Understanding Korean Relative Clauses
In Korean, a relative clause is a part of a sentence that describes or gives more information about a noun. It helps to tell us more about the person, place, or thing we are talking about.
To make a relative clause in Korean, you need to change the verb in the clause to match the tense and then place it before the noun you want to describe.
Important Points
- Present tense: Add '-는' to the verb stem.
- Past tense: Add '-(으)ㄴ' to the verb stem.
- Future tense: Add '-(으)ㄹ' to the verb stem.
Let's look at some examples to see how it works.
Examples
- 제가 읽는 책은 재미있어요. (The book that I am reading is interesting.)
- 어제 본 영화가 좋아요. (The movie that I saw yesterday was good.)
- 내일 갈 곳을 알아요. (I know the place that we will go to tomorrow.)
Now, you understand that the verb changes depending on when the action happens. This helps us know if the action is happening now, happened before, or will happen later.
Remember, the relative clause always comes before the noun it describes. This is different from English, where the clause comes after the noun.
Examples
- 친구가 만드는 음식이 맛있어요. (The food that my friend is making is delicious.)
- 제가 쓴 편지를 받았어요. (I received the letter that I wrote.)
- 그가 살 집을 찾고 있어요. (He is looking for a house that he will live in.)
Practice using these rules to make your own sentences. With time, it will become easier to use relative clauses in Korean.