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Questions & Answers about geunyeoneun choegeune gyehoegeul bakkugo gongbue deo jipjunghae.
What politeness level is the ending -해, and how do I make this sentence polite or formal?
- -해 is casual/banmal (used with close friends or younger people).
- Polite: 그녀는 최근에 계획을 바꾸고 공부에 더 집중해요.
- Formal: 그녀는 최근에 계획을 바꾸고 공부에 더 집중합니다.
- Talking about someone you respect, you can also use 그분은 … 집중해요/집중합니다.
Is 그녀 natural in everyday conversation?
Not usually. In spoken Korean people prefer:
- a name/title: 민지는 …
- a generic reference: 그 사람은 …
- honorific: 그분은 …
- or just drop the subject entirely if it’s clear from context. Using 그녀 is common in writing and translations but can sound bookish in casual speech.
Why is it 그녀는 and not 그녀가? What’s the nuance difference?
- 는 marks a topic and often contrasts or sets the frame: “As for her, …”
- 가 marks the grammatical subject and can highlight/newly introduce it: “It’s she who…” Both are grammatical here, but 그녀는 sounds like you’re continuing to talk about “her” as a known topic; 그녀가 would emphasize that she (as opposed to someone else) did it.
What’s the nuance of 최근에 compared to 요즘?
- 최근에 = “recently,” pointing to a relatively short, recent time (often for a specific change/event like 바꾸다).
- 요즘 = “these days,” an ongoing period (good with habits/trends like 집중하고 있어). Examples:
- 최근에 계획을 바꿨어.
- 요즘(은) 공부에 더 집중하고 있어.
What does the connector -고 in 바꾸고 do here? Does it mean “and then” or “because”?
-고 neutrally links actions or states, often read as “and/and then.” It does not by itself mean “because.”
If you want a causal nuance (“since/because she changed her plan”), use -아서/어서:
- 그녀는 최근에 계획을 바꿔서 공부에 더 집중해요.
Shouldn’t the first verb be in the past since the change already happened? Can I say 바꿨고 or 바꿔서?
You can. Korean often leaves the first clause untensed when the timeline is obvious, but:
- Sequential/past marking: 그녀는 최근에 계획을 바꿨고, 공부에 더 집중해요.
- Causal: 그녀는 최근에 계획을 바꿔서, 공부에 더 집중해요. All are natural; pick based on whether you want neutral sequence or cause.
In the polite version, why isn’t there a 요 after 바꾸고?
Only the final predicate sets the speech level. So:
- 그녀는 최근에 계획을 바꾸고 공부에 더 집중해요. If you stop the sentence after the first clause, you can end it with -고요:
- 그녀는 최근에 계획을 바꿨고요, 지금은 공부에 더 집중해요.
Why is it 공부에 and not 공부를? Is 공부를 더 집중해 wrong?
With 집중하다 (“to concentrate on”), the target takes -에.
- Correct: 공부에 집중하다
- Incorrect: 공부를 집중하다 You may also hear: 공부에 더 집중을 해(요), where 집중 is treated as a noun object of 하다. The simplest, most common form is still 공부에 더 집중해(요).
Can I use 공부에 대해(서) with 집중하다?
No. 대해(서) means “about/regarding,” used with verbs like 말하다/생각하다/알다.
Say:
- 공부에 대해 이야기해요/생각해요 (talk/think about study) But for concentrate/focus, use:
- 공부에 집중해요
What’s the difference between 집중해 and 집중하고 있어?
- 집중해(요): simple present; can mean a general/habitual tendency or a present state without emphasizing the ongoingness.
- 집중하고 있어(요): present progressive; emphasizes that she is currently in the middle of focusing. With 지금, prefer 집중하고 있어요; with 요즘, both work but 집중하고 있어요 stresses ongoing behavior.
Can I change the word order? Where can 최근에 and 더 go?
Korean word order is flexible, especially for adverbs:
- 최근에 그녀는 계획을 바꾸고… (adverb first)
- 그녀는 최근에 계획을 바꾸고… (very natural)
- 그녀는 계획을 최근에 바꾸고… (okay, a bit less smooth) For emphasis on intensity:
- 공부에 더 집중해(요) (default)
- 공부에 훨씬 더 집중해(요) (much more)
- 공부에 더 많이 집중해(요) (also acceptable; “a lot more”)
Can I drop the subject entirely?
Yes. If context makes it clear who you mean:
- 최근에 계획을 바꾸고 공부에 더 집중해(요).
What’s the difference between 계획 and 일정?
- 계획 = plan/strategy/intention (what you intend to do).
- 일정 = schedule/timetable (when things are set to happen). If she rearranged time slots, 일정을 바꾸다/조정하다 fits better; if she changed goals/approach, 계획을 바꾸다 is right.
Does -고 imply the same subject for both verbs?
By default, yes—the subject is understood to be the same. If the subject changes, you must state it:
- 그녀는 계획을 바꾸고, 남자친구는 응원해. Without that new subject/topic, listeners assume both actions are hers.
Are there synonyms for 집중하다 that change the tone?
- 전념하다 (devote oneself to; formal): 공부에 전념해요.
- 몰두하다 (immerse oneself in; literary/strong): 공부에 몰두해요.
- 집중력을 높이다 (increase one’s ability to focus): 공부에 집중력을 더 높이고 있어요.
Any quick pronunciation tips?
- 집중해 is commonly heard as something like “jip-jjunghae” due to consonant tensing (경음화).
- 최근에 sounds like “chwe-geu-ne.”
- 계획을 links as “gye-hoe-geul” (the final consonant of 계획 carries over).