Hello, language adventurers, and welcome back to another thrilling episode of “Korean Grammar Unleashed”. Today, we’re about to unlock a shiny new skill, an enchanting phrase to add to your Korean lexicon. Get ready to be introduced to the fascinating world of “-(으)ㄴ/ㄹ 줄 알다”!
Now, before you run away screaming “That’s more syllables than I bargained for!”, take a deep breath and hear me out. This mighty phrase is actually your new secret weapon for expressing what you thought, knew, or didn’t know about something. In the drama-filled world of Korean language learning, it’s like your personal plot twist in a sentence.
Picture this: You’ve been bragging to your friends about how you knew all along that Ji-hoon was the undercover spy in your favourite K-drama. Instead of just saying “I knew”, add a sprinkle of “-(으)ㄴ/ㄹ 줄 알다” and voila! You’ve got yourself a “I knew Ji-hoon was the spy!”. Doesn’t that just scream “Korean Pro”?
In this lesson, we’ll break down the phrase, figure out when to use it, and practice it until you’re throwing it into casual conversation like a native. We’ll dive into the difference between “-(으)ㄴ 줄 알다” and “-(으)ㄹ 줄 알다”, and when to use each. Sounds daunting? Fret not, we’ve got your back.
Get your thinking caps on, grab a cup of your favourite brew (or two), and get ready to have your mind blown. In no time, you’ll be dishing out sentences with “-(으)ㄴ/ㄹ 줄 알다” like a true Korean drama protagonist. Are you ready for your starring role? Let’s dive in!
Conjugation
VERB STEM + 는 줄 알다/모르다
- Take a verb i.e. 가다
- Drop “다” i.e. 가
- Add 는 줄 알다/모르다 i.e. 가는 줄 알다/모르다
- 먹다 –> 먹 + 는 줄 알다/모르다 –> 먹는 줄 알다/모르다
- 오다 –> 오 + 는 줄 알다/모르다 –> 오는 줄 알다/모르다
- 보다 –> 보 + 는 줄 알다/모르다 –> 보는 줄 알다/모르다
- 하다 –> 하 +는 줄 알다/모르다 –> 하는 줄 알다/모르다
Understanding the meaning of -는 줄 알다/모르다
The pattern “는 줄 알다” is used to express that someone thought or knew something, while “는 줄 모르다” is used to express that someone didn’t know or was unaware of something.
Let’s break it down:
- 는: This is a connective form that is attached to a verb or adjective stem to create a modifier for “줄”. This form is used regardless of whether the verb stem ends in a vowel or a consonant.
- 줄: In this context, “줄” is a noun that refers to a certain fact or circumstance.
- 알다/모르다: “알다” means “to know”, and “모르다” means “not to know” or “to be unaware”.
Together, these components form the patterns “는 줄 알다” and “는 줄 모르다”, which can be translated as “thought or knew that…” and “didn’t know that…” respectively.
For example:
- “I thought you are studying” in Korean could be translated as “공부하는 줄 알았어요”, where 공부하다 is the verb for “to study”.
- “I didn’t know that you are studying” would be “공부하는 줄 몰랐어요”.
You can see that the tense in this sentence is expressed through 알다 or 모르다 BUT the tense for the conjugated verb is present. The action of studying stays in the present tense. Before we look at changing the tense of the conjugated verb, let’s have a look at few more examples.
- 그 파티에 가는 줄 알았어요. – I thought you are going to the party.
- 그 파티에 가는 줄 몰랐어요. – I didn’t think you are going to the party.
- 저녁을 먹는 줄 알았어요. – I thought you are eating dinner.
- 저녁을 먹는 줄 몰랐어요. – I didn’t think you are eating dinner.
Past tense
VERB STEM + ㄴ/은 줄 알다/모르다
- Take a verb i.e. 가다
- Drop “다” i.e. 가
- Add appropriate ending based on the below (in this case it is 간 줄 알다/모르다)
- If the verb ends in a vowel, add ㄴ 줄 알다/모르다
- If the verb ends in a consonant, add 은 줄 알다/모르다
- 먹다 –> 먹 + 은 줄 알다/모르다 –> 먹은 줄 알다/모르다
- 오다 –> 오 + ㄴ 줄 알다/모르다 –> 온 줄 알다/모르다
- 보다 –> 보 + ㄴ 줄 알다/모르다 –> 본 줄 알다/모르다
- 하다 –> 하 +ㄴ 줄 알다/모르다 –> 한 줄 알다/모르다
Examples
- 그 파티에 간 줄 알았어요. – I thought you went to the party.
- 그 파티에 간 줄 몰랐어요. – I didn’t know you went to the party.
- 저녁을 먹은 줄 알았어요. – I thought you ate dinner.
- 저녁을 먹은 줄 몰랐어요. – I didn’t think you ate dinner.
Future tense
VERB STEM + ㄹ/을 줄 알다/모르다
- Take a verb i.e. 가다
- Drop “다” i.e. 가
- Add appropriate ending based on the below (in this case it is 갈 줄 알다/모르다)
- If the verb ends in a vowel, add ㄹ 줄 알다/모르다
- If the verb ends in a consonant, add 을 줄 알다/모르다
- 먹다 –> 먹 +을 줄 알다/모르다 –> 먹을 줄 알다/모르다
- 오다 –> 오 + ㄹ 줄 알다/모르다 –> 올 줄 알다/모르다
- 보다 –> 보 + ㄹ 줄 알다/모르다 –> 볼 줄 알다/모르다
- 하다 –> 하 +ㄹ 줄 알다/모르다 –> 할 줄 알다/모르다
Examples
- 그 파티에 갈 줄 알았어요. – I thought you will go to the party.
- 그 파티에 갈 줄 몰랐어요. – I didn’t know you went to the party.
- 저녁을 먹을 줄 알았어요. – I thought you will eat dinner.
- 저녁을 먹을 줄 몰랐어요. – I didn’t think you will eat dinner.
Sample sentences
- 그럴 줄 알았어요. – I knew that will be the case/I knew that will happen.
- 올 줄 알았어요. – I knew you would come.
- 우리가 이길 줄 알았어요. – I thought we would win.
- 준호는 진지한 줄 몰랐어요. – I didn’t know Jun-ho was serious.
- 요리를 잘하는 줄 알았어요. – I thought you were good at cooking.
Activity 1
Fill in the blanks.
- 그렇게 빨리 ________________. – I didn’t know you would reply that fast.
- 제 말을 ________________________. – I thought he would listen to me.
- 그 친구 내일 _________________. – I thought you will meet that friend tomorrow.
- 이미 _____________________. – I didn’t know they already arrived.
- 다시 _____________________. – I thought you will come again.
Activity 1 Answers
- 그렇게 빨리 대답할 줄 몰랐어요. – I didn’t know you would reply that fast.
- 제 말을 들을 줄 알았어요. – I thought he would listen to me.
- 그 친구 내일 만날 줄 알았어요. – I thought you will meet that friend tomorrow.
- 이미 도착한 줄 몰랐어요. – I didn’t know they already arrived.
- 다시 올 줄 알았어요. – I thought you will come again.
Wrap up
And there we have it, folks! With these phrases in your language toolbox, you can now express your thoughts, knowledge, and assumptions with the prowess of a Korean drama lead character.
So, next time you’re caught off guard, you can confidently say “이럴 줄 몰랐어” (I didn’t know it would be like this) instead of just staring wide-eyed like a meerkat spotting a UFO. Or, when you predicted the plot twist in your favorite K-drama, proudly declare “그럴 줄 알았어!” (I knew it would be like this!)
But remember, great power comes with great responsibility. Don’t go around confusing your friends by pretending to be a fortune teller or an all-knowing entity. We wouldn’t want anyone thinking you’ve suddenly acquired supernatural abilities. Well, unless you have, in which case, feel free to share your secrets in the comments.
In the spirit of learning and fun, we have a challenge for you! Drop us a comment with a sentence using one of the phrases we learned today. Show off your newfound knowledge and make us laugh, think, or gasp in surprise with your sentence. Remember, practice makes perfect, and sometimes, hilarity makes practice even better!
Thanks for tuning in, and remember, the world of Korean grammar is your oyster, one 줄 at a time. Until next time, 화이팅!