Category Grammar

~만하다 (~ma-na-da) – as big/small/tall/short as… You would use this when you want to compare two subjects in terms of size or height. ~만하다 is not to be confused with ~을/ㄹ 만하다 or ~(기)만 하다. They have very different meanings. Examples: 내…

~을/ㄹ 뿐이다 (~eul/ri-eul bbun-i-da) – just/only this (verb) This is quite similar to 만 (for nouns). You can attach ~을/ㄹ 뿐이다 to verbs to emphasise on the action. For past tense, the 았/었/였/했 rule applies. Examples: 지금은 진짜 피곤해서 빨리 집으로…

~는/은/ㄴ 모양이다 (~neun/~eun/~ni-eun mo-yang-i-da) – seems like/looks like This is quite similar with ~(은/ㄴ & 을/ㄹ)것 같다 and ~을 The main difference is you would use ~는/은/ㄴ 모양이다 when you’re making an assumption after observing certain things. You can use this on yourself…

~을/ㄹ걸 (~eul/~ri-eul-geo) – might be/most probably This is essentially the same thing as ~(은/ㄴ & 을/ㄹ)것 같다 and you would attach this particle directly to a verb. The main difference is you can’t use ~을/ㄹ걸요 for nouns – use ~인 것 같다…

~을/ㄹ 만하다 (~eul/ri-eul ma-na-da) – worth doing This phrase has a pretty straightforward meaning and you would only attach this to a verb. Examples: 부대찌개는 약간 간단하지만 진짜 맛있어서 한번 먹을 만해. Army stew is a little simple but it’s…

~을/ㄹ 뿐만 아니라 (~eul/ri-eul bboon-man a-ni-ra) – not only (this) but also (that) You can use this phrase when you want to place emphasis on the two or more characteristics of a certain subject. However, note that the first description,…

~고서 (go-seo) – therefore/thus/so/which is why Quite a simple grammar particle to learn but extremely useful. The difference between ~고서 and just ~어/아/여/해서 is that there is only one meaning to ~고서. ~어/아/여/해서 sometimes can be interpreted as “after doing…

~는다고 해서/ㄴ다고 해서/다고 해서/(이/으)라고 해서/냐고 해서/자고 해서 – he/she/they/someone/some people said (this) so/therefore/thus… This is essentially ~는다고 해/ㄴ다고 해/다고 해/이라고 해 (reported speech) + 어 For more explanation about how reported speech works, refer to the blog post linked above. Moving…

오히려 (o-hi-ryeo) – rather than…/rather than that This phrase is actually quite similar to ~는 대신에 in the sense that there’s some sort of “instead” meaning to it. The main difference is that 오히려 is used to describe a situation where…

~는 대신에 (~neun dae-shi-ne) – instead of (noun) This phrase is quite straight forward but note that the noun is attached in front of ~는 대신에. If you want to attach ~는 대신에 to a verb, you just need to attach it…