Breakdown of gapjagi keun soriga naseo jeongmal nollasseoyo.
~가~ga
subject particle
정말jeongmal
really
갑자기gapjagi
suddenly
나다nada
to come out / to occur (in “to get angry”)
Questions & Answers about gapjagi keun soriga naseo jeongmal nollasseoyo.
What does 갑자기 mean here, and where does it usually go in a sentence?
갑자기 means suddenly or all of a sudden.
In this sentence, it comes at the beginning because it sets the scene for the whole event:
- 갑자기 큰 소리가 나서 정말 놀랐어요.
- Suddenly, there was a loud noise, so I was really surprised.
In Korean, adverbs like 갑자기 are often placed near the beginning of the clause, but they can sometimes move around as long as the sentence still sounds natural.
For example:
- 큰 소리가 갑자기 나서 정말 놀랐어요.
That is also understandable, though the original sentence sounds very natural.
Why is it 큰 소리 and not 크다 소리 or 크는 소리?
큰 is the noun-modifying form of 크다 (to be big).
When a descriptive verb/adjective in Korean directly modifies a noun, it changes form:
- 크다 = to be big
- 큰 = big, when placed before a noun
So:
- 큰 소리 = a big sound → more naturally, a loud noise
Why not the others?
- 크다 소리 is not grammatical.
- 크는 소리 is usually not correct here, because 크다 is a descriptive verb, and this kind of adjective usually uses the -(으)ㄴ form before nouns.
More examples:
- 작은 방 = a small room
- 예쁜 꽃 = a pretty flower
- 좋은 생각 = a good idea
Does 큰 소리 literally mean big sound? Why is it translated as loud noise?