Learn Hardcore Korean: angae kkin golmogeul jinal ttae soriga deullyeo. - You can hear sounds when passing through a foggy alley.

안개 means “fog,” and 낀 is the verb 끼다 (“to be covered with, to form”) in its noun-modifying form (past participle). Together 안개 낀 literally means “fog-covered” but functions like the adjective “foggy.” So 안개 낀 골목 = “a foggy alley.”

Why is 안개가 omitted in 안개 낀 골목?

When you use a verb or adjective to modify a noun in Korean, you often drop the subject particle -가 (or -은/는) in the modifier. The full underlying phrase is 안개가 낀 골목, but in Korean noun modification the particle can be omitted for brevity.

Why do we say 골목을 지날 때 instead of 골목을 지나다 때?

To express “when doing X” in Korean, you attach -을 때 (or -ㄹ 때) to the verb stem, not the dictionary form. The stem of 지나다 is 지나-, so you get 지날 때 (“when (you) pass by/through”).

What role does the object marker -을 play in 골목을 지날 때?

The verb 지나다 can take a direct object to mean “to pass through” or “to go along.” Here 골목을 indicates the alley is what’s being passed through. Without -을, you’d lose that direct-object relationship.

Why is the sentence ending simply 들려 instead of 들려요 or 들립니다?

들려 is the plain informal present-tense form of the passive verb 들리다 (“to be heard”). In casual speech or narrative you drop the polite ending. 들려요 is polite, 들립니다 is formal.

What’s the difference between 소리가 들려 and 소리를 들어?

들리다 is a passive/intransitive verb meaning “to be heard,” so 소리가 들려 = “a sound is heard.” 듣다 is the active verb “to hear” or “to listen to,” so 소리를 들어 would mean “(I) listen to the sound.”

Why is 소리가 the subject here, not the listener?

In Korean passive constructions like -(이/가) 들리다, the thing perceived becomes the grammatical subject. So the sound (소리) takes -가/-이, and the listener is implied or omitted altogether.

Who is doing the hearing in this sentence?

Korean often omits obvious subjects. Here the listener is implied—typically the speaker or the person experiencing the scene. In English you’d supply “I hear,” but in Korean you can simply say 소리가 들려.