Learn Korean: LP's Korean Language Learning

Learn Through Videos: 1

2011-12-02T12:33:00.001+13:00

용감한 중학생, 화재현장 주민 구출
(Brave middle school students, saving people from houses on fire)
[SBS 출발 모닝와이드 (Start, Morning-Wide)]

This is a news-type video from SBS (Seoul Broadcasting System) that I found on YouTube. This video is a good example of how the written Korean and spoken Korean are used differently. Please see how the news reporter uses the written form when he's reporting the news, usually ending with ~니다. However, when people are speaking, they use the spoken form, usually ending with ~요.

번역 (Translations)

범죄를 저지르는 겁없는 10대들도 있습니다만 목숨을 구한 용감한 10대들도 있습니다.

지난 28일 오후 경기도 안양의 한 빌라에서 불이 나서 건물 3층 내부를 전부 태웠습니다.

화재가 시작된 안방입니다.

이 곳에 있었던 60대 여성은 결국 화마를 피하지 못하고 숨을 거두고 말았습니다.

그런데 더 큰 인명피해를 막을 수 있었던 건 지나가던 두명의 소년이었습니다.

"이상한 냄새가 나서 밥을 태우나..."

"불 난 건 전혀 몰랐어요."

"저녁 먹을려고 막 하는디 이 얘들이 손벽이랑 주먹으로 막 문을 때리면서 불났다고 빨리 내려가시라고 빨리 내려가시라고. 겁이나서 그냥 내려와 버렸지요."

이 곳을 지나던 두명의 남학생은 이 건물 3층에서 검은 연기가 피어오르는 것을 보고는 어떤 다른 생각을 할 겨를도 없이 건물 안으로 뛰어 들어갔다고 합니다.

불길을 보고도 그대로 뛰어든 소년들은 집집마다 문을 두드리며 화재 사실을 알렸는데요.

"연기가 좀 크게 나가지고 저기 창문에 불붙어 있고 창문 깨지는 소리 들리고 하니까 바로 신고 했고 건물로 올라가서 대피하시라고"

"그때 주민들은 불이 난 지 모르고 있었어요?"

"예, 다 모르고 밥 드시거나 쉬시고 계셔가지고."

당시 상황을 전혀 몰랐던 주민 10여명 이들의 도움으로 대피할 수 있었습니다.

"큰일날 뻔 했습니다."

"저희들이 벌써 도착을 했을 때는 이제 밖으로 연기하고 저 이제 뭐 화염이 좀 나오고 있는 상태였고..."

"만일 그 친구들이 대피시키지 않았다면 더 큰 피해로 이어질 수 있었던 부분인가요?"

"그렇죠. 제가 생각해도 학생으로서는 정말 잘한 일이라고 정말 칭찬을 해주고 싶습니다."

"저 학생들 아니었으면 모르죠. 몰라요. 고맙죠."

"꼭 끌어안아 주고 싶더라고요. 너무 기특해가지고."

두 학생을 다시 만난 주민들 연신 고마운 마음을 표현합니다.

주민들의 칭찬을 받았지만 두 학생은 문이 잠겨 있어서 3층 할머니를 구하지 못한 것이 내심 안타깝다고 합니다.

"장례식을 어디에서 하는지 물어보고 가까운 데면 인사드리러 가려고요 한번."

"앞으로 저런 일 생긴다 해도 웬만해서는 들어가야죠."

두소년들의 신속하고 용기있는 행동이 큰 인명피해를 막을 수 있었습니다.

Insooni - A Goose's Dream

2011-11-28T15:35:00.001+13:00

인순이 - 거위의 꿈

가사 (Lyrics)

난 난 꿈이 있었죠 버려지고 찢겨 남루하여도

난 = 나는
꿈 = dream
있다 = there is/are
있었다 = there was/were
버려지다 = be thrown away
찢기다 = be torn/ripped
남루하다 = shabby, ragged

내 가슴 깊숙히 보물과 같이 간직했던 꿈

내 가슴 = my heart
깊숙히 = deep inside
보물 = treasure
간직하다 = keep, cherish, treasure
꿈 = dream

혹 때론 누군가가 뜻 모를 비웃음 내 등뒤에 흘릴때도
(= If by chance, sometimes, even if someone ridicules me without any reason for it behind my back.)

혹 = If by chance
때론[때로는] = Sometimes
누군가 = someone
뜻 = meaning
모르다 = do not understand
비웃음 = ridicule
내 = my
등 = back
뒤 = behind
흘리다 = spill

난 참아야 했죠 참을 수 있었죠 그 날을 위해

참다 = be patient, endure
참아야 한다 = have to be patient / endure
그 날을 위해 = for that day

늘 걱정하듯 말하죠 헛된 꿈은 독이라고

늘 = always
걱정하다 = worry
말하다 = speak
헛되다 = vain, futile
꿈 = dream
독 = poison

세상은 끝이 정해진 책처럼

세상 = world
끝 = end
정해지다 = be decided/settled
책 = book
~처럼 = like
끝이 정해진 책처럼 = like a book with its ending already decided.

이미 돌이킬 수 없는 현실이라고

이미 = already
돌이키다 = restore
현실 = reality

그래요 난 난 꿈이 있어요 그 꿈을 믿어요

그래요 = So it is
꿈이 있어요 = I have a dream
그 꿈 = that dream
믿다 = believe

나를 지켜봐요 저 차갑게 서있는 운명이란

지켜보다 = watch, observe
차갑게 = coldly
서다 = stand
운명 = fate

벽 앞에 당당히 마주칠수있어요

벽 = wall
앞 = front
당당히 = boldly, confidently
마주치다 = face (verb)

언젠가 나 그벽을 넘고서

언젠가 = one day
넘다 = pass, go beyond

저 하늘을 높이 날을 수 있어요

하늘 = sky
높이 = high
날다 = fly

이 무거운 세상도 나를 묶을 순 없죠

무거운 = heavy
이 무거운 세상 = this heavy world
묶다 = bind, tie up

내 삶의 끝에서 나 웃을 그 날을 함께해요

내 삶 = my life
끝에서 = at the end
웃다 = smile, laugh
그 날 = that day
함께 = together
함께해요 = be together

Learn Through Music

The List of Songs In Korean

The Classic - The Enchanted Castle

2011-11-28T14:51:00.001+13:00

더 클래식 - 마법의 성

가사 (Lyrics)

믿을 수 있나요 나의 꿈속에서 너는 마법에 빠진 공주란걸
(= Can you believe? In my dream, you are the enchanted princess.)

믿다 = believe
믿을 수 있다 = can believe
나의 = my
꿈 = dream
꿈속 = in the dream
너 = you
마법 = magic
마법에 빠지다 = be enchanted
공주 = princess

언제나 너를 향한 몸짓엔 수많은 어려움뿐이지만
(= Although there are always numerous difficulties/hardship in my going towards you.)

언제나 = always
향하다 = be toward
몸짓 = gesture, motion
수많은 = numerous
어려움 = difficulty, hardship
~뿐이다 = only
~지만 = but, although

그러나 언제나 굳은 다짐뿐이죠 다시 너를 구하고 말거라고
(= But there's always only the firm resolution to save you again completely.)

그러나 = but
언제나 = always
굳은 = firm, determined
다짐 = promise, resolution
다시 = again
구하다 = save
구하고 말다 = save completely, save to the uttermost

두 손을 모아 기도 했죠 끝없는 용기와 지혤 달라고
(= I prayed with my both hands together, asking for endless courage and wisdom.)

두 손 = two/both hands
모으다 = gather
두 손을 모아 기도하다 = pray with two hands together
끝없는 = endless
용기 = courage
지혜 = wisdom
지혤 = contracted form of 지혜를
달라다 = ask, request, beg, plead

마법의 성을 지나 늪을건너 어둠의 동굴속 멀리 그대가 보여
(= After passing through the enchanted castle, and crossing the swamps, I can see you in the cave far away.)

마법의 성 = enchanted castle
지나다 = pass
늪 = swamp, marsh
건너다 = cross
어둠 = darkness
동굴 = cave
동굴 속 = in the cave
멀리 = far
그대 = you
보이다 = be seen (can see)

이제 나의 손을 잡아보아요 우리의 몸이 떠오르는 것을 느끼죠
(= Now, try holding my hand, we can feel our bodies floating.)

이제 = now
나의 = my
손 = hand
잡다 = hold, catch, grasp
잡아보다 = try holding
우리 = we, our
몸 = body
떠오르다 = float
느끼다 = feel

자유롭게 저 하늘을 날아가도 놀라지 말아요
(= Even if we fly into the sky there freely, don't be surprised.)

자유롭게 = freely
저 = that
하늘 = sky
날아가다 = fly away
놀라다 = be surprised

우리 앞에 펼쳐질 세상이 너무나 소중해 함께라면
(= The world stretching out in front of us is very precious if we're together.)

우리 = we, our
앞 = in front of, before
펼쳐지다 = unfold, stretch out
세상 = world
너무나 = very
소중하다 = precious
함께 = together
함께라면 = if (we're) together

Learn Through Music

The List of Songs In Korean

Im Jae Beom - When Standing Under the Shadow of a Tree-lined Road

2011-11-28T13:14:00.001+13:00

임재범 - 가로수 그늘 아래 서면

가사 (Lyrics)

라일락 꽃향기 맡으면 잊을 수 없는 기억에

라일락 = lilac (flower)
꽃향기 = fragrance / scent of a flower
맡다 = smell (verb)
~면 = if/once
잊다 = forget
기억 = memory

햇살 가득 눈부신 슬픔 안고 버스 창가에 기대 우네

햇살 = sunshine
가득 = plenty
눈부시다 = dazzling, glaring
슬픔 = sadness
안다 = hold, hug
버스 = bus
창가 = by the window
기대다 = lean on
울다 = cry

가로수 그늘 아래서면 떠나는 듯 그대 모습

가로수 = a tree-lined road
아래 = under
서다 = stand
~면 = if/once
떠나다 = leave
~듯 = looks as if
그대 모습 = your image/appearance

어느 찬비 흩날린 가을 오면 아침 찬 바람에 지우지

찬비 = cold rain
흩날리다 = flutter
가을 = authumn
오다 = come
아침 = morning
찬 바람 = cold wind
지우다 = erase

이렇게도 아름다운 세상 잊지 않으리

이렇게도 = like this
아름다운 = beautiful
세상 = world
잊다 = forget

내가 사랑한 얘기 우 우우우 우

사랑하다 = love
얘기 = story

여위어 가는 가로수 그늘 밑 그 향기 더 하는데

여위어 가다 = become thin, grow gaunt, waste away
그늘 = shade
밑 = below
향기 = fragrance, scent
더하다 = add

우 우우우 우 아름다운 세상

너는 알았지 내가 사랑한 모습

너 = you
알다 = know
사랑한 모습 = the image of (how I) loved

우 우우우 우 저 별이 지는 가로수

저 = that
별 = star
지다 = set, sink, go down

하늘 밑 그 향기 더 하는데 가로수 그늘 아래서면

하늘 = sky
아래 = under

떠나는 듯 그대 모습 어느 찬비 흩날린 가을 오면

떠나다 = leave
떠나는 듯 = looks as if leaving

아침 찬바람에 지우지 이렇게도 아름다운 세상

지우다 = erase

잊지 않으리 내가 사랑한 얘기
우 우우우 우 여위어 가는 가로수

그늘 밑 그 향기 더 하는데 우 우우우 우
아름다운 세상 너는 알았지
내가 사랑한 모습 우 우우우 우
저 별이 지는 가로수 하늘 밑 그 향기 더 하는데
내가 사랑한 그대는 아나

Learn Through Music

The List of Songs In Korean

SG Wannabe - Timeless

2011-11-28T11:55:00.001+13:00

SG 워너비 - Timeless

가사 (Lyrics)

어쩜 살아 가다 보면 한 번은 날 찾을지 몰라

어쩜 = maybe
살다 = live
살아가다 = go on living
~보면 = while쩜

난 그 기대 하나로 오늘도 힘겹게 버틴 걸

난 = 나는
그 기대 = that expectation/anticipation
힘겹다 = hard/tough/arduous
힙겹게 = arduously (adverb)
버티다 = endure

난 참 기억력도 좋지 않은데 왜 너에 관한 건

난 = 나는
참 = quite
기억력 = (one's power of) memory
좋지 않다 = not good
왜 = why
~에 관한 = about

그 사소한 추억들까지도 생각은 나는 지

그 = that
사소하다 = trivial, insignificant, unimportant
추억 = memory, reminescences
~까지도 = even
생각이 나다 = remember, cross one's mind

너를 잊을 순 없지만 붙잡고 싶지만

너 = you
잊다 = forget
붙잡다 = get hold of, hold on to
붙잡고 싶다 = want to get hold of

이별 앞에서 할 수 있는 건

이별 = parting, farewell
앞 = in front of
할 수 있다 = can do
건 = 것은
할 수 있는 것은 = the thing that I can do

좋은 기억이라도 남도록

좋은 = good
기억 = memory
남다 = remain
~도록 = so that

편히 보내 주는 일

편히 = comfortably
보내주다 = let go
일 = thing

혼자 남아도 괜찮아 가도 괜찮아

혼자 = alone
남다 = remain
남아도 = even if (I) remain
괜찮아 = it's OK
가다 = go
가도 = even if (you) go

세상에 제일 자신 있는 건

세상 = world
세상에 = in the world
제일 = most, best
자신 있다 = be confident
건 = 것은

내가 언제나 그래왔듯이

언제나 = always
그래 왔듯이 = as I've done so far

너를 기다리는 일

너 = you
기다리다 = wait

어쩜 살아 가다 보면 한 번은 날 찾을지 몰라
난 그 기대 하나로 오늘도 힘겹게 버틴 걸
(as above)

부디 하루빨리 좋은 사람과 행복하길 바래

부디 = please
하루빨리 = as soon as (you can)
좋은 사람 = good/nice person
행복하다 = be happy
바라다 = wish, hope

그래야만 내 마음 속에서 널 보낼 것 같아

그래야만 = only then
내 마음 = my heart
속 = inside
널 = 너를
보내다 = let go

너를 잊을 순 없지만 붙잡고 싶지만
이별 앞에서 할 수 있는 건
좋은 기억이라도 남도록
편히 보내 주는 일
(as above)

이젠 멀어져 가지만 잠시였지만

이젠 = 이제는, now
멀어져 가다 = become distant
잠시 = for a while

태어나 처음 잘한듯한 건

태어나 = after (I was) born
처음 = for the first time
잘하다 = do well
~듯 = seems
잘한 듯 하다 = it seems (one) did well

내겐 아무리 생각해봐도 너를 사랑했던 일

아무리 = However much
생각해 보다 = stop to think
너 = you
사랑하다 = love

서로가 하나씩 이별의 선물을 나눠간 거잖아

서로 = each other
하나씩 = one each
이별 = parting, farewell
선물 = present
나누다 = share

난 마음을 준 대신 넌 내게 추억을 준거야

마음 = heart
주다 = give
대신 = instead
추억 = memory

다시 또 나를 살아가게 할거야

다시 또 = again
살아가게 하다 = make (oneself) to live

날 아프게 했지만 울게 했지만

아프게 하다 = make (someone) hurt
울게 하다 = make (someone) cry

이것 하나만큼은 고마워

이것 = this
이것 하나만큼 = at least this one
고마워 = thank you

눈 감는 그 날 내가 가져갈 추억 만들어줘서

눈 감다 = pass away (Lit. close (one's) eyes)
그 날 = that day
가져가다 = bring
추억 = memory
만들어주다 = give the favour of making

Learn Through Music

The List of Songs In Korean

Lee Juck - Run Across the Sky

2011-11-28T10:50:00.001+13:00

이적 - 하늘을 달리다

가사 (Lyrics)

두근거렸지 누군가 나의 뒤를 쫓고 있었고
(= My heart was pounding. Someone was chasing after me.)

두근거리다 = (one's heart) pound, palpitate, thump (with emotions)
누군가 = someone
나 = I
나의 = my
뒤 = behind, after, back
쫓다 = chase, pursue, run after

검은 절벽 끝 더 이상 발 디딜 곳 하나 없었지
(= At the end of the dark cliff, there was no more place to stand.)

검다 = black, dark
절벽 = cliff
끝 = end
더 이상 = more than
발을 디디다 = set foot, tread
하나 = one
없다 = there is/are not

자꾸 목이 메어 간절히 네 이름을 되뇌었을 때
(= When I repeated your name earnestly, as I felt choked again and again.)

자꾸 = repeatedly, again and again
목이 메다 = be choked (e.g. choked with tears, therefore, one cannot speak)
간절히 = earnestly, eagearly, sincerely
네 = contracted form of 너의
이름 = name
되뇌다 = repeat to one's self, say something over and over to oneself, mumble

귓가에 울리는 그대의 뜨거운 목소리
(= Your voice that rang in my ears)

귓가 = around the ears
울리다 = ring, echo, sound
뜨겁다 = hot (temperature)
목소리 = voice

그게 나의 구원이었어
(= That was my salvation.)

그게 = 그것이
나의 = my
구원 = salvation

마른 하늘을 달려
(= Running across the dry sky.)

마르다 = be dry
하늘 = sky
달리다 = run

나 그대에게 안길 수만 있으면
(= If only I could throw myself into your arms.)

나 = I
그대 = you
안기다 = throw (oneself into someone's arms)
~면 = if

내 몸 부서진대도 좋아
(= It's OK if my body gets broken into pieces.)

내 = 나의, my
몸 = body
부서지다 = be broken
~대도(다해도) 좋다 = it's OK even if

설혹 너무 태양 가까이 날아
(= Even if I fly very close to the sun,)

설혹 = even if
너무 = very
태양 = sun
가깝다 = be close
가까이 = close, closely
날다 = fly

두 다리 모두 녹아내린다고 해도
(= Even if all of my two legs melt away,)

두 다리 = two legs
모두 = all
녹다 = melt
녹아내리다 = melt down
~해도 = even if

내 맘 그대 마음속으로 영원토록 달려갈거야
(= My heart will run towards your heart forever.)

내 맘 = 내 마음, my heart
그대 마음 = your heart
속 = inside
영원토록 = forever
달리다 = run

내가 미웠지 난 결국 이것밖에 안돼 보였고
(= I hated myself, it seemed that I was no more able after all.)

밉다 = hate, not like
결국 = after all
이것밖에 안돼 = no more able to
보이다 = it looks/seems

오랜 꿈들이 공허한 어린 날의 착각 같았지
(= My old dreams seemed empty delusions of my young days.)

오랜 = old, long-time
꿈 = dream
공허하다 = empty (emotion)
어린 = young
날 = day
착각 = delusions
~같다 = it seems, same

울먹임을 참고 남몰래 네 이름을 속삭였을 때
(= When I mumbled your name secretly, while restraining myself from crying.)

울먹이다 = be about to cry, be close to tears
참다 = suppress, resist, restrain (oneself from doing)
남몰래 = secretly
네 = 너의
이름 = name
속삭이다 = whisper, mumble

귓가에 울리는 그대의 뜨거운 목소리
(= Your voice that rang in my ears.)

귓가 = around the ears
울리다 = ring, sound, echo
뜨겁다 = hot (temperature)
목소리 = voice

그게 나의 희망이었어
(= That was my hope)

그게 = that is/was
나의 = my
희망 = hope

마른하늘을 달려
나 그대에게 안길 수만 있으면
내 몸 부서진대도 좋아
설혹 너무 태양 가까이 날아
두 다리 모두 녹아내린다고 해도
내 맘 그대 마음속으로
영원토록 달려갈거야
(as above)

허약한 내 영혼에 힘을
(= Strength to my frail soul.)

허약하다 = weak, feeble, frail
내 = 나의, my
영혼 = soul, spirit
힘 = strength

날개를 달 수 있다면
(= If I could put up wings (to myself))

날개 = wings
달다 = hang, put up
~면 = if

마른 하늘을 달려
나 그대에게 안길 수만 있으면
내 몸 부서진대도 좋아
설혹 너무 태양 가까이 날아
두 다리 모두 녹아내린다고 해도
내 맘 그대 마음속으로
영원토록 달려갈거야
(as above)

Learn Through Music

The List of Songs In Korean

Yoon Do Hyun - I Am A Butterfly

2011-11-27T21:24:00.001+13:00

윤도현 - 나는 나비

Click on the words in blue for detailed explanations of the grammar.

가사 (Lyrics)

날개(wings)를 활짝(straight) 펴고(spread) 세상(world)을 자유롭게(freely) 날거야(will fly)
(= Spreading (my) wings straight, I'll fly the world freely)
노래하며(sings) 춤추는(dances) 나는(I am) 아름다운(beautiful) 나비(butterfly)
(= Singing and dancing, I am a beutiful butterfly.)

내 모습(my image/form/appearance)이 보이지 않아(is not seen(cannot see)) 앞(front)길(road/way)도 보이지 않아(is not seen(cannot see))
(= I cannot see my image/form/appearance. I cannot see (my) way in front (of me).)

나는(I am) 아주(very) 작은(small) 애벌레(caterpillar)
(= I am a very small caterpillar)
살이(flesh) 터져(burst/pop) 허물 벗어(slip out of its skin) 한 번(once) 두 번(twice) 다시(again)
(= Flesh poping and slipping out of its skin, once, twice and again)
나는(I am) 상처(wound) 많은(many) 번데기(pupa, chrysalis)
(= I am a pupa that has many wounds)

추운(cold) 겨울(winter)이 다가와(approach, draw near) 힘겨울지도 몰라(It could be tough/difficult)
(= The cold winter is approaching. It could be tough/difficult.)
봄(spring)바람(wind)이 불어오면(if/once comes blowing) 이제(now) 나의(my) 꿈(dream)을 찾아(look for) 날아(fly)
(= Once the spring wind comes blowing, now looking for my dream, I fly!)
날개(wings)를 활짝(straight) 펴고(spread) 세상(world)을 자유롭게(freely) 날거야(will fly)
(= Spreading (my) wings straight, I'll fly the world freely)
노래하며(singing) 춤추는(dancing) 나는(I am) 아름다운(beautiful) 나비(butterfly)
(= Singing and dancing, I am a beutiful butterfly.)
날개(wings)를 활짝(straight) 펴고(spread) 세상(world)을 자유롭게(freely) 날거야(will fly)
(= Spreading (my) wings straight, I'll fly the world freely)

노래하며(singing) 춤추는(dancing) 나는(I am) 아름다운(beautiful) 나비(butterfly)
(= Singing and dancing, I am a beutiful butterfly.)
거미(spider)줄(web)을 피해(avoid/dodge)날아(fly) 꽃(flowers)을 찾아(look for) 날아(fly)
(= Avoiding the spider's web, I fly! Looking for flowers, I fly!)
사마귀(mantis)를 피해(avoid/dodge)날아(fly) 꽃(flowers)을 찾아(look for) 날아(fly)
(= Avoiding the mantis, I fly! Looking for flowers, I fly!)
꽃들(flowers)의 사랑(love)을 전하는(deliver) 나비(butterfly)
(= The butterfly, delivering the love of flowers!)

Spread my wings and fly away
Ride the wind sailing on the world today
sing a song reach for the sky
Fying butterfly God save me

날개(wings)를 활짝(straight) 펴고(spread) 세상(world)을 자유롭게(freely) 날거야(will fly)
(= Spreading (my) wings straight, I'll fly the world freely)
노래하며(singing) 춤추는(dancing) 나는(I am) 아름다운(beautiful) 나비(butterfly)
(= Singing and dancing, I am a beutiful butterfly.)
날개(wings)를 활짝(straight) 펴고(spread) 세상(world)을 자유롭게(freely) 날거야(will fly)
(= Spreading (my) wings straight, I'll fly the world freely)
노래하며(singing) 춤추는(dancing) 나는(I am) 아름다운(beautiful) 나비(butterfly)
(= Singing and dancing, I am a beutiful butterfly.)

Learn Through Music

The List of Songs In Korean

Park Bom - You & I

2011-11-27T21:07:00.001+13:00

박봄 - You & I

Click on the words in blue for more details and explanations.

가사 (Lyrics)

No matter what happens
Even when the sky is falling down
I promise you
That I'll never let you go
Oh Oh Oh oh Oh oh-Yeah

You 내가 쓰러질 때 절대 흔들림 없이
(= When I fall down/collapse, you are ever without any shaking/wavering.)

나 = I
내가 = 나 + 가 (NOT 나가)
쓰러지다 = fall (down), collapse
절대 = never, ever
흔들리다 = shake, waver, sway
흔들림 = shaking, wavering, swaying (a noun form of 흔들리다)
~없이 = without (something)

강한 눈빛으로 몇 번이고 날 일으켜 줘
(= You raise me up many times (over) with an unfaltering gaze.)

강하다 = strong
강한 = strong
눈빛 = gaze (Lit. light in the eyes)
~로/으로 = by, with
몇 번이고 = many times (over)
날 = contracted form of 나를
일으키다 = raise up
주다 = give
일으켜 주다 = giving the favour of raising up

And You 나 힘에 겨울 때 슬픔을 벼랑 끝까지
(= And when I'm exhausted, (remove) sadness (out) to the end of a cliff.)

나 = I
힘 = strength
힘에 겹다 = be exhausted
~때 = when
슬픔 = sadness
벼랑 = cliff
끝 = end
까지 = till, up to

또 어김없이 찾아 와 두 손 잡은 그대에게
(= Again, he does not fail to visit (me), holding (my) two hands)

또 = again
어김없이 = do not fail to, without fail
찾아오다 = visit, drop by/in
둘 = two
손 = hand
두 손 = two hands (Note: In Korean, a noun can be singular or plural depending on the context.)
잡다 = hold, catch
그대 = you (same as 너(informal). 그대 is usually used in songs, poems and other literary genre.)
에게 = to (someone)

난 해준 게 없는데 초라한 나지만
(= Although I haven't done anything (for you). Though I'm simple/humble/shabby)

난 = contracted form of 나는
해주다 = give the favour of doing
게 = contracted form of 것이
없다 = there is/are not
해준 게 없다 = There is not (anything) I've done (for you)
초라하다 = shabby, poor, humble, simple
~지만 = but, although

오늘 그대 위해 이 노래 불러요
(= Today I sing for you this song.)

오늘 = today
그대 = you
위해 = for
이 = this
노래 = song
부르다 = sing (a song)
불러요 = sing (polite spoken form)

Tonight 그대의 두 눈에
(= Tonight, in your two eyes)

그대 = you
두 눈 = two eyes
에 = at

그 미소 뒤에 날 위해 감춰왔던 아픔이 보여요
(= I can see the pain you have hidden behind (your) smile for my sake)

그 = that
미소 = smile
뒤 = behind
날 = contracted form of 나를
감추다 = hide
오다 = come
감추어 오다 = has been hiding
아픔 = pain
보이다 = be seen
보여요 = be seen (polite spoken form)

You and I together it just feels all right

이별이란 말은 never 그 누가 뭐라 해도 난 그댈 지킬게
(= Never (say) the word, parting/farewell. I'll protect you even if something happens.)

이별 = farewell, parting
이란 = so-called
말 = word, language
이별이란 말 = a word, so-called farewell/parting
그 누가 = whoever
뭐라 해도 = does(says) something
그 누가 뭐라 해도 = whoever does(says) something (I'll translate it as: even if something happens)
난 = contracted form of 나는
그댈 = contracted form of 그대를
지키다 = protect
지킬게 = will protect

You and I together 내 두 손을 놓지 마
(= Please don't let go of my two hands.)

내 두 손 = My two hands
놓다 = let go
놓지마 = don't let go

안녕이란 말은 never 내게 이 세상은 오직 너 하나기에
(= Never (say) the word, bye. To me, (in) this world, only you alone.)

안녕 = hi, hello, bye (In this instance, 안녕's meaning is "bye.")
말 = word
이 세상 = this world
오직 = only
너 = you
하나 = one
하나기에 = as (it's) one

그 많은 사람처럼
(= Like many people)

그 = that
많다 = many
많은 = many
사람 = person, people
처럼 = like

우리 사랑 역시 조금씩 변하겠죠
(= Our love, as well, would change little by little, wouldn't it.)

우리 = we, our
사랑 = love
역시 = as well
조금씩 = little by little
변하다 = change
겠죠 = it would, wouldn't it

하지만 제발 슬퍼 말아요
(= But please don't be sad)

하지만 = but
제발 = please
슬프다 = sad
말다 = stop
슬퍼 말아 = don't be sad

오랜 친한 친구처럼 나만을 믿을 수 있게
(= Like a long-time close friend, so that (you'd) be able to believe only me)

오랜 = long-time, old
친하다 = close (friend)
처럼 = like
나만 = only I/me
믿다 = believe
믿을 수 있다 = can believe

기댈 수 있게
(= So that (you'd) be able to lean on (me))

기대다 = lean on

I promise you that I'll be right here baby
난 해준 게 없는데 초라한 나지만
(= Although I haven't done anything (for you). Though I'm simple/humble/shabby)

난 = contracted form of 나는
해주다 = give the favour of doing
게 = contracted form of 것이
없다 = there is/are not
해준 게 없다 = There is not (anything) I've done (for you)
초라하다 = shabby, poor, humble, simple
~지만 = but, although

오늘 그대 위해 이 노래 불러요
(= Today I sing for you this song.)

오늘 = today
그대 = you
위해 = for
이 = this
노래 = song
부르다 = sing (a song)
불러요 = sing (polite spoken form)

Tonight 그대의 두 눈에
(= Tonight, in your two eyes)

그대 = you
두 눈 = two eyes
에 = at

그 미소 뒤에 날 위해 감춰왔던 아픔이 보여요
(= I can see the pain you have hidden behind (your) smile for my sake)

그 = that
미소 = smile
뒤 = behind
날 = contracted form of 나를
감추다 = hide
오다 = come
감추어 오다 = has been hiding
아픔 = pain
보이다 = be seen
보여요 = be seen (polite spoken form)

You and I together it just feels all right

이별이란 말은 never 그 누가 뭐라 해도 난 그댈 지킬게
You and I together 내 두 손을 놓지 마
안녕이란 말은 never 내게 이 세상은 오직 너 하나기에
[Same as above]

외로운 밤이 찾아올 땐 나 살며시 눈을 감아요
(= When a lonely night comes visit me, I gently close my eyes.)

외롭다 = lonely
밤 = night
찾아오다 = visit
살며시 = gently
눈을 감다 = close (one's) eyes

그대의 숨결이 날 안을 때 무엇도 두렵지 않죠
(= When your breath holds/embraces me, I'm not afraid of anything.)

그대의 = your
숨결 = breath
날 = 나를
안다 = hug, hold, embrace
무엇도 = anything
두렵다 = be afraid
두렵지 않다 = not afraid

이 세상 그 어떤 누구도 그대를 대신할 수 없죠
(= In this world, nobody could substitute you.)

이 세상 = this world
어떤 누구 = anybody
그대 = you
대신하다 = substitute
대신할 수 없다 = cannot substitute

You are the only one and I'll be there for you baby

You and I together it just feels all right
이별이란 말은 never 그 누가 뭐라 해도 난 그댈 지킬게
You and I together 내 두 손을 놓지 마
안녕이란 말은 never 내게 이 세상은 오직 너 하나기에
[Same as above]

Just you and I Forever and ever..

Learn Through Music

The List of Songs In Korean

Brown Eyes - Already One Year

2011-11-27T19:36:00.001+13:00

브라운 아이즈 - 벌써 일년

가사 (Lyrics)

처음(first, start)이라(because) 그래(it is so) (It's because (my) first (time))
며칠(several day)뒤(after)엔 괜찮아져(become all right/OK)
그(that) 생각(thought)만(only/alone)으로(by)
벌써(already) 일년(one year)이

너와(with you) 만든(made) 기념일(anniversary)마다(every)
슬픔(sadness)은 나를(me) 찾아와(come visit)
처음(first) 사랑(love) 고백하며(confess, tell)
설렌(heart fluttering) 수줍음(shyness)과
우리(we) 처음(first) 만난(met)날(day)
지나가고(passed)

너의(your) 생일(birthday)엔(contracted form of 에는)(at)
눈물의(tears') 케익(cake) (a cake of tears)
촛불(candlelight) 켜고서(light)
축하해(congratulations)

I believe in you
I believe in your mind
벌써(already) 일년(one year)이
지났지만(passed but)
일년 뒤에도 (one year later, too)
그 일년 뒤에도 (that one year later, too)
널 기다려((I) await you)
너무(very) 보고 싶어(want to see (you))
돌아와줘(please come back/return) 말 못했어(couldn't say (it))

널 보는 (seeing you) 따뜻한(warm)
그의(his) 눈빛(eyes)과(and)
니(your) 왼손(left hand)에 껴진(worn (wear))
반지(ring)보다(more than) 빛난(shone)
니(your) 얼굴(face) 때문에(because of)

= Because of your face that shone more than the ring that you wore in your left hand and his warm eyes that stare at you.

I believe in you
I believe in your mind
다시(again) 시작한(started) 널 알면서(knowing you)
이젠(now) 나 없이(without me)
추억(memory/reminescences)을 만드는(making)
너(you)라는 걸(it is) 우~~

내(I)가 기억하는(remembering)
추억(memory/reminescences)은 언제나(always) (= the memory that I remember always)
지난(past) 웃음(laughter)과(and)
얘기(stories)와 바램들(wishes)
또(again) 새로(newly) 만들(making)
추억(memory/reminescences)은 하나뿐(one only)
내(my) 기다림(waiting)과(and)
눈물(tears)속(inside) 너일뿐(you only)

I believe in you
I believe in your mind
다시(again) 시작한(started) 널 알면서(knowing you)
이젠(now) 나 없이(without me)
추억(memory/reminescences)을 만드는(making)
너(you)라는 걸(it is)

I believe in you
I believe in your mind
벌써(already) 일년(one year)이
지났지만(passed but)
일년 뒤에도 (one year later, too)
그 일년 뒤에도 (that one year later, too)
널 기다려((I) await you)

Learn Through Music

The List of Songs In Korean

Shin Seung Hoon - I Believe

2011-11-27T19:00:00.001+13:00

신승훈 - I Believe

가사 (Lyrics)

I Believe 그댄(you are) 곁(side)에 없지만(although not) (Although you're not beside me)
이대로(like this) 이별(farewell/parting)은 아니겠죠(it shall not be, shall it)
I Believe 나에게(to me) 오는(coming) 길(road/way)은
조금(a bit/little)멀리(far) 돌아올 뿐(only returning/coming back) 이겠죠(it shall be, shan't it)
모두(all/everybody) 지나간(past) 그(that) 기억(memory)속(inside)에서 내가(I) 나를(me) 아프게하며(hurt)
눈물(tears)을 만들죠(make)

나만큼(as much as I) 울지 않기를(shall not cry) 그대만은(at least you) 눈물(tears)없이(without)
날(I) 편하게(comfortably/easily) 떠나주기를(please leave)
언젠가(one day) 다시(again) 돌아올(returning, coming back) 그대(you)라는 걸 알기에(I know that)
난(I) 믿고 있기에(I'm believing)
기다릴께요(I'll wait) 난 그대여야만 하죠(As for me, it has to be you)

I Believe 내가 아파할까봐 (because I may hurt)
그대는 울지도 못했겠죠 (you couldn't even cry, right)
I Believe 흐르는(flowing) 내(my) 눈물(tears)이 그댈(you) 다시(again) 내게(to me) 돌려주겠죠(return, give back)
자꾸(repeatedly, again and again) 멈추는(stopping) 내(my) 눈길(eyes)속(inside)에서
그대 모습(your appearance/images)들이 떠올라((thought/image) strikes/occur to) 눈물(tears)을 만들죠(make)

나(I) 그댈 알기(know you) 전(before) 이세상(this world)도(too)
이렇게(like this) 눈부셨는지(dazzling, wonderful, brilliant)
그(that) 하늘(sky) 아래(below)서(at) 이젠(now) 눈물(tears)로 남겨졌지만(it has become that (it) remains)
이 자리를(이 자릴) (this place) 난 지킬께요(I'll protect)

그대란(You) 이유(reason)만(only)으로 나에게는(to me)
기다림조차(even the waiting) 충분히(enough) 행복하겠죠(happy, won't I)
사랑한(having loved) 이유(reason)만(only)으로 또(again)하루(day)가 지나가고(passes)
오는(coming) 길(road/way) 잊어도(even if (you) forget) 기다릴께요(I'll wait/be waiting)

난 그대여야만 하죠 (As for me, it has to be you)
난 그대여야만 하죠 (As for me, it has to be you)

Learn Through Music

The List of Songs In Korean

Yoon Do Hyun - Must Have Been In Love

2011-11-27T18:14:00.001+13:00

윤도현 - 사랑했나봐

가사 (Lyrics)

이별(farewell, parting)은 만남(meeting, chance encounter)보다(more than) 참(quite) 쉬운건가봐(seems easy)

차갑기만한(only cold(emotionally)) 사람(person) 내 맘(my heart) 다(all) 가져간걸(already took)
왜(why) 알지 못하나(cannot know) 보고싶은(want to see) 그 사람(that person)

사랑했나봐(must have been in love) 잊을수 없나봐(It seems that I cannot forget)
자꾸(repeately, again and again) 생각나(think of) 견딜수가 없어(I cannot stand it)
후회하나봐(It seems (that I'm) regretting) 널 기다리나봐(It seems (that I'm) waiting for you)
또(again) 나도 몰래(Without me noticing, surreptitiously) 가슴 설레어와((my) heart flutters)
저기(there) 널(you) 닮은(resemble) 뒷(behind)모습(appearance, image)에

기억(memory)은 계절(season)따라(according to) 흩어져(scatter) 가겠지(It appears that it'll)
차갑기만한(only cold) 사람(person) 빈(empty) 가슴(heart) 애태우며(worry, fuss)
난(I) 기다리겠지(It appears that I'll wait) 어설픈(lame, poor) 내(my) 사랑(love)은

못되게(badly, mean) 눈돌리며(turn one's eyes) 외면한(look away)
네(니)(your) 모습(appearance) 모른척 할래(I'll do as if I don't know)
한번쯤은(At least once) 난(I) 뒤돌아보며(looking back)
아파했다(it hurt) 믿을래(I'll believe)

바보인가봐(It seems (like I'm) a fool) 한마디(one word) 못하는(cannot do)
잘지내냐는(how have you been) 그(that) 쉬운(easy) 인사(greetings)도
행복한가봐(It seems (that she's) happy) 여전한(as always) 미소(smile)는
자꾸만(repeately, again and again) 날(I) 작아지게(become smaller) 만들어(make) (make me become smaller again and again)
멀어지는(become distant) 니 모습처럼(like your appearance/image/form)

언젠가(one day) 다른(other/different) 사람(person) 만나게(meet) 되겠지(It'll become that)
널(you) 닮은(resemble) 미소 짓는(make a smile)
하지만(but) 그(that) 사람(person)은 니가(you) 아니라서(because it's not)
왠지(somehow) 슬플것 같아(I think it'll be sad) 잊을수 없는(cannot forget) 사람(person)

Learn Through Music

The List of Songs In Korean

Yoon Do Hyun - I'll Get Over You

2011-11-27T17:13:00.001+13:00

윤도현 - 잊을께

Lyrics (가사)

아침에(In the morning) 눈(eyes)을 떴을때(when I open)
너를(you)
길(road, street)을 걷다(walk) 멍하니(vacantly, blankly)
너를(you)
지금(now)은 내(my)곁(side)에 없는(are/is not)
너를(you)
그리워하네(missing (you))
바보처럼(like a fool)

= When I open my eyes in the morning, and while walking on the street blankly, I'm missing you like a fool though you are not at my side any more.

나(I)보다(more than) 행복하기를 (be happier)
바래 워(wish, ~)
내(my) 생각(thought, concern)
하지 않기를 바래(wish you'd not do)
더 좋은 사람(better person)
만나길 바래(wish you'd meet)

= I wish you'd be happier than me. I wish you'd not concern yourself about me. I wish you'd meet a better person (than me)

다시는(again) 내게(to me)
올 수 없게(cannot come)

= (So) you can not come back to me again.

안개처럼(like a fog/mist) 사라져간(disappear)
다시(again) 못 올(cannot come) 그(that) 지난(past)날(days)
함께한(together spent) 추억(memory, reminescences) 모두(all)
흘려(spill) 보낼께(send) (let something slide by)

= I will let all the memory of past days that we spent together slide by. All the past days that would not come back, and disappeared like a fog/mist)

널(you) 잊어야 해(need to forget) (I need/have to forget you)
힘들어도(even though it's hard/difficult)
널 지워야 해 (I have to erase you)
기억(memory)속(insdie)에서(from) (from (my) memory)
네가(you) 떠난(left) 후(after)에 난(I am)
죽을 것 같이(like I'd die) 아파도(hurt)

= I've got to forget you, though it's difficult. I gotta erase you from my memory.

두번(twice) 다시(again) 울지 않을께(I won't cry)
잊을께 잊을께(I'll forget, I'll forget)

= I won't cry again even though I hurt like I'd die after you left me. I'll forget. I'll forget.

아직도(yet) 휴대폰((my)cell phone)에
네(your) 이름(name)
지우지도(not even erase)
못하고 있어(cannot)

= I cannot even erase your name in my cell phone yet

전화기 들고(holding a phone)
한참을 서서 (for quite a while)
널 생각하네 (I think of you)
바보처럼 (like a fool)

= (While) holding a phone, I think of you for quite a while like a fool.

안개처럼(like a fog/mist) 사라져간(disappeared)
다시(again) 못 올(cannot come) 그(that) 지난(past)날(days)
함께한(together spent) 추억(memory, reminescences) 모두(all)
흘려(spill) 보낼께(send) (let something slide by)

= I will let all the memory of past days that we spent together slide by. All the past days that would not come back, and disappeared like a fog/mist)

널(you) 잊어야 해(need to forget) (I need/have to forget you)
힘들어도(even though it's hard/difficult)
널 지워야 해 (I have to erase you)
기억(memory)속(insdie)에서(from) (from (my) memory)

= I've got to forget you, though it's difficult. I gotta erase you from my memory.

네가(you) 떠난(left) 후(after)에 난(I am)
죽을 것 같이(like I'd die) 아파도(hurt)
다시는(again) 너(you)를
찾지 않아(won't look for)

= Although I hurt like I'd die after you left me, I won't look for you again.

아침에(In the morning) 눈(eyes)을 떴을때(when I open)
너를(you)
길(road, street)을 걷다(walk) 멍하니(vacantly, blankly)
너를(you)
지금(now)은 내(my)곁(side)에 없는(are/is not)
너를(you)
그리워하네(missing (you))
바보처럼(like a fool)

= When I open my eyes in the morning, and while walking on the street blankly, I'm missing you like a fool though you are not at my side any more.

(잊을께) 잊을께 (I'll forget)
(잊을께) 잊을께 (I'll forget)
(잊을께) 잊을께 (I'll forget)
(잊을께) 워~ (I'll forget, ~)

Learn Through Music

The List of Songs In Korean

Scene of Riding Bicycle - You're To Me And I'm To You

2011-11-27T16:38:00.001+13:00

너에게 난 나에게 넌(클래식OST) - 자전거 탄 풍경

가사 (Lyrics)

너에게(To you) 난(I am) 해질녘(at sunset) 노을처럼(like the "glow of the setting sun") 한편의(one piece of) 아름다운(beautiful)
추억(memory, reminescences)이 되고(become) 소중했던(precious) 우리(our) 푸르던(fresh blue/green) 날(day)을 기억하며(remember)
우~(Oh~) 후회(regret)없이(without) 그림처럼(like a picture, picturesque) 남아주기를(remain)

나에게(to me) 넌(you are) 내(my) 외롭던(lonely) 지난(past) 시간(time)을 환하게(brightly) 비춰주던(shine)
햇살(sunshine)이 되고(become) 조그맣던(tiny) 너의(your) 하얀(white) 손(hand)위(top)에 빛나는(shiny) 보석처럼(like a jewel) 영원의(eternal, forever) 약속(promise)이되어 (become)

너에게(To you) 난(I am) 해질녘(at sunset) 노을처럼(like the "glow of the setting sun") 한편의(one piece of) 아름다운(beautiful)
추억(memory, reminescences)이 되고(become) 소중했던(precious) 우리(our) 푸르던(fresh blue/green) 날(day)을 기억하며(remember)
우~(Oh~) 후회(regret)없이(without) 그림처럼(like a picture, picturesque) 남아주기를(remain)

나에게(to me) 넌(you are) 초록의(green) 슬픈(sad) 노래(song)로 내(my) 작은(small) 가슴(heart) 속(inside)에
이렇게(like this) 남아(remain) 반짝이던(twinkling) 너의(your) 예쁜(pretty) 눈망울(eyes)의 수많은(numerous)
별(star)이 되어(become) 영원토록(like eternity) 빛나고(shine) 싶어(want to)

너에게(To you) 난(I am) 해질녘(at sunset) 노을처럼(like the "glow of the setting sun") 한편의(one piece of) 아름다운(beautiful)
추억(memory, reminescences)이 되고(become) 소중했던(precious) 우리(our) 푸르던(fresh blue/green) 날(day)을 기억하며(remember)
우~(Oh~) 후회(regret)없이(without) 그림처럼(like a picture, picturesque) 남아주기를(remain)

Learn Through Music

The List of Songs In Korean

Kim Dong Ryul - Start/Departure

2011-11-24T14:42:00.001+13:00

김동률 - 출발

This is the second video I'm putting up as an experiment to see whether it can be of help in developing listening skills, and learning grammar points along the way. This is a song called, Start/Departure, by Dong-Ryul Kim. He's a very well-known artist in Korea and has produced many popular songs. I particularly like this song as it contains themes of travel, adventure and one's own path of life.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;\&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Click on the words in blue for detailed explanations of the grammar.

가사 (Lyrics)

아주 멀리 까지 가보고 싶어
(= I want to go very far)

아주 = very
멀리 = far
~까지 = up to, until
가보다 = go and see
~고 싶다 = want to

그 곳 에서 누구를 만날수가 있을지
(= I wonder who I could meet at that place.)

그 곳 = that place
~에서 = at
누구 = who
만나다 = meet
~수 있다 = can
~을지 = wonder

아주 높이까지 오르고 싶어
(= I want to climb up to very high.)

높이 = high
오르다 = climb up

얼마나 더 먼 곳을 바라볼 수 있을지
(= I wonder how far I could look.)

얼마나 = how (much)
더 = more
멀다 = far
먼 곳 = far place
바라보다 = look

작은 물병 하나 먼지 낀 카메라
(= A small water bottle. A camera covered with dust.)

작다 = small
물병 = water bottle
하나 = one
먼지 = dust
먼지 낀 = covered with dust
카메라 = camera

때 묻은 지도 가방 안에 넣고서
(= After putting a soiled map into my bag.)

때 묻은 = soiled, grimy
지도 = map
가방 = bag
안 = inside
넣다 = put in

언덕을 넘어 숲길을 헤치고
(= Passing the hill and pushing my way through)

언덕 = hill
넘다 = pass
숲길 = forest path/trail
~을 헤치다 = push one's way through

가벼운 발걸음 닿는 대로
(= As my light footsteps can reach.)

가볍다 = light (weight)
발걸음 = footsteps
닿다 = reach
닿는 대로 = as (I) can reach

끝없이 이어진 길을 천천히 걸어가네
(= I walk on slowly the endlessly connected path.)

끝없이 = endlessly
이어지다 = connected, extended
길 = path, trail, street
천천히 = slowly
걸어가다 = walk on

멍하니 앉아서 쉬기 도 하고
(= Sometimes just sitting blankly and resting.)

멍하니 = vacantly, blankly
앉다 = sit
쉬다 = rest
~도 하고 = sometimes (do)

가끔 길을 잃어도 서두르지 않는 법
(= Occasionally when I lose my way, i don't hurry.)

가끔 = occasionally
잃다 = lose one's way
서두르다 = hurry
법 = way, method, law

언젠가는 나도 알게 되겠지
(= One day I will know, too.)

언젠가 = one day
나도 = I, too
알다 = know
~게 되다 = becomes that
알게 되다 = It become that I know
~겠지 = it is likely to happen this way

이 길이 곧 나에게 가르쳐 줄테니까
(= Because this path will teach me soon.)

이 길 = this path
곧 = soon
나에게 = to me
가르쳐 주다 = give the favour of teaching
~테니까 = because ~

촉촉한 땅바닥 앞서간 발자국
(= The moist ground. The footprint that went ahead (of me).)

촉촉한 = moist
땅바닥 = ground
앞서가다 = go ahead
발자국 = footprints

처음보는 하늘 그래도 낯 익은 길
(= The sky that I see for the first time. Though the familiar path.)

처음 = first time
보다 = see
하늘 = sky
그래도 = though
낯 익은 = familiar
길 = path

언덕을 넘어 숲길을 헤치고
가벼운 발걸음 닿는 대로
끝없이 이어진 길을 천천히 걸어가네
(as above)

새로운 풍경에 가슴이 뛰고
(= My heart beats to the new scenery.)

새로운 = new
풍경 = scenery, landscape
가슴 = heart
뛰다 = beat

별것 아닌 일에도 호들갑을 떨면서
(= Making a great fuss about things that are not a big deal.)

별것 아닌 일 = not a big deal
호들갑을 떨다 = make a great fuss about (trifles)

나는 걸어가네 휘파람 불며
(= I walk on while whistling.)

걸어가다 = walk on
휘파람 불다 = whistle
~며 = while ~

때로는 넘어져도 내 길을 걸어가네
(= Although I sometime stumble, I walk on my path.)

때로는 = sometimes
넘어지다 = fall down, stumble
내 길 = my path/way
걸어가다 = walk on
~네 = just (do)
걸어가네 = I just walk on

작은 물병 하나 먼지 낀 카메라
때 묻은 지도 가방 안에 넣고서
언덕을 넘어 숲길을 헤치고 가벼운 발걸음 닿는 대로
끝없이 이어진 길을 천천히 걸어가네
(as above)

내가 자라고 정든 이 거리를 난 가끔 그리워 하겠지만
(= Though sometimes I will miss this beloved street where I grew up,)

자라다 = grow up
정든 = beloved
거리 = street
난 = contracted form of 나는 (frequently used in spoken Korean)
가끔 = occasionally, sometimes
그리워하다 = miss
~겠지만 = though I would

이렇게 나는 떠나네
(= I leave like this.)

이렇게 = like this
떠나다 = leave

더 넓은 세상 으로
(= To a wider world.)

더 = more
넓다 = wide
세상 = world
~으로 = to

Learn Through Music

The List of Songs In Korean

Lee Sora - Wind blows

2011-11-24T00:48:00.001+13:00

This is a song called, "Wind blows," by Sora Lee. I'm putting up this video as an experiment. I'm translating the words into English. Listening is such an important part of learning a new language. If you can listen to this song and understand the words, you'll have learned the words, pronunciations and some grammar along the way. I'd like some feedback, too. Tell me if it's helping you. :) Cheers. Enjoy!

이소라 - 바람이 분다

Click on the words in blue for detailed explanations of the grammar.

가사 (Lyrics)

바람이 분다 서러운 마음에
(= The wind blows to my sad/sorrowful heart.)

바람 = wind
불다 = blow
서럽다 = sad/sorrowful
마음 = heart

텅 빈 풍경이 불어온다
(= The empty landscape comes blowing)

텅 비다 = completely empty
풍경 = landscape
불다 = blow
오다 = come

머리를 자르고 돌아오는 길에
(= (After) getting a hair cut, and (on my) way returning/coming back)

머리 = head, hair
자르다 = cut
돌아오다 = return, come back
길 = road, way

내내 글썽이던 눈물을 쏟는다
(= I pour out tears that were brimming all the time.)

내내 = all the time, throughout
글썽이다 = (tears) brimming
눈물 = tears
쏟다 = pour out

하늘이 젖는다
(= The sky gets wet/drenched.)

하늘 = sky
젖다 = wet

어두운 거리에 찬 빗방울이 떨어진다
(= (On) the dark street, cold raindrops fall/drop down.)

어둡다 = dark
거리 = street
차다 = cold (touch)
빗방울 = raindrops
떨어지다 = fall/drop down

무리를 지으며 따라오는 비는 내게서 먼 것 같아
(= The rain that groups together and following (me) seems far from me.)

무리 = group
무리를 지으다 = form a group (together)
따라오다 = follow
비 = rain
멀다 = far
~것 같아 = it seems

이미 그친 것 같아
(= It seems that (the rain) has already stopped.)

이미 = already
그치다 = stop
~것 같아 = it seems

세상은 어제와 같고 시간은 흐르고 있고
(= The world is the same as yesterday and the time is passing.)

세상 = world
어제 = yesterday
같다 = same
시간 = time
흐르다 = flow
시간이 흐르다 = time passes

나만 혼자 이렇게 달라져 있다
(= Only I am changed like this alone.)

나 = I
만 = only
혼자 = alone
이렇게 = like this
다르다 = different
달라지다 = become different, change

바람에 흩어져 버린 허무한 내 소원들은 애타게 사라져간다
(= My vain/futile wishes that got scattered by the wind are disappearing with yearning/longing.)

바람 = wind
흩어지다 = be scattered
흩어져 버리다 = get scattered (completely) (~버리다: 먹어 버리다 = eat completely)
허무하다 = vain, futile
내 = my (contracted form of 나의)
소원 = wish
소원들 = wishes (들 is attached to a noun to make it plural. However, a singular noun by itself can often be translated as a plural noun. e.g. 정원에 사과가 많다 = There are many apples in the garden.)

바람이 분다
(= The wind blows)

시린 한기 속에 지난 시간을 되돌린다
(= In the freezing cold air, I restore the past time.)

시리다 = freezing
한기 = cold air/atmosphere
속 = inside
지난 = past
시간 = time
되돌리다 = restore

여름 끝에 선 너의 뒷모습이 차가웠던 것 같아
(= The image of your back, standing at the end of summer, seemed very cold.)

여름 = summer
끝 = end
서다 = stand
너 = you
너의 = your
뒷 = behind
모습 = appearance, image
차갑다 = cold
차가웠다 = was cold
~것 같아 = it seems

다 알 것 같아
(= I think I know it all.)

다 = all
알다 = know

내게는 소중했었던 잠 못 이루던 날들이 너에겐 지금과 다르지 않았다
(= The days that were precious and restless/sleepless to me were not (the days) any different to you as of now)

내게는 = to me (contracted form of 나에게는)
소중하다 = precious
소중했다 = was precious
소중했었다 = was precious (same as 소중했다)
잠 = sleep
잠 못 이루다 = sleepless, restless
날 = day
날들 = days
너 = you
에겐 = contracted form of 에게는
지금 = now
다르다 = different

사랑은 비극이어라 그대는 내가 아니다
(= Love is a tragedy. You are not me.)

사랑 = love
비극 = tragedy
이어라 = same as 이다 (Note: 이어라 is usually used in poems. Simply speaking, it's a dramatic form of 이다)
그대 = you (same as 너(informal). 그대 is usually used in songs, poems and other literary genre.)
내가 = 나 + 가 (Note: 나가 is wrong. 나 + 가 = 내가)
아니다 = no, not

추억은 다르게 적힌다
(= Memories are written differently.)

추억 = memory, reminescence
다르다 = different
다르게 = differently
적다 = write
적히다 = be written

나의 이별은 잘 가라는 인사도 없이 치러진다
(= My farewell/parting (with you) is carried out without any greetings of 'bye.")

나의 = my (its contracted form is 내)
이별 = farewell, parting
잘 가 = bye
인사 = greetings
없다 = there is/are not
~없이 = without (something)
치러지다 = be carried out

세상은 어제와 같고 시간은 흐르고 있고
(= The world is the same as yesterday and the time is passing.)

세상 = world
어제 = yesterday
같다 = same
시간 = time
흐르다 = flow
시간이 흐르다 = time passes

나만 혼자 이렇게 달라져 있다
(= Only I am changed like this alone.)

나 = I
만 = only
혼자 = alone
이렇게 = like this
다르다 = different
달라지다 = become different, change

내게는 천금같았던 추억이 담겨져 있던
(= The memories that were priceless to me, that were filled.)

내게는 = to me (contracted form of 나에게는)
천금 같다 = priceless
천금 같았다 = was priceless
천금 = Lit. thousands of gold
같다 = same as
같았다 = was same as, was like
담겨있다 = be put in, be filled

머리위로 바람이 분다
(= The wind blows above (my) head)

머리 = head, hair
위 = above, up
바람 = wind
불다 = blow

눈물이 흐른다
(= The tears flow.)

눈물 = tears
흐르다 = flow

Learn Through Music

The List of Songs In Korean

I used to do - 했었어

2011-11-23T12:33:00.001+13:00

었어 is used with verbs and adjectives to mean "used to".

Informal	Written Form	Spoken Form
Positive	했었다	했었어
Negative	하지 않았었다 안 했었다	하지 않았었어 안 했었어

* The letters in bold are used more commonly in each corresponding form.

Replace 다 in verbs in their past tense with 었다

갔다 → 갔었다 = used to go
안갔다 → 안갔었다 = used to not go
왔다 → 왔었다 = used to come
먹었다 → 먹었었다 = used to eat
마셨다 → 마셨었다 = used to drink
좋아했다 → 좋아했었다 = used to like
싫어했다 → 싫어했었다 = used to hate
봤다 → 봤었다 = used to watch
들었다 → 들었었다 = used to listen
읽었다 → 읽었었다 = used to read
썼다 → 썼었다 = used to write / use
살았다 → 살았었다 = used to live
샀다 → 샀었다 = used to buy

Example sentences

(예전에) 서울 중학교를 다녔었어 = I used to attend/go to Seoul Middle School (before/in the past).
예전에는 버섯을 좋아했었어 = I used to like mushrooms in the past. *(but not now)
2년전에 영국에서 살았었어 = I used to live in England 2 years ago.
초등학생 때는 소설책을 많이 읽었었어 = I used to read a lot of novels when I was a primary school student.
예전에는 버스를 많이 탔었는데, 지금은 지하철을 더 많이 이용해 = I used to ride a bus a lot but now I use the subway more.

The same apples to adjectives

좋았다 → 좋았었다 = (it) used to be good
안 좋았다 → 안 좋았었다 = used to be not good
컸다 → 컸었다 = used to be big / large *
작았다 → 작았었다 = used to be small
높았다 → 높았었다 = used to be tall **
많았다 → 많았었다 = (there) used to be a lot / many
적었다 → 적었었다 = used to be few/little (in quantity)

* 크다/컸다/컸었다 can also mean "tall" when used to refer to height of a person or animals.

E.g. 키가 컸었다 = used to be tall (키 = height)

** 높다/높았다/높았었다 is used for objects only such as buildings, mountains or sky.

E.g. 엠파이어 스테이트 빌딩은 다른 빌딩들이 세워지기 전까지 뉴욕에서 가장 높았었다 = The Empire State Building used to be the tallest building in New York City before other buildings were built.

Example Sentences

오전에는 주차장에 차들이 많았었는데, 지금은 되게 적네 = There used to be a lot of cars in the car park but now there are only a few. (되게 적네 = very few / little)
이 사과나무는 5년전만 해도 내 키보다 작았었는데, 지금은 우리 집보다 더 커 = This apple tree used to smaller than my height but now it's bigger (taller) than our house.

Polite Form

Polite	Written Form	Spoken Form
Positive	했었습니다	했었어요
Negative	안 했었습니다 하지 않았었습니다	안 했었어요 하지 않았었어요

어렸을 때는 버섯을 싫어했었는데, 지금은 잘 먹어요 = I used to hate mushrooms when I was young but now I eat them well.
겨울에는 나무에 잎이 하나도 없었는데, 지금은 많아요 = There used to be no leaves on trees, but now there are many / a lot of /a plenty of leaves.
작년에는 시골로 여행을 자주 갔었어요 = I used to travel to countrysides often last year.

부산에 가면 떡을 자주 사먹었어요 = When I go to Busan, I used to buy and eat rice cakes quite often.*
예전에는 연필로 많이 썼었는데, 지금은 펜을 더 많이 사용해요 = I used to write with a pencil a lot but now I use a pen more often.
예전에는 팝뮤직만 들었었는데, 지금은 클래식도 듣고, 다른 예전 노래들도 들어요. = I used to only listen to pop music but now I also listen to classics and other songs of the past.
더운 여름에 시원한 개울가에 자주 놀러갔었어요 = When it was hot in summer, we used to go to a cool stream/brook and play around there. **

* 사먹다 = buy and eat
** 놀러가다 = to go and play

The Purpose and Motivations for learning Korean

2011-11-20T19:34:00.000+13:00

Here are your answers!

Thank you all! for responding to my questions in the update post below, I have accumulated all the responses and condensed them to see what were most common reasons/motivations/purpose for learning Korean: :)

Korean people / friends / lover / neighbour (12 responses)
Korean dramas (10 responses)
K-Pop (9 responses)
Korean culture / customs / history (7 responses)
Korean language / grammar (2 reponses)
Korean food (2 responses)
Politeness / respect (2 responses)
Korean shows (2 responses)
Lifestyle (1 response)
Ideas (1 response)
Technology (1 response)

So the top motivaton for learning Korean is "people"!
Closely followed by K-dramas and K-pop!

It is not surprising to see that the reason for learning a new language comes from a desire to communicate and connect with other people, and to understand them, and their way of life.

I think the languages are cool, in that once you get to learn them, you understand something you couldn't understand before, and it's such a wonderful feeling. Plus there's a definite progress there so the more you work on it, the more you learn and understand.

Anyways, thank you for your responses!
I think I'll probably work on my grammar blog again soon.

It's been such a long time since I posted any lessons but I'll see what I can do to improve this blog, and help you get to the level you want to reach.

And I'll consider these responses and may integrate them in my future posts somehow.
In the meantime, all the best with your learning Korean! :)

Luke

Update

2011-08-05T22:30:00.000+12:00

Hi to you all!!

As you know, I haven't been able to work on my blog for quite a while, although I have tried to answer your questions for the last few days. Before long, I thought I might ask you this question. It might help me orient the direction of this blog. Maybe, it might be helpful to know what kind of lessons or resources I need to provide to you who are eager to learn Korean! :)

The questions are:
What is the reason for studying Korean?
What made you start studying Korean?
Why do you want to learn Korean?

Basically, the motivation or reasons for learning Korean?
And btw, all the best with learning the language!

Update

2011-03-15T20:50:00.000+13:00

Hey Lovely People who are enthusiastic and very willing to learn Korean!

Here's a quick update from me.

I presume many of the regular visitors of the Korean Grammar blog would have noticed that I have suddenly stopped posting any new entries.

I'm sorry that I haven't put up any news or update regarding this.

Here's my current circumstance.
I can hardly find any spare time to write even one entry properly.
Basically, every day is used up in pursuing my study and work.

I'll probably rewrite and continue my next entries when my holidays start,
and they start around the middle of May.
I may be able to write occasionally but I cannot guarantee it.

I appreciate your understanding and hope you'd continue to learn Korean through other means.

Let me introduce you to one such website, http://www.talktomeinkorean.com/

Talk To Me In Korean is one of the best Korean grammar resources available on the internet.

Try it and you'll find a lot of resources on Korean through various media including audios, videos and workbooks in both mp3 and pdf format.
Most of their resources are available online for free!
They provide lots of Korean grammar lessons that we actually use in our conversations everyday so they're really helpful.

Give it a try!

Meanwhile, I still answer questions as they come up but it may be limited and short,
you get your best chance of being answered by giving me short, concise questions- ;)

Study hard and enjoy~

Luke

Update

2011-01-14T14:37:00.024+13:00

Hello to you all who come to this blog to learn Korean!

This is Luke again for another short update.

In light of the poll that I've recently put up, it seems that there are still many people (up to 40% of the people who took the poll so far) who have just started learning Korean or have only gotten to know the Korean alphabet.

Therefore, it seemed appropriate that I should spend more time working on posts which would help those who have just started or are not very familiar with the Korean grammar yet.

I am, by God's grace, improving the content or quality of many of my previous posts. I may still put up new posts but I will primarily work on the posts in the past.

Although I cannot guarantee that the posts will be updated and improved everyday or very frequently, I hope to improve the whole content and quality of all the posts this year nonetheless. This is kind of my new year's resolutions but we know the failure rate, right? Nevertheless, I think it's good to have a go and plan to do it. It only gets better if we actually do them.

So far,

have been updated and improved.

If you have any comments, questions, feedback, or suggestions, please leave them below.

Cheers,

Luke

Homonyms

2011-01-13T12:28:00.010+13:00

Korean words: Homonyms

Homonyms are words that have the same spelling and sound but differ in meaning.
For example,

left (opposite of right)
left (past tense of leave)

Let's have a look at some of the most common homonyms in Korean.

사과 = an apple
사과 = an appology

배 = a ship
배 = a pear
배 = a stomach/tummy
배 = a counter for times

두배 = 2 times (twice)
세배 = 3 times
네배 = 4 times

말 = a language, speech (말하다 = speak)
말 = a horse
말 = the end of (a month) [eg. 8월말 = the end of August]

쓰다 = write [eg. 일기를 썼다 = wrote a diary]
쓰다 = bitter (taste) [eg. 약이 쓰다 = the medicine is bitter]
쓰다 = wear (a hat) [eg. 모자 쓸거야 = I will wear a hat]

눈 = an eye (눈이 좋다 = has a good eyesight)
눈 = snow (크리스마스에 눈이 내렸어 = It snowed in Christmas)

거리 = a street, a road (거리에 사람들이 많다 = There are many people on the street.)
거리 = a distance (집에서 학교까지 거리가 꽤 멀다 = The distance between my house to school is quite far)

김 = steam
김 = a seaweed [김밥 = a Korean-style sushi]

절 = bow (bending a head, knee and/or body to express greeting, respect, courtesy or veneration)
절 = a temple

걸다 = to dial, ring or phone (친구한테 전화를 걸었다 = I rang my friend.)
걸다 = to hang (a coat or picture) (옷걸이에 옷을 걸었다 = I hung my clothes on a hanger) (벽에 그림을 걸었다 = I hung a picture on the wall)
걸다 = to talk (to), speak (to) (to initiate a conversation) (도로에서 외국인에게 말을 걸었다 = I spoke to a foreigner on the road.)
걸다 = to risk (one's life) (나는 목숨 걸고 일했다 = I risked my life to do the work.)

I know of one story where a little girl who had a fight with her brother, was told by her parents that she should apologize to him. She was told, (가서 오빠한테 사과해! = Go and apologize to your brother!) She was probably around 9 or 10 years old, and while trying to stop her sobbing, she took an apple and gave it to him. She mistook the meaning of "an apology" "사과" with that of an actual apple!

Use Google Translate for help with pronunciations.

Update

2011-01-11T19:44:00.000+13:00

Hi all who come to my blog to learn Korean!

First of all, I hope you are having a good winter or summer(depending upon whether you're in the northern or southern hemispheres) break.

I am posting this quick announcement to get an idea about what I should write in the future posts.
I'm not sure whether I should write more grammar points or vocabulary or give you more resources on Korean.

To help myself get a better idea about what I should write next, I have just added a poll to get a general idea about your current level of Korean.
I'd like to better help those who come to my blog by knowing where they are with regard to their current level of Korean. It'd be no use to put up more difficult grammar points if less than 5% of all who come here can understand them.

I haven't been working on my blog for a long time and if I find there's still more that I can do with regard to learning Koren, I'm glad to do it as things become clearer and I have the time available to do it.
I would like to encourage you to take a poll and please let me know where you're at in Korean and give me any comments about what you'd like to know and learn, or anything that comes into your mind to help others learn Korean!

Thanks,

Luke

On the Street

2011-01-11T19:04:00.000+13:00

What can you find in this picture?
What can you find on the street?
Can you name them in Korean?

Also, what commonly can you find on the street where you live?

Korean Words:

Answers:
자동차 = car
나무 = tree
빌딩 = building
잔디 = lawn
하늘 = sky
상점, 가게 = shop
아파트 = apartment
강 = river
꽃 = flower
사람 = person
길 = road, street (any road)
찻길 = road, street (for cars)
학교 = school
병원 = hospital

Questions and Answers
어디 가세요? = Where are you going? (Polite form)

집에 가요 = I'm going home.
집에 가고 있어요 = I'm going home. (If you want to be elaborate.)
학교에 가요 = I'm going to school.

어디 사세요? = Where do you live?

퀸 스트리트에 살아요 = I live on Queen street.
대전에서 살아요 = I live in Daejeon.

More colloquial form
어디 가세요? = Where are you going?

집이요 = Home.
학교요 = School.

어디 사세요? = Where do you live?

퀸 스트리트요 = Queen street.
대전이요 = Daejeon.

Note: Notice that 이요/요 is attached to a noun in a polite form.

For translation and pronunciation help, go to Google Translate.

In a Living Room

2011-01-10T15:20:00.001+13:00

What can you find in this photo?
Can you name them in Korean?
What other things can you find in your own living room?
Can you name them in Korean, too?

Korean words:

Answers:
TV(Television) - 티비, 텔레비젼
Curtain - 커튼
Sofa - 소파
Carpet - 카펫
Windows - 창문
Floor - 바닥
Table - 테이블
Bookshelf - 책꽂이
Shelf - 선반
Lights - 전등, 불(Fire)
Lamp - 램프
Ceiling - 천장
Wall - 벽
(Picture) frame - 액자

Questions and Answers
거실에 뭐가 있어요? =What's in the living room?

거실에 티비가 있어요. = There's a TV in the living room.
거실에 소파가 있어요. = There's a sofa in the living room.
거실에 티비랑 소파가 있어요. = There are a TV and sofa in the living room.

Note: 랑 is equal to 와/과. 랑 is more frequently used in a casual spoken Korean.

More colloquial version
거실에 뭐 있어요? = What's in the living room?

티비랑 소파 있어요. = A TV and sofa.

Note: The particle, 가, is taken off in a casual conversation.

Fruit and Vegetables

2011-01-10T13:02:00.002+13:00

These are two photos with a mix of fruit and vegetables.
What are their respective Korean names?
Can you name their names?
Also, do you know any other fruit or vegetables in Korean?

Korean Words:

Answers:
Grapes = 포도
Banana = 바나나
Cherries = 체리
Pear = 배
Apple = 사과
Cucumber = 오이
Carrot = 당근
Peach = 복숭아
Plum = 자두
Orange = 오렌지
Mandarin orange = 귤

Paprika = 파프리카
Green pepper = 피망
Pumpkin = 호박
Zucchini = 애호박
Broccoli = 브로콜리
Cabbage = 양배추
Lettuce = 양상추
(Korean) cabbage = 배추 (used to make Kimchi)
(Korean) lettuce = 상추 (usually served in Korean BBQ restaurants)
Avocado = 아보카도
Asparagus = 아스파라거스
Eggplant = 가지

* Use Google Translate to listen to their pronunciations.

Quick Announcement

2010-12-17T13:15:00.001+13:00

Hello everyone!

I was compelled to write this quick announcement regarding the new Google Translate features.
The google translate now features "Listen" which allows you to listen to the pronunciation of the Korean you type.

Please check it out if you'd like to listen to the proper pronunciations of certain Korean words!
I believe it will be of a good resource for your listening and speaking exercises.

http://translate.google.com/#en|ko|hello%0A

나는 세계 여행했어요! lol

Announcement

2010-04-13T17:18:00.001+12:00

Recently I've become so busy that I cannot get my hands on this blog at all!
So I will be off my blog for a year, probably until January next year.
I apologize for not being able to respond to your comments.
I hope that you all have an awesome year!
Thanks a lot for visiting!

Luke

Reading and Listening Exercises

2010-03-10T03:07:00.002+13:00

Try this website by NAVER.
The page has a plenty of resources for reading and listening exercises which include Korean fairy tales and Aesop's fables. You can learn a lot of new Korean words.

http://jr.naver.com/donghwa/

Conjunctions - But [는데/데]

2010-02-24T01:59:00.007+13:00

는데/데 is frequently used in casual spoken Korean. 는데/데 means "but"

For example,

그리스어는 할 줄 아는데 이태리어는 할 줄 몰라 = I know how to do(speak/write/read) Greek but I don't know how to do(speak/write/read) Italian.

밥은 먹는데, 반찬은 안 먹어. = I eat 밥 (cooked rice) but I don't eat side dishes.

방은 넓은데, 화장실은 좁아 = The room is spacious but the bathroom is cramped(small).

Rules

1. Take 다 off a plain form of verbs and attach 는데 to it.

하다 → 하는데 = do but
가다 → 가는데 = go but
오다 → 오는데 = come but
먹다 → 먹는데 = eat but
마시다 → 마시는데 = drink but
사다 → 사는데 = buy but
팔다 → 파는데 = sell but
걷다 → 걷는데 = walk but

Note: Take a final consonant, ㄹ, off a plain form of verbs and then attach 는데.

알다 → 아는데 (know)
팔다 → 파는데 (sell)

2. Add 데 to Adjectives - Descriptive form of adjectives.

크다 → 큰데 = big / large but
작다 → 작은데 = small but
가깝다 → 가까운데 = close but (in distance)
멀다 → 먼데 = far but (in distance)
많다 → 많은데 = a lot / many but
적다 → 적은데 = few / little but
뜨겁다 → 뜨거운데 = hot but (temperature)
차갑다 → 차가운데 = cold but (temperature)

Example sentences (spoken form)

오늘은 학교 가는데, 내일은 학교 안가요. = I go to school today but I don't go to school tomorrow.
영화를 보러 갔는데, 보고 싶은 영화가 없었어 = I went to see a movie but there was no movie that I wanted to watch.
예전에는 키가 작았는데, 지금은 키 커. = (I/He/She) was small (height) before but (I/He/She) am/is tall now.
이 음식 보기에는 맛있어 보이는데, 먹어보니까 맛이 없어. = This meal looks delicious but it's not delicious (at all) after I've tried it.

Made/compelled to - ~되면 ~게 돼요

2010-02-06T17:54:00.004+13:00

This phrase has two parts. The first part is ~게 되면, and the second part is ~게 돼요.

The meaning of "~게 되면" is equivalent to "when(ever) or if," and that of "~게 돼요" is equivalent to "am made/compelled to" or "habitually(usually)."

For example,

음식점에 가게 되면, 비빔밥을 주문하게 돼요 = When(ever) I go to a restaurant, I am made/compelled to order a bibimbap. (I habitually/usually order a bibimbap.)

음식점 = a restaurant
가다 = go
가게 되면 = When(if) I go
비빔밥 = a Korean dish (The dish consists of rice with various kinds of vegetables, beef(usually mince), fried egg, Korean red chili paste and sesame oil.)
주문 = order (n.)
주문하다 = order (v.)
주문하게 돼요 = I habitually order

Note: The plain form of 되면 and 돼요 is '되다' which means 'to become.' Therefore, the literal translation of the sentence above is:

음식점에 가게 되면, 비빔밥을 주문하게 돼요 = When(ever) it becomes that I go to a restaurant, it becomes that I order bibimbap

Also, in the first part when a noun is used instead of a verb, 이/가 되면 is used instead.
For example,

아침이 되면, 신문을 보게 된다 = When it is morning, I habitually(usually) read a newspaper

The literal translation of the sentence above is, "When it 'becomes' morning, I 'become' reading a newspaper."

The sentence doesn't make sense grammatically in English but I hope the literal translation will help you get the nuance of the phrase.

Conjugation rule

Take 다 off a plain form of verbs and attach 게 되면/게 돼요 to it.

하다(do) → 하게 되면 = When(ever) I do
하다(do) → 하게 돼요 = I habitually/usually do (or I am made/compelled to do)

하게 돼요 = I habitually do
가게 돼요 = I habitually go
오게 돼요 = I habitually come
먹게 돼요 = I habitually eat
자게 돼요 = I habitually sleep
말하게 돼요 = I habitually speak
듣게 돼요 = I habitually listen
보게 돼요 = I habitually watch

Example Sentences

늦은 밤이 되면, 아이스크림을 먹게 돼요 = When(ever) it is late at night, I habitually eat an icecream

정오가 되면 졸려서 낮잠을 자게 돼요 = When(ever) it is noon, because I'm tired(sleepy), I habitually have a nap (Lit. sleep a nap).

컴퓨터만 키게 되면, 음악을 듣게 돼요 = When(ever) I turn on the computer, I habitually listen to music.

시내만 나가게 되면, 영화를 보게 돼요 = When(ever) I go to town, I habitually go to movies (Lit. watch movies).

운동만 하게 되면, 물을 많이 마시게 돼요 = When(ever) I exercise, I habitually drink a lot of water.

Usually

As a side note, when you would like express something that you "usually" do and not what you are "made/compelled to" do, "주로" is often used.

For example,

음식점에 가면, "주로" 비빔밥을 주문해요 = When I go to a restaurant, I usually order a bibimbap. (There is no nuance of being "made/compelled to" order a bibimbap.)

운동하고 나서는 "주로" 물을 많이 마셔요 = After exercise, I usually drink a lot of water. (Some people may not drink a lot of water and other people may not drink water at all but as for me, I "usually"(whether "I'm made/compelled to" or not, we do not know) drink a lot of water.)

시내에 나가면 주로 영화를 봐요 = When I go to town, I usually go to movies. (Lit. watch movies)

학교에는 주로 걸어가요 = I usually walk to school.

회사에는 주로 차로 가요 = I usually go to work by car.

Are we doing? - 하는 거야 / 거예요?

2010-01-31T00:34:00.005+13:00

Are we doing? - 하는 거야 / 거예요?

하는 거야/ 거예요? is usually used when you want to ask someone what you (both singular and plural) are doing, or will be doing immediately.

For example, when you are in a group of people who are doing things as a group, and you want to ask a leader of the group what you all will be doing.

우리 저기 가는 거야? = Are we going there? [Informal]
우리 저기 가는 거예요? = Are we going there? [Polite]

Note: 하는 거야? = Are you/we doing?
HOWEVER, the polite form of "Are you doing?" usually uses "시는 거예요?" whereas the polite form of "Are we doing?" uses "는 거예요?"
See Are you doing? - ~는 거야? , Are you doing? - ~시는 거예요?

● Rule

Take 다 off a plain verb and add 는 거야 / 거예요?

하다 → 하는 거야 / 거예요? = Are we doing?
가다 → 가는 거야 / 거예요? = Are we going?
읽다 → 읽는 거야 / 거예요? = Are we reading?
보다 → 보는 거야 / 거예요? = Are we watching?
쓰다 → 쓰는 거야 / 거예요? = Are we writing?
먹다 → 먹는 거야 / 거예요? = Are we eating?
마시다 → 마시는 거야 / 거예요? = Are we drinking?
자다 → 자는 거야 / 거예요? = Are we sleeping?
보내다 → 보내는 거야 / 거예요? = Are we sending?

Example Sentences

운동 하는 거예요? = Are (we) exercising?
저기로 가는 거예요? = Are (we) going there?
이 차로 가는 거예요? = Are (we) going by this car?
이거 먹는 거예요? = Are (we) eating this?
이걸로 먹는 거예요? = Are (we) eating with this?
여기서 자는 거예요? = Are (we) sleeping here?
오늘 저 영화 보는 거예요? = Are (we) watching that movie today?
이걸로 보는 거예요? = Are (we) watching with this?

You can add 언제, 어디, 누가, 뭐, 어떻게 or 왜 [when, where, who, what, how or why] in front of ~시는 거예요? to make these sentences.

오늘 우리 뭐 하는 거예요? = What are we doing today?
뭐 읽는 거예요? = What are (we) reading?
뭐 보는 거예요? = What are (we) watching?
뭐 쓰는 거예요? = What are (we) writing?
뭐 먹는 거예요? = What are (we) eating?
뭐 마시는 거예요? = What are (we) drinking?
뭐 보내는 거예요? = What are (we) sending?
어디 가는 거예요? = Where are (we) going?
어디서 자는 거예요? = Where are (we) sleeping?
누가 하는 거예요? = Who is doing?
어떻게 쓰는 거예요? = How are (we) writing?
왜 하는 거예요? = Why are (we) doing?

More Example Sentences

우리 어디 가는 거예요? = Where are we going?
아, 지금 시내에 가는 거예요. = Ah, we're going to the city.
이 차로 가는 거예요? = Are (we) going by this car?
네, 어서 타세요. = Yes, please get in.
뭐 먹을 거예요? = What will we eat? Verbs - Future [Will]
스파게티 먹을 거예요. 스파게티 좋아하세요? = We will eat spaghetti. Do you like it?
네, 좋아해요. = Yes, I like it.

Are you doing? - ~시는 거예요? [Polite]

2010-01-30T20:40:00.006+13:00

Are you doing? - ~시는 거예요? [Polite]

시는 거예요 is commonly used in situations where you want to ask somebody what they're doing.

시는 거예요 can only used when you're actually seeing somebody doing something, and you want to ask them what they are doing.

● Rule

Take 다 off a plain verb and add 시는 거예요?

하다 → 하시는 거예요? = Are you doing?
가다 → 가시는 거예요? = Are you going?
읽다 → 읽으시는 거예요? = Are you reading?
보다 → 보시는 거예요? = Are you watching?
쓰다 → 쓰시는 거예요? = Are you writing?
먹다 → 드시는 거예요? = Are you eating?
마시다 → 마시는 거예요? = Are you drinking?
자다 → 주무시는 거예요? = Are you sleeping?
보내다 → 보내시는 거예요? = Are you sending?

Note: Irregular verbs

읽다 → 읽으시는 거예요? NOT ~~읽시는 거예요?~~
자다 → 주무시는 거예요? NOT ~~자시는 거예요?~~
먹다 → 드시는 거예요? NOT ~~먹시는 거예요?~~

Eg.

일 하시는 거예요? = Are you working?
점심 드시는 거예요? = Are you having lunch?
집에 가시는 거예요? = Are you going home?
교회 가시는 거예요? = Are you going to church?
물 마시는 거예요? = Are you drinking water?
영화 보시는 거예요? = Are you watching a movie?
에세이 쓰시는 거예요? = Are you writing an essay?
문자 메시지 보내시는 거예요? = Are you sending a txt message?
벌써 주무시는 거예요? = Are you sleeping already?

You can add 언제, 어디, 누가, 뭐, 어떻게 or 왜 [when, where, who, what, how or why] in front of ~시는 거예요? to make these sentences.

뭐 하시는 거예요? = What are you doing?
뭐 읽으시는 거예요? = What are you reading?
뭐 보시는 거예요? = What are you watching?
뭐 쓰시는 거예요? = What are you writing?
뭐 드시는 거예요? = What are you eating?
뭐 마시는 거예요? = What are you drinking?
뭐 보내시는 거예요? = What are you sending?
어디 가시는 거예요? = Where are you going?
누가 주무시는 거예요? = Who is sleeping?
누가 하시는 거예요? = Who is doing?
어떻게 쓰시는 거예요? = How are you writing?
왜 하시는 거예요? = Why are you doing?

Update

2010-01-28T19:51:00.001+13:00

As part of my future posting, I have just updated the post, Nouns - Numbers and Counting.
Read for more information. :)

About the Google Adsense and Donations

2009-10-07T16:36:00.022+13:00

Note: I have kept this blog ad-free so far because money was not such a motivating factor for me at all, and I certainly did not expect to gain any money off adsense from this blog. The ads were also distracting.

However, I later thought maybe I could use a little profit gained from Google adsense, and donate the money to a good cause. The recent devastating earthquake in Haiti has been the motivating factor for me to implement this change.

I hope the visitors and regular readers of my blog will not find this change too distracting, and this change won't be too much of a nuisance or inconvenience.

I absolutely promise that every dollar and cent earned from Google Adsense will be donated to charities. The first $100 earned will be donated to Compassion, and used for Disaster Relief in Haiti.

I will even post the receipt of the first $100 I receive from Google Adsense once I get the money and donate them to charities.

I promise to do the same for the subsequent profit I gain from Adsense.
So I don't mind you clicking the ad and paying a visit. :)

Update: The Adsense has generated $54.50 so far. There's still a lot to go before reaching the goal of $100. The Google only pays me if the money generated exceeds $100. I encourage you to pay a visit to the ads on my blog. I would count it as a token of your appreciation for my blog. After I receive the cheque, I promise I will pay the money directly to Compassion. :)

Of course, I've done it before - 해봤죠

2009-09-01T11:08:00.017+12:00

(Of course), I've done it (before) - (당연히) (전에) 해봤죠

당연히 = Of course
전에 = before
해봤죠 = I've done it

Usually, when we use 해봤죠, 당연히 and 전에 are implied and omitted. So if I say, "축구 해봤죠," it means, "(Of course), I've played soccer (before)."

When 축구 해봤죠 is used as a question like "축구 해봤죠?", it means, "You have played soccer before, haven't you?"

해봤죠 is a formal form and 해봤지 is an informal form.
해봤죠 is a contracted form of 해봤지요.

Eg.

축구 해봤지. = (Of course), I've played soccer (before). [Informal]
축구 해봤지? = You have played soccer (before), haven't you? [Informal]

Usually, 봤죠 form is used as an answer to a question.

Eg.

축구 해봤어요? = Have you played soccer (before)?
축구 해봤죠 = (Of course), I've played soccer (before).
축구 안해봤죠 = (Of course), I haven't played soccer (before).

Alternative answers

(예), 축구 해봤어요 = (Yea), I've played soccer (before).
(아뇨), 축구 안해봤어요 = (No), I haven't played soccer (before).

References: Try doing - 해 보다, It's cold, isn't it? - 춥지요?

Rule

Informal present spoken form of verbs + 봤죠

Eg.

해봤죠 = (Of course), I've done it (before)
먹어봤죠 = (Of course), I've tried[eaten] it (before)
가봤죠 = (Of course), I've been[gone] there (before)
사봤죠 = (Of course), I've bought it (before)
입어봤죠 = (Of course), I've tried it on[worn it] (before)
살아봤죠 = (Of course), I've lived there (before)

Example Sentences

(전에) 김치 먹어봤어요? = Have you tried kimchi (before)?
(당연히) 김치 먹어봤죠. = (Of course), I've tried kimchi (before).
서울 가봤어요? = Have you been to Seoul (before)?
서울 가봤죠. = (Of course), I've been to Seoul (before).
미국에서 살아봤죠. = (Of course), I've lived in the States (before).
파스타 만들어봤죠. = (Of course), I've made pasta (before). [Therefore, I know how to cook pasta.]

일본 가봤죠? = You've been to Japan, haven't you?
중국 안가봤죠? = You haven't been to China, have you?
카레 안먹어봤죠? = You haven't tried curry before, have you?
에콰도르에서 안 살아봤죠? = You've never lived in Ecuador before, have you?

Note: Kimchi is traditional Korean food. It is a hot and spicy pickled cabbage dish. Link to photos of kimchi

VoiceText

The VoiceText is a natural Text-to-Speech program. It lets you convert Korean sentences into audios. I think 초롱 and 다영's voices are most natural. It's a shame that 초롱 has a child's voice. 다영's voice sounds good. 혜련's voice is not too bad, either. But 유미's voice is a bit dry and 준우's voice is just too dry and sounds robotic.
Here is the link to VoiceText.

Note: The website may not appear in Firefox. If this happens, try Microsoft Explorer.

Instructions

Copy these sentences and paste them into the box in the VoiceText website.

전에 김치 먹어봤어요?
당연히 김치 먹어봤죠.
서울 가봤어요?
서울 가봤죠.
미국에서 살아봤죠.
파스타 만들어봤죠.

일본 가봤죠?
중국 안가봤죠?
카레 안먹어봤죠?
에콰도르에서 안 살아봤죠?

Learn Korean - PDF file

2009-08-03T20:24:00.015+12:00

This is the PDF format of the Korean grammar guide which includes all the lessons as of 23 June 2011, thanks to Josha(Tsubaki) who kindly made the grammar guide into the PDF file.

I believe this would be quite handy for those of you who wish to print the lessons and have them in your hands to study offline.

Please right-click the link below and choose "Save Link As" to download the file.
It is all yours to read!

Korean Grammar.pdf

Learn Korean Language - 018

2009-07-20T19:31:00.002+12:00

Learn Korean Language: Let's Speak Korean - 018

오늘 뭐 할까? = What shall we do today?
글쎄, 영화 보러 갈까? = Well, shall we go watch movies?

Note: Shall we do something? - 우리 뭐 할까?

Korean words:

볼까요? = Shall we watch?
갈까요? = Shall we go?
춤추러 갈까요? = Shall we go dancing?
수영하러 갈까요? = Shall we go swimming?
낚시하러 갈까요? = Shall we go fishing?
쇼핑하러 갈까요? = Shall we go shopping?
비빔밥 먹으러 갈까요? = Shall we go eat bibimbap?

노래방 갈까요? = Shall we go to karaoke room?
노래방 가자. = Let's go to karaoke room.

Wrap it up!

오늘 뭐 할까? = What shall we do today?
농구장에 갈까? = Shall we go to a basketball court?
좋아! 우리 뛰어 갈까? = Sure! Shall we run?
신발은 바꿔 신고 가야지! = Hey, we haven't swapped back our shoes!! (Lit. We should swap our shoes and go!)

Shall we do something? - 우리 뭐 할까?

2009-07-17T21:56:00.001+12:00

Shall we do something? - 우리 뭐 할까?

Rules

1. For verbs without a final consonant, attach ㄹ as a final consonant and add 까.
eg. 사다 → 살까? = Shall we buy?

2. For verbs with a final consonant, attach 을까.
eg. 입다 → 입을까? = shall we wear?

Irregular
eg. 듣다 → 들을까?

하다 → 할까? = Shall we do?
가다 → 갈까? = Shall we go?
먹다 → 먹을까? = Shall we eat?
마시다 → 마실까? = Shall we drink?
보다 → 볼까? = Shall we watch?
듣다 → 들을까? = Shall we listen to?
놀다 → 놀까? = Shall we hang out/muck around?

Example Sentences

우리 놀이공원에 갈까? = Shall we go to a theme park?
우리 스타벅스에서 커피 마실까? = Shall we drink coffee at Starbucks?
우리 점심 먹으러 갈까? = Shall we go have lunch together?
해리포터 영화 보러 갈까? = Shall we go watch the Harry Potter movie?
우리 운동하러 헬스장 갈까? = Shall we go to a gym to exercise?

Note: Attach 요 to ㄹ/을 까 to make it formal.

우리 놀이공원에 갈까요? = Shall we go to a theme park?
우리 스타벅스에서 커피 마실까요? = Shall we drink coffee at Starbucks?
우리 점심 먹으러 갈까요? = Shall we go have lunch together?
해리포터 영화 보러 갈까요? = Shall we go watch the Harry Potter movie?
우리 운동하러 헬스장 갈까요? = Shall we go to a gym to exercise?

Learn Korean Language - 017

2009-07-13T00:30:00.002+12:00

Learn Korean Language: Let's Speak Korean - 017

오늘은 좀 어때요? = How are you feeling today?
걱정하지 마세요. 괜찮아요. = Don't worry. I'm fine/OK.

The use of "오늘은 좀 어때요?" really depends on the context. Generally, it can be used when you are talking to someone who has been sick and asking them if they feel OK today.

Korean words:

좀 = a little bit/please

물 좀 주세요. = Please, give me water.
밥 좀 더 주세요. = Please, give me some more rice.

아직 시작하지 마세요. = Please don't start yet.
밀지 마세요. = Please don't push.
장난치지 마세요. = Please don't kid around.

Wrap It Up!

걱정하지 말아요. = Please don't worry.
난 괜찮아요. = I'm OK.
울지 마세요. = Please don't cry.
난 괜찮아요. = I'm fine.
제발 울지 마세요. = PLEASE don't cry.
눈에 고춧가루가 들어갔어요. = Powdered red pepper got into my eyes.

Learn Korean Language - 016

2009-07-10T21:59:00.004+12:00

Learn Korean Language: Let's Speak Korean - 016

I haven't posted any videos of "Let's Speak Korean" for a long time but it's still as brilliant a study material as ever.

감기 걸렸어요? = Did you catch a cold?
네, 목이 너무 아파요. = Yes. I have a sore throat. (Lit. My throat is very sore.)
다리 아파요. = My legs hurt.
머리 아파요. = I have a headache (Lit. My head hurts)
콧물이 나와요. = I have a runny nose. (Lit. Snot comes out.)
열이 있어요. = I have a fever. (Lit. There is a fever)

Korean words:

감기 = a cold
콧물 = snot ("The fluid in your nose" as Lisa put it. lol.)
열 = a fever, heat

Wrap It Up!

머리가 아파요. = I have a headache.
열도 있어요. = I also have a fever.
목도 아파요. = I also have a sore throat.
다행이에요. 벼락 맞은 것 치고는. = You are fortunate/lucky (to have survived). Considering that you got hit by a lightening.

In spoken Korean, the sentence order is quite flexible. "벼락 맞은 것 치고는 다행이에요" would be the usual way of speaking. However, we can say 다행이에요 first and 벼락 맞은 것 치고는 next.

For example,

놀이공원에서 놀아서 재밌었어요 = Because we played/mucked around in the theme park, it was fun.

재밌었어요. 놀이공원에서 놀아서. = It was fun. Because we played/mucked around in the theme park.

I know how - 어떻게 하는지 알아

2009-07-06T22:13:00.005+12:00

I (don't) know how - 어떻게 하는지 알아/몰라

Written Form	I know how to do	I don't know how to do
Informal	어떻게 하는지 안다	어떻게 하는지 모른다
Formal	어떻게 하는지 압니다	어떻게 하는지 모릅니다.

Spoken Form	I know how to do	I don't know how to do
Informal	어떻게 하는지 알아	어떻게 하는지 몰라
Formal	어떻게 하는지 알아요	어떻게 하는지 몰라요

Note: I include the written form of this expression for the sake of completeness. However, please focus on the spoken form as the expression is mainly used in conversations.

Rules

1.Take 다 off a plain form/past tense of verbs and attach 는지 알아.
(Exception: For those verbs which contain ㄹ as a final consonant, take it off. eg. 만들다 → 만드는지 알아)

2. Attach 요 to 알아/몰라 to turn it into a formal form.

어떻게 하는지 알아 = I know how to do
어떻게 먹는지 알아 = I know how to eat
어떻게 가는지 알아 = I know how to go
어떻게 보는지 알아 = I know how to see
어떻게 듣는지 알아 = I know how to listen
어떻게 사용하는지 알아 = I know how to use
어떻게 만드는지 알아 = I know how to make
어떻게 입는지 알아 = I know how to wear

어떻게 하는지 몰라 = I don't know how to do
어떻게 가는지 몰라 = I don't know how to go

Example sentences

용준이는 김치찌게 어떻게 만드는지 알아요. = Yong-jun knows how to make(cook) kimchi stew.
"줄리아! 라면 어떻게 끓이는지 알아?" = "Julia! Do you know how to boil(cook) noodle soup?"
내가 이 큰 물고기 어떻게 잡았는지 알아? 이 물고기가 힘이 좋아서 정말 힘들게 잡았어. = Do you know how I caught this big fish? This fish has good strength and so I caught it with a lot of effort.
저는 나무 어떻게 심는지 알아요. = I know how to plant a tree.
이 리모콘 어떻게 사용하는지 알아? = Do you know how to use this remote controller?
서울에 어떻게 가는지 아세요? = Do you know how to go(get) to Seoul?

부산에 어떻게 가는지 몰라. = I don't know how to go to Busan.
넥타이 어떻게 매는지 몰라요. = I don't know how to tie a necktie.
할아버지는 문자 어떻게 보내는지 모르세요. = Grandpa doesn't know how to send a text message.

Note: 아세요 and 모르세요 are honorific forms of 알아 and 몰라 respectively. 아세요 and 모르세요 are only used for second- and third-persons.

For eg,

I know how to use the subway.
~~전 지하철 어떻게 이용하는지 아세요.~~
전 지하철 어떻게 이용하는지 알아요.

Do you know how to use the subway?
지하철 어떻게 이용하는지 아세요?

He/she already knows how to use the subway.
벌써 지하철 어떻게 이용하는지 아세요.

I think / It seems - 하는 거 같애 (General)

2009-06-25T11:55:00.003+12:00

I think / It seems - 하는 거 같애/같아 (General)

하는 거 같애 means "I think he/she/they is/are doing (something)" or "It seems he/she/they are doing (something)."
Please note that although grammatically 하는 거 같아 is right. In spoken Korean, it's usually pronounced 하는 거 같애.

[Verbs]

Written Form	Present	Past
Positive	하는 것 같다	했던 것 같다
Negative	하지 않는 것 같다 안하는 것 같다	하지 않았던 것 같다 안했던 것 같다

Spoken Form	Present	Past
Positive	하는 거 같애	했던 거 같애
Negative	하지 않는 거 같애 안하는 거 같애	하지 않았던 거 같애 안했던 거 같애

Note: In written Korean, it is written 하는 것 같다 whereas in spoken Korean, it is spoken as 하는 거 같애. It is mostly likely due to the fact that 것 is a lot more cumbersome to pronounce than 거 when speaking.

Rules

1. Take 다 off a plain form of verbs and attach 는 거 같애/지 않는 거 같애 etc. to it.
2. Drop ㄹ off a plain form of verbs that have ㄹ as a final consonant.
3. Take 다 off a past tense form of verbs and attach 던 것 같다/던 거 같애 etc. to it.

하다 → 하는 거 같애 = I think they do / It seems they do
먹다 → 먹는 거 같애 = I think they eat / It seems they eat
일어나다 → 일어나는 거 같애 = I think they get up
자다 → 자는 거 같애 = I think they sleep
보다 → 보는 거 같애 = I think they watch
씻다 → 씻는 거 같애 = I think they wash
달리다 → 달리는 거 같애 = I think they run
놀다 → 노는 거 같애 = I think they muck around
살다 → 사는 거 같애 = I think they live

했다 → 했던 거 같애 = I think they did
먹었다 → 먹었던 거 같애 = I think they ate
봤다 → 봤던 거 같애 = I think they watched
살았다 → 살았던 거 같애 = I think they lived
놀았다 → 놀았던 거 같애 = I think they mucked around

Example Sentences

저기서 사람들이 축구 하는 거 같애 = I think people are playing soccer over there.
이 개는 저 개집에서 살았던 거 같애 = I think this dog lived in that kennel. = I think this dog used to live in that kennel.
저 방에는 아기가 자고 있는 거 같애 = I think a baby is sleeping in that room.
나는 밥을 빨리 안먹는 거 같애 = I think I don't eat (a meal) fast.

[Adjectives]

Written Form	Present	Past
Positive	좋은 것 같다	좋았던 것 같다
Negative	좋지 않은 것 같다 안좋은 것 같다	좋지 않았던 것 같다 안좋았던 것 같다

Spoken Form	Present	Past
Positive	좋은 거 같애	좋았던 거 같애
Negative	좋지 않은 거 같애 안좋은 거 같애	좋지 않았던 거 같애 안좋았던 거 같애

Rules

1. Attach a descriptive form of adjectives to 거 같애.
2. Take 다 off a past tense form of adjectives and attach 었던 거 같애.

좋은 → 좋은 거 같애 = I think it's good / It seems good
많은 → 많은거 같애 = I think there's a lot / There seems a lot
큰 → 큰 거 같애 = I think it's big / It seems big
작은 → 작은 거 같애 = I think it's small / It seems small
예쁜 → 예쁜 거 같애 = I think it's pretty / It seems pretty
똑똑한 → 똑똑한 거 같애 = I think he's clever / He seems clever
솔직한 → 솔직한 거 같애 = I think she's honest / She seems honest
좋았다 → 좋았던 거 같애 = I think it was good / It seemed good

맛있었다 → 맛있었던 거 같애 = I think it was delicious
재밌었다 → 재밌었던 거 같애 = I think it was fun
쉬웠다 → 쉬웠던 거 같애 = I think it was easy
많았다 → 많았던 거 같애 = I think there was a lot

Example sentences

태국음식은 맛있는 거 같애 = I think Thai food is delicious
이 집은 굉장히 큰 거 같애 = I think this house is enormously big.
이번 수학시험은 정말 쉬웠던 거 같애 = I think the maths test was really easy.
내 기억에 저 들 위에는 꽃들이 많았던 거 같애 = According to my memory, I think there were a lot of flowers on that hill.

[Nouns]

Written Form	Present	Past
Positive	고양이인 것 같다	고양이였던 것 같다
Negative	고양이가 아닌 것 같다	고양이가 아니었던 것 같다

Spoken Form	Present	Past
Positive	고양이(인 거) 같애	고양이였던 거 같애
Negative	고양이(가) 아닌 거 같애	고양이(가) 아니었던 거 같애

Note: The object particle, 가/이, is usually omitted in spoken Korean. 인 거 is also usually omitted.

같다's original meaning is "look like." Therefore, 같애 phrases can have alternative translations but essentially they mean the same thing.

하는 거 같애 = I think they're doing. It looks like they're doing.
예쁜 거 같애 = I think it's pretty. It looks pretty.
치킨인거 같애 = I think it's a chicken. It looks like a chicken (food).

Rules

Attach 인 것 같다/였던 것 같다/인 거 같애/였던 거 같애 to a noun.

강아지(인 거) 같애 = I think it's a puppy (It looks like a puppy)
고양이(인 거) 같애 = I think it's a cat
뻐꾸기(인 거) 같애 = I think it's a cuckoo
나무(인 거) 같애 = I think it's a tree
사람(인 거) 같애 = I think it's a person
학교(인 거) 같애 = I think it's a school

Example sentences

민희: 너 저 동물이 뭔지 알아? = Do you know what that animal is?
수영: 저건 사자 같애. = I think that is a lion. (That looks like a lion)
민희: 사자 아닌 거 같은데. 호랑이 같애. = I don't think that is a lion. I think it's a tiger.
수영: 그런가? 그럼 저 멀리 저건 뭐지? = Is it? Then what is that over there afar?
민희: 사람은 아닌 거 같애. 동물인 거 같애. = I don't think it's a human. I think it's an animal.
수영: 침팬지다. = It's a chimpanzee.
민희: 침팬지 같았어. = I thought that was a chimpanzee. (It looked like a chimpanzee)

Note: 같다's past tense is 같았어 and so 고양이 같았어 = I thought it was a cat.

Formal Forms

Rules

Written Korean = Change 다 to 습니다.
Spoken Korean = Attach 요 to the end of a sentence.
eg.

태국음식은 맛있는 것 같습니다 = I think Thai food is delicious
이 집은 굉장히 큰 거 같애요 = I think this house is enormously big.
이번 수학시험은 정말 쉬웠던 거 같애요 = I think the maths test was really easy.
내 기억에 저 들 위에는 꽃들이 많았던 거 같애요 = According to my memory, I think there were a lot of flowers on that hill.

They/he/she think(s) = ~ 같대

같대 is a shortened form of 같다고 해 and it is used to express what they/he/she think(s). 같대 is usually used in spoken Korean. Attach 요 to 같대 to make it formal.

할머니가 이 개는 저 개집에서 살았던 거 같대 = Grandma thinks this dog lived in that kennel. = Grandma thinks this dog used to live in that kennel.
엄마가 저 방에는 아기가 자고 있는 거 같대 = Mum thinks a baby is sleeping in that room.
친구가 나는 밥을 빨리 먹는 거 같대요 = My friend thinks I eat (a meal) fast.

폴이 태국음식은 맛있는 거 같대 = Paul thinks Thai food is delicious
동생의 기억엔 저 들 위에는 꽃들이 많았던 거 같대요 = According to my younger (brother/sister)'s memory, He/she thinks there were a lot of flowers on that hill.

강아지(인 거) 같대 = They/he/she think(s) it's a puppy (It looks like a puppy)
고양이(인 거) 같대요 = They/he/she think(s) it's a cat

Adverbs - 부사

2009-06-24T22:29:00.003+12:00

Adverbs - 부사

Adjective	Present	Adverb
Positive	크다	크게
Negative	크지 않다	크지 않게 안크게

Note: 크지 않게 is more commonly used in written Korean while 안크게 is more common in spoken Korean.

Rules

1. Take 다 off an adjective of the present tense and attach 게/지 않게 to it.
2. Attach 안 to a positive form of adverbs to turn it into its negative form.

Written	Present	Adverb
High	높다	높게, 높이
Low	낮다	낮게
Big	크다	크게
Small (size)	작다	작게
Spacious	넓다	넓게
Delicious	맛있다	맛있게
Many	많다	많게, 많이
Small (quantity)	적다	적게
Kind	착하다	착하게
Fast	빠르다	빠르게, 빨리
Slow	느리다	느리게
Handsome	멋있다	멋있게

Note:

Adverbs come just before verbs to describe actions.

많다, 빠르다 and 높다 each have two adverbial forms. 많이, 빨리 and 높이 are more commonly used than 많게, 빠르게 and 높게.

Example sentences

나는 스테이크를 맛있게 먹었다 = I ate my steak "deliciously" (Lit. I enjoyed my steak)
거북이는 느리게 걷는다 = A tortoise walks slowly
밥을 많이 먹었다 = I ate a big meal. (Lit. I ate a meal a lot.)
집에 빨리 가자! = Let's go home quickly!
철수는 결승점까지 빨리 달렸다. = Cheol-su ran fast to the finish line.
성우는 케이크를 크게 만들었다 = Seong-u made a large cake. (Lit. Seong-u made his cake big.)
높이 나는 새가 멀리 본다 = The higher a bird flies, the farther it sees. (Lit. A bird which flies high sees afar.)

I think - ~고 생각해 (Opinion)

2009-06-24T21:13:00.001+12:00

I think - ~고 생각해 (Opinion)

고 생각해 is usually used when you are expressing your opinion on something like what people should and shouldn't do and what people should and should not be allowed to do etc.

Refer to Have to - 해야 한다, Allowed to - 해도 된다 and I like doing - 하는게 좋다, 하는걸 좋아한다 to learn following examples.

Rules

Attach 고 생각해 to the present informal written form of verbs.
eg.

그걸 해야 한다고 생각해 = I think we should do it.
공원엔 가도 된다고 생각해 = I think it's OK to go to a park.
우유를 마시는게 좋다고 생각한다 = I think it's good to drink milk

Note: 그걸 = 그것을, 공원엔 = 공원에는

Example sentences

저녁에 일찍 자고 아침에 일찍 일어나야 된다고 생각해.= I think people should go to bed early at night and get up early in the morning.
건강해지기 위해 과일과 채소를 많이 먹어야 한다고 생각해. = I think people should eat a lot of fruits and vegetables to become healthy.
TV는 많이 봐도 된다고 생각해요 = I think it's allowable to watch a lot of TV.
시간약속에 늦으면 안된다고 생각합니다 = I think it's not acceptable to be late for an appointment
책은 많이 읽는게 좋다고 생각한다 = I think it's good to read a lot of books.
청량음료는 많이 마시지 않는게 좋다고 생각합니다 = I think it's not good to drink a lot of soft drinks.

I like doing - 하는게 좋다, 하는걸 좋아한다

2009-06-24T20:12:00.003+12:00

I like doing - 하는게 좋다

하는게 좋다 is a contracted form of 하는 것이 좋다 (것이 → 게)
하는 것 means "doing" and if you remember, "가/이" is an identifier particle. I'd also like to call it a specificity particle.

For example,

점심에는 샌드위치 먹는 것이 좋다 = I like eating a sandwich at lunch (among a variety of things to eat at lunch, a sandwich is my choice)
시골에서 사는게 좋다 = I like living in the country (Although I could live in the city or urban area, I like living in the country)

좋다 means two things

1. I like
2. It's good

Usually, its meaning is "I like doing" in spoken Korean. In written Korean, "하는게 좋다" is more likely to mean "it's good to do something." However, the meaning depends on the context.

Informal	Positive	Negative
Written	하는게 좋다	하지 않는게 좋다 안하는게 좋다
Spoken	하는게 좋아	안하는게 좋아

Formal	Positive	Negative
Written	하는게 좋습니다	하지 않는게 좋습니다 안하는게 좋습니다
Spoken	하는게 좋아요	하지 않는게 좋아요 안하는게 좋아요

Note: The words in bold are the more commonly used alternatives of the two in each box.

Rules
1. Take 다 off a plain form of verbs and then attach 는게 좋다
2. If a verb has a final consonant of ㄹ, it is omitted.

하다 → 하는게 좋다 = I like doing, it's good to do
먹다 → 먹는게 좋다 = I like eating, it's good to eat
보다 → 보는게 좋다 = I like watching, it's good to watch
듣다 → 듣는게 좋다 = I like listening, it's good to listen
걷다 → 걷는게 좋다 = I like walking, it's good to walk
쓰다 → 쓰는게 좋다 = I like writing, it's good to write
읽다 → 읽는게 좋다 = I like reading, it's good to read
만들다 → 만드는게 좋다 = I like making, it's good to make
살다 → 사는게 좋다 = I like living, it's good to live
말다 → 마는게 좋다 = I like wrapping, it's good to wrap

Example sentences

운동하는게 좋다 = I like exercising. It's good to exercise.
휴일에는 바닷가에 가는게 좋다 = I like going to the beach at weekends. It's good to go to the beach at weekends.
금요일밤에는 피자 먹는게 좋다 = On a Friday night, I like eating pizza. On a Friday night, it's good to eat pizza.
심심할땐 영화보는게 좋아 = When I'm bored, I like watching movies. When you're bored, it's good to watch movies.

I like doing - 하는걸 좋아한다

하는걸 is a contracted form of 하는것을 and 을 is an object particle.
하는걸 좋아한다 just means "I like doing"

Informal	Positive	Negative
Written	하는걸 좋아한다	하는걸 좋아하지 않는다 하는걸 안좋아한다
Spoken	하는걸 좋아해	하는걸 좋아하지 않아 하는걸 안좋아해

Formal	Positive	Negative
Written	하는것을 좋아합니다	하는것을 좋아하지 않습니다 하는걸 안좋아합니다
Spoken	하는걸 좋아해요	하는걸 좋아하지 않아요 하는걸 안좋아해요

Note: 걸 is a contracted form of 것을.

Rules are the same as above.

하다 → 하는걸 좋아한다 = I like doing
먹다 → 먹는걸 좋아한다 = I like eating
보다 → 보는걸 좋아한다 = I like watching
듣다 → 듣는걸 좋아한다 = I like listening
걷다 → 걷는걸 좋아한다 = I like walking
쓰다 → 쓰는걸 좋아한다 = I like writing
읽다 → 읽는걸 좋아한다 = I like reading
만들다 → 만드는걸 좋아한다 = I like making
살다 → 사는게 좋아한다 = I like living
말다 → 마는게 좋아한다 = I like wrapping

Example sentences

운동하는것을 좋아하지 않는다 = I don't like exercising.
휴일에는 바닷가에 가는걸 좋아한다 = I like going to the beach at weekends.
금요일밤에는 피자 먹는걸 좋아합니다 = On a Friday night, I like eating pizza.
심심할땐 영화보는걸 좋아해요 = When I'm bored, I like watching movies.

Update

2009-06-24T15:30:00.001+12:00

I am embedding audio files to the posts. I hope that these audio files will help you with your listening skills and pronunciation. I am pretty impressed by the quality of the pronunciation of this computer-generated speaker. Her pronunciation of each letter is quite accurate and her intonation is pretty good. I encourage you to listen to these audios to practice your listening skills. I also recommend that you watch Korean TV programmes to improve your listening and speaking skills.

Allowed to - 해도 된다

2009-06-23T23:18:00.010+12:00

Allowed to - 해도 된다

Informal Form

Informal	are allowed to	were allowed to
Written	해도 된다	해도 됐었다
Spoken	해도 돼	해도 됐었어

Informal	aren't allowed to	weren't allowed to
Written	하면 안된다	하면 안됐었다
Spoken	하면 안돼	하면 안됐었어

Note:

해도 돼 means "allowed to do" and 안해도 돼 means "don't have to do," NOT ~~"not allowed to do."~~ This needs some explanations.

First of all, 돼 means "ok or allowed." 해도 돼 literally means "doing is ok." 안해도 literally means "not doing" therefore 안해도 돼 literally means "not doing is ok" which means "don't have to do."

하면 안돼 means "not allowed to do." 하면 literally means "if I do" and 안돼 means "not ok" therefore 하면 안돼 literally means "if I do it, it's not ok" which can be expressed as "not allowed to do"

Compare this with Have to - 해야 한다

However, you don't have to know these explanations to use them. Actually, I've never thought about why these mean what they mean until today. The best way to learn them is to use them frequently until they become memorised.

Rules

1. Attach 도 된다/도 됐었다/도 돼/도 됐었어 to the positive informal spoken form of verbs Verbs - Present, Past

해 → 해도 된다 = allowed to do
가 → 가도 된다 = allowed to go
봐 → 봐도 된다 = allowed to see
들어 → 들어도 된다 = allowed to hear
먹어 → 먹어도 된다 = allowed to eat
마셔 → 마셔도 된다 = allowed to drink
달려 → 달려도 된다 = allowed to run
앉아 → 앉아도 된다 = allowed to sit
놀아 → 놀아도 된다 = allowed to play/muck around

2a. Take 다 off a plain form of verbs without a final consonant and attach 면 안된다/면 안됐었다/면 안돼/면 안됐었어 to it. (Includes verbs with ㄹ as a final consonant)

하다 → 하면 안된다 = aren't allowed to do
가다 → 가면 안된다 = aren't allowed to go
춤추다 → 춤추면 안된다 = aren't allowed to dance
놀다 → 놀면 안된다 = aren't allowed to play/muck around
밀다 → 밀면 안된다 = aren't allowed to push
돌다 → 돌면 안된다 = aren't allowed to spin

2b. Take 다 off a plain form of verbs with a final consonant and attach 으면 안된다/으면 안됐었다/으면 안돼/으면 안됐었어 to it.

먹다 → 먹으면 안된다 = aren't allowed to eat
앉다 → 앉으면 안된다 = aren't allowed to sit
숨다 → 숨으면 안된다 = aren't allowed to hide
잡다 → 잡으면 안된다 = aren't allowed to catch
집다 → 집으면 안된다 = aren't allowed to pick up
접다 → 접으면 안된다 = aren't allowed to fold

Exceptions

듣다 → 들으면 안된다 = aren't allowed to listen
걷다 → 걸으면 안된다 = aren't allowed to walk

Example sentences
Written form

부페에서는 먹고 싶은 만큼 먹어도 된다 = At a buffet (restaurant), people are allowed to eat as much as they want.
시험을 마친 사람은 집에 가도 된다 = Those who have finished the exam can go home.
도서관에서는 크게 얘기하면 안된다. = It is not allowed to speak loudly in the library.
신생아들은 딱딱한 음식을 먹으면 안된다. = Infants are not allowed to eat solid food.
작년까지 학생들은 매점 자판기를 사용해도 됐었다 = Until last year, students were allowed to use a stall vending machine.

Spoken form

TV 봐도 돼 = You are allowed to watch TV. (You can watch TV.)
이 케잌 먹어도 돼 = You are allowed to eat this cake. (You can eat this cake,)
술과 담배는 사면 안돼 = You are not allowed to buy alcohol and tobacco.
어제까지 놀아도 됐었어 = Until yesterday, I was allowed to muck around.
작년까지 빅토리아공원에는 들어가면 안됐었어 = Until last year, people were not allowed to enter the Victoria park.

Formal Form

Formal	are allowed to	were allowed to
Written	해도 됩니다	해도 됐었습니다
Spoken	해도 돼요	해도 됐었어요

Formal	aren't allowed to	weren't allowed to
Written	하면 안됩니다	하면 안됐었습니다
Spoken	하면 안돼요	하면 안됐었어요

Note: The rules are the same as above.

Example sentences
Written form

부페에서는 먹고 싶은 만큼 먹어도 됩니다 = At a buffet (restaurant), people are allowed to eat as much as they want.
시험을 마친 사람은 집에 가도 됩니다 = Those who have finished the exam can go home.
도서관에서는 크게 얘기하면 안됩니다. = It is not allowed to speak loudly in the library.
신생아들은 딱딱한 음식을 먹으면 안됩니다. = Infants are not allowed to eat solid food.
작년까지 학생들은 매점 자판기를 사용해도 됐었습니다 = Until last year, students were allowed to use a stall vending machine.

Spoken form

TV 봐도 돼요 = You are allowed to watch TV. (You can watch TV.)
이 케잌 먹어도 돼요 = You are allowed to eat this cake. (You can eat this cake,)
술과 담배는 사면 안돼요 = You are not allowed to buy alcohol and tobacco.
어제까지 놀아도 됐었어요 = Until yesterday, I was allowed to muck around.
작년까지 빅토리아공원에는 들어가면 안됐었어요 = Until last year, people were not allowed to enter the Victoria park.

Have to - 해야 한다

2009-06-23T22:01:00.009+12:00

Have to - 해야 한다

Informal form

Informal	Have to	Had to
Written	해야 한다 해야 된다	해야 했다 해야 됐다
Spoken	해야 해 해야 돼	해야 했어 해야 됐어

Informal	Don't have to	Didn't have to
Written	하지 않아도 된다	하지 않아도 됐다
Spoken	하지 않아도 돼 안해도 돼	하지 않아도 됐어 안해도 됐어

Note: The words in bold are the more commonly used alternative of the two in each box.

Rules
1. Attach 야 한다/야 된다/야 돼/야 됐어 etc. to the informal spoken form of verbs. Verbs - Present, Past

해 → 해야 한다 = have to do
가 → 가야 한다 = have to go
와 → 와야 한다 = have to come
봐 → 봐야 한다 = have to see
먹어 → 먹어야 한다 = have to eat
마셔 → 마셔야 한다 = have to drink

2. Take 다 off a plain form of verbs and then attach 지 않아도 된다/지 않아도 됐다/지 않아도 돼 etc. to it.

하다 → 하지 않아도 된다 = don't have to do
가다 → 가지 않아도 된다 = don't have to go
오다 → 오지 않아도 된다 = don't have to come
보다 → 보지 않아도 된다 = don't have to see
먹다 → 먹지 않아도 된다 = don't have to eat
마시다 → 마시지 않아도 된다 = don't have to drink

3. Attach 안 and 도 돼/ 도 됐었어 to the front and back of the informal spoken form of verbs respectively. Verbs - Present, Past

안해도 돼 = don't have to do
안가도 돼 = don't have to go
안와도 돼 = don't have to come
안봐도 돼 = don't have to see
안먹어도 돼 = don't have to eat
안마셔도 돼 = don't have to drink

Example sentences
Written Form

성민은 오늘 서울에 가야 한다. = Seong-min has to go to Seoul today.
민주는 내일 학교에 가지 않아도 된다. = Min-ju doesn't have to go to school tomorrow.
애쉴리는 병때문에 작년 매일 약을 먹어야 했다 = Because of her sickness, Ashley had to take (lit. eat) medicine everyday last year.

Spoken Form

이번 주 목요일까지 과학 과제 끝내야 돼 = I have to finish the science assignment by this Thursday.
애쉴리는 이제 다 나아서 병원에 안가도 돼 = Because Ashley has been healed now, she doesn't have go to the hospital.
고추가 너무 매우면 안먹어도 돼 = If the chillies are too spicy, you don't have to eat them.

Formal form

Formal	Have to	Had to
Written	해야 합니다 해야 됩니다	해야 했습니다 해야 됐습니다
Spoken	해야 해요 해야 돼요	해야 했어요 해야 됐어요

Formal	Don't have to	Didn't have to
Written	하지 않아도 됩니다 안해도 됩니다	하지 않아도 됐습니다 안해도 됐습니다.
Spoken	하지 않아도 돼요 안해도 돼요	하지 않아도 됐어요 안해도 됐어요

Note: The rules for the conjugation are the same as above.

Example sentences
Written Form

성민은 오늘 서울에 가야 합니다. = Seong-min has to go to Seoul today.
민주는 내일 학교에 가지 않아도 됩니다. = Min-ju doesn't have to go to school tomorrow.
애쉴리는 병때문에 작년 매일 약을 먹어야 했습니다 = Because of her sickness, Ashley had to take (lit. eat) medicine everyday last year.

Spoken Form

이번 주 목요일까지 과학 과제 끝내야 돼요 = I have to finish the science assignment by this Thursday.
애쉴리는 이제 다 나아서 병원에 안가도 돼요 = Because Ashley has been healed now, she doesn't have go to the hospital.
고추가 너무 매우면 안먹어도 돼요 = If the chillies are too spicy, you don't have to eat them.

Source: Learn Korean: LP's Korean Grammar Guide

Conjunctions - Because [때문에]

2009-06-23T14:15:00.005+12:00

Conjunctions - Because [때문에; 왜냐하면, 때문이다]

때문에 is more frequently used in written Korean and ~서 is favoured in spoken Korean because of its brevity.

Rules

Take 다 off a plain form and past tenses of verbs and adjectives and then attach 기 때문에. (But NOT a present tense of verbs ie. ~~한다 → 한기 때문에~~ is wrong! 하다 → 하기 때문에 is right!)

하다 → 하기 때문에 = Because I do
가다 → 가기 때문에 = Because I go
사다 → 사기 때문에 = Because I buy
보다 → 보기 때문에 = Because I see
먹기 → 먹기 때문에 = Because I eat
좋아하다 → 좋아하기 때문에 = Because I like
했다 → 했기 때문에 = Because I did
갔다 → 갔기 때문에 = Because I went
먹었다 → 먹었기 때문에 = Because I ate
크다 → 크기 때문에 = Because it's big
작다 → 작기 때문에 = Because it's small
덥다 → 덥기 때문에 = Because it's hot
춥다 → 춥기 때문에 = Because it's cold
많다 → 많기 때문에 = Because there is a lot
길다 → 길기 때문에 = Because it's long
맛있다 → 맛있기 때문에 = Because it's delicious
높았다 → 높았기 때문에 = Because it was high
예뻤다 → 예뻤기 때문에 = Because it was pretty
빨랐다 → 빨랐기 때문에 = Because it was fast
강했다 → 강했기 때문에 = Because it was strong

Example sentences
- Compare and contrast 때문에 and ~서.

중국음식을 좋아하기 때문에 중국음식을 먹었다. = Because I like Chinese food, I ate Chinese food. (Written Korean)
중국음식 좋아하기 때문에 중국음식 먹었어요. = Because I like Chinese food, I ate Chinese food. (Spoken Korean)
중국음식 좋아해서 중국음식 먹었어요 = Because I like Chinese food, I ate Chinese food. (Spoken Korean) Conjunctions - Because, So
아침 일찍 학교를 가기 때문에 일찍 일어났다. = Because I go to school early in the morning, I got up early.
아침 일찍 학교 가서 일찍 일어났어요 = Because I go to school early in the morning, I got up early.
겨울에는 춥기 때문에 사람들은 따뜻한 옷을 입는다. = Because the winter is cold, people wear warm clothes.
겨울엔 추워서 사람들은 따뜻한 옷을 입어요 = Because the winter is cold, people wear warm clothes.
인터넷에는 잘못된 정보가 많기 때문에 무엇을 읽는지 조심해야 한다. = Because on the internet, there is a lot of false information, we should be careful about what we read.
인터넷엔 잘못된 정보가 많아서 뭘 읽는지 조심해야 되요. = Because on the internet, there is a lot of false information, we should be careful about what we read

Note: The object particle, 를/을, is omitted and some words are abbreviated in the spoken form. For example,

에는 →엔
무엇을 → 무얼 → 뭘

Although it is less commonly used, a sentence containing two clauses can be divided into two sentences using 왜냐하면 and 때문이다. 왜냐하면 is attached to the front of a second clause and 때문이다 replaces 때문에.

중국음식을 먹었다. 왜냐하면 중국음식을 좋아하기 때문이다. = I ate Chinese food because I like Chinese food.
중국음식 먹었어요. (왜냐면) 중국음식 좋아해서요. = I ate Chinese food because I like Chinese food.
일찍 일어났다. 왜냐하면 아침 일찍 학교를 가기 때문이다. = I got up early because I go to school early in the morning.
일찍 일어났어요. (왜냐면) 아침 일찍 학교 가서요. = I got up early because I go to school early in the morning.

Note:

왜냐하면 is abbreviated to 왜냐면 or it is altogether omitted in spoken Korean.

때문에 is mainly used in literature and the news reporters use it often. However, people still use 때문에 occasionally in conversations instead of ~서, especially when one wants to explain and reason.

Imperatives

2009-06-22T11:28:00.039+12:00

Imperatives - 해, 하지마

Imperative	Positive	Negative
Informal	해 가 먹어	하지마 가지마 먹지마
Formal	해요 가요 먹어요	하지마요 가지마요 먹지마요
Honorific	하세요 가세요 드세요	하지마세요 가지마세요 드시지마세요

The informal form is used among very close friends or when talking to a younger person who is very close to you in informal situations.

The formal form and the honorific form are used in formal situations. However, if I were to choose which one to use, I would choose the honorific form because the formal form is a bit casual-ish. It is safe to use the honorific form if you are unsure which one to use.

Note: The honorific form of verbs is present in Korean such as:

먹다 → 드시다 = eat
자다 → 주무시다 = sleep
죽다 → 돌아가시다 = die, pass away

먹어's honorific form is 드세요. It is usually used when talking to people above your age or in formal situations.

Rules

Informal positive (Imperative) = Present positive (spoken Korean)

해! = Do!
저리 가! = Go over there! (Leave me alone!)
이 과자 좀 먹어. = Eat some of these snacks.
물 좀 마셔. = Drink some water.

Informal negative = Take 다 off a plain form of verbs and attach 지마 to it.

가지마! = Don't go!
이 영화는 보지마! = Don't watch this movie!
이거는 먹지마. = Don't eat this.
이 책은 읽지마. = Don't read this book.

Formal positive and negative = Attach 요 to informal forms

Honorific positive =
1. Take 다 off a plain form of verbs and then attach 세요 to verbs without a final consonant.
2. Attach 으세요 to verbs with a final consonant.
3. For verbs with a final consonant of ㄹ, drop it off and attach 세요 to it.

가세요! = Please go!
이리 오세요. = Please come here.
빨리 떠나세요! = Please leave quickly!
어서 드세요. = Please eat already.
물고기 손으로 잡으세요. = Please catch the fish with your hands.
손 흔드세요! = Please wave your hands! (흔들다 = wave)
빙글빙글 도세요! = Please turn round and round! (돌다 = turn round, spin)

Honorific negative = Take 다 off a plain form of verbs and attach 지마세요.

장난 하지 마세요! = Please don't fool around!
저 곳에는 가지 마세요. = Please don't go to that place. (Keep away from that place.)
박물관에 있는 물건들은 만지지 마세요. = Please don't touch things in the museum.

Conjunctions - While

2009-06-21T20:26:00.004+12:00

Conjunctions - While [~며/~(으)면서]

~며 form is more frequently used in written Korean while ~면서 is more frequently used in spoken Korean.

Rules

1. Take 다 off a plain form of verbs with no final consonant and add 며/면서 to it.

하다 → 하며/하면서 = while doing
가다 → 가며/가면서 = while going
주다 → 주며/주면서 = while giving
사다 → 사며/사면서 = while buying
보다 → 보며/보면서 = while watching
말하다 → 말하며/말하면서 = while speaking
마시다 → 마시며/마시면서 = while drinking
자다 → 자며/자면서 = while sleeping

2. Take 다 off a plain form of verbs with a final consonant and add 으며/으면서 to it.

먹다 → 먹으며/먹으면서 = while eating
받다 → 받으며/받으면서 = while receiving
찾다 → 찾으며/찾으면서 = while looking for
읽다 → 읽으며/읽으면서 = while reading

Exceptions

걷다 → 걸으며/걸으면서 = while walking
듣다 → 들으며/들으면서 = while listening

Example sentences

Written Korean

나는 운동을 하며/하면서 매트릭스를 봤다. = While doing exercise, I watched Matrix.
나는 노래를 들으며/들으면서 지리 공부를 했다. = While listening to music, I studied geography.
호머는 자며/자면서 코를 골았다. = While sleeping, Homer snored.
민지는 스타벅스에서 잡지를 읽으며/읽으면서 커피를 마셨다. = At Starbucks, while reading a magazine, Minji drank coffee.
준호는 차를 타고 회사를 가며/가면서 라디오를 들었다. = While going to work by car, Junho listened to radio.

Spoken Korean

운동 하면서 매트릭스 봤어. = While doing exercise, I watched Matrix
노래 들으면서 지리 공부 했어. = While listening to music, I studied geography.
(호머는) 자면서 코 골았어. = While sleeping, Homer snored.
(민지는) 스타벅스에서 잡지 읽으면서 커피 마셨어. = At Starbucks, while reading a magazine, Minji drank coffee.
(준호는) 차 타고 회사 가면서 라디오 들었어. = While going to work by car, Junho listened to radio.

매트릭스 = Matrix (The movie)
노래 = music, song
지리 = geography
호머 = Homer (a male name as in Simpsons)
민지 = Minji (a female name)
스타벅스 = Starbucks
잡지 = magazine
커피 = coffee
회사 = work, company
라디오 = radio
준호 = Junho (a male name)

Note:

The spoken Korean usually omits a subject because it is usually understood by the speakers as to who they are talking about. For example, if I were talking about myself, I wouldn't need to use 나는 to say something about me because it is assumed that I am talking about me.

Likewise, the third person subjects like 호머는 and 민지는 can also be omitted when a person being talked about is already known by people having a conversation.

The object particle, 를/을, is omitted in spoken Korean.

Easy to do / Difficult to do - ~기 쉽다 / ~기 어렵다

2008-12-04T19:19:00.000+13:00

Easy to do / Difficult to do - ~기 쉽다 / ~기 어렵다

This one is easy to learn. All you need to do is attach a nominalized verb to 쉽다 or 어렵다 to say that something is easy or difficult.

Written Forms

하기 쉽다 = easy to do
이해하기 쉽다 = easy to understand
풀기 쉽다 = easy to solve
보기 쉽다 = easy to see
듣기 쉽다 = easy to listen
말하기 쉽다 = easy to say
가기 쉽다 = easy to go

Spoken Forms

하기 쉬워 = easy to do
이해하기 쉬워 = easy to understand
풀기 쉬워 = easy to solve
보기 쉬워 = easy to see
듣기 쉬워 = easy to listen
말하기 쉬워 = easy to say
가기 쉬워 = easy to go

Written Forms

하기 어렵다 = difficult to do
이해하기 어렵다 = difficult to understand
풀기 어렵다 = difficult to solve
보기 어렵다 = difficult to see
듣기 어렵다 = difficult to listen
말하기 어렵다 = difficult to say
가기 어렵다 = difficult to go

Spoken Forms

하기 어려워 = difficult to do
이해하기 어려워 = difficult to understand
풀기 어려워 = difficult to solve
보기 어려워 = difficult to see
듣기 어려워 = difficult to listen
말하기 어려워 = difficult to say
가기 어려워 = difficult to go

Eg.
이 문제 풀어봤어? = Have you tried solving this problem? [Try doing - 해 보다]
어. 이 문제는 정말 풀기 어려워. = Yes. This problem is really difficult to solve.

우리 서커스 보러 가자. = Let's go watch a circus.
사람들이 너무 많아서 보기 어려워 = Because of the crowd, it's difficult to see.

여자는 이해하기 어려워요 = It's difficult to understand woman.
아니에요. 남자가 더 이해하기 어려워요 = No. Man is more difficult to understand.
그렇게 생각해요? = Do you think so?
네. 정말 그렇게 생각해요. = Yes. I surely do.

제 말 들리세요? = Can you hear me?
아니요. 음악 소리 때문에 듣기 어려워요. = No. Because of the sound of music, it's difficult to hear.

낚시 가르쳐 주세요 = please teach me how to do fishing [Give the favour of doing - 해 주다]
그래요. 낚시는 하기 쉬워요. = Ok. Fishing is easy to do.

문제 = problem
풀다 = solve
풀어보다 = try solving
서커스 = circus
남자 = man
여자 = woman
생각하다 = think
그렇게 생각하다 = think so
정말 = really, very
너무 = very
음악 = music
소리 = sound
낚시 = fishing

Comparatives & Superlatives

2008-10-28T17:18:00.005+13:00

Comparatives [~보다]

~보다 is used to compare two persons or things. The person/thing that 보다 is referring to is the one that comes after "~er than" in English. The "~보다" phrase can also come before a subject. So the sentences below have the same meaning.

Note: 이/가 particles are more frequently used than 은/는 particles, and in the spoken Korean, almost exclusively 이/가 are used.

나는 동생보다 키가 크다 = I am taller than (my) younger sibling.
내가 동생보다 키가 크다 = "I" am taller than (my) younger sibling.
동생보다 내가 키가 크다 = I am taller than (my) younger sibling.
동생보다 내가 키가 커 = I am taller than (my) younger sibling. [spoken form]
동생보다 제가 키가 커요 = I am taller than (my) younger sibling. [formal spoken form]

동생보다 = than younger sibling
동생 = younger sibling
키 = height
크다 = big
키가 크다 = tall
키가 작다 = short
나 = I
내 = 나 changes to 내 before 이/가
제 = the honorific form of 내 used in formal expressions

더 is usually added before an adjective. 더 = more

More examples

동물보다 사람이 더 똑똑하다 = Man is cleverer than an animal.
나일강이 아마존강보다 더 길다 = The Nile River is longer than the Amazon River.
철이 구리보다 강하다 = Iron is stronger than copper.
피는 물보다 진하다 = Blood is thicker than water.

진수가 진호보다 더 빨라요 = Jinsu is faster than Jinho.
저보다 형이 더 잘해요 = My older brother does it better than me.
빵보다 밥이 더 좋아요 = I like rice more than bread.

Superlatives [제일]

제일 is added before an adjective to make it a superlative.

진수가 제일 빠르다 = Jinsu is the fastest
치타가 육지 동물중에서 제일 빠르다 = The cheetah is the fastest among the land animals.
에베레스트산은 세계에서 제일 높다 = Mt. Everest is the highest mountain in the world.
피자가 세계에서 제일 맛있는 음식이다 = Pizza is the most delicious food in the world.
제일 아름다운 것은 사랑이에요 = The most beautiful thing is love. [formal spoken form] (Nouns - Present, Past)

세계 = world
맛있다 = delicious
맛있는 = delicious [descriptive form] Adjectives - Descriptive
아름다운 = beautiful [descriptive form]
것 = thing

Learn Korean Language - 015

2008-10-03T06:46:00.002+13:00

Learn Korean Language: Let's Speak Korean - 015

불고기 먹으러 갑시다 = Let's go eat Bulgogi (the marinated beef).
불고기 먹으러 가요. = Let's go eat Bulgogi (the marinated beef).
미안해요. 저는 고기를 못 먹어요. = Sorry. I cannot eat meat.

In the first sentence, we use 갑시다 which means "let's go" and 먹으러 갑시다 which means "let's go eat". However, I'd say 갑시다 is rather musculine in tone, rather confirmative and forceful and used usually by adults whereas 가요 is a polite form used by anyone who is talking to older people or anyone in any formal situations.

For example,

the boss of a company could say, 점심 먹으러 갑시다 to all his employee, "let's go eat lunch."
a child may say to his parents, 아빠, 저녁 먹으러 가요!, "let's go eat dinner! Daddy!"

못 is used often and is attached in front of a verb in the spoken form, 못 먹어요 means "I cannot eat"

Korean words:

못 가요 = can't go
못 해요 = can't do
못 먹어요 = can't eat
못 마셔요 = can't drink
못 써요 = can't write
못 들어요 = can't hear
못 봐요 = can't watch

안 is placed in front of a verb in the spoken form, 안 먹어요 means "I don't eat"

안 가요 = don't go
안 해요 = don't do
안 먹어요 = don't eat
안 마셔요 = don't drink
안 써요 = don't write
안 들어요 = don't hear
안 봐요 = don't watch

맥주 한잔 하러 갑시다 = Let's go have a beer (Idiom. Lit. Let's do one glass of beer)
저는 맥주를 못 마셔요 = I can't drink beer
네, 좋아요 = Yes, I'd like to.

Give the favour of ~ - ~주다

2008-10-01T17:44:00.010+13:00

Give the favour of ~ - ~주다

This is an important lesson because ~주다 is very frequently used in ordinary conversations. First of all, 주다 means "give" and when we attach the spoken form of a verb in front of 주다, it means someone "gives the favour of doing something for someone". For example, 도와 주다 means "give the favour of helping to somebody" which essentially means "I help someone".

민희는 엄마를 도와 주었다 = Min-hee gave the favour of helping to Mom. (Min-hee helped Mom)

In the sentence above, Min-hee helped her Mom and this helping has been done to her and for her. The concept of giving is profound in the Korean language. In many occasions where somebody does something for somebody or to somebody, the sentences invariably includes ~주다.

● Rule

Attach the spoken form of verbs in front of 주다.

해 주다 = give the favour of doing
가 주다 = give the favour of going
와 주다 = give the favour of coming
먹어 주다 = give the favour of eating
마셔 주다 = give the favour of drinking
읽어 주다 = give the favour of reading
써 주다 = give the favour of writing
봐 주다 = give the favour of seeing
들어 주다 = give the favour of listening
사 주다 = give the favour of buying
팔아 주다 = give the favour of selling
가르쳐 주다 = give the favour of teaching
도와 주다 = give the favour of helping

Sentences

영호는 시내까지 같이 가 주었다 = Young-ho gave (me) the favour of going to town together (Young-ho went to town with me.)

시내 = town
같이 = together

엘리엇은 우리 집에 와 주었다 = Elliot gave (us) the favour of coming to our home. (Elliot came to our house.)

우리 = we
집 = house

나는 동생의 밥을 먹어 주었다 = I gave my little brother/sister the favour of eating his/her meal. (I ate my little brother's/sister's meal for them.)

동생 = little sibling (gender neutral)
밥 = meal, rice

파이퍼교수님은 우리에게 존 칼빈의 신학을 가르쳐 주었다 = Professor Piper gave the favour of teaching John Calvin's theology to us. (Professor Piper taught us John Calvin's theology.)

교수 = professor
님 = honorary suffix (usually attached to the name of professions which involve teaching)
For eg. 선생님 = teacher, 목사님 = pastor, 교수님 = professor
신학 = theology

나에게 편지를 읽어 줬다 = (someone) gave the favour of reading a letter to me. [(someone) read a letter to me (for me)]

편지 = letter
에게 = Particles - 께/에게/한테
줬다 = the contracted form of 주었다

피터는 내 노래를 들어 줬어 = Peter gave the favour of listening to my song. [Peter listened to my song for me.]

노래 = song
줬어 = the contracted form of 주었어 (which is the spoken form of 주었다)

어떤 아저씨가 도와 줬어요 = Some middle-aged man gave the favour of helping to me (Some middle-aged man helped me.)

어떤 ~ = some ~ (random, passer-by)
아저씨 = middle-aged man (a general term for every married men or men aged between approx. 27~55. On a side note, some men who are actually young get offended if some children call him 아저씨 because that means that young man looks older than he actually is.)
어떤 아줌마 = some middle-aged woman
아줌마 = a middle-aged woman (a general term for every married women or women aged between approx. 27~55. Again, almost all women who are actually young get offended or even hurt if some people call her 아줌마 because that means that young lady looks old. Let us have some discernment.)
어떤 아이 = some child

Let's do it - 하자

2008-09-29T16:00:00.006+13:00

Let's do it - 하자

This should be easy to learn. Just replace 다 of a plain verb with 자 to make a phrase, "Let's (verb)". Note: This is an informal form.

하다 → 하자 = Let's do it
먹다 → 먹자 = Let's eat
마시다 → 마시자 = Let's drink
가다 → 가자 = Let's go
앉다 → 앉자 = Let's sit
보다 → 보자 = Let's see
읽다 → 읽자 = Let's read
쓰다 → 쓰자 = Let's write
듣다 → 듣자 = Let's listen
달리다 → 달리자 = Let's run
걷다 → 걷자 = Let's walk
사다 → 사자 = Let's buy
팔다 → 팔자 = Let's sell

Example Sentences

우리 = we
같이 = together

(우리) (같이) 농구 하자 = Let's do basketball. (Let's play basketball)
(우리) (같이) 피자 먹자 = Let's eat a pizza (together)
(우리) (같이) 커피 마시자 = Let's drink coffee (together)
(우리) (같이) 바닷가 가자 = Let's go to beach (together)
(우리) (같이) 벤치에 앉자 = Let's sit on the bench (together)
(우리) (같이) 영화 보자 = Let's watch a movie (together)
(우리) (같이) 교과서 읽자 = Let's read a textbook (together)
(우리) (같이) 아이포드 듣자 = Let's listen to ipod (together)
(우리) (같이) 새 신발 사자 = Let's buy new shoes (together)
(우리) (같이) 저 냉장고 팔자 = Let's sell that fridge (together)

The formal form of "Let's (verb)" is exactly the same as that of the formal spoken present form. You may want to refer to Verbs - Formal [Present, Past] "Please" is implied in the phrase.

하다 → 해요 = (Please.) Let's do it
먹다 → 먹어요 = (Please.) Let's eat
마시다 → 마셔요 = (Please.) Let's drink
가다 → 가요 = (Please.) Let's go
앉다 → 앉아요 = (Please.) Let's sit
보다 → 봐요 = (Please.) Let's see
읽다 → 읽어요 = (Please.) Let's read
쓰다 → 써요 = (Please.) Let's write
듣다 → 들어요 = (Please.) Let's listen
달리다 → 달려요 = (Please.) Let's run
걷다 → 걸어요 = (Please.) Let's walk
사다 → 사요 = (Please.) Let's buy
팔다 → 팔아요 = (Please.) Let's sell

Example Sentences

우리 = we
같이 = together

(우리) (같이) 농구 해요 = [Please] Let's do basketball (Let's play basketball)
(우리) (같이) 피자 먹어요 = [Please] Let's eat a pizza (together)
(우리) (같이) 커피 마셔요 = [Please] Let's drink coffee (together)
(우리) (같이) 바닷가 가요 = [Please] Let's go to beach (together)
(우리) (같이) 벤치에 앉아요 = [Please] Let's sit on the bench (together)
(우리) (같이) 영화 봐요 = [Please] Let's watch a movie (together)
(우리) (같이) 교과서 읽어요 = [Please] Let's read a textbook (together)
(우리) (같이) 아이포드 들어요 = [Please] Let's listen to ipod (together)
(우리) (같이) 새 신발 사요 = [Please] Let's buy new shoes (together)
(우리) (같이) 저 냉장고 팔아요 = [Please] Let's sell that fridge (together)

It's cold, isn't it? - 춥지요?

2008-09-19T11:50:00.002+12:00

It's cold, isn't it? - 춥지요?

지요 is used similarly to "isn't it?" of English. For example, 춥다 means "cold", and 춥지요 means "It's cold, isn't it? or It's cold, eh? or It's cold, right?" This is used when you want to chat up somebody or when you are looking for a confirmation.

● Rule

Take 다 off an adjective and add 지요 to it.

춥다 → 춥지요 = It's cold, isn't it?
덥다 → 덥지요 = It's hot, isn't it?
많다 → 많지요 = There is a lot, isn't there?
적다 → 적지요 = There is little, isn't there?
높다 → 높지요 = It's high, isn't it?
낮다 → 낮지요 = It's low, isn't it?
크다 → 크지요 = It's large, isn't it?
작다 → 작지요 = It's small, isn't it?
좋다 → 좋지요 = It's good, isn't it?
나쁘다 → 나쁘지요 = It's bad, isn't it?
깊다 → 깊지요 = It's deep, isn't it?
맛있다 → 맛있지요 = It's delicious, isn't it?

Note: 지요 is often contracted to 죠 in speech. Therefore 춥지요 → 춥죠.

춥죠 = It's cold, isn't it?
덥죠 = It's hot, isn't it?
많죠 = There is a lot, isn't there?
적죠 = There is little, isn't there?
높죠 = It's high, isn't it?
낮죠 = It's low, isn't it?
크죠 = It's large, isn't it?
작죠 = It's small, isn't it?
좋죠 = It's good, isn't it?
나쁘죠 = It's bad, isn't it?
깊죠 = It's very deep, isn't?
맛있죠 = It's delicious, isn't it?

Sentences

날씨가 춥죠? = The weather is cold, isn't it?
태국 날씨가 되게 덥죠? = The weather in Thailand is very hot, isn't it?
한라산이 높죠? = Mount Halla is high, isn't it?
강물이 정말 깊죠? = The river water is very deep, right?
집이 작죠? = The house is small, eh?
김치가 맛있죠? = Kimchi is delicious, isn't it?

날씨 = weather
태국 = Thailand
한라산 = Mount Halla
강물 = river water
집 = house
김치 = kimchi (A traditional Korean fermented dish made of cabbages with spicy seasonings)

Learn Korean Language - 014

2008-09-19T11:48:00.001+12:00

Learn Korean Language: Let's Speak Korean - 014

In this lesson, we learn about ~지요 and the formal spoken form, eg. 추워요.

날씨가 정말 춥지요? = The weather is really cold, isn't it?
날씨가 정말 춥죠? = The weather is really cold, isn't it?
네, 정말 추워요. = Yes, it is really cold.

영화가 재미있지요? = The movie is fun, isn't it?
예, 재미있어요 = Yes, it's fun.

Jason and Miriam used the past tense rather than the present tense above. 재미있지요 becomes 재미있었지요. Refer to Adjectives - Present, Past for more information about the past tense of adjectives.

영화가 재미있었지요? = The movie was fun, wasn't it?
예, 너무 재미있었어요 = Yes, it was very fun.

Note: In this past tense, 미있 is contracted to 밌. Therefore, 재미있었지요 is contracted to 재밌었지요? and 재미있었어요 → 재밌었어요

영화가 재밌었지요? = The movie was fun, wasn't it?
예, 너무 재밌었어요 = Yes, it was very fun.

Learn Korean Language - 013

2008-09-13T11:21:00.003+12:00

Learn Korean Language: Let's Speak Korean - 013

We learn about the expression, Try doing - ~해 보다 in this lesson.

떡국을 먹어 봤어요? = Have you tried eating 떡국?
네, 먹어 봤어요. = Yes, I have.
아뇨, 안 먹어 봤어요. = No, I haven't.
아직, 안 먹어 봤어요. = No, I haven't tried it yet.

저기 가 봤어요? = Have you gone there? [= Have you tried going there?]
여기 와 봤어요? = Have you come here? [= Have you tried coming here?]
마셔 봤어요? = Have you tried drinking it?
해 봤어요? = Have you done it?

많이 먹어 봤어요. = I have eaten it many times.

Extra Korean Words:

Written Form

맛있다 = delicious (present)
맛있습니다 = delicious (formal present)
맛있었다 = delicious (past)
맛있었습니다 = delicious (formal past)

Spoken Form

맛있어 = delicious (present)
맛있어요 = delicious (formal present)
맛있었어 = delicious (past)
맛있었어요 = delicious (formal past)

Jason used the formal past form of delicious which is 맛있었어요 to ask Miriam:

맛있었어요? = Was it delicious?

Notes on:
Adjectives - Present, Past
Adjectives - Formal [Present, Past]

Learn Korean Language - 012

2008-09-12T09:54:00.002+12:00

Learn Korean Language: Let's Speak Korean - 012

오래간만이에요! = Long time no see!
그 동안 별일 없었어요? = How have you been?

오래 = long (time)
오래간만 = long time since

오래간만 refers to the long time that we haven't seen each other for since we had last met. 오래간만 is treated as a noun and 이에요 is attached after it.(Nouns - Present, Past)

Korean words:

그 = that
동안 = a period, during
별일 = anything special
없다 = there isn't
없었어요 = there wasn't (formal spoken form)

So 그 동안 별일 없었어요? essentially means "During that period wasn't there anything special (that happened to you)?" [= How have you been?/Have you been well?]

네, 별일 없었어요 = Yea. I'm cool [= Yea, no, there wasn't anything special (that happened to me)]
네, 잘 지냈어요 = Yes, I've spent my time well.

Sentence Order

2008-09-11T16:39:00.033+12:00

In regards to the order of a sentence, there are four basic types in Korean. These are:

S + N
S + V
S + A
S + O + V

* S = subject, N = noun, A = adjective, O = object and V = verb.

The tense of a sentence is determined by the last part of a sentence, namely, by a noun, verb or adjective.

In Korean, adjectives function like verbs in that they can be converted to different forms to determine the tense of a sentence.

For example,

In English, the past tense of "go" is "went."
In Korean, the past tense of "가다" (gada, go) is "갔다" (gatta, went).

The verbs function in the same way in English and Korean.

However, in the case of adjectives, the past tense of "good" in English is not "gooded" but it is written, "was good."
Contrary to this, in Korean, "좋다" (jota, good) has a past tense form of "좋았다" (joatta, was good).

Compare:

In English, "good" (present) → "was good" (past)
In Korean, "좋다" (present) → "좋았다" (past)

Therefore, the adjectives in Korean function like verbs in that they can be converted to a past tense or future tense, or any other tense forms.

This conversion of a verb(or adjective) to its past, future, present continuous or past continuous tense forms is called a verb (or adjective) "conjugation."

Before proceeding to the explanation section below, I recommend that you read the "particles" alongside this post.

To understand Korean grammar, it is crucial that you become familiar with the concept of a distinct part of speech called, "particles."

Particles are function words that indicate what the subject or object is in a sentence.

For example,

는/은 is a topic particle
가/이 is a identifier particle
를/을 is an object particle

For more information and explanation on particles, please refer to (Particles - 는, 도, 를, 가, 에).

Now, let's have a look at the four main types of Korean sentences.

Note: S = Subject, N = Noun, V = Verb, A = Adjective, O = Object

1. S + N

나는 학생이다 = I am a student
리사는 선생님이다 = Lisa is a teacher
앤드류는 의사였다 = Andrew was a doctor
저는 중학생이에요 = I am a middle school student [polite spoken form]

For more explanations on the S + N pattern, please read Nouns - Present, Past.

나 = I
학생 = student
리사 = Lisa
선생님 = teacher
앤드류 = Andrew
의사 = doctor
저 = I (polite)
중학생 = a middle school student

2. S + V

주영은 달린다 = Ju-young runs [written form]
주영은 달려요 = Ju-young runs [polite spoken form]
주영은 힘차게 달린다 = Ju-young vigorously runs

*An adverb comes before a verb.

주영 = Ju-Young (a Korean male name)
달리다 = run
달려 = run [spoken form]
달려요 = run [polite spoken form]
힘차게 = vigorously

For more information and explanations on verbs, please read Verbs - Present, Past and Verbs - Polite [Present, Past].

3. S + A

그는 크다 = He is big
그녀는 작다 = She is small
앤은 예쁘다 = Anne is pretty [written form]
앤은 정말 예뻐요 = Anne is really pretty [polite spoken form]
산이 아름답다 = The mountain is beautiful
날씨가 정말 좋다 = The weather is very good

그 = he
크다 = big
그녀 = she
작다 = small
앤 = Anne
정말 = really, very
예쁘다 = pretty
산 = mountain
아름답다 = beautiful
날씨 = weather
좋다 = good

For more information and explanations on adjectives, please read, Adjectives - Present, Past, Adjectives - Polite [Present, Past] and Adjectives - Connective.

4. S + O + V

나는 사과를 먹었다 = I ate an apple.
지성은 물을 마신다 = Ji-sung drinks water.
새들이 노래를 부른다 = The birds are singing songs.
안나는 대학을 다닌다 = Anna attends college (university) [written form]
안나는 대학을 다녀요 = Anna attends college (university) [spoken form]
영희는 어제 정원에 꽃을 심었다 = Young-hee planted a flower in the garden yesterday.

*Notice that the time(어젯밤) and place(정원에) are inserted between S and O.

나 = I
사과 = apple
먹었다 = ate
물 = water
마시다 = drink
새 = a bird
새들 = birds
노래 = song
부르다 = sing
다니다 = attend [written form]
다녀요 = attend [polite spoken form]
어제 = yesterday
정원 = garden
꽃 = flower
심다 = plant (verb)

In addition, unlike English, it is quite common to leave out the subject in a sentence in Korean. When the subject is known by the readers or speakers, it is often left out. Therefore, depending on a situation or context, it is OK to write or speak without beginning the sentence with a subject.

A subject may not be used in a sentence if it is known who or what the subject is. So, the sentences below are also correct and it is common in spoken Korean (conversations).

학생이다 = (am/is) a student
선생님이다 = (am/is) a teacher
의사였다 = was a doctor
중학생이에요 = (am/is) a middle school student

달린다 = runs
힘차게 달렸다 = vigorously ran

크다 = (am/is/are) big
작다 = (am/is/are) small
정말 좋아 = (am/is/are) really good [spoken form]

사과를 먹었다 = ate an apple
물을 마셨어 = drank water [spoken form]
노래를 불렀어 = sang songs [spoken form]
어제 꽃을 심었어요 = planted a flower yesterday [polite spoken form]

For more help with the particles, please refer to the following posts:

Learn Korean Language - 011

2008-09-11T15:33:00.004+12:00

Learn Korean Language: Let's Speak Korean - 011

In this lesson, Stephen teaches you how to express your desire to do something with somebody. Also see (Would you like to go? - 갈래요?)

극장에 같이 갈래요? = Would you like to go to the cinema together?
네, 좋아요 = Yes, I'd like to. (most common)
네, 갈래요 = Yes, I will go. (very uncommon)
네, 가고 싶어요 = Yes, I want to go. (fairly uncommon) see (Verbs - Want)
아뇨, 안 갈래요 = No, I won't go.
너무 피곤해요 = I'm very tired

Korean words:

네 = Yes (formal)
아니요 = No (formal)
아뇨 = 아니요's contracted form
어 = Yes (informal)
아니 = No (Informal)

좋다 = like, good
좋아 = like, good (spoken form)
좋아요 = like, good (formal spoken form)
극장 = theatre, cinema
같이 = together
너무 = very
피곤하다 = tired
피곤해요 = tired (formal spoken form)

Would you like to go? - 갈래요?

2008-09-11T15:09:00.001+12:00

Would you like to go? - 갈래요?

~을(ㄹ)래요? is used when you express your desire to do something together with someone, or when you want someone to do something. So it is similar to "Would you like to do something?/Do you want to do something?" in English.

● Rule

1. For verbs without a final consonant, add ㄹ 래요.

하다 = 할래요? = Would you like to do?
가다 = 갈래요? = Would you like to go?
사다 = 살래요? = Would you like to buy?
마시다 = 마실래요? = Would you like to drink?

2. For verbs with a final consonant, add 을래요.

먹다 = 먹을래요? = Would you like to eat?
앉다 = 앉을래요? = Would you like to sit?
읽다 = 읽을래요? = Would you like to read?

Eg.

커피 마실래요? = Would you like to drink coffee?
점심 먹을래요? = Would you like to eat lunch?
극장에 같이 갈래요? = Would like to go to the cinema together?

극장 = cinema, theatre
점심 = lunch, noon
같이 = together

Note: If you omit 요 off 을(ㄹ)래요, ie. 을(ㄹ)래 it becomes an informal form.

커피 마실래? = Would you like to drink coffee?
점심 먹을래? = Would you like to eat lunch?
극장에 같이 갈래? = Would like to go to the cinema together?

Privacy Policy

2008-09-11T14:49:00.001+12:00

Privacy Policy for parksguide.blogspot.com

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Learn Korean Language - 003

2008-09-11T14:14:00.002+12:00

Learn Korean Language: Let's Speak Korean - 003

In this lesson, we talk about the time.

지금 몇 시에요? = What time is it now?
지금 7시에요 = It's 7 o'clock now.
지금 2시 30분입니다 = It's 2:30 now.
지금 4시 반입니다 = It's half past four now.
4시 10분 전입니다 = It's ten to four. [3:50]

Korean words:

지금 = now
반 = half, 30min
전 = before

When we talk about minutes, we use 일, 이, 삼 etc., but when we talk about hours, we use 하나, 둘, 셋 etc which are used when counting. See, (Nouns - Numbers and Counting)
하나, 둘, 셋, and 넷 have also been abbreviated to 한, 두, 세 and 네.

1시 = 한시 = 1 o'clock
2시 = 두시 = 2 o'clock
3시 = 세시
4시 = 네시
5시 = 다섯시
6시 = 여섯시
7시 = 일곱시
8시 = 여덟시
9시 = 아홉시
10시 = 열시
11시 = 열 한시
12시 = 열 두시

The usual pronunciations for numbers are used for minutes.

1분 = 일분 = 1 minute
2분 = 이분 = 2 minute
5분 = 오분
10분 = 십분
20분 = 이십분
30분 = 삼십분
45분 = 사십 오분
50분 = 오십분
60분 = 육십분

Learn Korean Language - 002

2008-09-11T12:54:00.007+12:00

Learn Korean Language: Let's Speak Korean - 002

I highly recommend watching this show. Stephen Revere is very enthusiastic, and his explanations are excellent.

무슨 일을 하세요? = What work do you do? (= What do you do for a living?)

무슨, 뭐 = what

Note: When 무슨 is used, a noun is attached after it.

Eg.

무슨 일 = what work
무슨 직업 = what vocation
무슨 학교 = what school
무슨 옷 = what clothes [무슨 옷 샀어? = What clothes did you buy?]

But 뭐 is used alone,

Eg.

뭐 하세요? = What do you do?
병원에서 뭐 하세요? = What do you do at hospital?
집에서 뭐 하세요? = What do you do at home?

우리 can be omitted when answering the question because we already know that we are talking about my father, (우리) 아버지.

(우리) 아버지는 병원에서 일하세요. = (Our) father works at hospital.
(우리) 어머니는 병원에서 일해요. = (Our) mother works at hospital.

해요 = 하세요 They are both formal. (Verbs - Formal [Present, Past]),

Korean words:

의사 = doctor
간호사 = nurse
선생님 = teacher
학생 = student
배우 = actor
군인 = soldier
변호사 = lawyer
경찰 = police officer
소방관 = fire fighter
이발사 = barber

학생이에요 or 학생입니다 = I am a student
학교에서 공부 해요 = I study at school (= student)
학교에서 일(을) 해요 = I work at school (= teacher)

Note: Object particles can be omitted in speech.

Are you doing? - ~는 거야? [Informal]

2008-09-10T10:52:00.001+12:00

Are you doing? - ~는 거야?

는 거야 is commonly used in situations where you see somebody doing something and you want to ask them what they are doing. Again, 는 거야 can only be used when you are actually watching somebody doing something, and you want to ask them what they are doing.

● Rule

Take 다 off a plain verb and add 는 거야?

하다 → 하는 거야? = Are you doing?
가다 → 가는 거야? = Are you going?
읽다 → 읽는 거야? = Are you reading?
보다 → 보는 거야? = Are you watching?
쓰다 → 쓰는 거야? = Are you writing?
먹다 → 먹는 거야? = Are you eating?
마시다 → 마시는 거야? = Are you drinking?
자다 → 자는 거야? = Are you sleeping?
보내다 → 보내는 거야? = Are you sending?

Eg.

일 하는 거야? = Are you working?
학교 숙제 하는 거야? = Are you doing school homework?
점심 먹는 거야? = Are you having lunch?
집에 가는 거야? = Are you going home?
교회 가는 거야? = Are you going to church?
물 마시는 거야? = Are you drinking water?
영화 보는 거야? = Are you watching a movie?
에세이 쓰는 거야? = Are you writing an essay?
문자 메시지 보내는 거야? = Are you sending a txt message?
벌써 자는 거야? = Are you sleeping already?

You can add 언제, 어디, 누가, 뭐, 어떻게 or 왜 [when, where, who, what, how or why] in front of ~는 거야? to make these sentences.

뭐 하는 거야? = What are you doing?
뭐 읽는 거야? = What are you reading?
뭐 보는 거야? = What are you watching?
뭐 쓰는 거야? = What are you writing?
뭐 먹는 거야? = What are you eating?
뭐 마시는 거야? = What are you drinking?
뭐 보내는 거야? = What are you sending?
어디 가는 거야? = Where are you going?
누가 자는 거야? = Who is sleeping?
누가 하는 거야? = Who is doing?
어떻게 쓰는 거야? = How are you writing?
왜 하는 거야? = Why are you doing?

Learn Korean Language - 180

2008-09-10T10:10:00.006+12:00

Learn Korean Language: Let's Speak Korean - 180

I find this programme very helpful for learning Korean. You can listen to a few sentences found in ordinary conversations and they are explained to you in English and so it will be easier to understand them. You can also practice listening and speaking in Korean. I have also made some explanations of the sentences below.

Eg.

안녕하세요! = Hello! [Formal]

친구한테 문자 메시지 보내는 거야? = Are you sending a txt message to your friend?

Korean words:

보내다 = send
보내는 거야? = Are you sending? (Are you doing? - ~는 거야?)

친구 = friend
문자 메시지 = text message
음성 메시지 = voice message
한테 = see (Particles - 께/에게/한테)

응. 아직 서툴러서 시간이 걸려. = Yes. Because I'm still clumsy, it takes time.

아직 = still
서투르다 = clumsy

서툴다 is a contracted form of 서투르다 and
서툴러서 = Because I'm clumsy. see (Conjunctions - Because, So)

시간 = time
걸리다 = takes

걸려 is a spoken form of 걸리다. see (Verbs - Present, Past)
걸려요 is a formal form of 걸려. see (Verbs - Formal [Present, Past])

Proverbs

낮 말은 새가 듣고 밤 말은 쥐가 듣는다. = The day time speech, the birds hear, and the night time speech, the rats hear. (The walls have ears.)

듣다 = hear (a plain form)
듣는다 = hear (a present written form) (Verbs - Present, Past)

Nouns - Numbers and Counting

2008-09-09T22:14:00.020+12:00

There are two ways of pronouncing numbers in Korean. These are:

Sino-Korean numerals - 일, 이, 삼, ...
Native Korean numerals - 하나, 둘, 셋, ...

The Sino-Korean numerals are used for dates, minutes and prices.
The native Korean numerals are used for counting, age and hours.

Sino-Korean Numerals [Dates, Minutes and Prices]

The key to memorizing the pronunciations of the Sino-Korean numerals is to learn from 1(일) to 10(십), and use these ten numbers as building blocks to learn the rest of the numbers. Here is a list of the first ten numbers:

1 = 일
2 = 이
3 = 삼
4 = 사
5 = 오
6 = 육
7 = 칠
8 = 팔
9 = 구
10 = 십

From 11 to 19, what you need to do is say 10(십) first and say the ones' number.
For example,

11 = 10 + 1 → 십 + 일 = 십일
12 = 10 + 2 → 십 + 이 = 십이
13 = 10 + 3 → 십 + 삼 = 십삼
17 = 10 + 7 → 십 + 칠 = 십칠
19 = 10 + 9 → 십 + 구 = 십구

From 20 and onward, it works in the same way. But in addition, 20, 30, ..., 90 are pronounced in the following way:

20 = 이 + 십 = 이십 (Lit. two-ten)
30 = 삼 + 십 = 삼십 (Lit. three-ten)
50 = 오 + 십 = 오십
80 = 팔 + 십 = 팔십
90 = 구 + 십 = 구십

Additionally,

21 = 이십 + 일 = 이십일 (Lit. two-ten one)
22 = 이십 + 이 = 이십이
32 = 삼십 + 이 = 삼십이
45 = 사십 + 오 = 사십오
57 = 오십 + 칠 = 오십칠
89 = 팔십 + 구 = 팔십구

100 is 백, and 200 is 이백 which literally means 'two-hundred.' Then how do you say 300 as a Sino-Korean numeral? Yes, it's 삼백 (Lit. three-hundred)

100 = 백
101 = 백일
105 = 백오
127 = 백이십칠
200 = 이백
219 = 이백십구
324 = 삼백이십사
508 = 오백팔
731 = 칠백삼십일
945 = 구백사십오

1000 is 천, then 2000 is? Yes, it's 이천. Then how do you say 3283 in a Sino-Korean way? It's 삼천이백팔심삼. [Lit. three-thousand two-hundred eight-ten three]

1000 = 천
1001 = 천일
1035 = 천삼십오
2427 = 이천사백이십칠
8492 = 팔천사백구십이

What is 10000? It's 만. It is not 십천 (or ~~ten-thousand~~). 20000 is 이만, 30000 is 삼만 and so on.

10000 = 만
10002 = 만이
10034 = 만삼십사
20673 = 이만육백칠십삼
84832 = 팔만사천팔백삼십이

Now 100000 is 십만 and 200000 is 이십만. At this point, it'd help you understand the naming system of these numbers if you think them in terms of their number of zeros. Here is what I mean:

10000 is 만
10,0000 is 십만
100,0000 is 백만
1000,0000 is 천만
1,0000,0000 is 억 (NOT ~~만만)~~
10,0000,0000 is 십억
100,0000,0000 is 백억
1000,0000,0000 is 천억
1,0000,0000,0000 is 조

You can see that numbers obtain a new name every time they get additional 4 zeros. This is different to English where the name of numbers change after every additional 3 zeros. For example, 'thousand', 'million' and 'billion'.

However, when we write numbers, we follow the international standard in that the comma is placed after every threes. The examples above where the comma is placed after every 4 zeros are for the purpose of easier understanding only. Therefore:

만 = 10,000
십만 = 100,000 (NOT ~~10,0000~~)
백만 = 1,000,000 (NOT ~~100,0000~~)

Let's revise what we've learned above:

11 = 십일
12 = 십이
13 = 십삼
20 = 이십
25 = 이십오
30 = 삼십
40 = 사십
50 = 오십
56 = 오십육
70 = 칠십
80 = 팔십
100 = 백
101 = 백일
107 = 백칠
120 = 백이십
150 = 백오십
200 = 이백
202 = 이백이
537 = 오백삼십칠 [500 +30 + 7 → 오백 + 삼십 + 칠 = 오백삼십칠]
1000 = 천
2000 = 이천
2500 = 이천오백
10000 = 만
10500 = 만오백 [10000 + 500 → 만 + 오백 = 만오백]
53847 = 오만삼천팔백사십칠 [50000 + 3000 + 800 + 40 + 7 → 오만 + 삼천 + 팔백 + 사십 + 칠 = 오만삼천팔백사십칠]

The following are the examples of how the Sino-Korean numerals are used for dates, minutes and prices.

[Dates]

The order in which the date is written is reversed in Korean. A day of the week comes first, then a month and then a year. [a year = 년, a month = 월, a day of the week = 일]

Notice how the Sino-Korean numerals are used in pronouncing dates.

28 Jan 2010 → 2010년 1월 28일 = 이천십년 일월 이십팔일
17/10/2011 → 2011/10/17 = 2011년 10월 17일 =이천십일년 시월 십칠일

Note: 10월 is not 십월, but rather 시월. This exception is due to the awkwardness of pronouncing 십월, which is quite cumbersome to pronounce. Therefore 10월 is 시월 for the pronunciation's sake.

[Minutes]

The Sino-Korean numerals are also used for 'minutes' but not for 'hours'. The native Korean numerals which are used for pronouncing the number of 'hours' are explained below in the second section of this post.

[an hour, o'clock = 시, a minute(s) = 분, am = 오전, pm = 오후]

9:38 am → 오전 9시 38분 = 오전 아홉시 삼십팔분
6:19 pm → 오후 6시 19분 = 오후 여섯시 십구분

[Prices]

The Korean currency is called 'won.' Its symbol is '₩', and it's pronounced 원.

₩12,800 → 12,800원 = 만이천팔백원
₩39,130 → 39,130원 = 삼만구천백삼십원

Native Korean numerals [Counting, Age and Hours]

The basic numbering system of the native Korean numerals is the same as that of the Sino-Korean numerals. However, in addition to one to ten, there is a need to learn the special pronunciations of tens, i.e. 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90.

From 100, the pronunciation is the same as the Sino-Korean numerals we've looked at above. [hundred (100) = 백, thousand (1000) = 천, ten thousand (10000) = 만]

1 = 하나
2 = 둘
3 = 셋
4 = 넷
5 = 다섯
6 = 여섯
7 = 일곱
8 = 여덟
9 = 아홉
10 = 열
11 = 열 하나
12 = 열 둘
13 = 열 셋
17 = 열 일곱
20 = 스물
21 = 스물 하나
22 = 스물 둘
23 = 스물 셋
30 = 서른
40 = 마흔
50 = 쉰
55 = 쉰 다섯
60 = 예순
70 = 일흔
75 = 일흔 다섯 [70 + 5 → 일흔 + 다섯 = 일흔다섯]
80 = 여든
90 = 아흔
100 = 백
189 = 백 여든 아홉 [100 + 80 + 9 → 백 + 여든 + 아홉 = 백여든아홉]

Below are the examples of how the native Korean numerals are used in counting, age and hours.

[Counting]

The native Korean numerals are used for counting, e.g. the number of people in a class, the number of cars in a car park, the numbers of apples on an apple tree, the numbers of pencils or pens on a desk, etc.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ... = 하나, 둘, 셋, 넷, 다섯, ...

When counting, we use distinctive identifier words called counters. Each kind of object (or person for that matter) has their own counter to distinguish them from other kinds. This counter system is a bit like the system found in English, i.e. 3 cups of juice, 5 glasses of water. However, the Korean counting system extends to every object.

For example,

three cups of juice = 주스 세컵
five glasses of water = 물 다섯잔
six people = 여섯명 (사람)
five cars = 차 다섯대
three apples = 사과 세개
two pencils = 연필 두자루
four books = 책 네권
ten roses = 장미 열송이

Listed below are some of the most common counters used in counting.

명 = people
마리 = animals
대 = cars
개 = objects (this is very widely used for any inanimate objects)
자루 = long, lean objects
그루 = trees
송이 = flowers
켤레 = shoes
장 = paper
권 = books
살 = age
층 = floor [The Sino-Korean numerals are used for counting the number of floors, i.e. the first floor = 일층, the second floor = 이층, and the eighth floor = 팔층]

Please also note that 하나 becomes 한, and the final consonant of each of 둘, 셋, 넷 and 스물 is omitted when they are attached to counters. For example,

(물) 한잔 = a glass of water (NOT ~~하나잔~~)
(종이) 두장 = two pieces of paper (NOT 둘장)
(신발) 세켤레 = three pairs of shoes (NOT ~~셋켤레~~)
(사람) 네명 = four people (NOT 넷명)
(나이) 스무살 = twenty (years of age) (NOT ~~스물살~~)

The counters work in a similar way to some of the counter words in English, e.g. 장 is similar to 'pieces' and 켤레 is similar to 'pairs'.

[Age]

As we've looked at above, the counter, 살, is attached to years of age. For example:

1 = 한살
2 = 두살
3 = 세살
4 = 네살
5 = 다섯살
7 = 일곱살
10 = 열살
11 = 열한살
12 = 열두살
13 = 열세살
17 = 열일곱살
20 = 스무살
24 = 스물 네살
32 = 서른 두살
58 = 쉰 여덟살

[Hours]

The native Korean numerals are also used for 'hours' but not for 'minutes' which use the Sino-Korean numerals.

10:25 am → 오전 10시 25분 = 오전 열시 이십오분
7:30 pm → 오후 7시 30분 = 오후 일곱시 삼십분 or 오후 일곱시 반 (반 means 'a half')

[Months]

한달 = 1 month
두달 = 2 months
세달 = 3 months
네달 = 4 months
다섯달 = 5 months
여섯달 = 6 months
일곱달 = 7 months
여덞달 = 8 months
아홉달 = 9 months
열달 = 10 months

Example sentence

2달 동안 학교를 다니고 2주동안 방학을 했다 = I went to school for 2 months and had a break(holidays) for 2 weeks.

Try doing - ~해 보다

2008-09-09T14:01:00.003+12:00

Try doing - ~해 보다

보다 means "see" and ~해 보다 is a special expression which means "try doing". This expression is used very commonly in ordinary conversations.

● Rule

Add 보다 to a spoken form of a verb. (Verbs - Present, Past)

해 보다 = try doing
가 보다 = try going
먹어 보다 = try eating
마셔 보다 = try drinking
읽어 보다 = try reading
들어 보다 = try listening
사 보다 = try buying
앉아 보다 = try sitting
봐 보다 = try seeing/looking/watching
올라가 보다 = try going up
쳐 보다 = try playing (the instrument)

The tables below is showing the written and spoken forms, and their respective positive and negative forms. Remember that the plain form of verbs is the most basic from which many other forms of verbs derive and the plain form itself is rarely used in both written and spoken Korean. I have omitted the present negatives for both written and spoken forms because people never use it in this way. Instead of saying, "don't try eating", people would say, "don't eat" which is 먹지마. There are two ways of expressing past negatives and one is more common than the other. "안~" form is more commonly used.

Factual/Declarative (Written)	*Plain*	Present	Past
Positive	먹어 보다	먹어 본다	먹어 봤다
Negative	먹어 보지 않다		먹어 보지 않았다 안 먹어 봤다

Dialogue/Conversation (Spoken)	*Plain*	Present	Past
Positive	먹어 보다	먹어 봐	먹어 봤어
Negative	먹어 보지 않다		먹어 보지 않았어 안 먹어 봤어

Eg.

안나는 중국 음식을 먹어 봤다. = Anna tried eating Chinese food.
찰스는 조나단 에드워즈의 책을 읽어 봤다. = Charles tried reading Jonathan Edwards' book.
예전에 먹어 봐서 코코넛을 또 사 봤다 = Because I tried eating it before, I tried buying a coconut again. (Conjunctions - Because, So)

예전에 = in the past, before
또 = again

이 음악을 들어 봐! = Try listening to this music!
이 차를 마셔 봐! = Try drinking this tea!
이 언덕에 올라가 봐. 그리고 푸른하늘을 봐 봐. = Try going up this hill! And try looking at the blue sky!

독일 가 봤어? = Tried going to Germany? (= Have you been to Germany?)
이 오래된 소파에 앉아 봤어? = Tried sitting on this old sofa?
피아노 쳐 봤어? = Tried playing the piano?

Formal Form
Refer to Verbs - Formal [Present, Past]

Eg.
Written Form

먹어 봅니다 = try eating
먹어 봤습니다 = tried eating
먹어 보지 않았습니다 = haven't tried eating
안 먹어 봤습니다 = haven't tried eating

Spoken Form

먹어 봐요 = try eating
먹어 봤어요 = tried eating
먹어 보지 않았어요 = haven't tried eating
안 먹어 봤어요 = haven't tried eating

Adjectives - Polite [Present, Past]

2008-09-07T22:03:00.020+12:00

Polite Form

In the previous post, Adjectives - Present, Past, we learned to distinguish between the written and spoken forms of Korean. In addition to it, we're going to further distinguish between the polite and informal forms in Korean.

What are the difference between the informal and polite forms?

Informal - Generally speaking, the informal form is used among people of the same age or to people who are younger by older people. It is also used by people who are closely related such as such family members and relatives. People who are close friends would use this form depending on the familiarity and acceptability.

Polite - The polite form is used when speaking to people who are older than you or of a higher rank than you such as in the company, army and other institutions. However, people generally use the polite form in many social settings regardless of one's age. Initially, it would be best to stick to the polite form when learning Korean, as this would be the predominant form of speaking to people in many social environments. However, if you attend school or other similar institutions where you'd make friends and the environment is more casual, it might be more appropriate to use the informal form.

Below are the two tables showing the polite form of the written and spoken forms of Korean. Please note that the words in bold indicate which of the two negatives are more common in each form, i.e. 빠르지 않습니다 is more commonly used than 안 빠릅니다 in the written form whereas 안 빨라요 is more commonly used than 빠르지 않아요 in the spoken form.

Polite Written Form	Present	Past
Positive	빠릅니다	빨랐습니다
Negative	빠르지 않습니다 안 빠릅니다	빠르지 않았습니다 안 빨랐습니다

Polite Spoken Form	Present	Past
Positive	빨라요	빨랐어요
Negative	빠르지 않아요 안 빨라요	빠르지 않았어요 안 빨랐어요

Conjugations rules

I) Informal written form → Polite written form (Present tense)

First of all, take 다 off adjectives, and then:

1. For adjectives whose final character has no final consonant, add ㅂ 니다.

E.g.

크다 → 큽니다 = big/large
세다 → 셉니다 = strong

빠르다 → 빠릅니다 = fast
느리다 → 느립니다 = slow
착하다 → 착합니다 = kind

따뜻하다 → 따뜻합니다 = warm (touch, feeling)
시원하다 → 시원합니다 = cool (touch, feeling)

2. For adjectives whose final character has a final consonant, attach 습니다.

E.g.

작다 → 작습니다 = small (size)
많다 → 많습니다 = many
적다 → 적습니다 = small (quantity)
쉽다 → 쉽습니다 = easy

어렵다 → 어렵습니다 = difficult
뜨겁다 → 뜨겁습니다 = hot (touch)
새롭다 → 새롭습니다 = new

II) Informal written → Polite written (Past tense)

Take 다 off the past tense of adjectives, and then attach 습니다.

E.g.

컸다 → 컸습니다 = was big/large
작았다 → 작았습니다 = was small (size)
좋았다 → 좋았습니다 = was good

빨랐다 → 빨랐습니다 = was fast
느렸다 → 느렸습니다 = was slow
쉬웠다 → 쉬웠습니다 = was easy

어려웠다 → 어려웠습니다 = was difficult
뜨거웠다 → 뜨거웠습니다 = was hot (touch)
차가웠다 → 차가웠습니다 = was cold (touch)
새로웠다 → 새로웠습니다 = was new

III) Informal → Polite (Spoken)

Attach 요 at the end of the adjectives of all forms.

E.g.

높아 → 높아요 = high
안높아 → 안높아요 = not high
높았어 → 높았어요 = was high
안높았어 → 안높았어요 = was not high

많아 → 많아요 = many
안많아 → 안많아요 = not many
많았어 → 많았어요 = were many
안많았어 → 안많았어요 = were not many

커 → 커요 = big/large
안커 → 안커요 = not big/large
컸어 → 컸어요 = was big/large
안컸어 → 안컸어요 = was not big/large

For help with the pronunciations of these adjectives in various forms, please use the 'listen' feature on Google Translate.