Example Sentences#

1. 같이 한강에 자전거 타러 가는 건 어때?¹
   How about we go biking along the Han River together?
   • 어떻다 means ‘to be how’.
   • -어 is a casual ending used in informal speech.
2. 앨리스: “제가 미쳤다는 걸 어떻게 아세요?” 앨리스가 말했다.²
   Alice: “How do you know I’m mad?” said Alice.
   • 어떻게 is an adverb meaning ‘how’. It is derived from 어떻다, meaning ‘to be how’ or ‘to be in what state’, combined with -게, an adverb-forming suffix.
3. 나연: 오, 어땠는데?³
   Nayeon: Oh, how was it?
   • 어떻다 means ‘to be how’.
   • -었- is a past tense marker.
   • -는데 is a connective ending that links clauses by providing circumstances or context for the following statement. Used as a sentence-final ending, it leaves the statement open-ended, prompting the listener to infer an unspoken message or respond, often conveying surprise, hesitation, subtle contrast, or exclamation, making the statement less direct and facilitating polite, interactive communication.
4. “스님, 우리는 여자를 만지지 않기로 했는데, 어떻게 그 여자를 들어 건너셨습니까?”⁴
   “We promised not to touch a woman. How could you carry her across the river?”
   • 어떻게 is an adverb meaning ‘how’. It is derived from 어떻다, meaning ‘to be how’ or ‘to be in what state’, combined with -게, an adverb-forming suffix.
5. “어떻게 하면 돼?” 어린 왕자가 물었다.⁵
   “How do I do that?” asked the little prince.
   • 어떻게 is an adverb meaning ‘how’. It is derived from 어떻다, meaning ‘to be how’ or ‘to be in what state’, combined with -게, an adverb-forming suffix.
6. 단순한 구름이 어떻게 그의 힘을 가릴 수 있을까?⁶
   How could a simple cloud obscure his power?
   • 어떻게 is an adverb meaning ‘how’. It is derived from 어떻다, meaning ‘to be how’ or ‘to be in what state’, combined with -게, an adverb-forming suffix.
7. “그렇다면 당신은 어떻게 자신이 미쳤다는 걸 아세요?”²
   “If so, how do you know that you are mad?”
   • 어떻게 is an adverb meaning ‘how’. It is derived from 어떻다, meaning ‘to be how’ or ‘to be in what state’, combined with -게, an adverb-forming suffix.