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- "아이에게 공 한 개를 주십시오."
28 Comments
"개" is attached at the end of the word being counted. It is a count word and is used sort of used like pieces in the phrase "Two pieces of chocolate". But Korean just uses it all the time where in English it is only used occasionally.
Interestingly, the use of the word '주세요' perfectly matches with the Japanese word 'kudasai'. Both words could mean both 'please' and 'give me'.
Mrittik and rose, this 개 is not dog. It is counter 한 개 두 개 세 개........ 1 2 3 ......
I had a hard time answering this because every time i see "개를" or "개", my brain automatically translates it as "dog". I just love dogs :D
개 is a counter for the ball (공 한 개 object-number-counter) and 를 is the object particle since you are giving the ball (object)
26
에게/한테 is the dative marker; it is attached to the word at which the verb in the sentence is directed, i.e. whatever or whoever the verb is being done to. In this sentence, 아이 is being given 주다 something, so it is marked with -에게. 가/이 is the subject marker; this sentence is an imperative clause, a command, so the subject would be the listener (i.e., "You, give the child a ball," 'you' is the subject). In these kinds of sentences, the subject is often omitted, as it is implied in the structure of the sentence.
개를 means not only a dog but also an unit. you are right. the sentences are very confused and they should give more explanations.
- 26
Yes, that's how clauses with transitive verbs work in English; you can drop the preposition between the verb and its indirect object if both appear before the direct object in the sentence. "Give a ball to the kid" but "Give the kid a ball".
A native English speaker will intuitively understand the word order as meaning the verb is ditransitive, the first noun is the indirect object, and the second noun is the direct object. "Give him a donut", "pass the lady her change", "throw the dog a bone". You need to add "to" before the indirect object if it comes after the direct object to signal that the word order has changed.
주십시오 is like the equivalent to giveth. The term 주십시오 is only used in historical dramas or in sarcasm. Kinda weird that duolingo has this as sample sentence
- 151
This phrase exemplifies why Duolingo on mobile sucks ass. It introduces grammatical points without explaining them. So lame.
Shouldn't "ball" be added to the meaning(s) of "개를" instead of just "dog"? Because Korean beginners who are translating this sentence may have a difficult time actually understanding that there are more meanings than just "dog".
- 420
I agree that a meaning should be added but 개를 does NOT mean ball. It's a measure word for all kinds of nouns. I suggest reading up on measure words online, it's a fairly simple concept once you understand it. :)
The English word "please" is ambivalent. The on-screen hint does not point to whether the Korean means "Please (give) the ball to the child" or "The ball pleases the child."
