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놀라다

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Meaning and Usage

The verb '놀라다' means 'to be surprised' or 'to be startled.' It is commonly used in everyday conversation to express sudden emotional reactions to unexpected events or information.

Common Contexts

You will often hear '놀라다' when someone reacts to surprising news, unexpected sounds, or unforeseen situations. It can describe both positive and negative surprises.

Collocations and Patterns

  • '놀라다' + '소식' (news): to be surprised by news.
  • '갑자기' + '놀라다': to be suddenly surprised or startled.
  • '정말' + '놀라다': to be really surprised.

Register and Politeness

'놀라다' is neutral and can be used in both formal and informal contexts. The polite past tense form '놀랐어요' is common in daily conversation.

Common Mistakes

Learners sometimes confuse '놀라다' with '신기하다' (to be amazed or fascinated). Remember, '놀라다' focuses on surprise or shock, while '신기하다' implies wonder or fascination.

Example Sentences

그 소식을 듣고 정말 놀랐어요.

Geu sosigeul deutgo jeongmal nollasseoyo.

I was really surprised to hear that news.

갑자기 큰 소리가 나서 모두가 놀랐어요.

Gapjagi keun soriga naseo moduga nollasseoyo.

Suddenly a loud noise happened, so everyone was surprised.

그 사람이 그렇게 잘할 줄은 몰라서 놀랐어요.

Geu sarami geureoke jalhal jureun mollaseo nollasseoyo.

I was surprised because I didn’t know that person could do so well.