Posts under "Grammar"

Before…to begin….to start

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Aug 16 2010

The construction ~기 전에 can be used to mean “before I do something I ___”

운동하기 전에 옷을 갈아입었어요 = Before I exercised I changed my clothes

(운동하기 = [I] exercise. 전에 = before. 옷 = clothes. 을 = particle. 갈아입었어요 = changed)

This construction can also be used in the future tense :

밥을 먹기 전에 손을 씻을 거예요 = Before I eat I will wash my hands

(밥 = rice. 을 = particle. 먹기 = eat. 전에 = before. 손 = hand. 을 = particle. 씻을 거예요 = will wash)

This construction can also be used to express “before I do something, I won’t…”

눈이 오기 전에 코트를 입지 않을 거예요 = Before it snows (literally, before the snow comes), I won’t wear a coat

(눈 = snow. 이 = particle. 오기 = comes. 전에 = before. 코트 = coat. 를 = particle. 입지 않을 거예요 = won’t wear)

The construction ~기 시작하다 can be used to mean “begin to” or “started to”

앤디는 한국어를 배우기 시작했어요 = Andy started to learn Korean

(앤디 = Andy. 는 = particle. 한국어 = Korean. 를 = particle. 배우기 시작했어요 = started to learn)

~기 시작하다 can be used in the future tense as well :

은수가 초등학교를 다니기 시작할 거예요 = Eunsu will begin to attend school

(은수 = Eunsu. 가 = particle. 초등학교 = elementary school. 를 = particle. 다니기 시작할 거예요 = will begin to attend)

To Be Easy or Hard

Posted by Ginny 2 Comments
Jul 29 2010

To express that something is easy to do, use ~기 쉽다

이 숙제는 풀기 쉬워요 = this homework is easy to solve

(이 = this. 숙제 = homework. 는 = topic marker. 풀기 쉬워요 = easy to solve)

To express that something is hard to do, use ~기 어렵다

영어는 배우기 어려워요 = English is hard to learn

(영어 = English. 는 = topic marker. 배우기 어려워요 = hard to learn)

You can also express that something is hard to do by using ~기 힘들어요

아프리카에서는 쌀을 구하기 힘들어요 = It’s hard to obtain to obtain rice in Africa

(아프리카 = Africa. 에서 = in. 는 = topic marker. 쌀 = rice. 을 = object marker. 구하기 힘들어요 = hard to obtain)

You can also express that something is hard to so by using ~기 쉽지 않아요

한국어를 가르치기 쉽지 않아요 = the Korean language is not easy to teach

(한국 = Korea. 어 = language. 를 = object marker. 가르치기 쉽지 않아요 = not easy to teach)

Have you ever…I have…

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Jul 11 2010

To express that you have done something, use ~본 적(이) 있어요 :

유럽에 가본 적(이) 있어요 = I have been to Europe.

(유럽 = Europe. 에 = to. 가 = go. 본 적(이) 있어요 = have been)

The (이) is optional. In daily speech the 이 can be dropped.

~본 적(이) 있어요 can be used to ask whether you have tried something :

햄버거 먹어 본 적 있어요? = Have you [ever] tried a hamburger?

(햄버거 = hamburger. 먹 = eat. 어 본 적 있어요 = ever tried)

You can also ask whether you’ve tried something~어/아/해 보다 :

이 컴퓨터 게임 해 봤어요? = Have you tried this computer game? (Literally :  have you done this computer game)

(이  = this. 컴퓨터 = computer. 게임 = game.  해 = do. 봤어요 = tried.)

Let’s compare the differences between the two :

떡 먹어 봤어요?= Have you tried the rice cakes?

떡 먹어 본 적 있어요? = Have you [ever] tried rice cakes?

With the second sentence, the person is asking, “In your experience, have you ever, or at least once in your life tried a rice cake.” In other words the second sentence is asking you to recall whether you have ever, in your lifetime tried a rice cake, but the first sentence is simply asking whether you’ve tried the rice cakes.

When you want to express that you haven’t ever done something use ~본 적 없다 :

지갑을 잃어 본 적 없어요 = I have not lost a wallet [in my life]

(지갑 = wallet. 을 = object marker. 잃어 = lose. 본 적 없어요 = have not)

When you use ~본 적 없다, you’re basically stating that you’ve never done something in your entire lifetime up to now.

The Conditional

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Jun 23 2010

To express the conditional, use ~(으)면 :

추우면 에어컨을 끄세요 = If it’s cold, please turn off the air conditioner.

(추우면 = if cold. 에어컨 = air conditioner. 을 = object particle. 끄세요 = please turn off)

The usage for ~(으)면 can be used to express hypothetical events as well as events that are likely to happen. In English, ~(으)면 can also be used to mean “When A happens, do B” or “When A happens, B will happen” :

여름이 오면 에어컨을 틀어야해 = When summer comes, you must turn on the air conditioner.

(여름 = summer. 이 = subject marker. 오면 = if it comes. 에어컨 = air conditioner. 을 = object marker. 틀어야해 = must turn on.)

Unless an environmental disaster occurs, it’s very probable that the summer season will come in the near future , so here, it’s a matter of when, not if.

The conditional can also be expressed in the negative :

싫으면 먹지 마세요 = If you don’t like it, please don’t eat it.

(싫으면 = if you don’t like it. 먹지 마세요 = please don’t eat it)

아니면 can be used to mean “if not” :

나 아니면 누구를 선택할 거예요? = If not me, who will you choose?

(나 = me. 아니면 = if not. 누구 = who. 를 = object marker. 선택할 거예요 = will choose)

And 하지 않으면 can mean “if you don’t do” or “if you do not” :

민수가 수술을 하지 않으면 죽을 거예요 = If Minsu doesn’t have the surgery, he will die.

(민수 = Minsu. 가 = subject marker. 수술 = surgery. 을 = object marker. 하지 않으면 = does not. 죽을 거예요 = will die.)

Expressing Events in the Future

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Jun 11 2010

To express probability, you can use the construction ~(으)ㄹ 거예요 :

다음 주에 시험이 있을 거예요 = Next week, there will probably be a test.

(다음 = next. 주 = week. 에 = particle. 시험 = test. 이 = particle. 있을 거예요 = will probably be)

The construction ~(으)ㄹ 거예요 doesn’t just express probability, it expresses the likelihood of events happening in the future :

거기서 집을 지을 거예요 = A house will probably be built there (in the near or distant future)

(거기서 = there. 집 = house. 을 = particle. 지을 거예요 = will probably build)

Sometimes certain adverbs like 아마 are added to emphasize how probable something will happen in the future :

아마 비가 올 거예요 = It’ll probably rain (literally the rain will come)

(아마 = probably. 비 = rain. 가 = particle. 올 거예요 = probably will come)

The construction ~(으)ㄹ 거예요 is often mistaken with the construction ~(으)ㄹ 게요 :

내일 돈을 보낼 게요 = I’ll send the money tomorrow.

(내일 = tomorrow. 돈 = money. 을 = particle. 보낼 게요 = will send)

With ~(으)ㄹ 게요, the timeline in which the events occur happen in the future, but unlike ~(으)ㄹ 거예요, there is no sense of probability.

Both constructions can be used to state the opposite of something happening in the future :

아마 선물을 안 살 거예요 = I will probably not buy a present

(아마 = probably. 선물 = present. 을 = particle. 안 = not. 살 거예요 = probably will buy)

선물을 안 살 게요 = I will not buy a present

(선물 = present. 을 = particle. 안 = not. 살 게요 = will buy)

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