Korean Lessons ᚛ Level 3 - Korean for Beginners #2 (Lessons 61 to 90) ᚛ Lesson 72 - "Because of", "thanks to" in Korean [때문] [덕분]
"Because of", "thanks to" in Korean [때문] [덕분]
Now that we've seen the cause structures with -아/어서, -(으)니까 and -(으)니, let's look at two words that allow one to express a cause with nouns or verbs: 때문 and 덕분.
Neutral cause with 때문
It is possible to use 때문 to express the cause. It can be used for a positive or negative cause. It is generic and is often translated as " because of".
때문 can be combined with the particle 에 to express the cause in the following way:
- After a nominal group: [Cause: Noun] 때문에 [Effect]
- After a verb: [Cause: … Stem]기 때문에 [Effect]
컴퓨터 에러 때문에 파일이 삭제됐어.
→ Because of a technological error, the files have been deleted.
홍수 때문에 많은 사람들이 집을 잃었습니다.
→ Because of the floods, a lot of people have lost their homes.
배고프기 때문에 야식을 먹을 거야.
→ Because I'm hungry I will eat a midnight snack.
사실이 아니었기 때문에 거짓말할 수 없었어.
→ Because this was not true, I couldn’t lie.
When we connect 때문 with 이다, it becomes possible to construct phrases like "It's because of … that …" or "It's …'s fault if" in the following way:
- After a nominal group: [Cause : Noun] 때문이다
- After a verb: [Cause : … Stem]기 때문이다
민지가 배탈이 난 이유는 어제 먹은 상한 음식 때문이에요.
→ The reason why Minji had a stomach ache is that she ate spoiled food yesterday.
보라가 승진을 빨리 한 이유는 그녀가 능력이 있기 때문이에요.
→ The reason that Bora has been quickly promoted is that she is capable.
Note that 때문 generally has a negative connotation when it is associated with someone.
Positive cause with 덕분
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Summary table of structure
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Exercises
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Traveling to South Korea can be an unforgettable experience. But when you don’t speak Korean, everything gets more complicated: ordering in a restaurant or café becomes stressful, you can’t understand signs or directions, asking for help in case of trouble is nearly impossible, and most importantly, you miss out on the very essence of a successful trip to Korea: connecting with the locals.
Since English - Korean machine translators can’t always be trusted (the two languages work in completely different ways), it’s essential to prepare yourself in advance to fully enjoy your trip to South Korea!
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