Korean Lessons ᚛ Level 7 - Upper-Intermediate Korean #2 (Lessons 181 to 210) ᚛ Lesson 184 - Contrast in the middle of a sentence in Korean [-지]
Contrast in the middle of a sentence in Korean [-지]
You already know the -지 ending at the end of a sentence, in -지(요) / -죠, and in the negation -지 않다. In this chapter, we are going to look at a use of -지 in the middle of a sentence, which contrasts two situations of which only one is true: "it is A, not B", "A, but not B". We affirm the first part and rule out the second, most often with a negation.
Contrast with -지
The structure is used in the following manner:
[What is true: … Stem]지 [What is false: … negation]
The -지 ending attaches directly to the stem, in the present as in the past (-았/었지). It does not link just any two facts: the two parts must be two possibilities between which we decide. This is why the first part very often contains the particle 만, "only", and the second part a negation reinforced by 은/는: -지는 않다, -지는 못하다, 은/는 아니다, 은/는 없다. The English translation uses "it is…, not…", "…, but not…" or "…, and not…".
- 혹시 두 분 자매예요?
→ Are you two sisters, by any chance?
- 아니요. 저희는 친구지 자매가 아니에요.
→ No. We are friends, not sisters.
현아는 아침에 시리얼이나 먹지 밥은 잘 안 먹는 것 같아요.
→ In the morning, Hyuna eats cereal at most, but not a proper meal, it seems.
운동만 가끔 했지 식단 조절은 하나도 안 했는데 어떻게 살이 빠지겠어요.
→ I only exercised now and then, but I did not change my diet at all: how could I possibly lose weight?
민우는 술만 좋아하지 여러 명이 모이는 술자리나 새로운 사람들과의 모임은 싫어했어요.
→ Minwoo liked alcohol, but not group drinking parties or gatherings with new people.
주하는 머리만 좋지 노력은 전혀 하지 않아서 성적이 좋지는 않아요.
→ Juha is smart, that is all, but since he makes no effort, his grades are not good.
매번 싸울 때마다 핑계만 대지 진심 어린 사과는 한 적 없잖아.
→ Every time we fight you make excuses, but you have never sincerely apologized.
Notice the mirror construction in these sentences: 운동만 했지 / 식단 조절은 안 했다, 술만 좋아하지 / 모임은 싫어했다. The first part is limited by 만, the second is negated.
It is only… with -(으)ㄹ 뿐이지
Learn more
Differences with -지만
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Exercises
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Particles are omnipresent in Korean. They indicate the role of words in a sentence, nuance meaning, and make it possible to understand who does what, where, how, and why.
Particles are also often the aspect that causes the most difficulty for Korean learners. In grammar books, they are usually presented in the middle of long sentences, with complex vocabulary, without being clearly highlighted.
With Korean Particles, we made the opposite choice:
taking the time to explain each particle, one by one, using very simple sentences, accessible even to beginners.
