| Let's look at the sentence pattern. |
| This pattern is the structure that all of our examples will follow. |
| Noun + ~ 인 + 것 + 같다 |
| Noun + ~in + geot + gatda |
| I think [Noun] is... / It seems like [Noun] is… |
| The first part of this pattern is a noun, followed by 인 (in), which comes from the verb 이다 (ida), meaning 'to be.' |
| After 인 (in), we have 것 (geot), meaning 'thing' or 'fact,' and 같다 (gatda), which means 'seems like' or 'appears to be.' Together, 인 것 같다 (in geot gatda) indicates that the speaker is giving their impression or assumption about the noun. |
| This expression is often used to give your impression about some thing. |
| Let’s see how a line from the dialogue follows this pattern. |
| 좋은 생각인 것 같아요. (Joeun saenggagin geot gatayo.) |
| 'That sounds like a good idea. Where should we meet in the morning?' |
| In this sentence: |
| 좋은 생각 (joeun saenggak) is the noun phrase meaning 'good idea.' |
| 인 (in) is used here because 생각 (saenggak), 'idea,' is a noun and requires 인 to connect with 것 같아요 (geot gatayo). |
| 것 같아요 (geot gatayo) means 'it seems like' or 'I think.' |
| Altogether, 좋은 생각인 것 같아요 means 'That sounds like a good idea' or 'I think that's a good idea.' |
| There are two other, related, sentence patterns that let you give your opinion on a verb phrase or adjective phrase, as well. |
| First is this pattern: Verb stem + 는 것 같다 (neun geot gatda) |
| In this structure, we start with the verb stem, which is the basic form of the verb without 다 (da). |
| Then, 는 (neun) attaches directly after the verb stem to indicate an ongoing or present action. |
| Next, 것 같다 (geot gatda) follows, meaning "it seems like" or "I think." |
| This pattern allows you to express your assumption or impression about an action currently happening or habitually occurring. |
| The last pattern is: |
| Adjective stem + ㄴ/은 것 같다 (ㄴ/eun geot gatda) |
| For adjectives, we take the adjective stem (the adjective without 다 (da)), then add either ㄴ (n) or 은 (eun) to it. |
| If the adjective stem ends with a vowel, add ㄴ. If it ends with a consonant, add 은. |
| After that comes 것 같다 (geot gatda), meaning "it seems like" or "I think." |
| This pattern expresses your assumption or impression about the quality or state of something. |
| With these three patterns, you can give your impression of things, actions, or the quality of something. |
| Now let's look at some speaking examples. |
| 연아 씨의 시계가 참 예쁜 것 같아요. (Yeona ssiui sigyega cham yeppeun geot gatayo.) |
| I think Yeona’s watch is really pretty. |
| Can you see how the adjective stem + ㄴ/은 것 같다 pattern applies here? |
| Let’s break it down: |
| Here, 연아 씨의 시계 ("Yeona's watch") is the subject marked by 가. 참 means "really," functioning like an adverb. |
| 예쁜 comes from the adjective 예쁘다 ("to be pretty"). Since 예쁘 ends with a vowel, we add ㄴ to get 예쁜, meaning "pretty." Finally, 것 같아요 means "I think" or "it seems like." |
| Thus, the sentence clearly follows the pattern Adjective stem + ㄴ/은 것 같다, meaning "I think Yeona’s watch is really pretty." |
| Let's try one more, |
| 지금 밖에 비가 오는 것 같아요. (Jigeum bakke biga oneun geot gatayo.) |
| I think it’s raining outside right now. |
| Can you see how the verb stem + 는 것 같다 pattern applies here? |
| Let’s break it down: |
| Here, 비가 오다 means "rain comes," referring to raining. The verb stem is 오, and we attach 는 to make 오는, meaning "falling" or "coming" (rain). Then 것 같아요 is "it seems like" or "I think." Altogether, this sentence matches the pattern Verb stem + 는 것 같다, meaning "I think it's raining outside right now." |
| Another one. |
| 이 책은 좋은 책인 것 같아요. (I chaegeun joeun chaegin geot gatayo.) |
| I think this book is a good book. |
| Can you see how the Noun + 인 것 같다 pattern applies here? |
| Let’s break it down: |
| Here, the noun phrase 좋은 책 means "good book." Because we have a noun (책 "book"), we use 인 (from the verb 이다, meaning "to be") to connect it to 것 같아요, meaning "it seems like" or "I think." Together, 좋은 책인 것 같아요 perfectly matches the pattern Noun + 인 것 같다, meaning "I think this book is a good book." |
| Here's another example |
| 요즘 사람들은 책을 안 읽는 것 같아요. (Yojeum saramdeureun chaegeul an ilgneun geot gatayo.) |
| I think people these days don’t read books. |
| 요즘 사람들은 책을 안 읽는 것 같아요. (Yojeum saramdeureun chaegeul an ilgneun geot gatayo.) |
| I think people these days don’t read books. |
| One last example. |
| 오늘이 중요한 날인 것 같아요. (Oneuri jungyohan narin geot gatayo.) |
| I think today is an important day. |
| 오늘이 중요한 날인 것 같아요. (Oneuri jungyohan narin geot gatayo.) |
| I think today is an important day. |
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