It is impossible that we arrive on time in Korean 🇰🇷

Sentence info.

Word-by-word breakdown:
• 우리가 (uriga) – “we” with the subject particle 가 attached. In Korean, the subject (here “we”) comes before the main verb.
• 정시에 (jeongsie) – “on time” or “at the designated time.” 정시 means “exact time” and 에 is the time/location particle.
• 도착하는 (dochak-haneun) – The present relative form of the verb 도착하다 (“to arrive”). This form turns the verb into an adjective that describes the following noun.
• 것은 (geoseun) – Literally “thing” (것) plus the topic marker 은. In the sentence, it nominalizes the phrase “arriving on time” so it can be the subject of the predicate.
• 불가능합니다 (bulganeunghamnida) – “is impossible” in a formal style. It is the adjective 불가능하다 (“to be impossible”) in its polite ending form 합니다.

Tips to remember the structure:
• Notice how Korean uses descriptive verb forms (도착하는) to turn an action into a noun phrase. Practice by taking other verbs (예: 먹다 → 먹는) to form relative clauses.
• Keep in mind that the nominalizer 것 is used to convert verbs or adjectives into a noun (e.g., 달리는 것 “running”).
• Recognize the role of particles such as 가 for the subject and 은/는 for the topic; these particles help manage the sentence’s meaning and structure.

Alternate ways to express “It is impossible that we arrive on time”:
1. 우리가 정시에 도착하는 건 불가능해요.
  Romanized: Uriga jeongsie dochak-haneun geon bulganeunghae-yo.
  (This version uses 건 instead of 것은 and 불가능해요 for a less formal tone.)
2. 우리가 정시에 도착하는 것은 불가능해.
  Romanized: Uriga jeongsie dochak-haneun geoseun bulganeunghae.
  (Informal ending “해” makes it casual.)
3. 우리 정시에 도착하는 건 불가능해.
  Romanized: Uri jeongsie dochak-haneun geon bulganeunghae.
  (This version omits the subject marker for a more conversational tone.)

Each alternative maintains the same grammatical process of nominalizing the verb phrase (arriving on time) and then stating its impossibility.

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