Lesson 7

Unit 19. 아쉽다 vs. 아깝다

Translations:
아쉽다 = to be sad / to be sorry / to be not good enough
아깝다 = (Something) is a waste. / (Something/someone) deserves better.

You say 아쉽다 basically when you wish that the situation were better, or when you wish that something (good) hadn’t ended yet. For example, when you feel bad because you don't have something with you when you need it, or when you still feel attached to someone or something even though you need to say goodbye to them or even though you already said goodbye to them, you can use 아쉽다. You say 아깝다, “however, when you lose something precious or when you don't want to throw away or give away something because it is so precious. You also say 아깝다 when you have to give something to someone who doesn’t deserve it or when you think someone or something’s value is not being recognized enough. When something or someone came very close to a successful result and didn’t make it, you can say 아쉽다 because you wish the situation were better, and 아깝다 because you’ve lost an opportunity.

Example #1
오늘 축구 경기에서 져서 너무 아쉬웠어요. = I was so sad that we lost the soccer match.
오늘 축구 경기에서 져서 너무 아까웠어요. = Too bad that we lost the soccer match. We could’ve won.

Example #2
시간을 많이 썼는데 아깝네요. = We’ve spent so much time for nothing.
시간을 많이 썼는데 아쉽네요. = We’ve spent so much time, but I’m disappointed by the result.

Example #3
여자가 아까워요. = The man doesn’t deserve the woman (in a couple).
여자가 아쉬워요. = The woman doesn’t deserve the man (in a couple).

Unit 20. 아주 vs. 너무

Translations:
아주 = very
너무 = very / too / excessively

너무 originally only had the meaning of “too,” so it was supposed to emphasize negative opinions about something, whereas 아주 means “very.” Over time, however, 너무 started being used just like 아주, and is even used more often than 아주 in real life. So you will hear people say 너무 more commonly than 아주 when they want to say “very.”

Example #1
“It’s a very good idea.”
아주 좋은 생각이에요. (o)
너무 좋은 생각이에요. (o)

Example #2
너무 무리하지 마세요. = Don’t work too hard. Don’t overwork yourself.
아주 무리하지 마세요. (unnatural)

Example #3
이거 너무 크죠? = This is too big, right?
이거 아주 크죠? = This is very big, right?

Unit 21. 자동차 vs. 자가용

Translations:
자동차 = car / automobile
자가용 = car / private car / owner-driven

자동차, which can be shortened into 차, refers to a car. However, 자가용 has two meanings. First, it means "for private use," and it is usually used when you want to clarify that a vehicle or a machine is not for business/commercial use. (e.g. 자가용 비행기 = personal aircraft, 자가용 버스 = private bus) And secondly, 자가용 can mean a car, the same as 자동차 or 차, but it is usually used when you want to mean "a car for family use." For example, when a news article talks about how people commute to their workplace, they often use 자가용, not 자동차, as a means of transportation. Some old people use the word 자가용 more often than 자동차 in everyday conversations though.

Example #1
“Do you go to work by car?”
자동차로 출근하세요? (o)
자가용으로 출근하세요? (o)

Example #2
자동차 사고 = car accident
자가용 사고 (incorrect)

Example #3
“How many cars does your family have?”
집에 자가용 몇 대 있어요? (o)
집에 자동차 몇 대 있어요? (o)