Category: Advanced Korean Grammar

가: 부장님은 비위 맞추기가 너무 힘들지 않아요? Isn’t it hard to please the whims of the department chief? 나: 네, 어느 날은 커피에 설탕을 잔뜩 넣으라고 하는가 하면 어느 날은...

가: 우리 엄마는 왜 이렇게 내 걱정을 많이 하시는지 모르겠어요. 내 나이가 서른이 다 되어 가는데 말이에요. I don’t understand why Mom is always worrying about me so much. I...

가: 요즘 경기가 안 좋아서 그런지 손님이 많이 줄었어요. I don’t know if the reason is that the economy is bad, but these days, we don’t have many customers. 나:...

-기 십상이다 is used to indicate that under the current circumstances, it is easy for something to happen or that its occurrence is very probable. Here, the word 십상 has...

-(으)ㄹ 리가 없다 is used when the speaker knows from past experience that the preceding content is clearly not true or that it cannot be believed. It is also used...

(으)ㄹ 법하다 is used when it seems to the speaker that there is a strong possibility or reason that something will occur or will be the case. It is also used...

(으)ㄹ 게 뻔하다 is used when the speaker can predict or clearly surmise the result of some future action or situation based on previews of similar experiences. It is used...

는 듯하다 is used when the speaker is supposing or speculating about some event or situation. It is a more formal expression than -는 것 같다. 가: 신제품 판매는 잘됩니까?...

-(느)ㄴ다는 듯이 is used to indicate that the behavior being described in the following clause is just like that described in the preceding clause even though the subject never actually...

-으려다가/ 려다가 is used to indicate that the subject had intended to do some action but then decided to quit or to do something else instead. It is the shortened...

가: 어제 회의에서는 어떤 결론이 났나요? What kind of conclusion was reached at yesterday’s meeting? 나: 결론은요. 다들 남의 의견은 듣지 않고 자기 이야기만 하려고 드니 결론이 날 리가 있나요....

-느다는 것이/ 다는 것이 is used to indicate that the result stated in the following clause is not the result of the intention stated in the preceding clause. It is...

가: 와, 맛있게 잘 먹었어요. 여긴 음식이 정말 맛있네요. Wow, that was delicious. The food here is really tasty. 나: 많이 남기셨는데 좀 더 드시지 그래요? But you left so...

가: 지난 주말에 설악산에 다녀왔다면서요? 요즘 단풍철이라 경치가 한창 아름다울 때지요? Didn’t you go to Mt. Seolak last weekend? Since it’s the season for fall colors, the scenery must have...

가: 요즘 여양 씨가 이상하지 않아요? 아까도 도서관 앞에서 마주쳤는데 인사를 하는 둥 마는 둥 하고 그냥 가 버리더라고요. Isn’t Yeoyang acting a bit strange recently? I ran into him...

가: 세린느 씨 남편은 아주 꼼꼼하고 침착하신 것 같아요. Celine, your husband seems really meticulous and composed. 나: 말도 마세요. 그렇게 보여도 어찌나 덜렁대는지 자꾸 물건을 어디에 놓고 오기 일쑤예요....

가: 어머, 케빈 씨네 강아지예요? 너무 귀엽네요. 만져 돼요? Oh, my. Is that your dog, Kevin? It’s so cute. Can I pet it? 나: 조심하세요. 물릴지도 몰라요. 요즘 이가 나려는지...

을/를 비롯해서 is used to indicate that the preceding noun is the first of a series that includes the nouns listed in the following clause. In most cases, the nouns...

마저 attaches to nouns to indicate that even that noun is included or that the noun is the last thing remaining out of a group of included things. It is...

되 indicates that the speaker acknowledges or accepts the content in the preceding clause but that there is a condition or additional explanation in the following clause. Often, the following...