I don’t think that your phone works in Korean 🇰🇷

Sentence info.

Breakdown of the sentence "당신의전화가작동한다고생각하지않습니다":

1. 당신의 (dangsin-ui)
  • 당신 means “you” and 의 is the possessive marker, forming “your.”

2. 전화가 (jeonhwa-ga)
  • 전화 means “telephone/phone.”
  • The particle 가 marks “전화” as the subject of the embedded clause.

3. 작동한다고 (jakdonghandago)
  • 작동하다 is a verb meaning “to work” or “to operate.”
  • The clause ends with -다고, which is a quotative ending used to report or embed what someone thinks or says. Here it introduces the idea “[that it] works.”

4. 생각하지않습니다 (saenggakhaji anseumnida)
  • 생각하다 means “to think.”
  • The form 생각하지 않습니다 is the negative polite form meaning “do not think.”

Overall structure:
  "Your phone" is marked as the subject in what is being reported/thought. The embedded clause “작동한다고” is what is being considered (i.e., working/operating). Finally, 생각하지 않습니다 expresses that “I do not think” that this embedded idea is true.

Tips to remember:
  • Recognize the pattern: [Noun’s possessive] + [subject + particle] + [verb + -다고 (embedded statement)] + [생각하다 (to think) in negative form].
  • The quotative ending -다고 is key when reporting thoughts or beliefs and is often paired with 생각하다.
  • Practice by replacing 작동하다 with other verbs to express similar ideas (e.g., "네 전화가 켜진다고 생각하지 않습니다" – I do not think that your phone is on).

Alternate ways to say “I don’t think that your phone works”:

• Alternative 1 (more casual):
  네 전화가 작동하는 것 같지 않아.
   Romanization: ne jeonhwa-ga jakdonghaneun geot gatji anha.
  Meaning: “I don’t think your phone works.”

• Alternative 2 (using verb negation within the quoted clause):
  난 네 전화가 작동하지 않는다고 생각해.
   Romanization: nan ne jeonhwa-ga jakdonghaji anndago saenggakhae.
  Meaning: “I think that your phone does not work.” (casual tone)

• Alternative 3 (using a variation with the same embedded clause form):
  너의 전화가 작동한다고 생각하지 않아.
   Romanization: neoui jeonhwa-ga jakdonghandago saenggakhaji anha.
  Meaning: “I don’t think your phone works.” (using 너의 instead of 당신의 for “your” in a slightly more informal register)

Each alternative varies in formality and phrasing but conveys essentially the same idea.

a few seconds ago