KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean grammar › -(으)ㄴ 김에
Korean Grammar “-(으)ㄴ 김에”: Meaning and Usage (TOPIK 6)
How to attach it
Attach the pattern to the verb stem, which is the dictionary form without 다. Compare how each verb below changes depending on its last sound.
| Dictionary form | Meaning | With this pattern | Romanization |
|---|---|---|---|
| 보다 | to see, to watch | 본 김에 | bon gime |
| 읽다 | to read | 읽은 김에 | ilgeun gime |
| 하다 | to do | 한 김에 | han gime |
| 살다 | to live | 산 김에 | san gime |
What changes
- After a stem ending in a vowel, ㄴ is added to the last syllable (보 → 본). After a stem ending in a consonant, 은 is added (읽 → 읽은). A stem ending in ㄹ drops the ㄹ and takes ㄴ (살 → 산), and 하 becomes 한.
Explanation
서점에 간 김에 친구에게 줄 선물도 샀어요.
“-(으)ㄴ 김에” means “while you’re at it / taking the opportunity of ~”: you use one action as a chance to do something else too (verb stem + (으)ㄴ/는 김에). The sentence means “While I was at the bookstore, I also bought a present for my friend.” “-(으)ㄴ 나머지” means “as a result of too much ~” and carries no “while you’re at it” meaning.
Pronouncing the example sentence
Example sentence: 서점에 간 김에 친구에게 줄 선물도 샀어요.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 서점에 | ||
| 서 | ㅅ+ㅓ | seo |
| 점 | ㅈ+ㅓ+ㅁ | [저] jeo |
| 에 | ㅇ+ㅔ | [메] me |
| 간 | ㄱ+ㅏ+ㄴ | gan |
| 김에 | ||
| 김 | ㄱ+ㅣ+ㅁ | [기] gi |
| 에 | ㅇ+ㅔ | [메] me |
| 친구에게 | ||
| 친 | ㅊ+ㅣ+ㄴ | chin |
| 구 | ㄱ+ㅜ | gu |
| 에 | ㅇ+ㅔ | e |
| 게 | ㄱ+ㅔ | ge |
| 줄 | ㅈ+ㅜ+ㄹ | jul |
| 선물도 | ||
| 선 | ㅅ+ㅓ+ㄴ | seon |
| 물 | ㅁ+ㅜ+ㄹ | mul |
| 도 | ㄷ+ㅗ | do |
| 샀어요 | ||
| 샀 | ㅅ+ㅏ+ㅆ | [사] sa |
| 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. 점에 → [저메]
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 선물 | noun | gift | TOPIK level 1 |
Practice
Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.
Question 1 Choose the word that fits the blank: 서점에 간 ____ 친구에게 줄 선물도 샀어요.
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Answer: 서점에 간 김에 친구에게 줄 선물도 샀어요.
Question 2 Which is the correct form of 보다 + -(으)ㄴ 김에?
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Answer: 본 김에
Question 3 Which is the correct form of 읽다 + -(으)ㄴ 김에?
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Answer: 읽은 김에
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