멸종위기사랑 – Bilingual Lyrics Korean/English

• By: 이찬혁
• Album: EROS

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the Korean language through Lee Chanhyuk's 'Endangered Love,' a song that uniquely blends a groovy, retro-funk style with a thoughtful message. The lyrics use poetic and accessible vocabulary to explore the idea of love becoming 'endangered,' making it a special and engaging way to learn words related to emotions and modern life.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
사랑 /sa.ɾaŋ/ A1	noun - love, affection
종말론 /t͡ɕoŋ.mal.lon/ B2	noun - eschatology, theory of the end, doomsday theory
믿다 /mit̚.t͈a/ A2	verb - to believe, to trust
사람 /sa.ɾam/ A1	noun - person, human, people
하나 /ha.na/ A1	noun - one, a single (thing/unit)
있다 /it̚.t͈a/ A1	verb - to exist, to be (somewhere), to have (when combined with -이/가)
내일 /nɛ.il/ A1	noun - tomorrow
인류 /il.lju/ B1	noun - humanity, humankind
잃어버리다 /i.ɾʌ.bʌ.ɾi.da/ A2	verb - to lose, to misplace, to forfeit
멸종위기 /mjʌl.t͡ɕoŋ.wi.ɡi/ C1	noun - endangered (species/status), crisis of extinction
불 /pul/ A1	noun - fire, light (from fire/lamp)
만들다 /man.dɯl.da/ A1	verb - to make, to create, to produce
오다 /o.da/ A1	verb - to come
아무도 /a.mu.do/ A2	pronoun - no one, nobody (used in negative sentences)
위기 /wi.ɡi/ B1	noun - crisis, danger, emergency
멸종 /mjʌl.t͡ɕoŋ/ B2	noun - extinction (of a species)

Key Grammar Structures

• 왔다네 정말로

  ➔ Exclamatory/Realization Ending -(으)네

  ➔ This ending expresses a sudden realization, discovery, or mild surprise. It's often used in narration or when speaking to oneself. Here, "왔다네" conveys the speaker's realization that something has arrived.

• 아무도 안 믿었던

  ➔ Past Perfective Adnominal Ending V-았던

  ➔ This ending modifies a noun by indicating an action that was completed in the past, and its result or state continued up to a certain point, or is being recollected. "믿었던" describes something that "no one had believed."

• 한 사람당 하나의

  ➔ Noun + 당 (Per/Each)

  ➔ This particle indicates a rate, proportion, or distribution for each unit of the preceding noun. Here, "사람당" means "per person" or "for each person."

• 사랑이 있었대

  ➔ Contracted Indirect Quotation V-았/었대

  ➔ This is a contracted form of "-았/었다고 해/했다," used to report something one heard or that was said by others in the past, often conveying a sense of indirect knowledge or hearsay. "있었대" means "they said there was" or "I heard there was."

• 내일이면

  ➔ Noun + (이)면 (Conditional Clause)

  ➔ This particle expresses a condition or assumption. If the preceding noun represents a condition that is met, the following action or state occurs. Here, "내일이면" means "if it's tomorrow" or "by tomorrow."

• 인류가 잃어버릴

  ➔ Future/Prospective Adnominal Ending V-(으)ㄹ

  ➔ This ending modifies a noun by indicating an action that will happen in the future, or an action that has potential or likelihood. "잃어버릴" describes something that "humanity will lose."

• 불이 만들어지는

  ➔ Passive Voice V-아/어지다 + Present Adnominal Ending -는

  ➔ "V-아/어지다" forms the passive voice, indicating that the subject undergoes an action rather than performing it. "-는" then modifies the following noun, describing the noun that is currently being made. "만들어지는" means "that is being made."

• 사랑의 종말론

  ➔ Genitive Case/Possessive Noun + 의 + Noun (Compound Noun)

  ➔ "의" indicates possession or a relationship between two nouns. Here, it links "사랑" (love) to "종말론" (theory of end/eschatology), forming a compound meaning "the theory of the end of love" or "love's apocalypse theory," creating a specific concept.