게 (1) – Turning Adjectives into Adverbs
1. Grammar Pattern: Adjective + 게
When you attach -게 to a descriptive verb (adjective), it modifies the verb that follows, just like adverbs do in English.
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 따뜻하다 (to be warm) → 따뜻하게 | warmly |
| 짧다 (to be short) → 짧게 | shortly |
| 늦다 (to be late) → 늦게 | late/lately |
| 예쁘다 (to be pretty) → 예쁘게 | prettily/nicely |
Example Sentences:
-
날씨가 추우니까 옷을 따뜻하게 입으세요.
→ The weather is cold, so please dress warmly. -
머리를 좀 짧게 잘라 주세요.
→ Please cut my hair short. -
저는 오늘 아침에 늦게 일어나서 회사에 늦었어요.
→ I woke up late this morning, so I was late to work. -
친구가 화장을 예쁘게 했어요.
→ My friend did her makeup nicely. -
이 치마는 어때요?
→ What do you think of this skirt?
색이 좀 어두운 것 같아요. 좀 더 밝게 입는 게 좋겠어요.
→ I think the color is a bit dark. It would be better to wear something brighter.
그럼 이 하얀색 원피스는 어때요?
→ Then how about this white dress?
좋아요. 그리고 처음 만났을 때 밝게 웃으세요.
→ That’s nice. And when you first meet, smile brightly.
2. Special Forms (Irregulars You Should Memorize):
Some adjectives have irregular adverb forms, not using -게 but a special adverbial form:
| Adjective | Adverb (used instead of -게) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 많다 (to be many) | 많이 | a lot |
| 빠르다 (to be fast) | 빨리 | quickly |
| 멀다 (to be far) | 멀리 | far away |
Examples:
-
오늘 정말 많이 먹었어요.
→ I really ate a lot today. -
늦었으니까 빨리 갑시다.
→ We’re late, so let’s go quickly. -
여기에서 멀리 가지 마세요.
→ Don’t go too far from here.
3. Note:
The particle -게 also appears in other grammar structures like:
-
-게 하다 → to make someone do something / cause someone to…
-
-게 되다 → to end up doing something / to become…
These will be explained in future lessons.
4. Practice Task:
Try converting these adjectives into adverbs using -게 and make your own sentences:
-
깨끗하다 (to be clean)
-
조용하다 (to be quiet)
-
시끄럽다 (to be noisy)
