Questions tagged [phrase-meaning]
Questions about the meaning of a given phrase in context.
81
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Where is the following sentence wrong?
In a Korean book there is a sentence that goes like this:
선생님, 저와 함께 술을 드시러 가시지요
This book says that the above sentence is not entirely correct because it uses incorrect honorifics. Can you help me ...
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1
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77
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How to write “egg baby” with the same innuendo or word play as 터래기 meaning fur baby?
This is an unconventional request but a Korean artist created a brand called Teolaegi 터래기 which from my very basic understanding is a play on words for fur baby. How would one do the same for ‘egg ...
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1
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91
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Korea root meanings: 작다 - small 적다 - to be few
Is there a relationship between these two words (since they sound similar)? I always try to look at roots , meanings, and suffixes, like I do in other languages. Or is this just a coincidence ?
작다 - ...
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-하느라 하지 말고 Meaning
I've been reading some Northern texts and came across this -하느라 하지 말고 phrase being used. I'm unsure what it means or how to understand it. Some examples of its use:
내 말은 덮어놓고 여름부터 땀흘리며 일하느라 하지 말고 ...
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2
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1
answer
188
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Difference in nuance between 미안하다, 죄송하다 and 송구하다
What message is conveyed by saying these different types of apologies in Korean:
1. 미안하다
2. 죄송하다
and
3. 송구하다
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2
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1
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513
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In Korean, when is (으)라고 used?
I previously knew about one of the indirect quotation structures in Korean which is (으)라고 하다
In some Korean videos, I see sentences like "밥 먹으라고" or "가라고".
밥 먹으라고 and 가라고 are ...
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1
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75
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Without the 는 것 structure, what will the meaning of the following sentence become?
In the advanced Korean book that I am studying, there is a sentence that goes like this:
취업 성공 여부를 결정하는 면접 평가에서 과연 면접관들은 지원자의 어떤 점을 보는 것일까?
In this sentence, the author uses the 는 것 structure in the ...
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2
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142
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What does "운전기사, 식모살이나 하는 주제에!!" mean?
I was reading a manhwwa when someone said "운전기사, 식모살이나 하는 주제에!" angrily to the protagonist.
The protagonist's parents are a chauffer and a maid, so I think she is saying "The driver, ...
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3
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1
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109
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In the following sentences, are the pairs of prepositions 와/과 and 에게, 을/를 and 에게 correct and completely interchangeable, right?
I have sentence as follows:
저는 친구들과 연락을 해요 and 저는 친구들에게 연락을 해요 (I'm in touch with my friends)
나는 친구들을 도와줬어요 and 나는 친구들에게 도와줬어요 (I helped my friends)
In this sentences, are the pairs of ...
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2
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663
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What does "다며" mean in this text
I have a text as follows:
오랜만에 고등학교 때 단짝이었던 친구를 만났다. 이런저런 이야기를 하던 중 그 친구는 나에게 볼 만한 사진 전시회가 있다며 같이 가 보지 않겠냐고 물었다
What does "다며" mean in this text
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What do 인 사상 and 다 싶으리 mean in the passage below?
I have a text as follows:
그러나 이 중에서 현대 한국인들의 사고에 큰 영향을 끼치고 있는 사상은 뭐니 뭐니 해도 조선 시대의 국교였던 유교라고 할 수 있다. 유교는 중국의 춘추 시대에 살았던 사상가 공자(기원전 551~479년)의 사상을 기본으로 한다. 공자는 첫째로, 항상 어진 마음을 가지고 생활해야 한다는 인 사상과 둘째로, ...
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367
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When to use ㄴ/은 듯이 and when to use 았/었듯이?
I have been learning about the 듯이 structure. However, when I use it with the past tense, I see two expressions: ㄴ/은 듯이 and 았/었듯이. For example I have the following sentences:
친구가 화가 난 듯이 나를 쳐다보았다
친구가 ...
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1
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62
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why does the author use the 아/어라 structure in the commands highlighted below?
I'm studying an advanced Korean book. The book contains the following passage:
돈을 모으는 가장 쉬운 재테크는 자신이 가지고 있는 통장 관리를 어떻게 하느냐에 있다. 통장 관 리가 재테크의 기본이 되는 것이다. 자신의 통장을 용도별, 유형별로 잘 나누거나 합칠 필요가 있다. 통장 관리만 잘해도 ...
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88
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Is this Internet comment on how to distinguish 은/는 and 이/가 correct?
Like many other Korean learners, I also have a hard time distinguishing 은/는 and 이/가. Then I researched on the internet about this problem and found a video about it. You can watch that video below:
...
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53
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형이다마는 in this sentence is wrong, right?
I am learning the ㄴ/는다마는 structure, and i have a sentence as follows:
그 사람이 내 형이다마는 서로 얼굴을 안 본 지 오래되었어요. (That person is my brother, but we haven't seen each other for a long time)
As far as I ...
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1
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77
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Can (으)ㄹ바에는 and 기보다 be completely interchangeable?
i have 2 sentence as follows:
맛없는 밥을 먹을 바에는 차라리 굶는 것이 더 낫습니다.(Better to starve than to eat tasteless rice)
그 사람이랑 여행을 갈 바에는 차라리 그냥 집에 있겠어요 (If I have to go on a trip with him, I would rather just ...
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191
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Why does the indirect quotation (ㄴ/는)다고 mean "just because" in the following cases?
I have studied grammar (ㄴ/는)다고 before and know that this grammar is indirect quotation in Korean, which means "to say that/to ask that....". However, today I learned again that this grammar ...
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198
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What does 삽질 하네 and 놀구 있네 mean?
I've been trying to learn slangs and came across these phrases. What does 삽질 하네 and 놀구 있네 mean? Are they different or do they have the same sentiment/meaning? And do they carry negative connotations?
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How did 이르다 get transformed to 이르러서는 in this sentence?
i have a sentence as follows:
얼굴에 탈을 쓰고 추는 춤인 탈춤은 가면무용이라고도 한다. 신라시대에 유행한 처용무 등이 궁중무용으로 전해지더니, 이것이 고려· 조선 시대에 이르러서는 민속무용으로 크게 계승, 발전하 였다.
As I think in this passage, 이르러서는 = 이르다 + 아/어서 + 는. However, ...
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Is (으)ㄴ/는단 a shortened form of (으)ㄴ/는다는?
i have a sentece as follows:
요즘 살을 빼기 때문에 밥을 안 먹고 과일만 먹어요.
정말 과일만 먹는단 말이에요?
Can i replace the 는단 in the sentence above with 는다는 to become like this?
정말 과일만 먹는다는 말이에요?
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2
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What is the difference between 아/어 노력하다 and (으)려고 노력하다?
In a Korean book, I read a sentence like this:
최선을 다해 노력하는 사람이 성공하는 법이에요
In the phrase "다해 노력하는", I think the author used the grammar 아/어서 (다하다 + 아/어서 + 노력하다). Can I replace this with &...
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81
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What does "맞춰 발전시킨" mean in the following sentence?
i have a sentence as follow:
중국에서 들어온 유교를 한국의 상황에 맞춰 발전시킨 이이 선생이나 이황 선 생이 대표적인 예이다.
When I use Google to transte it into English, the result are as follow:
Lee Yi and Yi Hwang, who developed ...
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71
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What does the sentence below mean?
I'm reading a review of a book called "20대에 읽어야 할 인물 50인". In this review there is a passage:
처음에 50인이라고 해서 과거 역사 속의 위인이나 세계의 유명한 인사 등을 소개하는 책 인 줄 알았다. 그렇지만 읽으면서 보니 우리 주변에서 흔히 볼 수 있는 인물들이 ...
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What is the function of commas (쉼표) in the following sentences?
I have the following 2 paragraphs:
요즈음 세계 곳곳에서 서서히 일어나고 있는 ‘슬로푸드(slow food)’ 운동도 생활
습관 병을 고치는 데 도움이 된다. 자기 나라에서 오랫동안 내려온, 자기 민족의 전통 음식을 즐기
는 슬로푸드 운동을 통해 현대인들도 많은 병을 고칠 수 있을 것이다.
and
요즘은 기업, 부자 중심의 ‘...
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Are abbreviations allowed in TOPIK Writting?
I am practicing writing TOPIK. As far as I know, in the TOPIK Writing, abbreviations are not allowed (e.g. 는 것이 can not be abbreviated to 는게, 무엇을 can not be abbreviated to 뭘), so why in the Answer ...
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1
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What does the sentence in the passage below mean?
I have the following text.
그리워하는데도 한 번 만나고는 못 만나게 되기도 하고, 일생을 못 잊으면서 아니 만나고 살기도 한다. 아사코와 나는 세 번 만났다. 세 번째는 아니 만났어야 좋았을 것이다. 오는 주말에는 아사코가 살았던 춘천에 갔다 오려고 한다.소양강 가을 경치가 아름다울 것이다.
In the passage above, ...
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1
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244
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What does 티격태격 mean?
It's from a song and I don't really understand every translation I've seen. The whole verse/sentence goes like 막상 티격태격 서로를 향해 겨누지만 고마운 줄 모르고 배부른 거지 뭐. (for context)
I'd be glad if someone helped me!
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165
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What does the word "란" mean in TOPIK exam?
I read in the answer section of the TOPIK exam that there are a few words "답란" and "결시 확인란". Why is there the word "란" in these words? What does this word "란" ...
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2
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For the phrase 무궁화 꽃이 피었습니다 in Squid Game, why is the word flower repeated?
I thought the words 무궁화 means Hibiscus flower (or Infinite Flower in Korean), or Big Red Flower (大紅花) in Chinese.
The word 꽃이 also means flower. How come the word flower is mentioned again if 무궁화 ...
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1
answer
505
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What is the difference between 가게 됐어요, 가게 돼요 and 게 될 거예요?
i have 3 sentences as follows:
흐엉 씨는 한국으로 가게 됐어요
흐엉 씨는 한국으로 가게 돼요
흐엉 씨는 한국으로 가게 될 거예요.
How are the 3 sentences above different? I understand the "게 되다" structure, but still don't ...
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1
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115
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What does ""바빠도 되도록" mean in this sentence?
i have a sentence as follows:
아무리 바빠도 되도록 저녁 식사는 가족과 함께해야 한다고 생각합니다
I already know about the structure 아/어도 되다 and 도록 in Korean, but I still can't understand the phrase "바빠도 되도록". What ...
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1
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2
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261
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When can "아/어서" mean "to"?
I've found that "아/어서" can be used to mean "to" in a number of examples, such as:
저는 학교에 가서 공부할 거예요: I go to school to study
나는 친구들을 만나서 이야기했어요: I met my friends to talk
Now, I ...
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1
vote
2
answers
429
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What does 참코 애발매일 mean?
So I’m trying to join a silent chat room and it requires a passcode. The passcode hint is ‘참코 애발매일 YYMMDD’. What does it mean?
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1
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1
answer
609
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What does "있어" mean in this sentence?
i have a sentence as follows:
직장인에게 있어 재충전을 위한 여가 활동은 매우 중요하다
What does "있어" mean? I translated 있어 into english using google translate and it says that 있어 means "for (직장인에게)", ...
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0
votes
1
answer
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내다 놓다 change of 내다?
I have recently learned the vocabulary 쓰레기를 내다 놓다 as to take out the trash.
However in the book the following sentence occurs: 다림질이나 쓰레기도 분리해서 내어 놓아야 한다.
My question would be: why did they change the ...
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4
votes
3
answers
311
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Why this sentence are wrong?
I read in a Korean textbook the following sentence:
그는 대학교에 합격해서 정말 기쁘다
The textbook said this is correct. But to the next sentence
그는 대학교에 합격해서 정말 기뻤어?
This textbook said that the sentence is ...
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2
answers
349
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How to change the following sentences into ㄴ/는대요?
I know in Korean, ㄴ/는다고 하다 can be shortened to ㄴ/는대요. However, what about sentences ending in past tense or honorifics? For example, I have the following 2 sentences:
흐어 씨는 어제 도서관에 갔다고 했어요:Huong said ...
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1
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2
answers
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What does "디엠 씨도 멋쟁이가 되어 보라고 드리는 거예요" mean?
I have a short dialogue like this:
와, 스카프네요
올가을에 유행한다고 해요. 디엠 씨도 멋쟁이가 되어 보라고 드리는 거예요.
What does "디엠 씨도 멋쟁이가 되어 보라고 드리는 거예요" mean? I can't understand this sentence because it has the ...
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1
vote
2
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37
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Translation of "Pledge"
I have to write a text in Korean. In this text I must have a "Pledge" section where I must promise that I take full responsibility for what is presented in this text, however I don't know ...
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4
votes
3
answers
363
views
How do I read a tilde “~” in Korean?
I'm learning Korean and noticed that Korean contains a lot of phrases with the Tilde "~" . For example the sentence:
여행지의 기본 정보를 알아본 후 여행 상품을 2~3개 정도 고릅니다.
I see this Tidle "~" ...
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1
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1
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147
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ㄴ지 as unsure reason?
"너무 피곤한지 옷을 입은 채 자고 있는데 깨울까요? " is translated as
He fell a sleep wearing his clothes on maybe because he is too tired. Should we wake him up?
Can the ㄴ지 form can also be used as an unsure ...
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votes
1
answer
251
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Meaning of 애써 아무렇다
In Sunmi's Who Am I, the first words of the song are
애써 아무렇지 않은 척 / 쿨한 척 센 척은 필요 없어
which is apparently translated as "You don't need to pretend nothing's wrong, you don't need to pretend to be ...
3
votes
2
answers
226
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What does 아끼면서 살자 mean?
I have a question about a Korean phrase. I am wondering what 아끼면서 살자 means? I have been getting conflicting results. I have heard that it can possibly mean, "Let's be frugal", or, "...
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1
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145
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What does "오직 운전만 하세요" mean in this paragraph?
I am studying Kyunghee Listening and there is an advertisement in the book that looks like this:
예쁜 딸아이에게 보고 싶다는 말을 하지 마세요. 따뜻한 밥을 차려 준 아내에게 고맙다는 전화도 하지 마세요 [...]아무것도 하지 마세요. 오직, 운전만 하세요. 세상 그 어떤 ...
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2
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2
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176
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-라고 with (으)면 되다?
In my textbook I got the following phrase:
"뭐라고?"라는 말을 대산하려면 "어?"라고 끝을 올리면 됩니다.
I understand what the sentence wants to tell me, but can somebody explain it in more details to me, ...
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1
vote
1
answer
180
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Is this a saying?
Sentence:
비나 와라. 비나 와 버려라.
Papago translates it as "Come rain. Come rain" which sounds like a saying to me. Does it mean something specific?
The paragraph is just about a guy needing to ...
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1
answer
144
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떠들고 다니다 meaning
The sentence is:
벌써 2학년 1학기가 지나 버렸고 더 이상은 기다릴 수 없다고 마음먹자, 갑자기 웬 농구부 주장이 오늘 혜현에게 고백을 하겠다고 공공연히 떠들고 다녔다.
And like, I get what it's saying, but does 떠들고 다니다 mean something specific as a phrase?
I get ...
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1
vote
1
answer
116
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Is it a metaphor? 장마철의 보충수업 기간
I'm trying to read 보건교사 안은영 by 정세랑. Aaaand I got stuck on the first sentence.
장마철의 보충수업 기간, 학교에 들어서는 순간 신발장 냄새가 진했다.
So the papago translation is:
During the rainy season, the smell of shoe rack ...
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2
votes
3
answers
382
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What does “계실겁니다” mean?
everyone. I am new here, so I hope that you will not mind if I ask you a question.
I am currently reading a Korean comic titled “문신”. If you wish to read the original version, please see the following ...
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3
votes
2
answers
306
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Meaning of '같잖아서 원'?
I'm watching a drama and heard somebody say '같잖아서 원' as they were getting angry - '같잖아서 원... 영재 하는 대로 따라하면 무조건 붙는대?' (yes - it's from Sky Castle). I know that 같잖다 means foolish but could anybody clear ...
