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Questions & Answers about geunyeodo sukjereul kkamppakhaeseo bame geuphage haesseo.
What does the particle 도 in 그녀도 do, and where can it attach?
- 도 means “also/too.” It attaches to a noun phrase and replaces whatever case/topic particle would otherwise be there.
- Examples:
- 그녀도 숙제를… = She, too, (did X with) the homework.
- 숙제도 깜빡해서… = She forgot the homework too (implies she also forgot something else).
- You don’t stack particles: not 그녀도는, 그녀도가, or 숙제를도. Just use 도.
Is 그녀 natural in everyday Korean?
- In casual conversation, Koreans rarely use third-person pronouns like 그녀. More natural:
- Use a name/title: 민지도, 그 사람도, 선배도.
- Drop the subject if clear from context.
- For casual reference to a peer: 걔도 (informal; avoid for seniors/strangers). For respectful reference: 그분도.
- 그녀 is common in writing, translations, news, or lyrics, but sounds a bit literary in speech.
Why is it 숙제를 and not 숙제는/숙제가?
- -을/를 marks the direct object. 숙제(를) 하다 = do homework.
- So 숙제를 깜빡해서 = (she) forgot the homework.
- You could make homework the topic (숙제는) to contrast it with something else, but here it’s simply the object being forgotten/done.
What exactly does -아서/어서/해서 in 깜빡해서 express?
- V-아서/어서/해서 links a cause/reason to a result: “because/since.”
- 깜빡해서 = because (she) forgot (it).
- You normally don’t add a past marker in the reason clause (not 깜빡했어서); the sequence itself implies the forgetting happened before the main action.
- For more explicit, separate sentences you can use 그래서: …깜빡했어. 그래서 밤에 급하게 했어.
Is 깜빡하다 a verb by itself, or do I need 잊다 (as in 깜빡 잊다)?
- Both are used:
- 깜빡했다 (verb by itself): “(I) forgot (slipped my mind).”
- 깜빡 잊었다 / 깜빡 잊어버렸다 (very common collocation).
- Nuance: 깜빡 suggests a momentary/absent-minded lapse (“it slipped my mind”).
- Spelling tip: standard is 깜빡 (you may see 깜박 informally; stick to 깜빡).
How do 깜빡하다, 잊다/잊어버리다, and 까먹다 differ?
- 깜빡하다: to forget momentarily; “slip one’s mind.” Colloquial, neutral.
- 잊다: to forget (neutral/formal). 잊어버리다 adds a nuance of “completely/irrevocably forgot,” often with regret.
- 까먹다: very colloquial/informal “forget” (lit. “eat away”). Avoid in formal contexts.
- All can work here:
- 숙제를 깜빡해서…
- 숙제를 잊어버려서…
- 숙제를 까먹어서… (casual).
What level of politeness is 했어, and how do I make it polite?
- 했어 is informal (banmal).
- Polite: 했어요. Formal: 했습니다.
- Whole sentence variants:
- Informal: 그녀도 숙제를 깜빡해서 밤에 급하게 했어.
- Polite: 그녀도 숙제를 깜빡해서 밤에 급하게 했어요.
- Formal: 그녀도 숙제를 깜빡해서 밤에 급하게 했습니다.
Why is the object omitted in the second clause (급하게 했어)?
- Korean often drops repeated/obvious elements. After 숙제를 깜빡해서, the object is understood.
- You can repeat it for clarity/emphasis:
- 밤에 급하게 숙제를 했어 / 밤에 숙제를 급하게 했어.
- Most natural in conversation is to omit it, as in the original.
Is it more precise to say “forgot to do the homework”?
- Yes, you can nominalize the action:
- 숙제하는 걸 깜빡해서 밤에 급하게 했어. (= forgot to do the homework…)
- More formal: 숙제할 것을 깜빡해서…
- If the meaning is “forgot to submit,” say 숙제(를) 내는 걸 깜빡해서…
What’s the difference between 급하게 and 급히?
- Both mean “hastily/in a hurry.”
- 급하게: very common in everyday speech.
- 급히: a bit more concise and somewhat more formal/literary.
- Synonyms you might hear: 서둘러, 허겁지겁 (very colloquial), 부랴부랴 (colloquial).
Can I change the order of 밤에 and 급하게?
- Default, most natural: 밤에 급하게 했어 (time > manner > verb).
- 급하게 밤에 했어 is possible but sounds marked/less common; it can put extra focus on “in a hurry.”
- Korean word order is flexible for nuance, but time-before-manner is the safe default.
Why 밤에 and not 밤에서?
- -에 marks a time point (at, on, in): 밤에 = at night.
- -에서 marks a location where an action occurs: 집에서 했어 = (I) did it at home.
- So for time, use -에; 밤에서 is unnatural here.
Can I add 그래서 even though there’s already -해서?
- Don’t stack them in one clause (avoid …깜빡해서 그래서…).
- Use either:
- One-sentence cause connector: …깜빡해서 밤에 급하게 했어.
- Two sentences with 그래서: …깜빡했어. 그래서 밤에 급하게 했어.
Can I use 또 instead of 도 to mean “also”?
- Be careful: 또 often means “again.” 그녀 또 숙제를 깜빡해서… most naturally reads as “She forgot her homework again.”
- To mean “she also,” use the particle 도: 그녀도…
- 또 can introduce additional information in writing, but it’s ambiguous and often heard as “again.”
Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?
- 그녀도: [그녀도].
- 숙제를: the -를 often sounds like a light flap
- 깜빡해서: due to ㅎ assimilation, many say [깜빠케서].
- 했어: pronounced [해써] (you’ll see it romanized “haesseo”).
- Don’t overthink it; natural connected speech will handle most of these automatically.