haru Korean › Grammar › Level 5B › A-(으)ㄴ걸(요) · V-는걸(요)
A-(으)ㄴ걸(요) · V-는걸(요) — but actually … · oh, it's … — a gentle 'that's not quite so' or a little surprise
But actually … · oh, it's … — a gentle 'that's not quite so' or a little surprise. Korean grammar for advanced learners — Level 5B, lesson 4: 집 구하기와 자취 (Finding a room, living alone — a lease, the five checks before you sign, rental fraud, asking for repairs and cooking for yourself).
What it means
-는걸(요) says gently that something is not as the other person — or you — expected: 생각보다 비싼걸요 'it's pricier than I thought, actually'. It can also mark a small surprise; to friends drop 요: 와, 벌써 12월인걸!. Adjectives take -(으)ㄴ걸요, verbs -는걸요, nouns 인걸요, and the past -았/었는걸요. Do not mix it up with -(으)ㄹ걸요 from Lesson 3B-11, which is a guess ('it'll probably be …').
Forms
| Pattern | When | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A-(으)ㄴ걸(요) | 형용사 (받침 O 은걸요 · X 걸요) | 비싸다 → 비싼걸요 |
| V-는걸(요) · N인걸(요) | 동사 · 있다/없다 / 명사 | 걸리다 → 5분밖에 안 걸리는걸요 |
Key points
- -는걸(요) = but actually … / oh, it's …: 형용사 -(으)ㄴ걸요 (비싼걸요) · 동사 -는걸요 (걸리는걸요) · 명사 인걸요 · 과거 -았/었는걸요. Written together.
- A soft rebuttal or a small surprise. Not -(으)ㄹ걸요 (3B-11 — a guess). Informal -는걸.
Examples
- 상대방의 생각이나 내가 생각한 것과 다를 때 부드럽게 말해요: 생각보다 비싼걸요.
- 새로 알게 된 일에 조금 놀랄 때도 써요. 친구에게는 「요」를 빼요: 와, 벌써 12월인걸!
- 형용사 -(으)ㄴ걸요 · 동사 -는걸요 · 명사 인걸요 · 과거 -았/었는걸요: 비싼걸요 · 걸리는걸요 · 원룸인걸요 · 봤는걸요
- 3B 11과의 -(으)ㄹ걸요는 「아마 그럴 거예요」라는 뜻이에요. 받침 하나로 뜻이 달라져요.
Where university textbooks teach it
This point also appears in: Yonsei University Korean 4-1, lesson 5; Hanyang University Korean 4-1, lesson 2; Hongik University Korean 5B, lesson 10.
Also in this lesson
- A/V-(으)려고(요)? — surely you're not going to …? · how could …? — doubting a plan or a claim
- V-기가 바쁘게 — no sooner … than · the moment … — one thing hard on the heels of another
- A/V-네 — oh, it's … — a reaction to what you notice right now, to a friend or to yourself (Lesson 1A-8 -네요, now in informal speech)