거의 [ Korean Grammar ]

Today we’ll look at the usage of the Korean grammar pattern 거의 with some example sentences.

The adverb 거의 is very common and frequently used in daily conversation. It is equivalent to “almost,” “hardly,” or “nearly” in English.

It can mean either of the three based on the context of the conversation. 

Example : 

I hardly ate. 

I almost ate. 

I nearly ate. 

The nuances of the three English words are slightly different from each other, and the differences are usually easy for English speakers to understand. However, Koreans use the same word 거의 for all three.

Learning how to use 거의 is very simple. You just need to look at some examples, and you’ll quickly understand the concept behind this adverb.

1) 난 돈이 거의 없어.

I hardly have any money.

2) 거의 갈 시간이 되었다.

It’s almost time to go.

3) 그는 거의 죽을 뻔했다.

He nearly died.

4) 병은 거의 비어 있다.

The bottle is almost empty.

5) 지난 여름에는 비가 거의 안 왔다.

It hardly rained last summer.

6) 우리 반 아이들 거의 모두가 파티에 왔다.

Almost all of my classmates came to the party.

7) 그는 가진 돈을 거의 모두 잃었다.

He lost almost all of his money.

8) 주차장에는 거의 백 대의 차가 있었다.

There were nearly a hundred cars in the parking lot.

9) 도로에는 차가 거의 없었다.

There were hardly any cars on the road.

To understand TOPIK Test structure, application process, Levels and Passing scores etc. check these pages:

1. TOPIK – The Complete Guide & 2. TOPIK Levels and Passing Marks. You can also Practice Online with TOPIK GUIDE Mock Tests.

Learning Korean can be tricky, especially when the goal of your learning is conversation. If you’ve ever attempted to speak Korean but were unable to, then hopefully you’ll find this post helpful.

Thank you for reading. If you have any questions or suggestions. Comment down below.