Thinking about Thinking day 2

Last time we saw how we can think about “something”. But what if you want to make it more complicated? Well, it’s more complicated. There are least two ways to add a verb before “생각 하다/나다” Today we will look at the most straightforward one. Have a look at these examples:

• 1. 니가 어제 여자친구 만났다고 생각 했어요.ni-ga eo-jae yeoja-ching-gu mann-at-da-go seng-gak hesseo-yo / I thought you met your girlfriend yesterday
• 2. 많은 사람이 한국 음식은 맵다고 생각 해어요.man-eun sa-ram-i han-guk eum-shik-eun mep-da-go he-yo / Many people think that Korean food is spicy
• 3. 영국 여자보다 한국 여자는 많이 먹은다고 생각해요.yeong-guk yeo-ja-poda han-guk yeo-ja man-i meog-eun-da-go seng-gak heyo / I think Korean girls eat more than English girls
• 4. 이사람은 내 친구라고 생각했어요!i-saram-eun ne ching-gu-ra-go seng-gak hess-eo-yo / I thought that person was my friend

All these phrases follow the same pattern in that the verb is followed by –고, and then after that 생각 하다. But depending on the kind of verb you put a different particle before it:

If it’s a normal verb you drop the -다, add an –ㄴ- to, if there’s already a consonant (바침) add –는-, then -다- and then the -고.
하다 -> 하 -> 하+ㄴ->한+다 -> 한다+고 = 한다고
찾다 ->찾+는 ->찾는+다 ->찾는다+고 = 찾는다고(see example for 3 먹다)

If it’s a descriptive verb you just add 고 to the basic form.
예쁘다 + 고 = 예쁘다고 (see example 2 for 맵다)

And if it’s a noun then add –이라- before the -고. If there is a consonant (바침) at the end of the word, simply add –라- then add the –고.
차+라고 = 차라고 꿈+라고 = 꿈이라고 (see example 4)

And if it’s any verb in the past, then just follow the rules for descriptive verbs .
나다->났다 났다+고 = 났다고 (see example 1)

So what does this all mean? Well basically translated, the sentences just mean “I think that…” This form is used to give only your opinion on something. It is not to be confused with “I know that” in English which is created using a totally different construction in Korean.

As a final point this form is used in exactly the same way for reported speech.

Thinking about Thinking day 1

The word 생각seng-gak / thought, idea can be used with a plethora of verbs make it verbal. I should add now, we use the word “think” more than Koreans do. Basically 생각 하다seng-gak hada means I think (about) and 냉각 나다seng-gak nada means I thought of something. These are the two most common verbs it comes with.

• 1. “어머니 생각 해요”eo-meo-ni seng-gak hae-yo / I'm thinking about my mother
• 2. “어머니 생각 났어요” eo-meo-ni sengak na-yo / I just thought of my mother

If we look more closely, a more literal meaning of number one is actually “I have a mother thought” and in sentence 2 more literally it means “A mother thought came up”. When you are reminded of something, or think of something randomly, then 나다 is more appropriate. If it’s in your mind now, then 하다 is more appropriate. Put any noun in front of it, and it means you are thinking about/of it. Simple isn’t it?

Consideration and Kindness

One of the best things about Korea is the kindness and helpfulness of the people here. People go out of their way to help a confused or lost foreigner. Being "considerate" is one of the most valued character traits in Korea. At dinner the reason everyone is so keen to pour you another glass or stock you up on whatever's been finished is because they want to show they are thinking about you.

But, they're not really thinking about you. They're thinking about a foreigner, or rather what they think a foreigner is, wants, likes and doesn't like. They even try to guess what you know and don't know. If you've been in Korea a while, you might have noticed that although they are extremely congenial and polite, sometimes they just don't answer a question. Especially if it's about something which they think you don't know or do.

In fact, Koreans spend so much time worrying about what you're thinking that they don't actually hear the words you're saying. A prime example of this was in one of my English classes with one of my best students (he improved amazingly in just 2 months). I told him "At the weekend we rented a car and drove to Namhaedo". Bear in mind this is a high level class... He pulled an extremely confused face, didn't say anything for a while and then "But taking a taxi there is very expensive". Before you all go and say "he didn't understand you..." Let me just point this out: "rent a car" in Korean is 렌트 카ren-tuh caa Furthermore I never mentioned a taxi which is also the same word in Korean. He simply could not believe that a foreigner could drive in Korea, let alone rent a car. He was being "considerate" and showed concern at what he assumed was something very irrational (but logical because Im a foreigner).

Another experience happened on a train, fair enough, my Korean is terrible and in all likelihood wrongly phrased. Also my question was in a way answered. I asked the conductor on a train "기차는 대구 역에 가요?"gi-cha-neun daegu-yeok-e ga-yo? / does the train go to daegu station? He proceded with a long list of all the stops between where we were and Seoul including what time the train got there. So fair enough, he did actually tell me that it was stopping at the station, but he didn't answer the question. So my response was "how weird!" What was a Korean friend's take on all of this? "how considerate!". He was covering all the angles and thinking about me, not actually listening to what I was saying, but rather trying to help what he saw as a lost foreigner.

I have had countless experiences like this, and it's only now that I've realised when Koreans take a long time to answer something, or give a strange answer, it's not about understanding. They are trying to fit an answer to you, not to your question. Korean culture (and in my experience, most culture except for the Anglo-Saxon/Northern European culture) is more about performing social function than giving information. Which explains why we Brits are sometimes taken aback by how respectful other cultures are, but it also explains why they talk so bloody-much!

Exclamation particles day 3: –잖아-

The final exclamation particle we will look at is –잖아-jan-a (on all verbs). This one means that it is obvious or known to the speaker and to the person being spoken to. ie, it means “duh”. So remember, just like you wouldn’t say “duh” to your grandmother, never say it to an 아줌마/아저씨ajumma/ajo-sshi - middle aged man/woman etc. in Korea!

• A: 스님이 왜 고기 안 먹어요?seu-nim-i wae gogi an meogeo-yo? / why doesnt the monk eat meat?
  B: 불교 믿잖아요!bul-gyo mi-jjan-a-yo / because he's buddhist, duh! (B is telling A: you already know this, it’s obvious)
• A: 민영이 왜 인기가 많아?Why is Min-Young popular??
  B: 에쁘잖아!yae-ppeu-jan-a! / Because she's beautiful (B is telling A: you know what she looks like, duh!)
• A: 왜 돈 많이 들어요?wae don man-i deu-reo-yo? / Why is it expensive
  B: 영국이잖아요!yeong-guk-i-jan-a! / We're in England of course! (B is basically telling A, “look around dumbass”)

Ok, so it doesn't always mean duh, another softer translation would be "can't you see"? or "don't you know?" You probably wouldn't say that to old people either though!

Also remember, it isn't just for answering questions (the questions just give a bit of context) It is for stating the obvious Which is often followed by a dumb or unthoughtout question.

Koreans use exclamation particles a lot when speaking and if you ever want to come close to sounding like a native speaker, you have to too. Also when you learn the endings, remember them with a surprised or shocked or happy etc. intonation. Their meaning will not be difficult to remember and using them won’t be as hard. Like the smile, the sound of exclamation is pretty universal.