2-1. Determiner(관형사) ①: the 3 characteristics

관형사 is translated into the determiner, but they are not precisely the same. 

 

관형사 is a unique part of speech in Korean, and its role is to modify the following noun, pronoun, or numeral(the three of them are subclasses of 체언). It unconditionally comes before 체언, and cannot be used without it.

 

관형사 has three characteristics.

 

1. It can neither conjugate nor be used as a predicate. This distinguishes 관형사 from 용언(동사 and 형용사).

2. It cannot be attached by a particle. This differentiates it from 체언.

3. It can modify any 체언 as long as it makes sense. That's the difference between 관형사 and 접두사(prefix).

 

 

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1. 관형사 vs. 용언

 

So, what does it mean by its being unable to conjugate?

 

새 책을 샀다. I bought a new book.

새로운 책을 샀다. I bought a new book.

 

 

새 and 새로운(base form: 새롭다) are nearly synonyms. They have subtle differences; for now, those differences do not need to be taken into consideration. Rather, we need to focus on the possibility of conjugation. 

 

새 is used as it is, and cannot conjugate. On the other hand, 새로운(새롭다) is an adjective, and therefore it is able to conjugate.

 

• 책이 아주 새롭다. This book is very original.
• 책을 새롭게 읽는다. I read a book in a noble way.
• 새롭고 재미있는 책을 샀다. I bought a book that is new and interesting.

 

When looking at the first example sentence, you can see 새롭다 can be used as a predicate(서술어), which 관형사 cannot ever become.

 

• 책이 아주 새. (X)

 

 

2. 관형사 vs. 체언

 

Some 관형사s have the same form as 체언s. One way to distinguish them is by checking whether there is a particle behind them or not. If there is a particle, then it is 체언, and if not, then 관형사. 

There are 체언s that are not followed by a particle. In that case, you need to consider their meanings.

 

• 그는 친절하다. He is kind.
• 그 사람은 친절하다. That person is kind.

 

In the first sentence, 그 is the third-person pronoun 'he', while in the second sentence, it is a determiner which is similar to the English word 'that'. You can see a particle 는 behind 그 in the former, while no particle in the latter.

 

 

 

 

3. 관형사 vs. 접두사

 

You should leave a space between 관형사 and 체언, while no space between 접두사 and the following word.

 

• 나는 첫 시험을 통과했다. I passed my first exam.
• 나는 재시험을 통과했다. I passed my exam on the retake.

첫 is 관형사 and its meaning is 'first'. 재-, which means 'again', is a prefix(접두사). 

You can insert another modifier between 관형사 and 체언, while you cannot do so between 접두사 and the following word.

 

• 나는 첫 2학년 시험을 통과했다. I passed my first exam for sophomores.
• 나는 재 2학년 시험을 통과했다. (X)

 

In addition to that, 관형사 can be followed by any 체언 in case that makes sense. However, 접두사 has limited usage and much fewer words can be attached after.

 

• 첫 교육(O), 첫 만남(O), 첫 친구(O), 첫 강아지(O), 첫 선물(O)...
• 재교육(O), 재만남(X), 재친구(X), 재강아지(X), 재선물(X)...