한글
GuidesSign inGet started

Grammar / Level 3 / Lesson 68

는 편이다, ㄴ/은 셈이다, 는 축에 들다, ㄹ/을 따름이다: hedging

By Daniel Buckley · 10 minute read · TOPIK 4

Vocabulary

  1. 편 - side
  2. 셈 - calculation, reckoning
  3. 축 - group, class (of people or things)
  4. 따름 - only that, nothing more
  5. 보고서 - report
  6. 월급 - monthly salary
  7. 부자 - rich person
  8. 자라다 - to grow up
  9. 최선 - one's best
  10. 감사하다 - to be thankful

Someone asks if you can cook. 네, 잘해요 sounds like boasting, and 아니요 isn't true. The sentence you want is 잘하는 편이에요: I'm on the good side.

Korean likes to stop short of a flat statement, and these four forms all do that. None of them means you're unsure of the facts. You're choosing how to frame them, and each one has its own picture: a scale, a sum, a group, or a very small claim.

는 편이다: on one side of the scale

편 means side, as in the side you're on. 는 편이다 puts someone on one side of a scale and doesn't say how far along. English says "tend to", "fairly" or "on the tall side".

Making 는 편이다

  • Verbs, and 있다 and 없다: 는 편이다.먹다 → 먹는 편이에요재미있다 → 재미있는 편이에요
  • Adjectives: ㄴ/은 편이다.크다 → 큰 편이에요많다 → 많은 편이에요
  • One past event: ㄴ/은 편이다.자다 → 일찍 잔 편이에요

Pick a verb

먹다먹먹는 편이에요

Pick a verb

크다크큰 편이에요

  1. 저는 아침에 일찍 일어나는 편이에요.

    I tend to get up early.

  2. 저는 매운 음식을 잘 먹는 편이에요.

    I'm pretty good with spicy food.

  3. 제 동생은 키가 큰 편이에요.

    My younger brother is on the tall side.

  4. 서울은 집값이 비싼 편이에요.

    Housing in Seoul is on the pricey side.

  5. 저는 말이 없는 편이에요.

    I'm on the quiet side.

  6. 어제는 일찍 잔 편이에요.

    I went to bed fairly early last night.

With a verb, there's usually a word like 잘, 많이, 일찍 or 자주 to say which way the scale runs. 먹는 편이에요 on its own leaves people asking what you mean. It's also a kind way to criticise: 좀 비싼 편이에요 does less damage than 비싸요.

ㄴ/은 셈이다: add it up and it comes to

셈 comes from 세다, to count, and it means a calculation. ㄴ/은 셈이다 does the sums on a situation, and the total is what things amount to. It may not be literally so, but it might as well be. English says "more or less", "as good as" or "that works out at".

Making ㄴ/은 셈이다

  • Verbs, past: ㄴ/은 셈이다.끝나다 → 끝난 셈이에요먹다 → 먹은 셈이에요
  • Verbs, present: 는 셈이다.살다 → 사는 셈이에요
  • Adjectives: ㄴ/은 셈이다.싸다 → 싼 셈이에요
  • Nouns: 인 셈이다.가족 → 가족인 셈이에요

Pick a verb

끝나다끝나끝난 셈이에요

  1. 보고서를 다 썼으니까 이번 주 일은 거의 끝난 셈이에요.

    The report's written, so this week's work is as good as done.

  2. 세 시간밖에 못 잤으니까 거의 안 잔 셈이에요.

    I only got three hours, so I basically didn't sleep.

  3. 한 달에 책을 열 권 읽으니까 사흘에 한 권씩 읽는 셈이에요.

    Ten books a month works out at one every three days.

  4. 매일 저녁을 친구 집에서 먹으니까 거기서 사는 셈이에요.

    I eat at my friend's place every evening, so I practically live there.

  5. 어릴 때부터 같이 자랐으니까 가족인 셈이에요.

    We grew up together, so we're more or less family.

  6. 이 정도면 싼 셈이에요.

    All things considered, that's fairly cheap.

Most of those have a (으)니까 clause in front. That's the working, and 셈이다 is the answer at the bottom.

※ ㄹ/을 셈이다 is a different thing. It means "intend to", and aimed at someone else it can sound like a challenge: 어떻게 할 셈이에요?, so what exactly are you planning to do?

는 축에 들다: counts as one of them

축 is a small noun for a class of people or things, and 들다 is to get in. So this says something makes it into a group. 편 places someone on a scale, and 축 sorts them by comparing them with everyone else, so a group is often named or implied.

Making 는 축에 들다

  • Verbs: 는 축에 들다.일어나다 → 일어나는 축에 들어요
  • Adjectives: ㄴ/은 축에 들다.크다 → 큰 축에 들어요싸다 → 싼 축에 들어요
  • Nouns: add 축에 들다 directly.부자 → 부자 축에 들어요
  • Doesn't make the group: 축에 못 들다. Add 도 for force.많은 축에 못 들어요매운 축에도 못 들어요

Pick a verb

크다크큰 축에 들어요

  1. 친구들 중에서 저는 키가 큰 축에 들어요.

    Among my friends, I count as one of the tall ones.

  2. 서울에서는 이 정도면 싼 축에 들어요.

    In Seoul, this counts as cheap.

  3. 저희 회사에서 저는 일찍 출근하는 축에 들어요.

    At my company, I'm one of the people who get in early.

  4. 그 정도면 부자 축에 들어요.

    With that much, you count as rich.

  5. 제 월급은 많은 축에 못 들어요.

    My salary doesn't really count as high.

  6. 이 정도는 매운 축에도 못 들어요.

    This doesn't even count as spicy.

You'll also see 축에 속하다, to belong to the group, which means the same.

ㄹ/을 따름이다: this, and nothing more

따름 says it's only this. It does the same work as ㄹ/을 뿐이다, one step more formal, and you'll mostly meet it as 따름입니다. It belongs in speeches, formal letters and apologies, and it would sound odd over coffee.

The hedge here is that you make your claim as small as you can. 감사할 따름입니다 says "all I can do is thank you", and that modesty is why it comes across as heartfelt.

Making ㄹ/을 따름이다

  • Verbs and adjectives: ㄹ/을, a space, then 따름이다.감사하다 → 감사할 따름입니다놀랍다 → 놀라울 따름입니다
  • Past: add 을 따름이다 to the 았/었 stem.했을 따름입니다도왔을 따름입니다

Pick a verb

감사하다감사하감사할 따름입니다

  1. 도와주신 분들께 그저 감사할 따름입니다.

    I can only thank everyone who helped.

  2. 그저 죄송할 따름입니다.

    I can only say how sorry I am.

  3. 저는 제 일을 했을 따름입니다.

    I only did my job.

  4. 결과가 정말 놀라울 따름입니다.

    The result is simply astonishing.

  5. 앞으로도 최선을 다할 따름입니다.

    All I can do is keep doing my best.

※ Dictionaries give 따름 after ㄹ/을, so that's the form to learn. You'll still meet 감사한 따름입니다 in print and in speeches.

Which one?

Think about the picture each one draws. Reporting a tendency takes 편, a result worked out from the facts takes 셈, and a place in a group takes 축. 따름 is the formal one that shrinks a claim.

  1. 이제 마지막 문제만 남았으니까 시험은 거의 ___.

    There's only the last question to go, so the exam is as good as over.

  2. 저는 아무것도 안 했습니다. 그저 조금 ___.

    I did nothing. I only helped a little.

  3. 친구들 중에서 저는 매운 음식을 잘 못 먹는 ___.

    Among my friends, I count as one of the people who can't handle spicy food.

Listen and type

1 / 3

Play it as often as you like.

In a conversation

A

요리 잘해요?

Do (you) cook well?

B

네, 잘하는 편이에요.

Yes, (I) am on the side of doing well.

A

얼마나 자주 해요?

How often do (you) do (it)?

B

일주일에 여섯 번 하니까 거의 매일 하는 셈이에요.

Six times a week, so it comes to doing nearly every day.

A

와, 그 정도면 요리를 많이 하는 축에 들어요.

Wow, at that level (you) are in the group of cooking a lot.

B

아니에요. 그냥 사 먹는 돈이 아까워서 하는 거예요.

No. Just because money for buying food feels wasted, (I) do (it).

Common mistakes

  1. 저는 요즘 바쁘는 편이에요.

    저는 요즘 바쁜 편이에요.

    바쁘다 is an adjective, so it takes ㄴ/은.

  2. 이 식당은 맛있은 편이에요.

    이 식당은 맛있는 편이에요.

    있다 and 없다 words take 는.

Check yourself

Quick check

1 / 6

저는 아침에 일찍 ___. (일어나다, with 편이다) I tend to get up early.

일어나다 is a verb.

Summary

는 편이에요 (verbs) forms
DictionaryStem는 편이에요 (verbs)
먹다먹먹는 편이에요
일어나다일어나일어나는 편이에요
살다살사는 편이에요
재미있다재미있재미있는 편이에요
ㄴ/은 편이에요 (adjectives) forms
DictionaryStemㄴ/은 편이에요 (adjectives)
크다크큰 편이에요
좋다좋좋은 편이에요
비싸다비싸비싼 편이에요
덥다덥더운 편이에요

Four ways to stop short

  • 는 편이다: a tendency, on one side of a scale.일찍 일어나는 편이에요
  • ㄴ/은 셈이다: it comes to this, when you add it up.다 끝난 셈이에요
  • 는 축에 들다: it counts as one of a group.싼 축에 들어요
  • ㄹ/을 따름이다: only this, formally.감사할 따름입니다

Now you can say

  1. 저는 매운 음식을 잘 먹는 편이에요.

    I'm pretty good with spicy food.

  2. 이 정도면 싼 셈이에요.

    All things considered, that's fairly cheap.

  3. 그저 감사할 따름입니다.

    I can only say thank you.

Sign in to keep track of the lessons you've finished.