KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean grammar › 에 대해(서)
Korean Grammar “에 대해(서)”: Meaning and Usage (TOPIK 3)
How to attach it
This particle does not change: it attaches to every noun in the same way, whatever the last sound is.
| Korean | Meaning | With the particle | Romanization |
|---|---|---|---|
| 나라 | country | 나라에 대해서 | narae daehaeseo |
| 음식 | food | 음식에 대해서 | eumsige daehaeseo |
| 선물 | gift | 선물에 대해서 | seonmure daehaeseo |
Explanation
저는 한국의 전통 문화에 대해 발표했어요.
“에 대해(서)” means “about / concerning” and marks the topic of a talk, presentation, or survey. The sentence means “I gave a presentation about traditional Korean culture.” It is different from 에 비해 (compared with), 에 따라 (depending on), and 에 의해 (by, marking the agent of a passive), so choose “에 대해(서)” with verbs such as 말하다, 발표하다, and 생각하다.
Pronouncing the example sentence
Example sentence: 저는 한국의 전통 문화에 대해 발표했어요.
In natural speech, sounds link and shift across words. The table below reads each word separately, as it sounds when said on its own.
| Syllable | Letters (consonant + vowel + final) | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 저는 | ||
| 저 | ㅈ+ㅓ | jeo |
| 는 | ㄴ+ㅡ+ㄴ | neun |
| 한국의 | ||
| 한 | ㅎ+ㅏ+ㄴ | han |
| 국 | ㄱ+ㅜ+ㄱ | guk |
| 의 | ㅇ+ㅢ | ui |
| 전통 | ||
| 전 | ㅈ+ㅓ+ㄴ | jeon |
| 통 | ㅌ+ㅗ+ㅇ | tong |
| 문화에 | ||
| 문 | ㅁ+ㅜ+ㄴ | mun |
| 화 | ㅎ+ㅘ | hwa |
| 에 | ㅇ+ㅔ | e |
| 대해 | ||
| 대 | ㄷ+ㅐ | dae |
| 해 | ㅎ+ㅐ | hae |
| 발표했어요 | ||
| 발 | ㅂ+ㅏ+ㄹ | bal |
| 표 | ㅍ+ㅛ | pyo |
| 했 | ㅎ+ㅐ+ㅆ | [해] hae |
| 어 | ㅇ+ㅓ | [써] sseo |
| 요 | ㅇ+ㅛ | yo |
A ㅇ at the start of a syllable is silent; at the end of a syllable it sounds like “ng”.
Sound changes in this phrase
- Linking: when a syllable ending in a consonant (patchim) is followed by a syllable that starts with a vowel, the consonant moves over to the next syllable. 했어 → [해써]
Politeness level of the example
Ends in -요. The everyday polite style, and a safe choice with shop staff, colleagues, strangers and anyone older than you.
Words in the example sentence
These words from the TOPIK vocabulary lists appear in the phrase (shown in dictionary form).
| Korean | Part of speech | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 전통 | noun | tradition | TOPIK level 4 |
Practice
Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.
Question 1 Choose the word that fits the blank: 저는 한국의 전통 문화____ 발표했어요.
Show the answer
Answer: 저는 한국의 전통 문화에 대해 발표했어요.
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