KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean phrases › Friends & social media › 말만 하다가 어느새 일 년이 지나 버렸네
“We’ve been all talk, and before…” in Korean
말만 하다가 어느새 일 년이 지나 버렸네
malman hadaga eoneusae il nyeoni jina beoryeonne
Meaning
We’ve been all talk, and before we knew it a whole year has slipped by.
Usage note
[Casual] -다가 marks one action drifting into another state. -아/어 버리다 adds a sense of “it’s gone” (regret or surprise), and -네 expresses a fresh realization.
Romanization follows the Revised Romanization system and is a guide to pronunciation.
How to pronounce it
Said aloud, it sounds like [말만 하다가 어느새 일 녀니 지나 버련네].
| Syllable | Letters (consonant + vowel + final) | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 말만 | ||
| 말 | ㅁ+ㅏ+ㄹ | mal |
| 만 | ㅁ+ㅏ+ㄴ | man |
| 하다가 | ||
| 하 | ㅎ+ㅏ | ha |
| 다 | ㄷ+ㅏ | da |
| 가 | ㄱ+ㅏ | ga |
| 어느새 | ||
| 어 | ㅇ+ㅓ | eo |
| 느 | ㄴ+ㅡ | neu |
| 새 | ㅅ+ㅐ | sae |
| 일 | ㅇ+ㅣ+ㄹ | il |
| 년이 | ||
| 년 | ㄴ+ㅕ+ㄴ | [녀] nyeo |
| 이 | ㅇ+ㅣ | [니] ni |
| 지나 | ||
| 지 | ㅈ+ㅣ | ji |
| 나 | ㄴ+ㅏ | na |
| 버렸네 | ||
| 버 | ㅂ+ㅓ | beo |
| 렸 | ㄹ+ㅕ+ㅆ | [련] ryeon |
| 네 | ㄴ+ㅔ | ne |
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. 년이 → [녀니]
- Nasalization: a final ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅂ becomes ㅇ, ㄴ or ㅁ before ㄴ or ㅁ (and a ㄹ after ㅁ or ㅇ becomes ㄴ). 렸네 → [련네]
Speech style
No -요 at the end. Used with close friends, younger people and family; avoid it with strangers and elders.
Words in this phrase
These words from the TOPIK vocabulary lists appear in the phrase (shown in dictionary form).
| Korean | Part of speech | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 어느새 | adverb | before you know it | TOPIK level 3 |
Quick self-check
Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.
Question 1 What does “말만 하다가 어느새 일 년이 지나 버렸네” mean?
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Answer: We’ve been all talk, and before we knew it a whole year has slipped by
Question 2 How do you say “We’ve been all talk, and before we knew it a whole year has slipped by” in Korean?
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Answer: 말만 하다가 어느새 일 년이 지나 버렸네 malman hadaga eoneusae il nyeoni jina beoryeonne
Question 3 How is “말만 하다가 어느새 일 년이 지나 버렸네” pronounced?
Show the answer
Answer: [말만 하다가 어느새 일 녀니 지나 버련네]
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