-기 마련이다 Meaning: Expressing Inevitable Outcomes
Master the TOPIK II grammar -기 마련이다 to describe natural laws and inevitable results. Learn how it differs from -게 뻔하다 in this guide.
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Master the TOPIK II grammar -기 마련이다 to describe natural laws and inevitable results. Learn how it differs from -게 뻔하다 in this guide.
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Whether it is the changing of seasons or the consequences of our habits, some things in life are simply bound to happen. In Korean, we use -기 마련이다-gi maryeonida to describe these natural laws and inevitable truths.
Use -기 마련이다-gi maryeonida when an outcome is naturally expected or certain to happen based on common sense or the laws of nature. It translates to "it is bound to..." or "it is natural that..."
This pattern attaches to the stem of both verbs and adjectives. It does not change based on batchim (final consonants).
가다gada (to go) → 가기 마련이다gagi maryeonida — It is bound to go.어렵다eoryeopda (to be hard) → 어렵기 마련이다eoryeopgi maryeonida — It is bound to be difficult.시간이 지나면 잊혀지기 마련이다sigani jinamyeon ithyeojigi maryeonida — It is natural to be forgotten as time passes.-기 마련이었다-gi maryeonieotda is very rare).-기 마련입니다-gi maryeonipnida.While -기 마련이다-gi maryeonida and -게 뻔하다-ge ppeonhada both deal with certainty, their nuances are very different:
-기 마련이다-gi maryeonida: Neutral or positive. It describes a natural law or a logical consequence. (e.g., "If you work hard, you are bound to succeed.")-게 뻔하다-ge ppeonhada: Negative. It describes a negative prediction based on obvious evidence. (e.g., "If you don't study, it's obvious you'll fail.")겨울이 오면 춥게 뻔해요.gyeouri omyeon chupge ppeonhaeyo. (Using negative prediction for a natural law)겨울이 오면 춥기 마련이에요.gyeouri omyeon chupgi maryeonieyo. (Correctly using natural law)사람은 누구나 실수하기 마련이다.sarameun nuguna silsuhagi maryeonida. — Everyone is bound to make mistakes.돈을 많이 쓰면 없어지기 마련이에요.doneul manhi sseumyeon eopseojigi maryeonieyo. — If you spend a lot of money, it's bound to run out.Spot the mistake! Choose the correct expression to complete the sentence based on the context of "natural inevitability."
Fill in the blank with one of: -기 마련이다-gi maryeonida, -게 뻔하다-ge ppeonhada
노력하지 않으면 결과가 나쁘( )noryeokhaji anheumyeon gyeolgwaga nappeu( ) (Negative prediction)비가 오면 땅이 젖( )biga omyeon ttai jeot( ) (Natural law)Answers:
-게 뻔하다-ge ppeonhada-기 마련이다-gi maryeonidaNotes:
-게 뻔하다-ge ppeonhada is more natural.-기 마련이다-gi maryeonida the perfect fit.