Korean Lessons ᚛ Level 8 - Advanced Korean #1 (Lessons 211 to 240) ᚛ Lesson 235 - It amounts to in Korean [-(으)ㄴ/는 셈이다]
It amounts to in Korean [-(으)ㄴ/는 셈이다]
The noun 셈 means a calculation, a count. After an adjectival form, it is used to take stock of a situation: -(으)ㄴ/는 셈이다, "all things considered, it amounts to…, you could say that…". It isn't exactly the case, but when you add it up, it comes to the same thing. This lesson presents this very common structure, then its two derivatives: -(으)ㄴ/는 셈 치다, "to act as if", and -(으)ㄴ/는 셈이 되다, "to end up amounting to".
"It amounts to, you could say that" with -(으)ㄴ/는 셈이다
[Verb]-는 셈이다 / [Verb in the past]-(으)ㄴ 셈이다 / [Adjective]-(으)ㄴ 셈이다 / [Noun]인 셈이다
→ 셈이에요, 셈이야, 셈입니다, 셈이다 (written)
The sentence first gives the data for the calculation (a price, a frequency, a comparison, often with -(으)니까, -아/어서, -다 보니 or 에 비하면, "compared to"), then the conclusion: "it amounts to saying that". The speaker doesn't claim it is literally true (they didn't study all day, they didn't see every sight), but that, all things counted, it comes to the same. -(으)ㄴ/는 셈이다 thus differs from -(으)ㄴ/는 편이다, "rather, on the … side", which places something in a category without this reasoning.
- 한국어 공부는 얼마나 해요?
- 한국으로 교환학생을 준비하고 있어서 하루에 10시간씩 공부하니까 거의 하루 종일 공부하는 셈이에요.
→ - How much do you study Korean?
- Since I'm preparing for a university exchange in Korea, I study ten hours a day, so it amounts to studying almost all day.
이번에 이사 온 집은 월세에 비하면 방도 많고 거실도 넓은 셈이에요.
→ For the rent, the apartment I've just moved into has plenty of rooms and you could say the living room is big.
이 롱패딩은 백화점에서 50% 세일된 가격으로 정말 저렴하게 산 셈이에요.
→ I got this long padded coat at 50% off at the department store, so you could say I really bought it cheap.
오늘 일을 마치고 팀원들이 저녁에 회식을 하자고 해서 가기 싫어도 갈 수밖에 없는 셈이야.
→ The team suggested a dinner after work tonight, so even if I don't feel like it, it amounts to having no choice.
마크는 지금 한국에서 15년을 살다 보니 한국이 제2의 고향인 셈이라고 말했어요.
→ Mark said that after living in Korea for fifteen years, Korea had in a way become his second home.
이 회사의 물건은 서비스나 품질면에서 워낙 뛰어나기에 잘 구입한 셈입니다.
→ This company's products are so outstanding in both service and quality that you could call it a good buy.
아무것도 결단하지 못하는 그의 우유부단한 행동들이 지금의 모든 문제를 발생하도록 자초한 셈이다.
→ His indecisiveness, his inability to decide anything, amounts to having brought all the current problems upon himself.
- 실례지만 우체국에 가려면 이쪽으로 가는 게 맞나요?
- 이쪽으로 가면 우체국까지 상당히 많이 돌아가는 셈이에요.
→ - Excuse me, is this the right way to the post office?
- Going this way amounts to taking quite a detour to the post office.
- 지금 회사 사람들이 그 이야기를 믿는다는 말이야? 말도 안 되는 소문인데?
- 아마도 그런 셈이야.
→ - Are you saying people at the company believe that story? When it's an absurd rumor?
- You could say that, yes.
- 이제 공연 시간이 다 됐는데 사람들이 많이 안 온 것 같네요.
- 이 정도면 생각보다 많이 모인 셈이에요.
→ - It's almost showtime and it looks like not many people have come.
- At this level, you could say more people turned up than expected.
"To act as if" with -(으)ㄴ/는 셈 치다
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"To end up amounting to" with -(으)ㄴ/는 셈이 되다
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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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