Easy Korean - Level 6, Unit 26: To pretend to... (-(으)ㄴ/는 척하다)

When someone acts like they are doing something (but they are not actually doing it), or acts like they know something (but they don't), we use the structure -(으)ㄴ/는 척하다.

Structure Breakdown

• -(으)ㄴ/는 = Noun modifier (Present or Past)
• 척 = the act of pretending / faking
• 하다 = to do

(Note: Instead of 척하다, you can also use 체하다. They mean exactly the same thing!)

How to Conjugate

1. Action Verbs (Present Tense): Add -는 척하다 * 자다 -> 자는 척하다 (to pretend to be sleeping) * 일하다 -> 일하는 척하다 (to pretend to be working) * 모르다 -> 모르는 척하다 (to pretend not to know / to ignore)

2. Action Verbs (Past Tense): Add -(으)ㄴ 척하다 * 자다 -> 잔 척하다 (to pretend to have slept) * 보다 -> 본 척하다 (to pretend to have seen it)

3. Adjectives: Add -(으)ㄴ 척하다 * 바쁘다 -> 바쁜 척하다 (to pretend to be busy) * 예쁘다 -> 예쁜 척하다 (to act pretty) * 아프다 -> 아픈 척하다 (to pretend to be sick)

척하지 마세요 (Don't pretend)

If you want to tell someone to stop faking it, you can say 척하지 마세요. * 모르는 척하지 마세요! (Don't pretend you don't know!) * 친한 척하지 마세요. (Don't act like we are close.)

Example Sentences

1. 제가 인사했는데, 그 사람은 저를 모르는 척했어요. (I said hello, but that person pretended not to know me.)
2. 피곤해서 버스에서 자는 척했어요. (Because I was tired, I pretended to sleep on the bus.)
3. 아프지도 않으면서 아픈 척하지 마세요. (You aren't even sick, so don't pretend to be sick.)