B1 · Intermédiaire Chapitre 13

Explanations and Emotional Reactions

6 Règles totales
64 exemples
5 min
Règles dans ce chapitre Pratique rapide

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Master the art of emotional nuance and contextual storytelling to sound like a native Korean speaker.

  • Provide background context with polite explanatory endings.
  • Reference shared knowledge to build conversational rapport.
  • Express genuine emotions ranging from surprise to gratitude.
Connect through emotion, express with confidence.

Ce que tu vas apprendre

Hey there, language explorer! In this chapter, we're diving deep into the heart of Korean conversations to learn how to inject context and emotion into everything you say, making you sound incredibly natural, just like a native speaker. No more bland, robotic Korean for you! First up, with 거든요 you'll master how to politely provide reasons or offer background information your listener might not know, essentially saying because, you see... or as you know.... Then, we move to 잖아요, a super handy expression for referencing shared knowledge or gently reminding someone of a fact they should already be aware of, like you know, right...? Ever wanted to gracefully correct someone or assert a fact that contradicts their assumption, perhaps with a touch of modesty? That's exactly what ㄴ/은걸요 is for, giving you that perfect actually... nuance. Next, 덕분에 teaches you how to express gratitude, meaning thanks to... or because of... — but remember, it's exclusively for positive outcomes, unless you're being playfully sarcastic! Finally, we'll tackle the versatile ~다니. You'll learn two powerful uses: first, to convey shock or regret, like "I can't believe that...!

when faced with surprising or unfortunate news. Second, to express genuine surprise, disbelief, or admiration, giving you that
Wait, really?!" reaction to a newly discovered fact. These aren't just grammar points; they're the keys to unlocking truly expressive and engaging Korean. By the end of this chapter, you'll be able to navigate complex social interactions, convey your true feelings, and understand the subtle nuances that make conversations so rich. Ready for this exciting journey?

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to: Use contextual endings to explain your actions and opinions naturally.

Guide du chapitre

Overview

Welcome, language explorer, to a crucial chapter in your Korean grammar B1 journey! In this guide, we're unlocking the secrets to truly natural and expressive Korean communication. Moving beyond basic sentence structures, we'll delve into patterns that allow you to convey subtle nuances, provide context, and express genuine emotions, just like native speakers do.
Mastering these structures is vital for navigating complex social interactions and understanding the rich tapestry of Korean conversation. By the time you finish this chapter, you'll be equipped to add depth and personality to your speech, making your Korean sound less like a textbook and more like real life.
This chapter focuses on five powerful grammatical tools: 거든요, 잖아요, ㄴ/은걸요, 덕분에, and ~다니. These aren't just dry rules; they are the keys to injecting background information, reminding others of shared knowledge, gently correcting assumptions, expressing heartfelt gratitude, and reacting with surprise or regret. At the B1 level, you're ready to move beyond simply being understood and start truly *connecting* with others in Korean.
Get ready to elevate your conversational skills and sound incredibly natural!

How This Grammar Works

Let's break down the core functions of these expressive Korean grammar patterns. First up is 거든요, which you use to provide background information or a reason for something, often when the listener isn't aware of it. It's like saying because, you see... or as you know....
For example: 비가 오거든요 (Because it's raining, you see). Next, we have 잖아요, a super handy pattern for referencing shared knowledge or reminding someone of a fact they should already know. Think of it as you know, right...? or as you know....
For instance: 어제 말했잖아요 (I told you yesterday, you know!).
Then comes ㄴ/은걸요, a subtle yet powerful ending for asserting a fact or gently correcting someone's assumption, often with a touch of modesty or politeness. It translates to actually... or
it is... you know.
For example: 저도 처음인걸요 (Actually, it's my first time too).
Moving on, 덕분에 allows you to express gratitude for a positive outcome, meaning thanks to... or because of.... Remember, it's exclusively for good things! 여행 덕분에 기분이 좋아요 (Thanks to the trip, I feel good).
Finally, the versatile ~다니 has two key uses. One is to express shock or regret, often upon hearing surprising or unfortunate news, like "I can't believe that...! or To think that...". For example: 벌써 끝났다니 믿을 수 없어요 (I can't believe it's already over).
The second use of ~다니 conveys genuine surprise, disbelief, or admiration for a newly discovered fact, similar to Wait, really?! or To think that.... 예를 들어: 혼자서 다 했다니 대단하네요 (To think you did it all by yourself, that's amazing!). Mastering these patterns will significantly boost your B1 Korean conversational fluency.

Common Mistakes

  1. 1✗ Wrong: 공부 덕분에 시험에 떨어졌어요. (Thanks to studying, I failed the exam.)
✓ Correct: 공부를 안 한 탓에 시험에 떨어졌어요. (Because I didn't study, I failed the exam.)
*Explanation:* 덕분에 is exclusively for positive outcomes. Using it for negative situations sounds sarcastic or grammatically incorrect. For negative causes, use patterns like -때문에 or -탓에.
  1. 1✗ Wrong: (To a stranger) 여기 앉으세요. 비어있잖아요. (Please sit here. It's empty, you know.)
✓ Correct: (To a stranger) 여기 앉으세요. 비어있거든요. (Please sit here. It's empty, you see.)
*Explanation:* 잖아요 implies shared knowledge or a reminder. Using it with someone you don't have shared context with can sound presumptuous or impolite. 거든요 is better for providing new, factual information to someone.
  1. 1✗ Wrong: (To express shock) 네가 그걸 몰라 다니? (You don't know that, to think?)
✓ Correct: 네가 그걸 모르다니? (To think you don't know that?)
*Explanation:* When using ~다니 with verbs, the verb stem connects directly to ~다니 without additional particles like -라. The verb is in its plain form (e.g., 모르다 -> 모르다니).

Real Conversations

A

A

왜 이렇게 늦었어요? (Why are you so late?)
B

B

미안해요. 길이 많이 막혔거든요. (I'm sorry. The road was really jammed, you see.)
A

A

이 식당 진짜 맛있어요! (This restaurant is really delicious!)
B

B

맞아요. 우리 지난주에도 왔잖아요. (Right. We came last week too, you know!)
A

A

한국어 배우기 너무 어렵지 않아요? (Isn't learning Korean too hard?)
B

B

아니요, 생각보다 재미있는걸요! (No, actually, it's more fun than I thought!)

Quick FAQ

Q

Can I use 덕분에 even if the positive outcome wasn't directly caused by a person?

Yes! You can use 덕분에 with non-human subjects or situations, like 날씨 덕분에 (thanks to the weather) or 인터넷 덕분에 (thanks to the internet), as long as the result is positive.

Q

What's the main difference between 거든요 and -아서/어서?

While both give reasons, -아서/어서 states a direct, objective cause-and-effect. 거든요 provides background information or a reason the listener might not know, often with a slightly more conversational tone, setting up a further explanation or justification.

Q

Is ㄴ/은걸요 always polite?

Yes, ㄴ/은걸요 inherently carries a polite and often gentle nuance, making it suitable for situations where you're correcting or asserting a fact without sounding aggressive.

Q

Can ~다니 be used in formal speech?

While ~다니 is very common in spoken, informal contexts, it can appear in more formal settings, especially when conveying surprise or disbelief in a report or news. However, for very formal written contexts, other expressions might be preferred.

Cultural Context

These grammar patterns are deeply embedded in the social fabric of Korean conversations. Using 거든요 and 잖아요 correctly demonstrates an understanding of shared social context and helps build rapport. ㄴ/은걸요 allows for polite disagreement or assertion, reflecting the value placed on harmonious communication.
덕분에 is essential for expressing gratitude, a cornerstone of Korean etiquette. Finally, ~다니 lets you react authentically, showcasing emotional engagement, which is highly valued in close relationships. Mastering them helps you navigate the subtle dance of communication, making your B1 Korean sound truly authentic.

Exemples clés (8)

1

배가 부르거든요.

C'est parce que je n'ai plus faim, tu vois.

L'explicateur « Parce que, voyez-vous » (거든요)
2

제가 어제 잠을 못 잤거든요.

C'est parce que je n'ai pas pu dormir hier.

L'explicateur « Parce que, voyez-vous » (거든요)
3

아니요, 저는 매운 거 잘 먹는걸요.

Non, en fait j'en mange très bien.

La terminaison 'En fait...' (ㄴ/은걸요)
4

아니에요, 저는 아직 많이 부족한걸요.

Non, je manque encore beaucoup de pratique.

La terminaison 'En fait...' (ㄴ/은걸요)
5

장학금 덕분에 대학교를 무사히 졸업했어요.

Grâce à la bourse, j'ai terminé l'université sans encombre.

Dire "Grâce à..." en coréen : La règle -덕분에
6

네가 도와준 덕분에 빨리 끝났어!

Grâce à ton aide, ça s'est fini vite !

Dire "Grâce à..." en coréen : La règle -덕분에
7

벌써 매진이라니 말도 안 돼!

Dire que c'est déjà complet, c'est n'importe quoi !

Étonnamment : -다니 (Attends, vraiment ?)
8

민지 씨가 회사를 그만둔다니 정말 아쉬워요.

Je suis vraiment triste d'apprendre que Minji quitte l'entreprise.

Étonnamment : -다니 (Attends, vraiment ?)

Conseils et astuces (4)

⚠️

Attention au ton

Si tu montes le ton à la fin, ça peut paraître sec, genre 'Bah parce que c'est comme ça !'. Garde une intonation stable pour rester sympa : «제가 다 했거든요.»
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: L'explicateur « Parce que, voyez-vous » (거든요)
⚠️

Attention au ton !

Si tu le dis trop fort, ça peut sonner comme un reproche agacé. Reste zen pour être amical : «알잖아요.»
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: La structure 'Tu sais bien' (janayo)
⚠️

L'intonation est clé !

Comme tu contredis quelqu'un, utilise une intonation douce et montante pour ne pas paraître impoli : «정말 생각보다 괜찮은걸요.»
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: La terminaison 'En fait...' (ㄴ/은걸요)
💡

Lâche le '에' avec tes potes

Quand tu parles à des amis proches, tu peux juste finir ta phrase par «너 덕분이야!» (C'est grâce à toi !) au lieu d'utiliser la forme complète.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Dire "Grâce à..." en coréen : La règle -덕분에

Vocabulaire clé (6)

덕분에 (deokbune) thanks to 상황 (sanghwang) situation 놀랍다 (nollapda) to be surprising 사실 (sasil) fact 기억하다 (gieokhada) to remember 충격 (chunggyeok) shock

Real-World Preview

briefcase

At the Office

Review Summary

  • Verb/Adj + 거든요
  • Verb/Adj + 잖아요
  • Verb/Adj + ㄴ/은걸요
  • Noun + 덕분에
  • Verb/Adj + 다니
  • Verb/Adj + 다니

Erreurs courantes

덕분에 is only for positive outcomes. Since getting wet/using an umbrella is neutral/negative, use 때문에.

Wrong: 비가 와서 덕분에 우산을 썼어요.
Correct: 비가 와서 때문에 우산을 썼어요.

거든요 is for providing context to a sentence, not as an answer to a question.

Wrong: 그는 거든요.
Correct: 그는 그래요.

잖아요 is only for facts you both know. Don't use it to ask about new information.

Wrong: 알잖아요? (when the listener doesn't know)
Correct: 아세요? (Do you know?)

Règles dans ce chapitre (6)

1

L'explicateur « Parce que, voyez-vous » (거든요)

B1
Utilise «거든요» pour expliquer poliment une raison ou donner un contexte que ton interlocuteur ignore encore. C'est ton outil pour dire "c'est parce que ou tu vois".
배가 부르거든요.
12 exemples
2

La structure 'Tu sais bien' (janayo)

B1
Utilise 잖아요 pour rafraîchir la mémoire de ton interlocuteur sur un fait partagé. C'est l'outil parfait pour dire tu sais ou
comme on le sait
.
어제 말했잖아요.
12 exemples
3

La terminaison 'En fait...' (ㄴ/은걸요)

B1
Utilise ㄴ/은걸요 pour affirmer un fait qui contredit ce que l'autre pense, souvent avec une touche de modestie.
아니요, 잘 먹는걸요.
10 exemples
4

Dire "Grâce à..." en coréen : La règle -덕분에

B1
Utilise toujours «-덕분에» pour souligner un résultat positif, comme un petit merci caché. Retiens bien : «덕분에» c'est pour le top, «때문에» c'est plus neutre.
장학금 덕분에 대학교를 무사히 졸업했어요.
10 exemples
5

Exprimer le choc : 'Je n'arrive pas à y croire...' (~다니)

B1
Utilise ~다니 pour exprimer ton choc ou ton incrédulité face à une nouvelle surprenante. C'est parfait pour dire "je n'arrive pas à croire que... avec les badges ~다니«, »~라니 et ~다니요".
I can't believe it's already 12 o'clock.
10 exemples
6

Étonnamment : -다니 (Attends, vraiment ?)

B1
Utilise «-다니» pour réagir avec choc, incrédulité ou admiration à un fait. Tes outils magiques : «-다니» pour les verbes, «-라니» pour les noms, et «말도 안 돼» pour dire que c'est insensé.
벌써 매진이라니 말도 안 돼!
10 exemples

Next Steps

You have mastered the emotional heart of Korean! Take a moment to celebrate this achievement before moving on to describing the world.

Watch a K-Drama and listen for these endings.

Continue to: Describing Nouns and Creating Concepts

Pratique rapide (10)

Quelle phrase est correcte et naturelle ?

Choisis la bonne phrase :

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: 친구가 도와준 덕분에 숙제를 빨리 끝냈어요.
'-덕분에' ne s'utilise que pour le positif. Être mouillé ou en retard, c'est nul, donc on utilise '-때문에' ou '-탓에'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Dire "Grâce à..." en coréen : La règle -덕분에

Complète la phrase pour dire 'Tu sais que je suis occupé.'

저 지금 바쁘___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: 잖아요
Comme l'interlocuteur devrait savoir que tu es occupé, '잖아요' est le meilleur choix ici.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: La structure 'Tu sais bien' (janayo)

Trouve et corrige l'erreur dans la phrase.

피자를 혼자 다 먹다니 정말 대단해요. (Contexte : La pizza a déjà disparu)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: 혼자 다 먹었다니
La phrase originale utilisait 먹다니, mais il manque le marqueur du passé pour une action déjà finie.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Exprimer le choc : 'Je n'arrive pas à y croire...' (~다니)

Quelle phrase exprime correctement la surprise face à un nom ?

Choisis la bonne phrase pour : 'Dire que c'est un étudiant...'

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: 그 사람이 학생이라니...
Les noms finissant par une consonne prennent «-이라니». «학생» finit par 'ㅇ', donc on utilise «학생이라니».

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Étonnamment : -다니 (Attends, vraiment ?)

Quelle phrase est la plus naturelle pour expliquer que tu es en retard (car le bus n'est pas venu) ?

Choisis la meilleure explication :

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: 버스가 안 왔거든요.
Si la personne qui attend ne sait pas pourquoi le bus n'est pas venu, '거든요' est parfait pour donner cette info.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: L'explicateur « Parce que, voyez-vous » (거든요)

Complète la phrase avec la bonne forme.

부모님 ___ 유학을 갈 수 있었습니다. (Grâce à mes parents, j'ai pu partir étudier à l'étranger.)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: 덕분에
Comme '부모님' est un nom et que le résultat est super positif, on colle '덕분에' direct après le nom.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Dire "Grâce à..." en coréen : La règle -덕분에

Trouve l'erreur de conjugaison au présent pour ce verbe d'action.

Find and fix the mistake:

A: 지금 공부 안 하죠? B: 아니요, 지금 공부 한걸요.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: 공부 하는걸요
Pour les verbes d'action au présent, on doit utiliser '는걸요'. '한걸요' est incorrect.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: La terminaison 'En fait...' (ㄴ/은걸요)

Quelle réponse est la plus naturelle pour exprimer ton choc quand un ami dit qu'il démissionne ?

가: 저 회사를 그만두기로 했어요. 나: (____)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: 그만두다니요?!
Quand on répond poliment à une déclaration choquante, on ajoute ~요 à la forme ~다니.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Exprimer le choc : 'Je n'arrive pas à y croire...' (~다니)

Trouve et corrige l'erreur dans la phrase.

Find and fix the mistake:

열심히 공부하다 덕분에 시험에 합격했어요.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: 열심히 공부한 덕분에 시험에 합격했어요.
Il faut transformer le verbe en modificateur. Comme l'étude est l'action passée qui a mené au succès, '공부하다' devient '공부한'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Dire "Grâce à..." en coréen : La règle -덕분에

Corrige l'erreur dans cette phrase familière : '그거 비싸잖아요!'

그거 비싸잖아요!

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: 그거 비싸잖아!
En langage familier (banmal), on retire le '요' de '잖아요' pour obtenir '잖아'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: La structure 'Tu sais bien' (janayo)

Score: /10

Questions fréquentes (6)

Oui, mais seulement dans la forme amicale '거든' au milieu d'une phrase. Par exemple : «집에 가거든 연락해» (Si tu rentres, appelle-moi). En fin de phrase, c'est toujours une explication.
C'est considéré comme poli (style Haeyo-che), mais c'est beaucoup plus oral et naturel que les formes écrites comme «-기 때문이다».
En général, non. Comme cela suppose une connaissance partagée, ça peut paraître présomptueux. Utilise plutôt le standard «-아/어요».
-죠 cherche une confirmation (
Il fait chaud, non ?
), alors que 잖아요 rappelle un fait (
Il fait chaud, tu sais !
).
C'est un peu risqué. Même si c'est poli (finit par 요), contredire un supérieur peut être mal vu. Par exemple : «아니요, 저는 괜찮은걸요.»
~는데요 attend souvent une réaction de l'autre. ~ㄴ/은걸요 est une affirmation plus définitive d'un fait : «벌써 다 했는걸요.»
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Comparisons, Tendencies, and Wishes
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Describing Nouns and Creating Concepts
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