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oneureun meolli geotji malgo gakkaun gongwoneseo sanchaekhaja.

오늘은 멀리 걷지 말고 가까운 공원에서 산책하자.oneureun meolli geotji malgo gakkaun gongwoneseo sanchaekhaja.
Today, let’s not walk far and instead take a walk in a nearby park.
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Questions & Answers about oneureun meolli geotji malgo gakkaun gongwoneseo sanchaekhaja.

What does the pattern -지 말고 mean here?

It’s “don’t do A, and (instead) do B.” Structure: [Verb stem] + 지 말고 + [Verb/Clause B].

  • In the sentence, 멀리 걷지 말고 says “don’t walk far,” and then proposes the alternative: 가까운 공원에서 산책하자.
  • If you stop after -지 마(세요), it’s a plain prohibition: “Don’t [do A].”
  • With nouns, N + 말고 + N means “not N1 but N2” (e.g., 커피 말고 차).
What level of politeness is -자 in 산책하자? What should I say to elders or strangers?

-자 is casual and inclusive (“let’s”), used with friends/peers.

  • Polite neutral: 산책해요, or suggestion 산책할까요?
  • Agreeing/soft suggestion: 산책하죠.
  • Formal: 산책합시다.
  • Honorific to a senior: 멀리 걷지 마시고 가까운 공원에서 산책하시죠/산책하실까요?
Why is it 오늘은 and not just 오늘 or 오늘이?

은/는 marks a topic and often adds a contrastive nuance: “As for today / Today at least.” It implies “(Unlike other days,) today…”

  • 오늘 (no particle) is fine in casual speech but less explicitly contrastive.
  • 오늘이 would mark “today” as the grammatical subject, which it isn’t here.
Why 멀리 and not 멀게 or 먼?
  • 멀리 is the adverb “far,” which modifies verbs: 멀리 걷다 = “walk far.”
  • 먼 is the attributive adjective “far/distant” used before nouns: 먼 곳.
  • 멀게 is an adverbial form of “to make (something) far” and isn’t used here.
Is 걷지 correct even though 걷다 is ㄷ-irregular? Should it be 걸지?

걷지 is correct. ㄷ-irregular verbs (like 걷다) change ㄷ → ㄹ only before a vowel. Since -지 starts with a consonant (ㅈ), you keep ㄷ: 걷지.

  • Before a vowel: 걷어요 → 걸어요, 걷으면 → 걸으면, 걷으니까 → 걸으니까.
  • Before a consonant: 걷다, 걷자, 걷지 (no change).
Why is it 가까운 공원 and not 가깝은 공원?

가깝다 is ㅂ-irregular. Before a vowel in attributive position, ㅂ changes to 우:

  • 가깝 + 은 → 가까운 공원 Other forms:
  • 가까워요 (ㅂ → 워 before vowel)
  • 가깝습니다 (no change before consonant-starting ending)
Why 공원에서 and not 공원에?

-에서 marks the place where an action happens. 산책하다 is an activity, so 공원에서 is correct.

  • -에 is for location/existence or destination (e.g., 공원에 있어요 “(I) am at the park,” or 공원에 가요 “go to the park”).
  • If you want “go to the park and take a walk,” say 가까운 공원에 가서 산책하자.
Could I say 가까이 공원에서?

No. 가까이 is an adverb (“nearby”), not an adjective. You need an adjective to modify 공원:

  • Correct: 가까운 공원, 근처 공원, 가까이에 있는 공원
  • 가까이 works before verbs: 집에서 가까이 살아요.
Is 산책하자 the same as 걷자?

Not exactly.

  • 산책하자 suggests a leisurely, recreational walk (a “stroll”).
  • 걷자 is simply “let’s walk” (could be for exercise, to a destination, etc.). Here, contrasting “not walking far” with “strolling in a nearby park” makes 산책하자 feel natural.
Can I say 멀리 가지 말고 instead of 멀리 걷지 말고?

Yes, but nuance changes:

  • 멀리 걷지 말고 = don’t walk a long distance.
  • 멀리 가지 말고 = don’t go far (by any means, not just walking). Both are natural.
Can I reorder parts like putting 가까운 공원에서 earlier?

Word order is flexible, but keep clarity and rhythm:

  • Original is natural: 오늘은 멀리 걷지 말고 가까운 공원에서 산책하자.
  • Acceptable: 오늘은 가까운 공원에서 산책하고 멀리 걷지 말자. (but the logic flips)
  • If you move too much around (e.g., 오늘은 가까운 공원에서 멀리 걷지 말고 산책하자), it can sound a bit awkward. Keep the “don’t A, (instead) B” chunks tight.
Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?
  • 오늘은: often [오느른] (the ㄹ links smoothly).
  • 멀리: clear tense on ㄹㄹ, [멀리].
  • 걷지: assimilation makes it sound like [걷찌] (the ㅈ in 지 is tense-ish).
  • 가까운: double ㄲ is tense [까], and -운 is a separate syllable [운].
  • 공원에서: [공워네서] (ㅇ+워 glide).
  • 산책하자: [산채카자] (ㅎ affects following ㅈ slightly). Speak it smoothly: o-neu-reun / meol-li / geot-jji / mal-go / ga-kka-un / gong-wo-ne-seo / san-chaek-ha-ja.
Is a comma after 말고 required?
Optional. A comma can help readability: …걷지 말고, 가까운… But Korean often omits it in short sentences.
What’s the difference between -에서 and -으로 here? Could I say 가까운 공원으로 산책하자?
  • -에서 = location of the action (“take a walk in the park”).
  • -으로/로 = direction/means (“to/toward/with”). 가까운 공원으로 산책하자 sounds odd because 산책하다 isn’t a motion-to verb. Use …공원으로 가서 산책하자 if you want “go to the park and take a walk.”
Should there be a space in 산책하자?
No. 산책하다 is a single verb (noun + 하다) and conjugates without a space: 산책해요, 산책했어요, 산책하자.