LEARN KOREAN (한국어) [GRAMMAR] #1

KOREAN WORD: 들다

The word 들다 in Korean is very difficult because it can be used in so many ways. Two of the most common usages are:

들다 - to carry/hold something
들다 - to enter/go into something/somewhere

Both of these usages are overarching situations that most of the usages of 들다 can fit into. The difficulty with 들다 is, because it can be used in so many different ways, it is often hard to come up with a translation that fits all possible situations. Let me show you three examples of how 들다 can be used under the overarching situation of "to enter/go into something/somewhere."

나는 동아리에 들었어 - I joined a club (I "entered" a club)
(나는) 잠이 들었다 - I fell asleep (I "entered" sleep)
저는 그 그림이 마음에 들어요 - I like that picture (That picture enters my heart)
The definition of the word 마음 generally refers to one's heart/one's mind

Now, let me show you examples of how 들다 can be used under the overarching situation of "to carry/hold something."

저는 손을 들었어요 - I raised my hand (I "held up" my hand/carried my hand)
저는 가방을 들었어요 - I carried the/my bag

Okay, so what's my point?

Well, I have three points actually.

1) First, I wanted to introduce how 들다 can be used. With a general understanding of the two overarching usages presented here (along with the specific situations outlined in the example sentences), you should be able to tackle most usages of 들다 as you continue to study more advanced sentences.

2) This is really crucial to your development of Korean and how it relates to the meanings you have of words from your understanding of English. You have to realize that Korean and English are fundamentally different, and it is very difficult to translate sentences sometimes. In cases like these, you should try not to translate the meaning of a word directly into a specific definition. Rather, you should be open to the fact that it can have many meanings depending on the context.

For example, imagine if you knew the following words and their definitions:

저 - I/me
마음 - heart/mind
들다 - enter
그림 - picture
And you saw the following sentence:

저는 그 그림이 마음에 들어요

Would you be able to understand its meaning if I had not explained it to you earlier? Many learners of Korean might read that and say "Well, it looks like that person has a picture entering his heart/mind... but I'm not quite sure what that means."

This is the first of many times where I will encourage you to not translate/understand sentences literally. Instead, try to understand what the meaning of a sentence could be based on your understanding of the words within it. For example, if you come across the word "들다" in your studies, realize that it can have many usages – and just because it doesn't immediately look like it will translate to "enter" or "carry," an open mind might allow you to see things in different ways.

3) I specifically wanted to teach you the meaning of 들다 because it is commonly used in compound words.