Overview
The grammatical pattern 는/(으)ㄴ/(으)ㄹ 것 is a fundamental nominalizer in Korean, meaning it transforms a verb or adjective phrase into a noun clause. This allows an entire clause to function as a noun, taking on roles such as the subject or object of a larger sentence. It is essential for expressing complex ideas and abstract concepts by treating actions, states, or facts as concrete entities.
Usage
This pattern is used to refer to the act of doing something, the state of being something, or the fact that something happened/is happening/will happen. The choice between 는, (으)ㄴ, and (으)ㄹ depends on the tense and type of the preceding verb or adjective.
- 는 것: Primarily used with action verbs in the present tense to describe an ongoing action, a habitual action, or a general truth. It can also be used with 있다/없다 and sometimes with descriptive verbs (adjectives) when referring to a general characteristic or a process.
- Example: 책을 읽는 것 (the act of reading a book)
- (으)ㄴ 것: Used with action verbs in the past tense to describe a completed action or event. It is also used with descriptive verbs (adjectives) in the present tense to describe a state or quality.
- Example (action verb): 어제 먹은 것 (the thing I ate yesterday)
- Example (descriptive verb): 예쁜 것 (a beautiful thing/one)
- (으)ㄹ 것: Used with both action and descriptive verbs in the future tense to express a future action, a speculation, a possibility, or an intention.
- Example: 할 것 (the thing to do, what will be done)
Once nominalized, the 것 clause can be followed by various particles (이/가, 을/를, 에, 에서, 부터, 까지, etc.) to indicate its grammatical role in the sentence.
Conjugation Rules
The conjugation rules depend on whether the preceding word is an action verb, a descriptive verb (adjective), or '이다' (to be).
-
Action Verbs (동사)
- Present Tense: Verb stem + 는 것
- 먹다 (to eat) -> 먹는 것 (the act of eating)
- 가다 (to go) -> 가는 것 (the act of going)
- Past Tense: Verb stem + (으)ㄴ 것
- If stem ends in a vowel: Verb stem + ㄴ 것
- 가다 (to go) -> 간 것 (the thing that went/I went)
- If stem ends in a consonant: Verb stem + 은 것
- 먹다 (to eat) -> 먹은 것 (the thing that ate/I ate)
- Future Tense / Speculation: Verb stem + (으)ㄹ 것
- If stem ends in a vowel: Verb stem + ㄹ 것
- 가다 (to go) -> 갈 것 (the thing to go/will go)
- If stem ends in a consonant: Verb stem + 을 것
- 먹다 (to eat) -> 먹을 것 (the thing to eat/will eat)
-
Descriptive Verbs (Adjectives, 형용사)
- Present Tense: Adjective stem + (으)ㄴ 것
- If stem ends in a vowel: Adjective stem + ㄴ 것
- 예쁘다 (to be pretty) -> 예쁜 것 (a pretty thing)
- If stem ends in a consonant: Adjective stem + 은 것
- 작다 (to be small) -> 작은 것 (a small thing)
- Past Tense: Adjective stem + 았/었/였던 것 (less common for simple nominalization, often implies a past state that has changed or is being recalled)
- 예쁘다 -> 예뻤던 것 (the thing that was pretty)
- Future Tense / Speculation: Adjective stem + (으)ㄹ 것
- If stem ends in a vowel: Adjective stem + ㄹ 것
- 예쁘다 -> 예쁠 것 (the thing that will be pretty)
- If stem ends in a consonant: Adjective stem + 을 것
- 작다 -> 작을 것 (the thing that will be small)
-
이다 (to be)
- Present Tense: Noun + 인 것
- 학생이다 (to be a student) -> 학생인 것 (the fact of being a student)
- Past Tense: Noun + 이었던/였던 것
- 학생이었다 -> 학생이었던 것 (the fact of having been a student)
- Future Tense / Speculation: Noun + 일 것
- 학생이다 -> 학생일 것 (the fact of probably being a student)
-
있다/없다 (to exist/not exist)
- Present Tense: 있/없 + 는 것
- 있는 것 (the thing that exists)
- 없는 것 (the thing that doesn't exist)
- Past Tense: 있/없 + 었던 것
- 있었던 것 (the thing that existed)
- Future Tense / Speculation: 있/없 + 을 것
- 있을 것 (the thing that will exist)
Knowledge Plus
- Contractions: In informal speech, 것 often contracts with particles. For example, 것이 becomes 게, and 것을 becomes 걸.
- 한국어를 배우는 것이 재미있어요. -> 한국어를 배우는 게 재미있어요.
- 그가 거짓말을 한 것을 알았어요. -> 그가 거짓말을 한 걸 알았어요.
- Distinction with ~기: While both ~는 것 and ~기 can nominalize verbs, they carry slightly different nuances. ~는 것 generally refers to the fact, act, or abstract concept of an action or state. ~기 often refers to the method, process, or purpose of an action, and is frequently used with expressions like ~기 쉽다/어렵다 (easy/difficult to do), ~기 시작하다 (to start doing), or for listing items.
- 수영하는 것 (the act of swimming) vs. 수영하기 (swimming as an activity/method, e.g., 수영하기 좋다 - good for swimming).
- Contextual Omission: In some contexts, especially when the meaning is clear, 것 can be omitted, leaving just the adnominal ending (e.g., ~는, ~은, ~을) followed directly by a particle or another noun. However, for clarity and standard usage, including 것 is generally recommended.