8.3. Verbal Nouns (Processive and Descriptive)

The verb 해요, as you have observed in this lesson, is a versatile word. First of all, it means does or performs an action, as in this sentence:

요즘 무엇을 해요?
What are you up to [doing] lately?
Secondly, it means says, speaks:
A. 한국말 잘 하세요?
Do you speak Korean well?
B. 아직 잘 못 해요.
I can’t speak well yet.

8.3.1. Separable Verbal Nouns (Processive)

There is a group of VERBAL NOUNS which form phrases with 해요. You have now learned at least five of these:

공부study(ing):

studies (i.e. performs studying)
산보a walk

stroll:

takes (

does) a walk
구경(sight-)seeing, viewing:

views, watches
일work, job

works (performs work, does a job)
청소cleaning up

cleans up, tidies up

The verbal noun may be the direct object of the verb 해요 or it may precede it directly, with little difference in meaning:

구경해요
watches, views
구경(을) 해요
does watching/viewing = watches, views

Even if the verbal noun itself is a direct object (i.e., has the particle 을/를 after it), there can be another direct object, as you have seen. However, most Korean sentences ordinarily have only one. When the verbal noun is not marked as the direct object of 해요 (e.g. 구경해요), the whole expression as a unit may have a direct object. This means that any of the following combinations is possible (the sign ” #. . .# ” represents a pause):

sees a movie

영화구경을 #…#해요
does #. . .# movie-viewing
영화를 #…#구경해요
watches #. . .# a movie
영화를 #…# 구경을 #…#해요
[no English equivalent]
영화 구경해요
[no English equivalent]

studies Korean

한국말을 #…#공부해요
studies #. . .# Korean
한국말 공부를 #…#해요
does #. . .# Korean language studies
한국말을 #…# 공부를 #…#해요
[no English equivalent]
한국말 공부해요
[no English equivalent]

8.3.1.1 Using 안 and 못 with Separable Verbal Nouns(Processive)

As you have just learned, the negative words 안 and 못 are placed immediately before the verb they modify. The situation is no different for processive verbal noun + 해요 structures. Since 하- is the verb, the negative word goes immediately before it:
sees a movie

영화구경을 #…# 안 해요
doesn’t do #. . .# movie-viewing
영화구경 #…#안 해요
doesn’t do #. . .# movie-viewing
영화를 #…#구경 안 해요
doesn’t watch #. . .# a movie

studies Korean

한국말 공부를 #…# 안 해요
doesn’t do #. . .# Korean language studies
한국말 공부 #…# 안 해요
doesn’t do #. . .# Korean language studies
한국말을 #…# 공부 안 해요
doesn’t study #. . .# Korean

Of the three possibilities illustrated here, the first and second (which is really just the first with the object particle dropped) are most common. The third does not sound very elegant to Koreans, but you will hear it from time to time. A fourth possibility is to place 안 in front of the verbal noun; you may hear this from time to time, especially from younger speakers, but this is not considered standard, ‘good’ Korean:

*영화를 안 구경해요
doesn’t watch a movie
*한국말을 안 공부해요
doesn’t study Korean

You will learn another way to negate verbs in Lesson 12.

8.3.2. Non-separable Verbal Nouns (Descriptive)

There are also DESCRIPTIVE verbal nouns in which 해요 means is rather than does: 깨끗해요 is clean, neat, 안녕하세요 is at peace = well (= 잘 있어요), 미안해요 is uneasy; sorry.

Note that descriptive verbs NEVER take the direct object particle 을/를 because they cannot be separated from the verb 하-. So you can never have, for instance, something like:

Such a form is impossible.

In theory, then, if you wish to negate a non-separable verbal noun + 해요 structure, you should be able to put 안 (remember that you can’t use 못 before descriptive verbs) before the entire composite verb:

*안 미안해요 isn’t sorry, doesn’t feel sorry
*안 깨끗해요 isn’t clean, isn’t neat

Again, you may hear such forms from Koreans, but they are not considered elegant, and you will have to wait until Lesson 12 to learn another way to negate such structures.

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