Adverb Formation -게

The -게 ending transforms Korean adjectives (descriptive verbs) into adverbs, allowing them to modify verbs and describe how actions are performed.

What is -게?

-게 (ge) is an adverbial ending that attaches to adjective stems to create adverbs.

Function: Describes how an action is done or the manner in which something occurs.

Translation: Usually "___ly" in English (quickly, slowly, beautifully, etc.)

Formation

Basic Pattern

[Adjective Stem] + 게

Remove -다 from the adjective and add -게:

• 빠르다 (to be fast) → 빠르 + 게 → 빠르게 (quickly)
• 느리다 (to be slow) → 느리 + 게 → 느리게 (slowly)
• 조용하다 (to be quiet) → 조용하 + 게 → 조용하게 (quietly)
• 크다 (to be big) → 크 + 게 → 크게 (greatly/loudly)

No Vowel Harmony

Unlike -아/어 endings, -게 doesn't change based on vowel harmony. Always use -게.

Common Adjective-to-Adverb Conversions

Speed and Pace

• 빠르다 (fast) → 빠르게 (quickly/fast)
• 느리다 (slow) → 느리게 (slowly)
• 천천히 - native adverb meaning "slowly" (more common than 느리게)

Size and Degree

• 크다 (big) → 크게 (greatly/largely/loudly)
• 작다 (small) → 작게 (small/in a small way/quietly)
• 높다 (high) → 높게 (highly)
• 낮다 (low) → 낮게 (lowly)

Quality and Manner

• 좋다 (good) → 좋게 (well/in a good way)
• 나쁘다 (bad) → 나쁘게 (badly/in a bad way)
• 예쁘다 (pretty) → 예쁘게 (prettily/beautifully)

Sound Level

• 조용하다 (quiet) → 조용하게 (quietly)
• 시끄럽다 (noisy/loud) → 시끄럽게 (noisily/loudly)
• 크다 (big) → 크게 (loudly - for sounds)
• 작다 (small) → 작게 (softly/quietly - for sounds)

Clarity

• 명확하다 (clear) → 명확하게 (clearly)
• 확실하다 (certain) → 확실하게 (certainly/surely)
• 정확하다 (accurate) → 정확하게 (accurately/precisely)

Ease and Difficulty

• 쉽다 (easy) → 쉽게 (easily)
• 어렵다 (difficult) → 어렵게 (with difficulty)
• 간단하다 (simple) → 간단하게 (simply)
• 복잡하다 (complex) → 복잡하게 (in a complex way)

State and Condition

• 깨끗하다 (clean) → 깨끗하게 (cleanly)
• 더럽다 (dirty) → 더럽게 (dirtily)
• 건강하다 (healthy) → 건강하게 (healthily)

Emotion and Feeling

• 행복하다 (happy) → 행복하게 (happily)
• 슬프다 (sad) → 슬프게 (sadly)
• 즐겁다 (joyful) → 즐겁게 (joyfully)

Intensity

• 강하다 (strong) → 강하게 (strongly)
• 약하다 (weak) → 약하게 (weakly)
• 세다 (strong/intense) → 세게 (strongly/hard)

Usage in Sentences

Pattern: [Adverb] + [Verb]

The adverb modifies how the action is performed:

빠르게 가요. (go quickly) 천천히 먹어요. (eat slowly) 크게 말해요. (speak loudly) 작게 써요. (write small)

Full Sentence Examples

Size/Volume:

• 크게 말하세요. (Please speak loudly.)
• 작게 말해요. (I speak quietly.)
• 크게 웃었어요. (I laughed loudly.)

Speed:

• 빠르게 달려요. (run quickly)
• 느리게 걸어요. (walk slowly)
• 천천히 읽어요. (read slowly)

Manner:

• 예쁘게 그렸어요. (drew prettily/beautifully)
• 잘못 썼어요. (wrote wrongly/incorrectly)
• 조용하게 앉아요. (sit quietly)

Quality:

• 좋게 생각해요. (think well/positively of)
• 나쁘게 말하지 마세요. (Don't speak badly.)
• 정확하게 대답하세요. (Answer accurately.)

Special Cases and Irregular Forms

ㅎ Irregular Adjectives

For most ㅎ irregular adjectives, -게 is an exception where ㅎ is kept:

• 빨갛다 (red) → 빨갛게 (redly) - ㅎ kept
• 하얗다 (white) → 하얗게 (whitely) - ㅎ kept
• 까맣다 (black) → 까맣게 (blackly) - ㅎ kept

But:

• 그렇다 (so) → 그렇게 (like that/so) - ㅎ kept
• 이렇다 (like this) → 이렇게 (like this) - ㅎ kept
• 어떻다 (how) → 어떻게 (how) - ㅎ kept

ㅂ Irregular Adjectives

ㅂ changes to 우 before -게:

• 춥다 (cold) → 춥게 (coldly) - regular form kept
• 쉽다 (easy) → 쉽게 (easily) - regular form kept
• 어렵다 (difficult) → 어렵게 (with difficulty) - regular form kept

Actually, for -게, ㅂ irregular adjectives often keep the ㅂ rather than changing to 우.

으 Irregular Adjectives

으 is kept before -게:

• 크다 (big) → 크게 (greatly/loudly)
• 예쁘다 (pretty) → 예쁘게 (prettily)
• 바쁘다 (busy) → 바쁘게 (busily)

ㄹ Irregular Adjectives

ㄹ is kept:

• 길다 (long) → 길게 (long/lengthily)
• 멀다 (far) → 멀게 (far/distantly)

Common Adverbs with -게

그렇게 (like that/so)

One of the most common adverbs:

• 그렇게 하지 마세요. (Don't do it like that.)
• 그렇게 비싸요? (Is it that expensive?)
• 그렇게 어렵지 않아요. (It's not that difficult.)

이렇게 (like this)

• 이렇게 하세요. (Do it like this.)
• 이렇게 예뻐요? (Is it this pretty?)
• 이렇게 먹어요. (Eat it like this.)

어떻게 (how)

• 어떻게 해요? (How do you do it?)
• 어떻게 가요? (How do you go?)
• 어떻게 알았어요? (How did you know?)

빠르게 (quickly)

• 빠르게 달려요. (run quickly)
• 빠르게 일해요. (work quickly)

천천히 (slowly)

Native Korean adverb (not from -게):

• 천천히 가세요. (Go slowly.)
• 천천히 드세요. (Eat slowly.)

Position in Sentence

Before the Verb

Adverbs typically come before the verb they modify:

[Subject] + [Adverb] + [Verb]

• 저는 빠르게 먹어요. (I eat quickly.)
• 학생이 조용하게 공부해요. (The student studies quietly.)
• 친구가 크게 웃었어요. (My friend laughed loudly.)

Can Be Sentence-Initial for Emphasis

[Adverb], [Subject] + [Verb]

• 천천히, 조심해서 가세요. (Slowly, go carefully.)
• 크게, 말씀하세요. (Loudly, please speak.)

Negation with Adverbs

Pattern: 안 + [Adverb] + [Verb]

• 안 빠르게 먹어요. (don't eat quickly)
• 안 크게 말해요. (don't speak loudly)

Pattern: [Adverb] + Negative Verb

• 빠르게 안 먹어요. (don't eat quickly)
• 크게 말하지 마세요. (please don't speak loudly)

Compound Adverbs

아주 + [Adverb]

아주 (very) intensifies the adverb:

• 아주 빠르게 (very quickly)
• 아주 크게 (very loudly)
• 아주 잘 (very well)

정말 + [Adverb]

정말 (really) intensifies:

• 정말 예쁘게 (really prettily)
• 정말 좋게 (really well)

더 + [Adverb]

더 (more) for comparison:

• 더 빠르게 (more quickly)
• 더 크게 (more loudly)
• 더 조용하게 (more quietly)

Native Korean Adverbs

Some adverbs are native Korean words, not formed with -게:

Common Native Adverbs

• 잘 (well) - not from 좋게
• 많이 (a lot/much) - not from 많게
• 빨리 (quickly) - alternative to 빠르게
• 천천히 (slowly) - alternative to 느리게
• 자주 (often/frequently)
• 가끔 (sometimes)
• 항상 (always)
• 절대 (absolutely/never)

These don't use -게 formation.

Idiomatic Uses

크게 (greatly/loudly)

Multiple meanings:

• 크게 말하다 (speak loudly)
• 크게 웃다 (laugh loudly)
• 크게 생각하다 (think broadly/greatly)
• 크게 다치다 (get seriously hurt)

작게 (small/quietly)

Multiple meanings:

• 작게 말하다 (speak quietly)
• 작게 쓰다 (write small)
• 작게 자르다 (cut into small pieces)

잘 (well)

Not from -게, but extremely common:

• 잘 하다 (do well)
• 잘 먹다 (eat well)
• 잘 자다 (sleep well)

Common Expressions

Manner of Speaking

• 크게 말하세요. (Speak loudly.)
• 작게 말하세요. (Speak quietly.)
• 천천히 말하세요. (Speak slowly.)
• 정확하게 말하세요. (Speak accurately.)

Manner of Doing

• 빠르게 하세요. (Do it quickly.)
• 조심하게 하세요. (Do it carefully.)
• 깨끗하게 하세요. (Do it cleanly.)
• 예쁘게 하세요. (Do it prettily.)

Manner of Thinking

• 좋게 생각해요. (Think positively.)
• 나쁘게 생각하지 마세요. (Don't think badly.)
• 긍정적으로 생각하세요. (Think positively.)

Describing Actions in Past/Future

Past Actions

[Adverb] + [Past Verb]

• 빠르게 먹었어요. (ate quickly)
• 조용하게 공부했어요. (studied quietly)
• 크게 웃었어요. (laughed loudly)

Future Actions

[Adverb] + [Future Verb]

• 빠르게 갈 거예요. (will go quickly)
• 조용하게 할 거예요. (will do it quietly)
• 예쁘게 만들 거예요. (will make it prettily)

Questions with Adverbs

어떻게 (how)

• 어떻게 가요? (How do you go?)
• 어떻게 만들어요? (How do you make it?)
• 어떻게 알았어요? (How did you know?)

Other Question Forms

• 빠르게 갔어요? (Did you go quickly?)
• 잘 먹었어요? (Did you eat well?)
• 크게 말했어요? (Did you speak loudly?)