Level 3

집다

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Meaning and Usage

The Korean verb '집다' primarily means 'to pick up' or 'to pick out.' It is used when physically picking something up with fingers or tools like chopsticks, or figuratively when selecting or pointing out something important.

Common Contexts

  1. Physical picking up: Picking up objects from the floor or table, often with fingers or chopsticks.
  2. Figurative picking out: Selecting a specific item, sentence, or detail from a group.

Collocations and Patterns

  • ~을/를 집다: to pick up (an object)
  • 젓가락으로 집다: to pick up (food) with chopsticks
  • 중요한 부분을 집다: to pick out an important part

Register and Politeness

'집다' is a standard verb used in everyday conversation. It is neutral in formality and can be used in both casual and polite speech depending on the sentence ending.

Common Mistakes

Learners sometimes confuse '집다' with '들다' (to lift) or '줍다' (to pick up from the ground). '집다' often implies picking something up with fingers or tools, while '줍다' is more general for picking up from the ground, and '들다' emphasizes lifting or holding.

Understanding these nuances will help you use '집다' accurately in various contexts.

Example Sentences

바닥에 떨어진 펜을 집었어요.

Badage tteoreojin peneul jibeosseoyo.

I picked up the pen that fell on the floor.

음식을 젓가락으로 집어서 입에 넣었어요.

Eumsigeul jeotgarak-euro jibeoseo ibe neoeosseoyo.

I picked up the food with chopsticks and put it in my mouth.

그는 중요한 문장을 집어서 설명했어요.

Geuneun jungyohan munjangeul jibeoseo seolmyeonghaesseoyo.

He picked out an important sentence and explained it.