grammar – Page 7 – Sutdy-Korean

~느니(보다) = Rather than… I would rather… (same as ~ㄹ 바에(야))

(The action in the second clause is also undesirable, but is the best option of the two)

….~느니 죽는 게 낫겠다.
너의 말을 듣느니 차라리 죽는 게 나아. = I’d rather die than listen to you speak.

이렇게 사느니 차라리 죽는 게 낫겠어요. = I’d rather die than live like this.

이런 맛이 없는 음식을 먹는니 차라리 굶겠다. = I’d rather starve than eat this kinda of tasteless food.
이렇게 날마다 야근하느니 직장을 옮기는 게 어때요? = Why don’t you change jobs instead of working night overtime every day like this?
지금 집에 가느니, 여기서 잘게요. = Rather than going home now, I will just sleep here.
나중에 후회하느니, 지금 가 보고 싶어요. = Rather than regretting it later, I want to go see it now.

가까운 곳은 운전하느니 (차라리) 걷는 게 낫다. = I would rather walk than drive if it’s close.

~게(요)? = Riddling or rhetorical question, you wanna ____ or something?, are you intending to?, Guess what (asking about sb’s action or intention)

그 사내아이 이름 뭘로 짓게? = What will you name him?

누구 위해 들었게요 그럼? = Who [else] would I have taken out the insurance for, then?

저녁에 이 마을서 장사지내게? = Are you fixin’ to hold a funeral in the village tonight? (i.e., are you trying to kill us?)

내가 이번 주말에 뭘 했게? = Guess what I did this weekend.

내가 지금 뭐하고 있게? = guess what i am doing now?

그가 집에 도착했을 때 그 사람 부인이 뭐라고 했게요? = What’d his wife say when he got home, do you know? (guess what!)

야, 야, 내가 주말에 뭐했게? 나 남자친구랑 서울타워에서 저녁먹었다! =

Hey, hey, do you know what I did at the weekend? I went to the Seoul Tower and had dinner with my boyfriend!

x x

~는 바람에 = because of, as a result of (negative result of an unexpected cause, idiomatic meaning lit ‘in the wind of…’)

(use only with action verbs (descriptive verbs can be used in action form ~어/아지다),

can only use with past tense (and tense only applied to the second clause)

비가 오는 바람에 옷이 다 젖었다 = It rained and my clothes got soaked

화산이 터지는 바람에 3명이 사망했다.= 3 people were killed on the account of the volcano erupting.
사고가 나는 바람에 늦었다.= I was late because of an accident.
눈이 오는 바람에 길이 미끄러웠다.= It snowed and (as a result) the streets were slippery.
컴퓨터가 고장이 나는 바람에 숙제를 못했어요. = My computer broker so I couldn’t do my homework.
어제 밤에 큰 소리가 나는 바람에 깼다. = I woke up last night because there was a loud noise.

치다 , ~(ㄴ/는)다고 치다 = Consider, suppose, assume

비행기를 탄다고 쳐도 내일까지는 못 간다 = I couldn’t get there by tomorrow even if I were to supposing I went by plane.

중고차치고 이 정도면 괜찮은 편이다 = The car is all right considering that it’s used.
오늘은 겨울 날씨치고는 따뜻한 편이다 = It is quite warm today considering it’s winter.

~(으)로 치면 = judging by the standards of… if compared to… (If you consider it as…)

이게 우리나라 돈으로 치면 얼마죠? = How much would it be in our currency?

아이폰으로 치면 성능이 어느정도인건가요? = How does it perform compared to the iphone?

여기로 치면 중학교 삼학년과 고등학교 일학년 사이겠구나 = In terms of things here, that would make her between the third year of middle school and first year of high school.

셈치다 = Suppose, assume, grant that (셈 = calculation)

그것은 잃어버린 셈치자 = Let’s suppose that we lost it.

틀릴 셈치고 물어 보다 = Hazard a guess, Ask whilst assuming you’re wrong

~(ㄴ/은/는) 셈치다 = Think of it as…, Consider it…, Pretend… (Used to think of something as different from in reality in unfortunate situations)

그냥 액땜한 셈 치세요 = Just consider this as the price you paid to avoid something much worse.
자식 하나 없는 셈 치고 살겠다 = I’m going to live as if I never had that child.
아, 제가 시간이 없으니까 먹은 셈칠게요. = Ah since I don’t have time I’ll just pretend I’ve eaten.

~오/소 = Old, poetic sentence ending, semi-formal/blunt

(~오 after vowel ~소 after consonant. ~우/수 sounds less masculine, “ajumma-esque”)

미안하오 = I’m sorry.

그대 생각이 나오 = I think of you.

그대 생각에 나는 잠 못 드오 = I can’t sleep because of thoughts of you.

잠은 오지를 않소 = I can’t sleep.

잠에 들지 못하오 = I can’t fall asleep.

자장가를 불러주오 = Sing me a lullaby.

비가 내리오 = Rain falls.

내 고향이오 = This is my hometown.

자, 가자우 = Come on, let’s go (가자고 하우)

~(으)면/~아/어서

뭘 해요 = What’s the point of…? So what if…?

말만 하면 뭘 해요? 실천을 해야지요. = What’s the point of talking? You should do something.
남자 친구가 잘 생겼으면 뭘 해요? = So what if my boyfriend is handsome?
돈이 아무리 많으면 뭐 해요? = What’s the use of having a lot of money?
당신은 굉장히 양심적이지만 그러면 뭐해요? = You’re being very scrupulous, but to what end?
그 여자는 정말 예쁘면 뭘 해요? 머리가 텅 비었어요. = So what if that woman is really beautiful? Her head is empty.

말만 해서 뭘 해요? = What’s the use of just talking?

그런 거 알아서 뭐 할려구? = You don’t need to know that,

~ㄴ/은/는가 싶다,

~ 다/나 싶다

= Thought or supposition, feels like/as if maybe, think that, wonder whether, appears/looks/seems to be

상상도 못했던 선물을 받았다. 꿈인가 싶었다 = I got a present I never imagined. I thought it was a dream.
비가 오는가 싶어 빨래를 걷었다 = I retrieved the laundry because I thought it was raining.

여기는 금연 구역이 아닌가 싶은데요 = I think this is a no-smoking area.
요즘 뉴스를 들으면 가끔 세상이 어떻게 되려는가 싶다 = When I listen to the news these days, I sometimes wonder what the world is coming to.

남편이 가 있는 곳을 실토하면 어쩌나 싶어서였다 = It was because she was afraid she would blurt out her husband’s hiding place.
좀 괜찮다 싶은 강산 = a river or mountain that appears to be alright
집에 있겠다 싶어 전화했어. = I thought you might be at home, so I called you.

~(으)ㄹ까 싶다 = Questioning, wonder whether

(~(으)ㄹ까 보다)
혼 날까 싶어 얘기도 못 꺼냈어. = I couldn’t even bring it up lest you got scolded.
더울까 싶어서 안 가고, 하루 종일 집에서 에어컨 틀고 있었어. = I thought it would be hot so I had the air conditioner on at home all day.

(~(으)ㄹ까 하다 with more wondering “whether”)
그냥 바닷가로 여행이나 떠나볼까 싶다. = I’m wondering whether I’ll just go on a trip to the beach for.
소설이나 써 볼까 싶다. = I am wondering whether I’ll write a novel.

~으면 싶다 = Unrealistic wishes, wishing something was different

일이 좀 적었으면 싶다. = I wish I had less work.
일찍 갔으면 싶었다. = I wish I went earlier.
그녀를 좀 보았으면 싶었지만, 떠날 시간이 다가왔다. = I wanted to meet her, but the time for leaving was approaching.

1. ~하는 데에 돈을 쓰다, ~하느라 돈을 쓰다 = To spend money ~ing

2. 전개가 느리다 = The story in a book/film etc. is slow (전개 = development)

3. use ~지만 or ~는데도 instead of ~는데 for ‘although’

4. ~밖에 못 했다 is more precise than ~만 했다

5. 보는 것이 좋았다 = I liked seeing something. 봐서 좋았다 = Seeing something made me happy. 보기 좋다 = something looks good/is pleasant to look at.

6. ~는 것만으로 instead of ~는 뿐으로.

~기는(요) = Used to emphatically disagree with a previous statement

(shows modesty in reaction to a compliment) x

이 책을 다 읽었어요? = Have you finished reading the book?
끝나기는요? 책을 읽는 것을 시작하지 않았어요! = Finished? I haven’t started reading it!

지금 너무 춥죠? = It’s really cold now, right?
춥기는요. 다음 달에 기온이 더 낮아질 거예요. = Cold?! Next month the temperature will get lower.

한국말을 잘하시네요. = You speak Korean really well.
잘하기는요. 아직도 실수를 많이 해요. = Well? I still make lots of mistakes.

옷을 잘 입어요. = You dress very well.
잘 입기는요. = Dress well? Oh not at all… (blushing)

~기는(요) is sometimes simply the ~기 nominalizer followed by topic particle 는 i.e. speaking of… when it comes to… as for...

칠칠맞기는 = Talk about sloppy.
살아 있기는 살아 있을까? = But do you suppose they’re really alive?