Breakdown of i saegeun neohante jal eoullyeo.
이i
this
~은~eun
topic particle
너neo
you
~한테~hante
dative particle
잘jal
well
색saek
color
어울리다eoullida
to suit
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Questions & Answers about i saegeun neohante jal eoullyeo.
What verb is 어울려, and how is this form made?
- The dictionary form is 어울리다 (to suit; to go/match well; to socialize).
- 어울려 is the casual present form. It comes from 어울리어 → contracted to 어울려.
- Polite forms: 어울려요 (standard polite), 어울립니다 (formal). Plain declarative: 어울린다.
Why is it 이 색은 (topic) and not 이 색이 (subject)? What’s the nuance?
- 은/는 marks the topic (“as for this color”), giving a general comment or contrast.
- 이/가 marks the grammatical subject and often highlights/identifies it among options.
- Nuance:
- 이 색은 너한테 잘 어울려. = As for this color, it suits you well. (broad/contrastive)
- 이 색이 너한테 잘 어울려. = It’s this color that suits you well. (more picked-out/emphatic)
- Since 색 ends in a consonant, you use 은 (not 는).
Why use 너한테? How is it different from 너에게 or -께?
- -한테 = casual “to/for (a person/animal).” Most common in speech. Write it attached: 너한테 (not “너 한테”).
- -에게 = more formal/neutral, common in writing: 너에게.
- -께 = honorific “to (a respected person)”: 선생님께, 고객님께.
- You cannot use bare 에 with a person here; use 한테/에게/께 with 어울리다 when the “recipient” is a person.
Is 너 appropriate here? What should I say in polite situations?
- 너 is casual; use it only with close friends or younger people.
- Avoid 당신 in most situations (it sounds unnatural or confrontational except between spouses or in ads/lyrics).
- Polite alternatives:
- 이 색이 선생님께 잘 어울려요.
- 이 색이 고객님께 잘 어울립니다.
- Restructuring with honorific: 고객님께 잘 어울리실 색이에요. / 이 색이 고객님께 잘 어울릴 것 같아요.
Can I change the word order? Where does 잘 go?
- Flexible orders that keep clarity are fine:
- 이 색은 너한테 잘 어울려.
- 너한테 이 색은 잘 어울려. (focus on “to you”)
- 잘 (well) goes right before the verb phrase: 잘 어울려. Don’t split it oddly (e.g., ✗ 이 색은 잘 너한테 어울려).
Can I drop particles or pronouns in casual speech?
- Yes, often:
- 이 색 너한테 잘 어울려. (drop the topic marker)
- If context is clear: 이 색 잘 어울려. / 잘 어울려.
- Keep 한테/에게/께 when you need to show “to whom” it suits; otherwise the sentence can become ambiguous.
What’s the difference between 색 and 색깔?
- Both mean “color.” 색 is a bit more neutral/compact; 색깔 is slightly more colloquial/emphatic.
- Both work here: 이 색은… / 이 색깔은… (Both are fine; 색 is a bit crisper in everyday speech.)
How do I pronounce the whole sentence naturally?
- 이 색은 → often sounds like [이 새근] because ㅋ becomes a softer [g] before a vowel and the topic marker links.
- 잘 어울려 → [자러울려]; the ㄹ at the end of 잘 links to the following vowel, and 어울리어 → 어울려 is contracted.
- Put together: roughly “이 새근 자러울려.”
Can I say 너랑 instead of 너한테?
- With two things that match each other, use 랑/하고/와/과: 이 모자는 이 코트랑 잘 어울려.
- With a person as the “recipient,” -한테/에게/께 is standard: 이 색은 너한테 잘 어울려.
- Colloquially, 이 색은 너랑 잘 어울려 is also heard and understood as “goes well with you,” but -한테/에게 is the safer textbook pattern.
How do I make the sentence polite or more formal?
- Add polite endings:
- 이 색은 너한테 잘 어울려요. (Mixing 너 with 요 is possible but feels odd; switch to a polite addressee.)
- 이 색이 손님께 잘 어울려요.
- 이 색이 손님께 잘 어울립니다. (formal)
- Soft/exclamatory: 이 색이 잘 어울리네요.
- Be careful with -시-: don’t say 이 색은 고객님께 잘 어울리세요 (subject is the color). Instead: 이 색이 고객님께 잘 어울려요 or 고객님께 잘 어울리실 것 같아요 (where the honored person is the subject in the clause).
How do I say it doesn’t suit someone, preferably softly?
- 잘 안 어울려요. (doesn’t really suit you)
- 어울리는 것 같지 않아요. (it doesn’t seem to suit you)
- Softer/positive spin: 다른 색이 더 잘 어울릴 것 같아요.
How do I change the person (me/him/her/them)?
- Me: 나한테 (casual), 저한테 (polite) → 이 색이 저한테 잘 어울려요?
- Him/Her (neutral): 그 사람에게/한테 → 이 색이 그 사람한테 잘 어울려요.
- Honorific: 그분께 → 이 색이 그분께 잘 어울려요.
- Named person: 민지한테, 지훈에게, etc.
(Avoid 그녀 in everyday speech; use a name or 그 사람/그분.)
What is 한텐?
- 한텐 is the spoken contraction of 한테는 (dative + topic).
- It topicalizes the recipient: 너한텐 이 색이 더 잘 어울려. = “For you, this color suits you better (than others).”
Similarly: 너에겐 = 너에게는.
What does 잘 add, and how can I intensify it?
- 잘 = “well/nicely.” It makes the praise stronger than just 어울려.
- Intensifiers:
- 정말/진짜 잘 어울려요. (really)
- 아주/되게 잘 어울려요. (very)
- 너무 잘 어울려요. (literally “too,” but commonly used as “so/very” in modern speech)
What’s the difference between 어울리다 and 맞다?
- 어울리다 = suits stylistically/looks good with (color, style, vibe): 이 색이 너한테 잘 어울려.
- 맞다 = fits in size/measurement: 이 옷이 너한테 잘 맞아.
- You can combine: 사이즈는 맞는데, 색은 잘 안 어울려.
How do I say “a color that suits you” using a modifier?
- Use the attributive form 어울리는:
- 너한테 잘 어울리는 색이야.
- Polite: 손님께 잘 어울리는 색이에요.
- Asking: 저한테 어울리는 색이 뭐예요?