TOPIK II · LEVEL 4
-(으)ㄹ 지경이다
Says that a situation has become so bad that it has almost reached an extreme state, often as an exaggeration, like 'I'm about to die / go crazy'.
정도·비교Degree & comparisonHan: 지경 is preceded by the -(으)ㄹ form, not the past -(으)ㄴ form; to talk about the past, change 이다: 죽을 지경이었어요.
Examples
옆집 공사 소음 때문에 머리가 아파서 미칠 지경이었어요.Because of the construction noise next door, my head hurt so much I was going crazy.
요즘 일이 너무 많아서 쓰러질 지경이에요.I have so much work these days that I'm about to collapse.
지하철에 사람이 너무 많아서 숨 쉬기도 힘들 지경이었어요.There were so many people on the subway that it was hard even to breathe.
아침부터 아무것도 못 먹어서 배고파 죽을 지경이야.I haven't been able to eat anything since morning, so I'm starving to death.
Don’t mix up
-(으)ㄹ 지경이다vs-(으)ㄹ 정도이다 / -(으)ㄹ 정도로정도 is a neutral degree expression and works for positive feelings too; 지경 is for an unbearable state: 눈물이 날 정도로 감동했어요 (지경 sounds wrong here).
-(으)ㄹ 지경이다vs-(으)ㄹ 뻔하다뻔했다 means something almost happened at one moment but did not; 지경이다 describes a state that has become extreme: 길에서 넘어질 뻔했어요 vs 다리가 아파서 걸을 수 없을 지경이에요.How to build it
V/A+(으)ㄹ 지경이다 (often: cause + 아서/어서 … (으)ㄹ 지경이다)
미치다 → 미칠 지경이다, 죽다 → 죽을 지경이다
- Usually describes negative, hard-to-bear states, often exaggerated (죽을 지경, 미칠 지경, 쓰러질 지경). For a neutral or positive degree, use -(으)ㄹ 정도이다 instead.
- The word before 지경 keeps the -(으)ㄹ form; past tense goes on 이다: 미칠 지경이었어요, not 미친 지경이에요.
- Usually comes with a cause (-아서/어서, 때문에, 너무) and is used in statements, not in commands or suggestions.
Classic mistake
Wrong: 너무 피곤해서 죽은 지경이에요.
Right: 너무 피곤해서 죽을 지경이에요.
지경 is preceded by the -(으)ㄹ form, not the past -(으)ㄴ form; to talk about the past, change 이다: 죽을 지경이었어요.
Practise -(으)ㄹ 지경이다 on real TOPIK questions
Hannim plans each day up to your exam date: questions on this pattern, reviews, full mock papers and graded writing. 7 days free, no card.
Start 7-day free trialMore level 4 grammar
All TOPIK grammar- -(으)ㄹ 뿐이다-(으)ㄹ 뿐이다 says that something is just this and nothing more, and is often used to downplay a fact or to sound modest.
- -(으)ㄹ 따름이다Says that something is simply this and nothing more; it is a formal, often humble way to say 'I merely…' or 'I can only feel…'.
- -에 비해(서)/-에 비하면Compares something with N as the standard: 'compared to N, relative to N'. 에 비하면 adds an evaluation, often 'X is nothing compared to N'.
- -게 생겼다-게 생겼다 says you are about to end up in a bad (sometimes good) situation: 'I'm going to end up …'.
- -듯이Links two clauses by likeness: 'just as A, so B'. It also forms fixed similes such as 물 쓰듯이 ('like water') and 밥 먹듯이 ('as often as eating').
- -(으)나-(으)나 is a formal written 'but / however', linking two contrasting clauses.
- -(으)되-(으)되 states or allows a first action and then adds a condition or limit to it, in a formal or written style.
- -(이)면 (조사)Attaches to a noun to mean 'if it is N / whenever it is N'; repeated as N(이)면 N, it means 'in every field, whatever you name'.
- -(으)ㄹ 게 아니라Use it to say that doing X is not the right move, so you should do Y instead: "rather than doing X, do Y."