TTMIK3

Question 1

Noun
park 공원
company 회사
library 도서관
bookstore 서점
shoes 신발
car 자동차
door 문
rain 비
we, us, our 우리
puppy 강아지
winter 겨울
soccer, football 축구
parents 부모님
letter 편지
lunch 점심
smell 냄새
present, gift 선물
cold 감기

Verb
to walk 걷다
to ask 묻다
to wash 씻다
to take off 벗다
to come in 들어오다
to go out 나가다
to collect 모으다
to receive, to get 받다
to pick up, to hold 들다
to lie down 눕다
to open 열다
to cry 울다
to ride (a vehicle) 타다
to cut 자르다

Descriptive Verb
to be cute 귀엽다
to be beautiful 아름답다
to be quiet 조용하다
to be cold 차갑다
to be cheap 싸다
to be full (after eating) 배부르다
to be sweet 달다
to be okay 괜찮다
to be sleepy 졸리다
to be easy 쉽다
to be wide 넓다
to be narrow 좁다
to be different 다르다
to be similar 비슷하다

Adverb
too 너무
maybe 아마
again 다시
hard 열심히
now 이제
for a long time 오래

Position
in front of 앞에
behind 뒤에
beside, next to 옆에
over, on top of 위에
under, below 밑에

Word Builder
1. 학
cram school 학원
school year 학년
semester 학기
school vacation 방학
self-study 독학

2. 실
   bathroom 화장실
   classroom 교실
   hospital room 병실
   hair salon 미용실
   indoors 실내
   outdoors 실외

Answer 1

It’s expensive. → 비싸요.
It’s not tasty. → 맛없어요.
It’s expensive and not tasty. → 비싸고 맛없어요. (Lesson 2)
It’s too expensive and not tasty. → 너무 비싸고 맛없어요. (Lesson 1)
Then shall we go somewhere else? → 그러면 다른 데 갈까요? (Lesson 15)
Then let’s go somewhere else. → 그러면 다른 데 가요. (Lesson 16)

hospital = 병원
in front of the hospital → 병원 앞에서 (Lesson 3)
I will wait. → 기다릴게요. (Lesson 6)
I will wait in front of the hospital. → 병원 앞에서 기다릴게요.
I will wait in front of the hospital around 6 o’clock. → 여섯 시쯤 병원 앞에서 기다릴게요. (Lesson 5)

A good person = 좋은 사람 (Lesson 13)
He is a good person. → 좋은 사람이에요.
He seems to be a good person. → 좋은 사람 같아요. (Lesson 8)
He might be a good person. → 좋은 사람일수도 있어요. (Lesson 22)

I am tired. So I can’t go. = 피곤해요. 그래서 못 가요.
I am tired, so I can’t go. → 피곤해서 못 가요. (Lesson 7)
I am tired, so it seems like I can’t go. → 피곤해서 못 갈 것 같아요. (Lesson 9)
But still, you have to come. → 그래도 와야 돼요. (Lesson 12)
But still, you have to come before 12 o’clock. → 그래도 열두 시 전에 와야 돼요. (Lesson 10)

to dance = 춤추다
(the/a) person who dances → 춤추는 사람 (Lesson 14)
The person who is dancing is my friend. → 춤추는 사람 제 친구예요.

I can only speak a little bit of Korean. → 한국어 조금밖에 못해요. (Lesson 18)
Even if you can only speak a little bit of Korean, it’s okay. → 한국어 조금밖에 못해도 괜찮아요.(Lesson 20)
I slept only an hour. → 1시간밖에 못 잤어요.
Even though I slept only an hour, I’m not tired → 1시간밖에 못 잤어도 안 피곤해요.

What will you do? → 뭐 할 거예요?
What will you do after having breakfast? → 아침 먹은 다음에 뭐 할 거예요? (Lesson 19)
Let’s play soccer after having breakfast. → 아침 먹은 다음에 축구하자. (Lesson 28)

to help = 돕다
I help. → 도와요 (Lesson 11)
to be spicy = 맵다
It’s spicy. → 매워요
to not know = 모르다
I don’t know. → 몰라요 (Lesson 24)
to be fast = 빠르다
It’s fast. → 빨라요
to load = 싣다
I load. → 실어요 (Lesson 26)
to build = 짓다
I build. → 지어요 (Lesson 29)

Question 2

If you learned fundamental structures and various essential grammar points with Levels 1 and 2, you will learn the subtle differences between the endings and usages in Level 3. You will also learn some commonly used basic sino-Korean words in addition to a handful of irregular verbs and how to conjugate and use them correctly.

Lesson 1. Too much, Very / 너무 ’Quá chừng’
Welcome to Talk To Me In Korean Level 3, and congratulations on making it through the first two levels of the curriculum! In Level 3, we will be reviewing and building upon what you have previously introduced through Levels 1 and 2.

In this lesson, we are looking at the word 너무 [neo-mu]. This word is used every day in Korean with two different meanings: the original dictionary meaning and the more colloquial meaning.

Basic meaning:

너무 = too (much), excessively

The dictionary meaning of 너무 is “too much” or “excessively.”

Sample Sentences

너무 커요. [neo-mu keo-yo.]
= It is too big.

너무 비싸요. [neo-mu bi-ssa-yo.]
= It is too expensive.

너무 빨라요. [neo-mu ppal-la-yo.]
= It is too fast.

너무 어려워요. [neo-mu eo-ryeo-wo-yo.]
= It is too difficult.

너무 시끄러워요. [neo-mu si-kkeu-reo-wo-yo.]
= It is too noisy.

소연 씨 너무 커요. [so-yeon ssi neo-mu keo-yo.]
= Soyeon, you are too tall.

이거 너무 비싸요. [i-geo neo-mu bi-ssa-yo.]
= This is too expensive.

말이 너무 빨라요. [ma-ri neo-mu ppal-la-yo.] ‘말: speech, words’
= (Someone) speaks too fast.

한국어 너무 어려워요. [han-gu-geo neo-mu eo-ryeo-wo-yo.]
= The Korean language is too difficult.

여기 너무 시끄러워요. [yeo-gi neo-mu si-kkeu-reo-wo-yo.]
= It is too noisy here.

Colloquial usage

너무 = very, quite (sometimes also used in a shortened form as 넘, but only in spoken language.)

Although the basic meaning of the word 너무 is “too much” or “excessively,” in colloquial Korean, it also has the meaning of “very,” “quite,” or “really.”

Sample Sentences

너무 맛있어요. [neo-mu ma-si-sseo-yo.]
= It is really tasty.

너무 좋아요. [neo-mu jo-a-yo.]
= It is really good.
= I am really happy about it.

너무 잘했어요. [neo-mu jal-hae-sseo-yo.]
= It is really well done.
= You did such a good job.

너무 멋있어요. [neo-mu meo-si-sseo-yo.]
= It is really cool.
= It looks awesome.

이 피자 너무 맛있어요. [i pi-ja neo-mu ma-si-sseo-yo.]
= This pizza is really tasty.

이거 너무 좋아요. [i-geo neo-mu jo-a-yo.]
= I really like this.

석진 씨, 너무 잘했어요. [seokjin ssi, neo-mu jal-hae-sseo-yo.]
= Seokjin, you did a really great job.

저 모델 너무 멋있어요! [jeo mo-del neo-mu meo-si-sseo-yo!]
= That model is really cool!

In the past, 너무 was used only in negative sentences or contexts, but it has gradually become acceptable to use in positive contexts as well. Now, most people use 너무 in both ways.

Ex)
너무 더워요. [neo-mu deo-wo-yo.]
= It is too hot.
= It is very hot.

너무 졸려요. [neo-mu jol-lyeo-yo.]
= I am too sleepy.
= I am very sleepy.

너무 바빠요. [neo-mu ba-ppa-yo.]
= I am too busy.
= I am very busy.

너무 is usually combined with adjectives but it can also be used with verbs as well.

Ex)
너무 보고 싶어요. [neo-mu bo-go si-peo-yo.]
= I miss you/him/her/them so much.

Answer 2

Lesson 2. Linking Verbs with -고
Just speaking in simple sentences can get your point across, but wouldn’t it be nice to shorten what you are saying and connect sentences together while still being able to express exactly what you want?

One way to accomplish this is by making compound nouns which are also known as “noun phrases” or “nominal phrases”. Of course there are many different ways to make compound nouns depending on what is to be said, but in this lesson, you will learn how the verb ending -고 [-go] is used.

-고

So what exactly does -고 do? Do you remember the conjunction 그리고 [geu-ri-go]? Yes, 그리고 means “and” or “and then” in Korean, so when using -고 after a verb stem, it has the same meaning as 그리고. By using the verb ending -고 rather than ending the sentence with just one verb and then starting the next one with 그리고, you can save a lot of time and make your sentence structures more practical.

이 책은 재미있어요. 그리고 이 책은 싸요.
[i chae-geun jae-mi-i-sseo-yo. geu-ri-go i chae-geun ssa-yo.]
= This book is interesting. And this book is cheap.

Since you are talking about the same subject in the second sentence, you can just omit the second “이 책은”.

→ 이 책은 재미있어요. 그리고 싸요.
= This book is interesting. And (it is) cheap.

Combine the two sentences together to make it shorter while still getting the point across.

→ 이 책은 재미있고 싸요.
[i chae-geun jae-mi-it-kko ssa-yo.]
= This book is interesting and cheap.

Conjugation:
Verb stem + -고 + another verb

Ex)
이 책은 재미있고, 싸고, 좋아요.
[i chae-geun jae-mi-it-kko, ssa-go, jo-a-yo.]
= This book is interesting, cheap, and good.

• When making a compound sentence in English using the conjunction “and” to connect smaller sentences, the tenses of the verbs need to agree. However, in Korean, it is not absolutely necessary to have verb tenses match, and sometimes it sounds unnatural to try to use the same tenses for every verb - especially the future tense and the past tense. Most native Korean speakers just use the past tense or the future tense with only the final verb.
  ** Also, it is worth nothing that -고 can sometimes sound like “구” in casual, spoken Korean - particularly amongst younger women. Do not get confused however, even if your friend might say it with a “구” sound, it is still written and referred to as -고.

Past tense example

어제 친구를 만났어요.
[eo-je chin-gu-reul man-na-sseo-yo.]
= I met a friend yesterday.

그리고 영화를 봤어요.
[geu-ri-go yeong-hwa-reul bwa-sseo-yo.]
= And I saw a movie.

Let us put the two sentences above together.

어제 친구를 만났어요. 그리고 영화를 봤어요.
→ 어제 친구를 만났고, 영화를 봤어요.
[eo-je chin-gu-reul man-nat-kko, yeong-hwa-reul bwa-sseo-yo.]
= I met a friend yesterday and saw a movie.

Furthermore, “어제 친구를 만나고, 영화를 봤어요” with “만나고[man-na-go]” in present tense can also be said.

Future tense example

내일 영화를 볼 거예요.
[nae-il yeong-hwa-reul bol kkeo-ye-yo.]
= I will watch a movie tomorrow.

서점에 갈 거예요.
[seo-jeo-me gal kkeo-ye-yo.]
= I will go to a bookstore.

내일 영화를 볼 거예요. 그리고 서점에 갈 거예요.
→ 내일 영화를 볼 거고, 서점에 갈 거예요.
[nae-il yeong-hwa-reul bol kkeo-go, seo-jeo-me gal kkeo-ye-yo.]
= Tomorrow, I will watch a movie, and go to a bookstore.

“내일 영화를 보고[bo-go], 서점에 갈 거예요.” can also be said.

Since 그리고 (or in this case, -고) has the meaning of “and after that” or “and then”, using -고 is a good way of talking about things that happened or will happen in a sequence.

Sample Sentences

내일은 친구 만나고, 서점에 갈 거예요.
[nae-i-reun chin-gu man-na-go, seo-jeo-me gal kkeo-ye-yo.]
= As for tomorrow, I am going to meet a friend and go to a bookstore.

책 읽고, 공부하고, 운동했어요.
[chaek il-kko, gong-bu-ha-go, un-dong-hae-sseo-yo.]
= I read a book, studied, and did some exercise.

9월에는 한국에 가고, 10월에는 일본에 갈 거예요.
[gu-wo-re-neun han-gu-ge ga-go, si-wo-re-neun il-bo-ne gal kkeo-ye-yo.]
= I will go to Korea in September, and I will go to Japan in October.

커피 마시고, 도넛 먹고, 케이크 먹고, 우유 마셨어요. 배불러요.
[keo-pi ma-si-go, do-neo-cheu meok-kko, ke-i-keu meok-kko, u-yu ma-syeo-sseo-yo. bae-bul-leo-yo.]
= I drank some coffee, ate a donut, ate some cake, and drank some milk. I am full.

Question 3

Lesson 3. In front of, Behind, On top of, Under, Next to / 앞에, 옆에, 위에, 밑에, 뒤에
’Áp trước Thi sau, Dzọp bên, Wi trên, Mịt dưới’
In this lesson, you will learn how to describe the relative location of things and people.

The word for “where” is 어디 [eo-di], and the word for “to be” is 있다 [it-tta]. For present tense, you can use “어디 있어요?” [eo-di i-sseo-yo?], or if more accuracy is needed, you can add the location marking particle -에 [-e] and say “어디에 있어요?” [eo-di-e i-sseo-yo?]

어디 있어요? [eo-di i-sseo-yo?]
= 어디에 있어요? [eo-di-e i-sseo-yo?]
= Where is it? / Where are you? / Where are they?

어디 있었어요? [eo-di i-sseo-sseo-yo?]
= 어디에 있었어요? [eo-di-e i-sseo-sseo-yo?]
= Where were you? / Where have you been?

어디 있을 거예요? [eo-di i-sseul kkeo-ye-yo?]
= 어디에 있을 거예요? [eo-di-e i-sseul kkeo-ye-yo?]
= Where will you be? / Where are you going to be?

In order to give a response to this question, use one of the following five one-syllable words:

앞 [ap] = front
뒤 [dwi] = back
옆 [yeop] = side
위 [wi] = top
밑 [mit] = bottom

To use these syllables with other words, you add 에 [-e]: the location marking particle.

앞에 [a-pe] = in front of
뒤에 [dwi-e] = behind
옆에 [yeo-pe] = beside, next to
위에 [wi-e] = over, on top of
밑에 [mi-te] = under, below

In English, these words come BEFORE the words which they modify, but in Korean, they come
AFTER the words.

Ex)
자동차 [ja-dong-cha] = car, automobile
자동차 앞에 = in front of the car
자동차 뒤에 = behind the car
자동차 옆에 = beside the car; next to the car
자동차 위에 = on the car; on top of the car
자동차 밑에 = under the car

Combined with 있다:
자동차 앞에 있어요. = It is in front of the car.
자동차 뒤에 있어요. = It is behind the car.
자동차 옆에 있어요. = It is next to the car.
자동차 위에 있어요. = It is on top of the car.
자동차 밑에 있어요. = It is under the car.

In Level 1, Lesson 18, it was mentioned that -에 [-e] is only used with the status of a person or an object. When expressing actions and behaviors which are actively happening, use -에서 [-e-seo].

Ex)
Q: 친구를 어디에서 만날 거예요?
[chin-gu-reul eo-di-e-seo man-nal kkeo-ye-yo?]
= Where are you going to meet (your) friends?

A: 은행* 앞에서 만날 거예요.
[eun-haeng a-pe-seo man-nal kkeo-ye-yo.]
= I am going to meet (them) in front of the bank. *은행 [eun-haeng] = bank

A: 은행 뒤에서 만날 거예요.
[eun-haeng dwi-e-seo man-nal kkeo-ye-yo.]
= I am going to meet (them) behind the bank.

A: 은행 옆에서 만날 거예요.
[eun-haeng yeo-pe-seo man-nal kkeo-ye-yo.]
= I am going to meet (them) beside the bank.

Sample Sentences

소파 위에서 자고 있어요.
[so-pa wi-e-seo ja-go i-sseo-yo.]
= I am sleeping on the sofa.

나무 밑에서 책을 읽고 있어요.
[na-mu mi-te-seo chae-geul il-kko i-sseo-yo.]
= I am reading a book under the tree.

나무 뒤에 숨어 있었어요.
[na-mu dwi-e su-meo i-sseo-sseo-yo.]
= I have been hiding behind the tree.

문 앞에서 통화하고 있었어요.
[mun a-pe-seo tong-hwa-ha-go i-sseo-sseo-yo.]
= I was talking on the phone in front of the door.

Answer 3

Lesson 4. Shall we? / I wonder / -(으)ㄹ까요? ’chắc nên; chẳng biết, biết đâu, không chừng’

The sentence structure you will learn in this lesson is really convenient. Not only can you use -(으)ㄹ까요 [-(eu)l-kka-yo] be used to ask someone a question such as “Do you want to do this with me?”, but it can also be used to say “I wonder what the weather will be like tomorrow” or “Will it be expensive to go to Korea?” As you can see, in English, you have to use many different words and expressions to say these sentences, but thanks to -(으)ㄹ까요, you can say these things and much more in Korean very easily!

-(으)ㄹ까요?

Usage 1: Asking oneself a question or showing doubt about something

Ex)
“I wonder what is in this bag?”
“Will he be alright?”
“Will it be hot tomorrow?”
“What will she say?”

Usage 2: Raising a question and attracting attention of others

Ex)
“Why did this happen? What do you think, everyone?”
“What do you think life is?”

Usage 3: Suggesting doing something together

Ex)
“What shall we do now?”
“Shall we go to the movies?”
“Do you want me to help you?”

Q: How do you know which of these meanings it takes?
A: It is fairly clear and easy to see which meaning it takes when looking at the context.

Conjugation:
Verb stems ending with a consonant + -을까요? [-eul-kka-yo?]
Verb stems ending with a vowel + -ㄹ까요? [-l-kka-yo?]

(Exception) Verb stems ending with ㄹ + -까요? [l + -kka-yo?]

Ex)
먹다 [meok-tta] (to eat) becomes 먹을까요? [meo-geul-kka-yo?]]
보다 [bo-da] (to see) becomes 볼까요? [bol-kka-yo?]
팔다 [pal-da] (to sell) becomes 팔까요? [pal-kka-yo?]
시작하다 [si-ja-ka-da] (to start) becomes 시작할까요? [si-ja-kal-kka-yo?]
공부하다 [gong-bu-ha-da] (to study) becomes 공부할까요? [gong-bu-hal-kka-yo?]
달리다 [dal-li-da] (to run) becomes 달릴까요? [dal-lil-kka-yo?]
놀다 [nol-da] (to play) becomes 놀까요? [nol-kka-yo?]
살다 [sal-da] (to live) becomes 살까요? [sal-kka-yo?]

By using -ㄹ까요? or -을까요? it is showing curiosity or uncertainty. For example, in usage #1, when asking yourself a question and showing doubt about something (you do not know what is in that bag), say “저 가방 안에 뭐가 있을까요?” [jeo ga-bang a-ne mwo-ga i-sseul-kka-yo?] (“I wonder what is in that bag”) rather than “뭐가 있어요?” [mwo-ga i-sseo-yo?] (“What is in the bag?”) because you are not directly asking someone. You are simply just showing your curiosity.

Even when suggesting to do something together with someone, use the -(으)ㄹ까요? ending if you are not sure. For example, you are not sure if you want to see a movie with your friend, so you ask him/her “영화 볼까요?” [yeong-hwa bol-kka-yo?] In this way, you are expressing your curiosity about what your friend wants to do and your own uncertainty, and at the same time, suggesting or inviting your friend to the movies in case he/she wants to go.

This is the most fundamental usage of -(으)ㄹ까요? There are three basic levels of usage: to ask someone a question, to ask yourself a question, and to make a declarative sentence expressing wonder, curiosity, or uncertainty.

Sample Sentences

내일 비가 올까요?
[nae-il bi-ga ol-kka-yo?]
= Do you think it will rain tomorrow?
= I wonder if it will rain tomorrow.
= Will it rain tomorrow? What do you think?

(It CANNOT mean “shall we…” because “Shall we … rain tomorrow?” does not make sense.)

내일 우리 영화 볼까요?
[nae-il u-ri yeong-hwa bol-kka-yo?]
= Shall we see a movie tomorrow?
= Do you want to see a movie together tomorrow?

(It CANNOT mean “I wonder if…” because “Do you assume that we will see a movie tomorrow?”
generally does not make sense.)

이 사람은 누구일까요?
[i sa-ra-meun nu-gu-il-kka-yo?]
= Who do you think this person is?
= Who is this person, I wonder?
= I wonder who this person is.

커피 마실까요? 맥주 마실까요?
[keo-pi ma-sil-kka-yo? maek-jju ma-sil-kka-yo?]
= Shall we drink coffee? Shall we drink beer?
= Do you want to drink coffee or beer?

Construction for the past tense

Add the past tense suffix -았/었/였- [-at/eot/yeot-] right after the verb stem and before -(으)ㄹ까요 to make an assumption about a past event. Since this is in the past tense, it can ONLY be used for expressing doubt or curiosity.

Sample Sentences

어제 했을까요?
[eo-je hae-sseul-kka-yo?]
= Do you think she did it yesterday?

누가 전화했을까요?
[nu-ga jeon-hwa-hae-sseul-kka-yo?]
= Who do you think called?

어제 탈리아나가 한국에 왔을까요?
[eo-je Taliana-ga han-gu-ge wa-sseul-kka-yo?]
= Do you think Taliana came to Korea yesterday?

Question 4

Lesson 5. Approximately, About / 쯤, 약, 정도 ’chừng, khoảng, chừng độ’
In this lesson, you will learn how to say “approximately” or “about” when talking quantity, frequency, time, and so on. There are many different ways to say this in Korean, but the most commonly used expression is -쯤 [-jjeum].

In English, “about”, “approximately”, and “around” are used BEFORE nouns. However, in Korean, the word -쯤 is used AFTER nouns.

Ex)
1 o’clock = 한 시 [han si]
Around 1 o’clock = 한 시쯤 [han si-jjeum]

1,000 won = 천 원 [cheon won]
About 1,000 won = 천 원쯤 [cheon won-jjeum]

One month = 한 달 [han dal]
Approximately one month = 한 달쯤 [han dal-jjeum]

4 kilometers = 4킬로미터 [sa kil-lo-mi-teo]
About 4 kilometers = 4킬로미터쯤 [sa kil-lo-mi-teo jjeum]

Similar expressions : 정도 [jeong-do], 약 [yak]

-쯤, 정도 are used after nouns, whereas 약 is used BEFORE nouns.

한 달 [han dal] = one month
한 달쯤 [han dal-jjeum] = about a month
한 달 정도 [han dal jeong-do] = about a month
약 한 달 [yak han dal] = about a month

• Note that 정도 has a space before it and 쯤 does not. Sometimes people also use 약 and 쯤 together or 약 and 정도 together.

약 한 달쯤 [yak han dal-jjeum] = about a month
약 한 달 정도 [yak han dal jeong-do] = about a month

Sample Sentences

100명쯤 왔어요.
[baeng-myeong-jjeum wa-sseo-yo.]
= About 100 people came.

독일에서 2년쯤 살았어요.
[do-gi-re-seo i-nyeon-jjeum sa-ra-sseo-yo.]
= I lived in Germany for about two years.

언제쯤 갈 거예요?
[eon-je-jjeum gal kkeo-ye-yo?]
= Approximately when are you going to go?

내일 몇 시쯤 만날까요?
[nae-il myeot si-jjeum man-nal-kka-yo?]
= Around what time shall we meet tomorrow?

다섯 시쯤 어때요?
[da-seot si-jjeum eo-ttae-yo?]
= How about around five o’clock?

Answer 4

Lesson 6. Future Tenses / -(으)ㄹ 거예요 vs -(으)ㄹ게요 ’care’
In Level 2, Lesson 1, you learned how to use the verb ending -(으)ㄹ 거예요 [-(eu)l kkeo-ye-yo] to express future tense. In this lesson, you will learn one more way to express future tense and how it differs from -(으)ㄹ 거예요.

-(으)ㄹ 거예요 vs. -(으)ㄹ게요

If pronouncing -(으)ㄹ 거예요 [-(eu)l kkeo-ye-yo] very quickly, it sounds similar to -(으)ㄹ게요
[-(eu)l-kke-yo]. Many beginner-level, and even advanced-level learners mix up these two endings often, but these two sentence endings for the future are actually used for two distinctively different purposes.

Take a look at -(으)ㄹ 거예요 first.

-(으)ㄹ 거예요 is the most basic way to express a future plan or action. To use this ending, attach it to the end of a verb stem.

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

보내다 [bo-nae-da] = to send
보내 + -ㄹ 거예요 = 보낼 거예요 [bo-nael kkeo-ye-yo] = I will send ______. / I am going to send ______.

웃다 [ut-tta] = to laugh
웃 + -을 거예요 = 웃을 거예요 [u-seul kkeo-ye-yo] = I will laugh.

-(으)ㄹ 거예요 is used to express intention or plan for a future action, or expectation for a future state. This is NOT related to or affected by the reaction or the request of the other person in the conversation.

For example, if someone asked about your plans for the weekend, you would say “친구들 만날 거예요” [chin-gu-deul man-nal kkeo-ye-yo] (“I am going to meet my friends”) because you are planning to meet your friends no matter what the person who asked you says.

Now, take a look at -(으)ㄹ게요.

-(으)ㄹ게요 is also attached to the end of a verb stem and also expresses the future, but it focuses more on actions or decisions AS A REACTION TO or AS A RESULT OF what the other person says or thinks.

Compare -(으)ㄹ 거예요 and -(으)ㄹ게요

1. 할 거예요 vs. 할게요

공부할 거예요.
[gong-bu-hal kkeo-ye-yo.]
= I am going to study.
= I will study.

• Regardless of what the other person says, you were ALREADY planning to study, and the other person will not change your mind.

Ex)
방해하지 마세요. 공부할 거예요. [bang-hae-ha-ji ma-se-yo. gong-bu-hal kkeo-ye-yo.]
= Do not disturb me. I will study.

공부할게요.
[gong-bu-hal-kke-yo.]
= I will study.
= (If you say so,) I will study.
= (Since the circumstances are like this,) I will study.
= (If you do not mind,) I will study.

• This is a response to something another person has said to you. Whatever the other person said has made you think, “Oh, in that case, I have to study.” However, you could also say this before the other person says anything, but you usually need to wait for the other person’s reaction to see if he/she has anything to say.

Ex)
알았어요. 공부할게요. [a-ra-sseo-yo. gong-bu-hal-kke-yo.]
= (After assessing the atmosphere) Okay. I will study.

2. 갈 거예요 vs. 갈게요

저도 갈 거예요.
[jeo-do gal kkeo-ye-yo.]
= I will go (there), too.
= I am going to go, too.
= I am coming along, as well.

저도 갈게요.
[jeo-do gal-kke-yo.]
= I will come along, too (if you do not mind).
= (In that case,) I will go there, too.
= (Okay, since you say so,) I will go, too.

To summarize, use -(으)ㄹ게요 when:
1. changing plans according to what the other person said;
2. checking or assuming what the other person thinks by saying something using this ending and seeing his/her reaction;
3. deciding to do something because of what the other person said.

Sample Sentences

지금 어디예요? 지금 나갈게요. ‘나가다 go out’
[ji-geum eo-di-ye-yo? ji-geum na-gal-kke-yo.]
= Where are you now? I will go out now.
(+ if you do not mind / if you want me to / unless you do not want me to / what do you think about
that?)

• You cannot use “지금 나갈 거예요” [ji-geum na-gal kkeo-ye-yo] here because it means that you were already going out anyway, and more than likely to an unrelated place, regardless of where the other person is located.

저 갈게요. 안녕히 계세요.
[jeo gal-kke-yo. an-nyeong-hi gye-se-yo.]
= I am going to go. Take care.
(+ unless you want me to stay longer / unless there is something I have to stay longer to do)

• You cannot use “저 갈 거예요” [jeo gal kkeo-ye-yo] because it is implying that you do not care whether or not the other person wants you to stay because you are leaving anyway. You would only say it when you do not want the other person to ask you to stay because you have absolutely no intention of staying even if you are asked.

그래요? 다시 할게요.
[geu-rae-yo? da-si hal-kke-yo.]
= Is that so? I will do it again.

• If you say “다시 할 거예요” [da-si hal kkeo-ye-yo] here instead of “다시 할게요” [da-si hal-kke-yo] implies that you were already aware of the problem and you were going to do it again anyway. This comes off as a little insulting.

내일 4시쯤에 갈게요. 괜찮아요?
[nae-il ne-si-jjeu-me gal-kke-yo. gwaen-cha-na-yo?]
= I will be there at around 4 o’clock tomorrow. Is that alright?

• By saying “내일 4시쯤에 갈 거예요” [nae-il ne-si-jjeu-me gal-kkeo-ye-yo] here instead, you are implying that you do not care what the other person thinks nor do you care if going at 4 o’clock will affect the other person’s schedule; therefore, you do not care if it is okay or not, which makes you sound rude.

Question 5

Lesson 7. Linking Verbs With -아/어/여서
‘Do A1 nên A2; A1 rồi A2; A1 để A2’

Back in Lesson 2 of this level, you learned about the verb ending -고, which is used to connect independent clauses or actions together to form one sentence; even though the two clauses may not necessarily have a strong logical relation to each other. In this lesson, you will learn the verb ending -아/어/여+서 [-a/eo/yeo + seo] which connects two or more verbs in one sentence and can show a logical relationship between the verbs.

Do you remember the two conjunctions 그리고 [geu-ri-go] and 그래서 [geu-rae-seo] from Level 2 Lesson 3?

그리고 means “and”, and 그래서 means “therefore” or “so”.

The verb ending -고[-go] has the same meaning as 그리고, and the verb ending -아/어/여+서 is similar in meaning to 그래서.

Take a look at the construction and usages of -아/어/여+서 in more detail:

Conjugation:
1. verb stems ending in vowels ㅏ or ㅗ + -아서
2. verb stems ending in other vowels + -어서
3. 하 + -여서

Ex)
먹다 [meok-tta] = to eat
먹 (verb stem) + -어서 = 먹어서 [meo-geo-seo]

만들다 [man-deul-da] = to make
만들 (verb stem) + -어서 = 만들어서 [man-deu-reo-seo]

하다 [ha-da] = to do
하 (verb stem) + -여서 = 해서 [hae-seo]

오다 [o-da] = to come
오 (verb stem) + -아서 = 와서 [wa-seo]

Usages
1. Reason + -아/어/여서 + result
2. An action + -아/어/여서 + another action which takes place after the first action
3. An action + -아/어/여서 + the purpose of or the plan after the action
4. Fixed expressions

Usage #1:
Reason + -아/어/여서 + result

Ex)
비가 오다 (it rains) + 못 가다 (cannot go)
[bi-ga o-da] [mot ga-da]
→ 비가 와서 못 가요. [bi-ga wa-seo mot ga-yo.] = It is raining, so I cannot go.
→ 비가 와서 못 갔어요. [bi-ga wa-seo mot ga-sseo-yo.] = It rained, so I could not go.
* Note that the tense was expressed only through the final verb.

오늘은 바빠요. (Today, I am busy.) + 영화를 못 봐요. (I cannot see the movie.)
[o-neu-reun ba-ppa-yo.] [yeong-hwa-reul mot bwa-yo.]
→ 오늘은 바빠서 영화를 못 봐요. [o-neu-reun ba-ppa-seo yeong-hwa-reul mot bwa-yo.]
= I am busy today, so I cannot see the movie.

만나다 (to meet) + 반갑다 (to be glad to see someone)
[man-na-da] [ban-gap-tta]
→ 만나서 반갑습니다. [man-na-seo ban-gap-sseum-ni-da.]
= I met you, so I am glad. / It is nice to meet you.
→ 만나서 반가워요. [man-na-seo ban-ga-wo-yo.]
= I am pleased to meet you. (Less formal than the sentence above)

Usage #2:
An action + -아/어/여서 + another action that takes place after the first action

Ex)
공원에 가다 (to go to the park) + 책을 읽다 (to read a book)
[gong-wo-ne ga-da] [chae-geul ik-tta]
→ 공원에 가서 책을 읽을 거예요. [gong-wo-ne ga-seo chae-geul il-geul kkeo-ye-yo.]
= I am going to go to the park and read a book.
* Note: This does NOT mean “I am going to the park, so I am going to read a book.”
** Also note that the tense is only used with the final verb here as well.

친구를 만나다 (to meet a friend) + 밥을 먹다 (to eat)
[chin-gu-reul man-na-da] [ba-beul meok-tta]
→ 친구를 만나서 밥을 먹었어요. [chin-gu-reul man-na-seo ba-beul meo-geo-sseo-yo.]
= I met a friend, and (we) ate together.
* This sentence COULD mean that you met a friend, so you ate together. In most cases, however, it means that you met a friend THEN ate together after you met up with him/her.
→ 친구를 만나서 밥을 먹을 거예요. [chin-gu-reul man-na-seo ba-beul meo-geul kkeo-ye-yo.]
= I am going to meet a friend, and (we will) eat together.

Usage #3:
An action + -아/어/여서 + the purpose of or the plan after the action.

Ex)
돈을 모으다 (to save up, to save money) + 뭐 하다 (to do what)
→ 돈을 모아서 뭐 할 거예요? [do-neul mo-a-seo mwo hal kkeo-ye-yo?]
= What are you going to do with the money you save up? (lit. You save up money and what will you do?)

케이크를 사다 (to buy a cake) + 친구한테 주다 (to give to a friend)
→ 케이크를 사서 친구한테 줄 거예요. [ke-i-keu-reul sa-seo chin-gu-han-te jul kkeo-ye-yo.]
= I am going to buy a cake to/and give it to a friend.
* Usage 3 is similar to Usage 2 because the events are happening one after the other, so it could be a linear action, and it could also be a purpose.

Usage #4:
Fixed expressions

There are a couple of fixed expressions which basically use the same -아/어/여서 structure but are not often used in other forms.

-에 따라서 [-e tta-ra-seo] = according to ~

Ex)
계획에 따라서 진행하겠습니다 [gye-hoe-ge tta-ra-seo jin-haeng-ha-get-sseum-ni-da.]
= I will proceed according to the plan.

예를 들어서 [ye-reul deu-reo-seo] = for example

Ex)
예를 들어서, 이렇게 할 수 있어요. [ye-reul deu-reo-seo, i-reo-ke hal ssu i-sseo-yo.]
= For example, you can do it like this.

Sample Sentences

한국에 가서 뭐 할 거예요? [han-gu-ge ga-seo mwo hal kkeo-ye-yo?]
= After you go to Korea, what are you going to do?

서울에 와서 좋아요. [seo-u-re wa-seo jo-a-yo.]
= Since I came to Seoul, I am glad.
= I am glad to have come to Seoul.

술을 너무 많이 마셔서 머리가 아파요.
[su-reul neo-mu ma-ni ma-syeo-seo meo-ri-ga a-pa-yo.]
= I drank too much, so my head is aching.

비가 와서 집에 있었어요.
[bi-ga wa-seo ji-be i-sseo-sseo-yo.]
= It rained, so I stayed at home.

요즘에 바빠서 친구들을 못 만나요.
[yo-jeu-me ba-ppa-seo chin-gu-deu-reul mot man-na-yo.]
= These days I am busy, so I cannot meet my friends.

열심히 공부해서 장학금을 받을 거예요.
‘熱心히’
[yeol-ssi-mi gong-bu-hae-seo jang-hak-kkeu-meul ba-deul kkeo-ye-yo.]
= I am going to study hard so I can get (and I will get) a scholarship.

한국어가 너무 재미있어서 매일 공부하고 있어요.
[han-gu-geo-ga neo-mu jae-mi-i-sseo-seo mae-il gong-bu-ha-go i-sseo-yo.]
= Korean is so much fun that I am studying it every day.

Answer 5

Lesson 8. To look like, To seem like / 같아요 ’giống như, có vẻ như, hình như’
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to say and write sentences such as “You are like an angel”, “This looks like coffee”, or “You are similar to my teacher.”

First, take a look at how to express that something is similar to something else.

비슷하다 [bi-seu-****ta-da] = to be similar

• Present tense: 비슷해요 [bi-seu-tae-yo] = it is similar

To say “A is similar to B” in Korean, the particle which means “with” or “together with” is needed. Do you remember which particle that is? It is -(이)랑 or -하고. (Go back to Level 2 Lesson 4 to review if you have forgotten!)

A랑 비슷해요. [A-rang bi-seu-tae-yo.] = It is similar to A.
B하고 비슷해요. [B-ha-go bi-seu-tae-yo.] = It is similar to B.

Ex)
도쿄는 서울하고 비슷해요? [do-kyo-neun seo-ul-ha-go bi-seu-tae-yo?]
= Is Tokyo similar to Seoul?
참외는 멜론하고 비슷해요. [cha-moe-neun mel-lon-ha-go bi-seu-tae-yo.]
= 참외 (a type of fruit) is similar to melon.

Now, look at the word for “to be the same” in Korean.

같다 [gat-tta] = to be the same

• Present tense: 같아요 [ga-ta-yo] = it is the same, they are the same

In English, when saying “A is the same as B”, the word “as” is needed. In Korean, -(이)랑 or -하고 is used here as well.

A랑 같아요. [A-rang ga-ta-yo.] = It is the same as A.
A하고 B는 같아요. [A-ha-go B-neun ga-ta-yo.] = A and B are the same.

Ex)
이거랑 이거랑 같아요? [i-geo-rang i-geo-rang ga-ta-yo?]
= Is this the same as this? / Are these two things the same?
우리는 나이가 같아요. [u-ri-neun na-i-ga ga-ta-yo.]
= We have the same age. (lit. For us, the age is the same.)

So, -(이)랑/하고 비슷하다 and -(이)랑/하고 같다 are used to express that something is similar to, or the same as something else, in Korean!

However, the word 같다 [gat-tta], which means “to be the same”, without the particle -(이)랑 or -하고, has a different meaning.

Conjugation
Noun + 같다 = to be like + Noun / to look like + Noun / to seem to be + Noun

Ex)
커피 같아요. [keo-pi ga-ta-yo.]
= It is like coffee. / It seems to be coffee. / It looks like coffee.
거짓말 같아요. [geo-ji*****n-mal ga-ta-yo.]
= It seems to be a lie. / It sounds like a lie.
로봇 같아요. [ro-bot ga-ta-yo.]
= It is like a robot. / It seems to be a robot. / It looks like a robot.

Sample Sentences

저 사람은 로봇 같아요. [jeo sa-ra-meun ro-bot ga-ta-yo.]
= That person is like a robot.

경은 씨는 천사 같아요. [gyeong-eun ssi-neun cheon-sa ga-ta-yo.]
= Kyeong-eun is like an angel.

현우 씨는 천재 같아요. [hyeo-nu ssi-neun cheon-jae ga-ta-yo.]
= Hyunwoo seems to be a genius.

그 이야기는 거짓말 같아요. [geu i-ya-gi-neun geo-jin-mal ga-ta-yo.]
= That story sounds like a lie.

이 강아지는 고양이 같아요. [i gang-a-ji-neun go-yang-i ga-ta-yo.]
= This puppy is like a cat.

Although this lesson only covered how to use 같아요 with nouns, in the next lesson, you will build upon that knowledge and learn to use 같아요 with verbs so you can say many more things in Korean!

Question 6

Lesson 9. To seem like, To look like ‘giống như, có vẻ như, hình như’ (with verbs) / -ㄴ 것 같아요
In the previous lesson, you learned how to use 같아요 [ga-ta-yo] with nouns to mean “it looks
like” or “it seems to be”.

Ex)
커피 같아요. [keo-pi ga-ta-yo.]
= It looks like coffee. / I think it is coffee.

저 사람 소연 씨 같아요. [jeo sa-ram so-yeon ssi ga-ta-yo.]
= That person looks like So-yeon. / I think that person is So-yeon.

In the examples above, both 커피 and 소연 씨 are nouns. The usage of 같아요 is fairly simple and straightforward: just add 같아요 after the nouns.

When using 같아요 with verbs, however, the verb needs to be changed into its noun form. There are a few different ways to change a verb into a noun, but here, -는 것 [-neun geot] form will be used. (If you studied with the Level 2 book, you learned how to use -는 것 in Lesson 19!)

1. Descriptive verbs

Verb stem + -(으)ㄴ 것 [-(eu)n geot]

Ex)
예쁘다 [ye-ppeu-da] = to be pretty
예쁜 것 [ye-ppeun geot] = being pretty; something pretty; the thing that is pretty

2. Action verbs
   [Present tense] Verb stem + -는 것 [-neun geot]

Ex)
말하다 [mal-ha-da] = to talk, to speak; to say
말하는 것 [mal-ha-neun geot] = talking; what one is saying; the act of talking

[Past tense] Verb stem + -(으)ㄴ 것

Ex)
말한 것 [mal-han geot] = what one said; the fact that one talked

[Future tense] Verb stem + -(으)ㄹ 것 [-(eu)l kkeot]

Ex)
말할 것 [mal-hal kkeot] = what one will say; the fact that one will talk

How to use 같아요 with verbs

Okay! Now that you know how to change verbs into the -(으)ㄴ/는 것 noun form, we are ready to take the next step. After changing a verb into its noun form, add 같아요 after 것. It is exactly the same as using 같아요 with nouns.

-(으)ㄴ 것 같아요
= present tense for descriptive verbs / past tense for action verbs

-는 것 같아요
= present tense for action verbs

-(으)ㄹ 것 같아요
= future tense for action / descriptive verbs

What does -것 같아요 mean?

Even when 같아요 is combined with verbs, since -것 makes the verb a noun, the basic meanings and usage is the same as “Noun + 같아요”.

1. “It looks like…”
2. “It seems to be…”
3. “To me it looks like…”
4. “I think it is…”
5. “I think it will…”
6. “I think it was…”

Ex)
이상하다 [i-sang-ha-da] = to be strange
이상하 + ㄴ 것 같아요 = 이상한 것 같아요. [i-sang-han geot ga-ta-yo.]
= It seems to be strange. / I think it is strange.

눈이 오다 [nu-ni o-da] = to snow
눈이 오 + 는 것 같아요 = 눈이 오는 것 같아요. [nu-ni o-neun geot ga-ta-yo.]
= It seems to be snowing. / I think it is snowing.
눈이 오 + ㄹ 것 같아요 = 눈이 올 것 같아요. [nu-ni ol kkeot ga-ta-yo.]
= I think it will snow. / It seems like it will snow.

이야기하다 [i-ya-gi-ha-da] = to tell; to talk
이야기하 + ㄴ 것 같아요 = 이야기한 것 같아요. [i-ya-gi-han geot ga-ta-yo.]
= I think they told them. / It looks like they talked.
이야기하 + ㄹ 것 같아요 = 이야기할 것 같아요. [i-ya-gi-hal kkeot ga-ta-yo.]
= I think they will talk. / It seems like they will talk.
이야기하 + 는 것 같아요 = 이야기하는 것 같아요. [i-ya-gi-ha-neun geot ga-ta-yo.]
= I think they are talking. / They seem to talk to each other.

As seen in the examples above, -것 같아요 can also be used to mean “I think” in Korean. In fact, this phrase is used so often in Korean that it is almost guaranteed you will come across it when interacting with native speakers.

Sample Sentences

여기 비싼 것 같아요.
[yeo-gi bi-ssan geot ga-ta-yo.]
= I think this place is expensive.
= This place looks expensive.
= This place seems to be expensive.

그런 것 같아요.
[geu-reon geot ga-ta-yo.]
= I think so.
= It seems to be so.
= It looks like it.
* Verb = 그렇다 [geu-reo-ta] (irregular) = to be so; to be that way

이 영화 재미있을 것 같아요.
[i yeong-hwa jae-mi-i-sseul kkeot ga-ta-yo.]
= I think this movie will be interesting.
= This movie looks like it will be interesting (to watch).

이 가방, 여기에서 산 것 같아요. ’Đã mua’
[i ga-bang, yeo-gi-e-seo san geot ga-ta-yo.]
= This bag seems like we bought it here.
= I think I bought this bag here.

아마 안 할 것 같아요.
[a-ma an hal kkeot ga-ta-yo.]
= I think I probably will not do it.
= It looks like we are probably not going to do it.

Answer 6

Lesson 10. Before -ing / -기 전에
In this lesson, you will learn how to say and use -기 전에 [-gi jeo-ne] in sentences to express “before -ing” in Korean. As with many Korean expressions and prepositions, the order is the opposite of English. In English, the word “before” comes before the clause or word, but in Korean, it comes after.

The key syllable here is 전 [jeon]. The Chinese character for 전 is 前, and it means “before”, “front”, or “earlier”. To this, add the particle -에 [-e] to make it a preposition (a word which shows the relationship between the noun or pronoun and other words in the sentence).

전에 [jeo-ne] = before (+ noun)

수업 전에 [su-eop jeo-ne] = before class
일요일 전에 [i-ryo-il jeo-ne] = before Sunday
1시 전에 [han-si jeo-ne] = before 1 o’clock

Since 전에 is used after nouns, in order to use it with verbs such as “going” or “leaving”, the verbs need to be changed into nouns.

In the previous lesson, to use verbs before 같다 [gat-tta], the verbs were changed into their noun forms by using -(으)ㄴ/는 것. In this case, however, -기 [-gi] is used to change the verbs into nouns. (Do you remember this? If not, take a minute to go back and review Level 2, Lesson 14!)

가다 [ga-da] → 가기 [ga-gi] (going) → 가기 전에 = before going
사다 [sa-da] → 사기 [sa-gi] (buying) + 전에 → 사기 전에 = before buying
먹다 [meok-tta] → 먹기 [meok-kki] (eating) → 먹기 전에 = before eating

Ex)
집에 가다 [ji-be ga-da] = to go home
→ 집에 가기 전에
= before going home; before you go home

공부하다 [gong-bu-ha-da] = to study
→ 공부하기 전에
= before studying; before you study

돈을 내다 [do-neul nae-da] = to pay money
→ 돈을 내기 전에
= before paying money; before you pay money

Sample Sentences

여기 오기 전에 뭐 했어요?
[yeo-gi o-gi jeo-ne mwo hae-sseo-yo?]
= What were you doing before you came here?

집에 가기 전에 술 마실 거예요.
[ji-be ga-gi jeo-ne sul ma-sil kkeo-ye-yo.]
= I am going to drink before I go home.
* 집에 가다 = to go back home

들어오기 전에 노크하세요.
[deu-reo-o-gi jeo-ne no-keu-ha-se-yo.]
= Knock before you come in.
* 들어오다 = to come in

사기 전에 잘 생각하세요.
[sa-gi jeo-ne jal saeng-ga-ka-se-yo.]
= Think well before you buy it.
* 사다 = to buy

도망가기 전에 잡으세요.
[do-mang-ga-gi jeo-ne ja-beu-se-yo.]
= Catch him before he runs away.
* 도망가다 = to run away

Question 7

Lesson 11. ㅂ irregular / ㅂ 불규칙
If you have been studying with our grammar lessons from Level 1, you have learned so much about the different conjugations, rules, and usages for Korean verbs. In fact, you may have expanded your vocabulary with a number of verbs too! Yay! Congratulations! However, there is always more to learn, so keep up the good work! Just as in many other languages, Korean has some irregularities which, over the course of time, were used more and more, and eventually became a fixed rule.

Korean has much fewer verb irregularities than some other languages, but you will encounter these irregularities everywhere as you learn more and start speaking more Korean. One irregularity in Korean is conjugating verb stems which end in ㅂ.

Irregular ㅂ

This means that if a verb has ㅂ at the end of the verb stem, and it is followed by a suffix which starts with a vowel, the ㅂ will change 오 [o] or 우 [u].

Conjugation:
If the vowel before ㅂ is 오, change ㅂ to 오.
If the vowel before ㅂ is not 오, change ㅂ to 우.

Ex)
돕다 [dop-tta] = to help
= 도 + ㅂ + 다 → 도 + 오 + 아요 = 도와요
* Note that it is NOT 돕아요.

[present tense] 도와요 [do-wa-yo]
[past tense] 도왔어요 [do-wa-sseo-yo]
[future tense] 도울 거예요 [do-ul-kkeo-ye-yo]

어렵다 [eo-ryeop-tta] = to be difficult
= 어려 + ㅂ + 다 → 어려 + 우 + 어요 = 어려워요

[present tense] 어려워요 [eo-ryeo-wo-yo]
[past tense] 어려웠어요 [eo-ryeo-wo-sseo-yo]
[future tense] 어려울 거예요 [eo-ryeo-ul kkeo-ye-yo]

춥다 [chup-tta] = to be cold → 추 + 우 + 어요 = 추워요

[present tense] 추워요 [chu-wo-yo]
[past tense] 추웠어요 [chu-wo-sseo-yo]
[future tense] 추울 거예요 [chu-ul kkeo-ye-yo]

Some other irregular words

눕다 [nup-tta] = to lie down → 누워요. [nu-wo-yo.]
굽다 [gup-tta] = to bake → 구워요. [gu-wo-yo.]
덥다 [deop-tta] = to be hot (weather) → 더워요. [deo-wo-yo.]
쉽다 [swip-tta] = to be easy → 쉬워요. [swi-wo-yo.]
맵다 [meap-tta] = to be spicy → 매워요. [mae-wo-yo.]
귀엽다 [gwi-yeop-tta] = to be cute ‘AH’→ 귀여워요. [gwi-yeo-wo-yo.]
밉다 [mip-tta] = to hate; to be dislikeable → 미워요. [mi-wo-yo.]
아름답다 [a-reum-dap-tta] = to be beautiful → 아름다워요. [a-reum-da-wo-yo.]

Remember that these verbs have irregular forms ONLY WHEN the suffix following the verb stem starts with a VOWEL. Therefore, with suffixes such as -는 or -고, ㅂ does not change.

Ex)
돕다 [dop-tta] = to help → 돕 + -는 것 = 돕는 것

Irregularities in irregular verbs

Although the ㅂ irregular rule is applied to most verbs which contain ㅂ as a 받침 (final consonant) in the verb stem, there are a handful of verbs which do not follow this rule.

Action verbs:
- 입다 [ip-tta] = to wear
- 잡다 [jap-tta] = to catch
- 씹다 [ssip-tta] = to bite

Descriptive verbs:
- 좁다 [job-tta] = to be narrow
- 넓다 [neol-tta] = to be wide

The ㅂ in these words does not change when in front of a vowel.

Ex)
입다 → 입어요 [i-beo-yo] (Not 이워요)
좁다 → 좁아요 [jo-ba-yo] (Not 조아요)

Sample Sentences

이 문제는 어려워요.
[i mun-je-neun eo-ryeo-wo-yo.]
= This problem is difficult.

이거 너무 귀여워요.
[i-geo neo-mu gwi-yeo-wo-yo.]
= This is so cute.

서울은 겨울에 정말 추워요.
[seo-u-reun gyeo-eu-re jeong-mal chu-wo-yo.]
= In Seoul, it is really cold in the winter.

TTMIK에서 공부하면, 한국어 공부가 쉬워요.
[TTMIK-e-seo gong-bu-ha-myeon, han-gu-geo gong-bu-ga swi-wo-yo.]
= If you study with TTMIK, studying Korean is easy.

Answer 7

Lesson 12. But still, Nevertheless / 그래도 ’dù vậy nhưng mà‘
Are you ready to learn more Korean conjunctions? Yes! Good answer!

You will learn how to connect two sentences with the word 그래도 [geu-rae-do] in this lesson, so put your thinking cap on and let us get started!

In Level 2, Lesson 3, you learned how to use 그래서 [geu-rae-seo], which means “so” or “therefore”. The only difference in spelling of 그래서 and 그래도 is the final syllable, but that one little 도 gives the word an entirely different meaning.

그래도 means “but still”, “however”, “nonetheless”, or “nevertheless”.

Ex)
비가 와요. 그래도 갈 거예요?
[bi-ga wa-yo. geu-rae-do gal kkeo-ye-yo?]
= It is raining. Are you still going?

Let us break it down:
그래도 = 그래 + 도
그래 = 그렇게 해 or 그렇게 하여 (to do it in such a way, to do that)
-도 = also, too, even

The literal meaning of “그래 + 도” is “even if you do that”, “even if that happens”, or “if you
do that, too” with the meaning of “still” added to the context.

Sample Sentences

한국어는 어려워요. 그래도 재미있어요.
[han-gu-geo-neun eo-ryeo-wo-yo. geu-rae-do jae-mi-i-sseo-yo.]
= Korean is difficult. But still, it is interesting.

어제는 비가 왔어요. 그래도 축구를 했어요.
[eo-je-neun bi-ga wa-sseo-yo. geu-rae-do chuk-kku-reul hae-sseo-yo.]
= Yesterday, it rained. Nevertheless, we played soccer.

저도 돈이 없어요. 그래도 걱정하지 마세요.
[jeo-do do-ni eop-sseo-yo. geu-rae-do geok-jjeong-ha-ji ma-se-yo.]
= I do not have money, either. But still, do not worry.

노래방에 가야 돼요. 그래도 노래 안 할 거예요.
[no-rae-bang-e ga-ya dwae-yo. geu-rae-do no-rae an hal kkeo-ye-yo.]
= I have to go to a noraebang (singing room). However, I am not going to sing.

요즘 바빠요. 그래도 한국어를 공부하고 있어요.
[yo-jeum ba-ppa-yo. geu-rae-do han-gu-geo-reul gong-bu-ha-go i-sseo-yo.]
= I am busy these days. But I am still studying Korean.

그래도 can also be used as an interjection when speaking with friends and you just want to say, “But still…” or “Come on…”.
If you feel the need to be more polite, or if you want to make 100% sure you are not being rude, add -요 to the end and say, “그래도요”. The “도요” combination takes a bit of work to pronounce, so you may find that other people, especially women in Seoul, end up saying “그래두요” rather than “그래도요” (like the change in pronunciation of -고 to “구” as mentioned in Lesson 2 of this book.)

Question 8

Lesson 13. Making Adjectives / Descriptive Verbs + -ㄴ 명사
Korean and English are different in many ways - one key difference being “adjectives”. For example, in English, “beautiful” is an adjective and can be looked up in the dictionary just as it is. Translated directly to Korean as an adjective, “beautiful” is 예쁜 [ye-ppeun], which cannot be found in the dictionary. The “descriptive verb” form, or the “adjective in infinitive form”, of 예쁜, which is 예쁘다 [ye-ppue-da] (to be beautiful), however, can be found in the dictionary.

“To be + adjective” is known as “infinitive form” in English, but when studying Korean, often at times it is referred to as “descriptive verb form”. Both terms essentially mean the same thing, so do not worry too much about the terminology!

Ex)
싸다 [ssa-da] → It does NOT mean “cheap”. It means “to be cheap”.
바쁘다 [ba-ppeu-da] → It does NOT mean “busy”. It means “to be busy”.
맛있다 [ma-sit-tta] → It does NOT mean “delicious”. it means “to be delicious”.

By the end of this lesson, you will be well acquainted with recognizing the difference between an “adjective” and an “adjective in infinitive form” in Korean, as well as being able to use each form correctly.

“Adjectives in infinitive form” have the ability to be conjugated just as any “action verb” (the main reason why they are commonly referred to as “descriptive verbs”). The actual “adjective”, on the other hand, never changes form.

For example, the word “fun” in English is always “fun” no matter what the tense is: “It is fun” (present tense), “It was fun” (past tense), or “It will be fun” (future tense). In Korean, since “adjectives in the infinitive form” can be conjugated, 재미있다 [jae-mi-it-tta] (to be fun) is conjugated to 재미있어요 [jae-mi-i-sseo-yo] (present tense), 재미있었어요 [jae-mi-i-sseo-sseo-yo] (past tense), and 재미있을 거예요 [jae-mi-i-sseul kkeo-ye-yo] (future tense).

What if I want to use “adjectives in the infinitive form” as actual adjectives?

Good question! Simply drop the -다, and add either -ㄴ or -은.

Conjugation:
- Verb stems ending with a vowel + -ㄴ
- Verb stems ending with a consonant + -은

Ex)
작다 [jak-tta] = to be small
→ 작 + -은 = 작은 [ja-geun] = small
→ 작은 집 [ja-geun jip] = a small house

빠르다 [ppa-reu-da] = to be fast
→ 빠르 + -ㄴ = 빠른 [ppa-reun] = fast
→ 빠른 차 [ppa-reun cha] = a fast car

조용하다 [jo-yong-ha-da] = to be quiet
→ 조용하 + -ㄴ = 조용한 [jo-yong-han] = quiet
→ 조용한 방 [jo-yong-han bang] = a quiet room

비싸다 [bi-ssa-da] ’không rẻ’ = to be expensive
→ 비싸 + -ㄴ = 비싼 [bi-ssan] = expensive
→ 비싼 컴퓨터 [bi-ssan keom-pyu-teo] = an expensive computer

Exceptions

하얗다 [ha-ya-ta] → 하얀 [ha-yan] = white [NOT 하얗은]
그렇다 [geu-reo-ta] → 그런 [geu-reon] = such [NOT 그렇은]
달다 [dal-da] → 단 [dan] = sweet [NOT 달은]

• The descriptive verbs 있다 and 없다 are also an exception because they are combined with -는; this includes verbs that end in -있다 and -없다, such as 재미있다, 맛있다, 재미없다, etc.
  ‘재미있다 —> 재미있는’

Common Mistake

In Level 1, Lesson 5, you learned that the ending -이에요 [-i-e-yo] has a similar function to “to be” in English. When it comes to using adjectives in Korean, because all adjectives are in the infinitive form already, it is INCORRECT to conjugate them with -이에요.

예쁜이에요 ( x )
비싼이에요 ( x )

Adjectives in the infinitive form need to be conjugated just like action verbs.

예쁘다 → 예뻐요 [ye-ppeo-yo] ( o )
비싸다 → 비싸요 [bi-ssa-yo] ( o )

Sample Sentences

좋은 아이디어예요. ‘AH’
[jo-eun a-i-di-eo-ye-yo.]
= It is a good idea.

이상한 사람이에요.
[i-sang-han sa-ra-mi-e-yo.]
= He is a strange person.

더 작은 가방 있어요?
[deo ja-geun ga-bang i-sseo-yo?]
= Do you have a smaller bag?

차가운 커피 마시고 싶어요.
[cha-ga-un keo-pi ma-si-go si-peo-yo.]
= I want to drink some cold coffee.

나쁜 사람이에요.
[na-ppeun sa-ra-mi-e-yo.]
= He is a bad person.

Answer 8

Lesson 14. Making Adjectives / Action Verbs + -는/(으)ㄴ/(으)ㄹ + 명사
You are now familiar with the fact that Korean and English have different systems when it comes to using adjectives. In the previous lesson, you learned how to create adjectives from adjectives in their infinitive form (also known as “descriptive verb form”). You will now boost your knowledge of Korean adjectives with this lesson on making adjectives from action verbs.

Adjectives are a part of speech which modify a noun or pronoun. In both Korean and English, the adjective is placed before the noun/pronoun, just as the “nice” in “nice person” or “fun” in “fun game”.

In Korean, not only can adjectives in their infinitive form be used as adjectives, but action verbs can be conjugated to be used as adjectives, too!

Example of adjectives in infinitive form used as adjectives

Nice person (nice + person)
= adjective in infinitive form 좋다 [jo-ta] + 사람 [sa-ram] = 좋은 사람 [jo-eun sa-ram]

Fun game (fun + game)
= adjective in infinitive form 재미있다 [jae-mi-it-tta] + 게임 [kke-im] ’AH: Anh Hàn’ = 재미있는 게임 [jae-mi-in-neun kke-im]

Examples of action verbs used as adjectives

노래하는 사람 [no-rae-ha-neun sa-ram]
= 노래하다 [no-rae-ha-da] (to sing) + 사람 (person)
= (the/a) person who sings

좋아하는 책 [jo-a-ha-neun chaek]
= 좋아하다 [jo-a-ha-da] (to like) + 책 (book)
= (the/a) book that I like
→ book who likes ( x )

As can be seen from the examples above, when verbs are changed into adjectives, the meaning can differ depending on the context. Just remember that the adjective is somehow modifying the noun, and judging from the overall context, the meaning of the adjective should be clear.

Conjugation:
Verb stem + -는

Ex)
가다 [ga-da] = to go
Adjective form: 가는 [ga-neun]

자다 [ja-da] = to sleep
Adjective form: 자는 [ja-neun]

For verb stems ending with ㄹ, drop ㄹ and add -는.

Ex)
열다 [yeol-da] = to open
Adjective form: 여는 [yeo-neun]

불다 [bul-da] = to blow
Adjective form: 부는 [bu-neun]

The adjective in certain sentences can actually be an adjective clause (a clause which modifies a noun/pronoun).

Ex)
좋아하다 [jo-a-ha-da] = to like; to love
Adjective form: 좋아하는 [jo-a-ha-neun]

좋아하는 책 = a book that I/you/they/someone like(s)

내가/제가 좋아하는 책 = a book which I like
(내가/제가 좋아하는 (which I like) is the adjective clause here.)

내가/제가 안 [an] 좋아하는 책 = a book that I do not like
(내가/제가 안 좋아하는 책 is the adjective clause here.)

좋아하는 is the adjective form of 좋아하다, and that it means “which I like” or “that someone likes”. Depending on the context and the use of particles, the meaning of the sentence can change.

Ex)
좋아하는 사람 [jo-a-ha-neun sa-ram]
= someone that someone likes
= someone I like

민지가 좋아하는 사람 [min-ji-ga jo-a-ha-neun sa-ram]
= someone who Minji likes

민지를 좋아하는 사람 [min-ji-reul jo-a-ha-neun sa-ram]
= someone who likes Minji

Sample Sentences

이 노래는 제가 좋아하는 노래예요.
[i no-rae-neun je-ga jo-a-ha-neun no-rae-ye-yo.]
= This song is a song that I like.

자주 먹는 한국 음식 있어요?
[ja-ju meong-neun han-guk eum-sik i-sseo-yo?]
= Is there a Korean food that you eat often?

자주 가는 카페 있어요?
[ja-ju ga-neun kka-pe i-sseo-yo?]
= Is there a cafe that you go to often?

요즘 좋아하는 가수는 누구예요?
[yo-jeum jo-a-ha-neun ga-su-neun nu-gu-ye-yo?]
= Which singer do you like these days?

요즘 공부하고 있는 외국어는 일본어예요.
[yo-jeum gong-bu-ha-go in-neun oe-gu-geo-neun il-bo-neo-ye-yo.]
= The foreign language I am studying these days is Japanese.

눈이 오는 날에는 영화 보고 싶어요.
[nu-ni o-neun na-re-neun yeong-hwa bo-go si-peo-yo.]
= On a day when it snows, I want to see a movie.

저기 있는 사람, 아는 사람이에요?
[jeo-gi in-neun sa-ram, a-neun sa-ra-mi-e-yo?]
= That person who is over there, is it someone that you know?

배고픈 사람 (있어요)?
[bae-go-peun sa-ram (i-sseo-yo)?]
= Anybody (who is) hungry?

Question 9

Lesson 15. Well then, In that case, If so / 그러면, 그럼 ’vậy thì, nếu vậy’
안녕하세요! Welcome back to another lesson on conjunctions! Hooray! By the end of this lesson, you will learn how to use a Korean conjunction which means “well then”, “in that case”, or “if so”.

그러면 [geu-reo-myeon] = in that case; if so; then

Do you remember -(으)면? [-(eu)-myeon] Yes, that is right. It was introduced in Level 2, Lesson 23! 만약 [ma-nyak] -(으)면 or -(으)면 means “if” or “in case”. 그러면 [geu-reo-myeon] is a combination of 그렇다 [gue-reo-ta], which means “to be so”, and -면.

A shorter version of 그러면

In spoken Korean (and often in casual written Korean), instead of saying 그러면, sometimes people use the shortened form, 그럼 [geu-reom]. Try not to confuse it with 그런 [geu-reon], which means “such”.

Sample Sentences

그러면 이거는 뭐예요?
[geu-reo-myeon i-geo-neun mwo-ye-yo?]
= Then, what is THIS?

지금 바빠요? 그러면 언제 안 바빠요?
[ji-geum ba-ppa-yo? geu-reo-myeon eon-je an ba-ppa-yo?]
= You are busy now? Then WHEN are you not busy?

한국 음식 좋아해요? 그럼 김밥도 좋아해요?
[han-guk eum-sik jo-a-hae-yo? geu-reom gim-ppap-tto jo-a-hae-yo?]
= Do you like Korean food? Then do you like kimbap, too?

진짜요? 그럼 이제 어떻게 해요? ’Vậy thì bây giờ làm sao?’
[jin-jja-yo? geu-reom i-je eo-tteo-ke hae-yo?]
= Really? If so, what do we do now?

그럼 이거는 어때요?
[geu-reom i-geo-neun eo-ttae-yo?]
= Then how about this one?

• As an adverb, 그럼 (shortening of 그러면) indeed means “then” or “in that case”. However, the interjection 그럼 (or 그럼요 in polite form) means “of course!” or “naturally!” Depending on the context you can distinguish the difference between the two.

Answer 9

Lesson 16. Let’s / -아/어/여요 (청유형)
안녕하세요! “Let’s” get right into this lesson! When asking other people to do something with you, in English, you would most likely say something such as “Let’s go”, “Let’s do it”, or “Let’s start.”

There are a few different ways to say “let’s” in Korean:

1. -아/어/여요 [-a/eo/yeo-yo] [polite/plain]
2. -(으)시죠 [-(eu)-si-jyo] [honorific]
3. -자 [-ja] [informal]
4. -(으)ㄹ래요? [-(eu)l-lae-yo?] [polite/casual]
5. -(으)실래요? [-(eu)-sil-lae-yo?] [polite/formal]

Ex)
시작하다 [si-ja-ka-da] = to start; to begin

1. 시작해요. [si-ja-kae-yo.] = Let’s start. (plain)
2. 시작하시죠. [si-ja-ka-si-jyo.] = Let’s start. (honorific)
3. 시작하자. [si-ja-ka-ja.] = Let’s start. (informal)
4. 시작할래요? [si-ja-kal-lae-yo?] = Shall we start? (polite/casual)
5. 시작하실래요? [si-ja-ka-sil-lae-yo?] = Shall we start? (polite/formal)

The most frequently used form is the first example above, -아/어/여요 [-a/eo/yeo-yo]. As the most heard and used way to say “yes”, this lesson will focus only this ending. The other forms will be covered through future lessons.

-아/어/여요

If you are looking at this verb ending and wondering why it looks the same as the plain present tense ending, that is because it is! Although it is the exact same ending, you generally tell the difference through context. Take a look at a few sample sentences to see how easily the meaning can be determined.

Sample Sentences

저도 서점에 갈 거예요. 같이 가요!
[jeo-do seo-jeo-me gal kkeo-ye-yo. ga-chi ga-yo!]
= I am going to the bookstore, too. Let’s go together!

배 안 고파요? 우리 햄버거 먹어요.
[bae an go-pa-yo? u-ri haem-beo-geo meo-geo-yo.]
= Aren’t you hungry? Let’s eat hamburgers.

지금 두 시예요. 세 시에 여기에서 만나요.
[ji-geum du si-ye-yo. se si-e yeo-gi-e-seo man-na-yo.]
= It is two o’clock now. Let’s meet here at three o’clock.

저 금요일까지 바빠요. 토요일에 시작해요. 어때요?
[jeo geu-myo-il-kka-ji ba-ppa-yo. to-yo-i-re si-ja-kae-yo. eo-ttae-yo?]
= I will be busy until Friday. Let’s start on Saturday. What do you think?

다른 데 가요. 여기 안 좋은 것 같아요.
[da-reun de ga-yo. yeo-gi an jo-eun geot ga-ta-yo.]
= Let’s go somewhere else. I think this place is not so good.

** Most Korean phrase books out there will teach learners the ending -(으)ㅂ시다 [-(eu)p-ssi-da]. There are some situations where the use of -(으)ㅂ시다 would be natural, but not in everyday situations. For example, when talking with close friends, -(으)ㅂ시다 should never be used. The appropriate usage of -(으)ㅂ시다 will be introduced in a future lesson, but for now, please use -아/어/여요.

Question 10

Lesson 17. In order to, For the sake of / 위하다, 위해, 위해서
In this lesson, we will learn an expression that means “in order to”, “for”, or “for the sake of”. The keyword in the expression is 위하다 [wi-ha-da].

위하다 [wi-ha-da] means “to put forth the effort for something/someone” or “to do something to benefit someone”, but it is rarely used as is without being changed to another form.

위해 = 위해서 = in order to/for

위하다 is rarely used in its dictionary form, and it is changed to forms such as “위해” [wi-hae] or “위해서” [wi-hae-seo] to mean “in order to”, “in order for”, or “for the sake of”.

위해 = 위하여 [wi-ha-yeo]
위해서 = 위하여서 [wi-ha-yeo-seo]

There will be times when you encounter 위하여 rather than 위해. 위하여 is the original conjugation, but in everyday language, 위하여 is shortened to 위해 (both in written and spoken languages) for the ease of pronunciation.

Using 위해/위해서 with nouns

Noun + -을/를 위해(서)
= in order for + noun = for the sake of + noun

Ex)
건강을 위해서 [geon-gang-eul wi-hae-seo]
= for health; for the sake of health; in order to be healthy

회사를 위해서 [hoe-sa-reul wi-hae-seo]
= for the company; for the good of the company

Using 위해/위해서 with verbs

Verb stem + -기 위해(서)

Ex)
한국에 가기 위해서 [han-gu-ge ga-gi wi-hae-seo]
= in order to go to Korea

일본어를 배우기 ‘背’ 위해서 [il-bo-neo-reul bae-u-gi wi-hae-seo]
= in order to learn Japanese

• Please note that using 위해(서) in a sentence makes it sound very formal.
  You will hear/see this a lot in song lyrics, books, and new articles, but not in casual, spoken conversations.

Sample Sentences

슈퍼맨은 세계 평화를 위해서 일해요.
[syu-peo-mae-neun se-gye pyeong-hwa-reul wi-hae-seo il-hae-yo.]
= Superman works for world peace.

저는 한국에 가기 위해서 열심히 공부했어요.
[jeo-neun han-gu-ge ga-gi wi-hae-seo yeol-ssi-mi gong-bu-hae-sseo-yo.]
= I studied hard in order to go to Korea.

부모님을 위해서 돈을 모았어요.
[bu-mo-ni-meul wi-hae-seo do-neul mo-a-sseo-yo.]
= I saved up money for my parents.

건강을 위해서 매일 운동하고 있어요.
[geon-gang-eul wi-hae-seo mae-il un-dong-ha-go i-sseo-yo.]
= I am exercising everyday for my health.

Answer 10

Lesson 18. Nothing but, Only / 밖에 + 부정형
In Level 2 Lesson 15, you learned how to use -만 [-man] with nouns, pronouns, or noun forms of verbs. The expression introduced in this lesson can only be used with negative verb conjugations and consists of two parts: -밖에 [-ba-kke] + negative verb conjugation.

The way this works is similar to saying “nothing else but” or “do not do anything other than” in English.

밖 [bak] = outside; outdoors
밖에 = outside something; other than something; out of the range of something
-밖에 + negative verb conjugation = ONLY + verb

Conjugation:
Noun + -밖에 + negative conjugation
’Ngoài noun không làm/verb’

Ex)
콜라(를) 마시다 [kol-la(-reul) ma-si-da] = to drink cola
콜라밖에 안 마시다 [kol-la-ba-kke an ma-si-da] = to only drink cola

돈(이) 있다 [don(-i) it-tta] = to have money
돈(이) 없다 [don(-i) eop-tta] = to not have money
돈밖에 없다 [don-ba-kke eop-tta] = to have nothing but money, to only have money

Q: Are -만 and -밖에 interchangeable?

A: The answer is yes and no. Sometimes they are interchangeable, but you have to change the verb to a negative form when using -밖에. -밖에 is generally used more than -만.

-밖에 cannot be used with imperative sentences (sentences which request something or give instructions) including -아/어/여 주세요 (“do something for me”), so -만 must be used instead (i.e. 이것만 주세요 [i-geon-man ju-se-yo] = Give me this one only).

In addition, when the verb itself has a negative meaning, -만 is more commonly used than 밖에 (i.e. 저는 닭고기만 싫어해요 [jeo-neun dak-kko-gi-man si-reo-hae-yo] = I only hate chicken.)

Sample Sentences

한국인 친구가 한 명밖에 없어요.
[han-gu-gin chin-gu-ga han myeong-ba-kke eop-sseo-yo.]
= I only have one Korean friend.

한국인 친구는 한 명밖에 없어요.
[han-gu-gin chin-gu-neun han myeong-ba-kke eop-sseo-yo.]
= As for Korean friends, I only have one.

한국어 조금밖에 못해요.
[han-gu-geo jo-geum-ba-kke mo-tae-yo.]
= I can only speak a little bit of Korean.

• Please note that this is not “한국어 조금만 할 수 있어요. [han-gu-geo jo-geum-man hal ssu i-sseo-yo.] (I can speak a little bit of Korean.)” Although you will be understood if you say this, to sound more natural, please say “한국어 조금밖에 못해요.”

이것밖에 없어요?
[i-geot-ba-kke eop-sseo-yo?]
= This is it?
= You only have this?

우리 고양이는 참치밖에 안 먹어요.
[u-ri go-yang-i-neun cham-chi-ba-kke an meo-geo-yo.]
= My cat only eats tuna.

왜 공부밖에 안 해요?
[wae gong-bu-ba-kke an hae-yo?]
= Why do you only study?
= Why do you do nothing but study?

Question 11

Lesson 19. After -ing / 다음에 ’sau khi đã’
There are a few different ways to say “after -ing” in Korean, and through this lesson, we will learn the three most common ways to say it. These three expressions all share a common
structure:

-(으)ㄴ [-(eu)n] + 다음에 [da-eu-me]
-(으)ㄴ + 후에 [hu-e]
-(으)ㄴ + 뒤에 [dwi-e]

These three mean “after -ing”, but each of the key nouns have a different meaning.

다음 [da-eum] = next time; next
(i.e. 다음 주 [da-eum ju] = next week)

후 [hu] = after ’sau khi’
(i.e. 오후 [o-hu] = afternoon)

뒤 [dwi] = behind; back ’đằng sau; lưng’
(i.e. 등 뒤 [deung dwi] = behind the back)

As standalone words, the meanings are quite different, right? However, you can use any of these three words to create a sentence which means “After -ing”. These three expressions are interchangeable, and the meaning does not change no matter which noun is used.

Conjugation:
Verb stem + -(으)ㄴ + 다음(or 후/뒤)에 = after -ing

In Lessons 13 and 14, you learned how to conjugate verbs into adjectives using -(으)ㄴ. Here, -(으)ㄴ indicates that the verb was done in the past, which makes the adjective clause “after -ing” past tense.

Ex)
편지를 받다 [pyeon-ji-reul bat-tta] = to receive a letter
편지를 받은 다음에 [pyeon-ji-reul ba-deun da-eu-me] = after receiving a letter
편지를 받은 후에 [pyeon-ji-reul ba-deun hu-e] = after receiving a letter
편지를 받은 뒤에 [pyeon-ji-reul ba-deun dwi-e] = after receiving a letter

집에 가다 [ji-be ga-da] = to go home
집에 간 다음에 [ji-be gan da-eu-me] = after going home
집에 간 후에 [ji-be gan hu-e] = after going home
집에 간 뒤에 [ji-be gan dwi-e] = after going home

책을 읽다 [chae-geul ik-tta] = to read a book
책을 읽은 다음에 [chae-geul il-geun da-eu-me] = after reading a book
책을 읽은 후에 [chae-geul il-geun hu-e] = after reading a book
책을 읽은 뒤에 [chae-geul il-geun dwi-e] = after reading a book

Sample Sentences

영화 본 다음에 우리 커피 마셔요.
[yeong-hwa bon da-eu-me u-ri keo-pi ma-syeo-yo.]
= After watching the movie, let us drink coffee.

점심을 먹은 다음에, 도서관에 갔어요.
[jeom-si-meul meo-geun da-eu-me, do-seo-gwa-ne ga-sseo-yo.]
= After having lunch, I went to the library.

이거 한 다음에 뭐 할 거예요?
[i-geo han da-eu-me mwo hal kkeo-ye-yo?]
= After doing this, what are you going to do?

그거요? 이거 한 뒤에 할게요.
[geu-geo-yo? i-geo han dwi-e hal-kke-yo.]
= That one? I will do it after I do this.

결정한 후에 연락 주세요.
[gyeol-jjeong-han hu-e yeol-lak ju-se-yo.]
= Contact me after you decide.

Answer 11

Lesson 20. Even if, Even though / -아/어/여도 ‘Dù’
In Level 3, Lesson 12, we were introduced to the conjunction 그래도 [geu-rae-do], which means “but still” or “nevertheless” and is generally used to begin a sentence. The verb ending in this lesson has the same meaning as 그래도, but it is used as a subordinating conjunction (joins the main clause to the dependent clause) to combine two sentences without having to end one sentence and begin another.

-아/어/여도 [-a/eo/yeo-do] = even if, even though

Conjugation:
- Verb stems ending with the vowel ㅗ or ㅏ + -아도
- Verb stems ending with other vowels + -어도
- Verb stems ending with 하 + -여도

Ex)
보다 [bo-da] = to see
→ 보아도 [bo-a-do] = 봐도 [bwa-do] = even if you see; even if you look

울다 [ul-da] = to cry
→ 울어도 [u-reo-do] = even if you cry; even though you cry

공부하다 [gong-bu-ha-da] = to study
→ 공부해도 gong-bu-hae-do = even if you study; even though you study

Combining two sentences together:

요즘에 바빠요. + 그래도 운동은 하고 있어요.
[yo-jeu-me ba-ppa-yo] + [geu-rae-do un-dong-eun ha-go i-sseo-yo.]
= I am busy these days. But still, I am doing some exercise.

→ 요즘에 바빠도, 운동은 하고 있어요.
= Even though I am busy these days, I am still doing some exercise.

Sample Sentences

집에 가도, 밥이 없어요.
[ji-be ga-do, ba-bi eop-sseo-yo.]
= Even if I go home, there is no food.

택시를 타도, 시간이 오래 걸려요.
[taek-ssi-reul ta-do, si-ga-ni o-rae geol-lyeo-yo.]
= It takes a long time even if I take a taxi.

석진 씨는 제가 전화를 해도 안 받아요.
[seok-jjin ssi-neun je-ga jeon-hwa-reul hae-do an ba-da-yo.]
= Even if I call him, Seokjin does not answer.

냄새는 이상해도 맛있어요.
[naem-sae-neun i-sang-hae-do ma-si-sseo-yo.]
= It is tasty even though the smells weird.

바빠도 한국에 갈 거예요.
[ba-ppa-do han-gu-ge gal kkeo-ye-yo.]
= Even if I am busy, I will go to Korea.

Question 12

Lesson 21. Linking Verbs with -는데 / noun + -인데, adjective + -ㄴ데
’Điều giải, tương phản, cảm thán, hỏi, ngụ ý dễ đoán’
The verb ending in this lesson has an incredibly versatile meaning. While the basic structure ends in -데 [-de], the words or phrases which come right before -데 change a bit.

Conjugation:
1. -는데 is used after action verbs, after 있다 and 없다, and after -았 or -겠.

2. -은데 is used after descriptive verbs which have a final consonant in the verb stem, except for the consonant ㄹ.
3. -ㄴ데 is used after descriptive verbs which end in a vowel or the consonant ㄹ(in this case, ㄹ is dropped), and after 이다 and 아니다.

Ex)
하다 [ha-da] → 하는데 [ha-neun-de]
있다 [it-tta] → 있는데 [i***n-neun-de]
먹다 [meok-tta] → 먹는데 [meong-neun-de]
작다 [jak-tta] → 작은데 [ja-geun-de]
좁다 [jop-tta] → 좁은데 [jo-beun-de]
예쁘다 [ye-ppeu-da] → 예쁜데 [ye-ppeun-de]
멀다 [meol-da] → 먼데 [meon-de]

Variety of Usages
The way this ending can be used is very diverse.

Usage 1
Explaining the background or the situation before making a suggestion, a request, or a question.

Ex)
내일 일요일인데, 뭐 할 거예요?
[nae-il i-ryo-i-rin-de, mwo hal kkeo-ye-yo?]
= It is Sunday tomorrow + (-ㄴ데) + what are you going to do?

Usage 2
Explaining the situation first before explaining what happened.

Ex)
어제 자고 있었는데, 한국에서 전화가 왔어요.
[eo-je ja-go i-sseo***n-neun-de, han-gu-ge-seo jeon-hwa-ga wa-sseo-yo.]
= I was sleeping yesterday + (-는데) + I got a phone call from Korea.

Usage 3
Showing a result or situation which is contrasting to the previous action or situation.

Ex)
아직 9시인데 벌써 졸려요.
[a-jik a-hop-ssi-in-de beol-sseo jol-lyeo-yo.]
= It is still 9 o’clock but I am already sleepy.

The second part (after -는데) can be omitted when the meaning is easily implied.

Ex)
준비 많이 했는데(요)…
[jun-bi ma-ni hae ***n-neun-de(-yo)…]
= I prepared a lot, but…

Usage 4
Showing surprise or exclamation.

Ex)
멋있는데(요)!
[meo-sin-neun-de(-yo)!]
= Oh, that is cool!

Usage 5
Asking a question (expecting some explanation about a situation or behavior).

Ex)
지금 어디에 있는데(요)?
[ji-geum eo-di-e in-neun-de(-yo)?]
= So where are you now?

Usage 6
Expecting an answer or a response.

Ex)
지금(요)? 지금 바쁜데(요).
[ji-geum(-nyo)? ji-geum ba-ppeun-de(-yo).]
= Now? I am busy now, so…

Sample Sentences

내일 친구 생일인데, 선물을 아직 못 샀어요.
[nae-il chin-gu saeng-i-rin-de, seon-mu-reul a-jik mot sa-sseo-yo.]
= It is my friend’s birthday tomorrow, but I have not been able to buy a present.

이거 일본에서 샀는데, 선물이에요.
[i-geo il-bo-ne-seo san-neun-de, seon-mu-ri-e-yo.]
= I bought this in Japan, and it is a present for you.

오늘 뉴스에서 봤는데, 그거 진짜예요?
[o-neul nyu-sseu-e-seo bwan-neun-de, geu-geo jin-jja-ye-yo?]
= I saw it in the news today. Is that for real?

이거 좋은데요!
[i-geo jo-eun-de-yo!]
= I like this! / This is good!

어? 여기 있었는데.
[eo? yeo-gi i-sseon-neun-de.]
= Huh? It was here…

영화 재미있었는데, 무서웠어요.
[yeong-hwa jae-mi-i-sseon-neun-de, mu-seo-wo-sseo-yo.]
= The movie was interesting, but it was scary.

영화 봤는데, 무서웠어요.
[yeong-hwa bwan-neun-de, mu-seo-wo-sseo-yo.]
= I saw a movie, and it was scary.

저 지금 학생인데, 일도 하고 있어요. ‘일도 : noun + 도 làm việc nữa’
[jeo ji-geum hak-ssaeng-in-de, il-do ha-go i-sseo-yo.]
= I am a student now, but I am working, too.

Answer 12

Lesson 22. Maybe I might… / -(으)ㄹ 수도 있어요 ’cũng có thể, cũng có khả năng’
In this lesson, you will learn about the expression -(으)ㄹ 수도 있다 [-(eu)l ssu-do it-tta]. This is a combination of two grammar points which were covered in previous lessons:

1. -(으)ㄹ 수 있다 [-(eu)l ssu it-tta] was introduced in Level 2, Lesson 17, and it means “can, to be able to”.
   2 -도 [-do] was introduced in Level 2, Lesson 13, and it means “also, too”.

When these two expressions are combined into -(으)ㄹ 수도 있다 [-(eu)l ssu-do it-tta], it means “it could…”, “it is possible that…”, or “it might…”. In order to understand why -(으)ㄹ 수도 있다 has such meanings, we first need to take a closer look at the expression -(으)ㄹ 수 있다.

Basically, the word 수 [su] is a noun which, in this particular structure, means “way”, “method”, or “idea”. Therefore, -(으)ㄹ 수 있다 means “there is a way to do…”, “there is an idea for doing…”, or “there is a possibility for doing…”.

When the meaning of -도 [-do], which is “also” or “too”, is added to -(으)ㄹ 수 있다, the sentence takes the meaning of “there is also the possibility of…”.

Although -(으)ㄹ 수도 있다 COULD mean “to also be able to do something”, it usually means “it might”, “it could”, or “perhaps”.

Ex)
알다 [al-da] = to know (something/someone)
→ 알 수도 있다 [al ssu-do it-tta] = might know (something/someone)
→ 제 친구가 알 수도 있어요. [je chin-gu-ga al ssu-do i-sseo-yo] = My friend might know (the person/the thing).

만나다 [man-na-da] = to meet
→ 만날 수도 있다 [man-nal ssu-do it-tta] = might meet
→ 내일 다시 만날 수도 있어요. [nae-il da-si man-nal ssu-do i-sseo-yo.] = We might meet again tomorrow.

작다 [jak-tta] = to be small
→ 작을 수도 있다 [ja-geul ssu-do it-tta] = might be small
→ 모자가 작을 수도 있어요. [mo-ja-ga ja-geul ssu-do i-sseo-yo.] = The hat could be small.

Sample Sentences

저 내일 올 수도 있어요.
[jeo nae-il ol ssu-do i-sseo-yo.]
= I might come here tomorrow.

저 내일 안 올 수도 있어요.
[jeo nae-il an ol ssu-do i-sseo-yo.]
= I might not come here tomorrow.

저 내일 못 올 수도 있어요.
[jeo nae-il mot ol ssu-do i-sseo-yo.]
= I might not be able to come here tomorrow.

이거 가짜일 수도 있어요.
[i-geo ga-jja-il ssu-do i-sseo-yo.]
= This might be fake.

정말 그럴 수도 있어요.
[jeong-mal geu-reol ssu-do i-sseo-yo.]
= It might really be so.

Question 13

Lesson 23. Word Builder 1 / 학(學)
Welcome to the first Word Builder lesson of Talk To Me In Korean! Word Builder lessons are designed to help you understand how to more efficiently expand your vocabulary by learning/understanding some common and basic building blocks of Korean words. Many (not all) of the words and letters introduced through Word Builder lessons are based on Chinese characters, or 한자 [han-jja], but the meanings can differ from modern-day Chinese. Your goal, through these lessons, is to understand how words are formed and remember the keywords in Korean in order to expand your Korean vocabulary from there. You certainly do not have to memorize the Hanja characters, but if you want to, feel free!

Today’s keyword is 학.

The Chinese character for this word is 學.

The word 학 [hak] is related to “learning”, “studying”, and “school”.

Sample Expressions

학 + 생(person, member, participant) = 학생 (學生) [hak-ssaeng] = student
학 + 교(school) = 학교 (學校) [hak-kkyo] = school
학 + 원(house; garden) = 학원 (學院) [ha-gwon] = private academy

수 (numbers) + 학 = 수학 (數學) [su-hak] = mathematics
과 (subject; class; species) + 학 = 과학 (科學) [gwa-hak] = science
어 (word) + 학 = 어학 (語學) [eo-hak] = language learning
언어 (word+word) + 학 = 언어학 (言語學) [eo-neo-hak] = linguistics
경제 (economy) + 학 = 경제학 (經濟學) [gyeong-je-hak] = economics

학 + 자(person) = 학자 (學者) [hak-jja] = scholar

유 (to stay) + 학 = 유학 (留學) [yu-hak] = studying abroad; staying abroad to study
유학 (studying abroad) + 생 = 유학생 (留學生) [yu-hak-ssaeng] = student studying abroad
전 (to roll, to move) + 학 = 전학 (轉學) [jeon-hak] = to change schools
전학 (to change schools) + 생 = 전학생 (轉學生) [jeon-hak-ssaeng] = student who moved to another school

학 + 년 (year) = 학년 (學年) [hang-nyeon] = school year
학 + 기 (period) = 학기 (學期) [hak-kki] = semester
방 (to release, let go) + 학 = 방학 (放學) [bang-hak] = school vacation

장 (recommending) + 학 + 금 (money) = 장학금 (奬學金) [jang-hak-kkeum] = scholarship
장 + 학 + 생 = 장학생 (奬學生) [jang-hak-ssaeng] = student on a scholarship

복 (return) + 학 + 생 = 복학생 (復學生) [bo-kak-ssaeng]
= student who has returned to school (usually) after a long break

학 + 습 (acquire) = 학습 (學習) [hak-sseup] = (formal) learning, studies
한국어 학습 (韓國語 學習) [han-gu-geo hak-sseup] = (formal) Korean learning

독 (alone) + 학 = 독학 (獨學) [do-kak] = self-study, studying by oneself

Answer 13

Lesson 24. 르 irregular / 르 불규칙
Welcome to another lesson on irregularities. Yay! You will learn about irregular 르 [reu] in this lesson, which occurs more often than you think. Are you ready? 시작! [si-jak]

Irregular 르 is applied only on the following three occasions as follows.

Verb stems ending with -르 followed by:
+ -아/어/여요 [-a/eo/yeo-yo]
+ -아/어/여서 [-a/eo/yeo-seo]
+ -았/었/였어요 [-at/eot/yeo-sseo-yo]

In these cases, 르 is changed to ㄹ and placed at the end of the previous vowel. ONE MORE ㄹ is needed before adding the verb ending.

Even if the verb stem ends with -르 [-reu], if it is then followed by other endings, such as -고 [-go], -는데 [-neun-de], etc., -르 will still stay the same.

Ex)
고르다 [go-reu-da] = to choose; to pick; to select
→ 골라요. [gol-la-yo.] = I pick.
→ 골라서 [gol-la-seo] = I pick and then; because I pick
→ 골랐어요. [gol-la-sseo-yo.] = I picked.

모르다 [mo-reu-da] = to not know
→ 몰라요. [mol-la-yo.] = I do not know.
→ 몰라서 [mol-la-seo] = because I do not know
→ 몰랐어요. [mol-la-sseo-yo.] = I did not know.

빠르다 [ppa-reu-da] = to be fast
→ 빨라요. [ppal-la-yo.] = It is fast.
→ 빨라서 [ppal-la-seo] = because it is fast
→ 빨랐어요. [ppal-la-sseo-yo.] = It was fast.

자르다 [ja-reu-da] = to cut
→ 잘라요. [jal-la-yo.] = I cut.
→ 잘라서 [jal-la-seo] = I cut and then; because I cut
→ 잘랐어요. [jal-la-sseo-yo.] = I cut.

기르다 [gi-reu-da] = to grow, to raise
→ 길러요. [gil-leo-yo.] = I raise.
→ 길러서 [gil-leo-seo] = I raise and then; because I raise
→ 길렀어요. [gil-leo-sseo-yo.] = I raised.

Sample Sentences

뭐 골랐어요?
[mwo gol-la-sseo-yo?]
= What did you choose?

저도 몰라요.
[jeo-do mol-la-yo.]
= I do not know, either.

비행기는 빨라서 좋아요.
[bi-haeng-gi-neun ppal-la-seo jo-a-yo.]
= Planes are good because they are fast. / I like airplanes because they are fast.

누가 케이크 잘랐어요?
[nu-ga ke-i-keu jal-la-sseo-yo?]
= Who cut the cake?

토끼를 5년 동안 길렀어요.
[to-kki-reul o-nyeon dong-an gil-leo-sseo-yo.]
= I had a rabbit as a pet for five years. / I raised a rabbit for five years.

Question 14

Lesson 25. Verb Ending / -네요
As you have learned so far, there are many different types of verb endings in Korean, each of which have very specific rules. This one is no exception. Changing a plain sentence to end with -네요 [-ne-yo] expresses that you are impressed, surprised, or your own personal thought. This ending is used quite frequently in everyday Korean conversation as well as in Korean dramas.

For example, saying “맛있어요” [ma-si-sseo-yo] just means “it is delicious.” Saying “맛있네요” [ma-sin-ne-yo], on the other hand, expresses that you are impressed or surprised by the taste. While “맛있어요” can mean the same thing when said with the right intonation, it cannot convey the same message when it is written.

Conjugation:
Verb stem + -네요
-었/았/였 (past tense suffix) + -네요

Ex)
크다 [keu-da] = to be big (verb stem = 크)
크 + 어요 → 커요. [keo-yo.] = It is big. (Fact)
크 + 네요 → 크네요. [keu-ne-yo.] = (I see that) it is big. / (Oh, I did not know it was big, but) it is big. (Expressing surprise)

잘 어울리다 [jal eo-ul-li-da] = to suit someone well; to go well with someone
잘 어울리 + 어요 → 잘 어울려요. [jal eo-ul-lyeo-yo.] = It looks good on you. (Fact)
잘 어울리 + 네요 → 잘 어울리네요. [jal eo-ul-li-ne-yo.] = Oh! I find that it looks good on you. (Expressing your impression)

맞다 [mat-tta] = to be correct
맞 + 아요 → 맞아요. [ma-ja-yo.] = It is correct. (Fact)
맞 + 네요 → 맞네요. [man-ne-yo.] = I see that it is correct! (Finding out a fact for the first time.)

Sample Sentences

여기 있네요!
[yeo-gi in-ne-yo!]
= Oh, here it is!

이 드라마 재미있네요.
[i deu-ra-ma jae-mi-in-ne-yo.]
= I find this drama fun to watch.

• If you already know that this drama is fun and you are telling someone else that as a fact, you need to say “이 드라마 재미있어요. [i deu-ra-ma jae-mi-i-sseo-yo.]”

별로 안 춥네요. ’Không lạnh bao nhiêu’
[byeol-lo an chu*****m-ne-yo.]
= Well, it is not that cold.

아무도 안 왔네요. ’Ai cũng chưa tới. 아무:
1.
A pronoun used to indicate a random person.
2.
Mr. So-and-so; Mrs. So-and-so; somebody; such and such a person’
[a-mu-do an wan-ne-yo.]
= Oh, look. Nobody is here yet.

벌써 11월이네요.
[beol-sseo si-bi-rwo-ri-ne-yo.]
= Wow, it is already November!

Answer 14

Lesson 26. ㄷ irregular / ㄷ 불규칙
You are not finished learning about irregulars yet, so get ready for a lesson on irregularities that happen with ㄷ!

How irregular ㄷ works

When the Korean letter ㄷ is the 받침 [bat-chim] (the final consonant at the end of a syllable) of a verb stem and is followed by a vowel, ㄷ is changed to ㄹ. Some verbs follow this rule, and some do not.

Examples of irregular ㄷ verbs

• 듣다 [deut-tta] = to listen
• 걷다 [geot-tta] = to walk
• 묻다 [mut-tta] = to ask
• 싣다 [sit-tta] = to load
• 깨닫다 [kkae-dat-tta] = to realize

For these verbs, ㄷ changes to ㄹ when followed by a vowel:

• 듣 + 어서 → 들어서 [deu-reo-seo]
• 걷 + 어요 → 걸어요 [geo-reo-yo]
• 묻 + 으면 → 물으면 [mu-reu-myeon]
• 싣 + 을 거예요 → 실을 거예요 [si-reul kkeo-ye-yo]
• 깨닫 + 았어요 → 깨달았어요 [kkae-da-ra-sseo-yo]

Examples of verbs which do NOT follow this rule:

• 받다 [bat-tta] = to receive
• 묻다 [mut-tta] = to bury
• 닫다 [dat-tta] = to close
• 믿다 [mit-tta] = to believe

For these verbs, you keep 받침 as ㄷ, even when it is followed by a vowel:

• 받 + 아서 = 받아서 [ba-da-seo]
• 묻 + 어요 = 묻어요 [mu-deo-yo]
• 닫 + 으면 = 닫으면 [da-deu-myeon]
• 믿 + 어요 = 믿어요 [mi-deo-yo]
• Although 묻다 (to ask) and 묻다 (to bury) are spelled the same way, they are conjugated differently and the meaning can only be determined from the context of the sentence.

Ex)
I ask. = 물어요. [mu-reo-yo.]
I bury. = 묻어요.

Usage examples of irregular ㄷ verbs

(1)
듣다 [deut-tta] = to listen
→ 듣고 있어요 [deut-kko i-sseo-yo]
= I am listening. (ㄷ does not change because -고 [-go] begins with a consonant.)
→ 들었어요 [deu-reo-sseo-yo]
= I heard. (ㄷ changes to ㄹ because -었 [-eot] starts with a vowel.)

(2)
걷다 [geot-tta] = to walk
→ 걷는 것 좋아해요 [geon-neun geot jo-a-hae-yo]
= I like walking. (ㄷ does not change because -는 [-neun] starts with a consonant.)
→ 한 시간 걸었어요 [han si-gan geo-reo-sseo-yo]
= I walked for an hour. (ㄷ changes to ㄹ because -었 starts with a vowel.)

Sample Sentences

어디에서 들었어요?
[eo-di-e-seo deu-reo-sseo-yo?]
= Where did you hear that?

많이 걸었는데, 안 피곤해요.
[ma-ni geo-reon-neun-de, an pi-go-nae-yo.]
= I walked a lot, but I am not tired.

그 이야기를 믿어요?
[geu i-ya-gi-reul mi-deo-yo?]
= Do you believe that story?

물어도 대답이 없어요.
[mu-reo-do dae-da-bi eop-sseo-yo.]
= Even if I ask, there is no answer.

Question 15

Lesson 27. Politeness Levels / 반말 and 존댓말
In Level 1, Lesson 1, you learned the basics of the two main categories of honorifics used in the Korean. All of what you have learned so far in the Talk To Me In Korean series has been in 존댓말 [jon-daen-mal] (polite/formal language). In this lesson, you will learn about the casual/informal/intimate way of speaking, 반말 [ban-mal].

Politeness levels are determined by the verb ending. There are three basic verb endings used to express different politeness levels:

Type 1. -ㅂ니다 [-m-ni-da] = the most polite and most formal ending
Type 2. -(아/어/여)요 [-(a/eo/yeo)-yo] = the polite, natural, and slightly formal ending
Type 3.: -아/어/여 = the casual, informal, and intimate ending

Types 1 and 2 fall under the 존댓말 [jon-daen-mal] category, and Type 3 goes into the 반말 [ban-mal] category.

When do you use 반말?

Generally, 반말 is considered to be the most intimate and casual way of speaking with others in Korean; it has no formality at all. You can only use 반말 to someone who is younger than you, someone of the same age as you, or (if the other person is older than you) someone with whom you agreed to mutually use 반말.

If the other person’s age or social status is not known, do not use 반말 in any circumstance. Once you know the other person’s age and find out if he or she is younger than you, you can use 반말. However, it is safer, as well as a nice gesture, to ask the person with whom you are speaking to whether you can use 반말 with him/her.

Common cases where 반말 is appropriate

1. You are much older than the other person and you know for sure that the other person will not be offended if you use 반말.
2. You are older than the other person, and you got his or her permission to use 반말.
3. You are of the same age as the other person, and you got his or her permission to use 반말.
4. You are in elementary school, middle school, or high school, and you know that all your classmates are of the same age as you.
5. You are talking to yourself or writing in a diary/journal.

• Remember in Korean, unlike some other cultures, it is standard etiquette to establish a speaker’s position by asking one’s age on first encounter. So do not be too surprised if you are asked how old you are, and use this as a tool to gauge which form of language to use. When in doubt, ALWAYS use 존댓말.

Common cases in which NOT to use 반말

1. You know the other person only through work and not personally.
2. You are older than the other person, but he or she is your business client or customer.
3. You are older than the other person, but you are talking to the person in an official environment such as business meetings, seminars, lessons, etc.
4. You do not know the other person. You just met him/her.
5. You are younger than the other person, and you never got permission from him/her that you can use 반말 to him/her.
6. You are the same age as the other person, but you are both adults, and you do not know each other that well.
7. You are older than the other person, but he/she is your boss.
8. You are older than the other person, but he or she is the spouse of your older sibling.
9. You are talking to a large group of people or filming a video blog.

How do you ask for and give permission to speak in 반말?

There are certain expressions that people say to get permission from the other person to use 반말.

If you are the older one:

1. 말 놔도 돼요?
   [mal nwa-do dwae-yo?]
   = May I speak in 반말 with you?
   * 말을 놓다 [ma-reul no-ta] literally means to “put down the language” or “lower the language.”
2. 말 편하게 해도 돼요?
   [mal pyeon-ha-ge hae-do dwae-yo?]
   = May I speak comfortably with you?

If you are the younger one:

1. 말 놓으셔도 돼요.
   [mal no-eu-syeo-do dwae-yo.]
   = You can speak casually with me.
2. 말 편하게 하셔도 돼요.
   [mal pyeon-ha-ge ha-syeo-do dwae-yo.]
   = You can speak comfortably with me. / You can speak 반말 with me.

If you are of the same age as the other person:

1. 우리 말 놓을까요?
   [u-ri mal no-eul-kka-yo?]
   = Shall we speak in 반말 to each other?
2. 말 편하게 해도 되죠?
   [mal pyeon-ha-ge hae-do doe-jyo?]
   = I can talk in 반말 with you, right?

How to change 존댓말 to 반말

Present tense
-아/어/여요 → -아/어/여
-이에요 [-i-e-yo] / -예요 [-ye-yo] → -이야 [-i-ya] / -야 [-ya]

Past tense
-았/었/였어요 [-at/eot/yeo-sseo-yo] → -았/었/였어

Future tense
-(으)ㄹ 거예요 [-(eu)l kkeo-ye-yo] → -(으)ㄹ 거야 [-(eu)l kkeo-ya]

Ex)
(1) What is this?
존댓말: 이거 뭐예요? [i-geo mwo-ye-yo?]
반말: 이거 뭐야? [i-geo mwo-ya?]

(2) I am going to work tomorrow.
존댓말: 내일 일할 거예요. [nae-il il-hal kkeo-ye-yo.]
반말: 내일 일할 거야. [nae-il il-hal kkeo-ya.]

(3) I met a friend yesterday.
존댓말: 어제 친구 만났어요. [eo-je chin-gu man-na-sseo-yo.]
반말: 어제 친구 만났어. [eo-je chin-gu man-na-sseo.]

Addressing people

When politely addressing someone using 존댓말, add the word 씨, as in 경은 씨 [gyeong-eun ssi], 현우 씨 [hyeo-nu ssi], 석진 씨 [seok-jjin ssi], 소연 씨 [so-yeon ssi], and 현정 씨 [hyeon-jeong ssi]. If in a business or school setting, add the title of the person’s job or status after his/her name, such as 경은 선생님 [gyeong-eun seon-saeng-nim], 현우 회장님 [hyeo-nu hoe-jang-nim], etc., to show more formality toward the addressee.

When speaking in 반말, however, you can just say the name of the person without 씨. In order to make the name sound more natural when addressing the other person, add 아 [a] or 야 [ya] to the end of the name. Names which end WITHOUT a consonant are followed by 야 [ya], and names which end WITH a consonant are followed by 아 [a].

Ex)
경은 → 경은아! [gyeong-eu-na!] (Hey Kyeong-eun!)
현우 → 현우야! [hyeo-nu-ya!] (Hey Hyunwoo!)

Speaking in Third Person

When using a person’s name while speaking or writing in third person, 이 [i] is added after names which end with a consonant. Therefore, names such as 경은 and 석진 are followed by 이.

If 현우 wants to talk about Seokjin in a sentence, he says Seokjin’s name as “석진이” [seok-jji-ni].

Ex)
석진이가 했어. [seok-jji-ni-ga hae-sseo.] = Seokjin did it.

Answer 15

Lesson 28. “Let’s” in casual language / 반말
Since you now know how and when to use 반말 [ban-mal] (casual language), you are well-equipped to learn how to make imperative “let us” or “let’s” sentences in 반말.

Normally, for sentences in present and past tense, the suffix “-요” [-yo] would be dropped in order to change it from 존댓말 [jon-daen-mal] to 반말. When saying “let’s” in 반말 however, a completely different ending is needed.

Conjugation:
Verb stem + -자 [-ja]

Ex)
하다 [ha-da] = to do
하 + 자 = 하자 [ha-ja] = Let’s do it.

공부하다 [gong-bu-ha-da] = to study
공부하 + 자 = 공부하자 [gong-bu-ha-ja] = Let’s study.

하지 말다 [ha-ji mal-da] = to not do it
하지 말 + 자 = 하지 말자 [ha-ji mal-ja] = Let’s not do it.

먹다 [meok-tta] = to eat
먹 + 자 = 먹자 [meok-jja] = Let’s eat.

Sample Sentences

내일 보자.
[nae-il bo-ja.]
= Let’s meet tomorrow.
= See you tomorrow.

이거 사자.
[i-geo sa-ja.]
= Let’s buy this.

우리 내일은 쉬자.
[u-ri nae-i-reun swi-ja]
= Let’s take a day off tomorrow.

같이 가자.
[ga-chi ga-ja.]
= Let’s go together.

조금만 더 기다리자.
[jo-geum-man deo gi-da-ri-ja.]
= Let’s wait a little longer.

More Phrases in 반말

1. 안녕하세요 [an-nyeong-ha-se-yo] → 안녕 [an-nyeong]
2. 안녕히 가세요 [an-nyeong-hi ga-se-yo] → 안녕 [an-nyeong] / 잘 가 [jal ga] ’đi giỏi ‘
3. 안녕히 계세요 [an-nyeong-hi gye-se-yo] → 안녕 [an-nyeong] / 잘 있어. [jal i-sseo] ’ở giỏi’
4. 저 [jeo] → 나 [na]
5. ~ 씨 [ssi] / You → 너 [neo]
6. 네 [ne] / 예 [ye] → 응 [eung] / 어 [eo]
7. 아니요 [a-ni-yo] → 아니 [a-ni] / 아니야 [a-ni-ya]

Question 16

Lesson 29. ㅅ irregular / ㅅ 불규칙
Do you remember the previous lessons in this book over irregularities with ㅂ, 르, and ㄷ? Of course you do! Now that you have become a master of irregularities, learning “Irregular ㅅ” will be no match for you!

When ㅅ is the 받침 [bat-chim] of a verb stem and it is followed by a vowel, the ㅅ is dropped.

Ex)
낫다 [nat-tta] = to heal; to recover; to be better (in comparison)
낫 + 아요 (present tense) → 나아요 [na-a-yo]
= It is better. / Please feel better.

젓다 [jeot-tta] = to stir (liquid)
젓 + 어요 (present tense) → 저어요 [jeo-eo-yo]
= I stir. / Please stir it.

잇다 [it-tta] = to connect; to link
잇 + 었어요 (past tense) = 이었어요 [i-eo-sseo-yo]
= I connected (it). / I linked (it).

짓다 [jit-tta] = to build; to compose
짓 + 었어요 (past tense) = 지었어요 [ji-eo-sseo-yo]
= I built it. / I composed it.

Sample Sentences

잘 저으세요.
[jal jeo-eu-se-yo.]
= Stir it well.

두 개를 이었어요.
[du gae-reul i-eo-sseo-yo.]
= I connected the two (objects).

이 집을 누가 지었어요?
[i ji-beul nu-ga ji-eo-sseo-yo?]
= Who built this house?

좋은 이름을 지을 거예요.
[jo-eun i-reu-meul ji-eul kkeo-ye-yo.]
= I am going to create a good name.

감기 다 나았어요?
[gam-gi da na-a-sseo-yo?]
= Did you recover (completely) from the cold?

Exceptions

There are some verb stems in which the “ㅅ” 받침 is regular, meaning that the ㅅ is not dropped and it stays the same.

Ex)
웃다 [ut-tta] = to smile; to laugh
웃어요. [u-seo-yo.] = Smile. / I smile. / He laughs. / They laugh.

씻다 [ssit-tta] = to wash
씻을 거예요. [ssi-seul kkeo-ye-yo.] = I am going to wash up. / I am going to wash it.

벗다 [beot-tta] = to take (clothes) off
신발을 벗어 주세요. [sin-ba-reul beo-seo ju-se-yo.] = Please take your shoes off.

Answer 16

Lesson 30. Word Builder 2 / 실(室)
Word Builder lessons are designed to help you understand how to more efficiently expand your vocabulary by learning/understanding some common and basic building blocks of Korean words. Many (not all) of the words and letters introduced through Word Builder lessons are based on Chinese characters, or 한자 [han-jja], but the meanings can differ from modern-day Chinese. Your goal, through these lessons, is to understand how words are formed and remember the keywords in Korean in order to expand your Korean vocabulary from there. You certainly do not have to memorize the Hanja characters, but if you want to, feel free!

Today’s keyword is 실 [sil].

The Chinese character for 실 is 室.

The word 실 is related to “room”.

Sample Expressions

화장 (makeup) + 실 (room) = 화장실 (化粧室) [hwa-jang-sil] = toilet; bathroom
* 분장 (扮裝) also means “makeup”, but is specific to stage/theater makeup.
Therefore, 분장실 (扮裝室) [bun-jang-sil] = dressing room; backstage powder room

교 (school, teach) + 실 (room) = 교실 (敎室) [gyo-sil] = classroom
연습 (practice) + 실 (room) = 연습실 (練習室) [yeon-seup-ssil] = practice room, practice place
대기 (wait) + 실 (room) = 대기실 (待機室) [dae-gi-sil] = waiting room
회 (meet) + 의 (discuss) + 실 (room) = 회의실 (會議室) [hoe-ui-sil] = meeting room, conference room
병 (disease) + 실 (room) = 병실 (病室) [byeong-sil] = hospital room, patient’s room
미용 (beauty treatment) + 실 (room) = 미용실 (美容室) [mi-yong-sil] = beauty parlor; hair salon
사 (work) + 무 (work, task) + 실 (room) = 사무실 (事務室) [sa-mu-sil] = office
교 (school, teach) + 무 (work) + 실 (room) = 교무실 (敎務室) [gyo-mu-sil] = teacher’s office
실 (room) + 장 (head, leader) = 실장 (室長) [sil-jjang] = head of the office
실 (room) + 내 (inside) = 실내 (室內) [sil-lae] = indoors
실 (room) + 외 (outside) = 실외 (室外) [si-roe] = outdoors, outside