TOPIK II · LEVEL 5

-기 나름이다

The result is not fixed; it depends on how someone does the action or looks at things.

정도·비교Degree & comparison

Han: Tense is never marked on the verb before 기 in this pattern; put the past tense on 이다 (나름이었어).

Examples

같은 상황도 생각하기 나름이니까 너무 걱정하지 마세요.Even the same situation depends on how you see it, so don't worry too much.
아이의 습관은 부모가 가르치기 나름이다.A child's habits depend on how the parents teach them.
행복은 마음먹기 나름이에요.Happiness depends on how you make up your mind.
처음엔 힘들겠지만 앞으로는 네가 하기 나름이야.It will be hard at first, but from now on it's up to how you do it.

Don’t mix up

-기 나름이다vs-기에 달려 있다Same core meaning, but more neutral and also works with nouns (노력에 달려 있다); 나름이다 stresses the person's own attitude: 성공은 노력하기 나름이다.
-기 나름이다vsN 나름이다With a noun it means 'it varies by the type of N', not 'by how one acts': 성격은 사람 나름이에요.
-기 나름이다vs-기 마련이다마련이다 says something naturally happens anyway; 나름이다 says the result can change by your choice: 실수는 하기 마련이다.

How to build it

V+기 나름이다

생각하다 → 생각하기 나름이다

  1. Attach it to the plain verb stem; do not put past or future tense before 기. Tense goes on 이다: 하기 나름이었다.
  2. It is used with action verbs (생각하다, 하다, 노력하다, 마음먹다); with adjectives it usually sounds unnatural.
  3. The thing that depends is usually the topic with 은/는, while the person doing the action takes 이/가: 결과는 네가 하기 나름이야.

Classic mistake

Wrong: 그 일이 잘될지는 네가 했기 나름이었어.

Right: 그 일이 잘될지는 네가 하기 나름이었어.

Tense is never marked on the verb before 기 in this pattern; put the past tense on 이다 (나름이었어).

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