3 · Before a noun, and verbs as nouns
The nominaliser -기: 읽기 쉬워요, 자기 전에
the gi-form in fixed patterns
-기 turns a verb into a noun inside fixed patterns: easy to read, before going to bed, in order to save.
-기 is the other common way to turn a verb into a noun. It attaches straight to the stem, with no 으 and no change in the irregular verbs: 읽기, 듣기, 만들기, 춥기. Unlike -는 것, it says nothing about time; it names the action as such.
Its home is a set of fixed patterns, best learnt as whole units. -기 쉽다 and -기 어렵다 say that something is easy or hard to do: 이 책은 읽기 쉬워요. -기 전에 means “before”: 자기 전에, “before going to bed”. -기 위해(서) means “in order to”, -기 때문에 “because”, -기 시작하다 “to start doing”, and -기로 하다 “to decide to”.
-기 also makes the names of activities and skills, and the items of lists: 말하기, 듣기, 읽기 and 쓰기 are the four skills of any language course, and a list of resolutions reads 매일 운동하기, 일찍 자기. Here it is close to an English heading in “-ing”: “speaking”, “getting up early”.
The patterns do not accept -는 것 in place of -기: 자는 것 전에 is a word-for-word “before the sleeping” that no Korean says. And -기 전에 takes no past tense, even when the whole sentence is about yesterday: 어제 자기 전에 샤워했어요. The tense belongs to the main verb.
The form
| any stem, no change | 읽다 → 읽기, 듣다 → 듣기, 만들다 → 만들기 |
| easy or hard to do | 읽기 쉬워요, 찾기 어려워요 |
| before | 자기 전에 |
| in order to | 건강을 지키기 위해서 |
| start, decide | 비가 오기 시작했어요, 가기로 했어요 |
| skills and lists | 말하기, 듣기, 일찍 자기 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
-기 attaches to the stem as it is.
이 노래는 가사가 쉬워서 따라 부르기 좋아요.The words of this song are simple, so it is easy to sing along to.
With 쉽다, 어렵다, 좋다 and 편하다, it says how easy or pleasant something is to do.
이 동네는 살기 편해요.This neighbourhood is a comfortable place to live.
-기 전에 means “before”, and the verb in front of it never takes the past.
어제 자기 전에 책을 읽었어요.Last night I read before going to sleep.
-기 위해서 gives a purpose.
살을 빼기 위해서 매일 걸어요.I walk every day to lose weight.
It makes the names of activities and the items of a list.
올해 목표는 매일 운동하기예요.My goal for this year is to exercise every day.
A closer look
-기 or -는 것?
Both make a verb into a noun, but they are not interchangeable. -는 것 is the general form and carries time with it (먹는 것, 먹은 것, 먹을 것); -기 names the action without time and lives in fixed patterns.
With verbs of liking, both are possible: 책 읽는 것을 좋아해요 and 책 읽기를 좋아해요. In the patterns of this topic only -기 works, and in a sentence like 그 사람이 온 것을 몰랐어요, “I did not know that he had come”, only 것 does.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
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the pattern is -기 때문에
the past marker can come in: 늦게 일어났기 때문에
늦게 일어났기 때문에 아침을 못 먹었어요.I got up late, so I could not have breakfast.
A reason can lie in the past, but “before” cannot, so -기 때문에 accepts -았/었- while -기 전에 never does.
How to spot it
- -기
- -기 쉽다
- -기 전에
- -기 위해서
- -기로 하다
Example sentences
이 식당은 역에서 가까워서 찾기 쉬워요.This restaurant is near the station, so it is easy to find.
밥 먹기 전에 손을 씻으세요.Wash your hands before you eat.
갑자기 비가 오기 시작했어요.It suddenly started to rain.
우리 내년에 같이 여행 가기로 했어요.We have decided to go travelling together next year.
한국어는 듣기가 제일 어려워요.In Korean, listening is the hardest part.
이 신발은 편해서 오래 걷기 좋아요.These shoes are comfortable, so they are good for walking a long way.
8 more example sentences
이 단어는 발음하기 어려워요.This word is hard to pronounce.
출발하기 전에 연락 주세요.Please get in touch before you set off.
좋은 대학에 가기 위해서 열심히 공부했어요.I studied hard to get into a good university.
겨울에는 해가 빨리 져서 운동하기 힘들어요.In winter it gets dark early, so it is hard to exercise.
아이가 걷기 시작했어요.The baby has started walking.
제 취미는 사진 찍기예요.My hobby is taking photos.
이번 주 할 일: 방 청소하기, 책 반납하기.This week's to-do list: tidy my room, return the library books.
이 컵은 뜨거워서 들기 불편해요.This cup is hot, so it is awkward to hold.
Worth knowing (1)
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With or without 가
In the pattern “easy to do”, -기 can take the particle 가 or leave it out: 읽기 쉬워요 and 읽기가 쉬워요 mean the same. With the particle, the action stands a little more on its own as the subject — “reading it is easy”.
이 글씨는 너무 작아서 읽기가 힘들어요.This writing is so small that it is hard to read.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
전에 takes -기, not -는 것. The fixed patterns with -기 are units: learn -기 전에 as one piece, the way English learns “before” with “-ing”.
Gi goes straight onto the stem — and its patterns are learnt as whole pieces: gi swipda, gi jeone, gi wihaeseo.
Your turn
9 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.