Korean Lessons ᚛ Level 9 - Advanced Korean #2 (Lessons 241 to 270) ᚛ Lesson 250 - The fact that, meant to but in Korean [-(느)ㄴ다는 것이] [-(느)ㄴ다는 게]

The fact that, meant to but in Korean [-(느)ㄴ다는 것이] [-(느)ㄴ다는 게]

In this course: 다는 것이 / 다는 게 / ㄴ다는 것이 / 는다는 것이 / ㄴ다는 게 / 는다는 게 / 라는 게 / 그만

The structure -(느)ㄴ다는 것이, or its spoken form -(느)ㄴ다는 게, combines the indirect speech -(느)ㄴ다고 with the noun 것, "thing", "fact": "the fact that…", "that…". In its basic use, it turns a whole sentence into a subject about which something is said: "living with your parents isn’t always easy", "is it true that…?". It also has a second, quite specific meaning when followed by 그만 and a verb in -고 말다: "I meant to do this, and ended up doing that" (국에 소금을 넣는다는 게 그만 설탕을 넣고 말았어요, "I meant to put salt in the soup, and put sugar instead"). This lesson covers both.

"The fact that, that" with -(느)ㄴ다는 것이 / 게

[Verb]-ㄴ다는 것이 / 게 after a vowel (산다는 것이), [Verb]-는다는 것이 / 게 after a consonant (먹는다는 게), [Adjective]-다는 것이 / 게, [Noun](이)라는 것이 / 게, in the past -았/었다는 것이 / 게

The content of the clause is quoted, as in indirect speech, then taken up by 것 with the subject particle 이 (or its spoken contraction 게). The main clause then passes a judgment on that fact: 쉬운 일이 아니다, "it isn’t easy", 불편하다, "it’s uncomfortable", or asks whether it is real: 사실입니까?, 진짜예요?, "is it true?". With 는 instead of 이, -(느)ㄴ다는 것은 / 건 makes the fact the topic; with 을, -(느)ㄴ다는 것을 / 걸, it becomes the object (깨달았다, "I realized that").

나를 버린 부모를 용서한다는 게 결코 쉬운 일이 아니라는 건 너도 알잖아.
→ You know too that forgiving the parents who abandoned me is anything but easy.

가끔은 부모님과 한집에 산다는 것이 불편할 때도 있지만 사실은 좋은 점이 더 많아요.
→ Living under the same roof as my parents is sometimes uncomfortable, but actually there are more good points than bad.

나이를 먹는다는 것이 꼭 좋은 것만은 아니라는 걸 깨달았습니다.
→ I realized that getting older isn’t all good.

여자로서 임원 자리에 오른다는 것이 결코 쉬운 일이 아니라는 걸 이번 사건을 통해 느꼈습니다.
→ This incident made me feel that rising to an executive position, as a woman, is anything but easy.

다이어트를 한다는 게 쉽진 않겠지만 의사 선생님께서 꼭 필요하다고 하셨으니 같이 노력해 보자.
→ Going on a diet surely won’t be easy, but the doctor said it was absolutely necessary, so let’s make the effort together.

"What it means", "is it true that"

"I meant to…, and ended up" with -(느)ㄴ다는 게 그만 … -고 말다

Exercises

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