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Breakdown of i daneoui tteusi jal ihaedwaeyo.
~이~i
subject particle
이i
this
단어daneo
word
뜻tteus
meaning
잘jal
well
~의~ui
genitive particle
이해되다ihaedoeda
to be understood
Questions & Answers about i daneoui tteusi jal ihaedwaeyo.
What does the particle 의 do in 이 단어의 뜻?
의 is the possessive particle (like ’s in English). It links 이 단어 (this word) to 뜻 (meaning) to form “the meaning of this word.”
Why are there two 이 in 이 단어의 뜻이?
- The first 이 is the demonstrative adjective meaning this, modifying 단어.
- The second 이 is the subject marker attached to 뜻, marking it as the grammatical subject of 이해돼요.
Why is there no object marker (을/를) after 뜻?
Because we’re using the passive/intransitive verb 이해되다 (“to be understood”). In this structure, the thing being understood becomes the subject (with 이/가), not the object (with 을/를).
What does 잘 modify in this sentence?
잘 is an adverb meaning well (or easily). It modifies the verb 이해돼요 to express that the meaning is “well understood.”
Why use 이해돼요 instead of 이해해요?
- 이해돼요 comes from the passive verb 이해되다 (“to be understood”), focusing on the meaning itself.
- 이해해요 is the active verb “to understand.” If you want to say “I understand the meaning,” you’d use 이해해요 with an object marker: 이 단어의 뜻을 잘 이해해요.
How is 이해돼요 formed from 이해되다?
- Start with the dictionary form 이해되다.
- Drop -다 → 이해되.
- Add the polite ending -어요 → 이해되어요.
- Contract 되 + 어요 to 돼요 (irregular conjugation) → 이해돼요.
What level of politeness is the -요 ending?
The -요 ending (해요체) is the standard polite style used in everyday conversation with people you don’t know well or to show basic respect.
How would you say this more formally or casually?
- Formally: 이 단어의 뜻이 잘 이해됩니다. (합니다체)
- Casually: 이 단어 뜻 잘 이해돼. (반말, dropping particles and -요)
Why is there no subject pronoun like 저는 at the start?
Korean often omits pronouns when context is clear. Here, the focus is on 뜻 (“meaning”) being understood rather than on “I,” so 저는 is unnecessary and usually dropped.
More from this lesson
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“How do speech levels work in Korean?”
Korean has multiple speech levels that indicate formality and politeness. The most common are the formal polite (‑습니다/‑ㅂ니다), informal polite (‑아요/‑어요), and casual (‑아/‑어) forms. Which level you use depends on who you're speaking to and the social context.
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