# 안본지 넘 오래되서



## maghanish2

안녕하세요!

A Korean friend of mine wrote this to me on my Facebook wall.  Although I believe to understand it, could you please explain it in mroe detail to me?

잘지내니?... 안본지 넘 오래되서

My perceived translation is:

*How are you?  It's been a long time since I've seen you.*

However, normally for the second sentence I was taught you could simply say 오랜만임.  Please help me understand this better.

고맙습니다.


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## kenjoluma

It is very concerning when a foreigner learns incorrect and misspelled sentences from online. However, you got it right. It is exactly what you think it means.

Korean / Direct translation / Common English
잘 지내니? / Are you passing time well? -> How are you doing?
안 본 지 너무 오래 돼서/ It has been long (during the time) (I) don't see (you) / Long time no see.

오랜만임 is... *sigh* okay. I strongly suggest you to use it ONLY online. (I personally would not even use it online) '-임' is not supposed to be used in spoken language. More and more teenagers (and some of 20's) actually start to say it verbally in real world and it just sounds weird to older generation like me. 

오랜만이다 is more appropriate. I mean, if you care for correct use of the language.


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## kenjoluma

오랜만 is derived from '오래' + '만'.

오래 means 'long time'.
만 means 'during' (a dependent noun, which means this is a noun only available with another noun followed by)

And I guess you know '-이다'.


'지' also means 'during'. However, 만 indicates persistence and continuity of action, situation or status while 지 only means the empty gap in between two different times.


오랜만이다. = The status that I do not see you has continued for a long time. And now I see you, so the continuity ended now.

안 본 지 오래다 = I have not seen you. And now I see you. There is a long gap in-between. (Or, it doesn't necessarily indicate you see him/her now. Maybe you just say it because you want to see him/her)


A difference between 지 and 만. Hope you understand. (It basically is the same. Memorize it) 

Hope a better expert than me can give you more logical explanation. It's a bit confusing, I guess.


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## kenjoluma

One more!

Whether you see this person right now or not, is not determined by the difference '지' and '만'. Don't let my confusing explanation fool you. 

'오랜만이다' is an idiom you use to express your joy when seeing someone you haven't seen for a long time. That's why.


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## wildsunflower

kenjoluma said:


> '지' also means 'during'. However, 만 indicates persistence and continuity of action, situation or status while 지 only means the empty gap in between two different times.
> 
> 오랜만이다. = The status that I do not see you has continued for a long time. And now I see you, so the continuity ended now.
> 
> 안 본 지 오래다 = I have not seen you. And now I see you. There is a long gap in-between. (Or, it doesn't necessarily indicate you see him/her now. Maybe you just say it because you want to see him/her)



I believe this explanation is correct.

Regarding "-ㅁ", from my knowledge, it is grammatically correct, even though it renders the whole sentence awkward and bulky. It makes a verb noun as in "감사함을 알리다." "오랜만임" is from an adjective, so I think it is not a proper usage of  "-ㅁ". "넘" in "안본지 넘 오래되서" is not the case of "-ㅁ". It is just a shortened (distorted) version of "너무". Please don't use it. It sounds childish and uneducated.


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## yuriya

maghanish2 said:


> 안녕하세요!
> 
> A Korean friend of mine wrote this to me on my Facebook wall.  Although I believe to understand it, could you please explain it in mroe detail to me?
> 
> 잘지내니?... 안본지 넘 오래되서
> 
> My perceived translation is:
> 
> *How are you?  It's been a long time since I've seen you.*
> 
> However, normally for the second sentence I was taught you could simply say 오랜만임.  Please help me understand this better.
> 
> 고맙습니다.



I never realized Korean can be so complicated. I guess that they explained well about 지 and 만 etc, which I must confess is a bit confusing even to me. Nevertheless, the meaning conveyed in the Korean sentence is more like this:

I realized it's been a while since I saw you last. That's why I just dropped by. Boy, are you doing all right? 

오랜만임 sounds a bit, no a lot childish! On the other hand, despite its ungrammaticality or because of this ungrammaticality, it sounds a lot cute and informal. I guess it is more along the line of saying 당근이지 for 당연하지 to mean _sure, why not?_


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