열쇠 하나였다 — -(으)ㄴ / -는 / -(으)ㄹ · 7분
Remember 비가 온 것 같아요 / 오는 것 같아요 / 올 것 같아요 back in Stage 5?
We promised that the secret behind those three different verb shapes would be revealed here in Stage 6. Here is the secret you have been waiting for!
In English, when you want an action to describe a noun, you put words behind it: *“the book [that I bought]”* or *“the music [that I listen to]”*.
In Korean, verbs do something much more direct and elegant: they transform their ending and sit directly in front of the noun, acting like a descriptive modifier!
This form is called the Noun-Modifying Form (in Korean grammar: 관형형 / Gwanhyeong-hyeong).
What about Adjectives (형용사)?
Adjectives already describe an existing state or quality, so their present state naturally takes -(으)ㄴ (exactly as you already know from everyday phrases!):
- 좋다 (good) → 좋은 날씨 (good weather)
- 작다 (small) → 작은 가방 (a small bag)
- 예쁘다 (pretty) → 예쁜 옷 (pretty clothes)
- 바쁘다 (busy) → 바쁜 사람 (a busy person)
- 맵다 (spicy, ㅂ irreg) → 매운 음식 (spicy food)
이 레슨에는 풀어 보는 문제가 8개 있습니다. 앱에서 하나씩 맞히며 넘어갑니다.
8 exercises come with this lesson — open it to work through them.