Lesson 4
In this lesson, we will look at the words -같이 and -처럼. They are both particles (used after nouns) that mean “like + Noun”. When you use -같이 or -처럼 after a word, the word group works more like an adverb in a sentence (i.e. “like a robot”, “like a Korean girl”, etc.).
Many people make the mistake of using -같이 and -처럼 with the verb “to be”, but more on that later in this lesson.
Noun + -같이/처럼 = like + Noun, as + Noun
Examples
1.
종이 + -처럼 = 종이처럼
= like paper
→ 종이처럼 가볍다 = to be light like paper
→ 종이같이 가볍다 = to be light like paper
2.
로봇 + -처럼 = 로봇처럼
= like a robot
→ 로봇처럼 걷다 = to walk like a robot
→ 로봇같이 걷다 = to walk like a robot
Sample Sentences
저처럼 해 보세요.
= Try doing it like I do.
그 사람은 한국어를 한국 사람처럼 잘해요.
= He/She speaks Korean well like a Korean person.
제가 어제 말한 것처럼 했어요?
= Did you do it like I said yesterday?
All of the sentences above can be written with -같이 in the place of -처럼.
→ 저같이 해 보세요.
→ 그 사람은 한국어를 한국 사람같이 잘해요.
→ 제가 어제 말한 것같이 했어요?
* -처럼 and -같이 are interchangeable in most cases, so whichever sounds more natural depends on the person’s opinion.
같이 and -같이
Even though they are basically the same word, there is a difference in the meaning between using -같이 after a noun and 같이 independently. When 같이 is used independently as an adverb, it means “together”. In this case, you would often need the particle -와 or -(이)랑 which means “with”.
Ex)
저 사람같이 하세요
= Do like that person does.
저 사람이랑 같이 하세요.
= Do it together with that person.
-같이 and 같은
When you add -같이 after a noun, it works as an adverb. When you want to make the expression work as an adjective, you can add 같은 instead of -같이. However, you have to put a space between the noun and 같은 unlike -같이, because 같은 is not a particle but a conjugated form of the adjective (aka. descriptive verb), 같다.
Ex)
저 같은 사람
= a person like me
= somebody like me
Sample Sentences
강아지가 곰처럼 생겼어요.
= The puppy looks like a bear.
오늘은 일요일 같은 월요일이에요.
= Today is a Monday (that feels) like a Sunday.
제 친구는 미국인인데 영어를 영국 사람처럼 해요.
= My friend is American, but she/he speaks English like a British person.
바보처럼 정말 그 말을 믿었어요?
= Did you really believe that like a fool?