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TOPIK I · LEVEL 2

-는 것

-는 것 turns a verb into a noun phrase: 'the act of doing', 'doing'.

명사형·관형형Making nouns & modifiers

Han: A verb can't take an object particle directly; make it a noun with -는 것 first.

Examples

제 취미는 사진을 찍는 거예요.My hobby is taking photos.
저는 혼자 여행하는 걸 좋아해요.I like travelling alone.
한국어로 말하는 것이 어려워요.Speaking in Korean is hard.

Don’t mix up

-는 것vs-기Both make nouns; -기 fits set phrases and lists (말하기, 듣기, -기 쉽다), -는 것 fits the rest of a sentence naturally.

How to build it

V+는 것 (past: -(으)ㄴ 것, future: -(으)ㄹ 것)

읽다 → 읽는 것, 만들다 → 만드는 것

  1. In speech 것이 → 게, 것을 → 걸, 것은 → 건: 노래하는 게 좋아요.
  2. ㄹ-stems drop ㄹ before 는: 살다 → 사는 것.

Classic mistake

Wrong: 저는 요리하다를 좋아해요.

Right: 저는 요리하는 것을 좋아해요.

A verb can't take an object particle directly; make it a noun with -는 것 first.

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More level 2 grammar

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