Do you feel burnt out? Sick and tired of other human beings around you manipulating you and giving you stress at work? You might want to listen to 선우정아’s gentle consolation in “도망가자 Let’s Run Away (2019),” as Go Youn-jung tries to listen to it in the first episode of Resident Playbook, aired earlier this week. You will soon recharge and get over your burnout.
In the lyrics, the pinnacle of poetic expression would be “너의 얼굴 위에 빛이 스며들 때까지,” which means literally, “until the light seeps into your face,” i.e., “until your face lights up (from the depression).” Such an unusual but lovely metaphor, together with the atypical first line 도망가자 (Let’s run away), makes this song worthy of my full video and your viewership.
스며들다 to seep into; to permeate
In the lyrics, a few verbs end with -자. It is the Korean way to say “Let’s …” in the informal register, used only between close friends and loved ones, peers about the same age, and family members. You only have to add “-자” after the verb stem found in your dictionary. Easy-peasy.
- 도망가자 Let’s run away [ 도망가다 to run away; to flee; 도망가-자 ]
Then how do you say “Let’s not …”? Add -지 말자 after the verb stem. That’s a piece of cake.
- 도망가지 말자 Let’s not run away [ 도망가다 to run away; to flee; 도망가-지 말자 ]
The above is useless in most situations at your work, where you want to say “Let’s…” in a formal and more respectful register. Between professional colleagues at work, and sometimes between a couple, you might want to use the -ㅂ/읍시다 form. You add -ㅂ시다 to a verb stem ending with a vowel, and -읍시다 to a verb stem ending with a consonant:
- 일 시작합시다 Let’s start work [ 시작하다 to start; 시작하-ㅂ시다 = 시작합시다 ]
- 점심 먹읍시다 Let’s have luch [ 먹다 to eat; 먹-읍시다 ]
And finally, the negative form in this more formal register (Let’s not…) is “verb stem” +지 맙시다.
Level A2: Which of the following verbs is conjugated incorrectly?
a. 가자
b. 오자
c. 챙기자
d. 생각하지 말자
e. 일해자
Level B1: Which of the following verbs is conjugated incorrectly?
a. 우리 여행 갑시다
b. 그리고 돌아오지 맙시다
c. 건강도 좀 챙깁시다
d. 상대방의 입장을 좀 생각하읍시다
e. 거 참 시끄러워 죽겠네. 아, 일 좀 합시다, 일!
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