🇺🇸 Translation
When it comes to syrup, I’m more of a type who thinks rather carefully about how and how much of it I want to pour 🥞
📙 Lesson point
How to say “More on the type of spraying it prudently” in Korean
Hello, everyone! Today, we’re going to learn several things related to the Korean noun ‘편.’ We’ll learn about its conjugations and expressions like ‘(Verb)-ㄴ 편’ and ‘(Adjective)-ㄴ 편.’ We’ll take a look at their meanings and how to conjugate verbs and adjectives into these expressions.
After reading today’s post, not only will you be able to learn how to say “more on the type of spraying it prudently” in Korean, but you’ll also understand how this Korean expression is grammatically formed. Moreover, we’ll look into the actual expression that Yujin of IVE used for her Instagram post. Let’s begin!
Korean noun ‘편’
First, let’s take a look at the Korean noun ‘편.’ It means a “side” in Korean. ‘Side’ as in ‘left side’, ‘right side’, ‘the opposite side’, or ‘my side,’ etc. Let’s take a look at some examples to see how it is used originally.
너는 누구 편이야?
Whose side are you on?
유진이는 항상 내 편이다
Yujin is always on my side
학교는 주차장 반대편에 있어
The school is on the opposite side of the parking lot
Korean expression ‘(Adjective)-ㄴ 편’
Now, let’s go a step further. Let’s learn about how this noun ‘편’ can be used with adjectives. When used with adjectives, ‘편’ can be used as an expression to show inclination or tendency. It is commonly used to avoid sounding too blunt, definitive or conclusive in Korean.
(Adjective)-ㄴ 편 : A type of person who’s more on the side of the (Adjective)
원영이는 웃기다
= Wonyoung is funny
원영이는 웃긴 편이다
= Wonyoung is kind of funny, Wonyoung is generally funny (with a few potential exceptions), Wonyoung is more of a funny person than not
Considering that ‘편’ is a noun that means “side,” ‘웃긴 편’ would mean that when dividing the world into the dichotomy between the funny and the non-funny, it’s located closer to the funny side.
유진이는 똑똑하다
= Yujin is smart.
유진이는 똑똑한 편이다
= Yujin is more of a smart person than not.
Similarly, ‘똑똑한 편’ would also mean that when you divide the world into smart and non-smart people, it will more likely locate on to the smart side.
Korean expression ‘(Verb)-ㄴ 편’
‘편’ can also be used with verbs, as well. To use this form, for verbs that don’t have a final consonant, you just need to add ‘-ㄴ.’ For verbs that have a final consonant, you just need to leave the stem alone and add ‘-는’ to it.
(Verb)-ㄴ 편 : A type of person who tends to do the (Verb)
As it is an expression that shows the tendency of ‘how to do’ the verb, this expression is commonly accompanied with adverbs that modify the verb. Let’s take a look at some examples.
선호하다 : to prefer
나는 뮤지컬보다 영화를 선호하는 편이야
= I usually prefer movies over musical (I am a type of person who’s more on the side of the world that prefers movies rather than musical)
먹다 : to eat
제니는 라면을 자주 먹는 편이다
= Jennie is type who eats ramen quite often (Jennie is a type of person who’s more on the side of the world that consumes ramen frequently rather than rarely)
Breaking it down word-by-word
시럽은 - when it comes to syrup
신중하게 - prudently, carefully
뿌리다 - to spray, to sprinkle
신중하게 뿌리는 편
More on the type of spraying it prudently than not
시럽은 신중하게 뿌리는 편
When it comes to syrup, (I’m) more of a person who thinks rather carefully about how and how much of it I want to pour.
Yujin says : “시럽은 신중하게 뿌리는 편”
To conclude, let’s take a look at the post Yujin of IVE posted on Instagram. She is using the expression ‘(Verb)-ㄴ 편’ in her post. ‘시럽은 신중하게 뿌리는 편’ would mean “When it comes to syrup, I’m more of a person who thinks rather carefully about how and how much of it I want to pour.” She seems to be showing her taste by posting pictures of herself pouring syrup!