Under the pretext: -ㄴ/은/는 체하다

At its heart, this grammar combines a descriptive form with the verb 체하다. The word 체 itself means a "pretense" or a "show." When you add 하다 (to do), you are literally "doing a pretense." It functions as an auxiliary verb. You attach it to the stem of a verb or adjective. The ending you choose depends on the tense and whether the word is an action or a state. It’s a bit like a grammar traffic light. Green means you’re faking it now. Yellow means you’re faking a past action. Red means... well, there’s no red, but you get the point! It’s quite flexible. You can use it in formal settings or casual chats with friends. Just remember, it’s about the *act* of pretending, not the reality underneath.

1. 1Getting the endings right is the key to sounding natural. Here is how you build it:
2. 2For Verbs (Present Tense): Use -는 체하다.
3. 3먹다 (to eat) becomes 먹는 체하다 (pretending to eat).
4. 4자다 (to sleep) becomes 자는 체하다 (pretending to sleep).
5. 5For Verbs (Past Tense): Use -(으)ㄴ 체하다.
6. 6가다 (to go) becomes 간 체하다 (pretending to have gone).
7. 7읽다 (to read) becomes 읽은 체하다 (pretending to have read).
8. 8For Adjectives: Use -(으)ㄴ 체하다.
9. 9예쁘다 (to be pretty) becomes 예쁜 체하다 (pretending to be pretty).
10. 10바쁘다 (to be busy) becomes 바쁜 체하다 (pretending to be busy).
11. 11For Nouns: Use -인 체하다.
12. 12부자 (rich person) becomes 부자인 체하다 (pretending to be rich).
13. 13학생 (student) becomes 학생인 체하다 (pretending to be a student).

You’ll find plenty of real-world scenarios for this one!

• Social Situations: Someone tells a joke you don’t get. You might 웃는 체하다 (pretend to laugh) to keep the vibe going.
• Workplace: Your boss walks by while you're browsing memes. You quickly switch tabs and 공부하는 체하다 (pretend to study) or 일하는 체하다 (pretend to work).
• Awkward Encounters: You see an ex-partner across the street. You might 못 본 체하다 (pretend not to see) and look at a nearby tree very intensely.
• Job Interviews: You might 잘난 체하다 (pretend to be great/show off) a little bit to impress the recruiter. Yes, even native speakers do this!
• Personal Ego: You want to look cool in front of your crush, so you 돈이 많은 체하다 (pretend to have lots of money) while ordering food.

Don't use this if you are actually doing the action with real intent. If you are sleeping, don't say you are 자는 체하다. That would mean you are wide awake but faking those snores! Also, avoid using it for serious deceptions that involve legal matters. It’s usually for social white lies or behavioral habits. It’s also not used for future intentions. You can't "pretend to be going to do something" in the same way. Keep it to things that are happening now or have happened. It doesn't work well with commands either. You wouldn't usually say "Pretend!" using this specific form; you'd use a different structure for that.

One big pitfall is mixing up the adjective and verb endings. Remember, adjectives *always* use -(으)ㄴ, never -는. Saying 바쁜 체하다 is correct, but 바쁘는 체하다 will make a native speaker's ears twitch. Another mistake is forgetting the space. It’s 체 (space) 하다. While many people write it without the space in texts, in formal writing, that space is your best friend. Also, be careful with the past tense. If you want to say you pretended to *have done* something, use the past modifier. If you are *currently* pretending to be doing something that happened before, it gets tricky. Most people stick to the present form for the act of pretending itself.

You might have heard of -ㄴ/은/는 척하다. Good news: they are almost identical! In 99% of cases, you can swap them. However, -체하다 feels a tiny bit more formal or literary. You’ll see -체하다 more often in books or news, while -척하다 is the king of spoken conversation. Think of -척하다 as your favorite hoodie and -체하다 as a nice blazer. Both cover you, but one is a bit fancier. There’s also -ㄴ/은/는 것 같다 (it seems like), but that’s about your opinion or observation, not an intentional act of faking. Don't confuse them, or you'll sound like you're guessing instead of accusing someone of being a fake!