Breakdown of gamgineun geoui naassneunde jaechaegiga gyesok nago miyeoldo isseo.
Questions & Answers about gamgineun geoui naassneunde jaechaegiga gyesok nago miyeoldo isseo.
Why does the sentence use 감기는 but 재채기가? Why 는 in one place and 가 in the other?
This is a very common learner question.
- 감기는 uses 는 because 감기 is being set up as the topic: as for the cold...
- 재채기가 uses 가 because 재채기 is the subject of the next idea: the sneezing is what is continuing/happening.
So the flow is roughly:
- 감기는 거의 나았는데 = as for the cold, it has almost gotten better
- 재채기가 계속 나고 = but sneezing keeps happening
Using 는 for 감기 makes it feel like the speaker is talking about the overall illness, while 가 with 재채기 highlights that sneezing is the symptom currently occurring.
What does 거의 mean here?
거의 means almost or nearly.
So 감기는 거의 나았는데 means the cold is almost better or has almost gone away.
It softens the statement a little: the speaker is not saying they are fully recovered, only that they are close.
Is 나았는데 from 나다? It looks similar to 나고 later in the sentence.
No. This is an important distinction.
There are two different verbs here:
낫다 = to get better, recover
- 나았는데 comes from this verb
나다 = to come out, occur, happen
- 재채기가 나고 comes from this verb
So even though they look similar in the sentence, they are different words.
Breakdown
- 낫다 → 나았다 / 나았-
- 나다 → 나고
This is a classic source of confusion for learners:
- 병이 낫다 = an illness gets better
- 재채기가 나다 = a sneeze comes out / you sneeze
Why does 낫다 become 나았는데?
This happens because 낫다 is a ㅅ-irregular verb.
When the ㅅ comes before a vowel, it drops out.
So:
- dictionary form: 낫다
- stem: 낫-
- add -았-
- the ㅅ drops: 나았-
- then add -는데
- final form: 나았는데
So 나았는데 is the natural conjugated form of 낫다.
What does -는데 mean in 나았는데?
Here -는데 gives a sense of:
- background information
- mild contrast
- leading into another related point
In this sentence, it works like:
- The cold has almost gotten better, but...
- The cold is almost better, however...
It is softer and more conversational than using a separate 하지만.
So 감기는 거의 나았는데 sets up the situation, and the speaker then adds the problem that remains: 재채기가 계속 나고 미열도 있어.
Why does Korean say 재채기가 나다? Why not just use a verb meaning to sneeze?
Korean often describes bodily reactions and symptoms with 나다, meaning something like to come out or to occur.
So:
- 재채기가 나다 = sneezing happens / a sneeze comes out
- 기침이 나다 = coughing happens / a cough comes out
This is very natural Korean.
There is also 재채기를 하다, which can mean to sneeze, but 재채기가 나다 sounds very natural when talking about symptoms or involuntary physical reactions.
So in this sentence, 재채기가 계속 나고 means sneezing keeps happening.
What is the role of 계속 and -고 in 계속 나고?
- 계속 means continuously, continually, or keep on
- -고 links one clause to the next, usually meaning and
So:
- 재채기가 계속 나고 = sneezing keeps happening, and...
- then the speaker adds another symptom:
- 미열도 있어 = there is also a low fever
This makes the sentence feel like a natural list of continuing symptoms.
What exactly does 미열도 있어 mean? And what does 도 do?
미열 means a slight fever or a low-grade fever.
도 means also, too, or as well.
So:
- 미열도 있어 = there is also a slight fever / I also have a slight fever
The 도 shows that this is an additional symptom, on top of the sneezing.
Without 도, it would simply state the fever. With 도, it emphasizes this too.
Why is there no explicit I or my in the sentence?
Because Korean very often omits subjects and possessives when they are clear from context.
In a sentence about symptoms, the listener naturally understands that the speaker is talking about themselves unless something else is specified.
So Korean does not need to say:
- 나는
- 내가
- 내 감기
- 내 재채기
The context already tells us that these are the speaker’s symptoms.
This is one of the biggest differences from English: Korean frequently leaves out information that English normally says explicitly.
Is this sentence casual or formal?
It is casual / informal polite-neutral conversation, mainly because it ends in 있어 instead of a more formal form.
Compare:
감기는 거의 나았는데 재채기가 계속 나고 미열도 있어.
casual, natural in conversation감기는 거의 나았는데 재채기가 계속 나고 미열도 있어요.
polite everyday speech감기는 거의 나았는데 재채기가 계속 나고 미열도 있습니다.
more formal
So the version you have sounds like something you would say to a friend, family member, or someone you speak casually with.
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