haru Korean › Grammar › Level 2B › A-게
A-게 — …ly, in a … way — saying how you do something
…ly, in a … way — saying how you do something. Korean grammar for upper beginner learners — Level 2B, lesson 3: 저는 좀 조용한 편이에요 (I'm the quiet type — looks and personality).
What it means
-게 turns an adjective into a word that tells you how something is done, like '-ly' in English. Take 다 off and add 게 — 받침 does not matter, and nothing changes, not even ㅂ or ㄹ: 크다 → 크게, 짧다 → 짧게, 예쁘다 → 예쁘게, 귀엽다 → 귀엽게, 길다 → 길게, 재미있다 → 재미있게. Put it right before the verb: 머리를 짧게 했어요, 사진을 예쁘게 찍어 주세요, 좀 크게 말해 주세요. It answers the question 어떻게? 'how?'. Compare A-(으)ㄴ N from Level 1B: 예쁜 옷 'a pretty top' tells you what kind of thing; 옷을 예쁘게 입었어요 'I dressed nicely' tells you how. -았/었- never goes before -게; the tense goes on the verb: 재미있게 놀았어요. You already know two of these: 늦게 (늦다 → 늦게) and 맛있게 드세요. A few adjectives also have a form in -이 or -히 (조용히, 깨끗이), but -게 works with every adjective.
Forms
| Pattern | When | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A-게 | 형용사 — 받침 O · 받침 X 모두 · 불규칙 없음 | 크다 + 게 → 크게 |
Key points
- A-게 = …ly, in a … way: take 다 off and add 게 — no 받침 rule and no irregulars: 크게 · 짧게 · 예쁘게 · 귀엽게
- It goes right before the verb and answers 어떻게?: 머리를 짧게 했어요. The tense goes on the verb: 재미있게 놀았어요.
Examples
- 크다 → 크게. 작다 → 작게. 짧다 → 짧게.
- 예쁘다 → 예쁘게. 재미있다 → 재미있게. 따뜻하다 → 따뜻하게.
- 사진을 예쁘게 찍어 주세요.
- 주말에 친구들하고 재미있게 놀았어요.
Where university textbooks teach it
This point also appears in: Seoul National University Korean 2B, lesson 12; Yonsei University Korean 2-1, lesson 1; Sogang University Korean 3B, lesson 4; Ewha Womans University Korean 2-2, lesson 8; Hongik University Korean 2A, lesson 5; Hanyang University Korean 2-1, lesson 5.
Also in this lesson
- A-아/어 보이다 — look …, seem … — saying how something looks to you
- N처럼 · N같이 — like N — comparing someone with someone else
- A-(으)ㄴ 편이다 · V-는 편이다 — rather …, on the … side — describing yourself and others softly