Grammar Advanced TOPIK II · Level 5–6 Advanced Grammar Supplement · Curriculum gap

-는 셈치고

-는 셈치고: Counting It As… — Provisional Assume

Bound noun 셈 + 치고: treat / assume the situation as that case, then act — provisional reckoning.

Before this, make sure you know: -은 , -아요 / -어요

How to form it

When	Form	Example
Present adnominal	-는 셈치고	없는 셈치고 / 죽은 셈치고
Past adnominal	-(으)ㄴ 셈치고	잃은 셈치고 / 한 셈치고

-는 셈치고 counts it as X — then you act.

우리말샘 셈 reckoning seat + 치고. Not the result frame -는 셈이다.

Why this is hard

-는 셈이다, 치고, -는 척하다 share Hangul neighbourhood. Learners collapse them. -는 셈치고 is provisional assume → next move.

What it does

You write the situation off as that case, often to forgive, endure, or move on.

없는 셈치고 잊어버려요.
잃은 셈치고 다시 모으자.
들은 셈치고 넘어가요.
죽은 셈치고 연락 안 해요.

Forms

없다 → 없는 셈치고
잃다 → 잃은 셈치고
듣다 → 들은 셈치고
하다 → 한 셈치고

When not to use it

Do not use it when you mean final amounts to without an assume-to-act move — that is -는 셈이다.

Do not confuse it with noun-particle 치고 category judgment.

Do not force it for theatrical pretend — closer to -는 척하다.

Neighbours — and why they differ

Form	Why it is not this slot
-는 셈이다	Result / equivalent framing.
치고	Category judgment after a noun.
-는 척하다	Pretend-display.

Ask: am I counting it as X in order to act? If yes, -는 셈치고.

Do not confuse it with

-는 셈이다

amounts to / counts as — treating the situation as that result (-는 셈이다)

치고 / 치고는

for a / considering that it is; among all... (none / without exception)

-는 척하다

pretend to… — acting as if

Taught alongside this

On the jabi learning path, this appears in 교재·표준 교육과정 밖의 문법 (Grammar outside of textbooks and standard curriculum) — Advanced Grammar Supplement, Unit 1, on the theme of Curriculum gap. These come with it:

-는 셈이다 amounts to / counts as — treating the situation as that result (-는 셈이다) -을 지경이다 to the point of… — an extreme state or plight (-을 지경이다) -기 십상이다 almost certain to… — nine times out of ten (-기 십상이다) -는 둥 마는 둥 half-doing it — barely, half-heartedly (-는 둥 마는 둥) -던 차에 just when… — at the very moment that was underway (-던 차에) 으로 말미암아 owing to… — formal written cause (으로 말미암아) -는답시고 under the pretext of… — claiming to, often critically (-는답시고) -는가 하면 and then again… — stacking contrasting cases (-는가 하면) -을 겸 while also… — doing it for that purpose too (-을 겸) -게끔 so that… — purpose with a firm push (-게끔) -을 턱이 없다 no reason whatsoever… — denying grounds flatly (-을 턱이 없다) -을 리 만무하다 utterly no chance… — impossibility stressed (-을 리 만무하다) -을 성싶다 seems likely to… — a soft forecast (-을 성싶다) -을지언정 even if… — conceding then holding the other line (-을지언정) -기 그지없다 endlessly… — extreme degree with no bound (-기 그지없다) -기 이를 데 없다 beyond words… — so much there is no way to say it (-기 이를 데 없다) -다 못해 unable to go on… — past the limit, then the sequel (-다 못해) -는다 뿐이지 only that… — limiting the claim to just that (-는다 뿐이지) -는다손 치더라도 even granting that… — strong concession then pushback (-는다손 치더라도) -어 주십사 please do… for me — earnest old-style request (-어 주십사) -겠거니 thinking it would… — assumption that guides the next act (-겠거니) -으랴 -으랴 what with A and B… — piling pressures or tasks (-으랴 -으랴) -으려던 참이다 was just about to… — intention interrupted at the brink (-으려던 참이다) -는다기보다는 rather than saying… — reframing the label (-는다기보다는) -은 끝에 after all that… — only at the end of the ordeal (-은 끝에) -은 바 있다 have (once)… — formal experience on record (-은 바 있다) -건 간에 whether A or B… — it does not matter which (-건 간에)

Words used above

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셈sembound noun — reckoning

-는 셈치고-neun semchigocounting it as…

-는 셈이다-neun semidaamounts to… — neighbour

치고chigocategory judgment — neighbour

가정gajeongassumption

Quick check

No sign-up, no score saved — just see if it stuck.

1. Your friend lost the entry fee and decides to write it off in order to move on. Which line captures that move?

2. Something is already lost — you want to write it off and move on. Which line uses 셈치고?

3. You want to count the situation as X in order to act next — not frame it as 'equivalent to X'. Which is right?

Common questions

Dictionary?

셈 reckoning + 치고: treat the case as that, then proceed.

Space?

Often written 셈 치고. Same package.

Vs 척하다?

-는 척하다 is pretend-display. 셈치고 is reckoning for the next act.

Café soft?

그냥 없는 걸로 하자. Keep 셈치고 when the count-as seat is clear.