I don’t think the government was lying in Korean 🇰🇷

Sentence info.

Breakdown of the sentence:
• 정부 (jeongbu) – “government”
 – The noun “government” takes the subject marker 가 (ga) to become 정부가, meaning “the government.”
• 거짓말 (geojitmal) – “lie”
 – The object particle 을 (eul) is attached, forming 거짓말을, indicating “a lie” is what is being done.
• 하고 있었다 (hago isseotda) – “was doing” (in this context, “lying”)
 – The verb 하다 (hada) “to do” combines with 거짓말 to express “to lie.” The progressive past form 하고 있었다 shows an action that was ongoing.
• 고 (go) – Quotation marker
 – After a clause, 고 attaches to show that what was said in the clause is being quoted or thought of.
• 생각하지 않아 (saeng-gakaji anha) – “do not think”
 – 생각하다 (saeng-gakada) means “to think.” When negated as 생각하지 않아, it means “don’t think.”

Tips to remember:
• In Korean, reported thoughts or speech use the structure “clause + 고 생각하다.” When you negate your thought, use 생각하지 않아.
• Notice the particles: subject marker 가 for 정부 and object marker 을 for 거짓말. Their use helps indicate who is doing what.
• Verb forms are placed at the end and modifiers (like 하고 있었다) come before the main thinking verb.

Alternate ways to say “I don't think the government was lying”:
1. 정부가 거짓말했다고 생각하지 않아.
  - Romanized: Jeongbuga geojitmalhaetdago saeng-gakaji anha.
  - Using the simple past form 거짓말했다 (“lied”) instead of the continuous form.
2. 나는 정부가 거짓말을 했다고 믿지 않아.
  - Romanized: Naneun jeongbuga geojitmareul haetdago mitji anha.
  - Here, 믿지 않아 (don’t believe) is used instead of 생각하지 않아, adding “I” (나는) for emphasis.

Each alternate form conveys the intended meaning with slight differences in nuance.

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