Now that we’ve learned about descriptive verbs in the previous chapter, let’s go over how to use them to directly describe people and things – "This is a cold soda," as opposed to "The soda is cold."
Conversation 1
한승규: 김 선생님이 어떤 사람입니까?
이선주: 아주 좋은 사람입니다.
한승규: 재미있는 사람입니까?
이선주: 네, 재미있고 밝은 사람입니다.
Conjugating Descriptive Verbs
We’ve learned how to conjugate descriptive verbs in the present tense already in the last chapter. Here we’ll learn how to conjugate a descriptive verb so it can be used directly before the noun, just like an adjective in English.
Take a look at the following two sentences:
김 씨가 좋습니다.
"Mr. Kim is good."
This is the type of sentence we learned in the last chapter. But what if you want to say "Mr. Kim is a good person" instead?
김 씨가 좋은 사람입니다.
"Mr. Kim is a good person."
Notice that the adjective "good" (the descriptive verb) comes directly before the noun "person," just like in English; 좋은 is therefore the adjective form (to be used directly before a noun) of the descriptive verb 좋다.
Descriptive verbs can be used at the end of a sentence, such as in the first example, "Mr. Kim is good." Or, descriptive verbs can be used just like an adjective in English – that is, directly before a noun they are describing.
Depending on the verb stem, there can be a few different rules for how to conjugate a descriptive verb to behave like an English adjective.
Descriptive Verb Stem + ㄴ/은
This is how to conjugate most descriptive verbs. Korean has some verbs which are exceptions and do not follow this rule, but I’ll point them out as we go along.
To use a descriptive verb before a noun, take the verb stem and attach ㄴ if it ends in a vowel, or attach 은 if it ends in a consonant. Here are some examples using this general form.
친절하다 → 친절하 + ㄴ
→ 친절한
친절한 사람 "a nice person"
좋다 → 좋 + 은
→ 좋은
좋은 생각 "a good idea"
예쁘다 → 예쁘 + ㄴ
→ 예쁜
예쁜 여자 "a pretty girl"
낮다 → 낮 + 은
→ 낮은
낮은 성적 "a low grade"
Descriptive Verbs Ending in ㅂ
This is only for verb stems which end in a single ㅂ at the bottom. These verbs conjugate differently.
Take the verb stem, remove the ㅂ, add 우, then conjugate as normal by adding ㄴ.
쉽다 → 쉽 – ㅂ → 쉬 + 우 → 쉬우 + ㄴ
→ 쉬운
쉬운 숙제 "easy homework"
어렵다 → 어렵 – ㅂ → 어려 + 우 → 어려우 + ㄴ
→ 어려운
어려운 일 "difficult work"
무겁다 → 무겁 – ㅂ → 무거 + 우 → 무거우 + ㄴ
→ 무거운
무거운 가방 "heavy bag"
새롭다 → 새롭 – ㅂ → 새로 + 우 → 새로우 + ㄴ
→ 새로운
새로운 주방 "new kitchen"
Both 주방 and 부엌 mean "kitchen." Feel free to use either one.
This rule does not include verbs which have anything more than a single ㅂ at the bottom. The descriptive verb 짧다 (pronounced 짤따) has both a ㄹ and a ㅂ on the bottom, so it would simply conjugate as normal.
짧다 → 짧 + 은
→ 짧은 (pronounced 짤븐)
짧은 시간 "a short time"
For verbs ending in ㅂ in the present tense, you will always add 운 after removing the ㅂ. Just keep in mind the actual steps involved, as they will come in handy later on when we learn different verb tenses.
Descriptive Verbs Ending in ㄹ
This is only for verb stems which end in a single ㄹ at the bottom. These verbs also conjugate differently.
Take the verb stem, remove the ㄹ, then conjugate as normal by adding ㄴ.
길다 → 길 – ㄹ → 기 + ㄴ
→ 긴
긴 머리 "long hair"
머리 can mean either "head" or "hair" (on one’s head) depending on the context. An alternative is to use 머리카락, which only means "(head) hair."
멀다 → 멀 – ㄹ → 머 + ㄴ
→ 먼
먼 집 "a far house"
달다 → 달 – ㄹ → 다 + ㄴ
→ 단
단 사과 "a sweet apple"
Advanced Notes:
There are a few verbs that don’t follow these rules, such as 어떻다, 그렇다, and 이렇다. For these verbs, first remove the ㅎ from the verb stem, then conjugate as normal by adding ㄴ.
어떻다 → 어떻 – ㅎ → 어떠 + ㄴ
→ 어떤
어떤 사람 "what kind of person"
그렇다 → 그렇 – ㅎ → 그러 + ㄴ
→ 그런
그런 일 "that kind of work"
이렇다 → 이렇 – ㅎ → 이러 + ㄴ
→ 이런
이런 음식 "this kind of food"
It is not yet necessary to memorize the above verbs어떻다 ("to be how"), 그렇다 ("to be so"), and 이렇다 ("to be this way"). However, it would help to be able to understand how these verbs are the origin of the adjectives 어떤 ("what kind of"), 그런 ("that kind of"), and 이런 ("this kind of").
Conjugating 있다
The exception to the above rules is the verb 있다, which means "to exist." 있다 conjugates in a special way.
Advanced Notes:
Actually, 있다 ("to exist") is not a descriptive verb, but an action verb. However, because 있다 appears in many descriptive verbs, such as 재미(가) 있다 and others, I’ve included it in this chapter.
있다 becomes 있는 when used to describe things as an adjective.
있다 → 있 + 는
→ 있는
재미있다 → 재미있 + 는
→ 재미있는
재미있는 사람 "a fun person"
맛이 있다 → 맛이 있 + 는
→ 맛이 있는
맛이 있는 음식 "delicious food"
Remember that all of these rules only apply when you’re using descriptive verbs directly before nouns. At the end of a sentence, everything goes back to normal.
저는 매운 음식을 좋아합니다.
"I like spicy food."
한국 음식이 아주 맵습니다.
"Korean food is very spicy."
김 씨가 재미있는 사람입니다.
"Mr. Kim is a fun person."
김 씨가 재미있습니다.
"Mr. Kim is fun."
Make sure to review each of these rules and understand them before continuing. Now let’s go over the first conversation for this chapter.
한승규: 김 선생님이 어떤 사람입니까?
"What kind of person is Mr. Kim?"
Since we’re asking specifically about 김 선생님, we used the Subject Marker (here, 이) to mark him as the subject of this sentence.
어떤 is already an adjective, and can be attached to a noun. Above it is attached before 사람.
이선주: 아주 좋은 사람입니다.
"He is a very good person."
Although we’ve covered it before, I’d like to point out again how 입니다 is used to mean "he is" in this sentence. Since it’s already established what the other person is asking ("What kind of person is Mr. Kim?"), there’s no need to restate 김 선생님 in this reply. However, it would not be wrong to reply with the following sentence instead:
김 선생님이 아주 좋은 사람입니다.
"Mr. Kim is a very good person."
Although this would not be incorrect, it would simply be a bit repetitive.
Avoid Repetitive Korean
In Korean, pronouns such as "he," "she," and "it" are simply not necessary as long as it’s already clear who or what you are talking about.
In the same way, it’s unnecessary to repeat any noun if it’s clear what you’re talking about. We’ve already seen this in action in previous chapters, but let’s take a look at some more examples.
Q: 김치를 좋아합니까?
"Do you like kimchi?"
A: 네, 김치를 좋아합니다.
"Yes, I like kimchi."
The previous sentences are an example of a simple exchange between two people. However, it would be perfectly acceptable (and in fact, more natural sounding) to reply in this way instead:
A: 네, 좋아합니다.
"Yes, I like it."
Just as we didn’t need to repeat 김 선생님 in the first conversation, it’s not necessary to repeat 김치 either, assuming it’s clear to the listener what we are talking about. In English, we might replace these words with "it," "he," "she," or "they," but in Korean such words are usually not needed.
Let’s continue going over the conversation.
한승규: 재미있는 사람입니까?
"Is he a fun person?"
Again, here it is also not necessary to repeat "Mr. Kim," as it’s already been established who they’re talking about.
이선주: 네, 재미있고 밝은 사람입니다.
"Yes, he is a fun and bright person."
In Chapter 7 we learned how to connect nouns together in a sentence using 와 and 과. Here is how to connect two (or more) separate sentences together.
As you listen to native Korean speakers talk, you may notice that 사람 ("person") and 것 ("thing") are used quite frequently in Korean after adjectives, as shown in this chapter, when describing people or objects.
Verb Stem + 고
Take the verb stem and add 고. Then, attach a second connecting sentence.
저는 먹고 갑니다.
"I eat and leave."
김 선생님이 재미있고 밝은 사람입니다.
"Mr. Kim is a fun and bright person."
저는 공부하고 시험을 봅니다.
"I study and take a test."
저는 미국 사람이고 한국을 좋아합니다.
"I am an American and I like Korea."
These are each two separate sentences connected by their verbs to become one new sentence.
고 is versatile, and can also be used to connect descriptive verbs together, even outside of a complete sentence. Let’s look at a few more examples.
크고 맛이 있는 케이크
"a big and delicious cake"
저는 크고 맛이 있는 케이크를 먹고 싶습니다.
"I want to eat a big and delicious cake."
빠르고 싼 컴퓨터
"a fast and cheap computer"
저는 빠르고 싼 컴퓨터를 원합니다.
"I want a fast and cheap computer."
쉽고 재미있는 방법
"an easy and fun method"
저는 쉽고 재미있는 방법을 찾습니다.
"I’m looking for an easy and fun method."
찾다 can mean both "to look for" and "to find" depending on the context of the sentence. In the above sentence, it means "to look for," but in the following sentence it means "to find."
저는 쉽고 재미있는 방법을 찾고 싶습니다.
"I want to find an easy and fun method."
Conversation 2
김영희: 저는 잘생긴 남자를 좋아합니다. 철수 씨는요? 어떤 여자를 좋아합니까?
김철수: 저는 예쁜 여자를 좋아합니다.
김영희: 제가 예쁜 여자입니까?
김철수: 글쎄요. 제가 잘생긴 남자입니까?
김영희: 저는 잘생긴 남자를 좋아합니다. 철수 씨는요? 어떤 여자를 좋아합니까?
"I like handsome men. What about you, Chul-soo? What kind of girls do you like?"
For the time being, only use 잘생기다 as an adjective – 잘생긴. Don’t conjugate it at the end of a sentence (잘생깁니다 would be incorrect). We’ll learn more about this verb in Chapter 20.
김철수: 저는 예쁜 여자를 좋아합니다.
"I like pretty girls."
Just like in English, 예쁘다 ("to be pretty") is used exclusively for females, and 잘생기다 ("to be handsome") is used exclusively for males.
김영희: 제가 예쁜 여자입니까?
"Am I a pretty girl?"
Here we have a word that looks new – 제가. However, 제가 is simply 저 ("I"or "me") combined with the Subject Marker (here, 가). Remember from Chapter 8 how 누구 becomes 누가 when combined with the Subject Marker? Here in the same way, 저 becomes 제가 when combined with the Subject Marker.
We use the Subject Marker here because 김영희 is asking about herself specifically, so she is the subject of her own question.
김철수: 글쎄요. 제가 잘생긴 남자입니까?
"Well… am I a handsome man?"
글쎄요 means "Well…" and is used only at the beginning of a sentence to show that you’re considering something.
Practice
Translate to English:
1. 김철수 씨가 어떤 사람입니까?
2. 어떤 영화를 좋아합니까?
3. 저는 재미있는 영화를 좋아합니다.
4. 매운 음식을 먹고 싶습니까?
5. 짧은 영화를 좋아합니까?
6. 저는 그런 영화를 싫어합니다.
7. 오늘 저는 학교에 가고 숙제를 합니다.
Translate to Korean:
8. "What kind of person am I?"
9. "I dislike that kind of food."
10. "I am a good person."
11. "Where is the pretty girl?"
12. "Mrs. Kim Yung-hee is very pretty."
13. "Do you like long movies?"
14. "No. I like short and entertaining movies."
New Phrases
글쎄요. - "Well…"
New Vocabulary
케이크 - "cake"
것 - "a thing"
머리 - "head," "hair"
머리카락 - "hair"
털 - "hair (not on head)," "fur"
뿔 - "horn(s)"
몸 - "body"
눈 - "eye"
입 - "mouth"
입술 - "lips"
심장 - "heart"
어깨 - "shoulder"
배 - "belly"
위 - "stomach"
허리 - "waist"
이(빨) - "tooth," "teeth"
혀 - "tongue"
코 - "nose"
귀 - "ear"
발 - "foot"
발가락 - "toe"
다리 - "leg"
팔 - "arm"
목 - "neck," "throat"
소리 - "sound," "noise"
목소리 - "voice"
가슴 - "chest"
등 - "back (of body)"
손 - "hand"
손가락 - "finger"
건강하다 - "to be healthy"
건강 - "health"
아프다 - "to be in pain," "to be painful," "to be sick"
피곤하다 - "to be tired," "to be exhausted"
졸리다 - "to be sleepy"
쉬다 - "to rest"
바쁘다 - "to be busy"
부엌 - "kitchen"
주방 - "kitchen"
한국 음식 - "Korean food"
한식 - "Korean food" (abbreviation)
일본 음식 - "Japanese food"
일식 - "Japanese food" (abbreviation)
미국 음식 - "American food"
미식 - "American food" (abbreviation)
중국 음식 - "Chinese food"
중식 - "Chinese food" (abbreviation)
낮다 - "to be low"
높다 - "to be high"
성적 - "(school) grade"
쉽다 - "to be easy"
단순하다 - "to be simple"
어렵다 - "to be difficult"
길다 - "to be long"
멀다 - "to be far"
달다 - "to be (sugary) sweet"
달콤하다 - "to be (deliciously) sweet"
쓰다 - "to be bitter"
시다 - "to be sour"
어둡다 - "to be dark"
밝다 - "to be bright"
어떻다 - "to be how"
그렇다 - "to be so"
이렇다 - "to be this way"
어떤 - "what kind of" (adjective)
그런 - "that kind of" (adjective)
이런 - "this kind of" (adjective)
짧다 - "to be short (in length)"
생각 - "an idea," "a thought"
생각(을) 하다 - "to think"
잘생기다 - "to be handsome"
잘생긴 - "handsome" (adjective)
재미(가) 있다 - "to be fun," "to be entertaining"
빠르다 - "to be fast"
느리다 - "to be slow"
싸다 - "to be cheap"
저렴하다 - "to be inexpensive"
무겁다 - "to be heavy"
가볍다 - "to be light"
중요하다 - "to be important"
새롭다 - "to be new"
귀엽다 - "to be cute"
추하다 - "to be ugly"
깨끗하다 - "to be clean"
더럽다 - "to be dirty"
시험(을) 보다 - "to take a test"
방법 - "method," "way"
잡다 - "to grab," "to catch"
찾다 - "to look for," "to find"
컴퓨터 - "computer"