TOPIK I · LEVEL 2
-밖에
-밖에 means 'only / nothing but' and is always followed by a negative verb.
조사ParticlesHan: 밖에 must be followed by a negative: 있다 → 없다.
Examples
어제 세 시간밖에 못 잤어요.I only managed to sleep three hours last night.
지갑에 만 원밖에 없어요.I only have ten thousand won in my wallet.
한국어를 조금밖에 몰라요.I only know a little Korean.
Don’t mix up
-밖에vs-만만 is neutral 'only' with a positive verb; 밖에 needs a negative and stresses 'just that little': 만 원만 있어요 vs 만 원밖에 없어요.How to build it
N+밖에+negative (안/못/없다/모르다)
천 원 → 천 원밖에 없어요
- The verb must be negative: 밖에 없다, 밖에 안 하다, 밖에 못 하다.
- It often sounds like 'less than expected' — a bit of disappointment.
Classic mistake
Wrong: 사과가 하나밖에 있어요.
Right: 사과가 하나밖에 없어요.
밖에 must be followed by a negative: 있다 → 없다.
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All TOPIK grammar- -께-께 is the honorific form of 에게/한테: 'to' a person you respect.
- -씩-씩 after an amount means 'each' or 'at a time': the same amount for every person or every unit.
- -쯤-쯤 after a time, amount or place means 'about / around'.
- -께서-께서 is the honorific subject particle: it replaces 이/가 when the subject is someone you respect.
- -마다Attached to a noun, 마다 means "every" or "each": the same thing happens with every one of those times, people, or places.
- -보다보다 attaches to the thing you measure against, like English "than": X is more (or less) than the noun with 보다.
- -처럼/같이Attached to a noun, 처럼/같이 mean 'like N': something looks, acts or is done the same way as N.
- -에게로Marks a person or animal as the direction or destination of a movement: 'toward, to (someone)'. Mostly written or narrative; in speech 한테로.
- -에게서/한테서-에게서/한테서 marks the person something comes from: 'from (someone)'.