Let's learn about "난 조금씩밖에 안 먹어요"

난 조금씩밖에 안 먹어요 = 난 소식가예요 : I’m a light eater; I eat like a bird; I eat little; I only eat small amounts of food.

ex)

A. 제니퍼 봤니? 엄청 조금 먹더라 : Did you see Jennifer? She eats like a bird.

B. 그래서 그렇게 삐쩍 마른 거야. 그렇게 조금 먹는 건 건강에 좋지 않을 텐데 : Yeah, that’s why she’s so skinny. I don’t think it’s good for her health to eat that little

[other expressions]

- 난 조금씩밖에 안 먹는다. (to the younger people or friends)

- 난 조금씩밖에 안 먹네. (to the younger people or friends)

- 난 조금씩밖에 안 먹어. (to the younger people or friends)

- 전 조금씩밖에 안 먹네요. (honourific by '-요')

- 전 조금씩밖에 안 먹어요. (honourific by '-요')

- 전 조금씩밖에 안 먹습니다. (formal; more honourific by '스-')

- 난 소식가다. (to younger people or friends)

- 난 소식가네. (to younger people or friends)

- 난 소식가야. (to younger people or friends)

- 전 소식가네요. (honourific by ‘-요’)

- 전 소식가예요. (honourific by ‘-요’)

- 전 소식가입니다. (formal; honourific by ‘ㅂ’)

[explanations]

* 나 : I (non-honourific word to younger people or friends)

* 저 : I (honourific word to the elderly)

* -는 : a particle makes 나 / 저 subjective after a word ends in a vowel; when this omitted, the sentence is more natural

* 난 : a short form of 나는; this omitted

* 전 : a short form of 저는; this omitted

* 조금 : a little

* 조금씩 : little by little

* 조금씩밖에 : only a little

* -밖에 : (1) outside (2) only in the sentence

* 안 : this is equal to "not" in English

* 먹다 : [Pronunciation: 먹따] eat

* 먹는다 : present tense of 먹다 by '-는-'

* 먹습니다 : : 먹(the stem of 먹다) + -스(a suffix makes a verb more honourific) + -ㅂ니다(an honourific descriptive verb ending suffix by '-ㅂ')

* a verb + -다 / -네 / -어 : a non-honourifc descriptive verb ending suffix

* a verb + -네 / -어 + -요 : an honouricic ending suffix

* a verb + -습니다 / -ㅂ니다 : an honourific descriptive verb ending suffix by '스-' / '-ㅂ'

* 소식 : [小食] light eating

- 소식하다 : have a small appetite; eat like a bird; do not eat much; eat lightly

* 소식가 : a light eater <-- 소(small; little) + 식(eat) + 가(a person)

- 그녀는 소식가다 She is a light eater. / She eats very little

* 이다 : be; have

* 입니다 : 이(the stem of 이다) + -ㅂ니다(an honourific descriptive verb ending suffix)

* a verb + -(이)다 / -(이)네 / -(이)야 : a non-honourific descriptive form of 이다

* a verb + -(이)네 + -요 : an honourific verb ending suffix

* a verb + -이에요 / -예요 / -입니다 : an honourific descriptive form of 이다 by ‘-요’ / ‘-ㅂ'

* 제니퍼 : Jennifer

* -를 : a particle makes 제니퍼 objective after a word ends in a vowel

* 보다 : see; look; watch

* 봤다 : a short form of 보았다(past tense of 보다 by '-았-')

* 봤니? : 봤(the stem of 봤다) + -니?(a non-honourific interrogative verb ending suffix)

* 엄청 / 정말 / 정말로 / 아주 : too much; too many; really

* 좀 : a short form of 조금(a little)

* 먹더라 : 먹(the stem of 먹다) + -더라(A sentence-final ending used to convey in the present a fact the speaker realized anew from the speaker's personal experience)

* 그래서 : so; therefore

* 그렇게 : [Pronunciation: 그러케] like that

* 삐쩍 : so many; so much; this used with 마르다

* 마르다 : [=살이 빠지다] become thin[slim], lose weight

* 마르다 : (1) [=물기가 마르다] dry (up), get[become] dry; [=강·호수 등이 마르다] run[go] dry (2) [=목·입술 등이 마르다] be thirsty, (informal) be parched (3) [=돈·물건 등이 마르다] be scarce

* 마른 : 마르(the stem of 마르다) + -ㄴ(a suffix makes a verb attributive)

* 거야 : a short form of 것이야

* 것 : a thing

* 마른 것 = 마른 상태 : think state

* 이다 : be

* -이야 : 이(the stem of 이다) + -야(a non-honourific descriptive verb ending suffix)

* 먹는 건 : a short form of 먹는 것은

* 먹는 것 : an act to eat; to eat

* -은 : a particle makes 먹는 것 the topic of the sentence after a word ends in a consonant

* 건강 : [健康] health

- 건강에 좋다 : be good for (the[one's]) health / be beneficial[conducive] to health / do good

- 건강에 해롭다 : be bad for (the[one's]) health / be injurious to (the[one's]) health

- 건강을 해치다 : injure[ruin / destroy] one's health / one's health breaks down

- 건강을 회복하다 : regain[recover] one's health / be restored to (one's usual) health / become all right again

- 건강을 유지하다 : keep[maintain / preserve] one's health / keep fit

- 건강에 유의하다 : take (good) care of oneself[one's health] / be careful of oneself

* -에 : a place suffix means "to"

* 좋은 : good

* 좋다 : [Pronunciation: 조타] be good; be great

* 좋지 : 좋(the stem of 좋다) + -지(a connection suffix makes a verb negative meaning before a verb means negative nuance)

* 않다 : [Pronunciation: 안타] be not; never

* 않는다 : present form of 않다 by '-는-'

* 않을 : 않(the stem of 않다) + -을(s suffix makes a verb future tense and a ttributive)

* 텐데 : s short form of 터인데

* 터 : [추측•짐작] a conjecture

* -인데 / -ㄴ데 : (1) A sentence-final ending used to ask the listener while anticipating his/her answer (2) A connective ending used to talk in advance about a situation to follow (3) A sentence-final ending used to admire something while anticipating the listener's response

- 그런데, 너 지금 갈 거니? : By the way, are you going now?

- 참 좋은데! : How nice!