🇺🇸 Translation
I love it so so much🖤💖
📙 Lesson point
How to say “I love it so much!” in Korean
Hello, everyone! We’re going to learn two things today. The first is a commonly used adverb ‘너무’ (too much). We’ll take a look at how to use this adverb naturally to sound like a native Korean speaker. The second lesson point is on a very frequently used Korean expression ‘마음에 들다’ (to like something).
After reading today’s post, not only will you be able to learn how to say “I love this so much!” in Korean, but you’ll also understand how this Korean expression is grammatically formed. Moreover, we’ll look into the actual expression that Jisoo of BLACKPINK used for her Instagram post. Let’s begin!
Korean adverb ‘너무’ (too much)
First up, let’s learn the Korean adverb ‘너무’. There are so, so, so, so, so many diverse Korean adverbs that mean ‘very much’. Examples would be ‘정말’, ‘아주’, ‘엄청’, ‘굉장히’, ‘완전’, ‘진짜’, ‘너무’… and more (How many do you recognize?). Among these, if I have to pick just two, I’d recommend that you remember ‘정말’ (really) and ‘너무’ (too much), as they are the most commonly used adverbs.
Strictly speaking, as is the same in English, ‘너무’ (too much) is supposed to be used in situations where something is just ‘inappropriately too much’, to give a negative connotation. However, Korean people casually use this everywhere, even for positive situations.
For example, you can say: “와, 너무 좋아!” which means “Wow, I just absolutely love it!” You can also use the adverb several times to emphasize how much you like it or hate it. “너무너무너무 좋아!” would be: “I ABSOLUTELY LOOOVE IT!”
What does ‘마음에 들다’ mean?
Now, for the main expression of the day, we have ‘마음에 들다’ which means ‘to like something’, or ‘to be in favor of something’. It is an expression used to show that one likes and favors something.
‘마음’ is a noun that means ‘mind’ or ‘heart’. ‘에’ is a grammar particle which roughly translates to ‘at/in’. ‘들다’ is a verb that means ‘to get inside of something’, or ‘to let something get inside’. Hence, the literal translation of ‘마음에 들다’ would be: ‘to have something come inside one’s mind/heart’. This would be the same as ‘to like something’ or ‘to be in favor of something’.
Breaking it down word-by-word
마음 (noun): mind, heart 에 (particle): at/in 들다 (verb): to get inside of something
How to use ‘마음에 들다’ in conversation
To use it in conversational forms, you just need to conjugate the verb part. ‘마음에 든다’ is the conversational form ‘I like it’. You can also say ‘마음에 들어’. To say it in a politer manner, you need to add ‘-요’ (yo), which is a complementary article that shows honor to the listener.
Hence, you can say ‘마음에 들어요’. Now, the difference between saying ‘마음에 든다’ and ‘마음에 들어’ would be that former sounds more like talking to oneself, whereas the latter sounds more like talking to the person next to you.
Difference between ‘좋아하다’ and ‘마음에 들다’
Let’s take a step further. What is the difference between ‘마음에 들다’ and ‘좋아하다’? ‘좋아하다’ is the most basic verb that Korean learners know as ‘to like something’. The two are often interchangeable, but there is a difference in the use of the expressions.
‘마음에 들다’ is used mostly for situations when you like something specific that is presented to you at the moment. On the other hand, ‘좋아하다’ is used for more permanent and general likes or dislikes. For example, if you want to say: “I like eating apples as breakfast” or “I like listening to music”, then it is only natural to use the verb ‘좋아하다’. This is because me liking apples or music is a non-temporary situation that goes on for quite a while.
However, if you want to say: “I like the new Blackpink song” or “I particularly liked the apple that I had this morning”, then it sounds more natural to use the expression ‘마음에 들다’. This is because you’re saying that the particular things (the Blackpink song, the apple this morning) are giving good vibes to you, so they got into your heart at the moment.
Advanced examples for ‘좋아하다’
좋아하다 (to like) for permanent, general situations. 나는 아침으로 사과 먹는 걸 좋아해. I like having apples for breakfast. 나는 음악 듣는 걸 좋아해 I like listening to music.
Advanced examples for ‘마음에 들다’
마음에 들다 (to get into one's heart) for in-the-moment, particular situations. 이번 블랙핑크 노래 마음에 들어 I like the new Blackpink song 오늘 아침에 먹은 사과 마음에 들었어 I liked the apple that I had this morning
Jisoo says: “너무너무 맘에 든다아”
In conclusion, BLACKPINK Jisoo is saying that fell in love with the design of the credit card in the picture that she uploaded on her instagram. Seems like she had a collaboration with the credit card company! The grammatically correct version would be: “너무너무 마음에 든다”, but she’s just saying the same thing in a cute manner as in: “I love dat so so muchhh”.