[Korean Culture & Language] Why did you do that

Hello, this is Uptempo!


Koreans often use the expression “그러게 왜 그랬어?,” which directly translates to ‘So, why did you do that?”. It implies that the speaker knew that the other person’s actions would have a negative impact. It can also mean “I told you,” or “I knew something like this would happen”. 

A Korean artist, Kiha, wrote a song titled “그러게 왜 그랬어(So why did you do that?)” 



The following are the lyrics:

왜 그랬어?
Why did you do that?

왜 애초에 그런 말을 했어?
Why did you say that in the first place?

이렇게 이 시간에 찾아올 거면서
If you were going to come over to see me at such a late hour.

비는 또 왜 맞았어?
Why are you wet? (Did you get caught in the rain?)

너 지금 무슨 드라마 찍어?
Are you filming a drama now?

그렇게 걸친 것도 없이 얇게 입고서
You’re wearing such thin clothes

왜 그러고 섰어? 들어와
Why are you standing there? Come in.

얼른 들어와 씻어 보일러 켜놨어
Come in now. Take a shower. I turned on the heater.

나 내일 일 있어. 어제도 잘 못 잤어
I have some work to do tomorrow morning. I couldn’t sleep well last night.

나 잘게 씻어. 거실 불은 니가 꺼.

I’m going to sleep. Don’t forget to turn off the lights in the living room.

맨날 왜 그래?
Why do you always do this? (What's the matter with you?)

맨날 왜 그래?
Why do you always do this? (What's the matter with you?)

뭐가 맨날 이렇게 힘들어?
Why is it so hard

너랑 나는 왜
with you

맨날 똑같은 자리에서 이렇게 힘들어?
Why do we keep making the same mistakes?

그러게 왜 그랬어?
So, why did you do that? (What's the matter with you)

왜 애초에 그런 말을 했어?
Why did you say that in the first place?

댓글

댓글 쓰기

이 블로그의 인기 게시물

[Korean Culture & Language] Impulsiveness and MBTI

이미지
Hello, this is Uptempo! The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) has become increasingly popular in Korea in 2020, owing to people’s boredom due to the COVID-19 quarantine. Since the spring, MBTI feeds have been readily available on Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms.   Below is a popular meme titled ‘ #MBTI 충동 (MBTI Impulsiveness) ’. This meme jokingly illustrates how ‘ 충동적인 (impulsive)’ each MBTI types are.   https://ddnews.co.kr/mbti-%EC%A7%A4-%EB%B0%88/ It reads: 전혀 충동적이지 않음 (Not impulsive at all): ENTJ, ISTJ, ISFJ, ESTJ 평균적으로 충동적임 (Average impulsivity): INTJ, INFJ, ENFJ, ESFJ 너무 충동적 (Very impulsive): INTP, INFP, ISTP, ISFP 엄청나게 충동적 (Extremely impulsive): ENTP, ENFP, ESTP, ESFP 전혀 means ‘ not at all ,’ 평균적으로 means ‘ to an average level ,’ 너무 means ‘ very , ’ 엄청나게 means ‘ extremely ’.   The above meme is another illustration of impulsiveness by MBTI types. ENFP says “ 요즘 자수가 너무 배우고 싶어 (I want to learn how to embroider). 근데 나 소묘도 배워...
자세한 내용 보기

[Korean Culture & Language] Switching between the liver and the gallbladder

이미지
Hello, this is Uptempo! “Saving face” has always been a very important part of Korean culture. Most Koreans try hard to “ 체면을 세우다 (build one’s face),” and “ 체면을 지키다 (maintain one’s face),” and not to “ 체면을 잃다 or 체면을 구기다 (lose one’s face).” ‘ 세우다 ’ means ‘to build’ ‘ 지키다 ’ means ‘to keep’ ‘ 잃다 ’ means ‘to lose’ ‘ 구기다 ’ means ‘to crumple’ or ‘to damage’ ‘Saving one’s face’ means ‘to build one’s reputation,’ ‘maintaining’ one’s face’ means ‘to keep one’s reputation,” and ‘losing one’s face’ means ‘to lose or damage one’s reputation.’ However, some people are more concerned about their profit than “saving or maintaining their face.” They “ 간에 붙었다 쓸개에 붙었다 한다. ” ‘ 간 ’ means ‘liver’ ‘ 붙다 ’ means ‘to stick’ ‘ 쓸개 ’ means ‘gallbladder’ It is directly translated to “It sticks to the liver for a second and then moves to the gallbladder to stick to it for another.” It describes the behavior of someone who switches between two opposing teams or groups for completely selfish reasons. The...
자세한 내용 보기

[Korean Culture & Language] Washing one's Identity

이미지
Hello, this is Uptempo! In July 2021, a Chinese man in his 50s got arrested for killing two people in China and fleeing to Korea. It took years to catch him because he has ‘ 신분세탁 (washed his identity) ’ . Photo by   Jeremy Sallee   on   Unsplash https://www.joongang.co.kr/article/24104555#home According to Korea JoongAng Daily, this murderer killed two people in Yantai, Shandong Province, China in 1987, when he was 20. While hiding in China, he made a new passport after ‘ 신분세탁 (washing his identification) ’. He entered Korea in 2016, and has obtained a permanent residency (F5) visa by marrying a Chinese woman who had obtained Korean citizenship a while back. The term 신분세탁 (Washing one’s identity) refers to a person’s attempt to conceal their prior identity to rebuild a new life . Prostitutes and ex-convicts, for example, are likely to strive to 신분세탁 (rebuild their lives by concealing the fact that they have ever committed a crime or worked as a prostitute).   Belo...
자세한 내용 보기