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Lesson 98: To pretend to: ~은/ㄴ/는 척하다

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Vocabulary
Introduction

To pretend to: ~은/ㄴ/는 척하다

 

 

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in use. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each word can be used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that you will be learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be found here.

Nouns:
설거지 = dish washing

Common Usages:
설거지세제 = dish detergent
설거지 당번 = a turn to do dishes

Examples:
설거지를 하기 전에 소매를 걷어 올렸어요
= Before I did the dishes, I rolled up my sleeves

설거지를 어떻게 제대로 하는지도 몰라요
= I don’t even know how to do the dishes right

설거지를 하고 나서 싱크대를 한번 닦는 것이 중요해요
= It is important to wipe the sink once after you are finished washing the dishes

사생활 = personal life, privacy

Common Usages:
사생활 보호 = to protect one’s privacy
사생활 침범 = invasion of privacy

Examples:
그 단체가 우리 사생활을 보호하는 척하고 개인 정보를 유출했어요
= That organization pretends to protect our privacy, and leaked out our personal information

상대방의 동의 없이 핸드폰을 보는 것은 당연한 사생활 침범이에요
= Without getting permission of the person, looking at their phone is an obvious breach of their privacy

헛소문 = groundless rumor

Common Usages:
헛소문이 나다 = for there to be a groundless rumor
헛소문이 떠돌다 = for a groundless rumor to circulate

Examples:
제가 어제 술에 취해 길바닥에서 잠 들었다는 말도 안 되는 헛소문이 떠돌았어요
= A groundless rumor circulated that I got drunk yesterday and fell asleep on the street

저를 싫어하는 친구가 제가 양다리를 걸치고 있다는 헛소문을 냈어요
= The friend that doesn’t like me spread a rumor that I have two girlfriends

단체 = organization/corporation

Common Usages:
자선단체 = charity organization
단체생활 = doing things in one’s life as group and following certain rules (like going to school)

Examples:
놀이동산 입장료는 단체로 지불하면 더 싸요
= The entrance fee to the amusement park is cheaper if you pay as a group

저는 미래에 인권보호를 위한 인권운동단체를 설립하고 싶습니다
= In the future, I want to establish an organization for the protection of human rights

그 단체가 우리 사생활을 보호하는 척하고 개인 정보를 유출했어요
= That organization pretends to protect our privacy, and leaked out our personal information

긴장감 = tension

Common Usages:
긴장감이 (감)돌다 = for there to be tension hanging/building

Examples:
내일 있을 수능 시험을 공부하는 학생들로부터 시험에 대한 긴장감을 느낄 수 있었다
= You can feel the tension from the students who are studying for the KSAT tomorrow

상대편 팀이 홈런을 치고 바짝 따라오기 시작하지 경기장 내에 긴장감이 돌기 시작했다
= Tension started to build during the game as the other team hit a homerun and started to catch up

사건 = events

Common Usages:
사건이 터지다 = for an event/scandal/incident to erupt
사건을 마무리하다 = to finish/conclude an event

Examples:
이 사건과 저 사건의 관련성이 아예 없어요
= This incident has absolutely no relevance to that matter

오늘 제가 사는 곳에서 아주 큰 사건이 터졌어요
= A big scandal erupted today where I live

지금 학교에서 시험 때문에 긴장감이 퍼지고 있어요
= The tension is spreading in the school now because of the exam

저는 그 사건의 검사로서 재판을 전담하기로 했습니다
= I decided to take full charge of that court case as the prosecutor

판사가 판결을 할 때는 사건 전체를 보고 결정해야 돼요
= When judges make their judgment, they need to look at the whole case and then decide

고소인이 어쩐지 사건에 대해 진술하는 것을 무서워하는 것 같아요
= The plaintiff somehow seems scared to give a statement about that matter

경찰은 이 지역의 살인사건의 단서를 찾기 위해 지역주민들에게 협조를 구했다
= In order to find clues concerning the locality’s murder incident, police sought cooperation from local residents

놀이터 = playground

Examples:
아이들이 놀이터에서 뛰어다녔어요
= The kids were running around the playground

놀이터에 있는 그네가 망가졌다니 믿을 수 없다
= I can’t believe that the swing in the playground broke

놀이터에서 놀고 있는 애기의 눈에 기쁨을 볼 수 있어요
= You can see the joy in the eyes of the baby who is playing in the playground

아이들이 놀이터에서 자기가 경찰관인 척하면서 놀았어요
= The kids pretended that they were police officers at the playground

불교 = Buddhism

Common Usages:
불교 신자 = a person who believes in Buddhism

Examples:
저는 어렸을 때 불교 신자인 엄마를 따라 절에 가곤 했어요
= When I was young, I would often follow my mom, a Buddhist, to the temple

그 여자는 사랑하는 남자의 마음을 얻기 위해 불교를 믿는 척했어요
= That girl pretended to believe in Buddhism in order to get the heart of the man she loves

문단 = paragraph

Examples:
한 문단만 읽어도 이 책의 작가가 누구인지 단번에 알 수 있어요
= If you just read one paragraph, you can tell who the author or this book is

학생이 그 문단을 읽는 척하고 수업 시간 동안 그냥 앉아 있었어요
= That student pretended to read the paragraph and just sat there during the class

야생 = wild

Common Usages:
야생화 = wild flower
야생 동물 = wild animal

Examples:
야생 여우는 점점 멸종되고 있어요
= Wild foxes are gradually becoming extinct

고양이가 야생 개를 보고 누워서 죽은 척했어요
= The cat saw the wild dog and then lay down and pretended to be dead

운이 좋으면 오늘 밤 야생 동물을 볼 수 있을 거예요
= If we are lucky, we will see wild animals tonight

Verbs:
주장하다 = to argue

The noun form of this verb “주장” translates to “argument.”

Common Usages:
권리를 주장하다 = to stand/fight for a right
강력히 주장하다 = to argue strongly

Examples:
그 사람이 다른 사람들을 위하는 척하며 자기 의견만 주장해요
= That person pretends to be for other people, but just asserts his own opinion

사회 불평등에 대해 강력히 주장해 봤지만 어느누구도 제 목소리에 귀 기울여 주지 않았어요
= I was strongly arguing against the inequalities in our society, but nobody would lend an ear to what I was saying

노동하다 = to work, to do labor

The noun form of this verb “노동” translates to “labor”

Common Usages:
공장 노동자 = a factory worker
노동자의 권익 = the rights of laborers

Examples:
청소년들이 노동의 가치를 배워야 돼요
= Young people should learn the value of physical labor

그 남자는 쉬운 일을 하면서 힘든 노동을 한 척했어요
= That man pretended to have done some hard work while doing something easy

탈출하다 = to escape

The noun form of this verb “탈출” translates to “escaping.”

Common Usages:
비상탈출구 = emergency exit

Examples:
살인범이 탈출하자마자 경찰관이 그를 찾아서 체포했어요
= As soon as the murderer escaped, the police caught him and arrested him

죄수가 감옥을 지키는 경비원인 척하고 감옥에서 탈출했어요
= The prisoners pretended that they were guards protecting the prison and then escaped

북한 사람들이 북한에서 탈출할 때도 잡혀서 죽을 가능성이 있어요
= It is possible for North Korean people to be captured and killed even when they are trying to escape the country

퍼지다 = to diffuse/spread out/spread

Common Usages:
소문이 퍼지다 = for a rumor to spread

Examples:
지금 학교에서 시험 때문에 긴장감이 퍼지고 있어요
= The tension is spreading in the school now because of the exam

새로 입학할 신입생 중 한명이 유명한 연예인이라는 소문이 퍼지기 시작했어요
= A rumor started to spread that one of the new students admitted is a famous celebrity

정돈하다 = to arrange

The noun form of this verb “정돈” translates to “arranging.”

Common Usages:
정리정돈하다 = to organize/arrange
자리를 정돈하다 = to clean up one’s space

Examples:
우리 아들은 TV 를 보면서 침대를 정돈하는 척했어요
= Our son pretended to clean up his bed while watching TV

남편이 저보다 정돈을 잘해서 남편은 청소 담당, 전 주로 요리를 담당해요
= My husband is good at organizing/cleaning, so he is in charge of cleaning, while I am in charge of cooking

흐르다 = to flow

This word follows the 르 irregular.

Common Usages:
흘러내리다 = to flow out (and down)
흘러나오다 = to flow out
시간이 흐르다 = for time to pass
계좌가 흐르다 = to be losing a lot of money

Examples:
시원한 시냇물은 강으로 흘러내렸어요
= The cool stream-water flowed down into the river

시간이 흐르면서 저는 더욱더욱 강해졌어요
= As time went by, I got more and more strong

그 영화는 제가 예상하는 대로 흘러가고 있어요
= The movie is progressing (along) as I expect

물이 흐르는 소리를 못 들은 척하고 그냥 잤어요
= I pretended that I couldn’t hear the water flowing and just slept

집주인이 물이 흘러나올까 봐 지붕을 수리했어요
= The landlord was worried that water would flow in, so he fixed up (repaired) the roof

세월이 흐르면서 동물이 종별로 다른 곳으로 이동했어요
As time goes by, animals move/migrate to different places depending on their species

그렇게 시간이 흘러 여름 방학이 다가왔다. 나는 방학이 시작하기 전에 그와 꼭 한 번 말을 해 봐야겠다고 결심을 했다.
= Time went by like that, and then summer vacation came/approached. Before vacation started, I decided that, no matter what, I must try to talk to him once.

하지만 시간이 흐르면서 나는 점점 더 외로움을 느꼈다. 특히 친하게 지냈던 친구들이 각 자 자기 나라로 돌아가기 시작하자 더 외로움을 느꼈다.
= But, as time went by, I gradually started to feel lonely. Especially as/when each of my close friends started to go back to their own countries, I felt lonelier.

강조하다 = to stress/emphasize

The noun form of this verb “강조” translates to “emphasis.”

Common Usages:
중요성을 강조하다 = to stress the importance
재차 강조하다 = to emphasize over and over again

Examples:
그 사람이 부자인 척하고 항상 돈의 중요성을 강조했어요
= That person pretended to be rich and always emphasized the importance of money

여행자 보험의 중요성을 재차 강조했지만 결국 보험없이 여행을 갔어요
= I emphasized over and over again the importance of travel insurance but, in the end, he went traveling without it

맡다 = to undertake/take on/handle/manage

Common Usages:
강의를 맡다 = to do (teach) a lecture/class
역할을 맡다 = to take on a role
책임을 맡다 = to take the responsibility of something
자리를 맡다 = to save a seat for somebody

Examples:
저는 연극에서 마법사역할을 맡을 거예요
= I will play the role of the witch in the play

저는 정치가로서 그 임무를 맡을 수 없어요
= As a politician, I can’t take on that work

제가 지금 급한 일이 생겨서 저 대신 학생들을 맡아 주세요
= Something urgent came up, so take the students for me

요즘에는 여배우들이 영화에서 아주 중요한 역할을 맡고 있어요
= These days, women have important roles in movies

좋은 영화배우가 되기 위해서는 자기가 맡은 역할의 캐릭터 분석을 꼼꼼히 해야 해요
= To become a good movie actor, it’s essential to meticulously analyze the character of the role taken on

외식하다 = to eat out somewhere

The noun form of this verb “외식” translates to “eating out at a restaurant.”

Examples:
집에서 있을 때뿐만 아니라 한국 사람들은 외식할 때도 김치를 먹어요
= Not only when they are eating at home, but even when Korean people eat out for dinner they eat kimchi

어제 외식했을 때 식당에서 아는 친구를 봤지만 모르는 척했어요
= Yesterday when I went out to eat, I saw a friend I know at the restaurant, but I pretended I don’t know him

구하다 = to rescue

Common Usages:
목숨을 구하다 = to save a life
생명을 구하다 = to save a life

Examples:
우리는 피해자들을 구하려고 노력해 볼 거예요
= We will try to save the victims

저기까지 아주 빨리 수영하더라도 그 사람을 구하지 못할 거예요
= Even if you swim there very fast, you won’t be able to save that person

데다 = to burn (part of a body)

Common Usages:
살을 데다 = to burn one’s flesh/skin

Examples:
그 친구가 팔에 덴 자국을 못 본 척하고 얘기했어요
= I pretended that I didn’t see the burn mark on my friend’s arm and talked with him

커피를 내리다 뜨거운 물을 쏟아서 손가락을 데었어요
= I was brewing some coffee and spilled hot water and burned my hand

유출하다 = to leak

The noun form of this verb “유출” translates to “leakage.”

Common Usages:
기밀을 유출하다 = to leak confidential information
비밀을 유출하다 = to leak a secret
정보를 유출하다 = to leak information

Examples:
그 직원은 회사 기밀을 유출한 죄로 감옥에 갔어요
= That worker went to jail for leaking confidential company information

그 단체가 우리 사생활을 보호하는 척하고 개인 정보를 유출했어요
= That organization pretends to protect our privacy, and leaked out our personal information

잘나다 = to be good, to do well, to be smart

Examples:
그녀는 시험을 잘 보고 친구들한테 잘난 척했어요
= She bragged to her friends after doing well on the exam

그 선생님이 서울대를 다니셔서 항상 잘난 척하셔요
= That teacher always brags because he graduated from Seoul National University

For help memorizing these words, try using our mobile app.

 

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn a 보조동사 that allows you to indicate that one pretends to do something. Let’s get started.

 

To pretend to: ~//척하다

Some verbs can only be used when combined with some other grammatical principle to support another verb. Examples of these from previous lessons are:

있다 in ~고 있다 (Lesson 18). 있다 must come after ~고 For example:
지금 학교에서 시험 때문에 긴장감이 퍼지고 있어요
= The tension is spreading in the school now because of the exam

보다 in ~아/어 보다 (Lesson 32). 보다 must come after ~아/어. For example:
우리는 피해자들을 구하려고 노력해 볼 거예요
= We will try to save the victims

주다 in ~아/어 주다 (Lesson 42). 주다 must come after ~아/어. For example:
제가 지금 급한 일이 생겨서 저 대신 학생들을 맡아 주세요
= Something urgent came up, so take the students for me

These are all examples of 보조동사 in Korean. Essentially, verbs that assist another verb by adding meaning to them. In the three examples above, you can see how, depending on the 보조동사 used, you can indicate that one is doing, trying or asking for something.

Another 보조동사 is 척하다. 척하다 comes after ~는 when used with a verb in the present tense. For example:

엄마가 오자 저는 설거지하는 척했어요 = As soon as my mom came I pretended to do the dishes

척하다 can come after ~ㄴ/은 when the verb is being used in the past tense. For example:

아이는 엄마 말을 들은 척했어요 = The child pretended he listened to his mother

Below are many more examples:

선생님이 그를 보자 공부하는 척했어요
= He pretended to study when the teacher looked at him

고양이가 야생 개를 보고 누워서 죽은 척했어요
= The cat saw the wild dog and then lay down and pretended to be dead

물이 흐르는 소리를 못 들은 척하고 그냥 잤어요
= I pretended that I couldn’t hear the water flowing and just slept

그 친구가 팔에 덴 자국을 못 본 척하고 얘기했어요
= I pretended that I didn’t see the burn mark on my friend’s arm and talked with him

그 이벤트가 마음에 들지 않았지만 감동한 척했어요
= I didn’t like that event, but I pretended that it impressed me

우리 아들은 TV를 보면서 침대를 정돈하는 척했어요
= Our son pretended to clean up his bed while watching TV

그 남자는 쉬운 일을 하면서 힘든 노동을 한 척했어요
= That man pretended to have done some hard work while doing something easy

학생이 그 문단을 읽는 척하고 수업 시간 동안 그냥 앉아 있었어요
= That student pretended to read the paragraph and just sat there during the class

그 단체가 우리 사생활을 보호하는 척하고 개인 정보를 유출했어요
= That organization pretends to protect our privacy, and leaked out our personal information

그 여자는 사랑하는 남자의 마음을 얻기 위해 불교를 믿는 척했어요
= That girl pretended to believe in Buddhism in order to get the heart of the man she loves

척하다 comes after ~ㄴ/은 when used after an adjective or 이다. For example:

여자는 자기 남자 친구한테 귀여운 척했어요
= The girl pretended to be cute to her boyfriend

원하는 것을 받으려고 남자는 슬픈 척했어요
= The man pretended to be sad to get what she wanted

그 사람이 부자인 척하고 항상 돈의 중요성을 강조했어요
= That person pretended to be rich and always emphasized the importance of money

저는 파티에서 행복한 척했는데 사실 요즘에 진짜 슬퍼요
= I pretended to be happy at the party, but I am actually really sad these days

아이들이 놀이터에서 자기가 경찰관인 척하면서 놀았어요
= The kids pretended that they were police officers at the playground

죄수가 감옥을 지키는 경비원인 척하고 감옥에서 탈출했어요
= The prisoners pretended that they were guards protecting the prison and then escaped (from the prison)

그 사람이 다른 사람들을 위하는 척하며 자기 의견만 주장해요
= That person pretends to be for other people, but just asserts his own opinion

——————-

Two common verbs used with 척하다 are 알다 and 모르다, which can be used to indicates that one pretends to know or not know. For example:

그는 정답을 아는 척했어요
= He pretended that he knew the answer

어제 외식했을 때 식당에서 아는 친구를 봤지만 모르는 척했어요
= Yesterday when I went out to eat, I saw a friend I know at the restaurant, but I pretended I don’t know him

——————

The word 잘나다 is commonly used with 척하다 to indicate that one pretends to do something well. For example:

그녀는 시험을 잘 보고 친구들한테 잘난 척했어요
= She bragged to her friends after doing well on the exam

그 선생님이 서울대를 졸업하셔서 항상 잘난 척하셔요
= That teacher always brags because he graduated from Seoul National University

—————–

There are also some words that can be used instead of “척하다.” The most common alternative is “체하다,” which has a very similar, if not identical, meaning:

식당에서 교수님은 저를 모른 체했어요
= The professor pretended to not know me in the restaurant

That’s it for this lesson!

Click here for a Workbook to go along with this lesson.
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