Think (imperative) in Korean 🇰🇷

생각해 info.

Tips to Remember the Word:
• Associate 생각 (saenggak) with “thought” or “idea.” Imagine “a spark of thought” every time you see the syllable “생,” and “가다” sounds like “to go,” so think of letting your ideas “go” or “flow.”
• Connect the sound “해” (hae) with the command “do it” in English. In this case, it implies “do some thinking.”

Explanation:
• The verb 생각하다 (saenggakhada) means “to think.”
• 생각해 (saenggakhae) is the informal, imperative form commanding someone to “think!”

Other Words with Similar Meanings:
• 숙고해 (sukgohae) – Means “ponder” or “contemplate.” It has a more serious tone.
• 곰곰이 생각해 (gomgom-i saenggakhae) – Emphasizes thinking deeply or carefully.

Conjugations of 생각하다 (saenggakhada):

Base Form (Infinitive): 생각하다 (saenggakhada)
• Informal/Casual:
 – Present: 생각해 (saenggakhae)          [“think” as a command or in the present]
 – Past: 생각했어 (saenggakhaesseo)       [“thought”]
 – Future: 생각할 거야 (saenggakhal geoya)    [“will think”]
• Polite/Formal:
 – Present: 생각해요 (saenggakhaeyo)
 – Past: 생각했어요 (saenggakhaesseoyo)
 – Future: 생각할 거예요 (saenggakhal geoyeyo)
• Honorific/Formal (when giving commands or making polite suggestions):
 – Imperative (polite command): 생각하세요 (saenggakhaseyo)

Example Sentences:
1. When urging someone to consider something:
 • Korean: 중요한 결정을 내리기 전에 꼭 생각해.
 • Romanized: Jungyohan gyeoljeong-eul naerigine jeon-e kkok saenggakhae.
 • English: “Think carefully before making an important decision.”
2. Describing a past thought:
 • Korean: 어제 그 문제에 대해 많이 생각했어.
 • Romanized: Eoje geu munje-e daehae mani saenggakhaesseo.
 • English: “I thought a lot about that problem yesterday.”
3. Making a polite suggestion:
 • Korean: 이 계획에 대해 한 번 생각해보세요.
 • Romanized: I gyehoeg-e daehae han beon saenggakhaeboseyo.
 • English: “Please think over this plan once.”

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