Breakdown of geotgi jeone mureul masyeoyo.
~을~eul
object particle
물mul
water
마시다masida
to drink
전에jeone
before
걷기geotgi
walking
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Questions & Answers about geotgi jeone mureul masyeoyo.
What is the function of -기 in 걷기 전에?
The suffix -기 is a nominalizer. It turns the verb 걷다 (to walk) into the noun-like form 걷기 (walking). Only a noun or nominalized verb can take the postposition 전에 (“before”).
Why is it 걷기 전에 and not 걷다 전에?
전에 attaches to nouns or nominalized verbs, not to the basic verb form 걷다. You must first add -기 to make 걷기, then attach 전에 to mean “before walking.”
What exactly does 전에 mean here?
전에 is a postposition meaning “before” in terms of time. When you say 걷기 전에, you literally mean “before (one’s) walking.”
Why is it spelled 걷기 with the ㄷ intact, rather than changing to 걸기?
Korean has some ㄷ-irregular verbs (like 걷다) that change ㄷ → ㄹ before a vowel ending (e.g. 걷다 + 어요 = 걸어요). But -기 begins with a consonant ㄱ, so the irregular rule doesn’t apply and the original ㄷ remains, giving 걷기.
How is 마셔요 formed from 마시다 in this sentence?
마시다 (“to drink”) is a regular verb. In the polite informal (해요) style, you drop -다 and add -어요.
마시 + 어요 → 마시어요 → contracted to 마셔요.
Why do we include the particle 을 in 물을 마셔요?
을/를 marks the direct object of a verb. Here 물 (water) is what you drink, so you say 물을 마셔요 to show that water is the object.
Can we change the word order to 물을 마셔요 걷기 전에?
No. In Korean, time adverbials like 걷기 전에 normally come before the main verb phrase. Placing 물을 마셔요 first sounds unnatural.
How would you express “I will drink water before walking” or “I drank water before walking” using this pattern?
– Future tense: 걷기 전에 물을 마실 거예요. (“I will drink water before walking.”)
– Past tense: 걷기 전에 물을 마셨어요. (“I drank water before walking.””)