Breakdown of geu iuseun achimmada gongsa so-eum ttaemune jameul jal mos jandae.
Questions & Answers about geu iuseun achimmada gongsa so-eum ttaemune jameul jal mos jandae.
그 is a determiner meaning that (the one you and the listener both know about, or one already mentioned).
- 이 = this (near the speaker)
- 그 = that (near the listener / previously mentioned / known in context)
- 저 = that over there (far from both)
So 그 이웃 is basically that neighbor (not just any neighbor).
은/는 marks the topic (what the sentence is about) and often sets up a general statement or contrast. Here it’s like: As for that neighbor, …
이/가 marks the subject in a more “new information / focus” way, like identifying who it is.
Both can work depending on context:
- 그 이웃은 … = speaking about that neighbor as a topic (natural for storytelling)
- 그 이웃이 … = emphasizing that it’s that neighbor (not someone else)
이웃 can be singular or plural depending on context. Korean often doesn’t mark plural unless needed.
If you want to be explicit:
- 이웃들 = neighbors (plural)
So 그 이웃은 normally reads as that neighbor (one person/household), but context decides.
아침마다 means every morning with emphasis on each occurrence (morning after morning). The particle -마다 means every (time/unit).
- 아침마다 = every morning (each morning, repeatedly)
- 매일 아침 = every morning / each day in the morning (also common, slightly more “daily schedule” feeling)
Both are very close here.
Yes. Korean commonly stacks nouns to make a compound:
- 공사 = construction work
- 소음 = noise
- 공사 소음 = construction noise
The first noun modifies the second, like construction + noise.
때문에 means because of / due to and attaches to a noun phrase easily:
- 공사 소음 때문에 = because of the construction noise
Alternatives change nuance:
- 공사 소음으로 (인해) = due to the noise (more formal)
- 공사 소음 때문에 is the most neutral/common.
In Korean, 잠을 자다 is a fixed, very common pattern:
- 잠 (sleep) is treated like the object of 자다 (to sleep) So 잠을 is normal and often kept.
In casual speech, particles can drop:
- 공사 소음 때문에 잠 잘 못 잔대. (still understandable)
They’re different, and spacing matters:
- 잘 못 자다/하다 = can’t do (it) well (잘 = well, 못 = cannot)
- 잘못 (no space) = wrongly / by mistake
So:
- 잠을 잘 못 잔대 = (they say) they don’t sleep well / can’t sleep well
- 잠을 잘못 잔대 would be odd (like “slept wrong”)
못 usually implies inability (can’t), often due to circumstances. 안 is more like not doing it (by choice).
Here, the noise makes it hard/impossible to sleep, so 못 fits:
- 소음 때문에 잠을 못 자 = can’t sleep because of the noise
Using 안 자 would sound like choosing not to sleep.
Yes. -대 is a casual shortened form used for reported speech (what you heard/say someone says).
Here:
- 잔다고 해 → 잔대
Meaning: (someone) says they sleep / says they can’t sleep well
More polite:
- 잔대요 (same meaning, more polite)
- 잠을 잘 못 잔다고 해요 (fully expanded, polite)
Because the sentence is describing a habitual/general situation (supported by 아침마다 = every morning). So it reports it as a present/general fact:
- (매일 아침) 잠을 잘 못 잔대 = they say they don’t sleep well (these days / habitually)
If you mean a specific past time, you’d use past:
- 어제는 잠을 잘 못 잤대 = they say they didn’t sleep well yesterday
Direct statement (plain/casual):
- 그 이웃은 아침마다 공사 소음 때문에 잠을 잘 못 자.
Direct statement (polite):
- 그 이웃은 아침마다 공사 소음 때문에 잠을 잘 못 자요.
Reported speech (polite, explicit):
- 그 이웃은 아침마다 공사 소음 때문에 잠을 잘 못 잔다고 해요.