yangchihago naseo chisildo sseo bonikka deo kkaekkeushan neukkimi deureosseoyo.

Questions & Answers about yangchihago naseo chisildo sseo bonikka deo kkaekkeushan neukkimi deureosseoyo.

What does 양치 mean, and why isn’t it 이를 닦고 나서?

양치 is a common shortened noun referring to brushing your teeth. The verb is 양치하다, so 양치하고 나서 means after brushing my teeth.

You could also say 이를 닦고 나서, which is more literally after brushing my teeth. The difference is mostly style:

  • 양치하다 = a very common everyday expression for toothbrushing
  • 이를 닦다 = also correct, a bit more literal

So this sentence is natural casual everyday Korean.

How does -고 나서 work here?

-고 나서 means after doing... and shows that one action happens first, then another happens afterward.

So:

  • 양치하고 나서 = after brushing my teeth

Structure:

  • verb stem + -고 나서

Examples:

  • 밥 먹고 나서 공부했어요. = After eating, I studied.
  • 샤워하고 나서 잤어요. = After showering, I slept.

In your sentence, it sets up the order:

  1. brush teeth
  2. use floss
  3. realize it feels cleaner
Why is it 치실도 instead of just 치실을?

The particle means also, too, or even.

So 치실도 써 보니까 means:

  • when I also tried using floss
  • or when I tried floss too

This suggests something like:

  • I already brushed my teeth, and
  • I used floss in addition

If you said 치실을 써 보니까, it would simply mean when I tried using floss, without emphasizing the also/too meaning.

Why is the verb ? Isn’t 쓰다 usually to write?

Yes, 쓰다 can mean to write, but it also means to use.

So here:

  • 치실을 쓰다 = to use floss

The form is the -아/어 connective form of 쓰다:

  • 쓰다

That same verb appears in many contexts:

  • 안경을 쓰다 = to wear glasses
  • 돈을 쓰다 = to spend money
  • 펜을 쓰다 = to use a pen / to write with a pen

So in this sentence, 치실도 써 보니까 means when I tried using floss too.

What does 써 보니까 mean exactly?

This combines two grammar points:

  1. -아/어 보다 = to try doing something

    • 써 보다 = to try using
  2. -니까 here gives a meaning like:

    • when I did it and found out...
    • after trying it, I realized...
    • sometimes loosely because I tried it...

So 써 보니까 means something like:

  • when I tried using it
  • after trying to use it
  • once I tried using it, I found that...

In this sentence, it leads to a discovered result:

  • When I tried using floss too, it felt cleaner.
Is -보니까 the same as because?

Not exactly. It can sometimes feel similar to because, but its core nuance is more like:

  • when I tried/did it, I discovered...
  • after doing it, I found that...

So 써 보니까 더 깨끗한 느낌이 들었어요 is not just a simple logical cause like because I used floss. It has a more experiential meaning:

  • After trying floss, I found that it felt cleaner.

That discovery nuance is important.

Why is it 깨끗한 느낌 and not 깨끗한을 느낌 or something else?

깨끗하다 is an adjective meaning to be clean. When Korean adjectives modify a noun, they change form.

So:

  • 깨끗하다 = to be clean
  • 깨끗한 = clean ... / a clean ...

Then:

  • 느낌 = feeling

So:

  • 깨끗한 느낌 = a clean feeling or more naturally a feeling of cleanliness

This is just the normal adjective-modifying form:

  • adjective stem + -ㄴ / -은 / 한

Because 깨끗하다 is a 하다-adjective, it becomes 깨끗한 before a noun.

What does mean here?

means more.

So:

  • 더 깨끗한 느낌 = a cleaner feeling / a feeling of being cleaner

It compares the result with not using floss, or with brushing alone.

The implied meaning is:

  • brushing alone feels clean,
  • but brushing plus floss feels even cleaner.
What does 느낌이 들었어요 mean literally?

Literally, 느낌이 들다 means something like:

  • a feeling arises
  • I get the feeling that...
  • it feels like...

So:

  • 더 깨끗한 느낌이 들었어요 = I got the feeling that it was cleaner
  • more naturally: it felt cleaner

This expression is very common in Korean. It often sounds a bit softer and more natural than a direct statement.

Examples:

  • 좋은 느낌이 들어요. = I have a good feeling.
  • 이상한 느낌이 들었어요. = I had a strange feeling.
Why use 느낌이 들었어요 instead of 더 깨끗하다고 느꼈어요?

Both are possible, but they feel a little different.

  • 더 깨끗한 느낌이 들었어요 = it felt cleaner / I got a cleaner feeling
  • 더 깨끗하다고 느꼈어요 = I felt that it was cleaner

The original sentence sounds a bit softer and more natural in everyday speech. It focuses on the sense/impression rather than making a firm judgment.

So 느낌이 들었어요 is a very natural way to describe a personal impression.

Why is the object for 양치하다 missing? Shouldn’t there be something like 이를?

No, that’s normal. 양치하다 already contains the idea of brushing the teeth, so you usually do not need an object.

Compare:

  • 양치했어요. = I brushed my teeth.
  • 이를 닦았어요. = I brushed my teeth.

With 이를 닦다, the object can appear. With 양치하다, the object is usually unnecessary.

What level of politeness is 들었어요?

들었어요 is in the polite informal style, often called the -아요/어요 style.

So the whole sentence is polite and natural for everyday conversation:

  • polite enough for most normal situations
  • not stiff or highly formal

A more formal version might be:

  • 양치하고 나서 치실도 써 보니까 더 깨끗한 느낌이 들었습니다.

A casual version might be:

  • 양치하고 나서 치실도 써 보니까 더 깨끗한 느낌이 들었어.
What is the overall natural English translation of this sentence?

A natural translation would be:

  • After brushing my teeth, I tried using floss too, and it felt cleaner.
  • After brushing my teeth, I also tried flossing, and it felt cleaner.
  • After brushing, I tried using floss too, and I felt like my teeth were cleaner.

The key nuance is:

  • first brushing,
  • then also flossing,
  • then noticing a cleaner feeling as a result.
Could this sentence mean I tried flossing after brushing rather than I used floss after brushing?

Yes. Because of 써 보다, the sentence has a trying it out nuance.

So it is not just:

  • I used floss

It is more like:

  • I tried using floss
  • I gave floss a try

That makes sense especially if the speaker is talking about a new habit or experimenting to see whether floss helps.

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How do speech levels work in Korean?
Korean has multiple speech levels that indicate formality and politeness. The most common are the formal polite (‑습니다/‑ㅂ니다), informal polite (‑아요/‑어요), and casual (‑아/‑어) forms. Which level you use depends on who you're speaking to and the social context.

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