Talk to me In korean (TTMIK) Lessons

Question 1

Level 1 - Part 1
-Lesson 1: Hello, Thank you
-Lesson 2: Yes, No, What?
-Lesson 3: Good-bye. See you
-Lesson 4: I’m Sorry, Excuse Me
-Lesson 5: It’s Me. What is it?
-Lesson 6: What is this? This is…
-Lesson 7: This, That, It
-Lesson 8: It’s Not me
-Lesson 9: Topic/Subject Particles
-Lesson 10: Have, Don’t have

Answer 1

Lesson 1. Hello. Thank you. / 안녕하세요. 감사합니다

At first, it might be difficult to pronounce this greeting naturally, but after some practice, it will get easier.
안녕 [an-nyeong] + 하세요 [ha-se-yo] = 안녕하세요. [an-nyeong-ha-se-yo.]
안녕 = well-being, peace, health
하세요 = you do, do you?, please do
안녕하세요 is the most common way of greeting someone in Korean. This greeting is in
존댓말 [jon-daen-mal], or polite/formal language. When someone greets you with 안녕하세요, you can simply greet the person back with 안녕하세요.
When you write this greeting, you can write it as “안녕하세요.” (statement) or “안녕하세요?” (question form). Either way is perfectly acceptable. 안녕하세요 was originally a question asking “Are you doing well?”, “Are you at peace?”, or “Are you living well?”, but since it is a very common expression, people began to not expect any special answers in reply. For example, when you ask a friend of yours “What’s up?”, do you really expect an honest answer about what is going on? In this case, you might hear “What’s up?” in reply. 안녕하세요 is exactly like that.
Sample Conversation
A: 안녕하세요. = Hello.
B: 안녕하세요. = Hi.
In Korean, there are a few levels of politeness which are commonly called “honorifics” in English. If you are a beginner learner, it might seem intimidating at first to learn of the honorifics, but it is important to know and utilize them. It gets much easier as you learn and practice more, so do not worry!
You can divide Korean honorifics into two categories that are quite easy to distinguish from each other and learn to use. One category is called 존댓말 [jon-daen-mal], which means polite or formal language, and the other is 반말 [ban-mal], which means casual, intimate, or informal language. In Korean, if you hear sentences that end in “-요” [-yo] or “-니다” [-ni-da], they are most likely in 존댓말 (polite/formal language). It is better to learn 존댓말 first because if you speak 존댓말 in a situation when you can use 반말 (intimate/informal language), you are not going to be in too much trouble. However, if you use 반말 when you are supposed to use 존댓말, you might get into trouble.
감사합니다.
Thank you.
감사 [gam-sa] + 합니다 [ham-ni-da] = 감사합니다. [gam-sa-ham-ni-da]
감사 = appreciation, thankfulness, gratitude
합니다 = I do, I am doing
감사합니다 is the most common way to politely say “Thank you.” 감사 means “gratitude”, and 합니다 means “I do” or “I am doing” in 존댓말 (polite/formal language). Together, the two mean “Thank you.” You can use 감사합니다 whenever you find yourself in a situation where you want to say “Thank you.”
In English, when you say “Thank you”, the expression has the word “you” in it. In Korean, however, people just say 감사합니다, but the word does not have an object (“you”) in it. You do not have to say “you” in Korean because it is easy to guess to whom you are offering thanks. As you learn more Korean expressions, you will see that there are many that need not include the object within the sentence.
If you have a Korean friend or live in Korea but have not tried using these expressions, try to use them as often as possible until they become very easy and comfortable to say!

Lesson 2. Yes. No. What? / 네. 아니요. 네?

After studying with this lesson, you will be able to answer with either YES or NO in response to basic questions in Korean.
네 / 아니요
In Korean, “Yes” is 네 [ne] and “No” is 아니요 [a-ni-yo] in 존댓말 [jon-daen-mal], or polite/formal language.
네. [ne] = Yes.
아니요. [a-ni-yo] = No.
However, in Korean, when people say “네”, it does not have the same meaning as saying “Yes” in English. The same goes for “아니요”, too. This is because the Korean word “네” expresses your “agreement” to what the other person is saying. In contrast, “아니요” expresses your “disagreement” or “denial” to what the other person is saying.
For example, if someone asks you “You don’t like coffee?” (커피 안 좋아해요?) in Korean and your answer is “No, I don’t like coffee”, you have to say “네”. The literal translation of “네” is “Yes”, but what you actually mean in English would be “No, I don’t like coffee.”
Strange? Maybe a little, so it is more accurate to put it this way:
네. = That is right. / I agree. / Sounds good. / What you said is correct.
아니요. = That is not right. / I do not agree. / What you said is not correct.
When you ask “You don’t like coffee?” in Korean, if the person answering does not like coffee, he/she will say “No.” in English but “네” in Korean. However if the person DOES like coffee, he/she will say “Yes” in English but “아니요” in Korean.
Sample Conversations
A: 커피 좋아해요? [keo-pi jo-a-hae-yo?] = Do you like coffee?
B: 네. 좋아해요. [ne. jo-a-hae-yo] = Yes, I like coffee.
A: 커피 좋아해요? [keo-pi jo-a-hae-yo?] = Do you like coffee?
B: 아니요. 안 좋아해요. [a-ni-yo. an jo-a-hae-yo] = No, I don’t like coffee.
A: 커피 안 좋아해요? [keo-pi an jo-a-hae-yo?] = You don’t like coffee?
B: 아니요. 좋아해요. [a-ni-yo. jo-a-hae-yo] = Yes (아니요 in Korean), I like coffee.
A: 커피 안 좋아해요? [keo-pi an jo-a-hae-yo?] = You don’t like coffee?
B: 네. 안 좋아해요. [ne. an jo-a-hae-yo] = No (네 in Korean), I don’t like coffee.
You do not have to worry about the other parts of the sample sentences mentioned previously. Just remember that the Korean system for saying YES and NO is different from the English system.

More usages of 네
네 [ne] is more than just YES or THAT IS RIGHT.
While 네 is used to express “Yes” or “That is right”, it is also used as a conversation filler. If you listen to two Korean people talking with each other, you will hear them saying 네 quite often, even when it is not intended to mean “Yes.”
Therefore, it is normal for two Korean people to have a conversation as the one below. Imagine that the entire conversation is in Korean.
Sample Conversation
A: You know what, I bought this book yesterday.
B: 네. [ne] (Oh, you did?)
A: and I really like it.
B: 네… (I see…)
A: But it is a bit too expensive.
B: 네. (I see!)
A: Do you know how much it was?
B: How much was it?
A: It was 100 dollars!
B: 네? [ne?] (What?)
A: So I paid the money with my credit card.
B: 네… (I got it.)
A: But I still like it a lot because it’s a book by Kyeong-eun Choi, one of the teachers at TalkToMeInKorean.com
B: 네… (I see…)
So, as you can see from the dialog above, 네 [ne] is a multi-player. Not only can it mean “yes” or “that’s right”, but it can also mean “I see”, “I got it”, “I’m here! (when someone calls you)”, “I understand”, “ah-ha”, or any other affirmative statement.

Using 네 with 맞아요
Because 네 [ne] and 아니요 [a-ni-yo] are focused more on your agreement and disagreement rather than whether something is true or not, and ALSO because 네 can mean “I see” or “ah-ha” as well, Korean people often add this expression, 맞아요 [ma-ja-yo] after 네 [ne].
네, 맞아요. [ne, ma-ja-yo] = Yes, that is right.
This is used in order to express more strongly and clearly that you are saying “You are right” rather than sounding like you are just passively listening while nodding.
네 is amazing. It can be many things, but it can also be “What did you say?”
Suppose someone said something to you, but you could not hear the person well or you were not paying much attention. Then you can say “네?” [ne?] to mean “Pardon me?”, “I am sorry?”, “What did you say?”, or “I did not hear you well.” You can also use “네?” to show your surprise.
Sample Conversation
A: I bought a present for you.
B: 네? [ne?] (What? You did?)
A: I said I bought a present for you?
B: 네? (What?)
A: Forget it.
B: 네? (Pardon?)

Lesson 3. Good-bye. See you. / 안녕히 가세요. 안녕히 계세요. 안녕.

After studying with this lesson, you will be able to say goodbye in Korean.
Do you remember how to say “Hello” in Korean? It is 안녕하세요. [an-nyeong-ha-se-yo]
If you remember 안녕하세요, that is fantastic! If you even remember that “안녕” in 안녕하세
요 means “peace” and “well-being”, that is even more fantastic!
안녕 [an-nyeong] = well-being, peace, health
In Korean, when you say “goodbye” in formal/polite Korean, 존댓말 [jon-daen-mal], there
are two types of expressions, and both of these expressions have the word 안녕 [an-nyeong] in
them.
One is when you are the one who is leaving. The other is when you are the one who is staying and you are seeing the people or the person leaving.
If you are leaving and the other person is (or the other people are) staying, you can say:
안녕히 계세요.
If you are staying, and the other person is (or the other people are) leaving, you can say:
안녕히 가세요.
* If two or more people meet and all of them are leaving and going in separate directions, they can all say 안녕히 가세요 to each other since no one is staying.
For now, do not worry about the literal meaning of the expressions and just learn them as they
are. However if you are really curious and if you were to translate these greetings literally, they would be translated like this:
안녕히 계세요. [an-nyeong-hi gye-se-yo.] = Stay in peace.
안녕히 가세요. [an-nyeong-hi ga-se-yo.] = Go in peace.
Again, do not worry about the literal meaning of these greetings JUST YET!
* When Korean people say 안녕하세요 [an-nyeong-ha-se-yo], 안녕히 계세요 [an-nyeong-hi gye-se-yo], or 안녕히 가세요 [an-nyeong-hi ga-se-yo], they do not always pronounce EVERY single letter clearly. So often at times, what you would hear clearly is just the ending part, “세요 [se-yo]”.

Lesson 4. I’m sorry. Excuse me. / 죄송합니다. 저기요.

After studying with this lesson, you will be able to say “I am sorry” or “I apologize” in Korean. You will also be able to get someone’s attention when you want to say something to them or order something in a restaurant.
죄송합니다.
Do you remember how to say “Thank you” in Korean? It is 감사합니다. [gam-sa-ham-ni-da] If you also remember that 감사합니다 is basically 감사 (“appreciation” or “thankfulness”) plus 합
니다 (“I do”), you can assume that 죄송합니다 [joe-song-ham-ni-da] is also 죄송 plus 합니다.
죄송 [joe-song] means “apology”, “being sorry”, or “feeling ashamed”, and 합니다 [ham-ni-da] means “I do”. Therefore, 죄송합니다 [joe-song-ham-ni-da] means “I am sorry” or “I apologize.”
Q: Why is “합니다” not pronounced as [hap-ni-da] but instead as [ham-ni-da]?
A: In Korean, when you say something like “합”, you do not pronounce the final letter independently, but rather as a part of the entire syllable. Therefore, instead of pronouncing 합 as “ha” plus “p”, you press your lips together after 합 without aspirating the “p” sound, which is also known as a “bilabial stop” (try saying the English word “stop” with a puff of air at the end [aspirated], then say “stop” again with your lips pressed together and no puff of air). Since the syllable which follows 합 is 니, there is no vowel in between ㅂ and ㄴ in order to create the aspirated “p” sound. This creates an easier transition between 합 and 니, and when spoken quickly, ㅂ softens to an ㅁ [m] sound.

“I am sorry.” is NOT always 죄송합니다.
Even though 죄송합니다 [joe-song-ham-ni-da] is BASICALLY “I am sorry”, you cannot use 죄송합니다 when you want to say “I am sorry to hear that.” Often at times, native Korean speakers are confused when delivering bad news to English-speaking friends and hear the phrase “I am sorry” as a response. If you say “I am sorry” after you hear some bad news from our Korean friend, he or she might say “Why are YOU apologizing for that?” to you. This is because 죄송합니다 ONLY means “I apologize”, “It was my bad”, “Excuse me” or “I should not have done that.” It can never mean “I am sorry to hear that.”
Using 죄송합니다 as “excuse me” in Korean is typically heard when passing through a crowd of people or when bumping into someone. It is NOT used the same way as the English phrase “excuse me”, especially when it comes to trying to get the attention of a waiter or a stranger. When you want to get someone’s attention in Korean, you absolutely need to use 저기요 [jeo-gi-yo].
저기요.
저기 [jeo-gi] literally means “over there”, so “저기요” means “Hey, you! Over there! Look at me!” but in a more polite way. You can say “저기요” when someone is not looking at you but you need their attention. It is exactly the same as “Excuse me” except “저기요” does not mean “I am sorry.”
In English, you can use the expression “Excuse me” in all of the following situations:
1) when passing through a crowd of people;
2) when leaving the room for a second;
3) when you want to get someone’s attention and talk to them or let them know something;
4) when you want to call the waiter in a restaurant or a cafe to order something.
저기요 [jeo-gi-yo] is an expression which CAN be translated as “excuse me”, but only in numbers 3 and 4 listed above.
Including 죄송합니다, there are a few more expressions you can use when passing through a crowd of people:
1. 잠시만요. [jam-si-man-nyo] (literal meaning: “Just a second”)
2. 죄송합니다. [joe-song-ham-ni-da] (literal meaning: “I am sorry”)
3. 잠깐만요. [jam-kkan-man-nyo] (literal meaning: “Just a second”)
(Yes, “잠시만요” and “잠깐만요” are the same thing.)
These are the most commonly used expressions. You do not have to memorize them right now,
but they are good to know!

Lesson 5. It’s me. What is it? / 저예요. 뭐예요?

After studying with this lesson, you will be able to say things like “A is B (noun)” or “I am
ABC (noun)” in polite/formal Korean.
-이에요/예요
-이에요 [-i-e-yo] and -예요 [-ye-yo] have a similar role to that of the English verb “to be”. The fundamental difference, however, is the sentence structure and order that they are used in.
English sentence structure: [be] + ABC. *ABC is a noun here.
Ex) It is ABC. / I am ABC.
Korean sentence structure: ABC + [be]. *ABC is a noun here.
Ex) ABC예요. [ABC-ye-yo.] = It is ABC. / I am ABC.
In English, the verb “to be” is changed to “am”, “are”, or “is” depending on the subject of the
sentence, but in Korean, you decide whether to use -이에요 [-i-e-yo] or -예요 [-ye-yo] depending
on whether the last letter of the previous word ends in a consonant or a vowel. -이에요 and -예
요 are very similar and also sound similar, so it is not a big problem if you mix up these
two, but it is still better to know the correct forms.
When you want to say that “It is ABC” in Korean, and if the word for “ABC” has a final consonant in the last letter, you add -이에요 [-i-e-yo]. However if it does not have a final consonant and ends in a vowel, you add -예요 [-ye-yo]. This is just to make the pronunciation easier, so it will come naturally if you practice with some sample sentences.
Conjugation:
Final consonant + -이에요 [-i-e-yo]
No final consonant (Only vowel) + -예요 [-ye-yo]
Sample Sentences
물이에요. = 물 + -이에요 [mul + -i-e-yo]
(It is) water.
가방이에요. = 가방 + -이에요 [ga-bang + -i-e-yo]
(It is) a bag.
사무실이에요. = 사무실 + -이에요 [sa-mu-sil + -i-e-yo]
(It is) an office.
학교예요. = 학교 + -예요 [hak-kkyo + -ye-yo]
(It is) a school.
저예요. = 저 + -예요 [jeo + -ye-yo]
(It is) me.
As you can see from the examples above, in Korean, you do not have to use articles like “a/an”
or “the” as in English. When you look up a noun in your Korean dictionary, you can add -이에
요 or -예요 so that it will mean “It is ABC”, “That is DEF”, “I am XYZ.”
You can also make this a question simply by raising the tone at the end of the sentence.
Sample Sentences
물이에요. [mu-ri-e-yo.] = It is water.
물이에요? [mu-ri-e-yo?] = Is that water? / Is this water?
학생이에요. [hak-ssaeng-i-e-yo] = I am a student.
학생이에요? [hak-ssaeng-i-e-yo?] = Are you a student?
학교예요. [hak-kkyo-ye-yo] = It is a school.
학교예요? [hak-kkyo-ye-yo?] = Is it a school? / Are you at school now?
뭐 [mwo] = what
뭐예요? [mwo-ye-yo?] = What is it? / What is that?

Lesson 6. What is this? This is … / 이거 뭐예요? 이거…

After studying with this lesson, you will be able to say “This is ABC” and also ask “Is this ABC?” and “What is this?” in polite/formal Korean.
In the previous lesson, you learned how -이에요 [-i-e-yo] and -예요 [-ye-yo] can be placed after a noun to express the meaning of “It is ABC” or “I am DEF.”
Conjugation:
Final consonant + -이에요 [-i-e-yo]
No final consonant (Only vowel) + -예요 [-ye-yo]
Sample Sentences
책 [chaek] + -이에요 [-i-e-yo] = 책이에요. [chae-gi-e-yo] = It is a book.
저 [jeo] + -예요 [-ye-yo] = 저예요. [jeo-ye-yo] = It is me.
* -이에요 and -예요 have a similar role to that of the English verb “to be”.

How to say “THIS”
이거 = this, this one
이 [i] (“this”) + 것 [geot] (“thing”) = 이것 [i-geot] → 이거 [i-geo]
이거 [i-geo] can be found in the dictionary as 이것 [i-geot], which is originally how it was spelled and pronounced, but over time, people began using 이거 [i-geo] for ease of pronunciation.
Sample Sentences
책이에요. [chae-gi-e-yo.] = It is a book.
이거 책이에요. [i-geo chae-gi-e-yo.] = This is a book.
카메라예요. [ka-me-ra-ye-yo.] = It is a camera.
이거 카메라예요. [i-geo ka-me-ra-ye-yo.] = This is a camera.
커피예요. [keo-pi-ye-yo.] = It is coffee.
이거 커피예요. [i-geo keo-pi-ye-yo.] = This is coffee.
사전이에요. [sa-jeo-ni-e-yo.] = It is a dictionary.
이거 사전이에요. [i-geo sa-jeo-ni-e-yo.] = This is a dictionary.

이거 뭐예요? = What is this?
In Lesson 5, we introduced the question “뭐예요? [mwo-ye-yo?]” which means “What is it?” in Korean. You can add “이거 [i-geo]” in front of “뭐예요?” to ask “What is this?”
Sample Conversations
A: 이거 뭐예요? [i-geo mwo-ye-yo?] = What is this?
B: 이거 마이크예요. [i-geo ma-i-keu-ye-yo.] = This is a microphone.
A: 이거 뭐예요? [i-geo mwo-ye-yo?] = What is this?
B: 이거 핸드폰이에요. [i-geo haen-deu-po-ni-e-yo.] = This is a cellphone.
A: 이거 뭐예요? [i-geo mwo-ye-yo?] = What is this?
B: 이거 물이에요. [i-geo mu-ri-e-yo.] = This is water.
A: 이거 뭐예요? [i-geo mwo-ye-yo?] = What is this?
B: 이거 커피예요. [i-geo keo-pi-ye-yo.] = This is coffee.
Do you remember how to say “No”?
Sample Conversation
A: 이거 커피예요? [i-geo keo-pi-ye-yo?] = Is this coffee?
B: 아니요. 이거 물이에요. [a-ni-yo. i-geo mu-ri-e-yo] = No. This is water.
Do you remember how to say “Yes, that’s right”?
Sample Conversation
A: 이거 커피예요? [i-geo keo-pi-ye-yo?] = Is this coffee?
B: 네. 맞아요. 이거 커피예요. [ne. ma-ja-yo. i-geo keo-pi-ye-yo.] = Yes, that’s right. This is coffee.

Lesson 7. This, That, It / 이, 그, 저

In this lesson, you will learn how to say “this”, “that”, and “it” in Korean. In English, the words “this” and “that” can be used on their own (as pronouns) and to modify other words (as adjectives), but in Korean, the words for “this”, “that”, and “it” change their forms depending on whether they are pronouns or adjectives.
For example, you can say “this is my car” and “this car is mine” in English. The word “this” plays two different roles here: as a pronoun and as a word which modifies “car”. In Korean, however, words for “this” as a modifier and “this” as “this item here” or “this thing here” are strictly distinguished, and the same is true for “that”.

이 = this (near you)
이 커피 [i keo-pi] = this coffee
이 컴퓨터 [i keom-pyu-teo] = this computer
이 아이스크림 [i a-i-seu-keu-rim] = this ice-cream
이 호텔 [i ho-tel] = this hotel
이 택시 [i taek-si] = this taxi
이 버스 [i beo-sseu] = this bus
이 카메라 [i ka-me-ra] = this camera
이 피자 [i pi-ja] = this pizza

저 = that (over there)
* If you know how to say “I” in polite/formal Korean, it is the same thing. It sounds the same. However you do not have to worry about being confused, because “저” is a modifier which modifies a different word, so it is always followed by a noun. The word for “I”, “저”, is followed by particles, verbs, etc. They are used in completely different contexts.
저 마이크 [jeo ma-i-keu] = that microphone over there
저 테이블 [jeo te-i-beul] = that table over there
저 레스토랑 [jeo re-seu-to-rang] = that restaurant over there

그 = the / that (near the other person)
* “그 [geu]” and “저 [jeo]” are both used for referring to something that is far away from the speaker. However “그” is used when you are talking to the other person and the object is near that other person and far away from you. “저” is used for referring to something that is far away from both you and the other person.
Since 이, 그, and 저 can only work as modifiers in Korean, when you want to use “this”, “that”, or
“it” as pronouns, either 거 [geo] or 것 [geot] need to follow 이, 그, or 저.

거 = 것 = thing, item, stuff, fact
Therefore:
이 [i] = this
이 + 것 = 이것 [i-geot] or 이거 [i-geo] = this thing, this item, this one
그 [geu] = the, that
그 + 것 = 그것 [geu-geot] or 그거 [geu-geo] = the thing, the item, that one, it
저 [jeo] = that (over there)
저 + 것 = 저것 [jeo-geot] or 저거 [jeo-geo] = that thing over there
* You must not use either 거 or 것 when you point at a person.
Q: What if you do not see that thing, that object or that person in your sight? What if it is not there? How do you refer to it?
A: It is very simple. Just use the word “그” or “그것”.
You can form various expressions using 이, 그, or 저 along with other words.
사람 [sa-ram] = a person.
이 사람 [i sa-ram] = this person, this man here, this lady here, he, she
그 사람 [geu sa-ram] = the person, that person, he, she
저 사람 [jeo sa-ram] = that person over there, he, she

Lesson 8. It’s NOT me. / 아니에요.

In this lesson, you can learn how to say “not” or “something is NOT something”.
아니에요 = to be not, it is not, you are not
아니에요 [a-ni-e-yo] is the present tense form in the polite/formal language of the verb 아니다 (to be not). So 아니에요 [a-ni-e-yo] means “it is not”, “I am not”, “you are not”, “he/she is not”, etc.
* As you will notice later on, all Korean verbs end in “-다” in the dictionary. When you look up a word and it ends in “-다”, that is most likely a verb.
Whenever you want to say that something is NOT something, you can say the subject and then add 아니에요 [a-ni-e-yo].
Conjugation:
Noun + 아니에요 = To be not + Noun
Sample Sentences
저 아니에요. [jeo a-ni-e-yo.] = It is not me.
우유 아니에요. [u-yu a-ni-e-yo.] = It is not milk.
물 아니에요. [mul a-ni-e-yo.] = It is not water.
If you want to say “This is not milk”, “I am not a student”, “That is not a park”, and so on, you can
add the noun at the beginning of the sentence.
Sample Sentences
milk = 우유 [u-yu]
not milk = 우유 아니에요. [u-yu a-ni-e-yo.]
This is not milk. = 이거 우유 아니에요. [i-geo u-yu a-ni-e-yo.]
student = 학생 [hak-ssaeng]
not a student = 학생 아니에요 [hak-ssaeng a-ni-e-yo.]
I am not a student. = 저 학생 아니에요. [jeo hak-ssaeng a-ni-e-yo.]
liquor = 술 [sul]
not liquor = 술 아니에요 [sul a-ni-e-yo.]
That is not liquor. = 저거 술 아니에요. [jeo-geo sul a-ni-e-yo.]
cat = 고양이 [go-yang-i]
not a cat = 고양이 아니에요 [go-yang-i a-ni-e-yo.]
It is not a cat. = 그거 고양이 아니에요. [geu-geo go-yang-i a-ni-e-yo.]
tiger = 호랑이 [ho-rang-i]
not a tiger = 호랑이 아니에요 [ho-rang-i a-ni-e-yo.]
It is not a tiger. = 그거 호랑이 아니에요. [geu-geo ho-rang-i a-ni-e-yo.]

Lesson 9. Particles for Topic and Subject / 은, 는, 이, 가

You will learn about topic marking particles and subject marking particles in Korean with this lesson. Most languages do not have subject marking particles or topic marking
particles in their sentences, so the concept might be very new to you. However, once you get used to them, knowing how to use these particles will come in handy.
If a noun which you want to talk about is the topic of the sentence, you use topic marking particles. If a word that you want to talk about is the subject of the verb of the sentence, you use subject marking particles. It sounds very simple, but when it comes to really using particles, it is a bit more complicated.

Topic marking particles: -은/는
The main role of topic marking particles is letting the listener know what you are talking about or going to talk about. Topic marking particles are placed after a noun to indicate THAT noun is the topic.
Conjugation:
Words ending with a final consonant + -은 [-eun]
Words ending with a vowel + -는 [-neun]
Ex)
이 책 [i chaek] = this book
이 책 [i chaek] + 은 [eun] = 이 책은 [i chae-geun]
이 차 [i cha] = this car
이 차 [i cha] + 는 [neun] = 이 차는 [i cha-neun]
가방 [ga-bang] = bag
가방 [ga-bang] + 은 [eun] = 가방은 [ga-bang-eun]
저 [jeo] = I
저 [jeo] + 는 [neun] = 저는 [jeo-neun]
If you just say “이 책”, people will not know what it is about the book you are going to speak
of; whether it is the subject of the sentence or the object of the sentence, no one will know. Topic marking particles and subject marking particles will help make your sentence clearer so that even if you do not finish your sentence, the listener will know what role the noun plays if you use the right particle.
The topic of the sentence, marked by -은 [-eun] or -는 [-neun], is usually (but not always) the same as the subject of the sentence.
저 [jeo] = I
저 + 는 [neun] = 저는 [jeo-neun] = as for me / I (who is talking)
저는 학생이에요. [jeo-neun hak-ssaeng-i-e-yo] = As for me, I am a student. / I am a student.
Here, the word 저 (I) is both the topic of the sentence (talking about “I” here) and the subject of
the sentence (“I” is the subject, and “am” is the verb”).
In the following sentence, the topic marking particle is used twice, but only one word is the
topic of the sentence while the other is the subject.
내일은 저는 일해요. [nae-i-reun jeo-neun il-hae-yo]
= “As for tomorrow, I work.”
내일 [nae-il], “tomorrow”, is followed by -은 [-eun] and is the topic, not the subject, of the verb 일하다 [il-ha-da], “to work”, because it is not “tomorrow” that works but “I” that work.

Subject marking particles: -이/가
The role of subject marking particles is relatively simple compared to the role of topic marking particles.
Conjugation:
Words ending with a final consonant + -이 [-i]
Words ending with a vowel + -가 [-ga]
Ex)
이 책 [i chaek] = this book
이 책 [i chaek] + 이 [i] = 이 책이 [i chae-gi]
가방 [ga-bang] = bag
가방 [ga-bang] + 이 [i] = 가방이 [ga-bang-i]
학교 [hak-kkyo] = school
학교 [hak-kkyo] + 가 [ga] = 학교가 [hak-kkyo-ga]
Fundamentally, topic marking particles (-은/는) express the topic of the sentence, and subject marking particles (-이/가) express the subject of the sentence. However that is not everything!

What more is there about the particles -은/는/이/가?
(1)
In addition to marking topics, -은/는 has the nuance of “about” something, “as
for” something, or even “unlike other things” or “different from other things”.
Ex)
이거 [i-geo] = this / 사과 [sa-gwa] = apple / -예요 [-ye-yo] = to be / is
이거 사과예요. [i-geo sa-gwa-ye-yo.] = This is an apple.
You can add -은/는 to this sentence. The subject is 이거, which ends in a vowel, so you would add -는.
이거는 사과예요. [i-geo-neun sa-gwa-ye-yo.] = (The other things are not apples, but) THIS is an apple.
Imagine someone talking like this:
이거 커피예요. [i-geo keo-pi-ye-yo.] = This is coffee.
이거는 물이에요. [i-geo-NEUN mu-ri-e-yo] = That was coffee, but THIS ONE, it is water.
이거는 오렌지주스예요. [i-geo-NEUN o-ren-ji ju-sseu-ye-yo.] = And THIS ONE, it is different again, it is orange juice.
이거는 뭐예요? [i-geo-NEUN mwo-ye-yo?] = And as for this one, what is it?
As you can see from this example, -은/는 has the role of emphasizing the topic of the sentence
by giving it the nuance of “that one is…, and/but THIS ONE is…”.
It is unnecessary to use -은/는 in every sentence because of this nuance, so try not to use it
all the time unless you REALLY want to place an emphasis on the topic.
For example, if you want to say “The weather is nice today” in Korean, you can say it many
ways:
1. 오늘 날씨 좋네요. [o-neul nal-ssi jon-ne-yo.]
The weather is good today.
2. 오늘은 날씨 좋네요. [o-neu-reun nal-ssi jon-ne-yo.]
The weather (has not been so good lately, but) today (it) is good.
3. 오늘 날씨는 좋네요. [o-neul nal-ssi-neun jon-ne-yo.]
Today (everything else is not good, but at least) the weather is good.
The examples above show how powerful and useful the topic marking particles (-은/는) can be in how your Korean sentence is understood!
(2)
In addition to marking subjects, -이/가 [-i/ga] has the nuance of “none other than”, “nothing but”, as well as marking the subject without emphasizing it too much when used in a complex sentence.
Let us say you are talking to someone, and he/she asks you “WHAT is good?” (emphasizing “what”) by saying:
“뭐가 좋아요?” [mwo-ga jo-a-yo?]
뭐 [mwo] = what
가 [ga] = subject marking particle (because 뭐 ends in a vowel)
좋아요 = good (from the verb 좋다, meaning “to be good”)
You can reply to this question in several different ways:
책 [chaek] = book
이 책 좋아요. [i chaek jo-a-yo.]
This book is good.
(The simplest way to say something is good.)
이 책은 좋아요. [i chae-geun jo-a-yo.]
(The other books are not good, and I do not care about the other books, but at least) This book is good.
이 책이 좋아요. [i chae-gi jo-a-yo.]
There are no other books as good as this one.
In the last response, the sentence structure is:
이 [i] (This) + 책 [chaek] (book) + 이 [i] (subject marking particle) + 좋아요 [jo-a-yo] (good)
The subject marking particle 이 (or 가) emphasizes the subject (책) of the verb (좋아요). This type of sentence structure can also be used when you are speaking with someone who says “ABC 좋아요 [ABC jo-a-yo]” (ABC is the subject here), but you want to express your opinion that XYZ (subject) is good, not ABC.
“ABC 좋아요? XYZ가 좋아요!” [ABC jo-a-yo? XYZ-ga jo-a-yo!]
With -이/가, you can add more flavor and a more concrete meaning to your Korean sentence with an added emphasis on the subject without saying extra words to express what you mean as you would in English.
As you can see from the previous pages of this lesson, -은/는 and -이/가 have different roles. The role of -은/는 as a compare/contrast factor is much stronger than -이/가 because of how easily you can change the topic of a sentence with -은/는. However, when forming more complex sentences, such as “I think the book that you bought is more interesting than the book I bought”, -은/는 is not commonly used. Often at times, -은/는/이/가 can be dropped unless particles are absolutely needed to clarify the meaning, in which -이/가 is used more often.

Lesson 10. have, don’t have, there is, there isn’t / 있어요, 없어요

You will learn when and how to use the endings 있어요 and 없어요. You can use these endings when you talk about what people HAVE/DON’T HAVE, in addition to things that EXIST/DON’T EXIST.
있어요 [i-sseo-yo] comes from the verb 있다 [it-tta], which expresses that something “exists”.
If you are talking about someone or something existing in a specific place, 있다 means “to be”:
Ex) I am here. / It is over there. / I am at home now.
If you are talking about something (or someone in some cases) in your possession, it means “to have”:
Ex) I have a sister. / I have eleven dogs. / Do you have a private airplane?
Sometimes, however, it can mean both. For example, the sentence “I have a sister” can be replaced by the sentence “There is a sister (in my family)” in Korean.
없어요 [eop-sseo-yo] is the opposite, and it comes from the verb 없다 [eop-tta]. Even
though there IS a way to say the same thing by using 있어요 in a negative sentence, there is this independent verb in Korean (없어요) for expressing non-existence. It is more convenient to use 없어요 rather than saying 있지 않아요 [it-jji a-na-yo] or 안 있어요 [an i-sseo-yo] (which will be covered in a future lesson).
So, in conclusion:
있어요 ←→ 없어요
[i-sseo-yo] [eop-sseo-yo]
When you use 있어요/없어요 with other nouns, you have to put what you have or what you do not have IN FRONT OF “있어요” [i-sseo-yo] or ”없어요” [eop-sseo-yo].
Sample Sentences
물 있어요. [mul i-sseo-yo.] = There is water. / Water exists. / I have water. / They have water.
물 있어요? [mul i-sseo-yo?] = Is there water? / Do you have water? / Do they have water?
친구 있어요. [chin-gu i-sseo-yo.] = I have friends. / I have a friend. / There are friends.
친구 있어요? [chin-gu i-sseo-yo?] = Do you have friends? / Do they have friends?
시간 있어요. [si-gan i-sseo-yo.] = There is time. / I have time. / They have time.
시간 있어요? [si-gan i-sseo-yo?] = Is there time? / Do you have time? / Do they have time?
Just by replacing 있어요 [i-sseo-yo] with 없어요 [eop-sseo-yo] you get sentences in the
opposite meanings.
물 없어요. [mul eop-sseo-yo.]= There is no water. / I do not have water. / They do not have water.
친구 없어요. [chin-gu eop-sseo-yo.] = I do not have friends.
시간 없어요. [si-gan eop-sseo-yo.] = There is no time. / I do not have time. / We do not have time.
Do you remember the usages of -은/는 [-eun/neun], the topic marking particles, and -이/가 [-i/ga], the subject marking particles?
-은 and -는 mark the topic of a sentence, and at the same time emphasize the contrast between
the topic of the sentence and the other things.
If you say “시간은 있어요 [si-ga-neun i-sseo-yo]”, people may think you have nothing but time, meaning that you have no other resources, or that you have time but you do not want to spend any of that time with them.
If you say “시간 없어요 [si-gan eop-sseo-yo]”, it means “I do not have time” in the most neutral sense. However, if you want to say “I have other things, but TIME is not what I have”, you can simply add -은 [-eun] to the end of 시간 [si-gan], and the phrase becomes “시간은 없어요.”
If someone asks you “What is it that you don’t have?” or “What are you saying that you don’t
have?”, you can answer by saying “시간이 없어요”, which means “TIME is what I don’t have.”
있어요 and 없어요 can be used to form many interesting and frequently used expressions in Korean. For example:
재미 [jae-mi] = fun
재미 + 있어요 = 재미있어요
This literally means “fun exists”, but it means “it is interesting”.
* Notice how the two words are even written without any space in between. That is because it
has already become an expression used daily.
Ex) TalkToMeInKorean 재미있어요! [jae-mi-i-sseo-yo!]
= TalkToMeInKorean is fun! / TalkToMeInKorean is interesting!

Question 2

Level 1 - Part 2
-Lesson 11: Please
give me
-Lesson 12: It’s Delicious. Thank you for the food.
-Lesson 13: I Want to.
-Lesson 14: What Do you Want to do?
-Lesson 15: Sino-Korean Numbers
-Lesson 16: Basic Present Tense
-Lesson 17: Past Tense
-Lesson 18: Location Particles
-Lesson 19: When?
-Lesson 20: Native Korean Numbers
-Lesson 21: Negative Sentences
-Lesson 22: 하다 Verbs
-Lesson 23: Who?
-Lesson 24: Why? How?
-Lesson 25: From A to B. From C Until D
-Review Level 1

Answer 2

Lesson 11. Please give me. / 주세요.

In this lesson, let us look at how to ask “Do you have…?” or “Is there…?” and also how to say “Give me… please” or “I would like to have… please”.
Do you remember how to say “I have…”, “You have…”, or “There is…”?
있어요 [i-sseo-yo] = I have… / You have… / There is…
없어요 [eop-sseo-yo] = I do not have… / You do not have… / There is not…
Sample Sentences
사과 [sa-gwa] = apple
사과 있어요 [sa-gwa i-sseo-yo.] = I have an apple. / There are apples. / They have some apples.
사과 없어요 [sa-gwa eop-sseo-yo.] = I do not have an apple. / There is no apple.
오렌지 [o-ren-ji] = orange
오렌지 있어요. [o-ren-ji i-sseo-yo.] = I have an orange. / There are oranges. / They have some oranges.
오렌지 없어요. [o-ren-ji eop-sseo-yo.] = I do not have an orange. / There is no orange.
Now, if you want to ask whether someone has something or not, or whether something exists,
simply raise the tone at the end of the sentence and you can make it a question.
있어요? [i-sseo-yo?] = Do you have…? / Is there…?
없어요? [eop-sseo-yo?] = Don’t you have…? / There is not…?
Sample Sentences
사과 [sa-gwa] = apple
사과 있어요. [sa-gwa i-sseo-yo.] = I have an apple. / There are some apples.
사과 있어요? [sa-gwa i-sseo-yo?] = Do you have an apple? / Do you have apples?
사과 없어요? [sa-gwa eop-sseo-yo?] = You do not have an apple? / There are no apples?
시간 [si-gan] = time
시간 있어요? [si-gan i-sseo-yo?] = Do you have some time?
시간 없어요? [si-gan eop-sseo-yo?] = You do not have time?
커피 [keo-pi] = coffee
커피 있어요? [keo-pi i-sseo-yo?] = Do you have coffee?
커피 없어요? [keo-pi eop-sseo-yo?] = Don’t you have coffee? / You do not have coffee?
돈 [don] = money
돈 있어요? [don i-sseo-yo?] = Do you have money?
돈 없어요? [don eop-sseo-yo?] = You do not have money?
Now, after figuring out whether someone has something or not, you might as well want to ask for some of it, by saying “Please give me…” or “I would like to have… please”.

주세요 = Please give me
주세요 [ju-se-yo] comes from the verb 주다 [ju-da] which means “to give”. 주세요 ONLY means “please give” in polite/formal language regardless of who said it or to whom it is said. Just say the name of the item you want + 주세요.
Sample Sentences
돈 주세요. [don ju-se-yo.] = Please give me some money.
맥주 주세요. [maek-jju ju-se-yo.] = Please give me a beer.
장갑 주세요. [jang-gap ju-se-yo.] = Please give me (a pair of) gloves.
Sample Conversations
A: 사과 있어요? [sa-gwa i-sseo-yo?] = Do you have apples?
B: 네. 사과 있어요. [ne. sa-gwa i-sseo-yo.] = Yes, we have apples.
A: 사과 주세요. [sa-gwa ju-se-yo.] = Give me (an/some) apple(s).
* Please note that there is no strict distinction between plural and singular in Korean nouns.
A: 커피 있어요? [keo-pi i-sseo-yo?] = Do you have coffee?
B: 아니요. 커피 없어요. [an-i-yo. keo-pi eop-sseo-yo.] = No, we don’t have coffee.
A: 우유 있어요? [u-yu i-sseo-yo?] = Do you have milk?
B: 네. 우유 있어요. [ne. u-yu i-sseo-yo.] = Yes, we have milk.
A: 우유 주세요. [u-yu ju-se-yo.] = Give me some milk, please.
주세요 [ju-se-yo] can be used in many different situations: when asking someone to hand
something over to you, when ordering something in a restaurant, when asking for an item in a shop, or when attached to a verb (which you will learn how to do in a later lesson) to ask someone to do something for you.
Sample Sentences
아이스크림 주세요. [a-i-seu-keu-rim ju-se-yo.] = Please give me some ice cream.
햄버거 주세요. [haem-beo-geo ju-se-yo.] = Please give me a hamburger.
김치 주세요. [gim-chi ju-se-yo.] = Please give me some kimchi.
불고기 주세요. [bul-go-gi ju-se-yo.] = Please give me some bulgogi.
밥 주세요. [bap ju-se-yo.] = Please give me rice. / Please give me food.

Lesson 12. It’s delicious. Thank you for the food. / 맛있어요. 잘 먹겠습니다. 잘 먹었습니다.

In the previous lesson, we learned how to say “Please give me…” or “I would like to have … please”
in Korean. Do you remember the expression?
주세요 [ju-se-yo] = Please give me… / I would like to have…
You can also use this expression (주세요) to order something in a restaurant or to ask for more
side dishes while you are eating.
김밥 주세요. [gim-ppap ju-se-yo] = Kimbap, please. (when ordering in a restaurant)
불고기 주세요. [bul-go-gi ju-se-yo] = Bulgogi, please. (when ordering in a restaurant)
김치 주세요. [gim-chi ju-se-yo] = Please give us some kimchi.
In this lesson, you will learn how to say “It tastes good” and “It is delicious” as well as how to thank someone for a meal or food before and after eating.
맛 = taste
맛 [mat] means “taste” in Korean. Now, do you remember how to say “there is” or “I have”? 있어요 [i-sseo-yo] is the expression. So by putting 맛 and 있어요 together, you get the expression 맛있어요 [ma-si-sseo-yo], which means “It is delicious.”
맛있어요. = It is tasty. / It is delicious.
Sample Sentences
이거 맛있어요. [i-geo ma-si-sseo-yo.] = This is delicious.
저 케이크 맛있어요. [jeo ke-i-keu ma-si-sseo-yo.] = That cake is delicious.
삼겹살 맛있어요. [sam-gyeop-ssal ma-si-sseo-yo.] = Samgyupsal is delicious. *삼겹살 = pork belly
치킨 맛있어요. [chi-kin ma-si-sseo-yo.] = Chicken is delicious.
뭐가 맛있어요? [mwo-ga ma-si-sseo-yo?] = What is delicious?
Now, do you also remember how to say “there is not” or “I do not have” in Korean? Yes, 없어요 [eop-sseo-yo] is the expression. So by putting 맛 and 없어요 together, you get the expression 맛없어요 [ma-deop-sseo-yo], which means “It does not taste good.”

맛없어요 = It is not tasty. / It is not delicious. / It tastes awful.
Note that the pronunciation of the last letter in 맛, which is ㅅ, changes according to the word that follows it. When it is NOT followed by any word, it is pronounced as [t], ending the word there. When it is followed by 있어요, it becomes an [s] sound, making 맛있어요 pronounced as [ma-si-sseo-yo]. When it is followed by 없어요, it becomes a [d] sound, making 맛없어요 pronounced as [ma-deop-sseo-yo].
Sample Sentences
이거 맛없어요? [i-geo ma-deop-sseo-yo?] = Does this taste awful?
이 차 맛없어요. [i cha ma-deop-sseo-yo] = This tea tastes awful.
굴 맛없어요. [gul ma-deop-sseo-yo] = Oysters taste awful.
Now, you know how to say “It is delicious” and “It is not delicious.” It is time to learn phrases that you can say to give thanks for a meal before and after you eat it. This is very important, especially if someone is treating you or if you are invited to someone’s house.

잘 먹겠습니다.
잘 먹겠습니다 [jal meok-kket-sseum-ni-da] literally means “I am going to eat well” or “I will eat well.” (Do not worry about the grammar that is used here yet. Just learn this as a set phrase for the time being.) This expression is used frequently among Koreans when they are about to start eating a meal regardless of who is paying for the meal. However in the case someone in particular is paying for the meal, the other(s) will say “잘 먹겠습니다” to the person who is paying. When you eat with your friends with whom you do not use polite/formal language, and when you want to joke that your friend should buy you food, you can say 잘 먹을게! [jal meo-geul-kke!] which implies that you are thanking them because they are going to treat you.

잘 먹었습니다.
Once you have finished the meal and you want to thank someone for the meal, or just give thanks for the meal in general, you can use 잘 먹었습니다 [jal meo-geot-sseum-ni-da]. This phrase literally means “I have eaten well.” (Again, do not worry about the grammar here.) Nevertheless, what it really means is “Thank you for the food.”

Lesson 13. I want to … / -고 싶어요

Now, let us practice. Here are some frequently used Korean verbs:
가다 [ga-da] = to go
보다 [bo-da] = to see
먹다 [meok-tta] = to eat
Conjugation:
Verb stem + -고 싶어요
Ex)
to go = 가다 [ga-da] → 가 + -고 싶어요 → 가고 싶어요.
가고 싶어요. [ga-go si-peo-yo.] = I want to go.
to see = 보다 [bo-da] → 보 + -고 싶어요 → 보고 싶어요.
보고 싶어요. [bo-go si-peo-yo.] = I want to see/look/watch.
to eat = 먹다 [meok-tta] → 먹 + -고 싶어요 → 먹고 싶어요.
먹고 싶어요. [meok-kko si-peo-yo.] = I want to eat.
Sample Conversations
A: 뭐 먹고 싶어요? [mwo meok-kko si-peo-yo?] = What do you want to eat?
B: 햄버거 먹고 싶어요. [haem-beo-geo meok-kko si-peo-yo.] = I want to eat a hamburger.
A: 뭐 먹고 싶어요? [mwo meok-kko si-peo-yo?] = What do you want to eat?
B: 회 먹고 싶어요. [hoe meok-kko si-peo-yo.] = I want to eat raw fish.
Here is another useful word to know:
더 = more
Now that you know how to say “I want to eat (it)” you can say “I want to eat more” using this
word 더 [deo].
Sample Sentences
먹고 싶어요. [meok-kko si-peo-yo.] = I want to eat it.
더 먹고 싶어요. [deo meok-kko si-peo-yo.] = I want to eat more.
주세요. [ju-se-yo.] = Please give me.
더 주세요. [deo ju-se-yo.] = Please give me more.

Lesson 14. What do you want to do? / 뭐 하고 싶어요?

In our previous lesson, we learned how to say “I want to” in Korean. In this lesson, we will practice using the structure “I want to” in context through more sample conversations.
First, let us look at five verbs which are very commonly used in Korean. Do not worry if they are new to you. At this point, knowing how to use them is more important than memorizing each and every one of them.
하다 [ha-da] = to do
보다 [bo-da] = to see
먹다 [meok-tta] = to eat
사다 [sa-da] = to buy
마시다 [ma-si-da] = to drink
* If you look up a verb in a Korean dictionary, you will see every verb ending in the form “-다”. “-다” is the basic form of all Korean verbs, so all the Korean verbs that you find in a dictionary will be “-다”.
Do you remember how to change a verb into the “I want to + verb” form?
하 + (-다) + -고 싶어요
Yes. -다 [-da] disappears and you add -고 싶어요 [-go si-peo-yo] after the verb.
하다 → 하고 싶어요 [ha-go si-peo-yo] = I want to do…
보다 → 보고 싶어요 [bo-go si-peo-yo] = I want to see…
먹다 → 먹고 싶어요 [meok-kko si-peo-yo] = I want to eat…
사다 → 사고 싶어요 [sa-go si-peo-yo] = I want to buy…
마시다 → 마시고 싶어요 [ma-si-go si-peo-yo] = I want to drink…
Do you remember how to say “WHAT” in Korean?
뭐 = what
Sample Conversations
*Remember: In Korean, objects come before verbs.
A: 뭐 하고 싶어요? [mwo ha-go si-peo-yo?] = What do you want to do?
B: 텔레비전 보고 싶어요. [tel-le-bi-jeon bo-go si-peo-yo.] = I want to watch TV.
A: 텔레비전 보고 싶어요? [tel-le-bi-jeon bo-go si-peo-yo?] = You want to watch TV?
B: 네. [ne] = Yeah.
A: 뭐 보고 싶어요? [mwo bo-go si-peo-yo?] = What do you want to watch?
B: 뉴스 보고 싶어요. [nyu-sseu bo-go si-peo-yo.] = I want to watch the news.
A: 이거 사고 싶어요. [i-geo sa-go si-peo-yo.] = I want to buy this.
B: 이거요? [i-geo-yo?] = This one?
A: 네. 이거 먹고 싶어요. [ne. i-geo meok-kko si-peo-yo.] = Yeah. I want to eat this.
B: 이거 뭐예요? [i-geo mwo-ye-yo?] = What is this?
A: 이거 김밥이에요. [i-geo gim-ppa-bi-e-yo] = This is kimbap.
Sample Sentences
읽다 [ik-tta] = to read
읽고 싶어요 [il-kko si-peo-yo] = I want to read.
자다 [ja-da] = to sleep
자고 싶어요. [ja-go si-peo-yo.] = I want to sleep.
놀다 [nol-da] = to hang out, to play
놀고 싶어요. [nol-go si-peo-yo.] = I want to play.
쉬다 [swi-da] = to rest
쉬고 싶어요 [swi-go si-peo-yo.] = I want to rest.
일하다 [il-ha-da] = to work
일하고 싶어요. [il-ha-go si-peo-yo.] = I want to work.
영화 보다 [yeong-hwa bo-da] = to watch a movie
영화 보고 싶어요. [yeong-hwa bo-go si-peo-yo.] = I want to watch a movie.
김밥 먹다 [gim-ppap meok-tta] = to eat kiimbap
김밥 먹고 싶어요. [gim-ppap meok-kko si-peo-yo.] = I want to eat kiimbap.

Lesson 15. Sino-Korean Numbers / 일, 이, 삼, 사

In this lesson, you will learn about 숫자 [sut-jja] (numbers)! We wish we could say that there is a very easy way to learn Korean numbers once and never forget them, but the truth is, there is not. As far as numbers are concerned, you will have to keep practicing using them until they stick. There are two systems of numbers in Korean: native Korean numbers and sino-Korean numbers. In this lesson, we will introduce sino-Korean numbers up to 1,000. We will get into native Korean numbers in another lesson.
Sino-Korean numbers
We will use the term “sino-Korean” when a Korean word is based on the Chinese language. Since Korea has received a lot of influence from China, many words in the Korean language have their roots in the Chinese language. So over the course of time, Korean people started using both the sino-Korean number system and the native Korean number system. The situations and contexts in which each system is used are different, but do not worry. You will get used to the two systems and how to differentiate between these two by practicing with us!
1 일 [il]
2 이 [i]
3 삼 [sam]
4 사 [sa]
You may have heard of the Korean superstition about the number four being unlucky. The word for “four” in Korean, 사, has the same sound as the sino-Korean word for “death”. This is the reason why there is an “F” button in an elevator in Korea instead of a “4” button!
5 오 [o]
6 륙 [ryuk] or 육 [yuk]
The Korean word for the number six can change spelling depending on whether it is at the
beginning or in the middle of a word. When saying 육 on its own, it is just 육. If you say “five
six”, or 오륙, the ㄹ is added. Somewhere throughout the course of history, Korean people
decided that 오륙 was more natural to say than 오육.
7 칠 [chil]
8 팔 [pal]
9 구 [gu]
10 십 [sip]
From numbers 11 and through to 99, the rest is easy! Just think of it as a simple math equation using the numbers 일 through 십 (If you do not like math or are not good at math, do not freak out! It truly is very simple!)
For example:
11 = 십 [sip] (10) + 일 [il] (one)
25 = 이 [i] (two) + 십 [sip] (10) + 오 [o] (five)
33 = 삼 [sam] (three) + 십 [sip] (10) + 삼 [sam] (three)
99 = 구 [gu] (nine) + 십 [sip] (10) + 구 [gu] (nine)
100 백 [baek]
1,000 천 [cheon]
Can you guess how to say 312 in Korean?
Yes, you are right.
THREE + HUNDRED + TEN + TWO
삼 + 백 + 십 + 이
[sam-baek-si-bi]
Ex)
1,234 = 1,000 (천) + 2 (이) + 100 (백) + 3 (삼) + 10 (십) + 4 (사)
512 = 5 (오) + 100 (백) + 10 (십) + 2 (이)
* Note that for 1,000, 100, and 10, you do not have to say one (일) + thousand (천), 일백, or 일십.
How to say ZERO
Zero is either 영 or 공. When counting to 10 in Korean, you can say 영일이삼사오륙칠팔구십 or 공일이삼사오륙칠팔구십 for 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

Lesson 16. Basic Present Tense / -아요, -어요, -여요

In this lesson, you will learn how to conjugate Korean verbs into present tense form. When you look up Korean verbs in a dictionary, they are in the infinitive form:
가다 [ga-da] = to go
먹다 [meok-tta] = to eat
자다 [ja-da] = to sleep
때리다 [ttae-ri-da] = to hit
웃다 [ut-tta] = to laugh
* Note that all verbs end with -다 [-da] at the end.
You need to change these verbs into more realistic, more natural and more flexible forms.
When you are conjugating verbs into any tense (past, present, future, etc.), the first thing you
need to do is drop the -다 since you almost never need it. With the -다 dropped, you are
left with the “verb stem”.
So, the verb stems of the previous verbs introduced are as follows:
가 [ga]
먹 [meok]
자 [ja]
때리 [ttae-ri]
웃 [ut]
To these, you add the appropriate verb endings to make them complete. In this lesson we are going to learn how to change these dictionary forms of the verbs into the present tense.
In order to conjugate a verb into the present tense, you take the verb stem, and add one of
these endings:
-아요
-어요
-여요
* Note that we are introducing the endings in the polite language. Do not worry about learning to use different politeness levels yet. Once you have learned how to say everything in polite language, changing it to other politeness levels is very easy to do.
Conjugation:
(1) If the verb stem’s last vowel is ㅏ[a] or ㅗ [o], it is followed by 아요 [a-yo].
(2) If the last vowel is NOT ㅏ[a] or ㅗ [o], it is followed by 어요 [eo-yo].
(3) Only one verb stem, which is 하 [ha], is followed by 여요 [yeo-yo].
Sample Sentences
1. 가다 [ga-da] = to go
The verb stem is 가 [ga], and the last vowel is ㅏ [a], so you add 아요 [a-yo]. It first becomes 가 + 아요, and then more naturally, it becomes 가요 [ga-yo] for ease of pronunciation.
가다 [ga-da] = to go (dictionary form)
→ 가요 [ga-yo] = I go. / You go. / He goes. / She goes. / They go.
2. 먹다 [meok-tta] = to eat
The verb stem is 먹 [meok] and the last vowel is ㅓ [eo], NOT ㅏ or ㅗ, so you add 어
요 [eo-yo]. This becomes 먹 + 어요.
먹다 [meok-tta] = to eat (dictionary form)
→ 먹어요 [meo-geo-yo] = I eat. / You eat. / He eats. / etc.
* Note that there is consonant assimilation here: 먹 + 어 [meok + eo] sounds like 머거 [meo-geo].
3. 보다 [bo-da] = to see, to watch, to look
Verb stem? 보 [bo]
What is it followed by? 아요 [a-yo]
보 + 아요 Over time, it started being pronounced and written as 봐요 [bwa-yo].
(Say 보 + 아 + 요 three times as fast.)
보다 [bo-da] = to see, to watch, to look
→ 봐요 [bwa-yo] = I see. / I look. / I watch. / You look. / etc.
4. 보이다 [bo-i-da] = to be seen, to be visible
Verb stem? 보이 [bo-i]
What is it followed by? 어요 [eo-yo]
보이 + 어요 → 보여요 [bo-yeo-yo]
보이다 [bo-i-da] = to be seen, to be visible
→ 보여요 [bo-yeo-yo] = I see it. / It is visible.
5. 하다 [ha-da] = to do
Verb stem? 하 [ha]
What is it followed by? 여요 [yeo-yo]
하 + 여요 → 하여요 [ha-yeo-yo]
Over time, 하여요 became → 해요 [hae-yo].
* Here, please just remember that this verb 하다 is very versatile. You can add a noun in front
of it and you can form new verbs with it.
studying = 공부 [gong-bu] to study = 공부하다 [gong-bu-ha-da]
cleaning (the room) = 청소 [cheong-so] to clean = 청소하다 [cheong-so-ha-da]
cooking = 요리 [yo-ri] to cook = 요리하다 [yo-ri-ha-da]
We will introduce how to do this in lesson number 22. For now, just remember that 하다 becomes 해요 in the present tense, and it means “I do”, “You do”, “He does”, or “They do”.
Q: Are there any irregularities or exceptions?
A: Sadly, yes, there are, but do not worry. Even those exceptions are NOT too far away from the regular rules!! Of course, we will introduce them in the nicest and easiest way possible through our future lessons. Thank you once again for studying with us through this lesson!

Lesson 17. Past Tense / -았/었/였어요 (했어요)

In the previous lesson, we looked at the basic way of conjugating the verbs in the infinitive form into the present tense form. Do you remember how?
Conjugation:
Verb stems ending with vowels ㅗ [o] or ㅏ [a] are followed by -아요 [-a-yo].
Verb stems ending with vowels OTHER THAN ㅗ or ㅏ are followed by -어요 [-eo-yo].
Verb stem 하 is followed by -여요 [-yeo-yo].
Great! Now let us learn how to conjugate verbs into the past tense.
If you understand how to change verbs into the present tense, understanding how to change them into the past tense is just as easy. A similar rule is applied to making past tense sentences, and the endings are as follows:
-았어요
-었어요
-였어요
You can add those to the verb stems, or you can think of it as just replacing the “요” at the end
of present tense sentences with -ㅆ어요.
Conjugation:
Verb stems ending with vowels ㅗ [o] or ㅏ [a] are followed by -았어요 [-a-sseo-yo].
Verb stems ending with vowels other than ㅗ or ㅏ are followed by -었어요 [-eo-sseo-yo].
Verb stem 하 is followed by -였어요 [-yeo-sse-yo].
(1) 사다 [sa-da] = to buy
Verb stem = 사 [sa]
* Drop the final -다 [da] from the verb to get the verb stem.
Past tense = 사 + 았어요 [sa + a-sseo-yo]
= 샀어요 [sa-sseo-yo]
= I bought / you bought / s/he bought / they bought / etc.
(2) 오다 [o-da] = to come
Verb stem = 오 [o]
Past tense = 오 + 았어요 [o + a-sseo-yo]
= 왔어요 [wa-sseo-yo]
= I came / you came / s/he came / they came / we came / etc.
(3) 적다 [jeok-tta] = to write down
Verb stem = 적 [jeok]
Past tense = 적 + 었어요 [jeok + eo-sseo-yo]
= 적었어요 [jeo-geo-sseo-yo]
= I wrote / you wrote / s/he wrote / they wrote / we wrote / etc.
(4) 하다 [ha-da] = to do
Verb stem = 하 [ha]
Past tense = 하 + 였어요 [ha + yeo-sseo-yo]
= 했어요 [hae-sseo-yo]
= I did / you did / he did / they did / etc.
Sample Sentences
먹다 [meok-tta] (Verb stem = 먹 [meok]) = to eat
Present Tense: 먹어요 [meo-geo-yo]
Past Tense: 먹었어요 [meo-geo-sseo-yo]
잡다 [jap-tta] (Verb stem = 잡 [jap]) = to catch
Present Tense: 잡아요 [ja-ba-yo]
Past Tense: 잡았어요 [ja-ba-sseo-yo]
팔다 [pal-da] (Verb stem = 팔 [pal]) = to sell
Present Tense: 팔아요 [pa-ra-yo]
Past Tense: 팔았어요 [pa-ra-sseo-yo]
놀다 [nol-da] (Verb stem = 놀 [nol]) = to play, to hang out
Present Tense: 놀아요 [no-ra-yo]
Past Tense: 놀았어요 [no-ra-sseo-yo]
쓰다 [sseu-da] (Verb stem = 쓰 [sseu]) = to write, to use
Present Tense: 써요 [sseo-yo] (NOT 쓰어요)
Past Tense: 썼어요 [sseo-sseo-yo]
기다리다 [gi-da-ri-da] (Verb stem = 기다리 [gi-da-ri]) = to wait
Present Tense: 기다려요 [gi-da-ryeo-yo] (NOT 기다리어요)
Past Tense: 기다렸어요 [gi-da-ryeo-sseo-yo]
이상하다 [i-sang-ha-da] (Verb stem = 이상하 [i-sang-ha]) = to be strange
Present Tense: 이상해요 [i-sang-hae-yo] (NOT 이상하여요)
Past Tense: 이상했어요 [i-sang-hae-sseo-yo]
멋있다 [meo-sit-tta] (Verb stem = 멋있 [meo-sit]) = to be cool, to be awesome
Present Tense: 멋있어요 [meo-si-sseo-yo]
Past Tense: 멋있었어요 [meo-si-sseo-sseo-yo]
* There are some other things that are more important to learn before the future tense in Level 1. So we are going to introduce those things in the rest of the lessons for Level 1, and we will introduce the future tense in Level 2. Please be patient!

Lesson 18. Particles for Location / 에, 에서

In Korean, as you already know, there are particles which are used to mark the roles of some nouns. So far, you have learned about subject marking particles (-이 [-i] and -가 [-ga]) and topic marking particles (-은 [-eun] and -는 [-neun]). In this lesson, you will learn about the location marking particles, -에 [-e] and -에서 [-e-seo], and also how to say WHERE in Korean.
First let us learn the word for “WHERE” or “WHICH PLACE”.
어디 = where, which place
Here, although the word “어디” is romanized as “eo-di”, please make sure that your pronunciation of the second letter “디” is not actually “di”, but rather like a voiced “th” sound (ex. “Th” as in “there”). You can accomplish this by placing your tongue between your upper and lower teeth, but do not force a constant stream of air over your tongue and through your teeth. The standard romanization system that the Korean government uses for “디” is not “thi”, but the actual pronunciation is closer to “thi”. We are using “di” here, so please make sure that you are not pronouncing the word “어디” as “eo-di”, but rather as “eo-thi”.
Now, let us look at how to ask someone “Where do you want to go?” in Korean.
to go = 가다 [ga-da]
to want to = -고 싶어요 [-go si-peo-yo]
Do you remember how to form a sentence using -고 싶어요? Yes, you drop the letter “-다” at the end of a verb and attach -고 싶어요 [-go si-peo-yo] after that.
가다 + -고 싶어요 → 가고 싶어요 [ga-go si-peo-yo] = I want to go.
가고 싶어요 = I want to go.
가고 싶어요? = Do you want to go?
Now, you just add the word 어디 [eo-di] in front of the verb.
어디 가고 싶어요? [eo-di ga-go si-peo-yo?] = Where do you want to go?
Q: Why use location marking particles?
A: Whereas it is POSSIBLE to make sentences without location marking particles (as in the example above: 어디 가고 싶어요?), by using the right location marking particles, you can make your message very clear. There are many location marking particles in Korean, but let us look at the two most basic particles, -에 [-e] and -에서 [-e-seo].

-에 = at, to, in
Conjugation:
Noun + -에 [-e]
-에 [-e] is a location marking particle, but it is not only used to mark locations. It means “at”, “to”
and so on, and it can be used to mark a location, a time, a situation, and many other things. However here, let us just focus on its role of marking locations. Let us look at how it is used inside a Korean sentence, by looking at some sample sentences.
Sample Sentences
1. Let us say “I went to school.” in Korean.
to go = 가다 [ga-da]
I went = 가 + 았어요 = 갔어요 [ga-sseo-yo]
school = 학교 [hak-kkyo]
to = -에 [-e]
I went to school. = 학교에 갔어요. [hak-kkyo-e ga-sseo-yo.]
2. Let us say “I came to Korea.” in Korean.
to come = 오다 [o-da]
I came = 오 + 았어요 = 왔어요 [wa-sseo-yo]
Korea = 한국 [han-guk]
to = -에 [-e]
I came to Korea. = 한국에 왔어요. [han-gu-ge wa-sseo-yo.]
3. Let us say “Where do you want to go?” in Korean.
to go = 가다 [ga-da]
do you want to go = 가 + 고 싶어요 = 가고 싶어요 [ga-go si-peo-yo]
where = 어디 [eo-di]
to = -에 [-e]
Where do you want to go? = 어디에 가고 싶어요? [eo-di-e ga-go si-peo-yo?]
4. Let us say “Where are you?” in Korean.
to be = 있다 [it-tta]
are you = 있 + 어요 = 있어요 [i-sseo-yo]
where = 어디 [eo-di]
at = -에 [-e]
Where are you? = 어디에 있어요? [eo-di-e i-sseo-yo?]
Where are you now? = 지금 어디에 있어요? [ji-geum eo-di-e i-sseo-yo?]
어디에 있어요 지금? [eo-di-e i-sseo-yo ji-geum?]

-에서 = at, in, from
Conjugation:
Noun + -에서 [-e-seo]
-에서 can express many things, but here let us look at two of its main roles.
-에서 expresses:
(1) a location where an action is taking place
(ex. I studied in the library. / I met my friends in Seoul.)
(2) the meaning of “from” a place
(ex. I came from Seoul. / This package came from Spain.)
Ex)
사무실 = work room, office
사무실에 = to the office, to an office, to my office
사무실에서 = from the office, from an office, from my office

The difference between -에 and -에서
-에 and -에서 can both be translated to “at” in English. How are they different then?
-에 expresses a location where something “is” or “exists”, or a direction that you are going toward.
Ex)
집에 있어요. [ji-be i-sseo-yo.] = I am at home.
집에 가요. [ji-be ga-yo.] = I am going home.
사무실에 있어요. [sa-mu-si-re i-sseo-yo.] = I am at the office.
-에서 expresses a location where an action is taking place.
Ex)
집에서 일해요. [ji-be-seo il-hae-yo.] = I work at home.
집에서 뭐 해요? [ji-be-seo mwo hae-yo?] = What are you doing at home?
사무실에서 일해요. [sa-mu-si-re-seo il-hae-yo.] = I work at the office.
Here are some incredibly useful verbs and conjugations:
가다 [ga-da] = to go
가요 [ga-yo] = I go / you go / s/he goes / they go / let us go
갔어요 [ga-sseo-yo] = went / to have gone
오다 [o-da] = to come
와요 [wa-yo] = I come / you come / s/he comes / they come / let us come
왔어요 [wa-sseo-yo] = came / to have come
있다 [it-tta] = to be / to exist
있어요 [i-sseo-yo] = there is / there are / I have / you have / they have
있었어요 [i-sseo-sseo-yo] = was / to have been
보다 [bo-da] = to see
봐요 [bwa-yo] = I see / they see / you see / we see / let us see
봤어요 [bwa-sseo-yo] = saw / to have seen
하다 [ha-da] = to do
해요 [hae-yo] = I do / they do / you do / we do / let us do
했어요 [hae-sseo-yo] = did / to have done

Lesson 19. When / 언제

In this lesson, you will learn how to say WHEN in Korean. You will also get some practice with answering questions such as “when did you do it?”, “when did you arrive?”, “when did you come?”, etc.
언제 = when
Unlike 어디 [eo-di], to which you have to add location marking particles to specify, 언제 [eon-je] can always be used on its own. Let us try using the word 언제 in context.
(1) “When did you do (it)?”
when = 언제 [eon-je]
you did (it) = 하다 + 였어요 = 했어요 [hae-sseo-yo]
did you do (it)? = 했어요? [hae-sseo-yo?]
When did you do it? = 언제 했어요? [eon-je hae-sseo-yo?]
(2) “When did you arrive?”
to arrive = 도착하다 [do-cha-ka-da]
you arrived = 도착했어요 [do-cha-kae-sseo-yo]
did you arrive? = 도착했어요? [do-cha-kae-sseo-yo?]
When did you arrive? = 언제 도착했어요? [eon-je do-cha-kae-sseo-yo?]
(3) “When did you come?”
to come = 오다 [o-da]
you came = 왔어요 [wa-sseo-yo]
did you come? = 왔어요? [wa-sseo-yo?]
When did you come? = 언제 왔어요? [eon-je wa-sseo-yo?]
(4) “When do you get up?”
to get up = 일어나다 [i-reo-na-da]
you get up = 일어나요 [i-reo-na-yo]
do you get up? = 일어나요? [i-reo-na-yo?]
When do you get up? = 언제 일어나요? [eon-je i-reo-na-yo?]
(5) “When/what time do you get up in the morning?”
morning = 아침 [a-chim]
in the morning = 아침에 [a-chi-me]
In the morning, when do you get up? = 아침에 언제 일어나요? [a-chi-me eon-je
i-reo-na-yo?]
at what time = 몇 시에 [myeot si-e]
What time do you get up in the morning? = 아침에 몇 시에 일어나요? [a-chi-me myeot si-e
i-reo-na-yo?]
Here are some additional words to use when someone asks the question “언제?”
오늘 [o-neul] = today
어제 [eo-je] = yesterday
내일 [nae-il] = tomorrow
지금 [ ji-geum] = now
아까 [a-kka] = earlier (today), a while ago (today)
나중에 [na-jung-e] = later

Lesson 20. Native Korean numbers / 하나, 둘, 셋, 넷

In Lesson 15, we introduced some sino-Korean numbers:
일 [il] = one
이 [i] = two
삼 [sam] = three
사 [sa] = four
오 [o] = five
육 [yuk] = six
칠 [chil] = seven
팔 [pal] = eight
구 [gu] = nine
십 [sip] = ten
백 [baek] = hundred
천 [cheon] = thousand
만 [man] = ten thousand, and so on.
Now let us have a look at some native Korean numbers. There are cases where sino-Korean
numbers are used, cases where native Korean numbers are used, and there are also some cases where both sino-Korean numbers and native Korean numbers are used together.
1) When you tell the time, you have to use native Korean numbers to say the hours and sino-Korean numbers to say the minutes.
2. When you say your age in everyday conversations, you use native Korean numbers. However in some very formal settings like in the court of law or in a formal report, sino-Korean numbers are used to express your age.
3. When you are counting years, you can use either sino-Korean numbers or native Korean
numbers. However the words that you use for counting the years change depending on whether you use sino-Korean numbers or native Korean numbers.
Q: So how do you determine which number system to use in which situation?
A: You do not have to try to, and you cannot really generalize the usages of the two different number systems. It is best to just learn to use the different number systems along with the fitting context.
Now, let us go over the native Korean numbers and practice saying how old we are.
Native Korean numbers
1 하나 [ha-na]
2 둘 [dul]
(You need to pronounce this word 둘 by placing your tongue between your upper and lower teeth, not behind your upper teeth.)
3 셋 [set] (It is not as strong as the English word “set”.)
4 넷 [net]
5 다섯 [da-seot]
6 여섯 [yeo-seot]
7 일곱 [il-gop]
8 여덟 [yeo-deol]
9 아홉 [a-hop]
10 열 [yeol]
From 11 to 19 is simple. You just put the number 10 and add another number after it.
Ex)
열 (10) + 하나 (1) = 열하나 [yeol-ha-na] (11)
열 (10) + 다섯 (5) = 열다섯 [yeol-da-seot] (15)
열 (10) + 아홉 (9) = 열아홉 [yeol-a-hop] (19)
The same rule as previously mentioned for 11 through 19 applies to 21-29, 31-39, 41-49, and so on.
20 스물 [seu-mul]
30 서른 [seo-reun]
40 마흔 [ma-heun]
50 쉰 [swin]
60 예순 [ye-sun]
70 일흔 [il-heun]
80 여든 [yeo-deun]
90 아흔 [a-heun]
Now, here is an interesting piece of information.
From numbers 1 through 99, the usage of native Korean numbers is generally very distinctively
different from the usage of sino-Korean numbers. However for bigger units like 100, 1,000, 10,000 and so on, the words for these bigger units in the native Korean numbers are no longer used, and only sino-Korean numbers are now used.
So, 100 as the sino-Korean number is 백 [baek], and even when you need to use the native
Korean number, you use the same word.
When you want to say 101, 102, and so on, you need to combine the systems together.
101 = 백 [baek / 100] (sino-Korean) + 하나 [ha-na / 1] (native Korean)
205 = 이 [i / 2] (sino-Korean) + 백 [baek / 100] (sino-Korean) + 다섯 [da-seot / 5] (native Korean)

Let us have a look at how to talk about the age.
There are two ways of saying your age, but here, let us look at the more ordinary and everyday
usage.
You say a native Korean number and add 살 [sal] after it.
However the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 20 change forms before a noun:
1 하나 [ha-na] → 한 살 [han sal]
2 둘 [dul] → 두 살 [du sal]
3 셋 [set] → 세 살 [se sal]
4 넷 [net] → 네 살 [ne sal]
…
20 스물 [seu-mul] → 스무 살 [seu-mu sal]
21 스물하나 [seu-mul-ha-na] → 스물한 살 [seu-mul-han sal]
…
The following are examples from age 1 through 100 in native Korean numbers, followed by the age counter 살 [sal]:
한 살 (1), 두 살, 세 살, 네 살, 다섯 살, 여섯 살, 일곱 살, 여덟 살, 아홉 살, 열 살 (10), 열한 살 (11), 열두 살, 열세 살, 열네 살, 열다섯 살, 열여섯 살, 열일곱 살, 열여덟 살, 열아홉 살, 스무 살 (20), 스물한 살 (21), 스물두 살, 스물세 살, 스물네 살, 스물다섯 살, 스물여섯 살, 스물일곱 살, 스물여덟 살, 스물아홉 살, 서른 살 (30), 서른한 살 (31), 서른두 살, 서른세 살, 서른네 살, 서른다섯 살, 서른여섯 살, 서른일곱 살, 서른여덟 살, 서른아홉 살, 마흔 살 (40), 마흔한 살 (41), 마흔두 살, 마흔세 살, 마흔네 살, 마흔다섯 살, 마흔여섯 살, 마흔일곱 살, 마흔여덟 살, 마흔아홉 살, 쉰 살 (50), 쉰한 살(51), 쉰두 살, 쉰세 살, 쉰네 살, 쉰다섯 살, 쉰여섯 살, 쉰일곱 살, 쉽여덟 살, 쉰아홉 살, 예순 살 (60), 예순한 살 (61), 예순두 살, 예순세 살, 예순네 살, 예순다섯 살, 예순여섯 살, 예순일곱 살, 예순여덟 살, 예순아홉 살, 일흔 살 (70), 일흔한 살 (71), 일흔두 살, 일흔세 살, 일흔네 살, 일흔다섯 살, 일흔여섯 살, 일흔일곱 살, 일흔여덟 살, 일흔아홉 살, 여든 살 (80), 여든한 살 (81), 여든두 살, 여든세 살, 여든네 살, 여든다섯 살, 여든여섯 살, 여든일곱 살, 여든여덟 살, 여든아홉 살, 아흔 살 (90), 아흔한 살 (91), 아흔두 살, 아흔세 살, 아흔네 살, 아흔다섯 살, 아흔여섯 살, 아흔일곱 살, 아흔여덟 살, 아흔아홉 살, 백 살 (100)
Did you find your age?
To say “I am ## years old”, say the age + 이에요 [i-e-yo].
Sample Sentences
한 살이에요. [han sa-ri-e-yo.] I am one year old.
열 살이에요. [yeol sa-ri-e-yo.] I am ten years old.
스무 살이에요. [seu-mu sa-ri-e-yo.] I am twenty years old.
서른 살이에요. [seo-reun sa-ri-e-yo.] I am thirty years old.

Lesson 21. Negative Sentences / 안, -지 않다

In this lesson, you will learn how to create negative sentences in Korean. There are two main ways to accomplish this:
(1) Add 안 before a verb
(2) Using the negative verb ending, -지 않다
Method (1) is simpler and more colloquial, and method (2) is relatively formal but not necessarily only for formal situations. If you want to use method (1), and add 안 [an] before a verb, it is easier than method (2) because you do not have to worry about the different tenses of your sentences. The word 안 [an] does not change the tense.
Conjugation:
가다 [ga-da] = to go
집에 가요. [ji-be ga-yo.] I am going home. / I go home.
집에 안 가요. [ji-be an ga-yo.] I am NOT going home. / I DO NOT go home.
집에 안 가요? [ji-be an ga-yo?] You are NOT going home? / You DO NOT go home?
버리다 [beo-ri-da] = to throw away
그거 버렸어요. [geu-geo beo-ryeo-sseo-yo.] I threw it away.
그거 안 버렸어요. [geu-geo an beo-ryeo-sseo-yo.] I DID NOT throw it away.
그거 아직 안 버렸어요. [geu-geo a-jik an beo-ryeo-sseo-yo.] I DID NOT throw it away yet.
-지 않다 [-ji an-ta] is the basic form and you need to conjugate it according to the tense, too.
Present tense: -지 않아요 [-ji a-na-yo]
Past tense: -지 않았어요 [-ji a-na-sseo-yo]
Conjugation:
가다 [ga-da] = to go
가지 않다 [ga-ji an-ta] = to not go
가지 않아요 [ga-ji a-na-yo] = I DO NOT go. / I am NOT going.
가지 않았어요 [ga-ji a-na-sseo-yo] = I DID NOT go.
버리다 [beo-ri-da] = to throw away
버리지 않다 [beo-ri-ji an-ta] = to not throw away
버리지 않아요 [beo-ri-ji a-na-yo] = I DO NOT throw it away.
버리지 않았어요 [beo-ri-ji a-na-sseo-yo] = I DID NOT throw it away.

Sample Conversations
A: 아파요? [a-pa-yo?] = Does it hurt?
B: 안 아파요. [an a-pa-yo.] = It does not hurt.
A: 안 아파요? 진짜 안 아파요? [an a-pa-yo? jin-jja an a-pa-yo?] = It does not hurt? It really does not hurt?
B: 안 아파요. [an a-pa-yo.] = It does not hurt.
A: 안 먹어요? [an meo-geo-yo?] = You are not going to eat?
B: 안 먹어요! [an meo-geo-yo!] = I am not eating!
A: 정말 안 먹어요? 맛있어요! [jeong-mal an meo-geo-yo? ma-si-sseo-yo!] = You are really not going to eat? It is delicious.
B: 안 먹어요. 배 안 고파요. [an meo-geo-yo. bae an go-pa-yo.] = I am not eating. I am not hungry.
A: 이거 매워요? [i-geo mae-wo-yo?] = Is this spicy?
B: 아니요. 안 매워요. [a-ni-yo. an mae-wo-yo] = No. It is not spicy.
A: 진짜 안 매워요? [jin-jja an mae-wo-yo?] = It is really not spicy?
B: 네. 안 매워요. [ne. an mae-wo-yo.] = No, it is not spicy.
There are two words which do not follow these rules that we just introduced. This is because they have antonyms that are very frequently used.
있다 [it-tta] = to be, to exist; to have
없다 [eop-tta] = to not be, not exist; to not have
알다 = [al-da] = to know
모르다 [mo-reu-da] = to not know

Lesson 22. 하다 Verbs

So far, you have learned how to conjugate verbs from their infinitive form into the present tense (현재 시제 [hyeon-je si-je]) and the past tense (과거 시제 [gwa-geo si-je]). You have also learned that 하다 [ha-da] has a unique way of being conjugated, so let us practice conjugating 하다 verbs!
하다 = to do
Do you remember how to conjugate 하다?
Conjugation:
Dictionary form = 하다
Present tense = 하 + 여요 = 해요 [hae-yo]
Past tense = 하 + 였어요 = 했어요 [hae-sseo-yo]
It was previously mentioned that 하다 is a very powerful and useful word because it can be combined with nouns to create verbs.
Many of the Korean nouns that indicate or describe an action or behavior can be combined
with 하다 so they become verbs.
Noun: 공부 = studying
Infinitive Form: 공부하다 = to study
Present Tense: 공부해요
Past Tense: 공부했어요
Noun: 일 = work, job
Infinitive Form: 일하다 = to work
Present Tense: 일해요
Past Tense: 일했어요
Noun: 기억 = memory
Infinitive Form: 기억하다 = to remember
Present Tense: 기억해요
Past Tense: 기억했어요
Noun: 청소 = cleaning
Infinitive Form: 청소하다 = to clean
Present Tense: 청소해요
Past Tense: 청소했어요
Noun: 요리 = cooking, dish
Infinitive Form: 요리하다 = to cook
Present Tense: 요리해요
Past Tense: 요리했어요
Noun: 이사 = moving
Infinitive Form: 이사하다 = to move, to move into a different house
Present Tense: 이사해요
Past Tense: 이사했어요
Noun: 노래 = song
Infinitive Form: 노래하다 = to sing
Present Tense: 노래해요
Past Tense: 노래했어요
Noun: 노력 = effort
Infinitive Form: 노력하다 = to make an effort, to try hard
Present Tense: 노력해요
Past Tense: 노력했어요
Noun: 동의 = agreement, agreeing
Infinitive Form: 동의하다 = to agree
Present Tense: 동의해요
Past Tense: 동의했어요
Noun: 인정 = admitting, acknowledgement
Infinitive Form: 인정하다 = to admit
Present Tense: 인정해요
Past Tense: 인정했어요
Noun: 후회 = regret
Infinitive Form: 후회하다 = to regret
Present Tense: 후회해요
Past Tense: 후회했어요
Noun: 운동 = exercise
Infinitive Form: 운동하다 = to exercise, to work out
Present Tense: 운동해요
Past Tense: 운동했어요
Noun: 사랑 = love
Infinitive Form: 사랑하다 = to love
Present Tense: 사랑해요
Past Tense: 사랑했어요
Noun: 말 = words, language
Infinitive Form: 말하다 = to speak
Present Tense: 말해요
Past Tense: 말했어요
Noun: 생각 = thought, idea
Infinitive Form: 생각하다 = to think
Present Tense: 생각해요
Past Tense: 생각했어요

Making negative sentences with 하다 verbs
In order to make negative sentences using these 하다 verbs (check out Lesson 21 to recap on how to make negative sentences in Korean), you need to separate the noun part and the 하다 part and add 안 in between.
생각하다 → 생각 안 하다
노력하다 → 노력 안 하다
If you remember from Lesson 21, there are two ways to make negative sentences in Korean: adding 안 before the verb and using the verb ending 지 않다. If you want to use 지 않다
with 하다 verbs, you simply conjugate 하다 [ha-da] to 하지 않다 [ha-ji an-ta].

Lesson 23. Who? / 누구?

In this lesson, let us take a look at how to use the word for “who” in context, as well as how the form changes when the word 누구 is used as the subject in the sentence.
누구 = who
Remember the subject markers and the topic markers?
Subject markers: 이 [i] / 가 [ga]
Topic markers: 은 [eun] / 는 [neun]
Subject markers emphasize the subject and shows “who” did something, or “what” is being described, and topic markers emphasize the topic of your sentence and shows “what” or “whom”
you are talking about.
When you want to ask simple questions like “Who did it?”, “Who helped her?”, or “Who made
it?”, you are emphasizing the subject, which is the word “who” here, so you need to use the
subject marker 이 [i] or 가 [ga].
누구 ends in a vowel so it would have to be followed by 가, but “누구” plus “가” changes to “누가” instead of “누구가” for ease of pronunciation.
Conjugation:
누구 [nu-gu] = who
누구 [nu-gu] + 가 [ga] = 누구가 → 누가 [nu-ga]
Remember that this is ONLY when you are emphasizing “who” as the subject of an action or
state.
Ex)
(1) When you want to ask “Who is it?” in Korean, you literally say “it is WHO?” so it becomes:
누구 (who) + 예요 (is) = 누구예요? [nu-gu-ye-yo?]
(2) When you want to ask “(Among these people, none other than) WHO is Jane?” you can say:
누구 (who) + 가 (subject marker) + 제인 (Jane) + 이에요? (is?)
= 누가 제인이에요? [nu-ga je-i-ni-e-yo?]
(3) When you want to ask “Who did it?”:
누구 (who) + 가 (subject marker) + 했어요? (did?)
= 누가 했어요? [nu-ga hae-sseo-yo?]

Sample Sentences
누가 전화했어요? [nu-ga jeon-hwa-hae-sseo-yo?] = Who called?
이거 누구예요? [i-geo nu-gu-ye-yo?] = Who is this? (This is who?)
어제 누가 왔어요? [eo-je nu-ga wa-sseo-yo?] = Who came yesterday?
그거 누가 만들었어요? [geu-geo nu-ga man-deu-reo-sseo-yo?] = Who made that?
누가 샀어요? [nu-ga sa-sseo-yo?] = Who bought it?

Lesson 24. Why? How? / 왜? 어떻게?

Through some of the previous lessons, you learned how to say “what”, “where”, “when”, and
“who” in Korean.
What = 뭐 [mwo]
Where = 어디 [eo-di]
When = 언제 [eon-je]
Who = 누구 [nu-gu]
In this lesson, you will learn two more 의문사 [ui-mun-sa] (interrogatives) to help you ask questions in Korean.
How = 어떻게
Why = 왜
How much (money) = 얼마
How + adjective/adverb = 얼마나
Generally, these interrogatives in Korean are used before the verb of a sentence. However as the word order of the sentences is much more flexible (thanks, in part, to the subject/topic/object markers), they can come in at various parts of sentences, depending on the context or the nuance.
Sample Sentences
1. 어떻게 [eo-tteo-ke] = how
어떻게 찾았어요? [eo-tteo-ke cha-ja-sseo-yo?] = How did you find it? (찾다 = to find, to look for)
어떻게 왔어요? [eo-tteo-ke wa-sseo-yo?] = How did you get here? (오다 = to come)
2. 왜 [wae] = why
왜 전화했어요? [wae jeon-hwa-hae-sseo-yo?] = Why did you call? (전화하다 = to call)
왜 안 왔어요? [wae an wa-sseo-yo?] = Why didn’t you come? (오다 = to come)
3. 얼마 [eol-ma] = how much
얼마예요? [eol-ma-ye-yo?] = How much is it?
이거 얼마예요? [i-geo eol-ma-ye-yo?] = How much is this?
저거 얼마예요? [jeo-geo eol-ma-ye-yo?] = How much is that?
그거 얼마예요? [geu-geo eol-ma-ye-yo?] = How much is the thing that is near you but far from me?
얼마 냈어요? [eol-ma nae-sseo-yo?] = How much did you pay? (내다 = to pay)
4. 얼마나 + adjective/adverb = how + [often/fast/early/soon/etc.]
얼마나 자주 와요? [eol-ma-na ja-ju wa-yo?] = How often do you come? (자주 = often / 오다 = to come)
얼마나 커요? [eol-ma-na keo-yo?] = How big is it? (크다 = to be big)
얼마나 무거워요? [eol-ma-na mu-geo-wo-yo?] = How heavy is it? (무겁다 = to be heavy)

Lesson 25. From A To B, From C Until D / -에서/부터 -까지

In this lesson, you will learn how to say “from A to B” when talking about locations and “from A until B” when talking about time.
When directly translated to English, -에서 [-e-seo] and -부터 [-bu-teo] mean “from”, and -까지 [-kka-ji] means “to” or “until”.
-에서 [-e-seo] and -부터 [-bu-teo] may translate to English as the same word, but -에서 is more associated with locations and -부터 is associated with time. Typically, these words are interchangeable in Korean, but there are certain cases where they are NOT interchangeable because of their associations.
Like all the other particles, -부터, -에서, and -까지 are used AFTER a noun or a pronoun, not BEFORE one.
“From A” in Korean is “A에서” or “A부터”
1. From Seoul
= 서울에서 [seo-u-re-seo] (from Seoul to another place)
= 서울부터 [seo-ul-bu-teo] (“starting from Seoul”)
2. From now
= 지금부터 [ji-geum-bu-teo]
= 지금에서 (x)
3. From (or since) yesterday
= 어제부터 [eo-je-bu-teo]
= 어제에서 (x)
Now, “to B” or “until B” in Korean is “B까지”
1. (From somewhere else) to Seoul = 서울까지 [seo-ul-kka-ji]
2. Until now = 지금까지 [ji-geum-kka-ji]
3. Until tomorrow = 내일까지 [nae-il-kka-ji]
4. Until when = 언제까지 [eon-je-kka-ji]

Sample Sentences
From here to there
= 여기에서 저기까지
= 여기부터 저기까지
From head to toe
= 머리부터 발끝까지
= 머리에서 발끝까지
From Seoul to Busan
= 서울에서 부산까지
= 서울부터 부산까지
From morning until evening
= 아침부터 저녁까지
= 아침에서 저녁까지 (x)

Review What You’ve Learned in Level 1

Essential Review - Dialogue (Test Your Korean)
This dialogue is based on the grammar points introduced in TalkToMeInKorean’s Level 1 lessons. First listen to the dialogue without looking at the Korean transcript, and then check how much you could understand by comparing your understanding with the original text as well as the translation.
Vocabulary
선물 = present, gift
생일 = birthday
잔 = cup
Korean Script
민아: 민수 씨 안녕하세요.
민수: 아, 네, 민아 씨, 안녕하세요! 이거 뭐예요?
민아: 이거요? 이거 선물이에요.
민수: 선물이요? 우와. 감사합니다.
민아: 아니요, 민수 씨 선물 아니에요. 다른 사람 선물이에요.
민수: 다른 사람이요? 누구요?
민아: 오늘 현주 씨 생일이에요.
민수: 정말요? 몰랐어요.
민아: 어, 저기, 현주 씨 왔어요.
현주: 민아 씨, 민수 씨, 안녕하세요!
민아: 생일 축하해요. 선물이에요.
현주: 우와. 감사합니다.
민수: 현주 씨, 생일 축하해요. 저는… 선물이 없어요. 생일을 몰랐어요.
현주: 괜찮아요. 감사합니다.
민아: 민수 씨는 언제까지 시간 있어요?
민수: 저요? 저는 일곱 시까지 시간 있어요.
민아: 좋아요. 현주 씨, 뭐 하고 싶어요?
현주: 저요? 글쎄요…
민아: 민수 씨, 배고파요? 저는 피자 먹고 싶어요.
민수: 네? 네… 저기… 현주 씨는요? 피자 먹고 싶어요?
현주: 네. 저도 피자 좋아요.
민수: 저기요. 김치 불고기 치즈 피자 하나 주세요.
민아: 김치 불고기 치즈 피자요?
민수: 맛있어요! 아, 저기요! 콜라 세 잔 주세요.
민아: 저는 콜라 안 마시고 싶어요. 저는 맥주 주세요.
민수: 여기 맥주 없어요.
민아: 있어요.
현주: 저기요, 여기 맥주 있어요? 네, 맥주 하나 주세요.
민수: 누가 피자집에서 맥주를 마셔요?
민아: 왜요? 이상해요?
민수: 아니에요.
현주: 피자 나왔어요.
민아: 맥주는요?
현주: 여기 있어요.
민아: 잘 먹겠습니다!
민수: 잘 먹겠습니다.
현주: 잘 먹겠습니다.
Korean Script + English Translation
민아: 민수 씨 안녕하세요.
Mina: Minsu, hello.
민수: 아, 네, 민아 씨, 안녕하세요! 이거 뭐예요?
Minsu: Oh, hi, Mina. Hi. What is this?
민아: 이거요? 이거 선물이에요.
Mina: This? This is a present.
민수: 선물이요? 우와. 감사합니다.
Minsu: A present? Wow. Thank you.
민아: 아니요, 민수 씨 선물 아니에요. 다른 사람 선물이에요.
Mina: No, it’s not a present for you, Minsu. It’s a present for someone else.
민수: 다른 사람이요? 누구요?
Minsu: Someone else? Who?
민아: 오늘 현주 씨 생일이에요.
Mina: Today is Hyeonju’s birthday.
민수: 정말요? 몰랐어요.
Minsu: Really? I didn’t know.
민아: 어, 저기, 현주 씨 왔어요.
Mina: Oh, there, Hyeonju came.
현주: 민아 씨, 민수 씨, 안녕하세요!
Hyeonju: Mina, Minsu, hi!
민아: 생일 축하해요. 선물이에요.
Mina: Happy birthday. It’s a present.
현주: 우와. 감사합니다.
Hyeonju: Wow. Thank you.
민수: 현주 씨, 생일 축하해요. 저는… 선물이 없어요. 생일을 몰랐어요.
Minsu: Hyeonju, happy birthday. I… don’t have a present. I didn’t know your birthday.
현주: 괜찮아요. 감사합니다.
Hyeonju: It’s okay. Thank you.
민아: 민수 씨는 언제까지 시간 있어요?
Mina: Minsu, until when do you have time?
민수: 저요? 저는 일곱 시까지 시간 있어요.
Minsu: Me? I have time until 7 o’clock.
민아: 좋아요. 현주 씨, 뭐 하고 싶어요?
Mina: Good. Hyeonju, what do you want to do?
현주: 저요? 글쎄요…
Hyeonju: Me? Well…
민아: 민수 씨, 배고파요? 저는 피자 먹고 싶어요.
Mina: Minsu, are you hungry? I want to have pizza.
민수: 네? 네… 저기… 현주 씨는요? 피자 먹고 싶어요?
Minsu: What? I see… um… Hyeonju, how about you? Do you want to have pizza?
현주: 네. 저도 피자 좋아요.
Hyeonju: Yeah… I like pizza too.
민수: 저기요. 김치 불고기 치즈 피자 하나 주세요.
Minsu: Excuse me. Give us one kimchi bulgogi cheese pizza.
민아: 김치 불고기 치즈 피자요?
Mina: Kimchi bulgogi cheese pizza?
민수: 맛있어요! 아, 저기요! 콜라 세 잔 주세요.
Minsu: It’s delicious! Oh, excuse me! Give us three cups of cola.
민아: 저는 콜라 안 마시고 싶어요. 저는 맥주 주세요.
Mina: I don’t want to drink cola. Give me beer.
민수: 여기 맥주 없어요.
Minsu: There is no beer here.
민아: 있어요.
Mina: There is.
현주: 저기요, 여기 맥주 있어요? 네, 맥주 하나 주세요.
Hyeonju: Excuse me, do you have beer here? Yes, give us one beer.
민수: 누가 피자집에서 맥주를 마셔요?
Minsu: Who drinks beer in a pizza place?
민아: 왜요? 이상해요?
Mina: Why? Is it strange?
민수: 아니에요.
Minsu: No.
현주: 피자 나왔어요.
Hyeonju: The pizza came out.
민아: 맥주는요?
Mina: And beer?
현주: 여기 있어요.
Hyeonju: It’s here.
민아: 잘 먹겠습니다!
Mina: Let’s eat!
민수: 잘 먹겠습니다.
Minsu: Bon appetit!
현주: 잘 먹겠습니다.
Hyeonju: Let’s eat.

Question 3

Level 2 -Part 1
- Lesson 1: Future tense
- Lesson 2: Object particles
- Lesson 3: And, then, therefore, so
- Lesson 4: And, with
- Lesson 5: Days in week
- Lesson 6: But, however
- Lesson 7: To someone, from someone
- Lesson 8: Telling Time
- Lesson 9: Counters 개/명
-Lesson 10: Present progressive

Answer 3

Lesson 1. Future Tense / -ㄹ/을 거예요, 할 거예요

Welcome to Level 2 and congratulations on making it through Level 1!
In Level 2, you will build upon what was learned in Level 1 with new grammar points and expressions.
Let us get started with the first lesson where you will learn how to use the sentence ending expressing the future in Korean.

Future Tense
The most common way of making future tense sentences in Korean is by adding -(으)ㄹ 거예요
Conjugation:
Verb + -(으)ㄹ 거예요 = future tense
Determining whether to use -ㄹ 거예요 or -을 거예요:
1. Verb stems ending with a vowel (보다, 가다, 자다) are followed by -ㄹ 거예요.
보다 + -ㄹ/을 거예요 = 볼 거예요.
가다 + -ㄹ/을 거예요 = 갈 거예요.
자다 + -ㄹ/을 거예요 = 잘 거예요.
2. Verb stems ending with a consonant (먹다, 찾다, 붙다) are followed by -을 거예요.
먹다 + -ㄹ/을 거예요 = 먹을 거예요.
찾다 + -ㄹ/을 거예요 = 찾을 거예요.
붙다 + -ㄹ/을 거예요 = 붙을 거예요.
(* There is no complex reason for this. It is simply for the ease of pronunciation.)
3. Exception: Verb stems already ending with ㄹ (놀다, 멀다, 살다) are followed only by 거예요.
놀다 + -ㄹ/을 거예요 = 놀 거예요.
멀다 + -ㄹ/을 거예요 = 멀 거예요.
살다 + -ㄹ/을 거예요 = 살 거예요.
When a verb is changed into this form, it takes on the meaning of “to be going to” do something
or “will” do something, but as you will find out when you hear more conversations between
native speakers, the present tense can also serve to express the future when the context is very clear.
For example, “I am going to go tomorrow” is “내일 갈 거예요” in the future tense, but “내일 가요” (which is in the present tense) may still make perfect sense depending on the situation.
1. 가다 = to go 가 + ㄹ 거예요.
→ 갈 거예요. = I am going to go. / I will go.
Ex)
지금 갈 거예요. = I am going to go (there) now.
혼자 갈 거예요. = I am going to go alone.
내일 갈 거예요. = I am going to go tomorrow.
2. 하다 = to do 하 + ㄹ 거예요.
→ 할 거예요. = I am going to do (it). / I will do (it).
Ex)
뭐 할 거예요? = What are you going to do?
언제 할 거예요? = When are you going to do (it)?
이거 언제 할 거예요? = When are you going to do this?

이거 정말 할 거예요? = Are you really going to do it?
3. 입다 = to wear 입 + 을 거예요.
→ 입을 거예요. = I am going to wear (it). / I will wear (it).
Ex)
청바지 입을 거예요. = I am going to wear blue jeans.
뭐 입을 거예요? = What are you going to wear?
티셔츠 입을 거예요. = I am going to wear a t-shirt.
[ti-syeo-cheu]
치마 입을 거예요. = I am going to wear a skirt.
4. 만나다 = to meet 만나 + ㄹ 거예요.
→ 만날 거예요. = I am going to meet (him/her/that person/them). / I will meet (him/her/that person/them).
Ex)
누구 만날 거예요? = Who are you going to meet?
어디에서 만날 거예요? = Where are you going to meet?
언제 만날 거예요? = When are you going to meet?
5. 팔다 = to sell 팔 + 거예요.
→ 팔 거예요. = I am going to sell (it). / I will sell (it).
Ex)
뭐 팔 거예요? = What are you going to sell?
어디에서 팔 거예요? = Where are you going to sell it?
얼마에 팔 거예요? = At what price are you going to sell it?

Lesson 2. Object-marking Particles / -을, -를

In Level 1 Lesson 9, topic marking particles (-은, -는) and subject marking particles (-이, -가) were introduced. Particles may still be new and different to many people, and it may seem like an impossible task to truly grasp the function of these particles, but with this lesson, learning how and when to use object marking particles is broken down to make it easier to understand.
Object marking particles create a relation to the verb in the sentence. Although quite a few specific verbs have been introduced previously, in general, verbs can be divided into transitive (verbs which need a direct object) and intransitive verbs (verbs which do not require a direct object). This is clearer in English than it is in Korean. Take a look at the following exchange in English:
Speaker A: “Did you find your wallet?”
Speaker B: “Yes, I found it.”
“Find”/“found” is a transitive verb and needs a DIRECT OBJECT. “Wallet” is the direct object in the first sentence, and “it” (object pronoun) in the second sentence.
In Korean, however, the sentences are as follows:
Speaker A: “지갑 찾았어요?” (Literal translation: “Wallet found?”)
Speaker B: “네. 찾았어요.” (Literal translation: “Yes. Found.”)
There is no direct object in the second sentence, but Speaker A knows what Speaker B is referring to without it. The distinction between transitive and intransitive is not as strong in Korean as in English or other languages.
How is that possible?!
That is where object marking particles come into play.
Object marking particles:
Conjugation:
-을 - used after a noun ending in a consonant
-를 - used after a noun ending in a vowel
우유(milk) + -를 = 우유를
책(book) + -을 = 책을
모자(hat) + -를 = 모자를
카메라(camera) + -를 = 카메라를
방(room) + -을 = 방을
So, what exactly do particles in Korean do anyway?
To explain it simply, they help listeners/readers predict the verb (to an extent).
In English, if you say or write “an apple”, it is simply a noun; a round, shiny, sweet fruit. If you write or say a sentence and do not use a verb to go with it, the reader/listener has no idea what ACTION is directly happening to the apple in the sentence.
Ex)
“Did you an apple?” → The verb can be any action verb: buy, sell, trade, eat, throw, etc. (transitive verb)
Likewise, if you say or write just “the apple”, the reader/listener has no clue ABOUT the apple. Did the apple DO an action? Is there something about the apple that he/she needs to know?
Ex)
“The apple.” → The apple “what”? In this case, either an intransitive verb (rolled, disappeared, fell, emerged, vanished, etc.) or adjective (is good, bad, ugly, pretty, shiny, etc.) can be used to complete the sentence.
In Korean, 사과 [sa-gwa] is “apple”. By adding only -를 [-reul] (object marking particle), to 사과, making 사과를, one can predict that 사과 is the direct OBJECT of the verb in the sentence, meaning that the verb’s ACTION (transitive verb) will be directly transferred to the 사과.
Ex)
사과를 먹었어요? (Did you eat an apple?)
사과를 사요? (Are you buying an apple?)
By adding -가 (subject marking particle) to 사과, it becomes the SUBJECT of the sentence, meaning that the verb will be ABOUT the 사과 (absolutely NO action is being directly transferred to the 사과). It is easy to predict the verb or adjective (known as a “descriptive verb” in Korean) here as well.
Ex)
이 사과가 맛있어요. (This apple is delicious.)
사과가 떨어졌어요. (The apple fell.)
When adding -는 (topic marking particle) to create 사과는, the reader/listener knows that 사과 will be compared to something else, or that 사과 is being brought up in the conversation for the first time. All this without any other words!

How particles are dropped
In Korean, particles are sometimes necessary in order to clarify the meaning of a sentence, especially when changing the word order or forming long sentences. Sometimes, however, there are certain situations where particles can be dropped if the meaning of the sentence is clearly understood or for ease of pronunciation and for the sake of shortening the phrase.
Ex)
사과를 사요? → 사과 사요? (Are you buying an apple?)
이 사과가 맛있어요. → 이 사과 맛있어요. (This apple is delicious.)
The meaning of these sentences stays the same with or without a particle.
“When do I need to use object or subject marking particles?”
You need to use them when you want to clarify the relationship between the object or subject and the verb. When the object or subject is close to the verb, such as in the sentences before, using a particle or omitting it does not make much of a difference since the meaning is still the same. However; when sentences become longer, there are more elements, the word order can change, and the object or subject gets further away from the verb. Using a particle is absolutely necessary in this situation to clarify the meaning.
Sample Sentences
만났어요. [man-na-sseo-yo.]
= I met.
→ 만났어요?
= Did you meet?
→ 누구 만났어요? = Who did you meet?
→ 어제 여기에서 누구(를) 만났어요? = Who did you meet here yesterday?
→ 어제 누구를 여기에서 만났어요?
= WHO did you meet here yesterday?
텔레비전 봐요. = I watch TV.
→ 텔레비전 봐요?
= Do you watch TV?
→ 텔레비전 자주 봐요? = Do you watch TV often?
→ 일주일에 몇 번 텔레비전 봐요?
= How many times per week do you watch TV?
→ 텔레비전(을) 일주일에 몇 번 봐요?
= How many times a week do you watch TV?
Do not worry too much about the other elements of the sentences above for now. Just focus on remembering that the longer the sentence is, the more necessary it is to use particles!

Lesson 3. And, and then, therefore, so / 그리고, 그래서

The last two lessons contained fairly heavy topics (future tense and object marking particles), but in this lesson, your brain gets a bit of a break!
Korean has conjunctions (part of speech which connects words, sentences, phrases, or clauses) just like many other languages around the world. There are many of them in Korean, but you will learn two of the most common in this lesson.
그리고
그리고 [geu-ri-go] has the meaning of “and” or “and then” depending on the context. 그리고 can be used for both linking nouns and phrases, but in colloquial situations, 그리고 is more
commonly used for linking phrases.
Ex) (linking nouns)
커피, 빵, 그리고 물 = coffee, bread and water
서울 그리고 부산 = Seoul and Busan
런던 그리고 파리 = London and Paris
미국 그리고 호주 = United States and Australia
독일 그리고 필리핀 = Germany and the Philippines
Ex) (linking phrases)
(1) 친구를 만났어요.
친구 = friend
를 = object marking particle
만나다 = to meet
만났어요 = past tense of 만나다
(2) 밥을 먹었어요.
밥 [bap] = rice, meal
을 = object marking particle
먹다 = to eat
먹었어요 = past tense of 먹다
(1) and (2) = 친구를 만났어요 and 밥을 먹었어요.
= 친구를 만났어요. 그리고 밥을 먹었어요.
그래서
그래서 has the meaning of “therefore” and “so”, and just as in English, using this word between two sentences shows a logical relation between sentences.
Ex)
(1) 오늘은 비가 왔어요.
비가 오다 = to rain
[o-da]
비가 왔어요 = past tense of 비가 오다
(2) 집에 있었어요.
집 = house, home
있다 = to be
있었어요 = past tense of 있다
(1) + (2) = 오늘은 비가 왔어요. Therefore, 집에 있었어요.
= 오늘은 비가 왔어요. 그래서 집에 있었어요.
Sample Sentences
김치는 맛있어요. 그리고 한국 음식이에요. = Kimchi is delicious. And it is Korean food.
김치 = Kimchi
맛있다 = to be delicious
한국 음식 = Korean food
저는 학생이에요. 그리고 프랑스어를 공부해요.
= I am a student. And I am studying French.
저 = I (humble)
학생 = student
프랑스어 = French (language)
공부하다 [gong-bu-ha-da] = to study
저는 학생이에요. 그래서 돈이 없어요.
= I am a student. So I do not have money.
돈 = money
없다 = to not be, to not exist
김치는 맛있어요. 그래서 김치를 많이 먹어요.
= Kimchi is delicious. So, I eat a lot of Kimchi.
많이 = a lot, many (in quantity or frequency)
먹다 = to eat
저는 한국인이에요. 그래서 김치를 많이 먹어요.
= I am Korean. So, I eat a lot of Kimchi.
한국인 = Korean (person)
저는 김치를 많이 먹어요. 그래서 튼튼해요.
= I eat a lot of Kimchi. Therefore, I am strong.
튼튼하다 = to be strong

Lesson 4. And, with / -하고, -(이)랑

As mentioned in the previous lesson, there are many conjunctions in Korean, especially when it comes to the word “and”. Continue the quest of learning conjunctions in Korean with this lesson on -하고 and -이랑.
-하고 = and
Conjugation:
-하고 is used like a particle and attached to a noun without space.
Ex)
이거 = this, this thing
이거하고 이거 = this and this
이거하고 이거 주세요. = Give me this and this.
-(이)랑 = and
Conjugation:
If a noun ends in a vowel, attach -랑 at the end, and if it ends with a consonant, use -이랑. This makes it easier to pronounce.
* -(이)랑 and -하고 are almost always interchangeable, but -(이)랑 is more colloquial and casual, and not often used in formal settings.
Ex)
우유 = milk
빵 = bread
우유랑 빵 = milk and bread
빵이랑 우유 = bread and milk
우유하고 빵 = milk and bread
우유랑 빵 샀어요. = I bought milk and bread.
우유하고 빵 샀어요. = I bought milk and bread.
빵이랑 우유 샀어요. = I bought bread and milk.

Another meaning of -하고 and -(이)랑
Depending on the context of the sentence, both -하고 and -(이)랑 can also mean “with”, and it is usually very easy to tell whether it is used as “and” or “with”.
친구하고 영화 봤어요.
= I saw a movie with a friend.*
* It is very unlikely that this sentence means “I watched a friend and a movie.”
누구랑 갔어요? = Who did you go with?
To make the meaning of a sentence clearer, add the word 같이 after -하고 or -(이)랑. 같이 means “together”, so -하고 같이 or -(이)랑 같이 means “together with”. While saying “친구하고 영화 봤어요” makes perfect sense, if you say “친구하고 같이 영화 봤어요”, it is even better. The same can be said for “누구랑 갔어요?” and “누구랑 같이 갔어요?”
Sample Sentences
동생하고 공부할 거예요.
= I am going to study with my younger brother/sister.
선생님하고 밥을 먹을 거예요.
[seon-saeng-nim-ha-go ba-beul meo-geul kkeo-ye-yo.]
= I am going to eat with my teacher.
내일 선생님하고 경복궁에 갈 거예요.
= I am going to go to Gyeongbok Palace with my teacher tomorrow.
어제 홍대하고 신촌에 갔어요.
= I went to Hongdae and Sinchon yesterday.
* 홍대 and 신촌 are both popular hang out spots in Seoul for younger people.

Lesson 5. Days In A Week / 요일

After completing this lesson, you will be able to recognize and use the Korean words for each day of the week.
Sunday = 일요일
Monday = 월요일
Tuesday = 화요일
Wednesday = 수요일
Thursday = 목요일
Friday = 금요일
Saturday = 토요일
The syllable 요 and 일 together mean “day of the week” in Korean. Each day has its own unique first syllable.
Let us glance at the 한자 characters (한자 is the Korean word for Chinese characters) that are used in the names of the days of the week.
月 = 월 = moon
火 = 화 = fire
水 = 수 = water
木 = 목 = tree
金 = 금 = gold, metal, iron
土 = 토 = earth, soil, ground
日 = 일 = sun
The names for the days of the week can also be related to some of the planets in the solar system.
화요일 = Tuesday / 화성 = Mars
수요일 = Wednesday / 수성 = Mercury
목요일 = Thursday / 목성 = Jupiter
금요일 = Friday / 금성 = Venus
토요일 = Saturday / 토성 = Saturn
Sample Sentences
토요일에는 소풍을 갈 거예요.
= I am going to go on a picnic on Saturday.
어제는 신나는 금요일이었어요.
= Yesterday was an exciting Friday.
저는 월요일에 영화를 봤어요.
= I watched a movie on Monday.

Lesson 6. But, However / 그렇지만, 그런데

Jump right back into Korean conjunctions with this lesson, since now we will introduce two more words that can be used at the beginning of sentences!
그렇지만 = but, however
그런데 = but, however
(1) 피곤해요. 그렇지만 영화 보고 싶어요.
= I am tired, but I want to see a movie.
(2) 피곤해요. 그런데 영화 보고 싶어요.
= I am tired. However, I want to see a movie.
그렇지만 and 그런데 both mean “but” or “however”, but there is some difference in the usage of these two words.
(1) 어제 이거 샀어요. 그렇지만 정말 커요.
= I bought this yesterday. “그렇지만” it is really big.
(2) 어제 이거 샀어요. 그런데 정말 커요.
= I bought this yesterday. “그런데” it is really big.
In sentence (1), 그렇지만 means “but” or “however”. The speaker is contrasting two facts: having purchased “this” yesterday and “it” being too big. It sounds as if the speaker is disappointed that it is very big.
In sentence (2), the intended meaning is “but”, however at the same time it can also mean “and”. If the speaker is implying the meaning of “and”, the entire sentence can mean “I bought this yesterday, and as I have come to find out, it is really big.”
In summary,
그렇지만 = “but”
그런데 = “but” or “and” (depending on the context)
To contrast two sentences, “A + however/but + B”, you can choose to use either 그렇지만 or 그런데.
To introduce two actions or states which occurred one after another, and if the first
sentence is background information for the second, only use 그런데.
어제 학교에 갔어요. 그렇지만 일요일이었어요.
= I went to school yesterday, but it was Sunday.
어제 학교에 갔어요. 그런데 일요일이었어요.
= I went to school yesterday, but it was Sunday.
= I went to school yesterday, and by the way, it was Sunday.
= I went to school yesterday, and as I found out after I went, it was Sunday.
그런데 can be used for a wider variety of meanings than 그렇지만, which has a very formal nuance to it and is used more in writing. In actual everyday conversations, 그런데 is used more often than 그렇지만.
Sample Sentences
어젯밤 늦게 잤어요. 그런데 피곤하지 않아요.
= I went to bed late last night, but I am not tired.
늦게 = late, at a late hour
피곤하다 = to be tired
저는 매일 운동을 해요. 그런데 살이 빠지지 않아요.
= I work out every day, but I do not lose any weight.
매일 = every day
살이 빠지다 = to lose weight
저는 친구가 없어요. 그런데 왕따는 아니에요.
= I do not have friends, but I am not a loner.
왕따 = outcast, loner, someone who is bullied by others

Lesson 7. “To” someone, “From” someone / 한테, 한테서

When it comes to particles in Korean, there are not always direct (or correct) translations from Korean to English. It is important to understand the roles the particles play within the sentence rather than just trying to memorize a similar English counterpart.
Keep that in mind as you learn about the particles -한테 and -한테서!
In order to express “to” or “from” someone in Korean, the particles -한테 and -한테서 are used most commonly. There are two other particles which have similar characteristics (-에게 and -에게서 ) but are used mainly in written language and will not be covered in this lesson.
-한테 = “to” someone, “from” someone
-한테서 = “from” someone
-한테 can mean both “to” and “from” someone, whereas -한테서 can only mean “from” someone. The meaning of -한테 can only be completely understood by examining the context of a sentence.
-한테 and -한테서 can ONLY be used about people or animals, NOT objects or places.
- “to a friend” = friend + -한테 ( ㅇ )
- “to Seoul” = Seoul + -한테 ( X )
Ex)
저한테 = to me, from me
친구한테 = to a friend, from a friend
누구한테 = to whom, from whom
저한테서 = from me
친구한테서 = from a friend
누구한테서 = from whom
* When used with a verb that already expresses passive voice, -한테 can also mean “by”.
For example, 맞다 generally means “to be correct”, but in another sentence, it can mean “to be beaten” or “to be hit”. Therefore, A한테 맞다 can be translated to English as “to be beaten by A”.

Lesson 8. Telling The Time

Now it is TIME to talk about TIME!
As you may have already studied, there are two number systems in Korean. Most of the time, the two number systems are used for different things or they are interchangeable. When it comes to telling time, however, both systems are used at the same time.
Quickly review some native Korean numbers:
1 하나 [ha-na]
2 둘 [dul]
3 셋 [set]
4 넷 [net]
5 다섯 [da-seot]
6 여섯 [yeo-seot]
7 일곱 [il-gop]
8 여덟 [yeo-deol]
9 아홉 [a-hop]
10 열 [yeol]
11 열하나 [yeol-ha-na]
12 열둘 [yeol-ttul]
When saying the hour, use these native Korean numbers (1, 2, 3 and 4 are irregular and change form a little).
Conjugation:
Number + 시 = hour
하나 + 시 = 한 시 = 1 o’clock (not 하나 시)
둘 + 시 = 두 시 = 2 o’clock (not 둘 시)
셋 + 시 = 세 시 = 3 o’clock (not 셋 시)
넷 + 시 = 네 시 = 4 o’clock (not 넷 시)
다섯 시 = 5 o’clock
여섯 시 = 6 o’clock
일곱 시 = 7 o’clock
여덟 시 = 8 o’clock
아홉 시 = 9 o’clock
열 시 = 10 o’clock
열한 시 = 11 o’clock
열두 시 = 12 o’clock
Now, take a minute to review some sino-Korean numbers:
1 일
2 이
3 삼
4 사
5 오
6 육
7 칠
8 팔
9 구
10 십
* Numbers 11 and onward are combinations of these 10 numbers.
When saying minutes in Korean, use sino-Korean numbers.
Conjugation:
Number + 분 = minute
일 분 = 1 minute
이 분 = 2 minutes
오 분 = 5 minutes
십 분 = 10 minutes
십 오 분 = 15 minutes
삼십 분 = 30 minutes
오십오 분 = 55 minutes
1:05 = 1 + 시 + 5 + 분 = 한 시 오 분
1:15 = 1 + 시 + 15 + 분 = 한 시 십오 분
3:20 = 3 + 시 + 20 + 분 = 세 시 이십 분
10:00 = 10 + 시 = 열 시
10:30 = 10 + 시 + 30 + 분 = 열 시 삼십 분
* “# o’clock sharp” is expressed with the word 정각
** Rather than saying 삼십 분, the word 반 , meaning “half”, can also be used.
How to ask the time
지금 몇 시예요?
= What time is it now?
지금 몇 시 몇 분이에요?
= What is the hour, and what is the minute?
Sample Sentences
저는 매일 아침 9시까지 출근해요.
= I get to work by 9 every morning.
매일 = every day
출근하다 = to go to work
내일 수업이 4시 반에 끝나요.
= My classes finish at 4:30 tomorrow.
내일 = tomorrow
수업 = class
끝나다 = to finish
오늘 몇 시에 친구를 만나요?
= What time do you meet your friend today?
만나다 = to meet

Lesson 9. Counters / 개, 명

When counting in English, the number is followed by the word for what is being counted (i.e. a person, two cats, three houses). In Korean, there are many words used as counting units for different subjects which are similar to words in English such as “loaf” of bread, “glass” of water, “sticks” of butter, and “cubes” of ice.
There are SO many counters in Korean that it is impossible to memorize them all at once. Learning the counters one by one as you practice or as you need them is a little less overwhelming and may help you learn them more efficiently.
Ex)
English: number + noun
1. a car
2. Two pencils
3. three books
Korean: noun + number + counter
1. “car” + one + “counter for cars”
2. “pencil” + two + “counter for pencils”
3. “book” + three + “counter for books”
There are literally hundreds of counters in the Korean language, but not all of them are always
used. As long as the speakers understand each other, some people just use the simplest and easiest counter to count certain words and it does not confuse anyone. For example, in Korean, a pencil is 연필 and the counter for pencils is 자루 [ja-ru]. The word 자루 is also used for counting pens, bags containing grain, and knives. Instead of using the word 자루 all the time for 연필, many people just use the general counter for things, which is 개
연필 한 자루 = one pencil
연필 한 개 = one pencil
This does NOT work for all counters. Some common counters are almost never replaced with 개. For example, the counter for cars is 대 [dae], and it is never replaced with 개. In other words, changing 연필 한 자루 to 연필 한 개 is okay, but changing 차 한 대 to 차 한 개 is not okay and considered incorrect.
The counter 대 is used more frequently than the counter 자루. However, as a learner of the Korean language, if you find yourself using the wrong counter, you will be given feedback so you will remember better next time. It is better to say something in Korean than choosing not to say anything at all! Making mistakes is part of the learning process, so do not be too hard on yourself when you mess up. The person listening to you will, more than likely, be impressed with your skills anyway and just offer the correction without judgment.
In this lesson, remember these two most frequently used counters, 개 and 명
개 as a noun in Korean means “a dog”, but when used as a counter, it is used for counting
things and objects. 명 is used for counting people.
The majority of the time, counters are used with native Korean numbers.
Conjugation:
Numbers + 개 (counter for things)
1 = 하나 –> 한 개
2 = 둘 –> 두 개
3 = 셋 –> 세 개
4 = 넷 –> 네 개 Do you remember the irregularity rule for these numbers (plus 20)?
5 = 다섯 –> 다섯 개
6 = 여섯 –> 여섯 개
7 = 일곱 –> 일곱 개
8 = 여덟 –> 여덟 개
9 = 아홉 –> 아홉 개
10 = 열 –> 열 개
From 11 to 20
열한 개, 열두 개 [yeol-ttu], 열세 개, 열네 개, 열다섯 개, 열여섯 개, 열일곱 개, 열여덟 개, 열아홉 개, 스무 개
From 21 to 30
스물한 개, 스물두 개, 스물세 개 , 스물네 개, 스물다섯 개, 스물여섯 개, 스물일곱 개, 스물여덟 개, 스물아홉 개, 서른 개
Ex)
one apple = 사과 + 1 + 개 = 사과 한 개
two stones = 돌 + 2 + 개 = 돌 두 개
five balls = 공 + 5 + 개 = 공 다섯 개
how many (things) = 몇 + 개 = 몇 개
Use the counter 명 for “people”.
one person = 한 명
two students = 학생 + 2 + 명 = 학생 두 명
three friends = 친구 + 3 + 명 = 친구 세 명
how many (people) = 몇 + 명 = 몇 명
The word for “people” or “person”, 사람 [sa-ram], is also used when generally referring to a small number of people without specifying who they are.
Ex)
Q: How many people are there?
A: There are 10 people.
= Q: 몇 명 있어요?
A: 10명 있어요.
= Q: 몇 사람 있어요?
A: 열 사람 있어요. (This is unnatural.)
→ A: 두 사람 있어요. (two people - this is okay.)
Check out a few more commonly used counters:
병 [byeong] = bottles
몇 병 = how many bottles
마리 = animals
개 한 마리 = one dog
새 한 마리 = one bird
오리 세 마리 = three ducks
대 = vehicles, machinery
차 한 대 = one car
비행기 세 대 = three airplanes
권 = books
책 한 권 = one book
책 두 권 = two books
장 = paper, pages, tickets
종이 한 장 = a sheet of paper
Sample Sentences
아줌마 김치찌개 한 개 주세요.
= Ma’am, give me one kimchi stew.
찌개 = stew
콜라 한 병 주세요.
= Please give me a bottle of cola.

Lesson 10. Present Progressive / -고 있어요

Do not be “tense” about another lesson on tenses! You will be able to form sentences in present progressive tense (현재 진행형 [hyeon-jae jin-haeng-hyeong]) in Korean.
Examples of present progressive sentences in English:
1. I am reading a book.
2. What are you watching?
3. He is helping me a lot.
Conjugation:
- to be -ing = Verb stem + -고 있다
보다 = to see
보고 있다 = to be seeing
Present progressive:
- am/are/is -ing = Verb stem + -고 있어요 밖에 비가 오고 있어요. = It is raining outside.
밖에 눈이 오고 있어요. = It is snowing outside.
밖에 바람이 불고 있어요. = The wind is blowing outside.
Past progressive:
- was/were -ing = Verb stem + -고 있었어요
눈이 오고 있었어요. = It was snowing.
비가 오고 있었어요. = It was raining.
바람이 불고 있었어요. = The wind was blowing.
경은 씨가 자고 있었어요. = Kyeong-eun was sleeping.
Future progressive:
- will be -ing = Verb stem + -고 있을 거예요
Past and future progressive sentences are quite common in Korean and are used almost every day. Having a thorough understanding of how to use the present progressive form will make learning past and future progressive quite easy.
When using the present progressive tense, there are two important points to remember:
1.
Literal translation between Korean present progressive sentences and English present progressive sentences does not always work, especially when using the present progressive form in English to indicate the future.
For example, “I am not going to work tomorrow” in English is talking about the future; therefore in Korean, -고 있어요 cannot be used.
2
In everyday conversations, sentences which need to be in the present progressive form do not
always take the -고 있어요 form. Koreans often just use the plain present tense form even for sentences that would normally be present progressive tense in English.
Ex)
Instead of saying:
A: 지금 뭐 하고 있어요? = What are you doing now?
B: 공부하고 있어요. = I am studying.
many people say:
A: 지금 뭐 해요? = What are you doing now?
B: 공부해요. = I am studying.

Sample Sentences
일하다 = to work
일하고 있어요. = I am working.
일하고 있었어요. = I was working.
일하고 있을 거예요. = I will be working.
듣다 = to listen
듣고 있어요. = I am listening.
듣고 있었어요. = I was listening.
듣고 있을 거예요. = I will be listening.
생각하다 = to think
생각하고 있어요. = I am thinking.
생각하고 있었어요. = I was thinking.
생각하고 있을 거예요. = I will be thinking.
졸다 = to doze off
졸고 있어요. = I am dozing off.
졸고 있었어요. = I was dozing off.
졸고 있을 거예요. = I will be dozing off.
Kim

Question 4

Level 2 - Part 2
- Lesson 11: Self-Intro
- Lesson 12: Months & Days
- Lesson 13: Too, also 도 Part 1
- Lesson 14: Too, also 도 Part 2
- Lesson 15: Only -만
- Lesson 16: Very, A bit, Really, Not really, Not at all / 아주, 조금, 진짜, 별로, 전혀
- Lesson 17: Can, Cannot / -ㄹ 수 있다/없다
- Lesson 18: To be good/poor at … / 잘하다/못하다
- Lesson 19: Making Verbs Into Nouns / -는 것
- Lesson 20: Have to, Should, Must / -아/어/여야 되다/하다

Answer 4

Lesson 11. Self-introduction / 자기소

By using what you have learned so far, you can already express many things about yourself. In this lesson, you will add to that knowledge and learn vocabulary, phrases, and sentence patterns which are specific and absolutely necessary for introducing yourself in Korean.

자기소개 self-introduction

There are thousands of different things you could reveal when introducing yourself, but to generalize, some of the most common information is:

• name
• age
• place of living
• work
• school
• family members
• hobby
• greetings

Self-introductions are personal, and each situation is different. You may feel like revealing a lot of information about yourself, or just a little, so there is no need to try to memorize every sentence related to introductions. No single detailed chapter on self-introductions can cover everything you need to know every time you introduce yourself.

There are a few frequently used sentence patterns to use whenever you introduce yourself.
1. ABC은/는 XYZ이에요. [ABC-eun/neun XYZ-i-e-yo.] = ABC is XYZ.
Ex)
I am a student. = 저는 학생이에요. [jeo-neun hak-ssaeng-i-e-yo.]
I am a teacher. = 저는 선생님이에요. [jeo-neun seon-saeng-nim-i-e-yo.]
I am James. = 저는 제임스예요. [jeo-neun je-im-sseu-ye-yo.]
My name is Stephen. = 제 이름은 스티븐이에요. [je i-reum-eun seu-ti-beun-i-e-yo.]
My sister’s name is Taliana. = 제 여동생 이름은 탈리아나예요. [je yeo-dong-saeng i-reum-eun tal-li-a-na-ye-yo.]
I am 30 years old. = 저는 30살이에요. [jeo-neun seo-reun-sal-i-e-yo.]
My name is Choi Kyeong-eun. = 제 이름은 최경은이에요.
My age is a secret. = 제 나이는 비밀이에요.
And I am a Korean teacher. = 그리고 저는 한국어 선생님이에요.
2. ABC은/는 XYZ이/가 [ABC-eun/neun XYZ-i/ga] + VERB = As for ABC, XYZ + VERB.
Ex)
저는 여동생이 있어요. [jeo-neun yeo-dong-saeng-i i-sseo-yo.] = I have a younger sister. (lit. “As for me, a younger sister exists.”)
저는 남동생이 있어요. [jeo-neun nam-dong-saeng-i i-sseo-yo.] = I have a younger brother.
저는 언니가 있어요. [jeo-neun eon-ni-ga i-sseo-yo.] = I have an older sister.
저는 취미가 없어요. [jeo-neun chwi-mi-ga eop-sseo-yo.] = I do not have any hobbies. (lit. “As for me, the hobby does not exist.”)
저는 취미가 수영이에요. [jeo-neun chwi-mi-ga su-yeong-i-e-yo.] = My hobby is swimming. (lit. “As for me, the hobby, swimming is.”)
3. ABC은/는 XYZ에/에서 [ABC-eun/neun XYZ-e/e-seo] + VERB = ABC + VERB + in XYZ.
Ex)
저는 서울에 살아요. [jeo-neun seo-u-re sa-ra-yo.] = I live in Seoul.
저는 은행에서 일해요. [jeo-neun eun-haeng-e-seo il-hae-yo.] = I work in a bank.
저는 대학교에서 중국어를 가르쳐요. [jeo-neun dae-hak-kkyo-e-seo jung-gu-geo-reul ga-reuchyeo-yo.] = I teach Chinese in college.
저는 미국에서 태어났어요. [jeo-neun mi-gu-ge-seo tae-eo-na-sseo-yo.] = I was born in the USA.
Important and useful vocabulary words:

나이 [na-i] = age
취미 [chwi-mi] = hobby
직장 [jik-jjang] = workplace
직업 [ji-geop] = job = 하는 일 [ha-neun il]
사는 곳 [sa-neun got] = place of living
가족 [ga-jok] = family
친척 [chin-cheok] = relatives, extended family
대학생 [dae-hak-saeng] = university student
고등학생 [go-deung-hak-saeng] = high school student
중학생 [jung-hak-saeng] = middle school student
초등학생 [cho-deung-hak-saeng] = elementary school student

Useful greetings:

처음 뵙겠습니다. [cheo-eum boep-kket-sseum-ni-da.] = How do you do?
반갑습니다. [ban-gap-sseum-ni-da.] = It is nice to meet you.
제 명함이에요. [je myeong-ha-mi-e-yo.] = It is my business card.
다음에 또 뵐게요. [da-eu-me tto boel-kke-yo.] = See you again next time.
이야기 많이 들었어요. [i-ya-gi ma-ni deu-reo-sseo-yo.] = I have heard a lot about you.

**Lesson 12. Months and Days **

After studying with this lesson, you will be able to say and identify the months of the year and the days in a month in Korean. You will also be able to answer questions regarding the date as well as ask questions related to dates.

Names of the months

In Korean, the names for the 12 months in a year are very simple. Just add the

word 월 [wol], which means “month”, after every corresponding sino-Korean number.

January: 1월 [i-rwol]
February: 2월 [i-wol]
March: 3월 [sa-mwol]
April: 4월 [sa-wol]
May: 5월 [o-wol]
June: 6월 [yu-wol]
July: 7월 [chi-rwol]
August: 8월 [pa-rwol]
September: 9월 [gu-wol]
October: 10월 [si-wol]
November: 11월 [si-bi-rwol]
December: 12월 [si-bi-wol]

Which month: 몇 월 [myeot wol = myeo-dwol]

Days in a month
Simply add the sino-Korean number to the Korean word 일 [il], which means “day”.
Ex)
1 + 일 = 1일 [i-ril]
2 + 일 = 2일 [i-il]
.
.
29 + 일 = 29일 [i-sip-gu-il]
30 + 일 = 30일 [sam-si-bil]

What date: 며칠 [myeo-chil]
* The expression몇 월 is a simple combination of 몇 (which, how many) and 월 (month), whereas 며칠 doesn’t use 일 as a component. It’s often misunderstood as a mix of 몇 and 일 (day), so you will see a lot of Korean speakers writing it as 몇 일, too.

What month and what date: 몇 월 며칠 [myeo-dwol myeo-chil]

Sample Sentences
몇 월 며칠이에요? [myeo-dwol myeo-chi-ri-e-yo?] = What is the date?
오늘 몇 월 며칠이에요? [o-neul] = What is today’s date?
생일이 몇 월 며칠이에요? [saeng-i-ri] = What date is your birthday?
When mentioning a specific day, 언제 [eon-je], which means “when”, can also be used.
생일이 언제예요? [eon-je-ye-yo?] = When is your birthday?

Lesson 13. Too, Also / -도 (part 1)

If you have been studying with TalkToMeInKorean starting with Level 1, you have learned a handful of different particles up to this point: -이/가 [-i/ga] (subject marking particles), -은/는 [-eun/neun] (topic marking particles), and -을/를 [-eul/reul] (object marking particles). Are you ready to add one more particle to the bunch? :D

-도 [-do] is used to represent the meaning of “also” and “too”.

In English, the placement of the words “too”, “also”, or “as well” varies depending on the speaker. Most of the time they are added to the end of a sentence, but sometimes they can be placed in the middle or near the beginning next to the subject. In Korean, however, -도 is treated as a particle and ALWAYS follows the noun or pronoun.

Ex)
1. I like it, too.
저도 좋아요. [jeo-do jo-a-yo.]
2. I think so as well.
저도 그런 것 같아요. [jeo-do geu-reon geot ga-ta-yo.]
3. I, too, saw it.
저도 봤어요. [jeo-do bwa-sseo-yo.]

In these sentences “too” and “as well” were used to modify different things. In the last sentence, “I, too, saw it”, the word “too” is modifying “I”. If you literally translate this to Korean, it becomes “저도 봤어요. [jeo-do bwa-sseo-yo.]” Adding -도 right after 저, which means “I”, in this case modifies “I” just as in the English sentence.

When the particle -도 needs to be attached to a noun or a pronoun which already has a particle behind it, -도 can replace the particle.

Sample Sentences
I am a student.
= 저는 학생이에요. [jeo-neun hak-ssaeng-i-e-yo.]
I am a student, too.
= 저도 학생이에요. [jeo-do hak-ssaeng-i-e-yo.]
* Note that it is NOT “저는도 학생이에요.”
I brought this.
= 이것 가져왔어요. [i-geot ga-jeo-wa-sseo-yo.]
I brought this, too.
= 이것도 가져왔어요. [i-geot-tto ga-jeo-wa-sseo-yo.]
Do you work today?
= 오늘 일해요? [o-neul il-hae-yo?]

Do you work today as well?
= 오늘도 일해요? [o-neul-do il-hae-yo?]

Depending on the location of the particle -도, the meaning of the entire sentence can change.

In Korean, “Please give me water” is said as “물 주세요. [mul ju-se-yo.]”

To say “Give water to me, too, not just other people”, say: 저도 물 주세요. [jeo-do mul ju-se-yo.]

“Please give some water to me, too.” = 저도 물 주세요.

To say “Give me, not only other things, but water as well”, say: 저 물도 주세요. [jeo mul-do ju-se-yo.]

“Please also give some water to me.” = 저 물도 주세요.

**Lesson 14. Too, Also / -도 / (part 2) **

In the previous lesson, you learned how to use -도 [-do] with pronouns and nouns to mean “[noun], too” or “[pronoun] also.” Do you remember the formula?

Take a moment to review:

내일 [nae-il] = Tomorrow
내일도 [nae-il-do] = Tomorrow, too.
우유 [u-yu] = Milk
우유도 [u-yu-do] = Milk, also.
나 [na] = Me
나도 [na-do] = Me, too.
물 주세요. [mul ju-se-yo.] = Give me water, please.
물도 주세요. [mul-do ju-se-yo.] = Give me water, too, please.
내일 갈 거예요. [nae-il gal kkeo-ye-yo.] = I will go tomorrow.
내일도 갈 거예요. [nae-il-do gal kkeo-ye-yo.] = I will go (again) tomorrow, too.

Now that using -도 with nouns and pronouns is fresh in your memory, you can learn how to use -도 with verbs! However, using - 도 with verbs as they are is not possible!

Wait. What?!

“How will I learn to use -도 with verbs if it is not possible?”

Well, if you change the verb into its noun form, it is absolutely possible to use -도 with verbs.

By changing a verb into its noun form and adding the verb 하다 [ha-da], it literally translates to “to do + verb in noun form + also”. It may seem complicated at first, but try to think of -도 하다 as a set when it comes to using -도 with verbs.

How to change a verb to its noun form

There are a few different ways to change a verb into its noun form, but the simplest and most common way is by adding -기 [-gi] to the verb stem. This is similar to using verbs in the

“to do [verb]” and “[verb]ing” format.

Ex)
보다 [bo-da] = to see
Noun form: 보 + -기 = 보기 [bo-gi] (= to do the act of seeing; seeing)
보기 → 보기도 하다 [bo-gi-do ha-da] = to also see, to even see
먹다 [meok-tta] = to eat
Noun form: 먹 + -기 = 먹기 [meok-kki] (= to do the act of eating; eating)
먹기 → 먹기도 하다 [meok-kki-do ha-da] = to also eat, to even eat
잡다 [jap-tta] = to catch
→ 잡기도 하다 [jap-kki-do ha-da] = to also catch; to even catch
팔다 [pal-da] = to sell
→ 팔기도 하다 [pal-gi-do ha-da] = to also sell; to even sell
사다 [sa-da] = to buy
→ 사기도 하다 [sa-gi-do ha-da] = to also buy; to even buy

• Verbs in “noun + 하다” form already (i.e. 공부하다[gong-bu-ha-da], 청소하다[cheong-so-ha-da], 노래하다[no-rae-ha-da], 준비하다[jun-bi-ha-da], 요리하다[yo-ri-ha-da], etc.) do not have to be changed in this manner. Just separate the noun from 하다 and add -도 after the noun (i.e. 공부도 하다, 청소도 하다, 노래도 하다, 준비도 하다, 요리도 하다, etc.).

Sample Sentences
저는 영어를 가르쳐요.
= I teach English.
저는 영어도 가르쳐요.
= I teach English as well.
저는 영어를 가르치기도 해요.
= I also teach English.
= I even teach English.
= I also work as an English teacher.
컴퓨터를 고쳐요.
I fix computers.
컴퓨터도 고쳐요.
= I fix computers as well.
컴퓨터를 고치기도 해요.
= I also fix computers.
= I even fix computers.

Lesson 15. Only / -만

There are a few different ways to say “only” in Korean, but to prevent your brain from being overloaded, only one of those ways will be covered in this lesson.

Using -만 [-man] is one of the most widely used and basic ways of saying “only”. Simply add -만 after a noun, pronoun, or noun form (-기 [-gi]) of a verb.

1. Adding -만 after nouns and pronouns
   이것 + 만 = 이것만 [i-geon-man] = only this
   Ex) 이것만 살 거예요. [i-geon-man sal kkeo-ye-yo.] = I will only buy this.
   저 + 만 = 저만 [jeo-man] = me only, I only
   Ex) 저만 들었어요. [jeo-man deu-reo-sseo-yo.] = Only I heard.
   커피 + 만 = 커피만 [keo-pi-man] = only coffee
   Ex) 아침에는 커피만 마셔요. [a-chi-me-neun keo-pi-man ma-syeo-yo.] = I only drink
   coffee in the morning.
   아침에만 커피(를) 마셔요. [a-chi-me-man keo-pi-reul ma-syeo-yo.] = I drink coffee only
   in the morning.
2. Adding -만 after noun forms of verbs

• To add -만 after a verb, change the verb into its noun form using -기, then add -만 하다 [-man ha-da] which literally translates to “only do [noun]”.

듣다 [deut-tta] = to hear; to listen
듣 + 기 = 듣기 [deut-kki] = listening (noun form)
듣 + -기 + -만 하다 = 듣기만 하다 [deut-kki-man ha-da] = to only listen
Ex) 듣기만 했어요. [deut-kki-man hae-sseo-yo.] = I only listened (and did not talk).
보다 [bo-da] = to see, to look
보 + 기 = 보기 [bo-gi] = seeing, looking
보 + -기 + -만 하다 = 보기만 하다 [bo-gi-man ha-da] = to only see, to just look
Ex) 보기만 할 거예요. [bo-gi-man hal kkeo-ye-yo.] = I will only look (and not touch it).

Sample Sentences
오늘만 일찍 왔어요. [o-neul-man il-jjik wa-sseo-yo.]
= I got here early only today.
오늘 = today
일찍 = early
왔어요. = I came, I got here.
맥주만 주문했어요. [maek-jju-man ju-mun-hae-sseo-yo.]
= I only ordered beer.
맥주 [maek-jju] = beer
주문했어요. [ju-mun-hae-sseo-yo.] = I ordered.
왜 이것만 샀어요? [wae i-geon-man sa-sseo-yo?]
= Why did you only buy this?
사다 [sa-da] = to buy
샀어요. = I bought it.
이것 [i-geot] = this, this stuff
왜 = why
어제 놀기만 했어요. [eo-je nol-gi-man hae-sseo-yo.]
= I did nothing but play yesterday.
놀다 [nol-da] = to play
어제 = yesterday
영화는 집에서만 봐요. [yeong-hwa-neun ji-be-seo-man bwa-yo.]
= I watch movies only at home.
영화 = a movie
집에서 = at home

Lesson 16. Very, A bit, Really, Not really, Not at all / 아주, 조금, 진짜, 별로, 전혀

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to create sentences with stronger emphasis and richer context. You CAN keep your sentences very simple, but being able to add “really”, “truly”, “a little”, “very”, or “not really” to emphasize a point can really kick your Korean fluency up a notch!

Please take a look at the following five words and how they are used in Korean sentences:

조금 [jo-geum] = a little, a bit, a little bit
정말 [jeong-mal] = really, truly
아주 [a-ju] = very, quite
별로 [byeol-lo] = not really, not particularly
전혀 [jeon-hyeo] = not at all
* 조금, 아주, and 정말 can be used with any sentence, but 별로 and 전혀 can only be used with
negative sentences.
조금 = a little, a bit, a little bit

Sample Sentences
조금 비싸요. [jo-geum bi-ssa-yo.]
= It is a little expensive.
조금만 주세요. [jo-geum-man ju-se-yo.]
= Give me only a little bit.

물 조금만 주세요. [mul jo-geum-man ju-se-yo.]
= Give me only a little bit of water.
소금 조금만 주세요. [so-geum jo-geum-man ju-se-yo.]
= Give me only a little bit of salt.

• When pronounced quickly, 조금 often becomes 좀 [jom] (often pronounced like 쫌 [jjom]) and is frequently written this way as well.

** The use of 조금 to mean “quite” or “very” is possible based on the assumption that the other person in the conversation understands what you mean. For example, in the first sample sentence, 조금 비싸요, can mean both “it is a little expensive” or “it is quite expensive” depending on tone and context.

정말 = really, truly

Sample Sentences
정말 빨라요. [jeong-mal ppal-la-yo.]
= It is really fast.
정말 이상해요. [jeong-mal i-sang-hae-yo.]
= It is really strange.

• A word which has almost the same meaning as 정말 is 진짜 [jin-jja]. It is considered a little less formal than 정말.

** Whereas other words introduced here are used to describe the extent to which something is done or to describe the intensity of a certain state (i.e. “very” good, “a little” expensive or

“quite” fast), 정말 and 진짜 can also be used to just express whether or not what is being said is true. (i.e. I “really” did it).

Sample Conversation
A: 제가 방 청소했어요! [je-ga bang cheong-so-hae-sseo-yo!]
= I cleaned up my room!
B. 아… 진짜? [a… jin-jja?]
= Oh, really?
A: 예, 진짜! 보고 싶어요? [ye, jin-jja! bo-go si-peo-yo?]
= Yeah, really! Do you want to see it?
아주 = very, quite

Sample Sentences
아주 맛있어요. [a-ju ma-si-sseo-yo.]
= It is very delicious.
아주 멀어요. [a-ju meo-reo-yo.]
= It is very far away.

• 아주 is the most standard way of saying “very” in the written form, but more often than not, in spoken Korean, 아주 is replaced with 정말 or 진짜.

별로 = not really; not particularly

• 별로 is always used in negative sentences, regardless of whether the verb that follows has a negative or a positive meaning.

** Rather than just using 별로, sometimes, in Korean, 안 [an], must be added to the sentence to actually make the sentence a negative. Using 별로 when speaking will allow the listener to guess that the end of the sentence will be something in negative form.

Sample Sentences

별로 안 비싸요. [byeol-lo an bi-ssa-yo.]
= It is not so expensive.
별로 재미없어요. [byeol-lo jae-mi-eop-sseo-yo.]
= It is not that interesting.

• 재미없어요 is one word, but because 없어요 is already within the word itself, it is possible to say “별로 재미없어요.”

별로 안 나빠요. [byeol-lo an na-ppa-yo.]
= It is not too bad. (It is not the worst, but it is still bad. Note: this does not mean the same thing as the English phrase “it is not bad”.)

• Even if the word 나쁘다 [na-ppeu-da] has a negative meaning, saying only “별로 나쁘다 [byeol-lo na-ppeu-da]” does not work.

전혀 = not at all

Sample Sentences
전혀 안 바빠요. [jeon-hyeo an ba-ppa-yo.]
= I am not busy at all.
전혀 안 더워요. [jeon-hyeo an deo-wo-yo.]
= It is not hot at all.

• In spoken Korean, the expression 하나도 [ha-na-do] is used more commonly than 전혀.

Lesson 17. Can, Cannot / -ㄹ 수 있다/없다

When speaking Korean, whether just practicing or speaking out of necessity, there will come a point when knowing how to say “can (do something)” or “cannot (do something)” will come in handy.

To say “can (do something)”, use -(으)ㄹ 수 있다 [-(eu)l ssu it-tta].

Conjugation

보다 [bo-da]= to see

→ 보 + -ㄹ 수 있다 = 볼 수 있다 [bol ssu it-tta] = can see

먹다 [meok-tta] = to eat

→ 먹 + -을 수 있다 = 먹을 수 있다 [meo-geul ssu it-tta] = can eat

• Verb stems ending in a vowel are followed by -ㄹ 수 있다, and verb stems ending with a consonant are followed by -을 수 있다. The difference is whether there is an extra 으 or not in front of -ㄹ 수 있다 for the ease of pronunciation.

Regarding -(으)ㄹ 수 있다, the word 수 means an “idea” or “way” for solving a problem or

for getting something finished. 수 has the same meaning as 방법 [bang-beop] (method); therefore, -(으)ㄹ 수 있다 literally means “to have a way/idea (for doing something)”.

When there is no “way” or “idea” to do something, it means that it cannot be done, and in Korean, this becomes -(으)ㄹ 수 없다 [-(eu)l ssu eop-tta]. 없다 has the opposite meaning of 있다.

Conjugation

자다 [ja-da] = to sleep

→ 자 + -ㄹ 수 없다 = 잘 수 없다 [jal ssu eop-tta] = cannot sleep

←→ 잘 수 있다 = can sleep

잡다 [jap-tta] = to catch

→ 잡 + -을 수 없다 = 잡을 수 없다 [ja-beul ssu eop-tta] = cannot catch

←→ 잡을 수 있다 = can catch

Another way to say -(으)ㄹ 수 없다 is by using the word 못 [mot] before a verb.

-(으)ㄹ 수 없다 is the most basic way to express “cannot”, but it is not always used in spoken Korean. A more common way to say “cannot” or “to be unable to” in spoken Korean is by adding 못 before a verb.

갈 수 없다 [gal ssu eop-tta] = 못 가다 [mot ga-da] [verb: 가다] = cannot go

볼 수 없다 = 못 보다 [verb: 보다] = cannot see

먹을 수 없다 = 못 먹다 [verb: 먹다] = cannot eat

할 수 없다 [hal ssu eop-tta] = 못 하다 [mot ha-da] [verb: 하다] = cannot do

Sample Sentences

운전할 수 있어요? [un-jeon hal ssu i-sseo-yo?]

= Can you drive? (lit. “Can you do driving?”)

일본어 할 수 있어요? [il-bo-neo hal ssu i-sseo-yo?]

= Can you speak Japanese? (lit. “Can you do Japanese?”)

이거 읽을 수 있어요? [i-geo il-geul ssu i-sseo-yo?]

= Can you read this?

못 읽어요. [mot il-geo-yo.]

= I cannot read it.

지금 못 만나요. [ ji-geum mot man-na-yo.]

= I cannot meet you now.

**Lesson 18. To be good/poor at … / 잘하다/못하다 **

In Lesson 17, you learned how to say “can” or “cannot” in Korean. Take that knowledge one step further by learning how to construct sentences to express that you are “good” or “bad” at doing something.

Conjugation

[object] + -을/를 [-eul/reul] (object marking particle) + 잘하다 [jal-ha-da]

= to do [object] well; to be good at [object]

[object] + -을/를 + 못하다 [mo-ta-da]

= to do [object] poorly; to be bad at [object]

Ex)

노래 [no-rae] = singing; song

노래를 잘하다 = to be good at singing; to sing well

요리 [yo-ri] = cooking; dish

요리를 못하다 = to be poor at cooking; to cook poorly

• Saying 못 하다 [mot ha-da] with a pause or space between 못 and 하다 gives the phrase the meaning of “to be unable to do (something)” or “cannot do (something)”.

** 잘 [jal] is often added in front of 못하다 to make the meaning softer. By saying 잘 못하다, the meaning is literally “cannot do (something) well” or “unable to do (something) well”.

요리를 못하다 = to be poor at cooking

요리를 잘 못하다 = to be poor at cooking

Ex)

수영 [su-yeong] = swimming

수영을 잘하다 [su-yeong-eul jal-ha-da] = to be good at swimming

수영을 못하다 [su-yeong-eul mo-ta-da] = to be bad at swimming

수영을 잘 못하다 [su-yeong-eul jal mo-ta-da] = to be bad at swimming

• IMPORTANT: Be very careful when saying 잘 못하다. Saying this phrase with a pause between 잘 and 못, 잘 못하다, gives the meaning “to be poor at (something)”. Not placing a pause between 잘 and 못, as in 잘못 하다 [jal-mot ha-da] gives the impression of “to do (something) in the wrong way”. Additionally, saying 잘못하다 [jal-mo-ta-da] with no pause between any of the words means “to make a mistake”.

Are 잘 and 못 (or 잘 못) only used with -하다 verbs?

No. Other types of verbs can be used with 잘 and 못 as well. Since the first part of most -하다 verbs are nouns, it is easy to detach the noun from -하다 and add 잘, 못, or 잘 못 in front of -하다. For other types of verbs which are not in the “noun + -하다” form, just add 잘, 못, or 잘 못 in front of the verb with a space in between.

잘 달리다 [jal dal-li-da] = to run well; to be good at running

잘 쓰다 [jal sseu-da] = to write well; to be good at writing

When a verb is used on its own, however, often times the meaning is not very clear. For example, 쓰다 can mean both “to write” and “to use”. The phrase sounds incomplete with only using a verb; therefore, a noun is added to the phrase to give the verb a more specific meaning.

잘 쓰다 → 글을 잘 쓰다 [geu-reul jal sseu-da] (= to be good at writing; to be a good writer)

[lit. “to write well”]

글 [geul] is a noun meaning “written text”, “a piece of writing”, or “a composition”.

잘 쓰다 → 글씨를 잘 쓰다 [geul-ssi-reul jal sseu-da] (= to be good at handwriting; to have good penmanship)

[lit. “to write writing/letters well”]

Here, the word 글씨, meaning “writing” or “letters”, was used to make the meaning of “writing” clearer and prevent people from thinking that it might mean “to use”.

잘 달리다 → 달리기를 잘하다 [dal-li-gi-reul jal-ha-da] (= to be good at running)

[lit. “to do running well”]

달리다 was changed to its noun form here and followed by 잘하다.

Sample Sentences

저는 노래를 잘 못해요. [jeo-neun no-rae-reul jal mo-tae-yo.]

= I cannot sing well. / I am not good at singing.

제 친구는 수영을 잘해요. [je chin-gu-neun su-yeong-eul jal-hae-yo.]

= My friend is good at swimming.

저는 퍼즐을 잘 풀어요. [jeo-neun peo-jeu-reul jal pu-reo-yo.]

= I am good at solving puzzles.

저는 글씨를 잘 못 써요. [jeo-neun geul-ssi-reul jal mot sseo-yo.]

= My handwriting is not good.

저는 글을 잘 못 써요. [jeo-neun geu-reul jal mot sseo-yo.]

= I am not good at writing.

매운 거 잘 먹어요? [mae-un geo jal meo-geo-yo?]

= Are you good at eating spicy food?

Lesson 19. Making Verbs Into Nouns / -는 것

In Level 2 Lesson 14, you learned how to add the meaning of “also” in Korean by adding -도[-do] to a verb. In order to do this, however, the verb needs to be changed into its noun form by adding -기[-gi] to the verb stem, then add -도, and end with 하다[ha-da]. (Is it all coming back to you now?)

In this lesson, you will expand that knowledge by looking at a more general way of making action verbs into nouns. Understanding this will help your understanding of how to form a number of expressions in Korean.

-는 것

This is the most general way of changing an action verb into a noun. 것 originally means “a thing”, “an object”, or “stuff”, but when it is used in this way, it can also mean “a

fact” or “an act”.

Construction:

• Verb stem + -는 것[-neun geot]

By changing verbs into nouns, the form [verb stem + -는 것] can take many different meanings:

1. “doing” something
2. the act of “doing” something
3. the thing which one “does”
4. what one “does”
5. the fact that one is “doing” or “does” something

Ex)

보다 [bo-da] = to see

보는 것 [bo-neun geot] = seeing; the act of seeing; the thing that you see; what I watch

가다 [ga-da] = to go

가는 것 [ga-neun geot] = going; the act of going

먹다 [meok-da] = to eat

먹는 것 [meok-neun geot] = eating; the act of eating; the thing that you eat; what you eat

사다 [sa-da] = to buy

사는 것 [sa-neun geot] = buying; the act of buying; the thing that you buy; what you buy

산 것 [san geot] = what you bought

사는 것 = what you buy

살 것 [sal geot] = what you will buy

먹은 것 [meo-geun geot] = what you ate

먹는 것 = what you eat

먹을 것 [meo-geul geot] = what you will eat

-는 것 vs. -는 거

-는 것 is the standard form, but often at times the form -는 거 [-neun geo] is used because it is easier to pronounce. It is not, however, ever used in very formal situations.

지금 듣는 것은 노래예요.

[ji-geum deut-neun geo-seun no-rae-ye-yo.]

= What I am listening to now is a song.

→ 지금 듣는 거는 노래예요.

오늘 만나는 것 알아요?

[o-neul man-na-neun geot a-ra-yo?]

= Do you know that we are meeting today?

→ 오늘 만나는 거 알아요?

매운 것 잘 먹어요?

[mae-un geot jal meo-geo-yo?]

= Are you good at eating spicy foods?

→ 매운 거 잘 먹어요?

Sample Sentences

제 취미는 영화 보는 거예요. [je chwi-mi-neun yeong-hwa bo-neun geo-ye-yo.]

= My hobby is watching movies.

요즘 공부하는 거는 뭐예요? [yo-jeum gong-bu-ha-neun geo-neun mwo-ye-yo?]

= Recently, what is it that you are studying?

= 요즘 뭐 공부해요?

저는 친구랑 수다떠는 거를 좋아해요.

[jeo-neun chin-gu-rang su-da-tteo-neun geo-reul jo-a-hae-yo.]

= I like chitchatting with my friends.

Lesson 20. Have to, Should, Must / -아/어/여야 되다/하다

By the end of this lesson, you will be constructing sentences using -아/어/여 [-a/eo/yeo] + -야 되다/하다 [-ya doe-da/ha-da] to say things such as “I have to go to work” or “You should buy it.”

To use this ending, take the verb stem and add -아/어/여 PLUS -야 되다 or -야 하다.

Conjugation:

verb stem + -아/어/여 + -야 되다/하다

Ex)

자다 [ja-da] = to sleep

자 + -아/어/여 + -야 되다/하다

→ 자 + -아 + -야 되다/하다

(-아 is chosen because 자 ends with a vowel.)

→ 자야 되다/하다 [ja-ya doe-da/ha-da] (Drop the -아 because it is the same as ㅏ.)

→ 자야 되다 and 자야 하다 are the same thing.

쓰다 [sseu-da] = to use; to write

쓰 + -아/어/여 + -야 되다/하다

→ 쓰 + -어 + -야 되다/하다

(-어 is chosen because 쓰 does not end in ㅏ or ㅗ.)

→ 써야 되다/하다 [sseo-ya doe-da/ha-da] (쓰 + 어 together change to 써)

→ 써야 되다 and 써야 하다 mean the same thing.

Conjugation:

1. verb stems ending in vowels ㅏ or ㅗ + -아야 되다/하다
2. verb stems ending in other vowels + -어야 되다/하다
3. 하 + -여야 되다/하다

However, it is more important to understand WHY -아/어/여야 되다/하다 means “to have to” or

“should”.

To understand this better, look at the two parts separately:

1. -아/어/여 + -야

This means “only when _____ is done” or “only when you do _____”.

2. 되다 or 하다

되다 means “to be done” or “to be possible”, and 하다 means “to do” something.

Therefore, when putting 1 and 2 together, it takes the meaning of “only when you do _____, it works”, “only when you do this, everything is alright”, or “only if _____ is done, it is okay”. Thus, -아/어/여야 되다/하다 takes the meaning of “to have to” or “should”.

Q: What is the difference between 하다 and 되다 here?

A: The only difference is that using 되다 is more common in colloquial situations.

Sample Sentences

집에 가야 돼요. [ji-be ga-ya dwae-yo.]

= I have to go home.

저는 뭐 해야 돼요? [jeo-neun mwo hae-ya dwae-yo?]

= What should I do?

언제까지 여기에 있어야 돼요? [eon-je-kka-ji yeo-gi-e i-sseo-ya dwae-yo?]

= Until when should I be here?

누구한테 줘야 돼요? [nu-gu-han-te jwo-ya dwae-yo?]

= Who should I give this to?

어디에서 사야 돼요? [eo-di-e-seo sa-ya dwae-yo?]

= Where should I buy it?

Question 5

Level 2 - Part 3
- Lesson 21:
- Lesson 22:
- Lesson 23:
- Lesson 24:
- Lesson 25:
- Lesson 26:
- Lesson 27:
- Lesson 28:
- Lesson 29:
- Lesson 30:

Answer 5

Lesson 21. More.. than… / -보다 더

After studying with this lesson, you will be able to compare two things or people in Korean by saying that something is better/taller/faster/prettier/nicer/etc. than something else.

How to say “more” in Korean

In Korean, the word for “more” is 더 [deo]. In English, relatively short words change forms

instead of having the word “more” in front, such as “shorter”, “hotter”, and “faster”. In Korean, however, all words just have 더 in front of them.

Ex)

빠르다 [ppa-reu-da] = to be fast

더 빠르다 [deo ppa-reu-da] = to be faster

비싸다 [bi-ssa-da] = to be expensive

더 비싸다 [deo bi-ssa-da] = to be more expensive

예뻐요. [ye-ppeo-yo.] = It is pretty. / You are pretty. / She is pretty.

더 예뻐요. [deo ye-ppeo-yo.] = It is prettier. / You are prettier. / She is prettier.

How to say “than” in Korean

The word for “than” or “compared to” is -보다 [-bo-da]. The basic construction for this is not very complicated, but the word order in Korean is completely different from English. Take a look at the following example:

English: A watermelon is bigger than an apple.

Korean: 수박은 사과보다 더 커요. [su-ba-geun sa-gwa-bo-da deo keo-yo.]

• In the English sentence above, the word “than” comes BEFORE “apple”, but in Korean, the

word -보다 (which means “than”) comes AFTER 사과, which means “apple”.

Construction:

than A = A보다

more (verb/adjective/adverb) than A = A보다 더 (verb/adjective/adverb)

Ex)

(1)

to be big = 크다 [keu-da]

to be bigger = 더 크다 [deo keu-da]

It is bigger. = 더 커요. [deo keo-yo.]

It is bigger than this one. = 이거보다 더 커요. [i-geo-bo-da deo keo-yo.]

(2)

to be nice = 좋다 [jo-ta]

to be nicer = 더 좋다 [deo jo-ta]

It is nicer. = 더 좋아요. [deo jo-a-yo.]

It is nicer than this one. = 이거보다 더 좋아요. [i-geo-bo-da deo jo-a-yo.]

(3)

to be nice (to people) = 착하다 [cha-ka-da]

to be nicer = 더 착하다 [deo cha-ka-da]

Hyunwoo is nicer. = 현우 씨는 더 착해요. [hyeo-nu ssi-neun deo cha-kae-yo.]

Hyunwoo is nicer than Kyeong-eun. = 현우 씨는 경은 씨보다 더 착해요. [hyeo-nu ssi-neun gyeong-eun ssi-bo-da deo cha-kae-yo.]

• 더 is not always necessary in Korean. Saying “she is busy than me” instead of “she is busier than me” in English is a bit weird, but in Korean, the meaning is perfectly clear even without the word 더.

Sample Sentences

오늘은 어제보다 더워요. [o-neu-reun eo-je-bo-da deo-wo-yo.]

= Today is hotter than yesterday.

영어는 한국어보다 어려워요. [yeong-eo-neun han-gu-geo-bo-da eo-ryeo-wo-yo.]

= English is more difficult than Korean.

어제보다 일찍 갈 거예요. [eo-je-bo-da il-jjik gal kkeo-ye-yo.]

= I am going to go earlier than yesterday.

현정 씨가 저보다 더 잘해요. [hyeon-jeong ssi-ga jeo-bo-da deo jal-hae-yo.]

= Hyeonjeong is better than me (at doing that).

저는 책을 읽는 것보다 사는 것을 더 좋아해요. [jeo-neun chae-geul ing-neun geot-ppo-da sa-neun geo-seul deo jo-a-hae-yo.]

= I like buying books more than reading books.

Lesson 22. To like / 좋다 vs. 좋아하다

A verb which is often encountered in Korean is 좋다, which generally means “to be good”. However, there are a few instances where 좋다 [jo-ta] takes on the meaning of “to like”.

Ex)

한국어 좋아요. [han-gu-geo jo-a-yo.]

= I like the Korean language.

이거 좋아요. [i-geo jo-a-yo.]

= I like this.

이 가수 좋아요. [i ga-su jo-a-yo.]

= I like this singer.

Even though the verb 좋다 in these examples are used to mean “to like”, the verb, by dictionary definition, means “to be good”. In principle, the nouns (한국어, 이거, 이 가수) are subjects of

the sentences.

Therefore, the particles which are hidden after the nouns are NOT object marking particles, but in fact, are subject marking particles.

한국어 좋아요.

–> 한국어를 좋아요. [han-gu-geo-reul jo-a-yo.] ( x )

–> 한국어가 좋아요. [han-gu-geo-ga jo-a-yo.] ( o )

In this sentence, you are literally saying that “Korean is good, likable, enjoyable, and preferable” FOR YOU.

The difference between 좋다 and 좋아하다

한국어 좋아해요[jo-a-hae-yo].

→ 한국어를 좋아해요. ( o )

→ 한국어가 좋아해요. ( x )

By dropping the particles, there is no difference between 좋다 and 좋아하다[jo-a-ha-da].

(1) 이 가수 좋아요.

(2) 이 가수 좋아해요.

Sentences (1) and (2) have the same meaning - “This singer is good” or “I like this singer.” To specify what is good and who likes whom, adding particles is recommended.

(3) 이 가수가 좋아요.

(4) 이 가수를 좋아요.

Sentence number (3) means that you like this singer, however, sentence number (4) is not correct because 좋다 is a descriptive verb and cannot have an object.

(5) 이 가수를 좋아해요.

(6) 이 가수가 좋아해요.

Sentence number (5) means that you like (or someone else likes) this singer; this singer is the OBJECT of your affection. The SUBJECT of sentence (6) is this singer, and the sentence is translated as “This singer likes.” Left as it is, the sentence is incomplete, and what/who this singer likes (OBJECT) needs to be added.

Descriptive verbs + 하다 combination

Conjugation:

Verb stem + -아/어/여 + -하다

As in the case of 좋다 and 좋아하다, there can be many pairs of words which seem similar at

first but are actually different in usage.

Ex)

(1)

싫다 [sil-ta] / 싫어요. [si-reo-yo.]

= to be unlikable; to be undesirable

싫어하다 [si-reo-ha-da] / 싫어해요. [si-reo-hae-yo.]

= to hate; to not like

(2)

예쁘다 [ye-ppeu-da] / 예뻐요. [ye-ppeo-yo.]

= to be pretty; to be cute

예뻐하다 [ye-ppeo-ha-da] / 예뻐해요. [ye-ppeo-hae-yo.]

= to consider someone pretty and treat them in such a manner

(3)

슬프다 [seul-peu-da] / 슬퍼요. [seul-peo-yo.]

= to be sad

슬퍼하다 [seul-peo-ha-da] / 슬퍼해요. [seul-peo-hae-yo.]

= to feel sad and therefore express such emotions

In order to say “do not be sad” or “do not hate me”, use -지 마세요 [-ji ma-se-yo] after the verb stem. However, “sad” (슬프다) and “hate” (싫다) in Korean are actually descriptive verbs, not action verbs. To use -지 마세요, descriptive verbs must be made into action verbs by adding 하다.

Ex)

Do not be sad. = 슬퍼하지 마세요. [seul-peo-ha-ji ma-se-yo.] ( o ) 슬프지 마세요. seul-peu-ji ma-se-yo.

Do not hate me. = 싫어하지 마세요. [si-reo-ha-ji ma-se-yo.] ( o ) 싫지 마세요. [sil-chi ma-se-yo.] ( x )

Sample Sentences

저는 우유를 좋아해요. [jeo-neun u-yu-reul jo-a-hae-yo.]

= I like milk.

저는 우유를 안 좋아해요. [jeo-neun u-yu-reul an jo-a-hae-yo.]

= I do not like milk.

우유가 좋아요? 주스가 좋아요? [u-yu-ga jo-a-yo? ju-seu-ga jo-a-yo?]

= Do you like milk? Or do you like juice?

뭐가 제일 좋아요? [mwo-ga je-il jo-a-yo?]

= What is your favorite?

뭐를 제일 좋아해요? [mwo-reul je-il jo-a-hae-yo?]

= What do you like best?

• Here, another difference between 좋다 and 좋아하다 is that 좋다 is used to mean “to like” only about yourself, not about other people. If you want to say “Kyeong-eun likes Song Joong-ki”, use the verb 좋아하다.

Ex) 경은 씨는 송중기를 좋아해요. [gyeong-eun ssi-neun song-jung-gi-reul jo-a-hae-yo.]

한국 영화 좋아하세요? [han-guk yeong-hwa jo-a-ha-se-yo?]

= Do you like Korean movies?

Lesson 23. If, In case / 만약, -(으)면

After studying with this lesson, you will know how to say “if” in Korean. You will also be able to use it in context in your Korean sentences.

In order to express the meaning “if”, you need to know two expressions: one is a noun, and one

is a verb ending.

만약 = in case, if

-(으)면 = verb ending for “if”

In English, the word “if” is used at the beginning of a sentence to make the sentence conditional, but in Korean, you can add the word 만약[ma-nyak], but you also need to conjugate the verb as well to match. Do not worry, though! Conjugating verbs in this manner is very straightforward.

How to conjugate verbs

In order to add the meaning “if” to a verb, add -(으)면 [-(eu)-myeon] to the verb stem.

Conjugation:

1. Verb stems ending with a vowel + -면

Ex) 자다 [ja-da] –> 자면 [ja-myeon] (if you sleep)

2. Verb stems ending with ㄹ + -면

Ex) 길다 [gil-da] –> 길면 [gil-myeon] (if it is long)

3. Verb stems ending with consonants other than ㄹ + -으면

Ex) 작다 [jak-tta] –> 작으면 [ja-geu-myeon] (if it is small)

To make the sentence clearer, add the word 만약 in front of the verb or at the beginning of the phrase. Since most Korean sentences are heavily affected by verb endings toward the end of sentences, adding 만약 at the beginning makes it easier to understand that the sentence will be conditional.

Ex)

(1)

Verb: 자다 = to sleep

지금 자면 [ji-geum] = if I sleep now

만약 지금 자면 = if I sleep now

(2)

Verb: 비가 오다 [bi-ga o-da] = to rain

내일 밤에 비가 오면 [nae-il ba-me] = if it rains tomorrow night

만약 내일 밤에 비가 오면 = if it rains tomorrow night

• In the second sentences for both examples on the previous page, the listener can figure out that the sentence is going to be an “if” sentence just by hearing “만약”.

If what you are saying is simple and the sentence is not very long, you do not always have

to use the word 만약 in each sentence.

More Examples

먹다 [meok-tta] = to eat

먹으면 [meo-geu-myeon] = if you eat it; if I eat it

• Add the -았/었/였- [-at/eot/yeot-] suffix before -으면 to make a past tense clause.

먹었어요 [meo-geo-sseo-yo] = I ate

먹 + 었 + 으면 [meo-geo-sseu-myeon] = if you ate it; if I ate it

사다 [sa-da] = to buy

사면 [sa-myeon] = if you buy it; if I buy it; if they buy it

샀어요 [sat-tta] = I bought

샀으면 [sa-sseu-myeon] = if you bought it; if we bought it

• Create future tense sentences by using -(으)ㄹ 거면 [-(eu)l kkeo-myeon].

보다 [bo-da] = to watch

보면 [bo-myeon] = if you watch it; if I watch it

봤어요 [bwat-tta] = I watched

봤으면 [bwa-sseu-myeon] = if I watched it; if they watched it

볼 거예요 [bol kkeo-ye-yo] = I am going to watch

볼 거면 [bol kkeo-myeon] = if you are going to watch it

Sample Sentences

내일 비가 오면, 집에 있을 거예요.

[nae-il bi-ga o-myeon, ji-be i-sseul kkeo-ye-yo.]

= If it rains tomorrow, I am going to be at home.

이거 다 먹으면, 배가 아플 거예요.

[i-geo da meo-geu-myeon, bae-ga a-peul kkeo-ye-yo.]

= If you eat all of it, your stomach will hurt.

리모컨을 찾으면, TV를 볼 수 있어요.

[ri-mo-ko-neul cha-jeu-myeon, ti-bi-reul bol ssu i-sseo-yo.]

= If you find the remote control, you can watch TV.

TTMIK으로* 공부하면, 재미있어요.

[ttmik-eu-ro gong-bu-ha-myeon, jae-mi-i-sseo-yo.]

= If you study with TTMIK, it is fun. *Level 2 Lesson 28

지금 안 오면, 후회할 거예요.

[ji-geum an o-myeon hu-hoe-hal kkeo-ye-yo.]

= If you do not come now, you will regret it.

This is not everything.

This is, however, one of the most basic and frequently used ways to make “if” sentences in Korean. There are other expressions which can be used, but those will have to wait until future lessons to be introduced. In the meantime, enjoy practicing what you learned with us in this lesson!

Lesson 24. Still, Already / 아직, 벌써

The focus of this lesson is on two new expressions with opposite meanings, which can help you express “still” or “not yet” and “already”.

아직 means “still” and “not yet”.

In English, generally, the word “still” is used with positive sentences, and the word “yet” is more

commonly used with negative sentences. However, in Korean, the word 아직 [a-jik] is used for both positive and negative sentences.

아직 10시예요.

[a-jik yeol-si-ye-yo.]

= It is still 10 o’clock.

아직 안 했어요.

[a-jik an hae-sseo-yo.]

= I have not done it yet.

아직 아침이에요.

[a-jik a-chi-mi-e-yo.]

= It is still morning.

아직 몰라요.

[a-jik mol-la-yo.]

= I do not know yet.

To emphasize the meaning of “still happening” or “still not happening”, add the particle

-도 [-do] after 아직 to form 아직도 [a-jik-tto]. 아직도 has a meaning of criticizing the other person or being a little bit mad or angry.

아직 몰라요?

= You do not know yet?

아직도 몰라요?

[a-jik-tto mol-la-yo?]

= You still do not know? / How could you still not know?

아직 안 왔어요?

[a-jik an wa-sseo-yo?]

= He is not here yet?

아직도 안 왔어요?

= He is still not here yet?

네, 아직도 안 왔어요.

[ne, a-jik-tto an wa-sseo-yo.]

= No, he is still not here.

벌써 means “already”

The usage of the word 벌써 [beol-sseo] is very similar to the English word “already”. It is generally placed at the beginning of sentences, but it does not always have to be at the beginning.

It is already three o’clock.

= 벌써 세 시예요.

[beol-sseo se si-ye-yo.]

It is three o’clock already!

= 세 시예요, 벌써!

Both of the sentences above are correct.

Sample Sentences

벌써 왔어요?

[beol-sseo wa-sseo-yo?]

= Oh, you are already here!

벌써 끝났어요.

[beol-sseo kkeun-na-sseo-yo.]

= It is already over.

벌써 끝났어요?

[beol-sseo kkeun-na-sseo-yo?]

= Is it already over? Did it already finish?

이미 vs 벌써

Another word which also has the meaning of “already” is 이미 [i-mi]. You will probably come across this word frequently when reading or listening to Korean.

Although 벌써 and 이미 appear to have the same meaning, native speakers often distinguish the two by using them in different contexts.

The difference between 이미 and 벌써 lies in whether you are already aware of a fact or not.

When you and/or the speaker know about something already and talk about it, use 이미.

When you are just finding out about something as you speak, use 벌써. People do not always stick to this rule, but this is the basic idea.

Ex)

그 사람은 이미 학교를 졸업했어요.

[geu sa-ram-eun i-mi hak-kkyo-reul jo-reo-pae-sseo-yo.]

= He already graduated from school.

• You (and probably the other person) have known about this long before you said this sentence.

그 사람은 벌써 학교를 졸업했어요!

= He already graduated from school.

• You may have found out about this fact recently, or you already knew about this, but the

other person may have not known about it before you said it.

Because of this difference, in normal everyday situations where new information is discovered, 벌써 is used.

벌써 비가 오고 있어요.

[beol-sseo bi-ga o-go i-sseo-yo.]

= It is already raining.

벌써 추워요.

[beol-sseo chu-wo-yo.]

= It is already cold.

벌써 끝났어요.

= It is already over.

From https://talktomeinkorean.com/curriculum/level-2-korean-grammar/lessons/level-2-lesson-24/

Lesson 25. Something, Someday, Someone, Somewhere / 누군가, 무언가, 어딘가, 언젠가

From https://talktomeinkorean.com/curriculum/level-2-korean-grammar/lessons/level-2-lesson-25/

In English, when changing the adverbs “when”, “what”, “who”, or “where” to indefinite words (words with no definite meaning), the words change form and become compound words.

When = Someday

What = Something

Who = Someone

Where = Somewhere

In Korean, it is much easier to create these indefinite words. Just simply add -ㄴ가 [-(n)-ga] to the end of the word.

For example:

누구 [nu-gu] (who) - 누군가 [nu-gun-ga] (someone)

뭐 [mwo] (what) - 뭔가 [mwon-ga] (= 무언가 [mu-eon-ga]) (something)

어디 [eo-di] (where) - 어딘가 [eo-din-ga] (somewhere)

언제 [eon-je] (when) - 언젠가 [eon-jen-ga] (someday)

Sample Sentences

언젠가 미국에 가고 싶어요.

[eon-jen-ga mi-gu-ge ga-go si-peo-yo.]

= I want to go to the United States someday.

언제 미국에 가고 싶어요?

[eon-je mi-gu-ge ga-go si-peo-yo?]

= When do you want to go to the United States?

언젠가 일본에 갈 거예요.

[eon-jen-ga il-bo-ne gal kkeo-ye-yo.]

= I am going to go to Japan one day.

언제 일본에 갈 거예요?

[eon-je il-bo-ne gal kkeo-ye-yo?]

= When are you going to go to Japan?

뭐 찾았어요?

[mwo cha-ja-sseo-yo?]

= What did you find?

뭔가 찾았어요?

[mwon-ga cha-ja-sseo-yo?]

= Did you find something?

뭔가 이상해요.

[mwon-ga i-sang-hae-yo.]

= Something is strange.

뭐가 이상해요?

[mwo-ga i-sang-hae-yo?]

= What is strange?

누구 만날 거예요?

[nu-gu man-nal kkeo-ye-yo?]

= Whom will you meet?

누군가 만날 거예요?

[nu-gun-ga man-nal kkeo-ye-yo?]

= Will you meet someone?

누군가 왔어요.

[nu-gun-ga wa-sseo-yo.]

= Someone came.

어디에 있어요?

[eo-di-e i-sseo-yo?]

= Where is it?

여기 어딘가에 있어요.

[yeo-gi eo-din-ga-e i-sseo-yo.]

= It is here somewhere.

• However, in Korean, just as in other languages, this usage rule is not always kept by everyone. What does this mean? It means that EVEN when the intended meaning is “someday”, 언제 can be used instead of 언젠가. Likewise, 뭐 can be used for “something”, 어디 for “somewhere”, and 누구 for “someone”.

The distinction between 언제 and 언젠가 is stronger than the distinction between other words,

but there are many situations in which 언젠가 can be replaced with 언제. When using the original interrogative word rather than -ㄴ가, pay attention to your intonation. The emphasis should be on the verbs, not the actual interrogative word.

Sample Sentences

뭐 샀어요? [mwo sa-sseo-yo?] (stress is on 뭐)

= What did you buy?

뭐 샀어요? (stress is on 샀어요)

= Did you buy something?

언제 중국에 갈 거예요? [eon-je jung-gu-ge gal kkeo-ye-yo?] (stress is on 언제)

= When are you going to go to China?

언제 중국에 갈 거예요? (stress is on 갈 거예요?)

= Are you going to go to China someday/one of these days?

어디 가요? [eo-di ga-yo?] (stress is on 어디)

= Where are you going?

어디 가요? (stress is on 가요?)

= Are you going somewhere?

오늘 뭐 배웠어요? [o-neul mwo bae-wo-sseo-yo?] (stress is on 배웠어요?)

= Did you learn something today?

오늘 뭐 배웠어요? (stress is on 뭐)

= What did you learn today?

Lesson 26. Imperative / -(으)세요

Learning to ask or tell someone to do something for you is one of the most essential things to learn in any language. Whether the intention is to be polite or not so polite, learning how to construct imperative sentences in Korean will come handy every single day..

To tell someone to do something, add -(으)세요 [-(eu)-se-yo] to the verb stem.

Conjugation

Verb stem ending in a consonant + -으세요

Verb stem ending in a vowel or the consonant ㄹ + -세요

Ex)

시작하다 [si-ja-ka-da] = to begin, to start

시작하 + -세요 = 시작하세요 [si-ja-ka-se-yo] = Please begin.

오다 [o-da] = to come

오 + -세요 = 오세요 [o-se-yo] = Please come.

쉬다 [swi-da] = to rest

쉬 + -세요 = 쉬세요 [swi-se-yo] = Please get some rest.

고르다 [go-reu-da] = to choose, to pick

고르 + -세요 = 고르세요 [go-reu-se-yo] = Please choose.

접다 [jeop-tta] = to fold

접 + -으세요 = 접으세요 [jeo-beu-se-yo] = Please fold it.

Exception:

When a verb stem ends with the consonant ㄹ, drop the ㄹ and add -세요.

팔다 [pal-da] = to sell

팔 → 파 + 세요 = 파세요 [pa-se-yo] = Please sell it.

The focus of this lesson is presenting -(으)세요 as a way to tell someone to do something. The honorific suffix -시 is included in this ending, and there are a couple variations of this depending on the type of language (honorific, informal), but please remember that this ending is considered “formal” or “polite”.

Sample Sentences

내일 세 시에 오세요.

[nae-il se si-e o-se-yo.]

= Please come here at three o’clock tomorrow.

공부하세요!

[gong-bu-ha-se-yo!]

= Study! Do your studies!

경은 씨, 빨리 일하세요.

[gyeong-eun ssi, ppal-li il-ha-se-yo.]

= Kyeong-eun, hurry up and get some work done!

경은 씨, 쉬세요.

[gyeong-eun ssi, swi-se-yo.]

= Kyeong-eun, please get some rest.

이거 저한테 파세요.

[i-geo jeo-han-te pa-se-yo.]

= Please sell this to me.

조심하세요.

[jo-sim-ha-se-yo.]

= Be careful!

Some fixed expressions using -세요:

When going into a store or a restaurant, an employee will most often say:

1. 어서 오세요. [eo-seo-o-se-yo.]

= (lit. Come quickly) Welcome.

When a person is leaving and you are staying:

2. 안녕히 가세요. [an-nyeong-hi ga-se-yo.]

= (lit. Go peacefully) Good-bye.

If you are leaving, and the other person is staying:

3. 안녕히 계세요. [an-nyeong-hi gye-se-yo.]

= (lit. Stay peacefully) Good-bye.

How to say “Goodnight.” in Korean:

4. 안녕히 주무세요. [an-nyeong-hi ju-mu-se-yo.]

= (lit. Sleep peacefully) Goodnight.

Some words change their forms specifically for polite/formal language, but those will be covered in a future lesson.

Lesson 27. Please do it for me. / -아/어/여 주세요

In our previous lesson, you learned how to tell someone to do something using -(으)세요 [-(eu)-se-yo]. Although this is perfectly acceptable, there is an even more polite way to ask the same question.

Rather than adding -(으)세요 after a verb stem, add -아/어/여 [-a/eo/yeo] + 주세요 [ju-se-yo]. By adding this verb ending, the sentence has a much nicer tone and has a nuance of asking someone for a favor or asking the other person to do something “for you”.

Ex)

오다 [o-da] = to come

오세요. [o-se-yo.] = Please come.

와 주세요. [wa ju-se-yo.] = Please do me a favor and come.

하다 [ha-da] = to do

하세요. [ha-se-yo.] = Do it.

해 주세요. [hae ju-se-yo.] = Please do me a favor and do it for me.

Using -아/어/여 주세요 rather than just -(으)세요 not only makes the sentence more polite, but it also adds the meaning of “please do it for me”. There is no need to say the phrase “저를 위해서 [jeo-reul wi-hae-seo]”, which literally means “for me” if -아/어/여 주세요 is used.

For example, “아이스크림 사세요 [a-i-seu-keu-rim sa-se-yo]” can mean “buy yourself some ice cream”, “buy ice cream for your friends”, or simply just “buy some ice cream”. On the other hand, using -아/어/여 주세요 to say “아이스크림 사 주세요 [a-i-seu-keu-rim sa ju-se-yo]” means “please buy ME some ice cream”. If someone selling ice cream says this, the meaning is “please buy ice cream from me if you want to help me”.

When asking for help, often at times, it is more natural to add -아/어/여 주세요. For example, it is not very natural to say “저를 도우세요! [jeo-reul do-u-se-yo!]” (돕다 [dop-tta] = to help) when the intended meaning is “help me!”. To sound more natural and a bit more polite, say “저를 도와 주세요 [jeo-reul do-wa ju-se-yo]” or just “도와 주세요.”.

Take a look at the difference of meaning between -(으)세요 and -아/어/여 주세요..

가르치다 [ga-reu-chi-da] = to teach

가르치세요. [ga-reu-chi-se-yo.] = Teach. / Please teach. (to whom is unknown)

가르쳐 주세요 [ga-reu-cheo ju-se-yo] = Please teach me.

경은 씨한테 가르쳐 주세요. [gyeong-eun ssi-han-te ga-reu-cheo ju-se-yo.] = Please teach Kyeong-eun (how to do that).

경은 씨한테 스페인어 가르쳐 주세요. [gyeong-eun ssi-han-te seu-pe-i-neo ga-reu-cheo ju-se-yo.] = Please teach Kyeong-eun Spanish.

스페인어 가르쳐 주세요. [seu-pe-i-neo ga-reu-cheo ju-se-yo.] = Please teach me Spanish.

보다 [bo-da] = to see

보세요. [bo-se-yo.] = See it. / Please see it.

봐 주세요. [bwa ju-se-yo.] = Please see it, and I would appreciate it. / Please be kind and see it.

이거 봐 주세요. [i-geo bwa ju-se-yo.] = Please look at this

숙제 봐 주세요. [suk-jje bwa ju-se-yo.] = Please look at my homework.

주세요 is derived from 주다, which means “to give”. By adding 주세요 after a verb, the meaning of “do it for me, please” is also added. As for -아/어/여, think of it as a “helper” to make the pronunciation a bit easier.

To speak a little less formally, say 줘요 rather than 주세요. It is more casual than 주세요 but more polite than just -세요.

Sample Sentences

영어를 배우고 있어요. 도와주세요.

[yeong-eo-reul bae-u-go i-sseo-yo. do-wa-ju-se-yo.]

= I am learning English. Please help me.

도와줄 수 있어요?

[do-wa-jul ssu i-sseo-yo?]

= Can you help me?

배고파요. 김밥 사 주세요.

[bae-go-pa-yo. gim-ppap sa ju-se-yo.]

= I am hungry. Buy me some gimbap.

무서워요. 같이 가 주세요.

[mu-seo-wo-yo. ga-chi ga ju-se-yo.]

= I am scared. Please go with me.

Lesson 28. Particles For Method, Way / -(으)로

You have already learned a handful of Korean particles and how to use them through the previous lessons in this book. Get ready to add a new one to the bunch! Learn the meaning and usage of -(으)로 [-(eu)-ro] with this lesson.

Conjugation:

Nouns ending with a consonant + -으로

Nouns ending in a vowel or the consonant “ㄹ” + -로

-(으)로 connects a noun and a verb very closely and can have various functions. -(으)로 can

mark the ingredients an object is made of, the cause of a disease or something that happened, the direction in which someone is going, or the status or identity of a person doing something. Take a look at some examples:

Ex)

(1) 나무로 만들다 [na-mu-ro man-deul-da]

= 나무 (wood) + -로 + 만들다 (to make)

= to make (something) with wood

Someone made this table with wood. = 누가 이 테이블을 나무로 만들었어요. [nu-ga i te-i-beu-reul na-mu-ro man-deu-reo-sseo-yo.]

(2) 왼쪽으로 가다 [oen-jjo-geu-ro ga-da]

= 왼쪽 (left side) + -으로 + 가다 (to go)

= to go to the left

= to go through the left side

(3) 이 길로 가다 [i gil-lo ga-da]

= 이 (this) 길 (street / road) + -로 + 가다 (to go)

= to go down this path

= to go down this road

(4) 펜으로 쓰다 [pe-neu-ro sseu-da]

= 펜 (pen) + -으로 + 쓰다 (to write)

= to write with a pen

(5) 한국어로 말하다 [han-gu-geo-ro mal-ha-da]

= 한국어 (Korean) + 로 + 말하다 (to speak / to talk)

= to speak in Korean

(6) 치즈로 유명하다 [chi-jeu-ro yu-myeong-ha-da]

= 치즈 (cheese) + 로 + 유명하다 (to be famous)

= to be famous for cheese

(7) 사고로 다치다 [sa-go-ro da-chi-da]

= 사고 (accident) + 로 + 다치다 (to get hurt)

= to get hurt in (from) an accident

There is a common factor in the way -(으)로 was used in the previous sentences. Can you identify it?

By using -(으)로, something is used as a channel, tool, device, or a method.

Sample Sentences

이거 뭐로 만들었어요?

[i-geo mwo-ro man-deu-reo-sseo-yo?]

= What did you make this with?

= What is this made of?

오늘 택시로 왔어요?

[o-neul taek-si-ro wa-sseo-yo?]

= Did you come by taxi today?

버스로 갈 거예요.

[beo-sseu-ro gal kkeo-ye-yo.]

= I am going to go by bus.

저를 친구로 생각해요?

[jeo-reul chin-gu-ro saeng-ga-kae-yo?]

= Do you think of me as a friend?

2번 출구로 나오세요.

[i-beon chul-gu-ro na-o-se-yo.]

= Come out through exit number 2.

저는 Talk To Me In Korean으로 한국어 공부해요.

[jeo-neun Talk To Me In Korean-eu-ro han-gu-geo gong-bu-hae-yo.]

= I study Korean through Talk To Me In Korean.

Lesson 29. More, All / 더, 다

With this lesson, you will learn the Korean words for “all” and “more” as well as how to apply these words to Korean sentences to sound more natural.

다 = all, entirely, whole

더 = more

For many sentences in English where a speaker would use adjectives and nouns, Korean speakers use adverbs and verbs. This often becomes a challenge when translating, as things do not quite translate directly, but having this knowledge as a learner of Korean will ultimately lead to more natural-sounding Korean.

Take a look at how 다 [da] is used:

Ex)

(1) 다 주세요. [da ju-se-yo.]

= Give me all of it.

(2) 우유 다 주세요. [u-yu da ju-se-yo.]

= Give me all the milk.

(3) 다 했어요. [da hae-sseo-yo.]

= I have done all of it.

(4) 다 왔어요? [da wa-sseo-yo?]

= Are we there yet? (lit. Did we all come? / Did we come to all of it?)

= Did everyone come?

(5) 다 살 거예요? [da sal kkeo-ye-yo?]

= Are you going to buy all of it?

In some of the examples above, it looks as if the word 다 is working as a noun, and it is,

but it has a stronger influence on the verbs and acts as more of an adverb.

커피를 마시다 [keo-pi-reul ma-si-da]

= to drink coffee

커피를 다 마시다 [keo-pi-reul da ma-si-da]

= to drink all the coffee

In the second sentence previously, the English word “all” was used to describe “the coffee”, but in Korean, the word 다 was used to describe the action of drinking (마시다).

책을 읽다 [chae-geul ik-tta]

= to read a book

책을 다 읽다 [chae-geul da ik-tta]

= to read all of the book

= to finish reading the book

Q: Then how do you say “all of the book” or “the entire book”, if the word 다 only modifies

verbs?

A: You can use other words like 전체 [jeon-che] or 전부 [jeon-bu]. “The entire book” is 책 전체 or 책 전부, but this might not sound very natural when used out of proper context. In most

cases, it is better to use 다.

Let us look at how 더 [deo] is used.

Ex)

(1) 더 주세요. [deo ju-se-yo.]

= Please give me more.

(2) 더 있어요. [deo i-sseo-yo.]

= There is more.

(3) 더 사고 싶어요. [deo sa-go si-peo-yo.]

= I want to buy more.

(4) 옷 더 사고 싶어요. [ot deo sa-go si-peo-yo.]

= I want to buy more clothes.

(5) 뭐가 더 좋아요? [mwo-ga deo jo-a-yo?]

= Which is better?

The explanation for 다 also applies to the word 더, especially when modifying verbs. It may look as if 더 is used as a noun in sentences (3) and (4), but, it is not! When saying “더 사고 싶어요” or “옷 더 사고 싶어요”, the meaning is closer to “I want to do the ‘action of buying’ more“ rather than “I want to buy more” or “I want to buy more clothes.”

10분 기다려 주세요.

= Please wait for 10 minutes.

10분 더 기다려 주세요. [sip-ppun deo gi-da-ryeo ju-se-yo.]

= Please wait for ten more minutes.

In English, the phrase is said as “10 more minutes”, but in Korean, it literally translates to “do the action of waiting for 10 minutes + more”.

Sample Sentences

전화 다 했어요? [jeon-hwa da hae-sseo-yo?]

= Did you finish talking on the phone?

= Did you make all the phone calls?

= Did everyone make a phone call?

준비 다 했어요. [jun-bi da hae-sseo-yo.]

= I did all the preparation.

= I prepared everything.

= I finished the preparation.

= All of us are prepared.

더 보여 주세요. [deo bo-yeo ju-se-yo.]

= Show me more.

= Show me more of it.

더 공부하고 싶으면, TTMIK에 오세요. [deo gong-bu-ha-go si-peu-myeon, TTMIK-e o-se-yo.]

= If you want to study more, come to TTMIK.

= If you want to do more studying, come to TTMIK.

Lesson 30. Don’t do it. / -지 마세요

You have already learned how to tell or ask someone to do something for you, but how do you tell someone to “stop doing” something or “do not do” something?

Use the following verb + -(으)세요 [-(eu)-se-yo]:

말다 [mal-da] = to quit doing; to not do; to stop doing

When using -(으)세요 with this word, it becomes 마세요 [ma-se-yo]. When combining 마세요 with other verbs to say “do not do” or “stop doing” something, the suffix -지 [-ji] is needed after the verb stem.

Conjugation:

Verb stem + -지 마세요

Ex)

가지 마세요. [ga-ji ma-se-yo.] = Do not go.

아직 가지 마세요. [a-jik ga-ji ma-se-yo.] = Do not go yet.

하지 마세요. [ha-ji ma-se-yo.] = Do not do it. / Drop it. / Stop it. / Forget about it.

사지 마세요. [sa-ji ma-se-yo.] = Do not buy it.

Sample Sentences

만지지 마세요. [man-ji-ji ma-se-yo.]

= Do not touch it.

웃지 마세요. [ut-jji ma-se-yo.]

= Do not laugh.

걱정하지 마세요. [geok-jjeong-ha-ji ma-se-yo.]

= Do not worry.

경은 씨한테 말하지 마세요. [gyeong-eun ssi-han-te mal-ha-ji ma-se-yo.]

= Please do not tell Kyeong-eun (about it).

아직 보내지 마세요. 아직 다 안 썼어요. [a-jik bo-nae-ji ma-se-yo. a-jik da an sseo-sseo-yo.]

= Do not send it yet. I have not finished writing it.

Review What You’ve Learned in Level 2

Essential Review - Dialogue (Test Your Korean)

This dialogue is based on the grammar points introduced in TalkToMeInKorean’s Level 2 lessons. First listen to the dialogue without looking at the Korean transcript, and then check how much you could understand by comparing your understanding with the original text as well as the translation.

Korean Script

민호: 민정 씨 이번 토요일에 뭐 할 거예요?

민정: 이번 토요일에요? 저는 일해야 돼요.

민호: 토요일에도 일해야 돼요?

민정: 네… 그리고 일요일에도 일해야 돼요. 요즘 진짜 바빠요. (한숨) 민호 씨는 뭐 할 거예요?

민호: 저는 일본에 갈 거예요.

민정: 우와… 저도 가고 싶어요. 혼자 갈 거예요?

민호: 네, 혼자 갈 거예요.

민정: 민호 씨 일본어 할 수 있어요?

민호: 네, 조금 할 수 있어요.

민정: 저도 일본어 가르쳐 주세요.

민호: 저도 아직 잘 못해요. 친구한테서 배우고 있어요.

민정: 중국어보다 일본어가 더 쉬워요?

민호: 네, 별로 안 어려워요. 만약 정말 배우고 싶으면, 저랑 같이 공부해요.

민정: 좋아요! 저도 외국어 공부하는 거 좋아해요.

민호: 좋아요. 저랑 같이 일본어 공부해요. 그런데 민정 씨는 일이 몇 시에 끝나요?

민정: 아홉 시에 끝나요. 정말 너무 바빠요. 그래서 요즘 공부를 못 해요. 그런데 민호 씨는 몇 시에 끝나요?

민호: 아, 저는 별로 안 바빠요. 여섯 시에 일이 끝나요. 만약 일찍 끝나면, 말해 주세요. 저랑 공부해요.

민정: 네… 만…약… 일찍 끝나면.

Korean Script + English Translation

민호: 민정 씨 이번 토요일에 뭐 할 거예요?

Minho: Minjeong, what are you going to do this Saturday?

민정: 이번 토요일에요? 저는 일해야 돼요.

Minjeong: This Saturday? I have to work.

민호: 토요일에도 일해야 돼요?

Minho: You have to work on Saturday, too?

민정: 네… 그리고 일요일에도 일해야 돼요. 요즘 진짜 바빠요. (한숨) 민호 씨는 뭐 할 거예요?

Minjeong: Yes… and I have to work on Sunday, too. These days, I’m so busy. (Sigh) Minho, what are you going to do?

민호: 저는 일본에 갈 거예요.

Minho: I’m going to go to Japan.

민정: 우와… 저도 가고 싶어요. 혼자 갈 거예요?

Minjeong: Wow… I want to go, too. Are you going to go alone?

민호: 네, 혼자 갈 거예요.

Minho: Yes, I’m going to go alone.

민정: 민호 씨 일본어 할 수 있어요?

Minjeong: Minho, can you speak Japanese?

민호: 네, 조금 할 수 있어요.

Minho: Yes, I can speak a little bit.

민정: 저도 일본어 가르쳐 주세요.

Minjeong: Teach me Japanese, too.

민호: 저도 아직 잘 못해요. 친구한테서 배우고 있어요.

Minho: I am still not very good at it. I am learning it from a friend.

민정: 중국어보다 일본어가 더 쉬워요?

Minjeong: Is Japanese easier than Chinese?

민호: 네, 별로 안 어려워요. 만약 정말 배우고 싶으면, 저랑 같이 공부해요.

Minho: Yes. It’s not that difficult. If you really want to learn, study with me.

민정: 좋아요! 저도 외국어 공부하는 거 좋아해요.

Minjeong: Sounds good! I also like studying foreign languages.

민호: 좋아요. 저랑 같이 일본어 공부해요. 그런데 민정 씨는 일이 몇 시에 끝나요?

Minho: Great! Study Japanese with me. By the way, Minjeong, what time does your work finish?

민정: 아홉 시에 끝나요. 정말 너무 바빠요. 그래서 요즘 공부를 못 해요. 그런데 민호 씨는 몇 시에 끝나요?

Minjeong: It finishes at 9 o’clock. I’m really too busy. So I can’t study these days. Then Minho, what time do you finish?

민호: 아, 저는 별로 안 바빠요. 여섯 시에 일이 끝나요. 만약 일찍 끝나면, 말해 주세요. 저랑 공부 해요.

Minho: Oh, I’m not very busy. I finish at 6 o’clock. If you finish early, tell me. Let’s study withme.

민정: 네… 만…약… 일찍 끝나면.

Minjeong: OK. IF… I finish early.