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Questions & Answers about banggeum mun jamgasseo.
Why is there no object marker after 문? Shouldn’t it be 문을 잠갔어?
In casual speech, Koreans very often drop the object particle 을/를 when the meaning is clear. So 문 잠갔어 is perfectly natural. With the particle, 문을 잠갔어 sounds a bit more careful or emphatic on the door as the object. You can also use the topic marker for contrast: 문은 잠갔어 (As for the door, I locked it [but maybe something else I didn’t]).
What’s the subject here? How do I say “I” explicitly?
Korean usually omits obvious subjects. In everyday context, a bare past like 잠갔어 is often understood as “I locked (it).” If you want to be explicit:
- Casual: 나 방금 문(을) 잠갔어.
- Polite: 저 방금 문(을) 잠갔어요. Use 제가/나는/저는 if you want to emphasize or contrast the subject.
What’s the difference between 잠갔어, 잠겼어, and 잠겨 있어?
- 잠갔어: active/transitive “(I/Someone) locked (it).”
- 잠겼어: passive/inchoative “(It) got locked / became locked.” Often needs a subject marker: 문이 잠겼어.
- 잠겨 있어: state description “(It) is locked (right now).” Most natural for an ongoing state: 문이 잠겨 있어.
Is 잠궜어 a mistake? I hear it a lot.
Yes—avoid 잠궜어 in standard Korean. The correct past form is 잠갔어. You may hear 잠궈 (present connective) in speech, but the safe, standard forms are 잠가(요) and 잠갔어(요). In writing and careful speech, stick to 잠가 / 잠갔어.
How is 잠그다 conjugated? Why 잠갔어 and not 잠그었어?
잠그다 is an ㅡ-irregular verb.
- With 아/어, the ㅡ in the stem drops and you choose 아 because the previous vowel is ㅏ: 잠가요 (not 잠거요).
- Past tense: 잠갔어요 (잠가 + 았어요 → 잠갔어요). Key forms:
- Dictionary: 잠그다
- Informal present: 잠가
- Polite present: 잠가요
- Informal past: 잠갔어
- Polite past: 잠갔어요
- Formal: 잠갔습니다 Honorific (subject is respected person): 잠그셨어요.
How do I pronounce 방금 문 잠갔어 naturally?
- Rough romanization: banggeum mun jamgasseo
- Sound tips:
- 방금 ≈ “bang-geum”
- 잠갔어 is pronounced like jam-ga-sseo (갔어 sounds like “ga-sseo,” with ㅆ heard as strong s). Overall flow: [bang-geum mun jam-ga-sseo]
Can I move 방금 around? Is 방금에 okay?
- Natural placements: 방금 문(을) 잠갔어. / 문(을) 방금 잠갔어. / 나 방금 문 잠갔어.
- Do not say 방금에. 방금 already means “just now”; it doesn’t take -에.
What’s the difference between 방금, 금방, 아까, and 막?
- 방금: just now (only past). 방금 했어 = I just did it.
- 금방: can mean “soon” (future) or “just now” (past), depending on context. Ambiguous: 금방 갈게 (I’ll be there soon), 금방 왔어 (I just came).
- 아까: earlier today (not necessarily moments ago). 아까 했어 = I did it earlier.
- 막: “just (a moment ago)” with a stronger sense of immediacy, also “recklessly.” 막 했어 = I literally just did it.
How do I make this a question like “Did you lock the door (just now)?”
- Casual: 문 잠갔어? (add 방금 if you really need: 방금 문 잠갔어?)
- Polite: 문 잠갔어요?
- More formal: 문 잠그셨습니까? (honorific + formal)
How do I say “I haven’t locked it yet” or “I couldn’t lock it”?
- Not yet: 아직 안 잠갔어. (polite: 아직 안 잠갔어요.)
- Couldn’t: 못 잠갔어. (implies inability/obstacle)
- Already: 벌써 잠갔어. (earlier than expected)
What’s the nuance of 잠가 놨어 / 잠가 뒀어?
- -아/어 놓다 and -아/어 두다 add a “set-and-leave/result maintained” nuance.
- 문 잠가 놨어 / 문 잠가 뒀어 ≈ “I locked the door (and it’s left that way/for later).” Good when emphasizing the resulting state for a purpose.
Is there a difference between 닫다 and 잠그다 here?
Yes:
- 닫다: to close. 문 닫았어 = I closed the door.
- 잠그다: to lock (or fasten/button/turn off a valve). 문 잠갔어 = I locked the door. You can both close and lock: 문 닫고 잠갔어.
Can 방금 be used with present or future?
No. 방금 only refers to the immediate past. Don’t say 방금 해요 or 방금 할게요. Use 지금 for present (“now”) and 금방 for “soon” in the future.
What other objects can take 잠그다?
Common ones:
- 문을 잠그다 (lock a door)
- 서랍을 잠그다 (lock a drawer)
- 수도/가스를 잠그다 (turn off a tap/gas)
- 단추를 잠그다 (button up) It can also mean “to immerse/soak” in some contexts (e.g., 손을 물에 잠그다), but that’s a different nuance.
Any stylistic/politeness upgrades of the whole sentence?
- Neutral polite: 방금 문 잠갔어요.
- Formal: 방금 문 잠갔습니다.
- Adding subject politely: 저는 방금 문을 잠갔어요.
- Honorific (3rd person subject): 할아버지께서 방금 문을 잠그셨어요.