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Unit 13: It All Depends On (-기 나름이다)

When you want to say that the outcome of a situation depends entirely on how an action is performed, you use -기 나름이다 in Easy Korean.

Structure

Verb Stem + -기 나름이다

You turn the verb into a noun with -기, and attach 나름이다 (depends on). - 생각하다 -> 생각하기 나름이다 (It all depends on how you think about it) - 쓰다 -> 쓰기 나름이다 (It all depends on how you use it) - 마음먹다 -> 마음먹기 나름이다 (It all depends on making up your mind)

(For nouns, you can just attach 나름이다: 사람 나름이다 - It depends on the person)

Examples

  • 행복은 생각하기 나름이에요. (Happiness depends on how you think.)
  • 칼은 쓰기 나름이에요. (A knife is all about how you use it. [It can be good or bad])
  • 시험은 준비하기 나름입니다. (The exam depends on how you prepare for it.)