-기 때문에 (-gi ttaemune) means "because," and we use it to show the reason for an action or a state. Originally, 때문에 in Korean means "because of," so by adding -기 at the end of the [verb stem] or the [verb stem + past infix], you literally nominalize the verb and say "because of verb(-ing)."l
There are several ways to express reasons in Korean.
- Verb stem + (past infix if necessary) + -아/어/여 + 서
- Verb stem + (past infix if necessary) + -(으)니까
- Verb stem + (past infix if necessary) + -(으)므로
- Verb stem + (past infix if necessary) + -기 때문에
때 문에 generally expresses a stronger justification of the consequence than -아/어/여서, and is equally as strong as -(으)니까. So if you say -기 때문에 or 때문에, you are (in most cases) indicating that what has happened, is happening, or will happen as a consequence, has all the right reasons to happen.
Formation
Verb stem + (past infix if necessary) + -기 때문에
Noun + 때문에
Example Sentences
- 비싸기 때문에 살 수 없어요.
bissagi ttaemune sal su opseoyo.
"Because it is expensive, I can't buy it." - 너무 멀기 때문에 가기 싫어요.
neomu meolgi ttaemune gagi silheoyo.
"Because it is too far, I don't want to go." - 오늘은 비가 오기 때문에 우산이 잘 팔려요.
oneul-eun bi-ga ogi ttaemune usan-i jal pallyeoyo.
"It's raining today so the umbrellas are selling well." - 야근 때문에 너무 피곤해!
yageun ttaemune neomu pigonhae!
"I'm so tired because of working extra hours!" - 너 때문이야!
neo ttaemuniya.
"It's all because of you!" - 무엇 때문에 그러세요?
mueot ttaemune geureoseyo?
"Why are you doing that?" ("You are doing it because of what?") - 그렇기 때문에 그만두었어요.
geureoki ttaemune geumandueosseoyo.
"That's why I quit."
Notes
The syntax order in Korean is often different from that in English, so we can also translate -기 때문에 as “therefore” or “so,” depending on which part of the entire sentence you translate first.
This is a common way to express the meaning of "it all depends on..." or "the most important thing is...." When you want to emphasize the deciding factors or the most important factor in a matter, you can use the structure -기 나름이다 (-gi nareum-ida) and this structure is often used together with the verb 하다 (hada).
Formation
Verb stem + 기 나름이다
For Example:
- 생각하다 (saenggakhada) - "to think"
- 생각하 + 기 나름이다 = 생각하기 나름이다 (saenggakhagi nareum-ida) - "to depend on the way one thinks"
- 생각하기 나름이에요. "It depends on the way you think about it."
Noun + 나름이다
For Example:
- 사람 (saram) - "person"
- 사람 + 나름이다 = 사람 나름이다 (saram nareum-ida) - "to depend on the person"
그건 사람 나름이에요. "That depends on the person."
Example Sentences
1. 모든 것은 받아들이기 나름이에요.
modeun geos-eun badadeul-igi nareum-ieyo.
Everything depends on how you take it.
2. 그건 생각하기 나름이에요.
geugeon saenggakhagi nareum-ieyo.
It all depends on the way you think about it.
3. 대답하기 나름이에요.
daedaphagi nareumieyo.
It depends on how you answer it.
4. 문제도 문제 나름이죠.
munje-do munje nareum-ijyo.
It depends on what kind of problem it is.
Most Korean action verbs can be nominalized by taking the verb stem and attaching -기 (gi) at the end. This nominalization is very important to remember since it is used with many other grammatical structures. With the new construction, the verb can be used as a noun.
These verbal nouns indicate activity, quality, quantity, extent, or state of being. When nominalized, these nominalized verbs can be translated as "(verb)ing, to (verb), (adjective)ness."
This verb nominalization refers to the actual act of "(verb)ing."
Formation
(action) verb stem + 기
Example:
먹다 (meokda) - to eat (infinitive)
먹 (meok) - verb stem
먹 + 기 = 먹기 (meokgi) - to eat, eating (as a noun)
먹기가 제 취미예요.
Eating is my hobby.
저는 일하기를 싫어요.
I don't like working.
공부 하기를 시작했어요.
Example Sentences
1. 걷다 (to walk - the infinitive) - 걷기 (to walk - when used as a noun)
걷기가 힘들어. (geotgi-ga himdeureo.)
To walk is tiring.
2. 쓰다 (to write - the infinitive) - 쓰기 (to write - when used as a noun)
한자 쓰기가 어려워. (hanja sseugi-ga eoryeowo.)
To write Hanja is difficult.
3. 듣다 (to listen - the infinitive) - 듣기 (to listen - when used as a noun)
듣기 싫어 (deutgi silheo.)
I don't want to listen.
4.쇼핑하기 힘들어요. (syopinghag-i himdeuleoyo.)
It's tiring to shop.
5.걷기는 몸에 좋아요. (geotgi-neun mom-e johayo.)
Walking is good for your body.
6.제 취미는 음악 듣기예요. (je chwimi-neun eumak deutgi-yeyo.)
My hobby is listening to the music.
Notes
In Korean, the infinitive form of verbs cannot be used as nouns. These verbs must be nominalized with a verb nominalizer (such as -기).
When these nominalized verbs are used as subjects, they take the subject marking particle -가 (-ga). When they are used as objects, they use the object marking particle -를 (-reul).
Related Expressions
-는 것
- 고 해서 (-go haeseo) is a grammatical structure that means "I heard that..." or "they said that...," and it comes from -고 말했다 (-go malhaetda), and 그래서 (geuraeseo). -고 말했다 (-dago malhaetda) is the past tense for -고 말하다 (-dago malhada) meaning, "to say that...." The subject for this verb is understood and generally refers to "other people." We can translate it as "they said" or "I heard" in English. The last part, -서 (seo), comes from 그래서 (geuraeseo), which means "therefore" or "so." Therefore, the entire structure takes the meaning of "(they/someone/people) said this, so I'm doing this/I did this."
Formation
Plain Narrative + -고 해서
1. 가다 (gada) "to go" - action verb
가 (ga) - verb stem
가 + ㄴ다 = 간다 (ganda) - plain narrative
간다 + 고 해서 = 간다고 해서 (gandago haeseo) "he said he was going, so..."
2. 좋다 (jota) "to be good" - descriptive verb - plain narrative
좋다 + 고 해서 = 좋다고 해서 (jotago haeseo) "I heard it's good, so..."
Example Sentences
오늘 비가 온다고 해서, 우산을 가져왔어요.
oneul bi-ga ondago haeseo, usan-eul gajyeowasseoyo.
"I heard that it's going to rain today, so I brought my umbrella."
이 영화 재미없다고 해서 안 봤어요.
i yeonghwa jaemieopdago haeseo an bwasseoyo.
"I heard that this movie isn't good so I didn't watch it."
여기가 싸다고 해서 왔어요.
yeogi-ga ssadago haeseo. wasseoyo
"They told me that it's cheap here, so I came."
집값이 오른다고 해서 집을 샀어요.
jipgaps-i oreundago haeseo jib-eul sasseoyo.
"I heard that the house prices are going to go up, so I bought a house."
소개팅 시켜준다고 해서, 예쁘게 입고 왔어요.
sogaeting sikyeojundago haeseo, yeppeuge ipgo wasseoyo.
"I was told I could go on a blind date, so I dressed up."
- 고 있다 is the present progressive and shows a continual action. We use it with action verbs. We express tense and politeness level in the final verb 있다 (itda).
Formation
Action Verb Stem +고 있다 (go itda)
- 먹다 (meokda) - "to eat"
먹 - verb stem
먹고 있다 - "to be eating" - 목욕하다 (mogyokhada) - "to bathe"
목욕하 - verb stem
목욕하 + 고 있다 목욕하고 있다 - "to be bathing"
Example Sentences
- 지금, 뭐 하고 있어요?
jigeum, mwo hago isseoyo?
"What are you doing now?" - 텔레비전 보고 있어요.
tellebijyeon bogo isseoyo.
"I'm watching TV." - 뭐 보고 있어요?
mwo bogo isseoyo?
"What are you watching?" - 슈퍼맨이요. 슈퍼맨이 하늘을 날고 있어요.
syupeomaeniyo. syupeomaen-i haneul-eul nalgo isseoyo.
"Superman. Superman is flying in the sky."
Notes
We use the progressive to describe wearing articles of clothing. We use it to describe the actual action of putting on an article of clothing. We also use it to describe the state of wearing an article of clothing.
For example:
- 입다 (ipda) – “to wear”
잠바를 입고 있어요.
jamba-reul ipgo isseoyo.
“(He) is putting on a jacket.”
OR
“(He) is wearing a jacket.” - 쓰다 (sseuda) – “to wear”
모자를 쓰고 있어요.
moja-reul sseugo isseoyo.
“(She) is putting on a hat.”
OR
“(She) is wearing a hat.”
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