Day 11. Derived Words 2 — -하다 and -되다

Quick Review: Day 10

Day 10 was about derived words — words built by attaching a bound element (prefix or suffix) that can't stand alone, adding meaning or changing the word's nature.

초- + 여름 = 초여름 (early summer) — prefix

놀- + -이 = 놀이 (play) — suffix

Day 11 is also about derived words. Today we look at two of the most frequently used suffixes in Korean — -하다 and -되다. Attach either one to a noun, and you get a verb or adjective.

-하다 and -되다

In English, study starts as a verb. Happy starts as an adjective.

Korean works differently. 공부 is a noun. 행복 is a noun. Add -하다 to either one and you get a verb or an adjective.

공부(noun) + 하다 = 공부하다 (verb)      ← English: study
행복(noun) + 하다 = 행복하다 (adjective) ← English: be happy
해결(noun) + 되다 = 해결되다 (verb)      ← English: be solved

Two things to take away today:

noun + -하다  →  verb (action) or adjective (state)
noun + -되다  →  that thing gets done / comes to be

1. Noun + -하다

-하다 attaches to a noun and creates a verb or adjective.

When it becomes a verb — "to do ~"

When the noun describes an action or activity, noun + 하다 becomes a verb.

공부(study)        + 하다 = 공부하다   to study
운동(exercise)     + 하다 = 운동하다   to exercise
요리(cooking)      + 하다 = 요리하다   to cook
청소(cleaning)     + 하다 = 청소하다   to clean
여행(travel)       + 하다 = 여행하다   to travel
전화(phone)        + 하다 = 전화하다   to call (someone)
쇼핑(shopping)     + 하다 = 쇼핑하다   to go shopping
사랑(love)         + 하다 = 사랑하다   to love
일(work)           + 하다 = 일하다     to work
수영(swimming)     + 하다 = 수영하다   to swim
연습(practice)     + 하다 = 연습하다   to practice
대화(conversation) + 하다 = 대화하다   to have a conversation

사랑하다: "사랑해" — the three syllables that appear at every K-drama climax. It's 사랑 (noun) + 하다, conjugated into casual speech.

When it becomes an adjective — "to be ~"

When the noun describes a state or quality, noun + 하다 becomes an adjective.

행복(happiness)    + 하다 = 행복하다   to be happy
피곤(fatigue)      + 하다 = 피곤하다   to be tired
조용(quiet)        + 하다 = 조용하다   to be quiet
중요(importance)   + 하다 = 중요하다   to be important
친절(kindness)     + 하다 = 친절하다   to be kind
유명(fame)         + 하다 = 유명하다   to be famous
건강(health)       + 하다 = 건강하다   to be healthy
복잡(complexity)   + 하다 = 복잡하다   to be complicated
따뜻(warmth)       + 하다 = 따뜻하다   to be warm
이상(strangeness)  + 하다 = 이상하다   to be strange, weird
신기(wonder)       + 하다 = 신기하다   to be amazing, fascinating
정직(honesty)      + 하다 = 정직하다   to be honest

유명하다: "BTS 유명해?" — obviously. 유명(有名) literally means "has a name" in Chinese characters. Once you know the noun, the adjective comes free.

How to tell them apart

Whether you get a verb or adjective depends on the meaning of the noun:

Noun = action/activity → verb (공부하다, 운동하다)
Noun = state/quality → adjective (행복하다, 피곤하다)

There's a quick test. If "noun + 을/를 하다" works as a split form, it's a verb. If it doesn't, it's an adjective.

공부하다 → 공부를 하다 ✅   verb
운동하다 → 운동을 하다 ✅   verb
행복하다 → *행복을 하다 ❌  adjective
피곤하다 → *피곤을 하다 ❌  adjective

The split form is also common in natural speech:

공부해 = 공부를 해   (both are correct)
여행해 = 여행을 해   (both are correct)

Adjectives can't do this. "행복을 해" doesn't exist in Korean.

✏️ Activity 1 — Verb or Adjective?

Add -하다 to each noun, then mark whether the result is a verb or adjective and write its English meaning.

Noun                    + 하다 = Result       Verb/Adj   English
1. 수영 (swimming)           = 수영하다     ______    _______
2. 이상 (strangeness)        = 이상하다     ______    _______
3. 대화 (conversation)       = 대화하다     ______    _______
4. 따뜻 (warmth)             = 따뜻하다     ______    _______
5. 독서 (reading)            = 독서하다     ______    _______
6. 정직 (honesty)            = 정직하다     ______    _______
7. 연락 (contact)            = 연락하다     ______    _______
8. 신기 (wonder)             = 신기하다     ______    _______

2. Noun + -되다

-되다 attaches to a noun and creates a verb. The meaning is "~ comes to be, ~ gets done."

Where -하다 means someone actively does something, -되다 means the thing happens or gets done — who did it doesn't matter.

해결(resolution)   + 되다 = 해결되다   to be resolved, to get solved
사용(use)          + 되다 = 사용되다   to be used
완성(completion)   + 되다 = 완성되다   to be completed
발견(discovery)    + 되다 = 발견되다   to be discovered
결정(decision)     + 되다 = 결정되다   to be decided
포함(inclusion)    + 되다 = 포함되다   to be included
준비(preparation)  + 되다 = 준비되다   to be ready, to be prepared
연결(connection)   + 되다 = 연결되다   to be connected
시작(start)        + 되다 = 시작되다   to begin, to get started

준비됐어? — Said right before going on stage or right before confessing feelings in a K-drama. It's 준비 (noun) + 되다, in past tense.

3. -하다 vs -되다 Compared

The same noun with -하다 and -되다 gives two different angles.

Noun       하다 (you do it)              되다 (it gets done)
해결   해결하다   to solve (something)   해결되다   to get solved
사용   사용하다   to use (something)     사용되다   to be used
완성   완성하다   to complete (something)완성되다   to be completed
준비   준비하다   to prepare (something) 준비되다   to be ready
결정   결정하다   to decide (something)  결정되다   to be decided

Think of -하다 as active voice and -되다 as passive — but -되다 is broader than just passive. It also covers "things that just came to be," without implying anyone caused them.

문제가 해결됐어.  The problem got solved.  (no mention of who solved it)
문제를 해결했어. I solved the problem.    (I did it)

✏️ Activity 2 — Fill in -하다 or -되다

Fill in the blank with the right form. Check the English hint for direction.

1. 파티가 드디어 시작_______.   (The party finally started.)
2. 나는 매일 독서_______.       (I read every day.)
3. 콘서트 날짜가 발표_______.   (The concert date was announced.)
4. 그 가수는 정말 유명_______.  (That singer is really famous.)
5. 우리 팀이 대화_______.       (Our team talked it over.)
6. 서울과 부산이 KTX로 연결_____. (Seoul and Busan are connected by KTX.)
7. 나는 요즘 너무 피곤_______.  (I've been so tired lately.)
8. 드라마 시즌2가 확정_______.  (Drama season 2 has been confirmed.)

✏️ Activity 3 — Swap -하다 ↔ -되다

Rewrite each sentence using the opposite suffix, then note the difference in meaning.

1. 선생님이 문제를 해결하다.  (The teacher solves the problem.)
   → _______________되다.   (Meaning shift: ___________________)

2. 택배가 내일 준비되다.     (The package will be ready tomorrow.)
   → _____________하다.     (Meaning shift: ___________________)

3. 회사가 신제품을 완성하다.  (The company completes the new product.)
   → _______________되다.   (Meaning shift: ___________________)

✏️ Activity 4 — Guess Words You've Never Seen

Use today's patterns to work out the meaning of each word.

1. 실망하다   (실망 = disappointment)   → _______________________
2. 취소하다   (취소 = cancellation)     → _______________________
3. 취소되다                             → _______________________
4. 연습하다   (연습 = practice)         → _______________________
5. 성공하다   (성공 = success)          → _______________________
6. 긴장하다   (긴장 = tension)          → _______________________
7. 노력하다   (노력 = effort)           → _______________________
8. 특별하다   (특별 = special)          → _______________________

Pattern Summary

Suffix	Attaches to	Creates	Meaning
-하다	action/activity noun	verb	to do ~ (active)
-하다	state/quality noun	adjective	to be ~
-되다	action/result noun	verb	~ gets done (passive/spontaneous)

One-line contrast:

하다 = someone actively does it
되다 = it comes to be (agent not the point)

Mini Quiz

Q1. What does -하다 do in 공부하다?

A) Turns the noun into a prefix
B) Turns the noun into a verb
C) Turns the verb into a noun
D) Nothing — it's just a filler
Answer: ____

Q2. Which of these becomes an adjective when -하다 is added?

A) 여행 (travel)
B) 청소 (cleaning)
C) 피곤 (fatigue)
D) 쇼핑 (shopping)
Answer: ____

Q3. What's the difference between 해결하다 and 해결되다?

A) They mean the same thing
B) 해결하다 = you actively solve it / 해결되다 = it gets solved
C) 해결하다 = adjective / 해결되다 = noun
D) 해결되다 is more polite
Answer: ____

Q4. Which goes in the blank? "파티 준비_____?" (Is the party ready?)

A) 하다   B) 됐어   C) 이다   D) 였어
Answer: ____

(Answers: Q1-B, Q2-C, Q3-B, Q4-B)

Answer Key

Activity 1

1. 수영하다   verb        to swim
2. 이상하다   adjective   to be strange, weird
3. 대화하다   verb        to have a conversation
4. 따뜻하다   adjective   to be warm
5. 독서하다   verb        to read (books)
6. 정직하다   adjective   to be honest
7. 연락하다   verb        to contact, to get in touch
8. 신기하다   adjective   to be amazing, fascinating

Activity 2

1. 시작됐다 / 시작됐어요    (되다 — the party started on its own)
2. 독서한다 / 독서해요      (하다 — I actively read)
3. 발표됐다 / 발표됐어요    (되다 — the date was announced)
4. 유명하다 / 유명해요      (하다 → adjective — is famous)
5. 대화한다 / 대화해요      (하다 — we actively talked)
6. 연결됐다 / 연결됐어요    (되다 — they are connected)
7. 피곤하다 / 피곤해요      (하다 → adjective — am tired)
8. 확정됐다 / 확정됐어요    (되다 — it's been confirmed)

Activity 3

1. 문제가 해결되다
   → The problem gets solved (no mention of who solved it)

2. (누군가가) 택배를 준비하다
   → Someone actively prepares the package

3. 신제품이 완성되다
   → The new product gets completed (focus on the result, not who did it)

Activity 4

1. 실망하다   to be disappointed
2. 취소하다   to cancel
3. 취소되다   to be cancelled, to get cancelled
4. 연습하다   to practice
5. 성공하다   to succeed
6. 긴장하다   to be nervous
7. 노력하다   to make an effort, to try hard
8. 특별하다   to be special

Day 11 Checklist

-하다: attaches to a noun to create a verb or adjective
noun(action) + 하다 → verb: 공부하다, 운동하다, 요리하다, 여행하다
noun(state) + 하다 → adjective: 행복하다, 피곤하다, 중요하다, 유명하다
"N을 하다" test: splits → verb / doesn't split → adjective
-되다: attaches to a noun to mean "~ gets done / comes to be"
하다 vs 되다: 하다 = active / 되다 = the thing happens
Key -하다 verbs: 공부·운동·요리·청소·여행·전화·쇼핑·사랑·수영·연습·대화
Key -하다 adjectives: 행복·피곤·조용·중요·친절·유명·건강·복잡·따뜻·이상·신기·정직
Key -되다: 해결·사용·완성·발견·결정·포함·준비·연결·시작

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