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Grammar / Level 1 / Lesson 18

이렇다, 그렇다, 저렇다, 어떻다

By Daniel Buckley · 9 minute read · TOPIK 1

Vocabulary

  1. 이렇다 - to be like this
  2. 그렇다 - to be like that, to be so
  3. 저렇다 - to be like that (over there)
  4. 어떻다 - to be how, to be what like
  5. 빨갛다 - to be red
  6. 노랗다 - to be yellow
  7. 파랗다 - to be blue
  8. 하얗다 - to be white
  9. 까맣다 - to be black
  10. 색깔 - colour

Two of the most useful words in spoken Korean are 그래요? and 어때요? The first is "really?" and the second is "how is it?" or "how about it?", and neither looks like a dictionary word.

They're the 해요 forms of 그렇다 and 어떻다, two adjectives from a family of four. Once you know the family, you get these two, plus words for "like this", "this kind of" and "so", and the colours follow the same pattern.

A family of four

You know 이, 그 and 저 from 이것, 그것 and 저것. Add 렇다 and each one becomes an adjective for being that way. 어떻다 is the question that goes with them.

The four words

  • 이렇다: like this, near me.이렇다 → 이래요
  • 그렇다: like that, near you or already mentioned.그렇다 → 그래요
  • 저렇다: like that, over there.저렇다 → 저래요
  • 어떻다: how, what like.어떻다 → 어때요

All four are ㅎ irregular, the group from lesson 9. The ㅎ drops and the vowel becomes ㅐ. Try the builder, and notice that the colours at the end behave the same way.

Pick a verb

이렇다이렇이래요

그래요 and 어때요

You'll mostly use these as whole phrases. With a rise, 그래요 asks "is that so". With a fall, it agrees with what was said. 어때요 asks how something is, and with a suggestion it means "how about".

  1. 이 영화 어때요?

    This movie is how?

  2. 내일 어때요?

    Tomorrow is how? (How about tomorrow?)

  3. 아, 그래요?

    Oh, is that so?

  4. 네, 그래요.

    Yes, it is so.

  5. 아니요, 안 그래요.

    No, (it) is not so.

  6. 왜 그래요?

    Why are you like that? (What's wrong?)

  7. 저 사람은 왜 저래요?

    That person, why are (they) like that?

  8. 서울은 원래 이래요.

    Seoul is like this by nature.

The past works the same way, built on the same vowel: 어땠어요?, how was it, and 그랬어요, it was so.

A

어제 영화 어땠어요?

Yesterday movie was how?

B

재미있었어요. 오늘 날씨는 어때요?

(It) was fun. Today weather is how?

A

너무 추워요.

(It) is too cold.

B

그래요? 그럼 코트를 입을 거예요.

Is that so? Then (I) will wear coat.

이렇게, 그렇게, 저렇게, 어떻게

Add the ~게 from the adverbs lesson and you get "like this" and "like that". 게 starts with a consonant, so the ㅎ stays. 어떻게, how, comes from here. Before an adjective, these often mean "this" or "so", as in "so cold".

  1. 이렇게 만들어요.

    (I) make (it) like this.

  2. 저는 그렇게 생각해요.

    I think so.

  3. 오늘은 왜 이렇게 추워요?

    Today why is (it) this cold?

  4. 왜 그렇게 빨리 먹어요?

    Why (do you) eat that fast?

  5. 저 사람은 왜 저렇게 크게 말해요?

    That person, why (do they) speak that loudly?

이런, 그런, 저런, 어떤

Before a noun, these take the ㄴ from lesson 10, and the ㅎ drops. 이런 means "this kind of". 어떤 means "what kind of", and it asks about qualities, where 무슨 asks about the type.

  1. 이런 옷을 좋아해요.

    (I) like this kind of clothes.

  2. 그런 사람은 없어요.

    There is no person like that.

  3. 저런 차가 좋아요.

    That kind of car is good.

  4. 어떤 음식을 좋아해요?

    (You) like what kind of food?

  5. 그 사람은 어떤 사람이에요?

    That person is what kind of person?

Each form has one place in a sentence. 어때요 ends it, 어떻게 goes before a verb, and 어떤 goes before a noun. English says "how" or "what" for all of them, so go by what comes next.

  1. 날씨가 ___?

    How's the weather?

  2. 학교에 ___ 가요?

    How do you get to school?

  3. ___ 사람이에요?

    What kind of person are they?

  4. 왜 ___ 비싸요?

    Why is it so expensive?

  5. 저는 ___ 생각해요.

    I think so.

Colours

The five colour adjectives from lesson 10 are ㅎ adjectives too, and they follow the family exactly: 빨개요, 빨간, 빨갛게. 하얗다 is the one that looks odd, because its vowel becomes ㅒ: 하얘요.

Pick a verb

빨갛다빨갛빨간

  1. 사과가 빨개요.

    Apple is red.

  2. 하늘이 파래요.

    Sky is blue.

  3. 노란 우산을 샀어요.

    (I) bought yellow umbrella.

  4. 까만 코트를 입었어요.

    (I) wore black coat.

  5. 하얀 옷을 좋아해요.

    (I) like white clothes.

As before, 색 names the colour itself: 빨간색, 파란색. 초록색 and 보라색 have more nouns like them: 분홍색 pink, 회색 grey, 갈색 brown.

  1. 저는 파란색을 좋아해요.

    I like blue.

  2. 제 가방은 초록색이에요.

    My bag is green.

  3. 무슨 색을 좋아해요?

    (You) like what colour?

※ 파랗다 covers some of what English calls green. A green traffic light is 파란불, literally a blue light.

Listen and type

1 / 3

Play it as often as you like.

Common mistakes

  1. 네, 그렇어요.

    네, 그래요.

    These are ㅎ irregular. The ㅎ drops and the vowel becomes ㅐ.

  2. 날씨가 어떻게요?

    날씨가 어때요?

    어떻게 goes before a verb. To end the sentence, use 어때요.

  3. 빨갛은 사과를 샀어요.

    빨간 사과를 샀어요.

    Before a noun the ㅎ drops, and ㄴ attaches directly.

Check yourself

Quick check

1 / 6

영화가 ___? (어떻다) How's the movie?

The ㅎ drops and the vowel becomes ㅐ.

Summary

해요 form, before a verb, before a noun

  • 이렇다이래요, 이렇게, 이런
  • 그렇다그래요, 그렇게, 그런
  • 저렇다저래요, 저렇게, 저런
  • 어떻다어때요, 어떻게, 어떤
  • 빨갛다, and the other colours빨개요, 빨갛게, 빨간

Now you can say

  1. 오늘 날씨 어때요?

    Today weather is how?

  2. 저는 그렇게 생각해요.

    I think so.

  3. 오늘은 왜 이렇게 추워요?

    Today why is (it) this cold?

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