How to Say "Dad walks carefully because it is hungry" in Korean | -아/어요 Grammar

Quick Answer: "Dad walks carefully because it is hungry" in Korean is "아빠는 배가 고파서 조심해서 걸어요." (appaneun baega gopaseo josimhaeseo geoleoyo.). It uses the -아/어요 grammar pattern (Polite Ending (-아/어요)). Level: A1.

Learn how to say "Dad walks carefully because it is hungry" in Korean: "아빠는 배가 고파서 조심해서 걸어요.". This sentence uses the -아/어요 grammar pattern (Polite Ending (-아/어요)), a key building block for Korean learners at the A1 level.

What does "Dad walks carefully because it is hungry" mean in Korean?

The Korean sentence "아빠는 배가 고파서 조심해서 걸어요." translates to "Dad walks carefully because it is hungry." in English. "아빠는 배가 고파서 조심해서 걸어요." is a simple A1–A2 sentence that paints a clear scene. It ends with "-요" so it feels polite and warm. It is perfect for fairy-tale style narration.

Pronunciation guide: appaneun baega gopaseo josimhaeseo geoleoyo.

Grammar Point: Polite Ending (-아/어요)

The -아/어요 ending is the standard polite speech level in Korean. Use -아요 after bright vowels (ㅏ, ㅗ), -어요 after dark vowels, and 해요 for 하다 verbs.

가다 → 가요, 먹다 → 먹어요, 하다 → 해요. This is the most common speech level in daily Korean.

Korean Sentence Structure Breakdown

Korean follows a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) word order, which is different from English (SVO). In "아빠는 배가 고파서 조심해서 걸어요.", the verb comes at the end of the sentence. Here is the word-by-word breakdown: • 아빠는 (appaneun) • 배가 (baega) • 고파서 (gopaseo) • 조심해서 (josimhaeseo) • 걸어요 (geoleoyo)

Korean sentences always end with the verb. Get comfortable with putting the action word last.

Why This Korean Expression Sounds Natural

In English, we often say "Dad walks carefully because it is hungry" directly. Korean keeps the same idea but adds softness through the ending, so the line feels caring rather than flat.

Cultural Insight

한국어는 감정을 드러낼 때도 부드러운 말투로 마음의 온기를 전해요.

Examples

아빠는 배가 고파서 조심해서 걸어요. — appaneun baega gopaseo josimhaeseo geoleoyo. — Dad walks carefully because it is hungry.

정말 아빠는 배가 고파서 조심해서 걸어요. — jeongmal appaneun baega gopaseo josimhaeseo geoleoyo. — Really, dad walks carefully because it is hungry

오늘은 아빠는 배가 고파서 조심해서 걸어요. — oneuleun appaneun baega gopaseo josimhaeseo geoleoyo. — Today, dad walks carefully because it is hungry

Common Mistakes

Incorrect: 먹아요 → Correct: 먹어요. The stem 먹- ends in a dark vowel (ㅓ), so it takes -어요 not -아요. Match the vowel harmony.

Incorrect: 걸어요 아빠는 배가 고파서 조심해서 → Correct: 아빠는 배가 고파서 조심해서 걸어요. Korean uses Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) order. The verb must come at the end of the sentence, unlike English where it comes after the subject.