How to Say "Mom walks sneakily" in Korean | -아/어요 Grammar

Quick Answer: "Mom walks sneakily" in Korean is "엄마가 살금살금 걸어요." (eommaga salgeumsalgeum geoleoyo.). It uses the -아/어요 grammar pattern (Polite Ending (-아/어요)). Level: A1.

"Mom walks sneakily" — in Korean, this becomes "엄마가 살금살금 걸어요.". This example highlights -아/어요, a grammar pattern at the A1 level that appears everywhere in Korean.

Category: 가족

What does "Mom walks sneakily" mean in Korean?

The Korean sentence "엄마가 살금살금 걸어요." translates to "Mom walks sneakily." in English. When you say "엄마가 살금살금 걸어요.", you are not just translating — you are adopting a Korean mindset. The sentence carries the warmth of family bonds.

Pronunciation guide: eommaga salgeumsalgeum 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 "엄마가 살금살금 걸어요.", the verb comes at the end of the sentence. Here is the word-by-word breakdown: • 엄마가 (eommaga) • 살금살금 (salgeumsalgeum) • 걸어요 (geoleoyo)

In fairy tales, Korean sentences tend to be shorter and simpler than in novels. This makes them perfect for language practice.

Why This Korean Expression Sounds Natural

What makes this expression sound natural is the word order. While English front-loads the verb, Korean saves it for the end — creating a sense of anticipation that feels storytelling-like.

Cultural Insight

한국어에는 가족 호칭이 매우 세분화되어 있어요. 아버지 쪽 형제와 어머니 쪽 형제를 다른 단어로 부르며, 이는 관계의 깊이를 반영합니다.

Examples

엄마가 살금살금 걸어요. — eommaga salgeumsalgeum geoleoyo. — Mom walks sneakily.

엄마가 살금살금 걸어요? — eommaga salgeumsalgeum geoleoyo? — Mom walks sneakily?

저녁에 엄마가 살금살금 걸어요. — jeonyeoke eommaga salgeumsalgeum geoleoyo. — In the evening, mom walks sneakily.

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 엄마가 살금살금 → Correct: 엄마가 살금살금 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.

Quiz

How do you say "Mom walks sneakily" in Korean?

The correct Korean translation is "엄마가 살금살금 걸어요.". eommaga salgeumsalgeum geoleoyo.

Fill in the blank: 엄마가 살금살금 ___

The correct ending is "걸어요". The polite -요 form is essential for everyday Korean conversation.