TTMIK2

Question 1

Vocabulary List (English + Korean meaning)

Noun
clothes 옷
jeans 청바지
skirt 치마
wallet 지갑 {紙匣 zhi3 xia2}
hat, cap 모자 ‘帽子 mao4zi bō-á’
teacher 선생님 {先生-}
older brother 형
older sister 언니
younger brother 남동생 {男同生}
younger sister 여동생 {女同生}
elementary school student 초등학생
middle school student 중학생 {中學生}
high school student 고등학생
university student 대학생 {大學生}

Verb
to run 달리다
to go to work 출근하다 {出勤 chu1qin2}
to live 살다 {sống}
to put on, to wear 입다
to meet 만나다
to touch 만지다
to send 보내다
to buy 사다 {sắm}

Descriptive Verb
to be late 늦다
to be fast 빠르다
to be expensive 비싸다
to be bad 나쁘다
to be busy 바쁘다 {bận bịu}
to be scary 무섭다
to be pretty 예쁘다
to be kind 착하다
to be long 길다
to be small 작다
to be cold 춥다
to be hot 덥다
to be far 멀다
to be tired 피곤하다 {疲困 pi2kun4}

Adverb
alone 혼자
a lot 많이
every day 매일 {每日}
quickly 빨리
together 같이
already 벌써
a little, a bit, a little bit 조금
really, truly 정말 {正-}
very, quite 아주
not really, not particularly 별로 {別- bie2, không bao nhiêu}
not at all 전혀 {全- quan2, trọn, (chẳng) chút nào}

Months of the Year
January 1월 {月}
February 2월
March 3월
April 4월
May 5월
June 6월
July 7월
August 8월
September 9월
October 10월
November 11월
December 12월

Days of the Week

Sunday 일요일
Monday 월요일
Tuesday 화요일
Wednesday 수요일
Thursday 목요일
Friday 금요일
Saturday 토요일

Answer 1

I am ___. → 저는 ___이에요/예요. (Lesson 11)
My name is ___. → 제 이름은 ___이에요/예요.
I have two younger sisters. → 저는 여동생 두 명 있어요. (Lesson 9)
I have three cameras. → 저는 카메라 세 개 있어요.

to rest/relax = 쉬다
I am going to rest. → 쉴 거예요. (Lesson 1)
I am resting. → 쉬고 있어요. (Lesson 10)
I was resting. → 쉬고 있었어요.

to be hungry = 배고프다
to be tired = 피곤하다
I am hungry. And I am tired. → 배고파요. 그리고 피곤해요. (Lesson 3)
I was hungry. So I ate bread. → 배고팠어요. 그래서 빵을 먹었어요.
I was hungry. But I didn’t eat bread. → 배고팠어요. 그렇지만 빵을 안 먹었어요. (Lesson 6)

to give = 주다 {cho}
I gave it to a friend. → 친구한테 주었어요. (Lesson 7)
to get/receive = 받다
I got it from a friend. → 친구한테 받았어요. / 친구한테서 받았어요.

It’s 9 o’clock. → 아홉 시예요. (Lesson 8)
It’s 4:30. → 네 시 반이에요.
It’s Monday. → 월요일이에요. (Lesson 5)
Tomorrow is not Thursday. → 내일은 목요일 아니에요.
It’s December 25th → 12월 25일이에요. (Lesson 12)
It’s still Monday. → 아직 월요일이에요. (Lesson 24)
It’s already Monday. → 벌써 월요일이에요.

I drink tea. = 차 마셔요.
I only drink tea. → 차만 마셔요. (Lesson 15)
to eat = 먹다
eating(noun form) = 먹기
to only eat → 먹기만 하다
I only ate. → 먹기만 했어요.

to be expensive = 비싸다
It’s a little expensive. → 조금 비싸요. (Lesson 16)
It’s very expensive. → 아주 비싸요.
It’s not so expensive. → 별로 안 비싸요.
It’s not expensive at all. → 전혀 안 비싸요.
to be more expensive → 더 비싸다
than / compared to = -보다 (Lesson 21)
A wallet is more expensive than a hat. → 지갑이 모자보다 더 비싸요.
I am good at swimming. → 저는 수영을 잘해요. (Lesson 18)
I am better at swimming than my younger brother. → 저는 동생보다 수영을 잘해요.

to make = 만들다
Can you make it? → 만들 수 있어요? (Lesson 17)
I cannot make it. → 못 만들어요.
bracelet = 팔찌
Can you make a bracelet? → 팔찌 만들 수 있어요? / 팔찌를 만들 수 있어요? (Lesson 2)
necklace = 목걸이
Can you make a bracelet and a necklace? → 팔찌랑 목걸이를 만들 수 있어요? / 팔찌하고 목걸이를 만들 수 있어요? (Lesson 4)

to send = 보내다
I have to send it. → 보내야 해요 / 보내야 돼요. (Lesson 20)
Where should I send it to? → 어디로 보내야 해요 / 어디로 보내야 돼요? (Lesson 28)

to be tired = 피곤하다
to take a rest = 쉬다
If you are tired, please get some rest → 만약 피곤하면, 쉬세요. (Lesson 23)
to find = 찾다
key = 열쇠
If you find the key, please give it to me. → 열쇠를 찾으면, 저한테 주세요. (Lesson 26)

to buy = 사다
Please buy me this book. → 이 책 사 주세요. (Lesson 27)
Please buy me this book, too. → 이 책도 사 주세요. (Lesson 13, Lesson 14)
Please buy me all of these books. → 이 책 다 사 주세요. (Lesson 29)

to write = 쓰다
pencil = 연필
to write with a pencil → 연필로 쓰다 (Lesson 28)
Don’t write with a pencil. → 연필로 쓰지 마세요. (Lesson 30)

Question 2

When do you need to use object marking particles?
텔레비전(을) 일주일에 몇 번 봐요? = How many times a week do you watch TV? TV một tuần mấy lần coi?

Answer 2

As the object of the sentences (텔레비전) gets further and further away from the verb (봐요),
you need to make the relation of the words clearer by using the object marking particle.

Question 3

If you learned fundamentals of Korean, such as “hello”, “thank you”, and various essential grammar points with Level 1, Level 2 will build upon what you learned in Level 1 and help you develop the ability to create longer sentences by introducing more grammar points and vocabulary.

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
[-(eu)l kkeo-ye-yo].

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 [bo-da] + -ㄹ/을 거예요 = 볼 거예요. [bol kkeo-ye-yo.]
   가다 [ga-da] + -ㄹ/을 거예요 = 갈 거예요. [gal kkeo-ye-yo.]
   자다 [ja-da] + -ㄹ/을 거예요 = 잘 거예요. [jal kkeo-ye-yo.]
2. Verb stems ending with a consonant (먹다, 찾다, 붙다) are followed by -을 거예요.
   먹다 [meok-tta] + -ㄹ/을 거예요 = 먹을 거예요. [meo-geul kkeo-ye-yo.]
   찾다 [chat-tta] + -ㄹ/을 거예요 = 찾을 거예요. [cha-jeul kkeo-ye-yo.]
   붙다 [but-tta] + -ㄹ/을 거예요 = 붙을 거예요. [bu-teul kkeo-ye-yo.]
   (* 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 [nol-da] + -ㄹ/을 거예요 = 놀 거예요. [nol kkeo-ye-yo.]
   멀다 [meol-da] + -ㄹ/을 거예요 = 멀 거예요. [meol kkeo-ye-yo.]
   살다 [sal-da] + -ㄹ/을 거예요 = 살 거예요. [sal kkeo-ye-yo.]

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.
[ji-geum]
혼자 갈 거예요. = I am going to go alone.
[hon-ja]
내일 갈 거예요. = I am going to go tomorrow.

2. 하다 [ha-da] = to do 하 + ㄹ 거예요.
   → 할 거예요. [hal kkeo-ye-yo.] = I am going to do (it). / I will do (it).

Ex)
뭐 할 거예요? = What are you going to do?
[mwo]
언제 할 거예요? = When are you going to do (it)?
[eon-je]
이거 언제 할 거예요? = When are you going to do this?
[i-geo eon-je]
이거 정말 할 거예요? = Are you really going to do it?
[i-geo jeong-mal]

3. 입다 [ip-tta] = to wear 입 + 을 거예요.
   → 입을 거예요. [i-beul kkeo-ye-yo] = I am going to wear (it). / I will wear (it).

Ex)
청바지 입을 거예요. = I am going to wear blue jeans.
[cheong-ba-ji]
뭐 입을 거예요? = What are you going to wear?
[mwo]
티셔츠 입을 거예요. = I am going to wear a t-shirt.
[ti-syeo-cheu]
치마 입을 거예요. = I am going to wear a skirt.
[chi-ma]

4. 만나다 [man-na-da] = to meet 만나 + ㄹ 거예요.
   → 만날 거예요. [man-nal kkeo-ye-yo.] = 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?
[nu-gu]
어디에서 만날 거예요? = Where are you going to meet?
[eo-di-e-seo]
언제 만날 거예요? = When are you going to meet?

5. 팔다 [pal-da] = to sell 팔 + 거예요.
   → 팔 거예요. [pal kkeo-ye-yo.] = 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?
[eol-ma-e]

Answer 3

Lesson 2. Object-marking Particles / -을, -를
In Level 1 Lesson 9, topic marking particles (-은[-eun], -는[-neun]) and subject marking particles (-이[-i], -가[-ga]) 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?” [ji-gap cha-ja-sseo-yo?] (Literal translation: “Wallet found?”)
Speaker B: “네. 찾았어요.” [ne. cha-ja-sseo-yo.] (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 [u-yu-reul]
책(book) + -을 = 책을 [chae-gul]
모자(hat) + -를 = 모자를 [mo-ja-reul]
카메라(camera) + -를 = 카메라를 [ka-me-ra-reul]
방(room) + -을 = 방을 [bang-eul]

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? [sa-gwa-reul meo-geo-sseo-yo?] (Did you eat an apple?)
사과를 사요? [sa-gwa-reul sa-yo?] (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. [i sa-gwa-ga ma-si-sseo-yo.] (This apple is delicious.)
사과가 떨어졌어요. [sa-gwa-ga tteo-reo-jyeo-sseo-yo.] (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? [sa-gwa-reul sa-yo?] → 사과 사요? (Are you buying an apple?)
이 사과가 맛있어요. [i sa-gwa-ga ma-si-sseo-yo.] → 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? [nu-gu man-na-sseo-yo?]
= Who did you meet?
→ 어제 여기에서 누구(를) 만났어요? [eo-je yeo-gi-e-seo nu-gu-(reul) man-na-sseo-yo?]
= Who did you meet here yesterday?
→ 어제 누구를 여기에서 만났어요?
= WHO did you meet here yesterday?

텔레비전 봐요. [tel-le-bi-jeon bwa-yo.]
= I watch TV.
→ 텔레비전 봐요?
= Do you watch TV?
→ 텔레비전 자주 봐요? [tel-le-bi-jeon ja-ju bwa-yo?]
= Do you watch TV often?
→ 일주일에 몇 번 텔레비전 봐요? [il-jju-i-re myeot beon tel-le-bi-jeon bwa-yo?] {一週以內｝
= 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!

Question 4

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 [keo-pi, ppang, geu-ri-go mul] = coffee, bread and water
서울 그리고 부산 [seo-ul geu-ri-go bu-san] = Seoul and Busan
런던 그리고 파리 [leon-deon geu-ri-go pa-ri] = London and Paris
미국 그리고 호주 [mi-guk geu-ri-go ho-ju] = United States and Australia
독일 그리고 필리핀 [do-gil geu-ri-go pil-li-pin] = Germany and the Philippines

Ex) (linking phrases)
(1) 친구를 만났어요. [chin-gu-reul man-na-sseo-yo]
친구 = friend
를 = object marking particle
만나다 [man-na-da] = to meet
만났어요 = past tense of 만나다

(2) 밥을 먹었어요. [ba-beul meo-geo-sseo-yo.]
밥 [bap] = rice, meal
을 [eul] = object marking particle
먹다 [meok-tta] = to eat
먹었어요 = past tense of 먹다

(1) and (2) = 친구를 만났어요 and 밥을 먹었어요.
= 친구를 만났어요. 그리고 밥을 먹었어요.

그래서

그래서 [geu-rae-seo] 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. [o-neu-reun bi-ga wa-sseo-yo.]
비가 오다 = to rain
[o-da]
비가 왔어요 = past tense of 비가 오다

(2) 집에 있었어요. [ji-be i-sseo-sseo-yo.]
집 [jip] = house, home
있다 [it-tta] = 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.
[gim-chi-neun ma-si-sseo-yo. geu-ri-go han-guk eum-si-gi-e-yo.]
= Kimchi is delicious. And it is Korean food.
김치 = Kimchi
맛있다 [ma-sit-tta] = to be delicious
한국 음식 [han-guk eum-sik] = Korean food

저는 학생이에요. 그리고 프랑스어를 공부해요.
[jeo-neun hak-ssaeng-i-e-yo. geu-ri-go peu-rang-sseu-eo-reul gong-bu-hae-yo.]
= 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.
[jeo-neun hak-ssaeng-i-e-yo. geu-rae-seo do-ni eop-sseo-yo.]
= I am a student. So I do not have money.
돈 = money
없다 [eop-tta] = to not be, to not exist

김치는 맛있어요. 그래서 김치를 많이 먹어요.
[gim-chi-neun ma-si-sseo-yo. geu-rae-seo gim-chi-reul ma-ni meo-geo-yo.]
= 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.
[jeo-neun han-gu-gi-ni-e-yo. geu-rae-seo gim-chi-reul ma-ni meo-geo-yo.]
= I am Korean. So, I eat a lot of Kimchi.
한국인 [han-gu-gin] = Korean (person)

저는 김치를 많이 먹어요. 그래서 튼튼해요.
[jeo-neun gim-chi-reul ma-ni meo-geo-yo. geu-rae-seo teun-teun-hae-yo.]
= I eat a lot of Kimchi. Therefore, I am strong.
튼튼하다 [teun-teun-ha-da] = to be strong

Answer 4

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 [-ha-go] and -이랑 [-i-rang].

-하고 = and

Conjugation:
-하고 [-ha-go] is used like a particle and attached to a noun without space.

Ex)
이거 [i-geo]
= this, this thing
이거하고 이거 [i-geo-ha-go i-geo]
= this and this
이거하고 이거 주세요. [i-geo-ha-go i-geo ju-se-yo.]
= Give me this and this.

-(이)랑 = and

Conjugation:
If a noun ends in a vowel, attach -랑 [-rang] at the end, and if it ends with a consonant, use -이랑 [-i-rang]. 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 [u-yu] = milk
빵 [ppang] = bread
우유랑 빵 = milk and bread
빵이랑 우유 = bread and milk
우유하고 빵 = milk and bread
우유랑 빵 샀어요. [u-yu-rang ppang sa-sseo-yo.] = 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.
[chin-gu-ha-go yeong-hwa bwa-sseo-yo.]
= I saw a movie with a friend.*

• It is very unlikely that this sentence means “I watched a friend and a movie.”

누구랑 갔어요?
[nu-gu-rang ga-sseo-yo?]
= Who did you go with?

To make the meaning of a sentence clearer, add the word 같이 [ga-chi] 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

남자친구하고 데이트할 거예요.
[nam-ja-chin-gu-ha-go de-i-teu-hal geo-ye-yo]
= I’m going to go on a date with my boyfriend.

동생하고 공부할 거예요.
[dong-saeng-ha-go gong-bu-hal kkeo-ye-yo.]
= 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. {景福宮 cảnh phúc}
[nae-il seon-saeng-nim-ha-go gyeong-bok-kkung-e gal kkeo-ye-yo.]
= I am going to go to Gyeongbok Palace with my teacher tomorrow.

어제 홍대하고 신촌에 갔어요.
[eo-je hong-dae-ha-go sin-cho-ne ga-sseo-yo.]
= I went to Hongdae and Sinchon yesterday.
* 홍대 and 신촌 are both popular hang out spots in Seoul for younger people.

Question 5

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 [i-ryo-il]
Monday = 월요일 [wo-ryo-il]
Tuesday = 화요일 [hwa-yo-il]
Wednesday = 수요일 [su-yo-il]
Thursday = 목요일 [mo-gyo-il]
Friday = 금요일 [geu-myo-il]
Saturday = 토요일 [to-yo-il]

The syllable 요 and 일 together mean “day of the week” in Korean. Each day has its own unique first syllable. A day of the week not the weekend {曜日 yao4 ri4}

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 [wol] = moon
火 = 화 [hwa] = fire
水 = 수 [su] = water
木 = 목 [mok] = tree
金 = 금 [geum] = gold, metal, iron
土 = 토 [to] = earth, soil, ground
日 = 일 [il] = 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 [hwa-seong] = Mars
수요일 = Wednesday / 수성 [su-seong] = Mercury
목요일 = Thursday / 목성 [mok-sseong] = Jupiter
금요일 = Friday / 금성 [geum-seong] = Venus
토요일 = Saturday / 토성 [to-seong] = Saturn

Sample Sentences

토요일에는 소풍을 갈 거예요.
[to-yo-i-re-neun so-pung-eul gal kkeo-ye-yo]
= I am going to go on a picnic on Saturday.

어제는 신나는 금요일이었어요.
[eo-je-neun sin-na-neun geu-myo-i-ri-eo-sseo-yo.]
= Yesterday was an exciting Friday.
{신나다 be excited (at/by/about), be elated (at/by)
신나는 descriptive verb conjugation, used before a noun
이었어요 이다 past tense, là}

저는 월요일에 영화를 봤어요.
[jeo-neun wo-ryo-i-re yeong-hwa-reul bwa-sseo-yo.]
= I watched a movie on Monday.

Answer 5

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 ‘bất mãn’
그런데 = but, however

(1) 피곤해요. 그렇지만 영화 보고 싶어요.
[pi-gon-hae-yo. geu-reo-chi-man yeong-hwa bo-go si-peo-yo.]
= I am tired, but I want to see a movie.

(2) 피곤해요. 그런데 영화 보고 싶어요.
[pi-gon-hae-yo. geu-reon-de yeong-hwa bo-go si-peo-yo.]
= 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.
[eo-je i-geo sa-sseo-yo. geu-reo-chi-man jeong-mal keo-yo.]
= I bought this yesterday. “그렇지만” it is really big.

(2) 어제 이거 샀어요. 그런데 정말 커요.
[eo-je i-geo sa-sseo-yo. geu-reon-de jeong-mal keo-yo.]
= 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” ‘bất mãn’
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.
[eo-je hak-kkyo-e ga-sseo-yo. geu-reo-chi-man i-ryo-i-ri-eo-sseo-yo.]
= I went to school yesterday, but it was Sunday.

어제 학교에 갔어요. 그런데 일요일이었어요.
[eo-je hak-kkyo-e ga-sseo-yo. geu-reon-de i-ryo-i-ri-eo-sseo-yo.]
= 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.{지 않다 chả có}
[eo-jet-ppam neut-kke ja-sseo-yo. geu-reon-de pi-gon-ha-ji a-na-yo.]
= I went to bed late last night, but I am not tired.
늦게 = late, at a late hour
피곤하다 = to be tired
지 않다

저는 매일 운동을 해요. 그런데 살이 빠지지 않아요.
[jeo-neun mae-il un-dong-eul hae-yo. geu-reon-de sa-ri ppa-ji-ji a-na-yo.]
= 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.
[jeo-neun chin-gu-ga eop-sseo-yo. geu-reon-de wang-tta-neun a-ni-e-yo.]
= I do not have friends, but I am not a loner.
왕따 = outcast, loner, someone who is bullied by others

Question 6

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 [-han-te] and -한테서 [-han-te-seo]!

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 [-e-ge] and -에게서 [-e-ge-seo]) 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 [jeo-han-te] = to me, from me
친구한테 [chin-gu-han-te] = to a friend, from a friend
누구한테 [nu-gu-han-te] = to whom, from whom

저한테서 [jeo-han-te-seo] = from me
친구한테서 [chin-gu-han-te-seo] = from a friend
누구한테서 [nu-gu-han-te-seo] = 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 [mat-tta] can be translated to English as “to be beaten by A”.

Answer 6

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 [han si] = 1 o’clock (not 하나 시)
둘 + 시 = 두 시 [du si] = 2 o’clock (not 둘 시)
셋 + 시 = 세 시 [se si] = 3 o’clock (not 셋 시)
넷 + 시 = 네 시 [ne si] = 4 o’clock (not 넷 시)
다섯 시 [da-seot si] = 5 o’clock
여섯 시 [yeo-seot si] = 6 o’clock
일곱 시 [il-gop si] = 7 o’clock
여덟 시 [yeo-deol si] = 8 o’clock
아홉 시 [a-hop si] = 9 o’clock
열 시 [yeol si] = 10 o’clock
열한 시 [yeol-han si] = 11 o’clock
열두 시 [yeol-ttu si] = 12 o’clock

Now, take a minute to review some sino-Korean numbers:

1 일 [il]
2 이 [i]
3 삼 [sam]
4 사 [sa]
5 오 [o]
6 육 [yuk]
7 칠 [chil]
8 팔 [pal]
9 구 [gu]
10 십 [sip]

• Numbers 11 and onward are combinations of these 10 numbers.

When saying minutes in Korean, use sino-Korean numbers.

Conjugation:
Number + 분 [bun] = minute

일 분 = 1 minute
이 분 = 2 minutes
오 분 = 5 minutes
십 분 = 10 minutes
십 오 분 [si-bo bun] = 15 minutes
삼십 분 [sam-sip bun] = 30 minutes
오십오 분 [o-si-bo bun] = 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 [se si i-sip bun]
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 [jeong-gak].
  ** Rather than saying 삼십 분, the word 반 [ban], meaning “half”, can also be used.

How to ask the time

지금 몇 시예요?
[ji-geum myeot si-ye-yo?]
= What time is it now?

지금 몇 시 몇 분이에요?
[ji-geum myeot si myeot bu-ni-e-yo?]
= What is the hour, and what is the minute?

Sample Sentences

저는 매일 아침 9시까지 출근해요.
[jeo-neun mae-il a-chim a-hop-si-kka-ji chul-geun-hae-yo.]
= I get to work by 9 every morning.
매일 = every day
출근하다 [chul-geun-ha-da] = to go to work

내일 수업이 4시 반에 끝나요.
[nae-il su-eo-bi ne-si ba-ne kkeu*n-na-yo.] {ㅌ->ㄷ->ㄴ}
= My classes finish at 4:30 tomorrow.
내일 = tomorrow
수업 [su-eop] = class
끝나다 [kkeun-na-da] = to finish

오늘 몇 시에 친구를 만나요?
[o-neul myeot si-e chin-gu-reul man-na-yo?]
= What time do you meet your friend today?
만나다 [man-na-da] = to meet

Question 7

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 [yeon-pil] 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 [gae].

연필 한 자루 [yeon-pil han ja-ru] = one pencil
연필 한 개 [yeon-pil han gae] = 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 [myeong].

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) {cái}

1 = 하나 [ha-na] –> 한 개 [han]
2 = 둘 [dul] –> 두 개 [du]
3 = 셋 [set]–> 세 개 [se]
4 = 넷 [net]–> 네 개 [ne] Do you remember the irregularity rule for these numbers (plus 20)?
5 = 다섯 [da-seot] –> 다섯 개
6 = 여섯 [yeo-seot] –> 여섯 개
7 = 일곱 [il-gop]–> 일곱 개
8 = 여덟 [yeo-deol]–> 여덟 개
9 = 아홉 [a-hop]–> 아홉 개
10 = 열 [yeol]–> 열 개

From 11 to 20
열한 개 [yeol-han], 열두 개 [yeol-ttu], 열세 개 [yeol-sse], 열네 개 [yeol-le], 열다섯 개 [yeol-tta-seot], 열여섯 개 [yeol-lyeo-seot], 열일곱 개 [yeol-lil-gop], 열여덟 개 [yeol-lyeo-deol], 열아홉 개 [yeo-ra-hop], 스무 개 [seu-mu]

From 21 to 30
스물한 개 [seu-mul-han], 스물두 개 [seu-mul-ttu], 스물세 개[seu-mul-sse] , 스물네 개 [seu-mul-le], 스물다섯 개 [seu-mul-da-seot], 스물여섯 개 [seu-mul-lyeo-seot], 스물일곱 개[seu-mu-ril-gop], 스물여덟 개 [seu-mul-lyeo-deol], 스물아홉 개 [seu-mu-ra-hop], 서른 개 [seo-reun]

Ex)
one apple = 사과 [sa-gwa] + 1 + 개 = 사과 한 개
two stones = 돌 [dol] + 2 + 개 = 돌 두 개
five balls = 공 [gong] + 5 + 개 = 공 다섯 개
how many (things) = 몇 [myeot] + 개 = 몇 개

Use the counter 명 for “people”. {mống}
one person = 한 명
two students = 학생 [hak-ssaeng] + 2 + 명 = 학생 두 명
three friends = 친구 [chin-gu] + 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? [myeot myeong i-sseo-yo?]
A: 10명 있어요. [yeol myeong i-sseo-yo.]

= 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 {bình}
몇 병 [myeot byeong] = how many bottles

마리 [ma-ri] = animals
개 한 마리 [gae han ma-ri] = one dog
새 한 마리 [sae han ma-ri] = one bird
오리 세 마리 [o-ri se ma-ri] = three ducks

대 [dae] = vehicles, machinery
차 한 대 [cha han dae] = one car
비행기 세 대 [bi-haeng-gi se dae] = three airplanes

권 [gwon] = books {cuốn}
책 한 권 [chaek han gwon] = one book
책 두 권 [chaek du gwon] = two books

장 [jang] = paper, pages, tickets {trang}
종이 한 장 [jong-i han jang] = a sheet of paper

Sample Sentences

아줌마 김치찌개 한 개 주세요.
[a-jum-ma gim-chi-jji-gae han gae ju-se-yo.]
= Ma’am, give me one kimchi stew.
찌개 = stew

콜라 한 병 주세요.
[kol-la han byeong ju-se-yo.]
= Please give me a bottle of cola.

Answer 7

Lesson 10. Present Progressive / -고 있어요 {(đang) có}
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 [-go it-tta]
보다 [bo-da] = to see
보고 있다 [bo-go it-tta] = to be seeing

Present progressive:
- am/are/is -ing = Verb stem + -고 있어요 [-go i-sseo-yo]

밖에 비가 오고 있어요. [ba-kke bi-ga o-go i-sseo-yo.] = It is raining outside.
밖에 눈이 오고 있어요. [ba-kke nu-ni o-go i-sseo-yo.] = It is snowing outside.
밖에 바람이 불고 있어요. [ba-kke ba-ra-mi bul-go i-sseo-yo.] = The wind is blowing outside.

Past progressive:
- was/were -ing = Verb stem + -고 있었어요 [-go i-sseo-sseo-yo]

눈이 오고 있었어요. [nu-ni o-go i-sseo-sseo-yo.] = It was snowing.
비가 오고 있었어요. [bi-ga o-go i-sseo-sseo-yo.] = It was raining.
바람이 불고 있었어요. [ba-ra-mi bul-go i-sseo-sseo-yo.] = The wind was blowing.
경은 씨가 자고 있었어요. [kyeong-eun ssi-ga ja-go i-sseo-sseo-yo.] = Kyeong-eun was sleeping.

Future progressive:
- will be -ing = Verb stem + -고 있을 거예요 [-go i-sseul kkeo-ye-yo]

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? [ji-geum mwo ha-go i-sseo-yo?] = What are you doing now?
B: 공부하고 있어요. [gong-bu-ha-go i-sseo-yo.] = I am studying.

many people say:
A: 지금 뭐 해요? [ji-geum mwo hae-yo?] = What are you doing now?
B: 공부해요. [gong-bu-hae-yo.] = I am studying.

Sample Sentences

일하다 [il-ha-da] = to work
일하고 있어요. [il-ha-go i-sseo-yo.] = I am working.
일하고 있었어요. = I was working.
일하고 있을 거예요. = I will be working.

듣다 [deut-tta] = to listen
듣고 있어요. [deut-kko i-sseo-yo.] = I am listening.
듣고 있었어요. = I was listening.
듣고 있을 거예요. = I will be listening.

생각하다 [saeng-ga-ka-da] = to think
생각하고 있어요. [saeng-ga-ka-go i-sseo-yo.] = I am thinking.
생각하고 있었어요. = I was thinking.
생각하고 있을 거예요. = I will be thinking.

졸다 [jol-da]= to doze off
졸고 있어요. [jol-go i-sseo-yo.] = I am dozing off.
졸고 있었어요. = I was dozing off.
졸고 있을 거예요. = I will be dozing off.

Question 8

Lesson 11. Self-introduction / 자기소개
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 [ja-gi-so-gae] 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.

Answer 8

Lesson 12. What Is Today’s Date? / 날짜
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]

• 몇 월 has 몇 as a standalone word whereas 며칠 is a combination of 몇 and 일. For the sake of smoother and easier pronunciation, the ㅊ from 몇 is carried over to take the place of the ㅇ in 일.

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?

Question 9

Lesson 13. Too, Also / -도 (part 1) {cũng, nữa}
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.] ‘like that thing same, tôi cũng giống vậy’
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. {가져오다 đem tới}
= 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.] {Nước cho tôi nữa}

“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.] {Cho tôi nước nữa}

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

Answer 9

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.
[jeo-neun yeong-eo-reul ga-reu-chyeo-yo.]
= I teach English.

저는 영어도 가르쳐요.
[jeo-neun yeong-eo-do ga-reu-chyeo-yo.]
= I teach English as well.

저는 영어를 가르치기도 해요.
[jeo-neun yeong-eo-reul ga-reu-chi-gi-do hae-yo.]
= I also teach English.
= I even teach English.
= I also work as an English teacher.

컴퓨터를 고쳐요.
[keom-pyu-teo-reul go-chyeo-yo.]
I fix computers.

컴퓨터도 고쳐요.
[keom-pyu-teo-do go-chyeo-yo.]
= I fix computers as well.

컴퓨터를 고치기도 해요.
[keom-pyu-teo-reul go-chi-gi-do hae-yo.]
= I also fix computers.
= I even fix computers.

Question 10

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. {注文 zhu4 wen2 ghi phiếu}
맥주 [maek-jju] = beer
주문했어요. [ju-mun-hae-sseo-yo.] = I ordered.

왜 이것만 샀어요? [wae i-geo*n-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

Answer 10

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 {chút xíu}
정말 [jeong-mal] = really, truly ‘chân thật, thật là’
아주 [a-ju] = very, quite ‘rất là’
별로 [byeol-lo] = not really, not particularly {別- bie2 không… lắm/bao nhiêu}
전혀 [jeon-hyeo] = not at all {全- quan2 trọn, hoàn toàn không, chẳng… chút nào}

• 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!] {淸掃 qing1 sao3 thanh tảo}
= 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. {không mắc lắm}

별로 재미없어요. [byeol-lo jae-mi-eop-sseo-yo.]
= It is not that interesting. {không hay lắm}
* 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.] {không tệ lắm }
= 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.

Question 11

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) {方法}; therefore, -(으)ㄹ 수 있다 literally means “to have a way/idea (for doing something)”. {có cách}

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?] 運轉 {yun4zhuan3}
= 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.] [mo*n *ni-]
= I cannot read it.

지금 못 만나요. [ ji-geum mot man-na-yo.] [mo*n man-]
= I cannot meet you now.

Answer 11

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] {giỏi làm}
= to do [object] well; to be good at [object]

[object] + -을/를 + 못하다 [mo-ta-da] {dở làm}
= 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 {料理}
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”. {làm không giỏi}

요리를 못하다 = to be poor at cooking
요리를 잘 못하다 = to be poor at cooking

Ex)
수영 [su-yeong] = swimming {水 泳}
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.] {ㅅ -> ㄷ; ㄷ + ㅎ -> ㅌ}
= 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?

Question 12

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? {알다: to know}
[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.] {거 것}
= 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.

Answer 12

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”. {chỉ có làm việc này mới được}

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.] {ㅣ + ㅓ= ㅐ}
= 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? {주다 cho}

어디에서 사야 돼요? [eo-di-e-seo sa-ya dwae-yo?]
= Where should I buy it?

Question 13

Lesson 21. More.. than… / -보다 더 ’so với… hơn’
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.] {덥다}
= Today is hotter than yesterday.

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

Answer 13

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”. {tốt (đối với tôi)}

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?] {第一}
= 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?] {좋아해요 vs 좋아하세요, imperative form, what’s the difference??}
= Do you like Korean movies?

Question 14

Lesson 23. If, In case / 만약, -(으)면 {萬若 wan4 ruo4}
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
샀다 [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
봤다 [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!

Answer 14

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.

Question 15

Lesson 25. Something, Someday, Someone, Somewhere / 누군가, 무언가, 어딘가, 언젠가
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? {Mua cái gì rồi?}

뭐 샀어요? (stress is on 샀어요)
= Did you buy something? {Mua được gì không}

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? {Khi nào đi TQ?}

언제 중국에 갈 거예요? (stress is on 갈 거예요?)
= Are you going to go to China someday/one of these days? {Sắp đi TQ hả?}

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?) {배우다 背 bei4}
= Did you learn something today?

오늘 뭐 배웠어요? (stress is on 뭐)
= What did you learn today?

Answer 15

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. ‘Làm việc nhanh lên’
[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. {操心 cāo xīn to worry
[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.

Question 16

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. {하 + 여 —> 해}

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. {宿題 su4ti2 túc đề}

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. {고 있다}
[yeong-eo-reul bae-u-go i-sseo-yo. do-wa-ju-se-yo.]
= I am learning English. Please help me.

도와줄 수 있어요? {-(으)ㄹ 수 있다}
[do-wa-jul ssu i-sseo-yo?]
= Can you help me?

배고파요. 김밥 사 주세요. {배고프다}
[bae-go-pa-yo. gim-ppap sa ju-se-yo.]
= I am hungry. Buy me some kimbap.

무서워요. 같이 가 주세요. {무섭다}
[mu-seo-wo-yo. ga-*chi ga ju-se-yo.]
= I am scared. Please go with me.

Answer 16

Lesson 28. Particles For Method, Way / -(으)로 {QUA}
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] {làm bằng}
= 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] {đi bên trái}
= 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] {đi theo đường này}
= 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] {bằng}
= 펜 (pen) + -으로 + 쓰다 (to write)
= to write with a pen

(5) 한국어로 말하다 [han-gu-geo-ro mal-ha-da] {bằng}
= 한국어 (Korean) + 로 + 말하다 (to speak / to talk)
= to speak in Korean

(6) 치즈로 유명하다 [chi-jeu-ro yu-myeong-ha-da] {bằng/nhờ/bởi}
= 치즈 (cheese) + 로 + 유명하다 (to be famous) {有名}
= to be famous for cheese

(7) 사고로 다치다 [sa-go-ro da-chi-da] {bởi}
= 사고 (accident) + 로 + 다치다 (to get hurt) {事故}
= 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. {QUA}

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?] {như}
= Do you think of me as a friend?

2번 출구로 나오세요. {番 fan1 phiên; 出口}
[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.

Question 17

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 {hết, xong}
더 = more {thêm, hơn}

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?] {tới hết rồi?}
= 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] {uống hết}
= 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] {đọc hết}
= 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] {toàn thể} or 전부 [jeon-bu] {toàn bộ}. “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.] {cho xin thêm}
= 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?] {tốt hơn}
= 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. {기다리다}
= 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?] {làm xong}
= 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.] {chuẩn bị}
= 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.] {nếu muốn học thêm}
= If you want to study more, come to TTMIK.
= If you want to do more studying, come to TTMIK.

Answer 17

Lesson 30. Don’t do it. / -지 마세요 {đừng}
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. {쓰다 past tense}