Breakdown of nuni apaseo jamkkan swieosseoyo.
~이~i
subject particle
쉬다swida
to rest
눈nun
eye
아프다apeuda
painful
잠깐jamkkan
briefly
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Korean grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about nuni apaseo jamkkan swieosseoyo.
What is the function of -서 in 아파서?
The -서 ending is a connective (also called the reason or cause marker) that links two clauses. In 아파서, it means “because (it) hurts,” allowing you to follow up with the result or action you took.
In 눈이 아파서, why is there an 이 after 눈?
The -이 is the subject particle. It marks 눈 (“eye/eyes”) as the subject of the verb 아프다 (“to hurt”). So 눈이 아파서 literally means “(my) eyes hurt, so …”
What does 잠깐 mean, and what part of speech is it?
잠깐 means “for a moment” or “briefly.” It’s an adverb here, modifying the verb 쉬었어요 to tell us the duration of the rest.
How is 쉬었어요 formed from the dictionary form 쉬다?
- Start with the verb stem 쉬- (from 쉬다, “to rest”).
- Add the past marker -었- → 쉬었-.
- Add the polite ending -어요 → 쉬었어요 (“rested” / “took a break”).
Note: There’s no irregular change; the sequence 쉬 + 었 contracts naturally to 쉬었.
Why isn’t there an explicit “I” (저 또는 나) in the sentence?
Korean often omits subjects when they’re clear from context. Here, “I” is understood because you’re talking about what you did—so you don’t need to say 저 or 나.
Could you use a different connective, like -으니까, instead of -아서?
Yes. 눈이 아프니까 잠깐 쉬었어요 also means “Since/because my eyes hurt, I took a short break.”
Difference in nuance:
- -아서/어서 focuses on straightforward cause→result.
- -으니까/니까 can feel slightly more explanatory or justificatory (often used when giving reasons or advice). Both are grammatically correct here.