Breakdown of dallineun geon jaemiisseo.
재미있다jaemiissda
fun
~은~eun
topic particle
달리다dalrida
to run
것geos
thing
Questions & Answers about dallineun geon jaemiisseo.
What does 달리는 건 literally mean and how is it formed?
달리는 건 comes from the verb 달리다 (“to run”). Here’s the breakdown:
- 달리- is the stem of 달리다.
- -는 turns the verb into its present–attributive (relative) form, like “running.”
- 것 means “thing” or “act,” so 달리는 것 is “the act of running.”
- -은 is the topic marker, making 달리는 것은 (“as for running”).
In casual speech, 것은 often contracts to 건, giving 달리는 건.
Why is 것은 contracted to 건 here?
In spoken Korean, 것은 frequently becomes 건 to sound more natural and concise. The contraction happens because:
- 것 + 은 → 것은
- Rapid pronunciation slurs 것은 into 건
This is common in informal contexts (반말).
Why do we use -는 before 것? What role does -는 play?
The ending -는 is the present–attributive form (현재형 관형사형) of a verb. It allows the verb to modify a noun:
- 달리다 (to run) → 달리는 (running)
By saying 달리는 것, you treat “running” as a noun phrase (“the act of running”). Without , you couldn’t link directly to .