat something sour
책을 반품하려면 서점에 직접 오셔야 됩니다

= If you want to return that book, you need to come to the bookstore in person
예쁜 경치를 보려면 아침 일찍 일어나야 돼요

= If you intend to see the beautiful scenery, you need to wake up early in the morning
문을 열려면 현관에서 직접 열쇠로 열어 주세요

= If you want to open the door, you need to come to the entrance in person with a key
새해를 맞이하려면 우선 새해 계획부터 짜야 해요

= If you want to bring in the new year, you need to first make plans for the new year
땅을 개발하려면 땅 주변 환경을 먼저 정리해야 돼요

= If you intend to develop the land, you must first organize/clear up the environment
around it

그 경기를 재미있게 보려면 직접 경기장에서 봐야 해요
= If you want to watch that match in a fun way, you need to go watch it in person at the
stadium
방 안에 있는 연기를 없애려면 창문을 활짝 열어 주세요

= If you want to get rid of the smoke in the room, open the window wide
자기개발에 힘쓰려면 돈을 낭비하지 말고 매달 저축하는 게 중요해요

= If you intend to work on improving yourself, don’t waste any money, and putting away
money every month is important
이 일을 4 시까지 끝내려면 중요하지 않은 부분은 무시해야 될 것 같아요

= If you intend to finish that job by 4:00, you should probably ignore the parts that aren’t
important

Nouns: Verbs:
국민 = people of a country/citizen 힘내다 = to cheer up, to get cheered up
독학 = self-study 알려지다 = to become known
옆집 = next door 추측하다 = to guess
이웃 = neighborhood, neighbor 도박하다 = to gamble
이웃사람 = neighbor 내려다보다 = to look down
변화 = change 머물다 = abbreviated form of 머무르다
중심 = center/heart/middle of something 서두르다 = to rush
진실 = truth 서둘다 = abbreviated form of 서두르다
정상 = top 서투르다 = to not be good at something
전체 = whole/entire thing 서툴다 = abbreviated form of 서투르다
용기 = courage, guts, bravery
시기 = time Adjectives:
최종적 = final, last 끔찍하다 = to be terrible
난처하다 = to be embarrassed
년대 = year
마침내 = finally, at last
Introduction
In this lesson, you will learn about the word 갖다, which is an abbreviation of the word
가지다. The Korean language has evolved in such a way that 갖다 can now be thought
of as a word, but due to the fact that it is actually an abbreviation, it has atypical
grammatical rules. I will break these rules open for you. Let’s get started!
An abbreviation of 가지다: 갖다
First things first – let’s remember what the word 가지다 means and how it is used.
Though it can be used in a variety of situations, it always has a translation of “to have,”
“to possess” or something similar. It is most commonly used with 있다 to indicate that
one “has” an object. For example:
그 나라의 국민들은 다 여권을 가지고 있어야 돼요

= That country’s people all need to have a passport
옆집에 사는 할아버지는 우리 열쇠를 가지고 있어요

= The grandpa living next door has our keys
그 변호사가 진실이 쓰여 있는 서류를 가지고 있어요

= That lawyer has the document with the truth written on it

In practice, the word “있다” can change to another verb to indicate that one does
something while possessing an object. For example:
술을 가지고 영어관에 입장해도 돼요?

= Am I allowed to enter the cinema with alcohol?
교과서를 가지고 도서관에서 독학했어요

= I studied alone at the library with my textbook
저는 카메라를 가지고 산 정상에 올라갔어요

= I went to the top of the mountain with my camera
갖다 can replace 가지다 in all of these cases. For example:
그 나라의 국민들은 다 여권을 갖고 있어야 돼요

옆집에 사는 할아버지는 우리 열쇠를 갖고 있어요
그 변호사가 진실이 쓰여 있는 서류를 갖고 있어요
술을 갖고 영어관에 입장해도 돼요?

교과서를 갖고 도서관에서 독학했어요
저는 카메라를 갖고 산 정상에 올라갔어요
갖다 is an abbreviated form of 가지다. Because of this, it actually follows some strange

rules that aren’t followed by other words, aside from a few other abbreviated words.
Notice how the last vowel in the stem of 가지다 is ㅣ, which means that when adding
~아/어 to it, one must add ~어 because the last vowel in the stem is not ㅏ or ㅗ. This is
consistent with the rules taught all the way back in Lesson 5.
Notice that in the abbreviated form 갖다, the last vowel in the stem is ㅏ. So… when
adding ~아/어, what should we add to it? ~아 or ~어?
갖아 makes sense, because the final vowel in the stem is ㅏ, and

갖어 makes sense, because the final vowel in the stem of the actual word 가지다 is ㅣ
We’ve got a bit of a conundrum here.
To add to the confusion, the stem of 가지다 ends in a vowel, whereas the stem of 갖다
ends in a consonant. Therefore, when adding grammatical principles that change based on
whether the stem of a word ends in a vowel or consonant – what should we do?
For example, if we were to add ~(으)면 to 갖다:

갖으면 makes sense, because the final letter in the stem is ㅈ, and
갖면 makes sense, because the final letter in the stem of the actual word 가지다 is a vowel

This conundrum has led to a fairly strange rule.
It is incorrect to add any grammatical principle starting with a vowel, or with the option
of adding a vowel, to 갖다.
For example, while any of these would be correct:
가지다 + ~아/어 = 가져
가지다 + ~았다/었다 = 가졌다
가지다 + ~(으)면 = 가지면
가지다 + ~ㄴ/은 = 가진
None of the above could be added to 갖다.
Notice that the reason this rule is in place is because people wouldn’t know which form
to add – one that corresponds to rules of 가지다 or one that corresponds to rules 갖다.
However, it is acceptable to add grammatical principles that apply to both 가지다 and
갖다 in the same way.
For example, any of these would be correct:
가지다 + ~고 = 가지고
가지다 + ~는 = 가지는
가지다 + ~지~ = 가지지~
And any of these would also be correct:
갖다 + ~고 = 갖고
갖다 + ~는~ = 갖는
갖다 + ~지~ = 갖지~
As you can see, adding grammatical principles to 갖다 is only acceptable if there would
be no change to the grammatical principle if it were attached to 가지다. I actually find
this rule quite interesting, and if you do too, it is safe to say that you are now a Korean
grammar nerd! Let’s see some of this nerdiness in actual sentences:
용기를 갖고 힘내세요!
용기를 가지고 힘내세요!
= Get some courage, and good luck!
It is very hard to translate 힘내다 to English. It is usually combined with an imperative

ending, and used essentially to say “Cheer up!” or “Good Luck!” or something similar.

이 문법 현상에 관심을 갖는 사람이 없어요
이 문법 현상에 관심을 가지는 사람이 없어요
= There is nobody interested in this grammatical phenomenon
저는 지난 주에 읽던 책을 마침내 갖고 왔어요
저는 지난 주에 읽던 책을 마침내 가지고 왔어요
= I finally brought the book that I was reading last week
최종적으로 아무도 그녀에게 관심을 갖지 않았어요

최종적으로 아무도 그녀에게 관심을 가지고 않았어요
= In the end, nobody had any interest in her
옆집에 사는 이웃사람이 엄마에게 준 컴퓨터를 제가 갖는다고 했어요

옆집에 사는 이웃사람이 엄마에게 준 컴퓨터를 제가 가진다고 했어요
= I said that I am going to keep the computer that the neighbor living next door gave to mom
지금까지 아주 끔찍한 시간인 것을 알고 있지만 조금 더 힘내고 자신감을 갖고 다시

나가 보세요
지금까지 아주 끔찍한 시간인 것을 알고 있지만 조금 더 힘내고 자신감을 가지고
다시 나가 보세요
= I know it has been a very terrible time so far, but try to cheer up a bit, get some
confidence and go outside again
-------------
In Lesson 88, you learned how to use ~다(가). This is commonly added to 갖다 to
indicate that one possesses an object and then does something with it. For example:
휴지를 갖다 주세요
= Give me a tissue, please (Please get a tissue, and then give it to me)
펜을 갖다 주세요
= Give me a pen, please (Please get a pen, and then give it to me)
쓰레기를 갖다 버리세요
= Throw out the garbage (Please take the garbage, and then throw is out)
커피를 갖다 드릴까요?
= Would you like some coffee? (Would you like it if I got a coffee and gave it to you?)
영수증을 갖다 줄게요
= I am going to go and get your receipt (Would you like it if I got a receipt and gave it to you?)

The pronunciation of 갖다 can often be confused with 갔다, where ~았 + ~다(가) is
attached to 가다 (also taught in Lesson 88). You should use 갔다 to indicate that one
goes somewhere and comes back. You should use 갖다 to indicate that one possesses
something and does an action with it. For example:
지금 갔다 올게요 = I will go and come back (if that is okay with you)
지금 갖다 줄게요 = I will get it and give it to you (if that is okay with you)
Because: ~아/어 가지고

As we are already discussing 갖다 and 가지다, I would like to take this time to introduce
you to another meaning of 가지다. 가지다 can also be used as a grammatical principle to
mean “because”. In order to do this, ~아/어 가지다 is added to the end of one clause that
indicates the reason for the next clause. The word in the first clause can be a verb,
adjective or 이다. For example:
어제 늦게 끝나 가지고 집에 못 갔어요
= Because I finished late yesterday, I couldn’t go home
우리가 너무 일찍 와 가지고 오랫동안 기다렸어요

= Because we came so early, we had to wait for a long time
오늘 날씨가 너무 더워 가지고 약속을 취소했어요

= Because the weather is so hot today, I cancelled my plans
공기가 좋지 않은 도심 중심에 살고 있어 가지고 항상 목이 아파요

= Because I live in the middle of a city with bad air, my throat is always sore
너무 높은 곳에 올라가 있어 가지고 무서워서 밑을 내려다보지 못했어요

= Because I went up to a really high place and was scared I couldn’t look down
제일 일이 바쁜 시기에 엄마가 가게 일을 도와 달라 해 가지고 난처했어요

= In the time that I am the busiest with work, mom asked me to help her with some of her
store work, so I was a little taken aback
그 사람이 저녁식사를 같이 했을 때 고기를 먹지 않아 가지고 채식주의자라고 추측했어요

= When I had dinner with that person, he didn’t eat meat, so I guessed that he is a vegetarian
그 소문이 마을 전체에 점점 알려져 가지고 결국 그 소문의 주인공은 마을을 떠났어요

= That rumor slowly got more and more known around the whole town, so in the end the person
left town
Using ~아/어 가지고 is very colloquial, and therefore, quite common in speech.
However, it is not common in written Korean.

It is common for Korean people to pronounce “가지고” as “가주고” or even “가주구.”
This is technically an accent that you would here in the south (of South Korea), but I hear
가주구 very commonly, even in Seoul. For example:
오늘 날씨가 너무 더워 가주구 약속을 취소했어요

= Because the weather is so hot today, I cancelled my plans
머무르다 (머물다), 서두르다 (서둘다) and 서투르다 (서툴다)

So far in this lesson, you have learned about the strange rules that apply to 가지다 and
갖다 when grammatical principles are attached to them. Another word that follows a
similar rule is 머무르다. Just like 가지다, there is a shortened version of 머무르다
which is 머물다.
머무르다 can be used in any way and with any grammatical principle, but must be used
in accordance with the 르 irregular. For example:
우리는 부산 중심에 있는 호텔에서 머물렀어요

= We stayed in a hotel in the center of Busan
부산에서 3 일 동안 머무르고 서울로 가는 게 어때요?

= What do you think about staying in Busan for three days and then going to Seoul?
그 나라의 국민들이 한국에서 1900 년대에 머물렀어요

= That country’s people stayed in Korean during the 1900’s
한국에서 온 교환학생이 우리 집에서 1 년 동안 머물렀어요

= A Korean exchange student stayed at our house for a year
While 머무르다 can be used with any grammatical principle, 머물다 cannot.
Any grammatical principle that starts with a consonant (and there is no option other than
that one consonant), can be added to 머물다. For example:
머물다 + ~자 = 머물자 = okay

머물다 + ~고 = 머물고 = okay
머물다 + 겠다 = 머물겠다 = okay
머물다 + ~지 않다 = 머물지 않다 = okay
Any grammatical principle where there is a choice of whether a vowel or consonant

needs to be added, then it is also acceptable:
머물다 + ~(으)면 = 머물면 = okay

머물다 + ~(으)면서 = 머물면서 = okay

머물다 acts just like any other verb/adjective where the final consonant is “ㄹ”. All of
the grammatical principles above are added to 팔다 (to sell) in the exact same way that
they are added to 머물다. For example:
팔자
팔고
팔겠다
팔면
팔면서
Because the last letter in the stem of 머물다 (and 팔다) is ㄹ, a lot of these additions
require the application of the ㄹ irregular. For example:
머물다 + ~ㄹ/을 = 머물
머물다 + ~ㄹ/을래 = 머물래
머물다 + ~(으)시다 = 머무시다
머물다 + ~(으)세요 = 머무세요
Again, all of the above are the same as they would be when adding them to 팔다 or any
other verb with ㄹ as the final consonant. For example:
팔
팔래
파시다
파세요
Everything so far seems normal about 머물다, but it differs from most verbs in the
following way: if a grammatical principle that is added to 머물다 is a vowel – and there
is no other option other than a vowel – then that grammatical principle cannot be added to
머물다. The two most common grammatical principles where this occurs is when
conjugating in the past or present tenses. For examples:
머물다 + ~아/어(요) = 머물어(요) – this is incorrect

머물다 + ~았/었어(요) = 머물었어(요) – this is incorrect
This same rule also applies to:
서둘다 (a shortened version of 서두르다 – to rush ), and

서툴다 (a shortened version of 서투르다 – to not be good at something)
Okay, I think that’s it for this lesson!

Nouns: Verbs:
설거지 = dishwashing` 주장하다 = to argue
사생활 = personal life 노동하다 = to work, to do labor
헛소문 = groundless rumor 탈출하다 = to escape
단체 = organization/corporation 퍼지다 = to diffuse/spread out/spread
긴장감 = tension 정돈하다 = to arrange
사건 = events 흐르다 = to flow
놀이터 = playground 강조하다 = to stress/emphasize
불교 = Buddhism 맡다 = to undertake, take on, handle
문단 = paragraph 외식하다 = to eat out somewhere
야생 = wild 구하다 = to rescue
자국 = mark, stain, scar 데다 = to burn (part of a body)
경비원 = security guard 유출하다 = to leak
잘나다 = to be good, to do well, to be smart
Introduction
In this lesson, you will learn a 보조동사 that allows you to indicate that one pretends to
do something. Let’s get started.
To pretend to: ~은/ㄴ/는 척하다
Some verbs can only be used when combined with some other grammatical principle to
support another verb. Examples of these from previous lessons are:
있다 in ~고 있다 (Lesson 18). 있다 must come after ~고 For example:

지금 학교에서 시험 때문에 긴장감이 퍼지고 있어요
= The tension is spreading in the school now because of the exam
보다 in ~아/어 보다 (Lesson 32). 보다 must come after ~아/어. For example:

우리는 피해자들을 구하려고 노력해 볼 거예요
= We will try to save the victims
주다 in ~아/어 주다 (Lesson 42). 주다 must come after ~아/어. For example:

제가 지금 급한 일이 생겨서 저 대신 학생들을 맡아 주세요
= Something urgent came up, so take the students for me
These are all examples of 보조동사 in Korean. Essentially, verbs that assist another verb
by adding meaning to them. In the three examples above, you can see how, depending on
the 보조동사 used, you can indicate that one is doing, trying or asking for something.

Another 보조동사 is 척하다. 척하다 comes after ~는 when used with a verb in the
present tense. For example:
엄마가 오자 저는 설거지하는 척했어요 = As soon as my mom came I pretended to do the dishes
척하다 can come after ~ㄴ/은 when the verb is being used in the past tense. For example:
아이는 엄마 말을 들은 척했어요 = The child pretended he listened to his mother
선생님이 그를 보자 공부하는 척했어요

= He pretended to study when the teacher looked at him
고양이가 야생 개를 보고 누워서 죽은 척했어요

= The cat saw the wild dog and then lay down and pretended to be dead
물이 흐르는 소리를 못 들은 척하고 그냥 잤어요

= I pretended that I couldn’t hear the water flowing and just slept
그 친구가 팔에 덴 자국을 못 본 척하고 얘기했어요

= I pretended that I didn’t see the the burn mark on my friend’s arm and talked with him
그 이벤트가 마음에 들지 않았지만 감동한 척했어요

= I didn’t like that event, but I pretended that it impressed me
우리 아들은 TV 를 보면서 침대를 정돈하는 척했어요

= Our son pretended to clean up his bed while watching TV
그 남자는 쉬운 일을 하면서 힘든 노동을 한 척했어요

= That man pretended to have done some hard work while doing something easy
학생이 그 문단을 읽는 척하고 수업 시간 동안 그냥 앉아 있었어요

= That student pretended to read the paragraph and just sat there during the class
그 단체가 우리 사생활을 보호하는 척하고 개인 정보를 유출했어요

= That organization pretends to protect our privacy, and leaked out our personal
information
그 여자는 사랑하는 남자의 마음을 얻기 위해 불교를 믿는 척했어요

= That girl pretended to believe in Buddhism in order to get the heart of the man she
loves

-------------------
척하다 comes after ~ㄴ/은 when used after an adjective or 이다. For example:
여자는 자기 남자 친구한테 귀여운 척했어요

= The girl pretended to be cute to her boyfriend
원하는 것을 받으려고 남자는 슬픈 척했어요

= The man pretended to be sad to get what she wanted
그 사람이 부자인 척하고 항상 돈의 중요성을 강조했어요

= That person pretended to be rich and always emphasized the importance of money
저는 파티에서 행복한 척했는데 사실 요즘에 진짜 슬퍼요

= I pretended to be happy at the party, but I am actually really sad these days
아이들이 놀이터에서 자기가 경찰관인 척하면서 놀았어요

= The kids pretended that they were police officers at the playground
죄수가 감옥을 지키는 경비원인 척하고 감옥에서 탈출했어요

= The prisoners pretended that they were guards protecting the prison and then escaped
(from the prison)
그 사람이 다른 사람들을 위하는 척하며 자기 의견만 주장해요

= That person pretends to be for other people, but just asserts his own opinion
-------------------
Two common verbs used with 척하다 are 알다 and 모르다, which can be used to
indicates that one pretends to know or not know. For example:
그는 정답을 아는 척했어요
= He pretended that he knew the answer
어제 외식했을 때 식당에서 아는 친구를 봤지만 모르는 척했어요

= Yesterday when I went out to eat, I saw a friend I know at the restaurant, but I
pretended I don’t know him

------------------
The word 잘나다 is commonly used with 척하다 to indicate that one pretends to do
something well. For example:
그녀는 시험을 잘 보고 친구들한테 잘난 척했어요

= She bragged to her friends after doing well on the exam
그 선생님이 서울대를 다니셔서 항상 잘난 척하셔요

= That teacher always brags because he graduated from Seoul National University
-----------------
There are also some words that can be used instead of “척하다.” The most common
alternative is “체하다,” which has a very similar, if not identical, meaning:
식당에서 교수님은 저를 모른 체했어요

= The professor pretended to not know me in the restaurant

Nouns: Verbs:
도둑 = thief 튀다 = to bounce
상품 = products, goods 마치다 = to finish
조건 = conditions/stipulations 바라보다 = to look at
기자 = journalist 기여하다 = to contribute
기준 = standard criteria 악수하다 = to shake hands
술집 = bar
연료 = fuel Adverbs and Other Words:
작가 = writer/author 반드시 = surely/definitely
통일 = unification 제대로 = properly
공공 = public
질서 = public order
전기 = electricity
입학 = admission to a school
국내 = inside the country
공간 = space, room
일부 = part/portion
영화표 = movie ticket
졸업생 = graduate from a school
Introduction
In this lesson, you will learn how to use ~더라도 as a connector between two clauses to
mean “even if.” Let’s get started!
Even if: ~더라도

In Lesson 48, you learned how to add ~아/어도 to a sentence to create the meaning of
“regardless of…”. For example:
한국과 북한이 통일을 해도 경제적인 문제가 많을 거예요

= Regardless of if Korea and North Korea reunify, there will be many economical problems
상품이 지금 창고에 도착해도 우리가 놓을 데가 없어요

= Regardless of if the products arrive at the warehouse now, we don't have a place to put them
Attaching ~더라도 instead of ~아/어도 is more stressed. Specifically, it stresses that

absolutely, regardless of what happens in the first clause, the second clause occurs. This
often translates to “even if” in English. For example:
날씨가 춥더라도 꼭 오세요

= Even if it is cold, make sure that you come

시험을 잘 보더라도 입학하지 못할 것 같아요
= Even if I do well on the exam, I won’t be able to get into University
그 여자가 오더라도 그녀랑 얘기를 안 할 거예요

= Even if that girl comes, I’m not going to talk to her
그 소파를 방에서 옮기더라도 공간이 없을 거예요

= Even if you move the sofa from the room, there won’t be any space
이 시험을 잘 보더라도 국내 대학교에 입학하지 못할 거예요

= Even if you do well on this exam, you won’t be admitted to a university in the country
이 술집은 인기가 많아서 일찍 가더라도 입장할 수 없을지도 몰라요

= That bar is really popular, so even if we go early, I don’t know if we will get in
제대로 운동을 하더라도 스트레칭을 하지 않으면 효과가 별로 없어요

= Even if you exercise properly, if you don’t stretch, there isn’t much effect
그 작가를 만날 기회가 있더라도 부끄러워서 눈을 바라보고 악수하지 못할 거예요

= Even if I have the chance to meet that writer, because I’m shy I won’t be able to look at
him in the eyes or shake his hands
조건과 기준을 제대로 맞추더라도 면접을 잘 못 보면 시험에서 떨어질 수도 있어요

= Even if you meet the requirements and standards, if you don’t do well in the interview,
you could do poorly on the exam
이 학교에 많은 기여를 했더라도 이 학교 졸업생이 아니라서 아무도 신경 안 썼을 거예요

= Even if I made a lot of contributions to the school, because I’m not a graduate of the
school, nobody will care
그 도둑을 잡더라도 이미 그 도둑이 훔친 돈을 다 썼기 때문에 돈을 돌려받을 수

없을 거예요
= Even if you catch that thief, he already spent all the money he stole, so you won’t be
able to receive the money
옆에서 공연을 하고 있어서 질서를 지켜 달라고 방송이 나오더라도 아무도 들리지

않을 거예요
= Because of the performance going on next to us, even if there is a broadcast asking to
keep the order, nobody will hear it
그 영화에 일부만 보고 나오더라도 이미 영화관에 들어간거기 때문에 영화표 값이

환불이 되지 않아요
= Even if you just watch a part of the movie and come out, because you already went into
the theater, you will not be refunded the price of the movie ticket

그 기자가 호텔에 전기가 나가더라도 반드시 일을 오늘까지 마칠 수 있도록 보조
배터리를 준비해 왔어요
= That journalist brought/prepared a spare battery to make sure he finishes his work, even
if the electricity goes out in the hotel
~더라도 can be attached to ~았/었 to indicate that even if something had occurred in the
past, it doesn’t mean some event would occur. As was discussed in Lesson 48, sentenced
used this way are often hypothetical and therefore use the ~았/었을 것이다 ending. For
example:
열심히 공부를 했더라도 시험에 떨어졌을 거예요

= Even if I studied really hard for the exam, I would have failed
돈이 있었더라도 그 컴퓨터를 사지 않았을 거예요

= Even if I had money, I wouldn’t have bought that computer

Nouns: Verbs:
터 = lot, ground 반복하다 = to repeat
주사 = injection 늘어나다 = to stretch
연고 = ointment 대출하다 = to loan
큰길 = main road 받아들이다 = to accept, to embrace
품목 = items
특징 = specific physical characteristic Adjectives:
인생 = life 가렵다 = to be itchy
모임 = gathering, get together 커다랗다 = to be huge
식품 = food products 다양하다 = to be various
자식 = one’s child, children
하룻밤 = one night
시절 = a time in the past one remembers
최고 = the best/first
오늘날 = these days
Introduction
Okay, get ready for another lesson filled with grammar explanations. What else would
you expect? With this being our 100th lesson, I wanted to make sure it was a good one.
Before I say anything else, I want to take just a moment to thank anyone who has actually
followed these lessons to this point. It initially took me two years to get to Lesson 100.
I’ve since gone back and edited this lesson many times (just like all the others) to
improve it. I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t enjoy it. One of the best parts about creating
this resource is hearing from people who have used my website to help them with their
studies. Hearing from you really motivates me to keep going.
I am incredibly happy with what I have created. As you have probably seen, there are still
many more lessons after this one. I still have plans for so much more. The only thing
holding me back is time. Keep an eye out for bigger and better things that I hope to install
over the upcoming months and years. I’m just one person, so sometimes it takes a while
to get everything finished – but I promise to continue to work on it.
In this lesson, you will learn about the grammatical principle ~ㄹ/을 텐데(요), and to a
lesser extent ~ㄹ/을 테니까. Let’s get started.
Would: ~ㄹ/을 텐데(요)

텐데 is created by merging the noun 터 with 이다, followed by ~ㄴ/은데. 터 is another
example of a “pseudo-noun” which is a noun that can only be used after a describing verb
or adjective; like 수, 지, 적, etc. For the meaning described in this lesson, 터 is always
described by ~ㄹ/을. For example:
~ㄹ/을 + 터 + 이다 + ㄴ데 = ~ㄹ/을 텐데

You can find the noun 터 in the vocabulary list of this lesson. This is not the same word
as is being used in the grammatical principle we are describing here. The words are
spelled the same, but they do not have the same meaning and are considered different
words.
The meaning of 터 used in the grammatical principle is hard to define, but it is used to
provide the connotation of some expectation or guess. For example:
터 = lot, ground
터 = pseudo-noun used to provide connotation of an expectation or guess
This lesson will focus on the use of the pseudo-noun.
~텐데(요) is commonly used to indicate that if some hypothetical situation happened in

the past, something would have happened. These sentences usually have ~았/었더라면
or ~았/었더라도 seperating the two clauses. For example:
날씨가 좋았더라면…
날씨가 좋았더라도…
제가 돈이 있었더라면…
제가 돈이 있었더라도…
In Lesson 43 and Lesson 99, you learned that sentences that start like this usually end
with ~았/었을 것이다. For example:
날씨가 좋았더라면 저는 공원에 갔을 거예요 = If it were nice out, I would have gone
날씨가 좋았더라도 저는 공원에 안 갔을 거예요 = Even if it were nice out, I still
wouldn’t have gone
제가 돈이 있었더라면 그것을 샀을 거예요 = If I had money, I would have bought that

제가 돈이 있었더라도 그것을 안 샀을 거예요 = Even if I had money, I wouldn’t have bought that
In each of these cases, it would be natural to replace 거예요 with 텐데요. For example:
날씨가 좋았더라면 저는 공원에 갔을 텐데요 = If it were nice out, I would have gone
날씨가 좋았더라도 저는 공원에 안 갔을 텐데요 = Even if it were nice out, I still wouldn’t have gone
제가 돈이 있었더라면 그것을 샀을 텐데요 = If I had money, I would have bought that

제가 돈이 있었더라도 그것을 안 샀을 텐데요 = Even if I had money, I wouldn’t have bought that

This can also be done in the present tense situations as well, but only if the second clause
is a supposition that would only happen if the first clause were true. For example:
내가 돈이 있으면 그것을 살 텐데 = I would buy that if I had money

음식이 더 있으면 좋을 텐데 = It would be good if there was more food
So why use 턴데(요) when you could just use 것이다?
When 텐데 is used, there is a certain feeling that is trying to be expressed. It is very hard
to describe a feeling in words, especially one that is elicited from the use of a word in a
foreign language, but I will try my best to explain this feeling to you.
It makes sense to split up this feeling and describe them in different sections. The thing is,
the feeling“텐데” has is actually a combination of all of these descriptions, but I feel that
different situations elicit a slightly different feeling. Therefore, after reading all of my
descriptions below, realize that 텐데 is actually a combination of all of those feelings
————————————————————————
For sentences that have “if…” in the past tense, the reason for using 텐데 (vs. not using it)
is very subtle. For example, in these two sentences:
날씨가 좋았더라면 저는 공원에 갔을 거예요

날씨가 좋았더라면 저는 공원에 갔을 텐데요
= If it was nice out, I would have gone
Their meanings are virtually the same. However, in the sentence with “텐데”, there is a
slight nuance/feeling of regret. It is difficult to translate this into words. A sentence with
a similar structure but no feeling of regret would typically not use 텐데(요). For example:
뛰다가 조심하지 않았다면 넘어졌을 거예요 = If I wasn’t careful when I was running,
I would have fallen
Here, under most situations, it would be strange to write that sentence like this:
뛰다가 조심하지 않았다면 넘어졌을 텐데요

————————————————————————
For sentences that have “even if…” in the past or present tense, the reason for using 텐데
(vs. not using it) is also very subtle. For example, in these two sentences:
날씨가 좋았더라도 저는 공원에 안 갔을 거예요

날씨가 좋았더라도 저는 공원에 안 갔을 텐데요
= Even if it were nice out, I still wouldn’t have gone
slight nuance/feeling of being annoyed. This is technically the same as the feeling of
“regret” in my description above, but it feels closer to an annoying feeling when used
with ~더라도. For example:
날씨가 좋았더라도 저는 공원에 안 갔을 텐데요

= Even if it were nice out, I still wouldn’t have gone
제가 돈이 있었더라도 그것을 안 샀을 텐데요

= Even if I had money, I wouldn’t have bought that
Again, it is very hard to translate this specific feeling of “텐데”, but its addition brings
the translation closer to something like:
Ugh, even if it was nice out, I still wouldn’t have gone, and
Ugh, even if I had money, I wouldn’t have bought that
————————————————————————-
For sentences that have “if” in the present tense, the reason for using 텐데 (vs. not using
it) is also very subtle. For example, in these two sentences:
음식이 더 있으면 좋을 거야
음식이 더 있으면 좋을 텐데
= It would be good if there was more food
slight nuance/feeling of “oh, that’s too bad.” This is technically the same as the feeling
of “regret” and “being annoyed” in my descriptions above, but it feels closer to a “that’s
too bad” feeling when used with “if” in the present tense like this. Again, it is very hard
to translate the specific use of “텐데”, but its addition adds this feeling to the sentence:
음식이 더 있으면 좋을 텐데 = Oh, it’s too bad there isn’t more food, because if there
were, I would eat it

————————————————————————-
Remember what I said at the beginning of these descriptions – the feeling that I’m trying
to describe is actually a combination of all of these… all taken on by one word. I’m
trying to compartmentalize them, but try to realize that they’re actually all the same
feeling. Because of that, any sentence using 텐데 could have any of these feelings, it’s
really up to the mood and context of the sentence. For example, in this sentence:
날씨가 좋더라도 나는 갈 수 없어 = Even if the weather is nice, I can’t go

날씨가 좋더라도 나는 갈 수 없을 텐데 = Even if the weather is nice, I can’t go
The purpose of using “텐데” in the second example is to express this nuance/feeling.
What is the feeling? Well, it’s a combination of regret (maybe less so), and being
annoyed and saying “oh, that’s too bad.”
Here are many examples that try to show this nuance:
지금 안 가면 그 품목이 없을 텐데
= If we don’t go now there won’t be any items/products
연고를 지금 바르더라도 팔이 가려울 텐데

= Even if I apply the ointment, my arm will be itchy
주사를 안 맞았더라면 팔이 가렵지 않았을 텐데

= If I didn’t get a needle/vaccination, my arm wouldn’t be itchy
바지를 그렇게 안 입었더러면 안 늘어났을 텐데

= If you didn’t put the pants on like that, they wouldn’t have gotten stretched
큰길로 갔더라면 모임에 늦게 도착하지 않았을 텐데

= If we went via the main road, we wouldn’t have arrived late to the meeting/party
그런 행동을 요즘에 했으면 사람들이 받아들이지 않았을 텐데

= If he did that type of thing/action these days people wouldn’t have accepted it
그 사람의 인생이 조금 더 잘 풀렸다면 그런 결정을 하지 않았을 텐데

= If that person had looked after his life a little bit better, he wouldn’t have made that
kind of decision
You’ll see this same feeling talked about in the next section, but in that section I talk
about it being used as a “worry” feeling.

It is probable that, I suppose that…: ~ㄹ/을 텐데(요)
By placing ~ㄹ/을 텐데 at the end of a sentence, one can indicate that he supposes or
expects something to be the case. This is typically done when the speaker is not the
acting agent (the subject/topic) in the sentence. For example:
비가 올 텐데 = It will probably rain (I suppose that it will rain)

날씨가 추울 텐데 = The weather will probably be cold
그가 집에 없을 텐데 = He probably won’t be home
When I first learned about this usage, my first question was “what is the difference
between those sentences, and the following sentences?:”
비가 올 것 같아 = It will probably rain

추울 것 같아 = The weather will probably be cold
그가 집에 없을 것 같아 = He probably won’t be home
There are actually two slight nuances that ~ㄹ/을 텐데 can add to the meaning of a
sentence compared to ~ㄹ/을 것 같다.
When you use ~ㄹ/을 텐데, you are slightly more sure of something happening (sort of
like the difference between (“I might go,” and “I will probably go.”)
When you use ~ㄹ/을 텐데, you are indicating a very slight feeling of being worried,
annoyed, thinking “too bad” (where appropriate depending on the context).
For example, in the sentence:
추울 텐데 = The weather will probably be cold…
You are indicating that the weather will probably be cold – and, as a result of that – you
are a little bit worried or irritated (depending on the context). It is hard to translate this
nuance into words, and this is sort of the feeling I was trying to describe earlier in the
lesson. You could almost translate the sentence above to:
추울 텐데 = Oh… it will probably be cold.., or, “I’m a little worried that it might be
cold.” (Oh, it’s too bad that it’s going to be cold, it’s annoying that it is going to be cold,
etc…). Below are more examples:
그 식당이 이미 닫았을 텐데 = The restaurant is probably already closed (Ugh, it’s too
bad because the restaurant will probably already be closed/I’m irritated/worried because
the restaurant will probably already be closed)
퇴근시간이라서 길이 막힐 텐데 = The roads will probably be jammed because it is

rush hour (Ugh, it’s too bad because the road will probably be jammed because it’s rush
hour/I’m irritated/worried because the roads will probably be jammed)

이게 최고일 텐데
= This will probably be the most
식품을 안 팔 텐데
= They probably don’t sell food products
대출을 못 받을 텐데
= We probably won’t be able to receive a loan
품목이 다양하지 않을 텐데
= There probably won’t be a wide variety of products
그 남자가 특징이 없을 텐데
= That man probably doesn’t have any special traits/characteristics
계속 반복해서 잔소리하면 싫어할 텐데

= If you repeatedly nag him, he probably won't like it
Using ~ㄹ/을 텐데 (or ~ㄹ/을 테니까) in the middle of a sentence
In all the examples in this lesson so far, you have seen ~ㄹ/을 텐데 being used at the end
of sentences. However, you can use ~ㄹ/을 텐데 to connect two clauses as well. The
meaning it takes when used like this is “it is probable that… so.” For example:
그 식당이 이미 닫았을 텐데 가지 말자
= The restaurant will probably already be closed, so let’s not go
길이 막힐 텐데 지하철로 가자
= The roads will probably be jammed, so let’s take the subway
우유가 없을 텐데 하나만 사세요

= We probably don’t have any milk, so buy one
Just by the nature of the first clause, the second clause is usually some sort of a
suggestion. However, not always:
부장님이 없었을 텐데 그래도 부장님을 만나러 회사에 갔어요?

= The boss probably wasn’t there, regardless, did you go to work to meet him?

Also notice that these constructions are essentially the same as those using ~ㄹ/을 것
같다 (Lesson 34) and ~아/어서 (Lesson 36). For example:
길이 막힐 텐데 지하철로 가자
길이 막힐 것 같아서 지하철로 가자
You can substitute ~(으)니까 (Lesson 81) for ~ㄴ/은/는데 to end up with ㄹ/을 테니까.
This creates a very similar meaning. For example:
그 사람이 집을 자식한테 줄 텐데 그 집을 우리에게 안 팔거야

그 사람이 집을 자식한테 줄 테니까 그 집을 우리에게 안 팔거야
= That person will probably give his house to his kids, so he won’t sell it to us
학생들이 이 내용을 이해하지 못할 텐데 이 내용까지만 하세요

학생들이 이 내용을 이해하지 못할 테니까 이 내용까지만 하세요
= The students probably won’t understand this content, so just teach them only up until this point
지도에 표시된 커다란 나무가 곧 보일 텐데 조금만 더 빨리 걷자

지도에 표시된 커다란 나무가 곧 보일 테니까 조금만 더 빨리 걷자
= We will soon be able to see the big tree that is marked on the map, so let’s walk just a bit faster
These are the examples from the start of this section, but now with ~테니까 in place of 텐데:
길이 막힐 테니까 지하철로 가자
우유가 없을 테니까 하나만 사세요

= We probably don’t have any milk, so buy one
그 식당이 이미 닫았을 테니까 가지 말자

= The restaurant will probably already be closed, so let’s not go
You can also use~ㄹ/을 텐데 and ~ㄹ/을 테니까 to indicate that you are going to (or
intend to) do something – and the second clause reflects that. I emphasize “you” because
typically the action agent in the sentence with either of these constructions is the speaker.
You will often see sources indicating that it is acceptable to use either ~ㄹ/을 텐데 or
~ㄹ/을 테니까 to express this usage of “intention.” It is my personal opinion that it is
more common and more natural to use ~ㄹ/을 테니까 and not ~ㄹ/을 텐데 when
indicating intention.

For example:
지금 갈 테니까 조금 더 기다려 주세요

= I’m going to leave now, so wait just a little bit longer
제가 돈을 많이 벌 테니까 걱정하지 마세요

= I am going to earn a lot of money, so don’t worry
우리가 거기서 하룻밤만 있을 텐데 좀 더 싼 데에서 머물자

= We will spend just one night there, so let’s stay at a place that is a little cheaper
내가 다양한 야채를 살 테니까 야채로 맛있는 것을 만들어 먹자

= I will buy a variety of vegetables, so let’s make something delicious with them
그 나라에서 터를 잡고 살 테니까 이제부터 그 나라 언어를 배워야 돼요

= I intend to settle down in that country, so starting now I need to learn that country’s language
You could also, in theory, end a sentence with this usage. However, you should treat
these as incomplete sentences, and they can only really be used when the second clause
can be assumed from context. This is similar to ending a sentence with “~아/어서.” For
example:
걱정 마. 내가 돈을 많이 벌 거라서… = Don’t worry. Because I’m going to earn a lot of money.

걱정 마. 내가 돈을 많이 벌 테니까… = Don’t worry. Because I’m going to earn a lot of money.
Wow! That’s the first real long lesson in a while. It’s a good thing, too, because this is the
last lesson of Unit 4! Congratulate yourself on making it all the way up to Lesson 100!
… but don’t think that you are done yet. I don’t ever plan to stop writing lessons or
adding to the existing lessons.

1) Choose the most natural response to the following question:
무엇을 하는 중이에요?
a) 그냥 하늘을 쳐다보면서 생각할 뿐이에요

b) 그냥 하늘을 쳐다보면서 생각하게 돼요
c) 그냥 하늘을 쳐다보면서 생각하도록 하겠습니다
d) 그냥 하늘을 쳐다보면서 생각하거든요
2) Choose the most natural response to the following question:
우리가 오늘 먹은 점심이 맛이 없었죠?
a) 네, 맛있거든요!
b) 네, 맛있죠!
c) 네, 맛이 없었어요
d) 네, 맛없을 뿐이에요
3) Finish the sentence with the most natural choice:
대통령이 되려면…
a) … 해외대학교를 다닐 뿐이다
b) … 해외대학교를 다녀야죠
c) … 해외대학교를 다닐 텐데
d) … 해외대학교를 다니는 척해요
4) Place each word in the correct blank:
어쩌다 아무리 아무래도 만약
_______ 한국말을 공부해도 실력이 안 늘어요

_______ 한국에 가면 알려주세요!
_______ 비가 올 것 같아요
_______ 제가 선물을 받게 되었어요

5) Choose the incorrect use of ~도록:
a) 밥을 맛있게 요리하도록 하겠습니다

b) 우리가 식사가 나오도록 기다렸어요
c) 다른 사람들이 TV 를 잘 볼 수 있도록 비켜주세요
d) 선생님은 학생들이 알아들을 수 없도록 너무 빨리 말했어요
a) 회원카드를 갖으면 할인을 받을 수 있어요

b) 회원카드를 가지고 있는 사람은 할인을 받을 수 있어요
c) 회원카드를 갖고 있으면 할인을 받을 수 있어요
d) 회원카드를 갖고 있지 않아도 할인을 받을 수 있어요
7) Finish the sentence with the most natural choice:
친구가 오지 않더라도 …
a) 영화를 볼 것이다
b) 영화를 안 볼 것이다
c) 영화를 봤을 것이다
d) 영화를 봤다
a) 친구가 왔더라면 그 사진을 보여주고 싶었을 텐데

b) 친구가 곧 올 텐니 옷을 빨리 갈아입으세요!
c) 제가 최대한 빨리 갈 수 있도록 밥을 안 먹을 텐데
d) 제가 친구를 만나러 곧 나갈 테니까 나중에 해도 돼요?

1) A
2) C
3) B
4) 아무리
만약
아무래도
어쩌다
5) B
6) A
7) A
8) C
That’s it for this Unit! Before moving on to Unit 5, try taking our Unit 4 test, which is
online (there are audio files as well, so I couldn’t include it in this PDF).

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The Difference Between 데 and 때

저녁 때 = During dinner/evening time

저는 돈을 받을 때 행복할 거예요 = When I receive (the) money, I will be happy

때 is a noun – a noun that refers to a “time.”

성인이 없는 데로 가자 = Let’s go to a place where there is no adults

성인이 없는 데로 가자 = Let’s go to a place where there is no adults

I will describe one of these meanings in the remainder of this lesson.

Even though I don’t like meat, I will try some.

제가 고기를 안 좋아하지만 먹어볼 거예요

제가 밥을 먹고 있어요. 사실 밥을 별로 좋아하지 않아요

You could more naturally say:

제가 밥을 먹고 있는데 사실 밥을 별로 좋아하지 않아요

I am eating, and I don’t really like it

저는 질문이 있어요. 이 일을 언제까지 해야 되나요?

질문이 있는데 이 일을 언제까지 해야 되나요?

저는 참석을 못 하는데 저 대신에 저의 부인이 갈 거예요

제가 지금 가야 되는데 혹시 그것을 내일 저한테 줄 수 있어요?

우리는 이 일을 원래 해야 되는데 너무 복잡해서 하기 싫어요

가게에 갔는데 버섯은 없었어요

그림자를 봤는데 누구인지도 몰랐어요

손녀를 보러 가고 있었는데 사고가 나서 못 갔어요

어제 해변에 가서 로션을 많이 발랐는데 피부가 탔어요

우리가 20 분 전에 밥을 시켰는데 아직 도착하지 않았어요

선생님께 물어봤는데 문제를 이렇게 풀어야 된다고 했어요

저는 원래 캐나다에서 왔는데 이제 한국에서 산 지 5 년 됐어요

그 금이 원래 묻혀 있었는데 사람들이 이 지역에서 그 금을 자꾸 찾으려고 해서

This grammatical principle can be applied to adjectives as well. However, instead of

팔꿈치가 아픈데 언제 나을지 몰라요

그 여자가 예쁜데 내 스타일이 아니야

저의 와이프가 예쁜데 장모님과 안 닮았어요

토론토는 되게 큰 도시인데 진짜 할 것이 없어요

여기가 너무 더운데 그늘이 있는 데로 가도 돼요?

나는 그렇게 하고 싶은데 같이 할 수 있는 사람이 없어

연어를 먹고 싶은데 훈제하는 기계가 없어서 못 먹겠어요

문제가 별로 없을 것 같은데 혹시 문제가 생기면 나에게 전화해 줘

지금 날씨가 아주 무더운데 비가 곧 올 거라서 시원해질 것 같아요

그 사진에 있는 사람은 저의 아버지인데 7 년 동안 한 번도 안 만났어요

선생님이 내일부터 실험을 할 건데 재료가 뭐 필요하세요?

선생님이 내일부터 실험을 할 것인데 재료가 뭐 필요하세요?

The Meaning of 그런데

That is not really how 그런데 is used in Korean.

A simple example of this is when ~아/어서 (Lesson 37) is added to 그렇다.

Person 1: 비가 왔어요? = Did it rain?

Person 1: 집을 다 청소했어요 = I cleaned the whole house

Person 1: 지금 엄마를 보러 가려고 집에 가고 있어요 = I am going home to see mom now

Person 1: 좋은 결과가 드디어 나왔어요

Person 1: 우리가 검사를 해서 문제가 있다는 것을 깨달았어요

Person 1: 다음 달부터 모든 학생들이 창의적인 물품을 만들 거예요

Person 1: 지난 주에 제가 경기를 잘해서 코치가 이번 경기에 저를 선발했어요

Person 1: 우리 회사에서 모든 근로자들이 경민이 제일 중요한 사람이라고 인정했어요

Person 1: 우리 과학 수업에 학생들이 이해할 수 있게 항상 아주 간편하고 실용적인

Person 1: 한국에 왜 가고 싶어?

가기 싫은데… = But I don’t want to go…

Person 1: 빨리 가자! = Let’s go!

Person 1: 야채를 다 먹어라 = Eat all your vegetables

Let’s look at many examples:

Person 1: 그 플러그를 여기에 꽂아 봐요 = Try plugging that plug in here

Person 1: 빨리 와요! 우리 지금 바로 해야 돼요! = Come quick! We need to do it right away!

Person 1: 와! 저 무지개를 봐 봐요! = Wow! Look at that rainbow!

Person 1: 이 선을 여기에 감아 줘 = Wrap that line/cord around here, please

Person 1: 이 교무실을 쓸어 주세요 = Sweep this (teacher’s) office for me please

Person 1: 그 선생님이랑 지금 바로 얘기해야 돼요