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Grammar / Level 3 / Lesson 82

치고, 기는요, 기는 하다: for a, hardly, and I'll grant you

By Daniel Buckley · 10 minute read · TOPIK 4

Vocabulary

  1. 외국인 - a foreigner
  2. 공짜 - something free
  3. 초등학생 - a primary school pupil
  4. 사탕 - a sweet, candy
  5. 겨울 - winter
  6. 아직 멀었다 - to have a long way to go
  7. 별로 - not particularly

Someone in Korea says 외국인치고는 한국어를 정말 잘하시네요: you speak really good Korean for a foreigner. You smile and answer 잘하기는요, hardly. If they press you, you might admit 조금 하기는 해요, I can speak a bit, I suppose.

That whole exchange is this lesson. 치고는 sets a lower bar, 기는요 waves the compliment away, and 기는 하다 grants the point and holds something back.

치고는: for a

치고는 goes straight on a noun and says "for that kind of thing". You name the group and what you'd normally expect of it, and then say this one is different. 치고 comes from the verb 치다, most likely in its sense of counting something as something: counted as a winter, it's warm.

  1. 겨울치고는 따뜻해요.

    It's warm for winter.

  2. 외국인치고는 한국어를 정말 잘해요.

    He speaks really good Korean for a foreigner.

  3. 초등학생치고는 키가 커요.

    She's tall for a primary school pupil.

  4. 처음 만든 음식치고는 맛있어요.

    It's tasty for the first time you've made it.

  5. 비싼 식당치고는 별로예요.

    It's nothing special for an expensive restaurant.

For a verb, go through 것: 처음 하는 것치고는 잘했어요, you did well for a first go. You'll also hear plain 치고 in this meaning, as in 겨울치고 따뜻해요, but the 는 makes it clear.

※ Be careful aiming it at people. "For a foreigner" or "for your age" says something about what you expected, so it can sting in Korean just as it can in English.

치고: every one of them

Without 는, 치고 usually means something quite different: take any member of the group, and there are no exceptions. It nearly always comes before a negative, typically 없다, or a question expecting "nobody". So the sentence says no N breaks the rule, and that's where the "every" comes from.

  1. 공짜치고 좋은 건 없어요.

    Nothing free is ever any good.

  2. 한국 사람치고 김치를 모르는 사람은 없어요.

    Every Korean knows kimchi.

  3. 이 동네 식당치고 안 비싼 데가 없어요.

    Every restaurant round here is expensive.

  4. 아이치고 사탕을 안 좋아하는 아이가 어디 있어요?

    What child doesn't like sweets?

So look at the end of the sentence. If it says no such thing exists, 치고 means "every". If it judges one case against what you'd expect, it means "for a", with or without the 는.

  1. 서울치고는 집값이 싸요.

  2. 학생치고 시험을 좋아하는 사람은 없어요.

  3. 오월치고는 날씨가 더워요.

  4. 공짜치고 좋은 건 없어요.

  5. 처음 하는 것치고는 잘했어요.

  6. 부모치고 자식 걱정을 안 하는 사람이 어디 있어요?

기는요: hardly

기는요 picks up a word the other person just used and throws it back. It's a light way of saying they've got it wrong, and it's how you turn down a compliment. It goes on the stem of a verb or adjective, and in speech it often shortens to 긴요.

Keep it simple on tense. Even when the question is in the past, the stem stays bare, with no 았/었, so 많이 먹었어요 gets 많이 먹기는요. With friends, drop the 요 and say 잘하기는.

A

한국어 정말 잘하시네요.

Korean really speak well.

B

잘하기는요. 아직 멀었어요.

Speak well, what. Still far.

A

이 가방 비쌌죠?

This bag was expensive, right?

B

비싸기는요. 세일해서 만 원에 샀어요.

Expensive, what. On sale, so bought for ten thousand won.

A

주말에 많이 쉬었어요?

At weekend rested a lot?

B

쉬기는요. 하루 종일 일했어요.

Rest, what. All day worked.

As you can see, the reason usually comes straight after it. Tone matters: said with a smile it's modest, and said flatly it can sound like you're correcting someone. So take care with it around people above you.

기는 하다: it is, but

기는 하다 grants a point and leaves room for a "but". Saying 좋아요 commits you. 좋기는 해요 says it's good all right, and the listener can tell there's more coming. Usually it's followed by 지만 or 는데, or by a new sentence with 근데.

Making 기는 하다

  • Stem + 기는 하다. In speech, 긴 하다.맛있다 → 맛있기는 해요예쁘다 → 예쁘기는 해요
  • Past: the 았/었 goes on 하다.먹다 → 먹기는 했어요
  • Before a "but": 기는 한데, 기는 하지만.좋기는 한데좋기는 하지만
  • Or repeat the word in place of 하다.비싸기는 비싸요먹기는 먹었어요

Pick a verb

맛있다맛있맛있기는 해요

  1. 맛있기는 해요. 근데 너무 비싸요.

    It is tasty. But it's far too expensive.

  2. 이 옷이 예쁘기는 한데 저한테는 좀 커요.

    This top is pretty, but it's a bit big on me.

  3. 어제 운동을 하기는 했어요. 근데 십 분만 했어요.

    I did exercise yesterday. But only for ten minutes.

  4. 약을 먹긴 했는데 아직도 아파요.

    I did take the medicine, but it still hurts.

  5. 오늘 춥기는 춥네요.

    It's cold today, all right.

  6. 그 사람을 알기는 알아요. 친하지는 않아요.

    I do know him. We're not close.

Don't confuse this with 기도 하다. 기도 하다 adds another fact, as in "it's also". 기는 하다 limits the fact you've got, as in "it is, but". The 도 and 는 behave here just as they do on a noun.

  1. 일이 쉬워요? ___. 매일 늦게까지 일해요.

    Is the work easy? Hardly. I work late every day.

  2. 이 신발은 ___ 너무 비싸요.

    These shoes are nice, but they're far too expensive.

  3. 오늘은 ___ 따뜻해요.

    It's warm for winter today.

Listen and type

1 / 3

Play it as often as you like.

Common mistakes

  1. 겨울인치고는 따뜻해요.

    겨울치고는 따뜻해요.

    치고는 goes straight on the noun, with no 이다.

  2. 처음 하는치고는 잘했어요.

    처음 하는 것치고는 잘했어요.

    치고는 needs a noun, so a verb goes through 것.

  3. 맛있기는 있어요.

    맛있기는 맛있어요.

    맛있다 is one word, so you repeat all of it, or use 해요.

Check yourself

Quick check

1 / 6

___ 따뜻해요. (겨울, use 치고는) It's warm for winter.

Straight on the noun.

Summary

기는 해요 forms
DictionaryStem기는 해요
맛있다맛있맛있기는 해요
좋다좋좋기는 해요
비싸다비싸비싸기는 해요
듣다듣듣기는 해요

Qualifying what's been said

  • 치고는: for a. You're judging against what you'd expect.겨울치고는 따뜻해요.
  • 치고, then a negative: every one, no exceptions.공짜치고 좋은 건 없어요.
  • 기는요: hardly. Throw the word back, and give the reason.잘하기는요. 아직 멀었어요.
  • 기는 하다: it is, but.맛있기는 한데 비싸요.

Now you can say

  1. 겨울치고는 따뜻해요.

    It's warm for winter.

  2. 잘하기는요. 아직 멀었어요.

    Hardly. I've got a long way to go.

  3. 맛있기는 해요. 근데 너무 비싸요.

    It is tasty. But it's far too expensive.

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