📙 Lesson point
How to say ‘그냥 앉아 있어’ in Korean
Hello, everyone! Today, we’re going to learn about two expressions that can be made with the adjective ‘있다.’ The first expression is ‘(Verb) -고 있다’ and the second one is ‘(Verb) -아/어 있다.’
After reading today’s post, you’ll not only be to understand the meaning of ‘그냥 앉아 있어,’ but you’ll also be able to understand how the expressions ‘(Verb) -고 있다’ and ‘(Verb) -아/어 있다’ is grammatically formed and use these expressions with other verbs, as well. Moreover, we’ll look into the actual expression that Jisoo of BLACKPINK used for her Instagram post. Let’s begin!
Expressions using the Korean adjective ‘있다’
Here, we are going to look at expressions using the adjective, ‘있다.’ The adjective ‘있다’ means ‘to be, to exist.’ Let’s look at the two conjugated forms of verbs that are combined with ‘있다.’
(1) (Verb) -고 있다 = to be in the active state of doing the (Verb) (2) (Verb) -아/어 있다 = to be in the static state of doing the (Verb)
The first form, ‘(Verb) -고 있다.’
First, let’s look at the first form, ‘(Verb) -고 있다. This expression refers to a state in which a dynamic behavior is occurring continuously. It is the most commonly used and transforms verbs into present progressive. This form can be applied to every verb. Let’s look at some examples.
공부하다 (to study) → 공부하고 있다 (to be in the state of studying) → 나는 공부하고 있다 (I am studying) 울다 (to cry) → 울고 있다 (to be in the state of crying) → 리사는 울고 있다 (Lisa is crying) 달리다 (to run) → 달리고 있다 (to be in the state of running) → 그녀는 달리고 있다 (She is running)
The second form, ‘(Verb) -아/어 있다’
Now, let’s look at the second form, ‘(Verb) -아/어 있다.’ This expression emphasizes that the static state is being persisted. Unlike the previous form, it can only be applied to certain verbs.
Advanced Examples using ‘(Verb) -고 있다’ and ‘(Verb) -아/어 있다’
앉다 (to sit down) → 앉아 있다 (to be in the state of being seated - you are already seated in the moment of speaking, and the status is being continued statically) → 앉고 있다 (to be doing the motion of sitting down - you are doing the action of sitting down at the moment of speaking)
일어서다 (to stand up) → 일어서 있다 (to be in the state of standing - you are already standing in the moment of speaking, and the status is being continued statically) → 일어서고 있다 (to be doing the motion of standing up - you are doing the action of standing up at the moment of speaking)
눕다 (to lie down) → 누워 있다 (to be in the state of lying on the ground - you are already lying down at the moment of speaking, and the status is being continued statically) → 눕고 있다 (to be doing the motion of lying down - you are doing the action of lying down at the moment of speaking)
죽다 (to die) → 죽어 있다 (to be dead - is already dead, and the state of death is continuing) → 죽고 있다 (to be in the state of dying at the moment of speech) for example, 길에 사람이 죽어 있다 - there’s a dead person on the street 길에 사람이 죽고 있다 - a person is dying on the street
Jisoo says: “겸손하게 그냥 앉아있어”
To conclude, let’s look at the expression that Jisoo used in her Instagram post. First, let’s look at the meaning of ‘앉아있어.’
앉다 (to sit down) → 앉아 - sit down (imperative form - used to order someone to sit down) 앉아 있다 (to be seated) → 앉아 있어 - stay seated (imperative form)
‘앉아 있어’ is used to order someone who is already sitting to stay seated to order a standing person to remain seated continuously after sitting down. As ‘겸손하게’ is an adverb that has the meaning of ‘in a humble manner’ the caption of Jisoo’s Instagram post can be translated as, “just sit politely” or “(know your position,) be humble and stay seated”