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Vocabulary
Nouns:
종전 = previous, former, old
원서 = original book
노선 = line on subway or bus
계산서 = bill, cheque
전광판 = electronic sign
Verbs:
깜빡이다 = to flicker, to light up
청구하다 = to get money for, to bill
신설하다 = to open, to put together something new
회피하다 = to evade
입상하다 = to win a prize
폐장하다 = to close, to shut down
수용하다 = to accommodate, to seat
Adjectives:
황당하다 = to be absurd, ridiculous
희귀하다 = to be rare
침착하다 = to be calm, to be poised
부득이하다 = to be unavoidable
Adverbs and Other Words:
더불어 = accompanied with
거뜬히 = easily/without difficulty
교묘히 = skillfully, cleverly
시종일관 = always, constantly
Introduction
In this lesson, you will learn about a way to express your inferences using a new grammatical principle.This grammatical principle is similar to 것 같다, which you learned in an earlier lesson.. In this lesson, you will learn about 듯하다.
~ㄴ/은/는/을/ㄹ 듯하다: To seem like
In the previous lesson, you saw how entire phrases can be placed before ~기 to then be followed by 마련이다 to create a specific meaning.
듯하다 is used somewhat like 마련 in that both express a kind of inference or assumption, but they differ in form and usage. 마련 is a noun, which requires the use of 이다 to predicate it. 듯하다 is an adjective that is being described. It might seem unusual that an adjective can itself be modified like this because normally we expect nouns to be described. However, there are a few adjectives like this that can be described by things. They are called 보조형용사 in Korean. You have learned two important 보조형용사 in previous lessons:
1) Lesson 66: ~ㄹ/을 뻔하다
우리가 그 연합에 가입할 뻔했어요
= We almost joined that alliance
2) Lesson 124: ~ㄹ/을 만하다
도내 여행지는 주말에 갈 만해요
= Travel destinations within the province are worth visiting on the weekend
듯하다 works the same way as 뻔하다 and 만하다 in the sentences above. 듯하다 can be described by ~는 in the present tense, for example:
비가 오는 듯하다
This type of sentence is a formal, often literary way to say “it seems” as though something is the case. The clause before 듯하다 expresses what seems to be the case based on the speaker’s perception.
You would use the sentence when something leads the speaker to think that it is raining. The speaker wouldn’t be looking at the rain directly. Rather, the use of 듯하다 implies that there is some evidence of rain and they are making inferences that it is raining. For example, you could say the sentence above when the speaker is sitting inside, hearing raindrops on the roof, or smelling the scent of rain. From this, they would infer that it is raining and say:
비가 오는 듯하다
= It seems as though it is raining
It is possible to describe 듯하다 in the past tense, for example:
비가 온 듯하다
You would say the sentence above when something is making the speaker think as though it had rained. The speaker wouldn’t know that it rained for sure. Rather, the use of 듯하다 implies that there is some evidence that it had rained and they are making inferences that it did. For example, you could say the sentence above when the speaker is looking outside, seeing puddles on the ground. From this, they would infer that it had rained and say:
비가 온 듯하다
= It seems as though it had rained
It is possible to describe 듯하다 in the future tense, for example:
비가 올 듯하다
You would say the sentence above when something is making the speaker think as though it will rain. The speaker wouldn’t know that it will rain for sure. Rather, the use of 듯하다 implies that there is some evidence that it will rain and they are making inferences that it will. For example, you could say the sentence above when the speaker is looking outside, seeing dark clouds forming in the sky. From this, they would infer that it will rain and say:
비가 올 듯하다
= It seems as though it will rain
Notice that in all situations, the inference is based on some sort of perception, but not a direct encounter with the action truth.
Below are many more examples:
노동자가 그 무거운 짐을 거뜬히 들어 올린 듯했어요
= The worker seemed to lift the heavy load effortlessly
그 학생은 이번 대회에서도 입상한 듯해요
= That student seems to have won a prize again in this competition
그 사람의 설명은 사실보다 황당한 이야기인 듯했어요
= That person’s explanation seemed more like a ridiculous story than the truth
전광판에 표시된 숫자가 실제 결과와 다른 듯해요
= The numbers shown on the electronic display seem to differ from the actual result
학생은 종전의 입장과는 다른 듯한 태도를 보였어요
= The student showed an attitude that seemed different from his previous stance
그 회사원은 동료들과 더불어 일하는 것을 즐기는 듯해요
= That worker seems to enjoy working alongside his colleagues
이 경기장은 최대 5천 명까지 수용할 수 있는 듯해요
= This stadium seems to be able to accommodate up to 5,000 people
계산서를 다시 보니 중복 청구된 항목이 있는 듯해요
= Looking at the bill again, it seems like there are duplicate charges
그 학생은 책임을 교묘히 회피하는 듯한 말투를 사용했어요
= That student used a tone that seemed to skillfully evade responsibility
해가 지고 사람들도 떠나는 것을 보니 곧 폐장할 듯해요
= Seeing the sun set and people leaving, it seems like it will close soon
선생님은 희귀한 고대 원서인 듯한 책을 소중히 다루었어요
= The teacher handled the book carefully, as if it were a rare original edition
저 오래된 극장 간판은 아직도 전광판이 깜빡이는 듯해요
= The old theater sign still seems to be flashing electric lights
선생님은 발표 내내 시종일관 침착한 듯한 표정을 유지했어요
= The teacher maintained a calm expression throughout the presentation
상황이 부득이한 듯하여 우리는 결정을 미룰 수밖에 없었어요
= The situation seemed unavoidable, so we had no choice but to delay the decision
정부는 교통 혼잡을 줄이기 위해 새로운 노선을 신설한 듯하다
= The government seems to have opened a new line to reduce traffic congestion
That’s it for this lesson!