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~ㄴ/는단다: A Motherly Contraction of ~ㄴ/는다고 한다
Vocabulary
Nouns:
비결 = secret of success
Common Usages:
성공 비결 = secret to success
투자 비결 = investment secret, key to investing
Examples:
그의 성공 비결은 투지란다
= They say his secret to success is determination
그 성공의 비결은 열심히 노력한 덕이었어요
= The key to success was thanks to hard work
그는 자신의 성공 비결을 원천적으로 부정했어요
= He fundamentally denied the supposed source of his success
인정 = compassion, empathy
Common Usages:
인정이 넘치다 = to be full of warmth, to be full of compassion
인정을 베풀다 = to show compassion, to show kindness
Examples:
사람이 너무 지나치게 인정만 베풀면 오히려 손해를 본단다
= If you’re too sympathetic all the time, it can actually hurt you, sweetheart
그는 인정이 많아서 어려운 사람을 그냥 지나치지 못했어요
= He was so compassionate that he couldn’t ignore people in need
투지 = determination
Common Usages:
투지가 넘치다 = to be full of fighting spirit, to be full of determination
Examples:
그의 성공 비결은 투지란다
= They say his secret to success is determination
그는 시련 속에서도 투지를 잃지 않았단다
= They say he didn’t lose his determination even in the midst of hardship
지성 = intelligence
Common Usages:
집단 지성 = collective intelligence
Examples:
그의 말투에는 지성미가 느껴져 모두가 존경했어요
= His way of speaking revealed intelligence, and everyone respected him
지성만으로는 세상을 이해하기 어렵단다. 마음도 함께 써야 해.
= Intelligence alone won’t help you understand the world, honey. You need a heart too.
외양 = outward appearance
Examples:
그건 단순한 외양만 보고 판단하면 안 되는 일이란다
= That’s something you shouldn’t judge just based on outward appearances
그는 외양보다 내면의 아름다움을 더 중요하게 생각했어요
= He valued inner beauty more than outward appearance
도덕 = ethics, morals
Common Usages:
도덕 문제 = moral issue
도덕 관념 = moral concept, sense of morality
Examples:
엄마는 어릴 때부터 도덕이 얼마나 중요한지 배워 왔단다
= Mommy learned from a young age how important morals are
도덕적으로 옳은 일을 선택하기란 때때로 쉽지 않아요
= It’s not always easy to choose the morally right thing
불운 = bad luck, misfortune
Common Usages:
불운을 타고나다 = to be born with misfortune
Examples:
그는 불운이 겹쳐 몇 번이나 사업에 실패했어요
= A streak of bad luck caused him to fail in business multiple times
때로는 불운도 인생의 일부분이란다. 너무 속상해하지 마.
= Sometimes misfortune is just part of life, dear. Don’t be too upset.
말귀 = meaning, sense
Common Usages:
말귀를 못 알아듣다 = to not understand what someone is saying, to not catch the meaning
Examples:
엄마가 자꾸 말귀를 못알아 듣는다고 혼냈어요
= Mom kept scolding me for not understanding what she was saying
말귀를 잘 알아듣는 아이가 결국에는 지혜롭게 자란단다
= A child who understands what others mean grows up to be wise, you know
졸지 = abrupt
Examples:
그는 졸지에 해고를 당해 어안이 벙벙했어요
= He was abruptly fired and left in shock
살다 보면 누구에게나 한 번쯤은 졸지에 당황하는 순간이 온단다
= In life, everyone faces an unexpected, confusing moment at least once
허구 = fiction, fabrication
Examples:
그 영화는 사실에 근거한 듯 보이지만 대부분 허구였어요
= The film seemed based on fact, but most of it was fiction
세상엔 허구와 진실이 섞여 있는 경우가 많단다. 그래서 스스로 판단할 줄 알아야 해.
= The world is often full of both fiction and truth. That’s why you need to think for yourself.
미꾸라지 = mudfish
Common Usages:
미꾸라지처럼 빠져나가다 = to slip away like a mudfish, to escape skillfully
Examples:
논에서 미꾸라지가 튀어나와 아이들이 깔깔 웃었어요
= A mudfish jumped out of the rice field, making the kids laugh
세상에는 미꾸라지처럼 요리조리 빠져나가는 사람도 있단다
= There are people in this world who slip away like a mudfish, you know
Verbs:
앞두다 = to have something ahead
Common Usages:
중요한 일을 앞두다 = to have something important coming up
결혼을 앞두다 = to be about to get married
Examples:
중요한 발표를 앞두고 많이 초조하단다
= They say she’s very anxious before an important presentation
중요한 시험을 앞두다 보니 마음이 점점 더 긴장됐어요
= As the big exam approached, I became increasingly nervous
베풀다 = to show kindness or hospitality
Common Usages:
선의를 베풀다 = to show goodwill, to act with good intentions
Examples:
어려운 사람을 위해 자선을 베풀어 주세요
= Please give charity to the people in need
사람이 너무 지나치게 인정만 베풀면 오히려 손해를 본단다
= If you’re too sympathetic all the time, it can actually hurt you, sweetheart
Adjectives:
초조하다 = to be anxious
Examples:
중요한 발표를 앞두고 많이 초조하단다
= They say she’s very anxious before an important presentation
엄마도 가끔은 초조해질 때가 있단다. 괜찮아, 그런 날도 있는 거야.
= Even Mommy gets anxious sometimes. It’s okay, everyone has days like that.
무심하다 = to be indifferent
Examples:
우리 부모님의 저의 학교생활에 무심했어요
= My parents were indifferent to my school life
지나치다 = to be excessive
Examples:
사람이 너무 지나치게 인정만 베풀면 오히려 손해를 본단다
= If you’re too sympathetic all the time, it can actually hurt you, sweetheart
지나치게 요란한 곳에서는 마음이 쉽게 산만해지기 마련이란다
= In overly noisy places, your mind naturally gets distracted, sweetie
요란하다 = to be loud
Common Usages:
빈 수레가 요란하다 = an empty barrel makes the most noise
Examples:
결혼식장에서 음악이 너무 요란하게 울려 대화가 안 들렸어요
= The music at the wedding was so loud that we couldn’t talk
지나치게 요란한 곳에서는 마음이 쉽게 산만해지기 마련이란다
= In overly noisy places, your mind naturally gets distracted, sweetie
산만하다 = to be distracted
Examples:
산만한 교실 분위기 때문에 수업에 집중하기 어려웠어요
= The distracted classroom atmosphere made it hard to focus
지나치게 요란한 곳에서는 마음이 쉽게 산만해지기 마련이란다
= In overly noisy places, your mind naturally gets distracted, sweetie
상심하다 = to be distressed
Common Usages:
상심이 크다 = to be deeply heartbroken
Examples:
엄마도 어릴 땐 상심해서 혼자 울던 날이 많았단다
= Mommy also had many days when she was heartbroken and cried alone as a child
그녀는 사랑하는 사람을 잃고 깊은 상심에 빠졌어요
= She was deeply distressed after losing her loved one
Adverbs and Other Words:
요리조리 = this way and that way
Common Usages:
요리조리 피해 가다 = to evade this way and that, to avoid skillfully
요리조리 빠져나가다 = to slip out this way and that, to escape cleverly
Examples:
아이들이 요리조리 피하며 놀이터를 뛰어다녔다
= The kids ran around the playground, dodging this way and that
세상에는 미꾸라지처럼 요리조리 빠져나가는 사람도 있단다
= There are people in this world who slip away like a mudfish, you know
Introduction
In this lesson, you will learn about a common contraction that creates a motherly tone in Korean. Specifically, you will learn about the contraction of ~ㄴ/는다고 하다. Let’s get started!
~ㄴ/는단다: A Motherly Contraction of ~ㄴ/는다고 한다
In Lesson 52, you first saw how people can create quoted sentences in the present tense by attaching ~ㄴ/는다고 to a verb, ~다고 to an adjective and ~(이)라고 to a noun. For example:
그 선수는 마지막까지 포기하지 않는다고 해요
= They say that athletes don’t give up until the end
중요한 발표를 앞두고 많이 초조하다고 해요
= They say she’s very anxious before an important presentation
그의 성공 비결은 투지라고 해요
= They say his secret to success is determination
It is also possible to quote in the past tense, for example:
그는 시련 속에서도 투지를 잃지 않았다고 해요
= They say he didn’t lose his determination even in the midst of hardship
Given the correct situation, the formality of the sentence could change. For example:
그 선수는 마지막까지 포기하지 않는다고 한다
= They say that athletes don’t give up until the end
중요한 발표를 앞두고 많이 초조하다고 한다
= They say she’s very anxious before an important presentation
그의 성공 비결은 투지라고 한다
= They say his secret to success is determination
그는 시련 속에서도 투지를 잃지 않았다고 해요
= They say he didn’t lose his determination even in the midst of hardship
It is possible to shorten each of these in the following way:
Verbs: ~ㄴ/는다고 한다 becomes ~ㄴ/는단다
Adjectives: ~다고 한다 becomes ~단다
Nouns: ~(이)라고 한다 becomes ~(이)란다
Past tense: ~았/었다고 한다 becomes ~했단다
For example:
그 선수는 마지막까지 포기하지 않는단다
= They say that athletes don’t give up until the end
중요한 발표를 앞두고 많이 초조하단다
= They say she’s very anxious before an important presentation
그의 성공 비결은 투지란다
= They say his secret to success is determination
그는 시련 속에서도 투지를 잃지 않았단다
= They say he didn’t lose his determination even in the midst of hardship.
Although these are all technically possible, this contraction is most commonly used by an older generation talking to a younger generation. Even more specifically, this contraction is often used by parents (or grandparents) talking to their children (or grandchildren). In this sense, there is a “motherly” tone to this type of sentence. As a result, you will often see ~단다 on sentences that parents would often say. For example:
저것은 위험하단다
= This is dangerous
As a result of this contraction being from a quoted form, there is a connotation that the speaker is repeating themselves in a sense. For example, the sentence above could be better translated as:
저것은 위험하단다
= I told you, that is dangerous
= That is dangerous, you know
However, I don’t really feel that those translations do these types of sentences justice. ~단다 is really about a nurturing, motherly feel. While technically a quoted sentence, I prefer a translation that shows this feeling instead:
저것은 위험하단다
= That is dangerous, my dear
The use of ~단다 is gentle as it is often used with younger generations. There is a sense of affection when it is spoken. Here is another example:
밥을 먹을 시간이란다
= It’s time to eat now, my dear
You will often see this type of speech in children’s books or stories, specifically when a parent is talking with their child. For example, I was reading the children’s story Hansel and Gretel to my five-year-old daughter. At the point where the father finds his kids after they were in the candy house with the witch, he says to them:
너희들을 숲에 버리고 온 뒤 한순간도 행복하지 않았단다
= After abandoning you in the forest, I haven’t been happy for even a moment, my dear
I have created many examples to show the use of this grammatical principle with vocabulary appropriate for Lesson 181. It was not an easy task. I did my best to create sentences that would likely be said by an older generation to a younger generation with a motherly tone using the complex vocabulary you should be getting at this level. Below are many examples:
엄마도 어릴 땐 상심해서 혼자 울던 날이 많았단다
= Mommy also had many days when she was heartbroken and cried alone as a child
그건 단순한 외양만 보고 판단하면 안 되는 일이란다
= That’s something you shouldn’t judge just based on outward appearances
말귀를 잘 알아듣는 아이가 결국에는 지혜롭게 자란단다
= A child who understands what others mean grows up to be wise, you know
엄마는 어릴 때부터 도덕이 얼마나 중요한지 배워 왔단다
= Mommy learned from a young age how important morals are
때로는 불운도 인생의 일부분이란다. 너무 속상해하지 마.
= Sometimes misfortune is just part of life, dear. Don’t be too upset.
사람이 너무 지나치게 인정만 베풀면 오히려 손해를 본단다
= If you’re too sympathetic all the time, it can actually hurt you, sweetheart
세상에는 미꾸라지처럼 요리조리 빠져나가는 사람도 있단다
= There are people in this world who slip away like a mudfish, you know
지성만으로는 세상을 이해하기 어렵단다. 마음도 함께 써야 해.
= Intelligence alone won’t help you understand the world, honey. You need a heart too.
지나치게 요란한 곳에서는 마음이 쉽게 산만해지기 마련이란다
= In overly noisy places, your mind naturally gets distracted, sweetie
살다 보면 누구에게나 한 번쯤은 졸지에 당황하는 순간이 온단다
= In life, everyone faces an unexpected, confusing moment at least once
엄마도 가끔은 초조해질 때가 있단다. 괜찮아, 그런 날도 있는 거야.
= Even Mommy gets anxious sometimes. It’s okay, everyone has days like that.
세상엔 허구와 진실이 섞여 있는 경우가 많단다. 그래서 스스로 판단할 줄 알아야 해.
= The world is often full of both fiction and truth. That’s why you need to think for yourself.
That’s it for this lesson!