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Question Formation

얼마나 (eolmana) - How much/many

얼마나 means "how much" or "how many" in Korean. It's used to ask about quantity, degree, extent, or intensity.

Basic Usage

Asking About Degree/Extent

How much (degree):

  • 얼마나 좋아요? (How much do you like it? / How good is it?)
  • 얼마나 멀어요? (How far is it?)
  • 얼마나 어려워요? (How difficult is it?)
  • 얼마나 중요해요? (How important is it?)

Asking About Duration

How long (time):

  • 얼마나 걸려요? (How long does it take?)
  • 얼마나 오래 기다렸어요? (How long did you wait?)
  • 얼마나 오래 공부했어요? (How long did you study?)

Asking About Frequency

How often:

  • 얼마나 자주 가요? (How often do you go?)
  • 얼마나 자주 운동해요? (How often do you exercise?)
  • 얼마나 자주 만나요? (How often do you meet?)

Note: 얼마 vs 얼마나

얼마 (How much - price)

For prices specifically:

  • 얼마예요? (How much is it? - price)
  • 얼마 주고 샀어요? (How much did you pay for it?)
  • 이거 얼마예요? (How much is this?)

얼마나 (How much - degree/quantity)

For degree, extent, or general quantity:

  • 얼마나 좋아해요? (How much do you like it?)
  • 얼마나 걸려요? (How long does it take?)
  • 얼마나 많아요? (How many are there?)

Common Usage Patterns

Degree of Feeling/Quality

How much of an adjective:

  • 얼마나 기뻐요? (How happy are you?)
  • 얼마나 슬퍼요? (How sad are you?)
  • 얼마나 좋아요? (How good is it?)
  • 얼마나 예뻐요? (How pretty is it?)
  • 얼마나 맛있어요? (How delicious is it?)

Duration of Time

How long something takes/lasts:

  • 얼마나 걸려요? (How long does it take?)
  • 얼마나 오래 걸려요? (How long does it take?)
  • 얼마나 오래 기다렸어요? (How long did you wait?)
  • 얼마나 오래 살았어요? (How long did you live there?)

Frequency

How often something happens:

  • 얼마나 자주? (How often?)
  • 얼마나 자주 가요? (How often do you go?)
  • 얼마나 자주 만나요? (How often do you meet?)
  • 얼마나 자주 전화해요? (How often do you call?)

Distance

How far:

  • 얼마나 멀어요? (How far is it?)
  • 얼마나 멀리 있어요? (How far away is it?)
  • 집에서 얼마나 멀어요? (How far is it from home?)

Quantity (General)

How much/many:

  • 얼마나 많아요? (How many/much are there?)
  • 얼마나 필요해요? (How much do you need?)
  • 얼마나 있어요? (How much/many is there?)

Common Expressions

Time Duration

  • 얼마나 걸려요? (How long does it take?)
  • 얼마나 오래? (How long?)
  • 얼마나 기다렸어요? (How long did you wait?)
  • 얼마나 있었어요? (How long were you there?)

Frequency

  • 얼마나 자주? (How often?)
  • 얼마나 자주 운동해요? (How often do you exercise?)
  • 얼마나 자주 만나요? (How often do you meet?)

Degree

  • 얼마나 좋아요? (How good is it? / How much do you like it?)
  • 얼마나 어려워요? (How difficult is it?)
  • 얼마나 중요해요? (How important is it?)
  • 얼마나 바빠요? (How busy are you?)

Distance

  • 얼마나 멀어요? (How far is it?)
  • 얼마나 가까워요? (How close is it?)
  • 역에서 얼마나 멀어요? (How far is it from the station?)

Expressing Strong Emotion

얼마나 -았/었는지 몰라요

You don't know how much...:

  • 얼마나 기뻤는지 몰라요 (You don't know how happy I was)
  • 얼마나 힘들었는지 몰라요 (You don't know how hard it was)
  • 얼마나 걱정했는지 몰라요 (You don't know how worried I was)
  • 얼마나 고마운지 몰라요 (You don't know how grateful I am)

얼마나 -은/는지 알아요?

Do you know how...?:

  • 얼마나 중요한지 알아요? (Do you know how important it is?)
  • 얼마나 힘든지 알아요? (Do you know how hard it is?)
  • 얼마나 기다렸는지 알아요? (Do you know how long I waited?)

Politeness Levels

Casual (반말)

  • 얼마나 좋아? (How good is it?)
  • 얼마나 걸려? (How long does it take?)
  • 얼마나 자주 가? (How often do you go?)

Polite (해요체)

  • 얼마나 좋아요? (How good is it?)
  • 얼마나 걸려요? (How long does it take?)
  • 얼마나 자주 가요? (How often do you go?)

Formal (합니다체)

  • 얼마나 좋습니까? (How good is it?)
  • 얼마나 걸립니까? (How long does it take?)
  • 얼마나 자주 갑니까? (How often do you go?)

Example Sentences

Duration

  • 서울에서 부산까지 얼마나 걸려요? (How long does it take from Seoul to Busan?)
  • 한국어를 얼마나 오래 공부했어요? (How long have you studied Korean?)
  • 얼마나 기다렸어요? (How long did you wait?)
  • 여기서 얼마나 살았어요? (How long did you live here?)

Frequency

  • 얼마나 자주 운동해요? (How often do you exercise?)
  • 부모님을 얼마나 자주 만나요? (How often do you see your parents?)
  • 얼마나 자주 영화를 봐요? (How often do you watch movies?)

Degree/Quality

  • 한국 음식을 얼마나 좋아해요? (How much do you like Korean food?)
  • 이 문제가 얼마나 어려워요? (How difficult is this problem?)
  • 그 사람이 얼마나 친절해요? (How kind is that person?)
  • 시험이 얼마나 중요해요? (How important is the exam?)

Distance

  • 학교가 집에서 얼마나 멀어요? (How far is school from home?)
  • 역까지 얼마나 멀어요? (How far is it to the station?)
  • 여기서 서울까지 얼마나 멀어요? (How far is it from here to Seoul?)

Quantity

  • 얼마나 많이 먹었어요? (How much did you eat?)
  • 얼마나 많이 필요해요? (How much do you need?)
  • 사람이 얼마나 많아요? (How many people are there?)

Example Dialogues

Dialogue 1: Duration

A: 서울에서 부산까지 얼마나 걸려요?
(How long does it take from Seoul to Busan?)

B: KTX로 2시간 반 정도 걸려요.
(It takes about 2.5 hours by KTX.)

Dialogue 2: Frequency

A: 얼마나 자주 운동해요?
(How often do you exercise?)

B: 일주일에 세 번 정도 해요.
(I do it about three times a week.)

Dialogue 3: Degree

A: 한국어가 얼마나 어려워요?
(How difficult is Korean?)

B: 처음에는 정말 어려웠지만 지금은 괜찮아요.
(It was really difficult at first, but it's okay now.)

Dialogue 4: Expressing Emotion

A: 시험 합격했어요!
(I passed the exam!)

B: 정말요? 얼마나 기쁘겠어요!
(Really? You must be so happy!)

A: 얼마나 기쁜지 몰라요!
(You don't know how happy I am!)

Common Mistakes

❌ Incorrect: 얼마나요?

Just "how much?" without context - needs verb/adjective

✅ Correct: 얼마나 걸려요? or 얼마나 좋아요?

Need complete question

❌ Incorrect: 이거 얼마나예요?

Wrong usage - should use 얼마 for price

✅ Correct: 이거 얼마예요?

Use 얼마 for price questions

❌ Incorrect: 얼마나에

Adding unnecessary particle

✅ Correct: 얼마나

No particle needed

Usage Notes

얼마 vs 얼마나

얼마 (price only):

  • 이거 얼마예요? (How much is this? - price)

얼마나 (degree/duration/frequency):

  • 얼마나 좋아요? (How good is it? - degree)
  • 얼마나 걸려요? (How long does it take? - duration)

Don't confuse!

No Particles

얼마나 doesn't take particles:

  • ✅ 얼마나 멀어요? (How far is it?)
  • ❌ 얼마나로 가요? (Wrong)

With -은/는지 몰라요

Emphasizes strong emotion:

  • 얼마나 기쁜지 몰라요 (You don't know how happy I am)
  • Common pattern for expressing intense feelings

Summary Table

UsageQuestionExample Response
Duration얼마나 걸려요?2시간 걸려요
Frequency얼마나 자주?일주일에 세 번
Degree얼마나 좋아요?아주 좋아요
Distance얼마나 멀어요?10킬로미터 정도
Quantity얼마나 많아요?아주 많아요
Strong emotion얼마나 기쁜지 몰라요(Expression of intensity)

Key Takeaways

  • ✅ Not for price: Use 얼마 for prices, 얼마나 for degree/duration
  • ✅ Very versatile: Duration, frequency, degree, distance, quantity
  • ✅ Common pattern: 얼마나 -은/는지 몰라요 (for strong emotion)
  • ✅ No particles: Used alone without particles
  • ✅ With adjectives: 얼마나 + adjective (how + adjective)
  • ✅ Essential question word: Must know for asking about extent and degree

얼마나 is fundamental for asking about quantity, degree, and extent in Korean. Master this question word to naturally inquire about duration, frequency, intensity, and how much or many of something there is.