Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 'It' as a placeholder subject when the real subject is a long clause or when talking about weather, time, or distance.
- Use 'It' for weather, time, and distance: 'It is raining.'
- Use 'It' to move long infinitive or 'that' clauses to the end: 'It is vital to study.'
- Use 'It' for opinions about situations: 'It's a shame you can't come.'
Overview
it을 문장 맨 앞에 두는 걸까요? 여기에는 영어의 핵심적인 언어적 특성인 '정보 후치 원칙(End-weight principle)'이 작용합니다. 영어는 문장의 주어 부분이 너무 길거나 복잡해지는 것을 기피하는 경향이 있습니다. 주어가 길어지면 서술어(동사)가 나오기까지 청자가 기다려야 하는 시간이 길어져 의사소통의 효율성이 떨어지기 때문입니다. 따라서 복잡한 정보(진짜 주어)는 문장의 뒤로 보내고, 비어 있는 주어 자리를 가장 짧고 중립적인 단어인 it으로 채우는 것입니다.To arrive on time is important.라고 말하면 틀린 문장은 아니지만, 원어민들에게는 다소 딱딱하고 부자연스럽게 들립니다. 대신 그들은 It is important to arrive on time.이라는 구조를 선호합니다. B2 레벨의 학습자라면 단순히 문법적으로 맞는 문장을 넘어, 원어민이 정보를 처리하는 방식인 이 가주어 it 구조를 자유자재로 구사하여 문장의 흐름을 자연스럽게 만드는 능력이 필수적입니다.to-부정사구나 that-절과 같은 무거운 정보들을 문장 끝으로 '바깥으로 던져버리는' 과정이죠.it이라도 써야 함) |it)로 구조 유지 |That the project was successful is clear.라는 문장을 봅시다. 주어인 That the project was successful이 동사 is보다 훨씬 깁니다. 머리가 너무 큰 '가부수' 형태의 문장이 되는 것이죠. 영어는 이를 안정적인 구조로 만들기 위해 It is clear that the project was successful.로 변형합니다. 여기서 it은 뒤에 나올 that 이하의 내용을 예고하는 '신호탄' 역할을 하게 됩니다.it을 사용하는 패턴은 매우 정형화되어 있습니다. 이 패턴들을 익혀두면 복잡한 생각도 영어식 구조에 맞춰 빠르게 내뱉을 수 있습니다.It is hard to find a parking space in Gangnam.(강남에서 주차 공간을 찾는 것은 어렵다.)It is necessary to wear a mask inside the hospital.(병원 내에서 마스크를 착용하는 것이 필요하다.)
for를 사용하여 의미상 주어를 나타냅니다.It is difficult for international students to get a job here.(외국인 학생이 여기서 직업을 구하는 것은 어렵다.)It is common for office workers to drink coffee after lunch.(직장인들이 점심 식사 후 커피를 마시는 것은 흔한 일이다.)
It is a pity that you can't join the company dinner.(당신이 회식에 참여할 수 없다니 아쉽네요.)It is obvious that she has prepared a lot for the presentation.(그녀가 발표를 위해 많이 준비했다는 것이 명백하다.)
find, make, think, consider, believe와 같은 동사 뒤에서 목적어가 길어질 때 it을 목적어 자리에 두고 진짜 목적어는 뒤로 보냅니다.I find it challenging to study English every day.(나는 매일 영어 공부를 하는 것이 도전적이라고 느낀다.)The new app makes it easy to order food.(새로운 앱은 음식 주문을 쉽게 만들어 준다.)
it은 단순히 문장을 길게 만들기 위한 도구가 아닙니다. 특정한 상황에서 문장의 뉘앙스를 조절하고 명확성을 높이기 위해 사용됩니다.- 객관적인 의견이나 판단을 전달할 때:
I think that following the rules is important.라고 말하면 개인적인 의견처럼 들리지만, It is important to follow the rules.라고 하면 훨씬 더 객관적이고 보편적인 원칙처럼 들립니다. 비즈니스 이메일이나 보고서에서 전문적인 톤을 유지하고 싶을 때 필수적입니다.- 강조하고 싶은 형용사를 먼저 내뱉고 싶을 때:
It's amazing..., It's dangerous..., It's unlikely...처럼 감정이나 판단의 핵심이 되는 형용사를 문두에 배치함으로써 청자의 주의를 즉각적으로 집중시킬 수 있습니다.- 사회적 통념이나 사실을 보고할 때 (Reporting):
It is said that... (라고들 한다), It is believed that... (라고 믿어진다), It is reported that... (라고 보고되었다)와 같은 수동태 가주어 구조를 사용하면 정보의 출처를 일반화하면서 신뢰도를 높일 수 있습니다.- 경험에 대한 주관적 느낌을 표현할 때:
It feels good to just sit here and do nothing. (그냥 여기 앉아서 아무것도 안 하니까 좋다.)처럼 현재의 상태나 경험에 대한 느낌을 즉각적으로 표현할 때 유용합니다.- 1가주어
it을 아예 생략하는 경우 (가장 빈번한 오류)
it을 써야 합니다.- Incorrect:
Is important to study grammar. - Correct:
It is important to study grammar. - Why? 영어 문장 구조상 동사
is앞에는 반드시 명사 성격의 주어가 있어야 하기 때문입니다.
- 1
this나that을 가주어로 사용하는 경우
this를 쓰는 경우가 많습니다.- Incorrect:
This is hard to understand what he said. - Correct:
It is hard to understand what he said. - Why? 영어에서 외치 구문(Extraposition)의 가주어는 오직
it으로 고정되어 있습니다.this나that은 지시 대명사로서 특정한 대상을 가리킬 때만 사용됩니다.
- 1가목적어
it을 빼먹는 경우
- Incorrect:
I found difficult to solve the problem. - Correct:
I found it difficult to solve the problem. - Why?
found라는 동사는[목적어] + [목적보어]구조를 취해야 합니다. 목적어가 뒤로 갔더라도 그 자리는it으로 지켜줘야 합니다.
- 1의미상 주어의 전치사 오류
for 대신 to를 쓰는 경우가 많습니다.- Incorrect:
It is necessary to you to attend. - Correct:
It is necessary for you to attend. - Why?
to-부정사의 의미상 주어는 기본적으로for + 목적격을 사용합니다. (단, 사람의 성품을 나타내는 형용사kind,nice,polite등에서는of를 사용합니다.)
it은 영어에서 너무나 다양한 역할을 하기 때문에, 가주어 it과 다른 it들을 구분하는 능력이 중급 이상의 실력을 결정짓습니다.It is fun to play tennis. | I bought a ball. It is red. | It is raining outside. |to-v나 that절이 있는지 확인 | 가리키는 대상이 앞에 있는지 확인 | 날씨/시간/거리 단어가 오는지 확인 |There is/are 구문과도 혼동하지 마세요. There는 어떤 것의 '존재 유무'를 나타낼 때 사용하며, It은 어떤 상황이나 행동에 대한 '성질이나 상태'를 설명할 때 사용합니다.There is a problem.(문제가 존재한다.)It is a problem that we are late.(우리가 늦었다는 사실이 문제다.)
it 대신에 To learn English is fun처럼 진짜 주어를 앞에 쓰면 틀리나요?It is fun to learn English라고 하는 것이 훨씬 자연스럽고 세련되게 들립니다. 진짜 주어를 앞에 쓰는 경우는 강조를 하거나 문학적인 표현을 할 때로 제한됩니다.it은 모든 동사에서 다 써야 하나요?find, make, think, consider, believe, keep 등의 동사들이 목적어로 to-부정사구나 that-절을 취할 때 가목적어 it을 필수적으로 사용합니다. 3형식 동사들은 대개 가목적어를 쓰지 않고 바로 that-절을 목적어로 취합니다.It is nice meeting you처럼 ing 형태(동명사)도 가주어와 함께 쓸 수 있나요?to-부정사가 훨씬 더 일반적입니다. 동명사를 가주어와 쓰는 경우는 주로 관용적인 표현(It's no use -ing, It's worth -ing)이나, 이미 일어난 구체적인 경험을 회상하며 말할 때(It was great meeting you today) 사용됩니다. 일반적인 판단이나 미래의 일에는 to-부정사를 쓰는 것이 안전합니다.it 구문에서 that을 생략할 수 있나요?It's a shame (that) you can't come.처럼 that을 생략하는 경우가 많습니다. 하지만 격식을 차려야 하는 비즈니스 이메일이나 에세이에서는 that을 명시해 주는 것이 문장의 구조를 명확하게 보여주므로 권장됩니다.Common Dummy 'It' Structures
| Structure | Function | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
It + be + Adjective + to-infinitive
|
Giving an opinion on an action
|
It is hard to say goodbye.
|
|
It + be + Adjective + that-clause
|
Reporting a fact or belief
|
It is clear that he is lying.
|
|
It + take + Time + to-infinitive
|
Expressing duration
|
It takes an hour to cook.
|
|
It + seem/appear + that-clause
|
Expressing an impression
|
It seems that they are late.
|
|
It + be + Noun + that-clause
|
Emphasizing a specific part (Cleft)
|
It was John who called.
|
|
It + be + Weather/Time/Distance
|
Describing the environment
|
It is windy today.
|
Contractions with Dummy 'It'
| Full Form | Contraction | Usage |
|---|---|---|
|
It is
|
It's
|
Very common in speech/informal writing
|
|
It was
|
N/A
|
Rarely contracted in standard English
|
|
It will
|
It'll
|
Common in spoken English
|
|
It has
|
It's
|
Used in present perfect (e.g., It's been a long day)
|
Meanings
The dummy 'it' is a pronoun that has no semantic meaning of its own but serves as a grammatical subject to satisfy the English requirement that every sentence must have a subject.
Ambient/Environmental
Used to describe weather, time, temperature, and distance where no specific agent is performing an action.
“It is nearly midnight.”
“It's freezing in this room.”
Extraposition
Used to shift a heavy subject (like an infinitive phrase or a 'that' clause) to the end of the sentence for better flow.
“It is unlikely that they will arrive on time.”
“It was a mistake to trust him with the secret.”
Identifying People
Used to identify a person when their identity is not yet established or when speaking on the phone/intercom.
“It's me, Sarah!”
“Who is it at the door?”
Reference Table
| 유형 | 구조 | 예시 | 목적 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
의견/판단
|
It + is + adjective + to-infinitive
|
It's wonderful to meet you.
|
개인적인 감정이나 의견을 일반화해서 표현
|
|
사실/진실
|
It + is + adjective + that-clause
|
It is true that honesty is best.
|
객관적인 사실이나 진리를 진술
|
|
필요/의무
|
It + is + necessary/important + to-infinitive
|
It is essential to stay hydrated.
|
반드시 해야 할 일을 강조
|
|
난이도/용이성
|
It + is + easy/hard + to-infinitive
|
It's easy to get lost here.
|
어떤 행동의 난이도를 설명
|
|
관찰/인상
|
It + seems/appears + adjective + to-infinitive
|
It seems difficult to explain.
|
자신이 받은 인상이나 관찰 내용을 공유
|
|
공식적인 진술
|
It + is + believed/said + that-clause
|
It is widely believed that practice helps.
|
일반적인 통념이나 소문을 보고
|
격식 수준 스펙트럼
It is anticipated that the situation will prove challenging. (Discussing a problem)
It is going to be a difficult situation. (Discussing a problem)
It's gonna be tough. (Discussing a problem)
It's gonna be a beast. (Discussing a problem)
가주어 'It'의 작동 원리
구조
- It + 동사 (be동사) It is / It was
- + 형용사/명사구 It's important / It's a shame
- + 진짜 주어 (to부정사) to finish the report
- + 진짜 주어 (that절) that she passed the exam
주요 용도
- 의견/판단 It's great to see you.
- 사실/진실 It is known that…
- 필요/의무 It's crucial to prepare.
- 난이도 It's hard to decide.
사용하는 이유
- 매끄러운 흐름 긴 주어로 인한 어색함 방지
- 강조 형용사나 명사구를 돋보이게 함
- 명확성 정보 처리를 더 쉽게 만듦
- 자연스러움 원어민스러운 영어 리듬 형성
가주어 'It' vs. 인칭 대명사 'It'
가주어 'It'을 써야 할까요?
문장에 주어가 필요한가요?
진짜 주어가 'to부정사'나 'that절'인가요?
가주어 'It'과 자주 쓰이는 단어들
자주 쓰이는 형용사
- • important
- • easy
- • difficult
- • clear
- • possible
- • true
- • great
- • necessary
- • good
- • challenging
자주 쓰이는 동사
- • is
- • was
- • seems
- • appears
- • proves
- • makes
활용 상황
- • 의견
- • 사실
- • 필요성
- • 난이도
- • 시간
- • 날씨
- • 관찰
- • 판단
수준별 예문
It is 9:00 AM.
Son las 9:00 AM.
It is cold today.
Hace frío hoy.
It is a big house.
Es una casa grande.
Is it Monday?
¿Es lunes?
It is nice to see you.
Es un gusto verte.
It's a long way to the city.
Es un largo camino a la ciudad.
It was dark in the room.
Estaba oscuro en la habitación.
It is easy to cook pasta.
Es fácil cocinar pasta.
It is important to finish your homework.
Es importante terminar tu tarea.
It takes 20 minutes to walk there.
Toma 20 minutos caminar allá.
It doesn't matter if you are late.
No importa si llegas tarde.
It seems that she is busy.
Parece que ella está ocupada.
It is often argued that social media is addictive.
A menudo se argumenta que las redes sociales son adictivas.
It occurred to me that I had forgotten my keys.
Se me ocurrió que había olvidado mis llaves.
It is vital that we reach a consensus.
Es vital que lleguemos a un consenso.
It makes no difference what they think.
No hace ninguna diferencia lo que ellos piensen.
It was with great reluctance that he accepted the offer.
Fue con gran renuencia que aceptó la oferta.
It is incumbent upon us to protect the environment.
Nos incumbe a nosotros proteger el medio ambiente.
It remains to be seen whether the plan will work.
Queda por ver si el plan funcionará.
It is no exaggeration to say she is a genius.
No es exagerado decir que ella es una genio.
It is high time the government addressed this issue.
Ya es hora de que el gobierno aborde este problema.
It behooves the board to reconsider their stance.
Le corresponde a la junta reconsiderar su postura.
It is not so much that he failed, but that he didn't try.
No es tanto que fallara, sino que no lo intentó.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man must be in want of a wife.
Es una verdad universalmente reconocida que un hombre soltero debe necesitar una esposa.
혼동하기 쉬운
Learners use 'This' to start general sentences. 'This' refers to a specific object you can point to; 'It' is for general situations.
Both are placeholders, but 'There' is for existence and 'It' is for identity/state.
Using 'It' for people. While 'It' identifies someone ('It's me'), you must switch to 'He/She' once the person is known.
자주 하는 실수
Is raining.
It is raining.
Today is Monday.
It is Monday today.
Is 5 o'clock.
It is 5 o'clock.
Is hot.
It is hot.
Is important to study.
It is important to study.
This is cold today.
It is cold today.
Is far to the beach.
It is far to the beach.
To learn English is easy.
It is easy to learn English.
There is important to go.
It is important to go.
Is seems that he is late.
It seems that he is late.
It is likely for him to win.
It is likely that he will win.
문장 패턴
It is ___ to ___.
It takes ___ to ___.
It is ___ that ___.
It was ___ who ___.
Real World Usage
It's fine, don't worry about it!
It is my belief that my skills align with this role.
It is currently 72 degrees and sunny.
It is widely recognized that further research is needed.
It takes about 10 minutes to reach the station.
It's the way he looks at her for me! 😍
넓게 시작해서 좁게 좁혀가기
'it'을 절대 버리지 마세요!
It is necessary to follow the rules.
형용사를 다양하게 써보세요
더 자연스러운 원어민 느낌
Smart Tips
Flip it! Use 'It is [adjective] to [verb]' to sound 10x more natural.
Ask: Am I saying 'Something exists' or 'Something is like this'? If it's 'like this', use 'It'.
Use 'It is argued that' instead of 'I think' to sound more professional and objective.
Always use 'It's [Name]'. Never say 'I am [Name]'.
발음
The 'It's' Reduction
In fast speech, 'It is' or 'It's' often sounds like a very short /ts/ or /ɪts/.
Linking 'It' to Verbs
When 'it' is followed by a verb starting with a vowel, they link together.
Extraposition Stress
It is VITAL to GO.
Stress falls on the adjective and the main verb of the extraposed clause, not on 'it'.
암기하기
기억법
Remember: 'It' is the 'Invisible Tenant'—he doesn't own the house (the meaning), but he has to be there for the house to stand!
시각적 연상
Imagine a small robot named 'IT' holding up a heavy sign that says 'TO LEARN ENGLISH'. The robot is small and doesn't do much, but without him, the heavy sign would fall on the floor.
Rhyme
When the subject is a clause or the weather is a bit... start your sentence with a dummy 'it'!
Story
Once there was a sentence that wanted to talk about the rain, but it had no subject. It tried 'Is raining,' but the Grammar Police stopped it. Then, a little word named 'It' volunteered to stand at the front. 'I don't mean anything,' said It, 'but I'll keep the seat warm for you.'
Word Web
챌린지
Look out the window and describe the weather, the time, and one opinion about your day using only 'It' as the subject. (e.g., 'It is cloudy. It is 2 PM. It is nice to be home.')
문화 노트
British people famously use the dummy 'it' to talk about the weather as a social icebreaker. 'It's a bit nippy out, isn't it?' is a classic conversation starter.
In Western academic culture, using 'It is argued' or 'It is believed' is a way to show humility and objectivity, avoiding the 'I' which can seem too aggressive or biased.
In casual American English, 'It' is often dropped in very informal speech, though it remains grammatically required in writing.
Derived from the Old English 'hit', which functioned as a neuter third-person pronoun.
대화 시작하기
It's a beautiful day, isn't it?
It's important to have a work-life balance. Do you agree?
It seems that technology is changing too fast. What do you think?
It is often said that travel broadens the mind. Has it been true for you?
일기 주제
자주 하는 실수
Test Yourself
___ is essential to proofread your essays before submission.
Find and fix the mistake:
To get a good job is challenging in today's market.
'Es importante recordar tus sueños.' (당신의 꿈을 기억하는 것은 중요합니다.)
Answer starts with: ["I...
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
Score: /4
연습 문제
8 exercises___ is very cold in this room.
Find and fix the mistake:
Is important to be on time.
Which sentence sounds best to a native speaker?
takes / it / to / an / hour / cook / dinner
Translate the Spanish phrase into English.
1. It's 5:00. 2. It's raining. 3. It's far.
Complete the sentence using a that-clause.
Identify the dummy 'it'.
Score: /8
Practice Bank
11 exercises___ is vital that you understand the terms and conditions.
Seems difficult to concentrate with all this noise.
가장 자연스러운 문장을 고르세요:
Translate into English: 'Es una lástima que no pueda asistir.' (내가 참석할 수 없다는 게 유감이야.)
단어를 배열하여 문장을 만드세요:
문장의 짝을 맞추세요:
___ is common knowledge that exercise is beneficial for health.
That we missed the deadline was regrettable.
어느 문장이 맞을까요?
Translate into English: 'Fue difícil para él aceptar la verdad.' (그가 진실을 받아들이는 것은 어려웠다.)
단어를 배열하세요:
Score: /11
자주 묻는 질문 (8)
No. We always use `it` for weather. Saying `This is raining` sounds like you are pointing at a specific puddle rather than the weather in general.
English is a 'non-pro-drop' language, meaning every sentence needs a subject to be grammatically complete. `It` is a placeholder that satisfies this rule.
In modern English, `It is me` is the standard and most natural form. `It is I` is extremely formal and rarely used today.
Extraposition is moving a long subject to the end of the sentence and putting `it` at the start. For example: `It is hard to believe he left.`
Yes! You can use it with verbs like `seem`, `appear`, `happen`, `matter`, and `take`. Example: `It doesn't matter.`
Not always. `It's` can be `It is` or `It has` (in the present perfect). Example: `It's been a long time` means `It has been a long time.`
In very informal texting, people sometimes drop the 'it', but it's better to keep it to avoid sounding like a non-native speaker.
It's a sentence where you use `It is... that` to emphasize one part. Example: `It was my brother who ate the cake` (not my sister).
Scaffolded Practice
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2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Null subject
Spanish omits the subject entirely; English requires 'It'.
Il / Ce
French distinguishes between 'Il' and 'Ce' where English mostly uses 'It'.
Es
The usage is almost identical.
Zero pronoun
Japanese has no equivalent to a dummy placeholder.
Null subject / Hidden pronoun
Arabic uses verb conjugation to imply the subject instead of a placeholder word.
Topic-comment structure
Chinese focuses on the event rather than the grammatical subject.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
관련 동영상
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05:29 How are microchips made? - George Zaidan and Sajan Saini
가주어 it, 진주어 to부정사/that절 5분 완성
혼공TV
원어민이 매일 쓰는 It's important to 패턴
라이브 아카데미
가주어 it 진주어 to부정사 - 5분 만에 완벽 정리
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