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Questions & Answers about geunyeodo baegopassneunde, eumsigi maseobseoseo gyeolguk jogeumman meogeosseo.
What does the particle 도 in 그녀도 do here?
- 도 means “also/too,” adding the idea that she is included with someone else who was hungry.
- It can replace case/topic particles: 그녀도 (she too) instead of 그녀가/그녀는. It can also stack after other particles: 그녀에게도 (to her, too), 그녀랑도 (with her, too).
- Without context for comparison, 도 can sound like you’re hinting that another person (maybe “I” or “others”) was also hungry.
Is using 그녀 natural in everyday Korean?
- 그녀 is grammatically fine but sounds bookish/formal. In daily speech, Koreans prefer:
- Omission if clear: 배고팠는데…
- A name or role: 민지도 배고팠는데…, 언니도 배고팠는데…
- Casual pronoun: 걔도 배고팠는데… (she/he, casual)
- Use 그녀 in writing, formal contexts, or when you need a gendered third person and can’t omit it.
Why use 배고팠는데 instead of 배고팠지만?
- -는데 gives background and sets up a contrast/result softly: “She was hungry, (but/and yet) …”
- -지만 is a clearer, more explicit “although/but.”
- Both work, but -는데 often feels more natural and conversational here:
- 그녀도 배고팠는데, …
- 그녀도 배고팠지만, … (a bit more formal/explicit)
Why past tense 배고팠는데 and not present 배고픈데?
- The sentence describes a completed situation (she ended up eating only a little), so the hunger is framed as a past state relevant to that event: 배고팠는데.
- 배고픈데 sounds like “she is hungry (now), but…” which clashes with the completed action 먹었어 (ate).
Why is it 음식이 and not 음식은?
- 음식이 marks “the food” as the grammatical subject of 맛없다 (to taste bad). It’s a neutral statement of fact: “The food was bad.”
- 음식은 makes “the food” a topic, often with a contrastive feel: “As for the food, it wasn’t tasty (but maybe something else was).”
- Both are possible; choose 이/가 for neutral subject focus and 은/는 to contrast or reintroduce a topic.
What does -아서/어서 mean in 맛없어서, and could I use -니까 or 때문에?
- -아서/어서 expresses a reason/cause: “because/since.” 맛없어서 = “because it wasn’t tasty.”
- Alternatives:
- 맛없으니까 (because/since) — often more assertive/argumentative; fits explanations or justifications.
- 맛이 없기 때문에 (because) — more formal/literary.
- Note: With -아서/어서 as a reason, the cause clause typically doesn’t take past tense marking: prefer 맛없어서, not 맛없었어서 (the latter is widely avoided in standard usage).
Can I say 맛이 없어서 instead of 맛없어서? Any nuance difference?
- Yes. 맛없다 and 맛이 없다 are near-equivalents.
- 음식이 맛없어서…
- 음식이 맛이 없어서…
- 맛없다 is compact and common in speech; 맛이 없다 can feel a touch more neutral or explicit. Both are fine here.
What does 결국 do, and where should it go?
- 결국 means “in the end/eventually/after all,” highlighting the final outcome.
- Usual placement: before the result clause or result verb.
- … 맛없어서 결국 조금만 먹었어.
- 결국 음식이 맛없어서 조금만 먹었어. (frames the whole situation as an “in the end” story)
- Avoid making it modify “the food” directly in meaning (e.g., 음식이 결국 맛없어서) unless you really mean “the food ended up being bad (as it turned out).”
What’s the difference between 조금만 먹었어 and 조금밖에 못 먹었어?
- 조금만 먹었어 = “I only ate a little.” Neutral statement about how much you chose/ended up eating.
- 조금밖에 못 먹었어 = “I could only eat a little.” Emphasizes limitation/constraint (pairs with a negative like 못).
- Both fit; with bad-tasting food, either “only ate a little” or “could only eat a little” makes sense. The second feels a bit more like the situation prevented more.
What’s the speech level of 먹었어, and how can I change it?
- 먹었어: casual, informal.
- Politer or more formal variants:
- 먹었어요 (polite)
- 먹었습니다 (formal)
- Honorific subject: 조금만 드셨어요 / 드셨습니다
Is the comma after -는데 required?
- No. The comma is optional and used for readability. Both are fine:
- 그녀도 배고팠는데 음식이 맛없어서 결국 조금만 먹었어.
- 그녀도 배고팠는데, 음식이 맛없어서 결국 조금만 먹었어.
Can I drop some subjects/particles and still be natural?
- Yes, Korean often omits what’s contextually clear:
- (그녀도) 배고팠는데, (음식이) 맛없어서 결국 조금만 먹었어.
- If “she” and “the food” are obvious in context, this sounds natural.
Why is it 배고팠는데 (…는데) with an adjective? I thought adjectives take -은데.
- Present descriptive verbs (adjectives) often use -은데: 배고픈데 (she’s hungry, but/and…).
- With past tense, you use -았/었 + 는데 for both verbs and adjectives: 배고팠는데 (she was hungry, but/and…).
- So: present → 배고픈데; past → 배고팠는데.
Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?
- 배고팠는데 often sounds like [배고판는데] due to t+n assimilation (the ㅆ before ㄴ becomes an n sound).
- 맛없어서 often sounds like [마덥써서] (the ㅅ/ㅆ cluster effects and consonant liaison).
- 조금만 is commonly reduced to 좀만 in casual speech.
- 결국 keeps a clear [결국] sound; make sure the ㄹ contacts lightly before ㄱ.
Could I replace 먹었어 with 먹었다?
- 먹었다 is the plain declarative (written/neutral narrative). It can sound blunt or literary in speech.
- In conversation, prefer 먹었어/먹었어요 unless you’re narrating or writing.