KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean grammar › 피동 (-리-)

Korean Grammar “피동 (-리-)”: Meaning and Usage (TOPIK 4)

Pattern: 피동 (-리-)Level: TOPIK level 4

Explanation

바람이 세게 불어서 문이 저절로 열렸어요.

The passive makes the thing affected by the action the subject. Adding -리- to the stem of 열다 gives 열리다 (to be opened / to open). “The wind blew hard and the door opened by itself.” 열었어요 is active and would mean someone opened it.

Pronouncing the example sentence

Example sentence: 바람이 세게 불어서 문이 저절로 열렸어요.

Syllables: 17 · Words: 6

Said aloud, it sounds like [바라미 세게 부러서 무니 저절로 열려써요].

Syllable	Letters (consonant + vowel + final)	Romanization
바람이
바	ㅂ+ㅏ	ba
람	ㄹ+ㅏ+ㅁ	[라] ra
이	ㅇ+ㅣ	[미] mi
세게
세	ㅅ+ㅔ	se
게	ㄱ+ㅔ	ge
불어서
불	ㅂ+ㅜ+ㄹ	[부] bu
어	ㅇ+ㅓ	[러] reo
서	ㅅ+ㅓ	seo
문이
문	ㅁ+ㅜ+ㄴ	[무] mu
이	ㅇ+ㅣ	[니] ni
저절로
저	ㅈ+ㅓ	jeo
절	ㅈ+ㅓ+ㄹ	jeol
로	ㄹ+ㅗ	lo
열렸어요
열	ㅇ+ㅕ+ㄹ	yeol
렸	ㄹ+ㅕ+ㅆ	[려] lyeo
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. 람이 → [라미]

Politeness level of the example

Style: Polite (해요체)Sentence type: Statement or set phrase

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
바람	noun	wind	TOPIK level 1
문	noun	door, gate	TOPIK level 1

Practice

Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.

Question 1 Choose the word that fits the blank: 바람이 세게 불어서 문이 저절로 ____.

Show the answer

Answer: 바람이 세게 불어서 문이 저절로 열렸어요.

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