24. Adverbs

Korean Adverb Conjugation

Adverbs in Korean grammar also use conjugations. Korean grammar has 4 types of adverbs. To be honest, Korean adverbs are super confusing even for Koreans. I really wanted to quit writing it… I’ll make an easier version later.

Adverbs

It’s the easiest one to understand but hard to memorize. Other adverbs basic form uses a stem but this type doesn’t. It exists as an adverb from the first place. There is no rule for them. You just need to memorize them one by one.

Position of Adverbs

Korean adverb is always placed before a verb.

빨리 움직여요
Move fast

-이 Adverbs

-이 Adverbs use a word stem to make an adverb. So, if you learn new verbs, then you can use them right away as an adverb. 하(ha) in 하다 verb becomes 히 (hi) by combining 이. if the word stem has ㄹ, then 이 duplicate it.

빨리 움직여요
Move fast

신중히 골라요
Pick one carefully

편히 있어요
Make yourself comfortable

Exceptions

Some adverbs don’t have a basic form. So it exists as an adverb from the first place even it looks like other adverbs using a word stem.

Slowly
천천히

-게 conjugations

-게 adverb is an adverb form based on adjectives. -이 adverbs and -게 adverb use same word stems but it makes no big difference normally. Of course, sometimes it makes a different meaning but mostly they mean a same thing. It’s easier to make more than -이 adverb. You just need to replace 다 of word stems to 게.

Fast
빨리 / 빠르게

빠르게 움직여요
Move fast

신중하게 골라요
Pick one carefully

편하게 있어요
Make yourself comfortable

Some Stems can’t be used with -게 or -히

Some word stems can’t be used with -게 and some can’t be used with -히. There is no rules for them. You just need to memorize them.

이 Adverb vs 게 Adverb

I saw many wrong explanations about differences between 이 adverb and 게 adverb. Well, I lied up there, both make a big difference lol. I just wanted you to think it’s not so difficult. I’m sorry. It’s quite complicated for a beginner level and even Koreans don’t use it well either. You just need to know Koreans use both ways. You will learn the details in Basic Course.

Think carefully
신중히 생각해요 / 신중하게 생각해요
= But mostly it means same.

-으로 Adverbs

으로 means ‘in some way’. Actually it’s a postposition, not an adverb but it becomes an adverb when you translate Korean into English. Most of stems for 으로 adverbs uses suffix 적.

과학적으로 해결해보세요
Solve it scientifically

무의식적으로 버튼을 눌렀어요
I pressed the button unconsciously

본능적으로 움직였어요
I moved my body instinctively