Korean Lessons ᚛ Level 8 - Advanced Korean #1 (Lessons 211 to 240) ᚛ Lesson 236 - Maybe because in Korean [-아/어서 그런지] [-아/어서인지]
Maybe because in Korean [-아/어서 그런지] [-아/어서인지]
"Maybe because he slept badly, he dozed all day." When you put forward a cause without being sure of it, Korean adds to the cause in -아/어서 the verb 그렇다, "to be so", followed by the ending -(으)ㄴ지, "whether": -아/어서 그런지, literally "I don't know whether it's because…, (but)". This lesson presents this cautious way of guessing a cause, its condensed form -아/어서인지 and the variant after a noun, -(이)라서 그런지.
"Maybe because" with -아/어서 그런지
[Verb / Adjective]-아/어서 그런지 [Observation]
The first clause proposes a plausible cause, the second describes what you observe. The speaker notes the result but only guesses at its origin: hence the translation "maybe because, probably because". As always with -아/어서, tense is not marked on the cause (어제 야식을 먹어서 그런지, not 먹었어서): the context or the final verb places the action in time. The second clause often ends with a verb of observation (-더라고요, -는 것 같았어요) or describes a lasting state.
지금 입은 이 바지는 나한테 작아서 그런지 옷태도 이쁘지 않고 움직일 때 불편해요.
→ Maybe because these pants I'm wearing are too small for me, they don't look good and they're uncomfortable when I move.
민지는 요즘에 회사가 많이 바빠서 그런지 예전처럼 전화도 자주 하지 않고 주말에 만나기도 어려워요.
→ Maybe because she's very busy at work these days, Minji doesn't call as often as before and it's hard to see her on weekends.
어제 저녁 늦은 시간에 야식을 먹어서 그런지 새벽까지 소화가 안 돼서 잠을 잘 수가 없었어요.
→ Probably because I had a late-night snack yesterday evening, I couldn't digest until dawn and couldn't sleep.
민지는 평소에 용돈을 많이 받아서 그런지 우리에게 자주 맛있는 걸 사 줬어요.
→ Maybe because she usually gets a lot of pocket money, Minji often treated us to good food.
재현이는 승진 소식을 들어서 그런지 하루 종일 콧노래를 불렀어.
→ Probably because he heard about his promotion, Jaehyun hummed to himself all day.
대형 사고 때문에 차선을 막아서 그런지 고속도로 곳곳에서 정체가 시작됐습니다.
→ Probably because lanes were closed due to a major accident, traffic jams started forming all over the highway.
롯데월드타워 전망대가 높아서 그런지 고소공포증이 없는데도 아래를 내려다볼 때는 아찔했어요.
→ Maybe because the Lotte World Tower observatory is so high, I felt dizzy looking down even though I'm not afraid of heights.
이번에 입사한 회사 동기는 성격이 밝아서 그런지 스스럼없이 먼저 말을 걸더라고요.
→ Maybe because he has an outgoing personality, the colleague who joined at the same time as me struck up a conversation first, without the slightest awkwardness.
우리 집 고양이가 아파서 그런지 밥도 잘 안 먹고 하루 종일 힘없이 누워 있기만 해요.
→ Maybe because he's sick, our cat isn't eating well and just lies there listlessly all day.
사고 소식을 듣고 놀라서 그런지 하루 종일 마음이 쉽게 진정되지 않았어요.
→ Probably because of the shock of hearing about the accident, I couldn't calm down all day.
The condensed form -아/어서인지
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After a noun: -(이)라서 그런지
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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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