Hello, language adventurers! Welcome back to another exciting episode of “Journeying through Korean”. Strap in, because today, we’re diving into a very dramatic grammatical concept. Drum roll, please… We are going to tackle “-(으/느)ㄴ 척하다”!
Now, you might be thinking, “What is that and why does it sound like something a magician would say?” Well, not quite magic, but certainly just as intriguing! This grammatical pattern is all about pretending or acting as if something is the case. So you see, it’s a bit like being a secret agent in a Korean drama!
Ever found yourself wanting to express “I pretended not to see her” or “He acted as if he didn’t know”? That’s where “-(으/느)ㄴ 척하다” comes in handy. It’s the Korean version of “fake it till you make it,” or in some cases, “fake it so you don’t have to make it!”
So, in this lesson, we’ll master the art of faking… linguistically speaking! We’ll learn when and how to use “-(으/느)ㄴ 척하다”, and by the end, you’ll be able to pretend your way through a variety of situations – in Korean, of course!
I hope you’re as excited as I am, because this is going to be a fun, laughter-filled session. Are you ready to get dramatic? Alright then, let’s get this pretend party started!
Conjugation
ACTION VERB STEM + 는 척하다
- Take a verb i.e. 가다
- Drop “다” i.e. 가
- Add -는 척하다 i.e. 가는 척하다
- 먹다 –> 먹 + 는 척하다 –> 먹는 척하다
- 사다 –> 사 + 는 척하다 –> 사는 척하다
- 주다 –> 주 + 는 척하다 –> 주는 척하다
- 보다 –> 보 + 는 척하다 –> 보는 척하다
DESCRIPTIVE VERB STEM +ㄴ 척하다
- Take a verb i.e. 예쁘다
- Drop “다” i.e. 에쁘
- Add ㄴ 척하다 i.e. 예쁜 척하다
- 싸다 –> 싸 + ㄴ 척하다 –> 싼 척하다
- 빠르다 –> 빠르 + ㄴ 척하다 –> 빠른 척하다
- 바쁘다 –> 바쁘 + ㄴ 척하다 –> 바쁜 척하다
- 무섭다 –> 무섭 + ㄴ 척하다 –> 무서운 척하다
Understanding ㄴ/는 척하다
The Korean grammatical pattern “-는 척하다” is a highly useful and versatile construct that denotes pretending or acting as if something is the case. This pattern can be used in a wide range of contexts and conversations to express various shades of pretense, acting, or pretending not to know or do something.
Breaking it down:
Pretending
When “-는 척하다” is used, it signifies the act of pretending. If you pretend to sleep, in Korean you say “자는 척하다”. If you break it down, “자다” means “to sleep”, “-는 척하다” is the construct meaning “pretend to”, so together, they mean “pretend to sleep”.
Acting as if
This phrase can also be used when someone is behaving in a way that implies a certain situation or feeling. For example, if someone acts as if they didn’t see something, you could say “못 본 척하다”. Here, “못 보다” means “not see” and “-는 척하다” translates to “act as if”, thus the sentence translates to “act as if not seen”.
Pretending to know or not to know
This phrase can also be used in scenarios where someone pretends not know something or to not know something. For instance, if someone is pretending not to know the answer, you could say “모르는 척하다”. Here, “모르다” translates to “not know”, and “-는 척하다” still signifies “pretend to”, making the sentence mean “pretend not to know”.
- 아는 척하다 – Pretending to know
- 모르는 척하다 – Pretending not to know
A deeper understanding of “-는 척하다” can give you a great tool to express complex feelings, observations, and situations in Korean. By practicing and utilizing this grammatical pattern, you can bring your Korean conversational skills to the next level. So let’s put on our acting hats and practice pretending in Korean!
Past tense
ACTION VERB STEM + ㄴ/은 척 하다
- Take a verb i.e. 가다
- Drop “다” i.e. 가
- Add appropriate ending based on the below rules i.e. 간 척하다
- If the word ends in a vowel, add ㄴ 척하다
- If the word ends in a consonant, add 은 척하다
- 먹다 –> 먹 + 은 척하다 –> 먹은 척하다
- 사다 –> 사 + ㄴ 척하다 –> 산 척하다
- 주다 –> 주 + ㄴ 척하다 –> 준 척하다
- 보다 –> 보 + ㄴ 척하다 –> 본 척하다
Examples
- 그 말 못 들은 척했어요. – I pretended not to hear that.
- 진호는 저를 못 본 척했어요. – Jin-ho pretended not to see me.
- 자는 척하지마요. – Stop pretending you are asleep.
- 공부하는 척했어요. – I pretended to be studying.
- 친구가 저에게 화난 척했어요. – My friend pretended to be mad at me.
Activity 1
Fill in the blanks.
- 수아는 ________________. – Su-a pretended not to know.
- 학교를 가고싶지 않아서 ________________. – I didn’t wanted to go to school so I pretended to be sick.
- 영화가 무서워도 저는 ________________. – Even though the movie was scary I pretended not to be scared.
- 그 친구 만나고 싶지 않아서 ________________. – I didn’t want to mee that friend so I pretended I was busy.
- 다 ________________! – Don’t pretend like you know it all!
Activity 1 Answers
- 수아는 모르는 척했어요. – Su-a pretended not to know.
- 학교를 가고싶지 않아서 아픈 척했어요. – I didn’t wanted to go to school so I pretended to be sick.
- 영화가 무서워도 저는 안 무서운 척했어요. – Even though the movie was scary I pretended not to be scared.
- 그 친구 만나고 싶지 않아서 바쁜 척했어요. – I didn’t want to mee that friend so I pretended I was busy.
- 다 아는 척하지마요! – Don’t pretend like you know it all!
Wrap up
Well, my aspiring Korean linguists, it looks like our journey through the world of “-ㄴ/는 척하다” has come to a close. Just remember, if you find yourself surrounded by native Korean speakers and you’re not quite sure what to say, you can always pretend… at least linguistically!
Let’s give ourselves a well-deserved round of applause. We’ve added yet another tool to our ever-growing Korean toolkit today. With “-ㄴ/는 척하다”, you can now pretend to sleep, pretend to study, or pretend to not know something… Oh, wait. We’ve been doing that last one throughout this entire lesson, haven’t we? Well, at least now we can do it in Korean!
But seriously, the fun doesn’t end here. The real joy comes from putting what you’ve learned into practice. Go out there, or jump online, and start “pretending” in Korean. And remember, there’s no need to pretend to have fun when learning Korean… because it really is fun!
And hey, I’d love to hear how you’re getting along. Did you successfully pretend to understand a Korean drama? Did you fool someone into thinking you didn’t know the latest K-pop gossip? Leave a comment below and let us know about your “-ㄴ/는 척하다” adventures. Sharing is caring… unless we’re talking about spoilers, of course!
Thanks for joining today’s lesson. Keep practicing, keep pretending, and above all, keep laughing! See you next time, superstar students. Keep being awesome!
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