안녕하세요! Annyeonghaseyo!
This word is said pretty frequently in k-dramas and kpop songs. A lot of times people wonder what it means. Now, you may know that 사람 (saram) means “person”. But what about 사람들 (saram-deul), 사람이 (saram-i)? This post may be a bit on the grammar side but it won’t be grammar heavy.
Let’s get started!
들(deul) is actually a plural form. It translates to “S” in English. So words like “thing(s)”, “object(s)”… that “s” on the end is what 들(deul) is in Korean. However, it is used to create a plural form for nouns. It isn’t typically used for inanimate objects. It’s more commonly used for people and animals.
When 들(deul) is added to 사람 (saram) it becomes 사람들 (saram-deul) meaning, “people” or “persons”. It has become the plural form of 사람 (saram) which means “person” by itself.
사람이 (saram-i) was a bit more confusing for me. I always understood this to be another way to say, “people” or “persons” but I’m also told that it can be a bit more specific meaning, “this person” or “the person”. I’ll explain.
**Grammar Alert** (This will be covered more in depth on Monday in the Grammar of the Week post)
이 (I) has a few grammatical functions. It is a particle used to mark subjects. It is used after consonants to single to the reader or listener that this is the subject. It is also a pronoun that is used to mean “this”. When added to 사람 (saram), the word “person” becomes “this person”.
Let’s look at some examples:
1) 사람이 난 그렇게 좋은. (saram-i nan geuleohge joh-eun.) “I’m such a great person.” The 이 on the end of 사람 (saram) has marked it as the subject of the sentence. It’s showing us that this sentence is about, “this person”.
2) Bonus:: 사람들이 그렇게 좋은. (saramdeul-i geuleohge joh-eun.) “People are so nice.” This has combined both 사람들 (saram-deul), 사람이 (saram-i). How? We used the 이 to show the subject of the sentence. So if you ever see, “사람들이 (saramdeul-i)” it still means, “people” or “persons” it’s just the subject.
3) 사람들 얘기. (saramdeul yaegi.) “People talk.”
4) 나쁜 사람 아닌데 너를 사랑하는데. (nappeun saram aninde neoleul salanghaneunde.) [VIXX ‘Hyde’] “I’m not a bad person, I love you.”
Ok so that’s it for today! Hopefully songs and shows where these words are said will now become easier to understand!
내일까지! (naeilkkaji!)
Twenty Third Station 