🇺🇸 Translation
I can have fun all right even when I’m alone 🤷♂️
📙 Lesson point
How to say “I can have fun even when I’m alone” in Korean
Hello, everyone! We’re going to learn two things today. First, we’ll learn about the Korean word ‘혼자,’ which can be used as both noun and adjective. Next, we’ll take a look at the conjugated form of ‘혼자,’ which is ‘혼자서,’ and the difference in their meanings.
After reading today’s post, not only will you be able to learn how to say “I can play well and have fun even when I’m alone” in Korean, but you’ll also understand how this Korean expression is grammatically formed. Moreover, we’ll look into the actual expression that Dokyeom of SEVENTEEN used for his Instagram post. Let’s begin!
Korean word ‘혼자’
First, we’re going to take a look at the word ‘혼자.’ It can be used both as a noun and an adverb. When it is used as a noun, it means ‘the state of not being with another person, but being alone.’ When it is used as an adverb, it means ‘being not with other people, but out of touch.’ Let’s look at some examples.
나는 혼자가 좋아.
= I like the state of being alone. (noun)
앤디는 혼자 책을 읽는 것을 좋아해.
= Andy likes reading books alone, by himself. (adverb)
혼자 밥을 먹는 것은 외로워.
= It feels lonely to eat alone, by oneself. (adverb)
Conjugated form ‘혼자서’
Now, let’s look at a conjugated form of ‘혼자.’
‘혼자서’ is an expression that means “alone, without the help of others.” ‘혼자’ and ‘혼자서’ seem to have similar meanings, but their meanings have a slight difference. They both mean “alone,” but ‘혼자’ has the nuance of “not being accompanied by someone else, by oneself,” and ‘혼자서’ has the nuance of “without another person’s help, on one’s own.”
To put it in simple words, ‘혼자’ means ‘by oneself’ whereas ‘혼자서’ means ‘to do something on one’s own.’ Let’s look at some examples.
I’m left here alone.
여기 혼자 남겨졌어 (O)
여기 혼자서 남겨졌어 (X)
The first sentence makes sense, but the second one is awkward. Why? It is because being left alone is not something that you actively do with or without others’ help. In other words, ‘혼자서’ should be accompanied with a verb that entails some kind of action that you do. For example, verbs like ‘놀다’ (to play) or ‘공부하다’ (to study). On the other hand, the two sentences down below both make sense.
숙제를 혼자 했어 (O)
I did the homework alone, by myself, without other people's presence
숙제를 혼자서 했어 (O)
I did the homework alone, one my own, without other people's help
They both mean “I did my homework alone,” but the second sentence has a nuance of emphasizing the fact that I did it on my own, without other’s help.
Dokyeom says: “I can play well even when I’m alone”
To conclude, let’s look at the post Dokyeom of SEVENTEEN posted on Instagram. Based on what we learned, Dokyeom’s post, ‘혼자서도 잘 놀아’ can be translated as “I can play well and have fun even when I’m alone.” This sentence is a combination of ‘혼자서(on one’s own)도(as well) + 잘(well) + 놀아(play).’ As Dokyeom posted pictures of himself, he seems to be saying that he can play well even when he’s alone taking various pictures of himself in the mirror!