[Learn Korean E46] “Noun + 때문에”, “-기 때문에”, “-이/가 되다”

안녕하세요. 토미입니다.

The theme of today’s class is 【재능이 있기 때문에 응원해 주고 싶어요】 “I want to support him because he has talent.”

Today, we will learn Noun+때문에 “because of noun, ” 기 때문에 “because,” and 이/가 되다 “to become.”

If you can learn how to use 기 때문에 “because,” you will be able to explain reasons properly whenever you make some kind of mistakes.

그럼 시작할게요！

Listen to the Conversation

The theme of today’s conversation is 【재능이 있기 때문에 응원해 주고 싶어요】 “I want to support him because he has talent.”

It seems that Tammy’s younger brother is graduating from high school.
What does Tammy’s brother want to be once he graduates?

Let’s listen to the conversation and try to guess.
그럼 들어보세요！

• 토미：상민 씨, 우리 동생이 다음 달에 고등학교 졸업하는데 뭘 선물해 주면 좋을까요?
  Tammy：Sangmin, my younger brother is graduating from high school next month, but what should I get him as a present?
• 상민：졸업 선물이요? 이번에 졸업하는 건 남동생이에요?
  Sangmin：A gift for graduation? Is it your younger brother who is graduating this time?
• 토미：네. 맞아요. 그래서 같은 남자인 상민 씨 의견을 듣고 싶어서 물어봤어요.
  Tammy：Yes. That’s right. So I asked you Sangmin, who is also a man, because I want to hear your opinion.
• 상민：그렇군요. 근데 동생은 졸업한 다음에 어떻게 해요? 대학에 가요?
  Sangmin：I see. By the way, what is your brother going to do once he graduates? Is he going to college?
• 토미：아니요, 우리 동생은 가수가 되는 게 꿈이기 때문에 대학에는 안 가요. 지금도 매일 노래 연습만 하고 있어요.
  Tammy：No, he is not going to college because he wants to become a singer. He practices singing every day now.
• 상민：그래요? 동생이 노래 잘 해요?
  Sangmin：Is he? Is he good at singing?
• 토미：네. 그런데 부모님은 동생 때문에 늘 걱정만 하세요. 전 동생이 재능이 있기 때문에 응원해 주고 싶어요.
  Tammy：Yes. But my parents are always worried because of my brother. I want to support him because he has talent.

Vocabulary and Phrases

• 토미：상민 씨, 우리 동생이 다음 달에 고등학교 졸업하는데 뭘 선물해 주면 좋을까요?

다음 달 is “next month.”
It’s the same as how 다음 주 is “next week.”
Also, 지난달 is “last month” and 이번 달 is “this month.”

졸업 means a “graduation” and 졸업하다 means “to graduate.”
In contrast, 입학 means an “enrollment” and 입학하다 means “to enroll.”

선물 is a “gift,” and both 선물하다 and 선물을 주다 mean “to give a gift.”
선물을 받다 means “to receive a gift,” and 선물을 보내다 means “to send a gift.”

• 토미：네. 맞아요. 그래서 같은 남자인 상민 씨 의견을 듣고 싶어서 물어봤어요.

의견 is an “opinion.”
When you say 의견을 듣고 싶다, it means “I want to hear your opinion.”
의견을 말하다 means “to say (my) opinion.”

• 토미：아니요, 우리 동생은 가수가 되는 게 꿈이기 때문에 대학에는 안 가요. 지금도 매일 노래 연습만 하고 있어요.

가수 is a “singer” and 인기 가수 means a “popular singer.”

꿈 is a “dream.”
Similar to English, you can use this word to express both “dream (when you are asleep)” and “dream (in the sense of wish).”

매일 means “every day.”
매달 is “every month” and 매년 is “every year.”

• 토미：네. 그런데 부모님은 동생 때문에 늘 걱정만 하세요. 전 동생이 재능이 있기 때문에 응원해 주고 싶어요.

늘 means “always.”
늘 걱정만 하다, means “always worry.”

재능 is a “talent,” and 재능이 있다/없다 means “to have/not have talent.”

응원 means a “cheer/support,” which is a noun.
And 응원하다 means “to cheer/support.” Therefore, 응원해 주고 싶다 means “I want to support.”

Grammar

Noun +때문에 (because of Noun)

The first grammar is Noun+때문에, “because of Noun.”

You can use this to express a reason or cause of a situation.
Also, you can use it to blame someone like 너 때문에 늦었어! “I was late because of you!”

Application of this grammar you have to attach 때문에 after a noun.

Ex.)
부모님은 동생 때문에 늘 걱정만 하세요.
My parents are always worried because of my younger brother.

동생 is a “younger brother,” so you add 때문에 to say 동생 때문에 “because of my brother.”

Quiz

・상민 씨, (           ) 많이 기다렸죠?
Sangmin, you have waited a long time because of me, haven’t you?

(1)나이기 때문에 (2)나 때문에

The answer is (2).
You can use 나 to say “me,” so you add 때문에 after this word to make 나 때문에 “because of me.”

The whole sentence would be 상민 씨, (나 때문에) 많이 기다렸죠?

-기 때문에　(because~/so~)

Next, let’s take a look at -기 때문에 which means “because/so” in English.

Through this grammar, you can state a clear reason to somebody.

We also learned 아/어서 or (으)니까 to describe a reason before.
Compared to them, this 기 때문에 is more literal expression, so you can see it often in formal written sentences.

How to use this grammar is also as simple as ABC.

You just need to add -기 때문에 after a verb stem regardless of a final consonant.
For example, the verb stem of 먹다 “to eat” is 먹. You just attach 기 때문에 to the stem to make 먹기 때문에 “because (I) eat.”

For nouns, you use 이기 때문에 regardless of a final consonant.
For instance, 아기 “a baby” becomes 아기이기 때문에 “because (s/he) is a baby.”
학생 “a student” becomes 학생이기 때문에 “because (s/he) is a student.”

When you say -이기 때문에 in a sentence, the sentence structure becomes “because Noun 1 is Noun 2” like 아기이기 때문에 잘 잔다 “Because he or she is a baby, (s/he) sleeps well.”

On the other hand, when you say, Noun + 때문에, it is blaming someone or expressing something that is a cause.
For instance, 아기 때문에 잠을 못 잔다 means “Because of this baby, I cannot sleep.”

Let’s check some example sentences from today’s conversation.

Ex.1)
동생이 재능이 있기 때문에 응원해 주고 싶어요.
I want to support my brother because he has talent.

재능이 있다 is “to have talent.”
You add -기 때문에 to the stem to make 재능이 있기 때문에 “because he has talent~.”

Ex.2)
우리 동생은 가수가 되는 게 꿈이기 때문에 대학에는 안 가요.
My brother is not going to college because he wants to become a singer.

꿈이다 means “it’s a dream.”
You add 기 때문에 to the stem to make 꿈이기 때문에 “because it’s his dream.”

Quiz

・날씨가 (             ) 창문을 닫았어요.
I closed the window because it was cold.

(1)춥기 때문에 (2)추기 때문에

The answer is (1). 춥다 is “cold.”
You attach 기 때문에 to the stem to make 춥기 때문에 “because it is cold.”

The whole sentence would be 날씨가 ( 춥기 때문에 ) 창문을 닫았어요.

-이/가 되다　(to become)

Let’s take a look at the grammar -이/가 되다 “to become.”
You should memorize this as a phrase.

To use this grammar, you attach the subject marker, 이/가 to a noun.
You use -이 되다 when a noun has a final consonant,
and use -가 되다 when a noun does not have a final consonant.

Ex.)
우리 동생은 가수가 되는 게 꿈이기 때문에 대학에는 안 가요.
My brother is not going to college because he wants to become a singer.

가수 “a singer” does not have a final consonant.
So you add -가 되다 to say 가수가 되다 “to become a singer.”

Quiz

・크면 (              )
What do you want to become when you grow up?

(1)뭐가 되고 싶어요? (2)뭐를 되고 싶어요?

The answer is (1). 뭐 is “what” in Korean.
Since this word does not have a final consonant, you add -가 되다 to say 뭐가 되다.
This sentence is asking the question “what do you want to become?”, so let’s use -고 싶다 “want to “ here.
The answer would be 뭐가 되고 싶어요.

The whole sentence would be 크면 (뭐가 되고 싶어요?)

Conversation (Korean only)

Please check what you can understand.
그럼 확인해 보세요！

• 토미：상민 씨, 우리 동생이 다음 달에 고등학교 졸업하는데 뭘 선물해 주면 좋을까요?
• 상민：졸업 선물이요? 이번에 졸업하는 건 남동생이에요?
• 토미：네. 맞아요. 그래서 같은 남자인 상민 씨 의견을 듣고 싶어서 물어봤어요.
• 상민：그렇군요. 근데 동생은 졸업한 다음에 어떻게 해요? 대학에 가요?
• 토미：아니요, 우리 동생은 가수가 되는 게 꿈이기 때문에 대학에는 안 가요. 지금도 매일 노래 연습만 하고 있어요.
• 상민：그래요? 동생이 노래 잘 해요?
• 토미：네. 그런데 부모님은 동생 때문에 늘 걱정만 하세요. 전 동생이 재능이 있기 때문에 응원해 주고 싶어요.

Conversation Practice

그럼 큰소리로 읽어 보세요.

• 토미：상민 씨, 우리 동생이 다음 달에 고등학교 졸업하는데 뭘 선물해 주면 좋을까요?
  Tammy：Sangmin, my younger brother is graduating from high school next month, but what should I get him as a present?
• 상민：졸업 선물이요? 이번에 졸업하는 건 남동생이에요?
  Sangmin：A gift for graduation? Is it your younger brother who is graduating this time?
• 토미：네. 맞아요. 그래서 같은 남자인 상민 씨 의견을 듣고 싶어서 물어봤어요.
  Tammy：Yes. That’s right. So I asked you Sangmin, who is also a man, because I want to hear your opinion.
• 상민：그렇군요. 근데 동생은 졸업한 다음에 어떻게 해요? 대학에 가요?
  Sangmin：I see. By the way, what is your brother going to do once he graduates? Is he going to college?
• 토미：아니요, 우리 동생은 가수가 되는 게 꿈이기 때문에 대학에는 안 가요. 지금도 매일 노래 연습만 하고 있어요.
  Tammy：No, he is not going to college because he wants to become a singer. He practices singing every day now.
• 상민：그래요? 동생이 노래 잘 해요?
  Sangmin：Is he? Is he good at singing?
• 토미：네. 그런데 부모님은 동생 때문에 늘 걱정만 하세요. 전 동생이 재능이 있기 때문에 응원해 주고 싶어요.
  Tammy：Yes. But my parents are always worried because of my brother. I want to support him because he has talent.

Homework

We have two assignments.
For the first homework, make two sentences using the grammar we learned today.

For the first sentence, use -기 때문에 “because,” and tell us some mistakes you made at work or school and the reason why you made the mistake.
For example,

• 유튜브를 보면서 요리를 만들었기 때문에 먹는 시간이 늦어졌어요.
  “The dinner time became late because I cooked while watching YouTube.”

For the second sentence, use -이/가 되다 and tell us what you want to be in next 10 years.
For example, I would say

• 10년 후에는 세계로 통하는 한국어 강사가 되고 싶어요.
  “10 years later, I want to become a world-class Korean teacher.”

The second homework is memorizing vocabulary.
Please memorize 40 words from #1441 to #1480 on page 19 of the Elementary Vocabulary List.
You can take a quiz on these 40 words on this webpage, so please try it after you finish memorizing all of them.

That’s all for today!
그럼 오늘도 행복 가득, 웃음 가득한 하루 되세요！ 한국어 화이팅, 화이팅, 화이팅！！