TOPIK II · LEVEL 3
-는 게 낫다
-는 게 낫다 means 'it's better to A (than B)', comparing options.
능력·허락·의무Can, may & mustHan: 낫다 drops ㅅ before a vowel: 나아요.
Examples
혼자 고민하지 말고 친구에게 말하는 게 나아요.It's better to tell a friend than to worry alone.
이렇게 늦을 바에는 차라리 내일 가는 게 낫겠어요.If we're this late, we'd rather go tomorrow.
버스를 기다리는 것보다 걸어가는 게 나아요.It's better to walk than to wait for the bus.
Don’t mix up
-는 게 낫다vs-는 게 좋겠다-는 게 좋겠다 is general advice; -는 게 낫다 compares two options and picks the better one.How to build it
V+는 게 낫다 / N이/가 낫다
기다리다 → 기다리는 게 나아요, 택시 → 택시가 나아요
- Often with 차라리 'rather' and 보다: 기다리는 것보다 걸어가는 게 나아요.
- 낫다 is ㅅ-irregular: 나아요, 나은.
Classic mistake
Wrong: 걸어가는 게 낫어요.
Right: 걸어가는 게 나아요.
낫다 drops ㅅ before a vowel: 나아요.
Practise -는 게 낫다 on real TOPIK questions
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All TOPIK grammar- -(으)ㄹ 만하다Use it to say an action is worth doing, or that something is good enough or bearable to do.
- -(으)ㄹ 필요가 있다/없다-(으)ㄹ 필요가 있다/없다 means 'it is necessary / there is no need to …'.
- -지 않으면 안 되다-지 않으면 안 되다 is a strong 'must' (literally 'if you don't, it won't do').
- -아/어서는 안 되다-아/어서는 안 되다 means 'must not / should not do A' (prohibition).
- -아/어야겠다-아/어야겠다 shows the speaker deciding, usually right now, that something needs to be done: "I'd better…" or "I should…".
- -기(가) 쉽다/어렵다-기(가) 쉽다/어렵다 means 'easy / hard to do A'; also 'likely / unlikely to happen'.
- -(으)ㅁ-(으)ㅁ turns a verb or adjective into a noun; it is used in notes, notices, memos and written records.
- -(으)며-(으)며 is a formal, written 'and' (listing) or 'while' (two actions at once).
- -(이)야-(이)야 emphasizes a topic as obvious or as the only one meant: 'as for N, of course …'.