Word
지금 길이 많이 막혀요.jigeum giri manhi makhyeoyo.
Meaning
There is a lot of traffic right now.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Questions & Answers about jigeum giri manhi makhyeoyo.
Why is the subject particle 이 used after 길 (길이), not 가?
Korean chooses the subject particle based on the final sound of the noun:
- After a consonant: use 이 → 길 + 이 = 길이
- After a vowel: use 가 → 도로 + 가 = 도로가 So 길이 is correct because 길 ends in the consonant ㄹ.
Could I use the topic marker instead: 지금 길은 많이 막혀요? What’s the nuance?
Yes.
- 지금 길이 많이 막혀요 presents new information neutrally: “The road is (indeed) very jammed now.”
- 지금 길은 많이 막혀요 contrasts or highlights the road as the topic (e.g., “As for the roads now, they’re very jammed,” maybe implying other things aren’t, or compared to another time/place).
Why is the passive verb 막히다 used instead of the active 막다?
In Korean, traffic/roads being jammed is expressed with the passive/intransitive verb 막히다 (“to be blocked, to get jammed”). Using 막다 (“to block [something]”) would require an explicit agent and doesn’t describe traffic conditions. So you say 길이 막혀요 “the road is jammed,” not “길을 막아요.”
What exactly does 많이 mean here? Could I use 너무 or 아주 instead?