그것들
The English phrase "those" is translated into Korean as 그것들.
그것들 is the plural form of "that". You may encounter 그거들 when referring to objects or things or 그 애들 when referring to a group of people among friends and peers.
Meaning: plural of that (pron)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 그것들 is composed of 그것 (that thing) and the plural suffix 들 (plural marker).
Which one should you use?
While 그것들 specifically refers to multiple objects, 그것 is used for a single object.
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding the topic marker 은 to 그것들 creates the subject/topic form 그것들은.
Did you know?
- When referring to 'those people', using 그것들 would be a grave insult. Because 것 means 'thing', using it for humans treats them as objects.
- If you are pointing to things far away from both you and the listener, you cannot use 그것들. You must switch to 저것들, which is a separate word for 'those over there'.
- The plural marker 들 is rarely used for inanimate objects unless the speaker wants to emphasize that they are talking about every single one of them.
Examples in context
- 그것들은 내 것이다.Those are mine.Tatoeba #11106988 by intertime, translation #1898060 by CK
- 그 분들이 오늘 회의에 참석해야 합니다.Those people need to attend the meeting today.
- 그 애들은 항상 같이 노는 친구들이야.Those are friends who always hang out together.
- 그것들은 어디에 있어요?geugeotdeureun eodie isseoyo?Where are those?
- 그것들은 너무 비싸요.geugeotdeureun neomu bissayo.Those are too expensive.
Example conversation
Ji-eun and Do-hyeon are looking at some books on a table.
- 지은 Ji-eun도현 씨, 그것들 다 읽었어요?Dohyeon ssi, geugeotdeul da ilgeosseoyo?Do-hyeon, did you read all of those?
- 도현 Do-hyeon아니요, 아직 다 못 읽었어요.aniyo, ajik da mot ilgeosseoyo.No, I haven't finished reading them all yet.
- 지은 Ji-eun그럼 제가 읽어볼게요.geureom jega ilgeobolgeyo.Then I will try reading them.
- 도현 Do-hyeon네, 가져가서 읽으세요.ne, gajyeogaseo ilgeuseyo.Yes, please take them and read.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
