Lesson 33 - Nominalizers - 기

Hey everyone! 

I hope this grammar post finds you well. Today we're going to talk about a pattern called nominalizer. What is a nominalizer? It's a pattern with the function to turn verbs into proper nouns.

This nominalizer is -기 and it’s attached to the verb stem of any verb, making that turn into a noun and act like one. It can be treated as an object, a subject and so on.

책을 읽다 = 책을 읽기 [reading a book]

사과를 먹다 = 사과를 먹기 [eating an apple]

You can’t only turn the verb itself into a noun, but also the whole sentence it makes.

내 형은 내가 점심을 만들기를 원해요

My older brother wants me to make lunch

엄마는 네가 너무 보고 싶어서 여기 오고 싶기를 원해요

Mum wants to come here because she misses you so much

이 돈은 간식과 저녁을 준비하기 위한 것이에요

The money is for snacks and dinner

There are times in which this pattern is followed by other nouns or verbs and it makes different patterns. Let’s look at them:

-기 때문에=

You might come across the nominalizer followed by the pattern 때문에. In this case, the function that this newly born pattern has is the one that 때문에 would have, with the difference of being used with verbs instead of nouns. The function I’m referring to is the one of expressing the meaning of ‘because’ and ‘therefore’.

배가 아프기 때문에 약을 먹었어요

I took medicine because I had a stomach ache

생선을 싫어하기 때문에 이것은 안 먹어요

I’m not going to eat this because I don’t like fish

물이 너무 많이 차갑기 때문에 세수를 안 했어

I didn’t watch my face because the water was so cold

The nominalizer can also be attached to the past tense, and it would make the sentence gain a past meaning:

네가 거기 없었기 때문에 나를 괴롭혔어요

It bothered me because you weren’t there

나는 슬펐기 때문에 하루 종일 울었어요

I cried all day because I was sad

-기 전에 =

You can also use the nominalizer to express something that happened ‘before’, by adding the noun 전.

해가 뜨기 전에 일어났어요

I woke up before sunrise

해가 지기 전에 집에 돌아가요

I am going back home before the sun sets

시험을 보기 전에 공부를 더 해요

I going to study more before I take the exam

-기 시작하다=

The nominalizer can be followed by the verb 시작하다. This pattern is used when you want to express the start of an action.

걷기 시작해요

I start walking

이 영화를 보기 시작해요

Let’s start watching this movie

먹기 시작해요

I start to eat

-기 싫다=

When the nominalizer is followed by the verb 싫다, it expresses the fact that the speaker doesn’t want to do or doesn’t like something.

내가 가기 싫어요

I don’t want to go

너한테 거짓말하기 싫어요

I don’t like lying to you

나는 네가 내게 가르치기 싫어요

I don’t like you teaching me

Making lists:

Alone (obviously attached to the verb), it can also be used to make lists of things you are going to do or need to do, and so on.

커피를 사기

Buy coffee

숙제를 하기

Do homework

엄마에게 선물을 보내기

Send presents to mum

Note that since this pattern makes the verb a noun, it can be attached to any particle.

VOCABS SET ON QUIZLET: 1

KPOPOLOGY WEBSITE: Home, KPOPOLOGY Explains 

DROPBOX FILES: Main folder, Lesson 33 Practice

I will see you next time with another grammar post!

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