Translation:새벽 3시 - 3am3년동안 사귀었는데 카톡으로 갑자기 헤어지는 거 말이 돼애애? We dated for three years…does s

Translation:

새벽 3시 - 3am

3년동안 사귀었는데 카톡으로 갑자기 헤어지는 거 말이 돼애애? We dated for three years…does suddenly breaking up over text make any sense???

    *This phrase is like “We dated for three years…and you break up with me over text?? WTF??” kind of anger. 말이 돼? is like asking “does that make sense” in a WTF kind of way. It doesn’t translate smoothly in English, but it’s a common expression in Korean. 

흥분된 상태 - excited state

분노 - rage

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새벽 3시 - 3am

내일 너무 기대돼서 잠이 안 오네. I’m so excited for tomorrow that I can’t sleep. (“sleep isn’t coming”)

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흥분하다 is a word that many Korean students use incorrectly, and that’s because of the translation. 흥분하다 translates to “to be excited.” And, that’s because it means a sudden rush of emotion.

The problem is that many students want to say something like “I’m excited to go to Korea.” 저는 한국에 가는 것에 흥분해요. (X)

But, this is not how to express that feeling. There is a much better expression. 기대되다. Now, this word is translated as “to expect.” And while, it can be used to express expectations, it’s also used to express “Looking forward to”/“excited for something.”

This is also why many Koreans will say “I’m expecting it,” when they want to say “I’m looking forward to it.”

So, let’s look at how we can use these correctly.

흥분되다/하다

그 사람이 우리 언니를 욕하는 것을 듣고 흥분해서 싸울 뻔했어요. (After) I heard that person talk badly about my sister, I was so “upset” that I almost fought them.

      *In this case, 흥분하다 could be seen as “upset.” A rush of angry feelings that made the heart race. 

대학교에 합격한 걸 듣고 너무 흥분해서 도서관에서 소리를 질렀어요. (After) I heard that I was accepted into college, I was so excited that I yelled in the library. 

괜찮아. 흥분하지 말고 일단 해결할 방법을 생각해 보자. It’s okay. Don’t get worked up, instead let’s think of a solution first. 

흥분된 목소리 an excited voice

기대되다/하다

내일 한국에 가서 넘나 기대돼요. I’m so excited, because I’m going to Korea tomorrow. 

오늘 데이트 해서 진짜 기대돼요. I have a date today, so I’m really excited. 

내가 쓴 글을 기대하지 마. 완전 쓰레기야ㅋㅋㅋ Please don’t look forward to the thing I wrote. It’s completely garbage. 

내일 캡틴 마블이란 영화를 볼 거야. 너무 기대돼. Tomorrow I’m going to see the movie Captain Marvel. I’m really looking forward to it. 

Note: The difference between 되다 and 하다 is important when understanding these to words. Because 기대되다 and 기대하다 are slightly different. 하다 is used to refer to something that you are actively doing at the time you’re talking about it or in the past. 되다 typically refers to more passive actions or something that is true, but not necessarily using all your attention.

So, 기대되다 is being excited. You’re in that state passively.

But 기대하다 is a constant state of that excitement or expectation. Which is why we say 기대하지 마. Don’t be excited. Because it’s a little strange to say 기대되지 마 “Don’t become excited" in Korean. Because 되다 refers to something out of your control most of the time. That’s why it’s passive. So, it’s strange to say don’t “become” excited when you have no control over it.

Anyway, good luck everyone! 기대되다(to be excited for, to look forward to) is a great word to use. It’s used all the time. Unlike 흥분되다, which is not overly common in comparison. And also, 흥분 is  used as “sexual excitement,” so, you don’t want to say 내가 흥분했다 in the wrong situation. It might become awkward. 

Follow me for more Korean posts in the future. I have a new “guide” that I’m working on right now. So, I hope to finish it and give it to you guys to practice soon!