Pretend to

This pattern expresses the idea of pretending or feigning an action or state that is not true. It's equivalent to saying "pretend to..." or "act like..." in English. The verb 척하다 (or 체하다) is attached to the descriptive form of a preceding verb or adjective.

Formation Rules

Action Verbs (Present Tense): Verb stem + -는 척하다

자다 (to sleep) → 자는 척하다 (to pretend to be sleeping)

듣다 (to listen) → 듣는 척하다 (to pretend to be listening)

Action Verbs (Past Tense): Verb stem + -(으)ㄴ 척하다

보다 (to see) → 본 척하다 (to pretend to have seen)

먹다 (to eat) → 먹은 척하다 (to pretend to have eaten)

Descriptive Verbs (Adjectives): Adjective stem + -(으)ㄴ 척하다

예쁘다 (to be pretty) → 예쁜 척하다 (to act pretty)

아프다 (to be sick) → 아픈 척하다 (to pretend to be sick)

With 있다 / 없다: Always use -는 척하다

돈이 없다 (to have no money) → 돈 없는 척하다 (to pretend to have no money)

자는 척하지 마. / 예쁜 척하지 마. / 못 본 척하지 마요. / 돈 없는 척하지 마.

The phrase -은/는 척하다 implies that the speaker sees through the pretense and is exposing it. It carries a nuance of accusation or slight annoyance.

Here are some very common, almost idiomatic, combinations:

아는 척하다: To act like a know-it-all. This is used for someone who pretends to have knowledge they don't possess.

잘난 척하다: To show off, to act arrogant or superior. 잘나다 means to be handsome, great, or distinguished, so this phrase literally means "to pretend to be great."

모르는 척하다: To feign ignorance or play dumb. This is used when someone clearly knows something but pretends they don't.

못 본 척하다: To pretend not to have seen something or someone. This is often used when you want to ignore a person or situation intentionally.

While 체하다 can be used instead of 척하다 with the same meaning, 척하다 is far more common in everyday conversation.