geu mari ihaedwaeyo.

subject particle

Breakdown of geu mari ihaedwaeyo.

• 그: that
• 이해되다: to be understood
• 말: remark

Questions & Answers about geu mari ihaedwaeyo.

Why is it 그 말이 with -이 and not -을/를?

Because 이해되다 is passive/intransitive: “to be understood / to make sense.” With passive verbs, the thing that is understood is the subject, so it takes the subject marker -이/가: 그 말이 이해돼요. If you use the active verb 이해하다 (“to understand”), you mark it as an object: 그 말을 이해해요.

What’s the difference between 이해돼요 and 이해해요?

• 이해돼요 (passive) ≈ “That makes sense / That is understandable.” Focus on the content being understandable.
• 이해해요 (active) ≈ “I understand it.” Focus on your act of understanding.

Both can describe the same situation, but the nuance differs:

• 저는 그 말이 이해돼요 = As for me, that statement makes sense.
• 저는 그 말을 이해해요 = I (actively) understand that statement.

Where is “I” in this sentence? Can I say it explicitly?

Korean often omits obvious subjects. “I” is understood from context. You can add:

• 저는 그 말이 이해돼요. (As for me, that makes sense.)
• For contrast or “to me/us,” you can say 저한테(는) 그 말이 이해돼요.

Avoid using 제가 here with another -이/가 subject; say 저는 (topic) + 그 말이 (subject).

What politeness level is here? What are alternatives?