It surprised me that you had not eaten in Korean 🇰🇷

Sentence info.

The sentence is structured by combining a subordinate clause with a main clause. Here’s the breakdown:

• “당신이” – “you” with the subject marker “이”.
 Romanized: “Dangsin-i”

• “먹지 않았다는” – This part comes from “먹지 않았다” (“did not eat”) with the modifier “-는” turned into “-다는” to quote or nominalize the statement. It turns the clause “you did not eat” into a noun-like phrase.
 Romanized: “meokji anhatdaneun”

• “것에” – “것” means “thing” and by adding “에” it indicates the focus or reason “in that fact”. It connects the nominalized clause to the main clause.
 Romanized: “geos-e”

• “나는” – “I” with the subject marker “는”.
 Romanized: “na-neun”

• “놀랐습니다.” – The main verb meaning “was surprised” in the past polite form.
 Romanized: “nollasseumnida”

To remember this construction, note that when a sentence (or clause) is turned into a noun (often by using “-다는 것” or “-은 사실”), it can then serve as the subject or object in the main clause. Also, remember that adding “에” after the nominalized clause helps indicate the context or cause for what follows.

Alternate ways to say “It surprised me that you had not eaten” include:

• “당신이 먹지 않았다는 사실에 저는 놀랐습니다.”
 Romanized: “Dangsin-i meokji anhatdaneun sasil-e jeoneun nollasseumnida.”

• “네가 먹지 않은 게 놀라웠어.” (more casual)
 Romanized: “Nega meokji anh-eun ge nollawosseo.”

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