Vocabulary
깨뜨리다
break, smash, shatter
Meaning
깨뜨리다: transitive “break,” “smash,” “shatter,” often making the breaking event sound especially clear or forceful.
Why this form?
깨다 — “break / smash”: a common transitive verb and more neutral; 병을 깼다 would also be natural, while 깨뜨리다 makes the breakage more salient or forceful.
깨지다 — “break / be broken”: intransitive; the thing that breaks is the subject, whereas 깨뜨리다 takes an agent as subject and the broken object as object.
Forms not to confuse
깨다
실수로 컵을 깼어요. — I broke a glass by accident.
깨지다
컵이 바닥에 떨어져 깨졌어요. — The glass fell on the floor and broke.
Examples
병 하나를 깨뜨린 모양인지 조금 민망해 보인다. — He seems a little embarrassed, as if he broke a bottle.
아이들이 공으로 유리창을 깨뜨렸어요. — The children smashed the window with a ball.