Questions & Answers about eonnineun jaknyeone gateun hoesa-e jiwonhaeseo baro hapgyeokhaesseo.
Why is 언니 used here? Does it only mean older sister?
언니 literally means older sister, but only when used by a female speaker.
It can also be used:
- for your actual older sister
- for an older female friend or acquaintance, depending on context
So in a sentence like this, 언니는 could mean:
- my older sister
- older sister / unni as the topic in a conversation where the relationship is already understood
A male speaker would not normally use 언니 for his older sister. He would say 누나 instead.
What does the particle 는 in 언니는 do?
는 is the topic particle.
In 언니는 작년에 같은 회사에 지원해서 바로 합격했어, it marks 언니 as the thing the sentence is about:
- As for my older sister...
It can also add a slight contrast depending on context. For example, it might imply something like:
- As for my sister, she applied last year and got accepted right away
possibly contrasting with someone else who did not.
So 는 is not just a subject marker. It often gives a topic or contrastive feeling.
Why is 작년에 used instead of just 작년?
작년 means last year, and -에 is a time particle often used with specific points in time.
So:
- 작년 = last year
- 작년에 = last year / in last year
In many cases with time expressions, Korean may use -에 or omit it, depending on the word and style.
With 작년, both can appear, but 작년에 is very common and natural when clearly placing the action in that time frame.
How does 같은 회사 work? Why not just use a word meaning same directly?
같은 comes from 같다, which means to be the same.
When used before a noun, it becomes 같은, so:
- 같다 = to be the same
- 같은 회사 = the same company
This is a very common way to say same + noun in Korean.
Examples:
- 같은 학교 = the same school
- 같은 날 = the same day
- 같은 사람 = the same person
So 같은 회사에 means to the same company or at the same company, depending on the verb.
Why is the particle 에 used after 회사 in 회사에 지원해서?
With 지원하다 meaning to apply, Korean commonly uses -에 지원하다 to mark the place, organization, or institution you are applying to.
So:
- 회사에 지원하다 = to apply to a company
- 학교에 지원하다 = to apply to a school
- 대학에 지원하다 = to apply to a university
English uses to here, and Korean often uses 에 for that target.
You may also sometimes see 지원하다 used in other meanings, such as to support, where different structures can appear depending on context. But in the meaning to apply, -에 지원하다 is very standard.
What exactly does 지원해서 mean here?
지원해서 is the -아서/어서 connective form of 지원하다.
Breakdown:
- 지원하- = verb stem
- -여서 contracts to -해서
- so 지원하여서 becomes 지원해서
Here it connects two actions:
- applying
- getting accepted
So it means something like:
- applied and then
- after applying
- having applied
In this sentence, it mainly shows a natural sequence of events.
Does -해서 here mean because or just and then?
In Korean, -아서/어서 can mean several things depending on context, including:
- because
- and then / after doing
- a natural connection between two actions
In this sentence, 지원해서 바로 합격했어, the most natural interpretation is sequence/result, not simple cause in the English sense.
It feels like:
- She applied to the same company and got accepted right away
- After applying to the same company, she was accepted immediately
It is not saying that merely applying caused acceptance. It is just linking the events in a smooth, natural way.
What does 바로 add to the sentence?
바로 means right away, immediately, or directly.
Here it emphasizes how quickly the acceptance happened:
- 바로 합격했어 = got accepted right away
Depending on context, 바로 can also mean:
- exactly
- straight/directly
- just/right
Examples:
- 바로 갔어 = went straight there
- 바로 그거야 = that’s exactly it
In this sentence, it gives a sense of immediate success.
Why is 합격했어 used? Does it mean passed or was accepted?
합격하다 means to pass an exam, screening, audition, interview process, or to be accepted/admitted.
So its translation depends on context:
- exam -> pass
- job application / school application -> be accepted
- audition -> make it / pass
In this sentence, since she applied to a company, 합격했어 is best understood as:
- she got accepted
- she passed the hiring process
So the nuance is not just general success; it specifically means meeting the selection standard.
Why is the verb in the past tense only at the end? Isn’t 지원해서 also a past action?
Great question. In Korean, when verbs are connected in a sequence, the earlier verb often appears in a connective form without its own tense marking, while the final verb carries the tense for the whole sentence.
So:
- 지원해서 합격했어 literally has past tense only on 합격했어, but the whole sentence is understood in the past.
This is very normal in Korean.
English often marks each event more explicitly, but Korean does not need to do that here.
Why does the sentence end with 했어 instead of 했습니다 or 했어요?
했어 is the casual/non-polite ending.
Speech levels:
- 합격했어 = casual
- 합격했어요 = polite
- 합격했습니다 = formal
So this sentence sounds like something said:
- to a friend
- to someone younger
- in casual narration
The speaker is not using honorific or formal speech here.
Is there any honorific language in this sentence, even though it talks about 언니?
No. There is no honorific marking here.
If the speaker wanted to show respect toward the older sister, they might say:
- 언니는 작년에 같은 회사에 지원해서 바로 합격했어요 or even use honorific forms in some contexts.
But in everyday Korean, family members and close relations are often talked about without special honorific marking, especially in casual speech.
So the sentence is natural as it is.
Can 같은 회사에 mean that someone else also applied there?
Yes, that is very likely the implication.
같은 회사 means the same company, so it usually refers back to something already known in the conversation, such as:
- the company the speaker applied to
- a company mentioned earlier
- a company another person applied to
Without context, we just know it is the same company as some previously understood reference.
So this phrase often depends on prior context.
Could I replace 지원해서 with 지원하고?
Yes, in many situations you could say:
- 언니는 작년에 같은 회사에 지원하고 바로 합격했어.
This would also mean something like:
- She applied to the same company last year and got accepted right away.
But there is a slight nuance difference:
- -하고 often feels more like a simple and
- -해서 can feel a bit more like after doing that / in connection with that
In this sentence, 지원해서 sounds very natural because the acceptance happened as the result of the application process.
What is the basic dictionary form of the key verbs in this sentence?
The main dictionary forms are:
- 지원하다 = to apply / to support
- 합격하다 = to pass / be accepted
Other important forms:
- 같다 = to be the same
- 같은 = same, when placed before a noun
Useful breakdown of the full sentence:
- 언니는 = as for my older sister
- 작년에 = last year
- 같은 회사에 = to the same company
- 지원해서 = after applying / applied and
- 바로 = right away
- 합격했어 = got accepted
This kind of breakdown is very helpful for seeing how Korean builds meaning piece by piece.
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