는 o 은 (Sujeto)

Se coloca al final de una palabra para indicar que es el sujeto de la oración.

Se usa 는 cuando la última letra de la última sílaba del sujeto es una vocal.
Por ejemplo:
나 = 나는
저 = 저는

Se usa 은 cuando la última letra de la última sílaba del sujeto es una

consonante. Por ejemplo:
집 = 집은
책 = 책은

를 o 을 (Objeto)
Se coloca al final de una palabra para indicar que es el objeto de la oración.
Se usa 를 cuando la última letra de la última sílaba del objeto es una vocal.
Por ejemplo:
나 = 나를
저 = 저를

Se usa 을 cuando la última letra de la última sílaba del objeto es una

consonante. Por ejemplo:
집 = 집을
책 = 책을

Ahora podemos formar oraciones usando las partículas y estructura

coreanas.

1) Yo hablo coreano = Yo 는 coreano 를 hablo

는 va unido a “Yo” (el sujeto)
를 va unido a “coreano” (el objeto)

2) Tú comes chocolate = Tú 는 chocolate 를 comes

는 va unido a “Tú” (el sujeto)
를 va unido a “chocolate” (el sujeto)
3) Yo escribí una canción = Yo 는 canción 을 escribí
는 va unido a “Yo” (el sujeto)
을 va unido a “carta” (el objeto)

4) Yo me subí al camión = Yo 는 camión 을 subí

는 va unido a “Yo” (el sujeto)
을 va unido a “camión” (el objeto)

5) Mi mamá cocinará pasta = Mi mamá 은 pasta 를 cocinará

은 va unido a “Mi mamá” (el sujeto)
를 va unido a “pasta” (el objeto)

Seguramente estás tentado a sustituir las palabras en español por palabras

coreanas, pero por ahora no lo hagas. El objetivo de esta lección es que te
familiarices con la estructura de las oraciones. Un paso a la vez.

Lo mismo que hicimos arriba funciona para oraciones con adjetivos.

Recuerda que las oraciones con adjetivos NO llevan objeto:

1) Mi novia es bonita: Mi novia 는 es bonita

“는” va unido a “mi novia” (el sujeto)

2) La película fue graciosa = La película 는 fue graciosa

“는” va unido a “La película” (el sujeto)

Hay una tercera partícula que debemos conocer antes de seguir adelante.

에 (Lugar o tiempo)

Todavía no hemos visto tiempos o lugares, pero si realizas una acción a

cierta hora, debes añadir la partícula “에” a la palabra que indica el tiempo.

“에” también se usa con las palabras de la oración que indican lugares. Hay
más cosas qué saber de “에”, pero por ahora con estos dos usos tendremos
suficiente.

De nuevo, las partículas no se pueden traducir al español, pero “에” juega el

papel de las palabras subrayadas:
1) Yo llegué a las 3pm.
2) Fui al parque.

Las oraciones con un lugar/hora también pueden tener objeto. Por ejemplo:

3) Yo comí hamburguesas a las 3pm.

Si escribiéramos esas mismas oraciones usando las partículas y estructura

coreanas, quedarían así:

1) Yo 는 3pm 에 llegué
2) Yo 는 parque 에 fui

3) Yo 는 hamburguesas 을 3pm 에 comí

En estos casos, “a las 3pm” o “al parque” actúan como adverbios (palabras
que te dicen cuándo, dónde, cómo, cuánto). No hay lugar establecido para
los adverbios dentro de una oración, y casi siempre se pueden poner donde
sea (excepto al final). Veremos a fondo los adverbios en la Lección 8.

Como ya mencionamos, el propósito de esta primera parte es familiarizarte

con las diferentes partículas y la estructura de las oraciones coreanas. Este
conocimiento es la base para futuras lecciones donde comenzarás a utilizar
verbos y adjetivos. Aunque todavía tienes que esperar un poco para hacer
ese tipo de oraciones, podemos empezar a hablar de hacer frases con la
palabra “ser”.

Ser: 이다

Ahora es el momento de hacer una oración real usando la palabra “ser”. En

español, esta palabra es muy difícil, aunque al ser nosotros hablantes
nativos, no nos damos cuenta. Mira los siguientes ejemplos:

Soy un hombre
Tú eres un hombre
Él es un hombre
Nosotros somos hombres
Ellos son hombres

En cada una de estas oraciones, la palabra “ser” está escrita de manera

diferente (soy, es, son) ya que cambia según la persona y el tiempo en el
que esté conjugada. Afortunadamente, en coreano sólo utilizan una sola
palabra para soy/eres/es/somos/son. Esta palabra es 이다.

No se debe pensar en 이다 como un verbo o un adjetivo, ya que en la

mayoría de los casos actúa de manera diferente. Veremos cómo 이다
difiere de verbos y adjetivos en futuras lecciones.

Aún así, hay veces en las que 이다 funciona de manera similar a un adjetivo.
Recordemos que las oraciones que terminan en adjetivos no tienen objeto.
Cada que una oración es predicada por un adjetivo, no habrá objeto. Sólo
las oraciones con verbo tienen objetos. Aquí hay algunos ejemplos:

Yo como hamburguesas (comer es el verbo, hamburguesas es el objeto)

Yo llamo a mi amigo (llamar es el verbo, mi amigo es el objeto)
Yo estudio coreano (estudiar es el verbo, el objeto es el coreano)
Yo escucho música (escuchar es el verbo, música es el objeto)

Todas estas oraciones pueden tener objetos porque el verbo es el que

predica la oración. En cambio, en las oraciones predicadas por adjetivos:

Yo soy bonita
Yo soy hermosa
Yo estoy hambrienta
Yo soy inteligente

Esto significa que no podemos usar nunca la partícula ~을/를 en una

oración predicada por un adjetivo (porque ~을/를 indica que hay un
objeto). La partícula de objeto tampoco se usa cuando aparece la palabra
“이다”. La estructura básica de una oración predicada por “이다” es:

[sustantivo 은/는] [otro sustantivo] [이다]

Por ejemplo:
Yo 는 hombre 이다 =Yo soy un hombre

Ahora sustituyamos las palabras en coreano para “hombre” y “yo”:

나 = yo
남자 = hombre
나는 + 남자 + 이다

이다 se añade directamente al sustantivo. Así, la construcción de arriba

quedaría:

나는 남자이다 = Yo soy un hombre

Es MUY importante que recuerdes que ~를/을 no se utiliza en oraciones con

“이다.” La siguiente oración está escrita de forma muy, pero muy incorrecta:

나는 남자를 이다.

이다 es la única palabra que actúa de esta manera, y es una de las razones

por las que hay que tratarla diferente que a otros verbos o adjetivos.

——————-

IMPORTANTE:

El enfoque de esta lección (y de las Lecciones 2 y 3) es de servir como

introducción a la estructura de oraciones sencillas en coreano. No
estudiaremos las conjugaciones y honoríficos de 이다 y de adjetivos y
verbos coreanos sino hasta las lecciones 5 y 6.

En la vida real, estas palabras nunca (o muy, muy rara vez) son utilizadas sin
estas conjugaciones y honoríficos. Por lo tanto, si bien me empeño en
recalcar la importancia de entender la estructura de las oraciones que
presentamos en las lecciones 1, 2, 3 y 4; no intentes de ninguna manera
usarlas para comunicarte con una persona coreana, ya que lo más probable
es que no te entiendan. Para poder entender por completo lo que se enseña
en las lecciones 5 y 6 (y en el resto de tus estudios del coreano), es
fundamental que entiendas las primeras 4 lecciones, aunque puedan ser
vistas como “técnicamente incorrectas”.

Debajo de las oraciones “técnicamente incorrectas” (sin conjugar) que

aparecerán en las Lecciones 1-4, presentaré, entre paréntesis, la oración
conjugada correctamente (con dos versiones, una formal y una informal).
Repito una vez más que las conjugaciones de verbos y adjetivos los
veremos en las Lecciones 5 y 6, y la conjugación de 이다 en la Lección 9.
 Esto, eso, aquello (이/그/저)

En el vocabulario de arriba establecimos que la palabra para “esto” es 이.

Usamos 이 en coreano cuando hablamos de algo que se encuentra tan

cerca de nosotros que lo podemos tocar. Por ejemplo: esta pluma – es
decir, la que tengo en mi mano. Igual que en Español, “이” se coloca antes
del sustantivo que describe. Por ejemplo:

이 사람 = Esta persona
이 남자 = Este hombre
이 여자 = Esta mujer
이 차 = Este carro
이 탁자 = Esta mesa
이 의자 = Esta silla

“그” es un poco complejo de entender para personas que apenas empiezan

a estudiar coreano.

“그” se traduce como “eso”, pero se utiliza para referirnos a un objeto

mencionado en una oración anterior o de un contexto previo, sin importar
si lo podemos ver o no. Dar ejemplos sería complicado porque todavía no
hemos visto oraciones complejas en coreano. Sin embargo, si yo dijera:
“Ese hombre [un hombre que tu amigo mencionó en una oración anterior]
no me inspira confianza.” La palabra “ese” sería el equivalente a cómo se
utiliza “그”.

Usamos 저 (“aquello”) cuando hablamos de algo que podemos ver, pero no

tocar, porque se encuentra demasiado lejos.

“그” y “저” se colocan delante de los sustantivos, al igual que “이.”

이 사람 = Esta persona 이 남자 = Este hombre

그 사람 = Esa persona 그 남자 = Ese hombre
저 사람 = Aquella persona 저 남자 = Aquél hombre
이 여자 = Esta mujer 이 탁자 = Esta mesa
그 여자 = Esa mujer 그 탁자 = Esa mesa
저 여자 = Aquella mujer 저 탁자 = Aquella mesa

이 의자 = Esta silla
그 의자 = Esa silla
저 의자 = Aquella silla

Una de las palabras más comunes en coreano es “것”, que significa “cosa”.
Cuando se colocan 이, 그 o 저 antes de “것,” se forma una palabra
compuesta. Por lo tanto, cuando escribimos “것” después de 이, 그 o 저, no
se deja espacio entre ellas, ya que no son dos palabras, sino una:

이것 = esta cosa
그것 = esa cosa
저것 = aquella cosa

Es similar a la forma en la que combinamos palabras en español para

formar una nueva (tela + araña = telaraña), y ocurre muy frecuentemente en
el coreano. No nos incumbe aún, pero también pasa con la palabra 곳 (que
significa “lugar”) y la palabra “때” (que significa “tiempo”).

En estas palabras, la palabra “cosa” puede ser omitida de la traducción al

español. Esta es la razón:

Usaré “eso” como ejemplo, pero la misma idea puede aplicarse a “esto” y
“aquello”.

“Eso” puede ser colocado antes de un sustantivo para describirlo. Como

vimos antes:

Esa persona
Ese hombre
Esa mujer

Sin embargo, también puede tomar el rol de sustantivo. Por ejemplo:

Eso me agrada.
En este tipo de oración, “eso” se refiere a algo que te agrada. Es un
sustantivo, una cosa. Así pues, igual podríamos decir:

Esa cosa me agrada.

Y tendría el mismo significado.

En general no me gusta usar jerga gramatical en las lecciones, pero si sabes

qué significan las palabras, podría serte de mucha ayuda. En español y en
coreano, “eso” puede ser un determinante (ej. “me gusta ese hombre”), y
también puede ser un pronombre (ej. “me gusta eso/eso me gusta”).
Cuando lo utilizamos como determinante en coreano, 그 debe ir antes de
un sustantivo. Cuando lo usamos como pronombre, utilizamos la palabra
그것.

Siguiendo esta pauta, si bien “이, 그 y 저” se traducen como “esto”, “eso” y

“aquello”, y se colocan antes de sustantivos para indicar “este sustantivo”,
“ese sustantivo” y “aquél sustantivo”, “이것, 그것 y 저것” son sustantivos
por sí solos (son pronombres). Por lo tanto, traducir la palabra “cosa” sería
redundante, aunque el significado quedaría igual:

Me gusta esto
Me gusta esta cosa

Quiero comer eso

Quiero comer esa cosa

Ahora ya podemos usar estos sustantivos como sujetos u objetos en una

oración. A continuación veremos cómo pueden ser usados con “이다”.

Usar esto/eso/aquello con 이다

Recordemos que 이다 se traduce como “ser” y se conjuga como

“soy/eres/somos/etc.” en español. Ahora que sabemos cómo usar 이, 그 y
저 (y 이것, 그것 y 저것), podemos formular oraciones como la siguiente:

Esa persona es un doctor.

Ordenemos primero las palabras usando la estructura coreana:

Esa persona 는 doctor es

Ahora cambiemos las palabras por sus correspondientes en coreano:

그(esta) 사람은(persona 는) +  의사(doctor) + 이다(es)
그 사람은 +  의사 + 이다

그 사람은 의사이다
PLAY(그 사람은 의사야 / 그 사람은 의사예요)

Más ejemplos:
그 사람은 선생님이다 = Esa persona es un profesor
(PLAY 그 사람은 선생님이야 / 그 사람은 선생님이에요)

이것은 탁자이다 = Esto (esta cosa) es una mesa

(PLAY 이것은 탁자야 / PLAY 이것은 탁자예요)

저것은 침대이다 = Aquella (cosa) es una cama

(PLAY 저것은 침대야 / 저것은 침대예요)

그 사람은 남자이다 = Esa persona es un hombre

(PLAY 그 사람은 남자야 / 그 사람은 남자예요)

그 사람은 여자이다 = Esa persona es una mujer

(PLAY 그 사람은 여자야 / 그 사람은 여자예요)

그것은 차이다 = Eso (esa cosa) es un carro

(PLAY 그것은 차야 / 그것은 차예요)

이것은 나무이다 = Esto (esta cosa) es un árbol

(PLAY 이것은 나무야 / 이것은 나무예요)

¡Phew! Eso fue largo. Seguro que si tomaras cualquier otro texto para
aprender coreano, el primer capítulo sería mucho más fácil que este. Pero
confía en mí, aprender esto desde el principio será extremadamente útil
después. Cuando comenzaba a aprender coreano, me tomó meses darme
cuenta de algunas de estas cosas (no porque fueran difíciles, sino porque
estaba usando un libro de texto que jamás me explicó la razón de por qué
las cosas son como son en el coreano).

Antes de que avances, asegúrate de que comprendes por completo la

estructura de oraciones coreanas simples que vimos en esta primera
lección. También recuerda que las oraciones que no aparecen entre
paréntesis son técnicamente incorrectas (o muy poco comunes) porque no
están conjugadas.

Vocabulario

El vocabulario está separado en sustantivos, verbos, adjetivos y adverbios

con el propósito de simplicidad.

Da click en la palabra en español para ver información y ejemplos de uso. A

estas alturas es muy probable que no seas capaz de entender el
vocabulario que aparece en las oraciones, pero es bueno para que después
veas cómo vas progresando.

Puedes encontrar un PDF con estas palabras e información extra aquí (en

inglés).

Sustantivos: PLAY 고양이 = gato

PLAY 나라 = país
PLAY 쥐 = rata/ratón
PLAY 가방 = bolsa/mochila
PLAY 펜 = pluma (bolígrafo)
PLAY 창문 = ventana
PLAY 전화기 = teléfono
잡지 = revista
PLAY 커피 = café
PLAY 방 = cuarto
PLAY 식당 = restaurante
PLAY 냉장고 = refrigerador
PLAY 건물 = edificio
PLAY 개 = cachorro/perro
PLAY 텔레비전 = televisión
PLAY 강아지 = perrito
PLAY 미국 = Estados Unidos (USA) PLAY 옆 = a un lado

PLAY 캐나다 = Canadá PLAY 뒤 = detrás

PLAY 호텔 = hotel PLAY 앞 = enfrente

PLAY 학교 = escuela PLAY 여기 = aqui

PLAY 은행 = banco Verbos:

있다 = estar en algún lugar
Adverbios
PLAY 안 = dentro/en Adjetivos:
있다 = tener algo
PLAY 위 = sobre/encima
Para memorizar estas palabras,
puedes utilizar nuestra
PLAY 밑 = debajo herramienta Memrise. (en inglés).

Introducción

En la Lección 1 aprendimos las partículas coreanas más sencillas. Para

resumir, vimos que:

~는 o ~은 se utilizan para indicar el sujeto (o persona/cosa principal) de una

oración.
~를 o ~을 se utilizan para indicar el objeto de la oración.

Por ejemplo, en la frase: “Yo comí una hamburguesa”

“Yo” es el sujeto de la oración

“hamburguesa” es el objeto
“comer” es el verbo

En esta Lección, aprenderás las partículas ~이/가, y en particular cómo se

comparan con ~는/은. En todos los casos, ~이 se añade a sustantivos cuya
última letra es una consonante (igual que ~은) y ~가 se añade a sustantivos
donde la última letra es una vocal (igual que ~는). Por ejemplo:
책 termina en consonante (ㄱ), así que se añade “~이”: “책이.”
소파 termina en vocal (ㅏ), así que se añade “~가”: “소파가.”

Pero, ¿en qué situaciones se utilizan ~이/가? Antes de aprender eso, me

gustaría enseñarte primero cómo usar la palabra “있다”. Comencemos.

있다: Tener

La palabra “있다” tiene dos significados diferentes, los cuales son ambos
muy comunes e importantes para alguien que apenas comienza a aprender
coreano. Como puedes ver más arriba en el vocabulario de esta lección,
esta palabra tiene los siguientes significados:

있다 = tener
있다 = estar en (algún lugar)

Vimos en la Lección 1 que 이다 (ser) actúa como un adjetivo. 있다 (tener)

también actúa como adjetivo. Esto es importante por lo siguiente.

Aprendiste también en la Lección 1 que las oraciones con adjetivos no

pueden tener objeto. Por lo tanto, no puedes tener una palabra que termine
con la partícula ~를/을 si la palabra que predica la oración es un adjetivo
(porque ~를/을 indica que hay un objeto).

Si este NO fuera el caso, podríamos hacer esto:

Yo tengo una pluma

Yo 는 pluma 를있다
나는 + 펜을 + 있다
나는 펜을 있다 = Yo tengo una pluma
PERO recuerda, 있다 actúa como adjetivo, por lo que no podemos tener un
objeto en esa oración. Así pues, el uso de ~을 en “펜” es incorrecto. Para
evadir este obstáculo, podemos añadir ~이/가 al objeto en lugar de ~를/을
en oraciones con 있다. Este es uno de los usos de la partícula ~이/가:
indicar la cosa que la persona “tiene” en oraciones con “있다”. Aquí hay
algunos ejemplos:

나는 펜이 있다 = Yo tengo una pluma

(PLAY 나는 펜이 있어 / 저는 펜이 있어요)

나는 차가 있다 = Yo tengo un carro
(PLAY 나는 차가 있어 / 저는 차가 있어요)

나는 잡지가 있다 = Yo tengo una revista

(PLAY 나는 잡지가 있어 / 저는 잡지가 있어요)

나는 가방이 있다 = Yo tengo una mochila

(PLAY 나는 가방이 있어 / 저는 가방이 있어요)

De nuevo, observa que ~을/를 no se usa para indicar el objeto que la

persona tiene, sino que se usa ~이/가.

Recuerda que las oraciones de ejemplo de las Lecciones 1 a 4 no están

conjugadas. Debajo de las oraciones “incorrectas” hay dos ejemplos
conjugados, pero por ahora debemos preocuparnos más por lo que se
presenta en las presentes lecciones. Ya veremos las conjugaciones y los
honoríficos a su debido tiempo.

있다: estar en (algún lugar)

Lo que hace a 있다 algo confusa es que también puede significar “estar en”.
En la Lección 1 vimos la partícula ~에. Aprendiste que esta partícula se usa
para indicar el lugar y/o el tiempo de algo en una oración. Por lo tanto, ~에
se utiliza frecuentemente en oraciones con 있다 para indicar la ubicación de
algo/alguien.

Por ejemplo: Yo estoy en la escuela

Si quisiéramos escribir esta oración con la estructura y partículas coreanas,

escribiríamos:

Yo 는 escuela 에 estoy
나는 + 학교에 + 있다

나는 학교에 있다 = Yo estoy en la escuela

(PLAY 나는 학교에 있어 / 저는 학교에 있어요)

o,

나는 캐나다에 있다 = Estoy en Canadá

(PLAY 나는 캐나다에 있어 / 저는 캐나다에 있어요)

Observa la inmensa diferencia (en significado) entre las siguientes

oraciones, y el rol que juegan las partículas en cada caso. Como 있다 tiene
dos significados distintos, cambiar las partículas de una oración puede
cambiar drásticamente el significado. Por ejemplo:

나는 학교가 있다 = Yo tengo una escuela – esto podría tener sentido en

algunos casos, pero lo más probable es que hayas querido decir:
나는 학교에 있다 = Yo estoy en la escuela

나는 잡지가 있다 = Yo tengo una revista

나는 잡지에 있다 = Yo estoy en una revista (no tiene sentido)

También podemos usar adverbios de lugar para indicar específicamente

dónde se encuentra algo o alguien con respecto a otro sustantivo. Los más
comunes son:
안 = dentro
위 = encima
밑 = debajo
옆 = a un lado
뒤 = detrás
앞 = enfrente

Estas palabras se colocan después de un sustantivo para indicar dónde se

encuentra el objeto con respecto a dicho sustantivo. La partícula ~에 se
añade directamente a las palabras que indican el lugar. Por ejemplo:

학교 앞에 = enfrente de la escuela
사람 뒤에 = detrás de la persona
집 옆에 = a un lado de la casa
저 건물 뒤에 = detrás de aquél edificio

Estas construcciones ahora pueden actuar como la locación (adverbio) de

una oración:

나는 학교에 있다 = Yo estoy en la escuela

나는 학교 앞에 있다 = Yo estoy enfrente de la escuela

(PLAY 나는 학교 앞에 있어 / PLAY 저는 학교 앞에 있어요)

Hagamos más oraciones:

나는 학교 뒤에 있다 = Yo estoy detrás de la escuela

(PLAY 나는 학교 뒤에 있어 / 저는 학교 뒤에 있어요)

나는 학교 옆에 있다 = Yo estoy a un lado de la escuela

(PLAY 나는 학교 옆에 있어 / 저는 학교 옆에 있어요)

나는 은행 안에 있다 = Yo estoy dentro del banco

(PLAY 나는 은행 안에 있어 / 저는 은행 안에 있어요)

개는 집 안에 있다 = El perro está en la casa

(PLAY 개는 집 안에 있어 / 개는 집 안에 있어요)
고양이는 의자 밑에 있다 = El gato está debajo de la silla
(PLAY 고양이는 의자 밑에 있어 / 고양이는 의자 밑에 있어요)

식당은 은행 옆에 있다 = El restaurante está a un lado del banco

(PLAY 식당은 은행 옆에 있어 / 식당은 은행 옆에 있어요)

호텔은 학교 옆에 있다 = El hotel está a un lado de la escuela

(PLAY 호텔은 학교 옆에 있어 / 호텔은 학교 옆에 있어요)

Ya sabes que ~이/가 se puede añadir a sustantivos para indicar el objeto

que una persona “tiene”. ~이/가 también puede ser usado para indicar el
sujeto de una oración, similar a ~는/은. ¿Cuál es la diferencia? La siguiente
sección habla de ello.

이/가 como marcador del sujeto

Una de las nociones más difíciles de entender como principiante del

coreano es la diferencia entre las partículas ~는/은 y ~이/가. Previamente
en esta lección, aprendiste que debes usar ~이/가 con el sustantivo que una
persona “tiene” al usar “있다”.

Además de esto, hay más funciones de ~이/가 de las cuales deberías saber.

En la Lección 1, aprendiste que se debe añadir ~는/은 al sujeto de la

oración. Usando un ejemplo que vimos en esta misma Lección, podrías
decir:

고양이는 집 뒤에 있다 = El gato está detrás de la casa.

(PLAY 고양이는 집 뒤에 있어 / 고양이는 집 뒤에 있어요)

En esta oración, observa que la partícula ~는/은 indica que el “gato” es el

sujeto.

Sin embargo, la oración de arriba también podría ser escrita de la siguiente

manera:
고양이가 집 뒤에 있다 = El gato está detrás de la casa.
(PLAY 고양이가 집 뒤에 있어 / 고양이가 집 뒤에 있어요)

Las dos oraciones podrían tener el mismo significado. Pongo énfasis en el

“podrían” porque en algunas situaciones el significado de ambas es
exactamente el mismo, pero en otras puede ser ligeramente diferente.

La razón por la que podrían ser idénticas:

고양이는 집 뒤에 있다 = El gato está detrás de la casa.
고양이가 집 뒤에 있다 = El gato está detrás de la casa.

~이/가, al igual que ~는/은, se añade al sujeto de una oración. An algunas

situaciones, no hay diferencia en significado, ya sea que se use ~이/가 o
que se use ~는/은.

La razón por la que podrían ser ligeramente diferentes:

~는/은 tiene el rol de indicar que algo está siendo comparado con otra
cosa. El sustantivo al que se añade “~는/은” está siendo comparado. En este
ejemplo:

고양이는 집 뒤에 있다 = El gato está detrás de la casa.

El hablante está diciendo que el gato está detrás de la casa (en

comparación a algo más que no está detrás de la casa). Lo difícil aquí es
que hay sólo una oración, por lo que el que escucha no tiene el contexto
necesario para entender con qué se está comparando a “el gato”. Si
inventara un contexto que encaje con la situación, podría ser algo como “El
perro está en la casa, y el gato está detrás de la casa.”

Pero, decir:

고양이가 집 뒤에 있다 = El gato está detrás de la casa.

…sólo está enunciando un hecho, y “el gato” no está siendo comparado con
nada.

Otro ejemplo:
커피가 냉장고에 있다 = El café está en el refrigerador (Esta oración
simplemente está anunciando que el café está en el refrigerador, y no hay
intención de compararlo con nada.)

커피는 냉장고에 있다 = El café está en el refrigerador (Esta oración podría

estar simplemente diciendo que el café está en el refrigerador, pero
también es posible que el hablante esté tratando de distinguir entre la
ubicación del café y la de otro objeto. Por ejemplo, puede que el té esté en
la mesa, pero el café está en el refrigerador).

———————————-

Quizá también te preguntes por qué no se utiliza “안” para indicar que el
café está dentro del refrigerador. En estos casos, cuando la ubicación del
objeto es “adentro” de algo, “안” puede ser omitido. Puedes ver las
similitudes de usar “안” o de no usarlo en las siguientes oraciones en
español y coreano:

커피가 냉장고에 있다 = El café está en el refrigerador.

커피가 냉장고 안에 있다 = El café está dentro del refrigerador.

———————————-

En ambos pares de ejemplos (usando ~는/은 o ~이/가), la traducción no

cambia por alterar la partícula del sujeto. Lo único que cambia es la sutil
sensación de que algo está siendo comparado.

Nota que esta función “comparativa” de ~는/은 puede ser usada en

oraciones mucho más complicadas, y puede estar pegado a otros
principios gramaticales; los cuales no has aprendido aún. En lecciones más
avanzadas, no sólo verás ejemplos cada vez más complejos aplicando este
concepto, sino que su uso con otros principios será explicado a detalle.
Recuerda que las oraciones de ejemplo que estamos mostrando en este
nivel son extremadamente sencillas, y no reflejan la realidad de las
oraciones que diría una persona coreana. La forma de hablar en la vida real
es mucho más compleja y suele ser una combinación de muchas cláusulas
y principios gramaticales.

En nuestras lecciones no nos metemos al mundo del uso de cláusulas

múltiples sino hasta la Lección 24. Formar oraciones con más de una
cláusula abre un abismo entero de posibilidades para las que aún no tienes
las herramientas necesarias. Te recomiendo que NO saltes a esa lección.
Sólo mantén la información de la presente lección en mente hasta que
eventualmente alcances ese nivel.

Mientras avanzas a través de las lecciones, verás “~는/은” y “~이/가”

usados como partículas de sujeto en las miles de oraciones de ejemplo que
hemos escrito. Como prácticamente todos nuestros ejemplos son escritos
como oraciones sueltas (sin trasfondo, contexto o explicación), no hay
manera de saber si algo está siendo comparado, y por lo tanto su uso es
casi siempre arbitrario. Habiendo dicho eso, todas las oraciones en coreano
de nuestras lecciones han sido revisadas por una hablante nativa para
asegurarnos de que nada suene raro o esté escrito incorrectamente.

Además de la distinción discutida en esta lección, hay otros casos en los

cuales sería más apropiado usar ~이/가 o ~은/는. Sin embargo, por el
momento no puedo describir completamente la diferencia entre ambas
partículas debido a la limitada comprensión de la gramática y el vocabulario
que tienes en este momento. El propósito de esta lección es que
comprendas de forma general la partícula ~이/가, e introducirte a su
comparación con ~는/은.

Te sugiero continuar con la Lección 3 para aprender otros principios

gramaticales que necesitas para profundizar tu conocimiento general del
coreano.

En las Lecciones 17 y 22 volveremos a discutir este problema y

ahondaremos en otras maneras en las que podemos distinguir las funciones
de ~이/가 y ~는/은. Quiero enfatizar una vez más que no quiero que leas
esas lecciones ahora, pero debes saber que hay más material para
distinguir ~는/은 y ~이/가 del presentado aquí.

Si no has alcanzado la Lección 17 (y en especial si no has pasado a la

Lección 3), no entenderás lo que se explica. Ser capaz de entender por
completo la diferencia entre estas partículas es importante, pero no tanto
como entender primero otros aspectos de la gramática coreana. Lo repetiré
una vez más: distinguir la diferencia entre ambas partículas es una habilidad
que irás adquiriendo al tiempo que sigas practicando y estudiando coreano
en general.
La buena noticia es que, incluso si te equivocas con el uso de ~이/가 y ~는/
은 (ya sea porque te confundiste o porque todavía no has llegado a las
lecciones más avanzadas), 99.9% del tiempo, quien te escucha será capaz
de entender exactamente lo que quisiste decir. De la misma manera, si
escuchas a alguien hablar, serás capaz de entender lo que quieren decir sin
importar si ya aprendiste los usos más complejos de ~이/가 y ~는/은. La
diferencia entre ambas partículas es simplemente de matiz, y no cambia
drásticamente el significado de la oración.

Confundir otras partículas, por el contrario, podría hacer que otras personas
malinterpretaran lo que quisiste decir. Por ejemplo, usar ~를/을 en lugar de
~는/은 haría, muy probablemente, que tu oración fuera incomprensible.

Vocabulario PLAY 눈 = “ojo”

Sustantivos: PLAY 입 = boca

PLAY 음식 = comida
PLAY 배 = estómago
PLAY 케이크 = pastel
PLAY 버스 = autobús/camión
PLAY 공항 = aeropuerto
배 = barco
PLAY 병원 = hospital
Verbos:
PLAY 공원 = parque
PLAY 먹다 = comer
PLAY 한국어 = coreano (idioma)
가다 = ir
PLAY 머리 = cabeza
PLAY 만나다 = reunirse/
PLAY 다리 = pierna encontrarse/conocer

손가락 = dedo PLAY 닫다 = cerrar

PLAY 귀 = oreja PLAY 열다 = abrir

팔 = brazo 원하다 = querer (un objeto)

PLAY 만들다 = hacer PLAY 싸다 = ser barato/no costoso
(fabricar/crear algo)
PLAY 아름답다 = ser hermoso
PLAY 하다 = hacer (ejecutar alguna
acción) PLAY 뚱뚱하다 = ser
gordo/rellenito
말하다 = hablar
PLAY 길다 = ser largo
PLAY 이해하다 = entender
PLAY 좋다 = ser bueno
PLAY 좋아하다 = gustar
Adverbios:
Adjectivos: PLAY 아주 = muy
PLAY 크다 = ser grande
PLAY 매우 = muy
PLAY 작다 = ser pequeño
PLAY 너무 = demasiado (usado
PLAY 새롭다 = ser nuevo frecuentemente para significar
“muy”)
낡다 = ser viejo (NO de edad)
Para ayuda en memorizar estas
palabras, trate de usar nuestra
PLAY 비싸다 = ser caro/costoso herramienta Memrise.

Notas breves acerca de los verbos y adjetivos coreanos

Muy bien, ahora sí es hora de ponernos serios. Es tiempo de aprender cosas

que puedas aplicar a cualquier verbo o a cualquier adjetivo. Hay algunas
cosas que debes tener en cuenta desde antes:

1. Lo dije antes (y lo dije dos veces), pero lo voy a repetir una vez má
Todas las oraciones coreanas deben terminar o en un verbo o en un
adjetivo (esto incluye 이다 y 있다).
2. Observa (a mí me tomó meses darme cuenta) que todos los verbos y
adjetivos coreanos terminan en la sílaba ‘다’. 100% del tiempo, la
última sílaba de un verbo o un adjetivo debe ser ‘다’. Fíjate en el
vocabulario de esta lección si no me crees.
 3. Además de terminar en ‘다’, muchos de estos verbos y adjetivos
terminan en las sílabas ‘하다’. ‘하다’ significa ‘hacer’. Los verbos que
terminan en ‘하다’ son geniales, porque puedes eliminar ‘하다’ para
obtener la forma sustantiva de ese verbo/adjetivo. ¿Te suena confuso?
Lo es, un poco. Yo lo aprendí hasta 3 meses después de empezar a
estudiar, pero es esencial para aprender coreano.
Por ejemplo:

행복하다 = feliz 성취하다 = lograr

행복 = felicidad 성취 = logro

성공하다 = tener éxito 취득하다 = adquirir

성공 = éxito 취득 = adquisición

말하다 = hablar
말 = habla/palabras

Aún no tienes que memorizar estas palabras, porque son difíciles, pero es
importante que sepas que a ciertas palabras se les puede quitar ‘하다’ para
crear sustantivos.

Los verbos/adjetivos que terminan en “~하다” suelen ser de origen chino, y

tienen un equivalente en Hanja (한자). Los verbos que no terminan en “~
하다” son de origen coreano y no tienen una forma Hanja. Si sabes chino,
probablemente tendrás algo de ventaja al aprender vocabulario coreano
más complicado, ya que muchas palabras difíciles del coreano son de
origen chino.

Verbos coreanos

En las lecciones anteriores hablamos brevemente de los verbos, pero hasta

ahora no hemos visto nada formal. En la Lección 1 aprendiste la estructura
básica de las oraciones con verbos. Repasémoslo de nuevo. Si quisieras
decir “yo como comida”, ya deberías saber cómo aplicar las partículas 는/
은 y 를/을:

Yo como comida
Yo 는 comida 를 comer
Para formar una oración, sólo necesitas sustituir las palabras en español por
las correspondientes en coreano:
저는 + 음식을 + 먹다
저는 음식을 먹다 = Yo como comida

—————————-

*Nota – Recuerda que los verbos aún no están conjugados, ya que veremos
conjugaciones en las Lecciones 5 y 6. Por lo tanto, las oraciones no son
correctas. Sin embargo, por ciertas normas gramaticales coreanas, las
oraciones que aparecen en la sección de “Adjetivos” son técnicamente
perfectas, pero están presentadas en una forma poco común de
conjugación.

Al igual que en las lecciones anteriores, hemos añadido audios solamente a

las oraciones que son gramáticamente correctas. Las oraciones incorrectas
(por no estar conjugadas) no tienen audio adjunto. Por ahora concéntrate
en el orden de las palabras en las oraciones, y cómo se utilizan los verbos y
adjetivos.

Al igual que en las lecciones anteriores, los ejemplos conjugados (uno

formal y uno informal) aparecen debajo de los ejemplos sin conjugar.
Utilízalos como referencia por ahora.

—————————-

Veamos algunos ejemplos:

나는 케이크를 만들다 = Yo hago un pastel.

(PLAY 나는 케이크를 만들어 / 저는 케이크를 만들어요)

나는 배를 원하다 = Yo quiero un barco.

(PLAY 나는 배를 원해 / 저는 배를 원해요)
나는 한국어를 말하다 = Yo hablo coreano.
(PLAY 나는 한국어를 말해 / 저는 한국어를 말해요)

나는 공원에 가다 = Yo voy al parque (observa la partícula 에)

(PLAY 나는 공원에 가 / 저는 공원에 가요)

나는 문을 닫다 = Yo cierro la puerta.
(PLAY 나는 문을 닫아 / 저는 문을 닫아요)

나는 창문을 열다 = Yo abro la ventana.

(PLAY 나는 창문을 열어 / 저는 창문을 열어요)

Recuerda que en las oraciones con verbo no es obligatorio que haya un

objeto, si el contexto lo permite. Por ejemplo:

나는 이해하다 = Yo entiendo
(PLAY 나는 이해해 / 저는 이해해요)

Algunos verbos por definición no pueden actuar sobre un objeto. Palabras

como dormir, ir, comer, etc. No puedes decir “yo dormí casa”, o “yo fui
restaurante”, o “yo morí ella”. Puedes usar sustantivos dentro de oraciones
con verbos, pero sólo usando otras partículas. Algunas ya las has aprendido
(como ~에); otras las aprenderás después. Usando otras partículas puedes
decir cosas como:

Yo dormí en casa
Yo fui al restaurante
Yo morí con ella
Aprenderemos partículas más complicadas en lecciones más avanzadas.
Por ahora enfoquémonos en el uso de ~를/을 y su función como partícula
de objeto.

Adjetivos coreanos

 
Los adjetivos coreanos, al igual que los verbos, se colocan al final de la
oración. La principal diferencia entre ellos es que los adjetivos nunca actúan
sobre un objeto. Observa que en las oraciones de abajo no hay objeto
sobre el que se actúe.
Los adjetivos son muy fáciles de usar. Solo ponlos en la oración con tu
sujeto.

Debido a ciertas reglas gramaticales, las versiones no conjugadas que se

presentan aquí abajo son correctas tal cual están. Por eso hemos añadido
audios de ejemplo para las oraciones no conjugadas, y no para las
conjugadas (aunque todas son correctas). Aprenderás más de esta regla y
cómo conjugar adjetivos en la Lección 5.

Nota: los adjetivos en coreano funcionan para ambos géneros y ambos

números. Para decir, por ejemplo, “hermoso”, “hermosos”, “hermosas” y
“hermosa”, se utiliza la misma palabra.

나는 아름답다 = Yo soy hermoso/a

(나는 아름다워 / 저는 아름다워요)

PLAY 나는 작다 = Yo soy pequeño/a

(나는 작아 / 저는 작아요)

PLAY 이 버스는 크다 = Este autobús es grande.

(이 버스는 커 / 이 버스는 커요)

PLAY 그 병원은 새롭다 = Ese hospital es nuevo.

(그 병원은 새로워 / 그 병원은 새로워요)

PLAY 이 공원은 매우 작다 = Este parque es muy pequeño.

(이 공원은 매우 작아 / 이 공원은 매우 작아요)

그 사람은 뚱뚱하다 = Esa persona es gorda.

(그 사람은 뚱뚱해 / 그 사람은 뚱뚱해요)

Un aspecto confuso del coreano al momento de traducirlo al español es el

uso de palabras como “es/soy/eres/etc…”. Fíjate cómo en todos los
ejemplos de arriba, se utilizan estas palabras. Esto ocurre porque las
necesitamos al usar adjetivos en español:
Yo soy gordo
Él es gordo
Ellos son gordos

Recuerda, la traducción de “es/soy/eres/son/etc…” al coreano es “이다.”

Sin embargo, no puedes usar “이다” cuando escribes una oración como
esta en coreano. Implícito en el adjetivo va “es/soy/eres/son”. Si esto te
confunde, no te preocupes, es normal, pero te conviene evitar aplicar lo
que sabes de gramática en español a la gramática coreana. Sólo te
confundirá más.

의 Partícula posesiva

Ya sabes que “yo” en coreano es 저/나. A estas alturas también sabes el

nombre de varios objetos.

“의” es una partícula que indica que uno es el dueño de otro objeto. Tiene el
mismo rol de los adjetivos posesivos en español. Recuerda que los
adjetivos posesivos son: mi/s, tu/s, su/s, nuestro/s, vuestro/s.

저 = Yo
책 = libro
저의 책 = Mi libro

저의 차 = Mi carro
그 사람의 차 = El carro de esa persona
의사의 탁자 = La mesa del doctor
선생님의 차 = El gato del profesor
저의 손가락 = Mi dedo

Puedes usar estas palabras en las oraciones que ya conoces (con verbos y
adjetivos):
PLAY 선생님의 차는 크다 = El carro del profesor es grande
(선생님의 차는 커 / 선생님의 차는 커요)

나는 선생님의 차를 원하다 = Quiero el carro del profesor

(PLAY 나는 선생님의 차를 원해 / 저는 선생님의 차를 원해요)

나의 손가락은 길다 = Mi dedo es largo

(나의 손가락은 길어 / 저의 손가락은 길어요)

PLAY 그 여자의 눈은 아름답다 = Los ojos de esa mujer son hermosos.

(그 여자의 눈은 아름다워 / 그 여자의 눈은 아름다워요)

Te darás cuenta que palabras como “mi/nuestro/su/sus” se omiten a

menudo de las oraciones. A través de tus estudios coreanos irás
confirmándolo, pero los coreanos aman abreviar sus oraciones siempre que
pueden.

Cada que algo se puede asumir por el contexto, se omiten las palabras para
hacer las oraciones más simples. Por ejemplo:

나는 나의 친구를 만나다 = Yo me reúno con mi amigo

(PLAY 나는 나의 친구를 만나 / 저는 저의 친구를 만나요)

Puede también escribirse así:

나는 친구를 만나다 = Yo me reúno con (mi/un) amigo

(PLAY 나는 친구를 만나 / 저는 친구를 만나요)

En este caso (y muchos otros similares), es claro que estás encontrándote

con “tu” amigo, así que la palabra “mi” puede ser omitida de la oración.

Siempre que traduzcas evita hacerlo literalmente, e intenta concentrarte en

traducir las oraciones basadas en el contexto, como en la oración anterior.

좋다 y 좋아하다
La palabra 좋다 es un adjetivo que significa “bueno/a.” Como 좋다 es un
adjetivo, podemos usarlo de la misma manera que otros adjetivos:

PLAY 이 음식은 좋다 = esta comida es buena

(이 음식은 좋아 / 이 음식은 좋아요)

그 선생님은 좋다 = ese maestro es bueno

(그 선생님은 좋아 / 그 선생님은 좋아요)

PLAY 이 학교는 좋다 = esta escuela es buena

(이 학교는 좋아 / 이 학교는 좋아요)

También existe 좋아하다, que es un verbo y significa “gustar/agradar”.

Como 좋아하다 es un verbo, podemos usarlo de la misma manera que
otros verbos:

나는 이 음식을 좋아하다 = me gusta esta comida

(나는 이 음식을 좋아해 / 저는 이 음식을 좋아해요)

나는 그 선생님을 좋아하다 = me agrada ese maestro

(PLAY 나는 그 선생님을 좋아해 / 저는 그 선생님을 좋아해요)

좋아하다 se forma al quitar ‘다’ de 좋다 y añadiendo 아 + 하다. Hay una

explicación detrás de esto, pero no necesitamos saberlo aún. Por ahora,
recuerda que:

좋다 es un adjetivo que no puede actuar sobre un objeto

좋아하다 es un verbo que sí puede actuar sobre un objeto

Nosotros y nuestro (우리)

Para finalizar la lección me gustaría enseñarte la palabra “우리”, que, como

puedes ver en el vocabulario, se traduce como “nosotros”.

Por ejemplo:
우리는 너를 좋아하다 = A nosotros nos agradas
(우리는 너를 좋아해)
No puse una versión formal de la oración conjugada a propósito porque es
raro decir la palabra “nosotros” en coreano formal. Veremos esto en otra
lección.

선생님은 우리를 좋아하다 = Nosotros le agradamos al maestro

(PLAY 선생님은 우리를 좋아해 / 선생님은 우리를 좋아해요)

Al poner la partícula posesiva “의” después de “우리”, podemos formar el

equivalente a la palabra “nuestro(a)”. Si bien es posible y técnicamente
correcto, considero que es mucho más común omitir esta partícula al ser
usada con “우리.” De hecho, la partícula “의” se omite frecuentemente de
otras palabras, no sólo de “우리”. Sin embargo, no recomiendo hacer esto
sino hasta que tengas un mayor dominio del lenguaje. Por ahora, sugiero
que lo hagas solamente con “우리.” Por ejemplo:

우리 선생님은 남자이다 = Nuestro profesor es un hombre

(PLAY 우리 선생님은 남자야 | 우리 선생님은 남자예요)

PLAY 우리 집은 크다 = Nuestra casa es grande

(우리 집은 커 | 우리 집은 커요)

La versión formal de “우리” es “저희”. Sin embargo, incluso en situaciones

formales, es aceptable utilizar “우리”. Aún no conoces los diferentes grados
de formalidad en coreano, así que no te preocupes mucho por ahora.

Vocabulario

El vocabulario está separado en sustantivos, verbos, adjetivos y adverbios

con el propósito de simplicidad.

Da click en la palabra en español para ver información y ejemplos de uso.

A estas alturas es muy probable que no seas capaz de entender el

vocabulario que aparece en las oraciones, pero es bueno para que después
veas cómo vas progresando.
Puedes encontrar un PDF que contiene estas palabras en orden, con
ejemplos y usos frecuentes, además de información extra, aquí (en inglés).

¿Quieres practicar? Intenta encontrar las palabras de la lista en una sopa de

letras.

Sustantivos:
길 = calle

PLAY 거리 = calle/camino

PLAY 손 = mano

PLAY 영어 = inglés

PLAY 택시 = taxi

PLAY 열차 = tren

PLAY 역 = estación de tren/metro

버스 정류장 = parada de autobús

PLAY 비행기 = avión

PLAY 자전거 = bicicleta

PLAY 아내 = esposa

PLAY 아이 = niño

PLAY 아들 = hijo

PLAY 딸 = hija
PLAY 남편 = esposo

PLAY 아버지 = padre
PLAY 어머니 = madre

PLAY 편지 = carta

PLAY 맛 = sabor

PLAY 식사 = comida (que se come en cierto momento del día)

PLAY 아침 = mañana

PLAY 아침식사 = desayuno

PLAY 물 = agua

PLAY 사과 = manzana

PLAY 돈 = dinero

Verbos:
오다 = venir
PLAY 끝내다 = terminar

PLAY 춤추다 = bailar

PLAY 알다 = saber/conocer

걷다 = caminar

PLAY 배우다 = aprender

연습하다 = practicar

PLAY 생각하다 = pensar

PLAY 살다 = vivir
Verbos pasivos:
PLAY 끝나다 = ser terminado

Adjetivos:

PLAY 위험하다 = ser peligroso

잘생기다 = ser guapo

PLAY 못생기다 = ser feo

PLAY 피곤하다 =  estar cansado

PLAY 다르다 = ser diferente

PLAY 슬프다 = estar triste

PLAY 맛있다 = ser delicioso

PLAY 재미있다 = ser divertido/gracioso

PLAY 많다 = haber mucho de

행복하다 = ser/estar feliz

Adverbios y otras palabras:

PLAY 거기 = ahí

저기 = allá

PLAY 지금 = ahora/en este momento

PLAY 하지만 = pero

Para memorizar estas palabras, puedes utilizar nuestra herramienta

Memrise (en inglés).

 
 

Expresiones de saludo

Me gustaría poder decirte que no te preocuparas por estas palabras. Claro

que sí puedo decírtelo, pero no creo que me hicieras mucho caso. Cuando
aprendemos un nuevo lenguaje, queremos saber estas palabras tan pronto
como nos sea posible. Lo entiendo, pero me he estado esperando a
propósito para enseñártelas. A decir verdad, todavía no quiero
enseñártelas, pero a estas alturas imagino que estarás pensando “¡he
llegado tan lejos, y todavía no sé ni cómo decir ‘adiós’!”

En coreano, es mucho más sencillo entender estas palabras y oraciones si

comprendes por qué se usan de la manera en la que se usan.
Desafortunadamente, todavía no alcanzamos ese nivel. Lo veremos hasta
dentro de un par de lecciones. Aún así, aquí hay una lista de expresiones
que estoy seguro, estás impaciente por saber:

PLAY 안녕히 가세요 = Adiós (se dice a alguien que se va)

PLAY 안녕히 계세요 = Adiós (se dice a alguien que se queda)
PLAY 만나서 반갑습니다 = Gusto en conocerte
PLAY 실례합니다 = Disculpe
PLAY 죄송합니다/미안합니다 = Perdón
이름이 뭐예요? = ¿Cómo te llamas? (lit. ¿Cuál es tu nombre?)
저의 이름은 ______이에요 = Mi nombre es ______
PLAY 어디에서 왔어요? = ¿De dónde eres?
저는 _______에서 왔어요 = Soy de ________

Si no puedes memorizarlas, no hay problema. Mantengo la opinión de que

deberías evitar aprenderte estas palabras hasta que puedas entender la
gramática de las mismas.

Ahora que hemos visto eso, comencemos con el material de verdad.

.
 Usar adjetivos ~ㄴ/은

Muy bien. Esta sección no hará que entiendas mejor los saludos, pero lo
que estás a punto de aprender es un paso muy grande en el estudio del
coreano. Ten en mente estos dos puntos de la lección anterior, pues son
muy importantes:

● Todas las oraciones deben terminar o en un verbo o en un adjetivo

● Todos los verbos/adjetivos terminan en la sílaba ‘다’
Aunque ambos puntos son ciertos (y siempre lo serán), vamos a analizarlos
con más detalle:

● Todas las oraciones deben terminar o en un verbo o en un adjetivo

Sí, pero también puede haber verbos y adjetivos en algún otro lugar de la
oración. En la lección anterior, aprendiste esta oración:

저는 배를 원하다 = Quiero un barco

(PLAY 나는 배를 원해 / 저는 배를 원해요)

Pero, ¿qué pasa si quieres decir “Quiero un barco grande”? En esa oración,
hay un verbo y un adjetivo. ¿Dónde debería ir el adjetivo? En coreano, este
adjetivo se coloca antes del sustantivo que describe, al revés del español.
Por ejemplo:

나는 배를 원하다 = Quiero un barco

나는 grande 배를 원하다 = Quiero un barco grande

Simple. Así que, ¿ahora sólo tenemos que sustituir la palabra ‘grande’ por su
equivalente coreano (크다)?:

나는 크다 배를 원하다 = No. Esta oración está a años luz de ser correcta.

¿Recuerdas la segunda regla?:

● Todos los verbos/adjetivos terminan en la sílaba ‘다’Sí, pero la versión

de la palabra que termina en ‘다’ es la versión “diccionario” de la
palabra, y muy rara vez se utiliza. Todos los verbos y adjetivos
coreanos tienen una ‘raíz’, que se forma con el resto de la palabra que
 aparece antes de 다 en la versión diccionario de la palabra. Veamos
algunos ejemplos:
크다 = 크 (raíz) + 다
작다 = 작 (raíz) + 다
좋다 = 좋 (raíz) + 다
길다 = 길 (raíz) + 다
배우다 = 배우 (raíz) + 다

La mayoría del tiempo, cuando vas a usar un verbo o adjetivo, quitas ~다 y

le agregas algo a la raíz.

Cuando quieres que un adjetivo describa a un objeto, como:

niño pequeño
bote grande
hamburguesa deliciosa
mano suave

debes eliminar ‘~다’ y añadir ~ㄴ o ~은 a la raíz del adjetivo.

Para palabras cuya raíz termina en vocal (크다/비싸다/싸다), se añade ~ㄴ

a la última sílaba:

Palabra Raíz Adjetivo que puede Ejemplo

describir a un objeto
(sustantivo)

크다 크 큰 큰배

비싸다 비싸 비싼 비싼 음식

싸다 싸 싼 싼것
 

Palabra Raíz Adjetivo que puede Ejemplo

describir a un objeto
(sustantivo)

작다 작 작은 작은 남자

좋다 좋 좋은 좋은 아들

많다 많 많은 만은 돈

Para palabras cuya raíz termina en consonante (작다/좋다/많다), se añade

~은 a la raíz:

Regresando a lo que queríamos escribir previamente:

Quiero un bote grande = 저는 크다 배를 원하다 = incorrecto

Quiero un bote grande = 저는 큰 배를 원하다 = correcto

La clave ahora está en entender la diferencia entre las siguientes oraciones:

PLAY 음식은 비싸다 = La comida es cara

비싼 음식 = comida cara

El primer ejemplo es una oración. El segundo ejemplo no es una oración. El

segundo ejemplo necesita más palabras para poder ser una oración.
Necesitamos añadir un verbo o un adjetivo que predique al sustantivo
“comida cara”. Por ejemplo:

나는 비싼 음식을 먹다 = Yo como comida cara.

(PLAY 나는 비싼 음식을 먹어 / 저는 비싼 음식을 먹어요)
El verbo “comer” predica esta oración.

저는 비싼 음식을 좋아하다 = Me gusta la comida cara

(PLAY 나는 비싼 음식을 좋아해 / 저는 비싼 음식을 좋아해요)
El verbo “gustar” predica esta oración.

비싼 음식은 맛있다 = La comida cara es deliciosa.

(PLAY 비싼 음식은 맛있어 / 비싼 음식은 맛있어요)
El adjetivo “ser delicioso” predica esta oración. Fíjate que no hay objeto en
esta oración.

(Recuerda, por última vez, que los verbos y adjetivos de esta lección
todavía no están conjugados porque aún no llegamos a ese tema. Los
ejemplos son técnicamente incorrectos, pero son importantes para que
entiendas la estructura de las oraciones coreanas. Al igual que las lecciones
anteriores, debajo de los ejemplos están dos versiones conjugadas.
Probablemente aún no las entiendas.)

Más ejemplos que usan adjetivos para describir sustantivos dentro de una
oración:

나는 작은 집에 가다 = Yo voy a la casa pequeña.

(PLAY 나는 작은 집에 가 / 저는 작은 집에 가요)

나는 큰 차를 원하다 = Quiero un carro grande.

(PLAY 나는 큰 차를 원해 / 저는 큰 차를 원해요)

나는 잘생긴 남자를 만나다 = Conocí a un hombre guapo.

(PLAY 나는 잘생긴 남자를 만나 / 저는 잘생긴 남자를 만나요)

나는 많은 돈이 있다 = Tengo mucho dinero.

(PLAY 나는 많은 돈이 있어 / 저는 많은 돈이 있어요)
나는 뚱뚱한 학생을 만나다 = Conocí a un estudiante gordo.
(PLAY 나는 뚱뚱한 학생을 만나 / 저는 뚱뚱한 학생을 만나요)

En las Lecciones 1 y 2,expliqué que los adjetivos no pueden “actuar” en

objetos. Muchos estudiantes leen las oraciones de arriba y dicen “¡Espera
un momento! ¡Esas oraciones tienen un objeto y un adjetivo!” Los adjetivos
no pueden actuar en un objeto para predicar una oración. Esto significa
que no puedes hacer una oración como esta (ni en coreano ni en español):

나는 집을 작다 = Yo casa pequeña

Sin embargo, no dije que los adjetivos y los objetos no pudieran aparecer
en la misma oración. Los adjetivos pueden ser usados para describir un
objeto que esté siendo predicado por un verbo. Seguiré hablando de esto
en los ejemplos que siguen.

En todos los ejemplos de arriba, fíjate en la diferente función que ejerce el

adjetivo cuando se usa para describir un sustantivo y cuando se usa para
predicar una oración. Por ejemplo:

나는 작은 집에 가다 = Yo voy a la casa pequeña

(나는 작은 집에 가 / 저는 작은 집에 가요)
El verbo “ir” predica la oración.

그 집은 작다 = Esa casa es pequeña.

(PLAY 그 집은 작아 / 그 집은 작아요)
El adjetivo “ser pequeño” predica esta oración. Observa que esta frase no
tiene objeto.

저는 큰 차를 원하다 = Quiero un carro grande

(PLAY 나는 큰 차를 원해 / 저는 큰 차를 원해요)
El verbo “querer” predica esta oración.

이 차는 크다 = This car is big

(PLAY 이 차는 커 / 이 차는 커요)
El adjetivo “ser grande” predica esta oración. Observa que esta frase no
tiene objeto.
En cada uno de los ejemplos anteriores, aunque el adjetivo siempre actúa
como una palabra que describe, en los casos en los que el adjetivo se
coloca antes del sustantivo para describirlo, este adjetivo puede ir en
cualquier lugar de la oración (por ejemplo, como el sujeto, objeto, locación
u otros lugares).

Lo mismo pasa en español, donde podemos tener una oración sencilla

como esta:

남자는 음식을 먹다 = El hombre come comida

(PLAY 남자는 음식을 먹어 / 남자는 음식을 먹어요)

Puedo usar adjetivos para describir cada sustantivo que aparece en la

oración. Por ejemplo:

행복한 여자는 작은 차 안에 있다 = La niña feliz está dentro del carro

pequeño.
(PLAY 행복한 여자는 작은 차 안에 있어 / 행복한 여자는 작은 차 안에
있어요)

Verás algunos adjetivos que terminan en“~있다.” Los más comunes para el
nivel principiante son:

맛있다 = delicioso
재미있다 = divertido, gracioso

Cuando un adjetivo termina en “~있다” en lugar de añadir ~ㄴ/은 a la raíz,

se añade ~는 a la raíz. Por ejemplo:

그 남자는 재미있는 남자이다 = Ese hombre es un hombre muy gracioso.

(그 남자는 재미있는 남자야 / 그 남자는 재미있는 남자예요)

나는 맛있는 음식을 먹다 = Yo como comida deliciosa.

(PLAY 나는 맛있는 음식을 먹어 / 저는 맛있는 음식을 먹어요)

La diferencia se debe a lo que me gusta llamar el principio “~는 것”. Por

ahora no necesitas preocuparte de por qué se añade ~는 en lugar de ~ㄴ/은.
Es suficiente que lo memorices como una excepción. El concepto detrás de
esta regla gramatical aparece en la Lección 26, y se discute más a
profundidad en otras lecciones de la Unidad 2. Este concepto está
relacionado con verbos que describen objetos. Por ejemplo:

“El hombre que conocí ayer irá al parque al que quiero ir”.

Sin embargo, esto es muy complejo, y es la base del principio de ~는 것 que

mencioné antes. Como dije, aprenderás de esto en la Lección 26.

Haber mucho: 많다

Una buena manera de practicar qué tan bien entiendes cómo los adjetivos
pueden describir sustantivos o predicar una oración completa es aplicando
tu conocimiento a la palabra “많다”. 많다 es un adjetivo que describe que
hay “muchos” o “un montón” de algo. Su traducción al español depende en
gran manera de cómo se utiliza en la oración. Por ejemplo, para describir
sustantivos dentro de una oración, puede usarse de la siguiente forma:

나는 많은 음식을 먹다 = Yo como un montón de comida

(나는 많은 음식을 먹어 / 저는 많은 음식을 먹어요)

나는 많은 돈이 있다 = Yo tengo mucho dinero

(PLAY 나는 많은 돈이 있어 / 저는 많은 돈이 있어요)

나는 많은 아내가 있다 = Yo tengo un montón de esposas (¡ja!)

(PLAY 나는 많은 아내가 있어 / 저는 많은 아내가 있어요)

Ahora bien, si usamos “많다” para predicar una oración, se puede usar así:

사람이 많다

Para tus estudios del coreano, es necesario que te des cuenta que nunca es
útil pensar en una oración coreana como una traducción exacta del
español. La gramática del español y del coreano son completamente
diferentes, y forzar las reglas/estructura del español al coreano da
resultados poco naturales. Si nos apegáramos al significado “un montón de”
para “많다”, y forzáramos la traducción en español de la frase “사람이 많다”,
obtendríamos:

La gente es un montón de

… pero claramente ese no es el significado correcto. En vez de eso, ¿qué

está describiendo la frase “사람이 많다”? Está describiendo que hay una
gran cantidad de algo. Por lo tanto, la traducción debería ser:

사람이 많다 = hay un montón de gente/hay mucha gente

(PLAY 사람이 많아 / 사람이 많아요)

Así pues, cuando 많다 predica una oración, usualmente la traducción es

“hay un montón de…/hay muchos…”. Aquí hay otro ejemplo:

음식이 많다 = Hay mucha comida

(PLAY 음식이 많아 / 음식이 많아요)

Por supuesto, esto también puede aplicarse a oraciones muy complejas,

pero esto es por donde se debe empezar. Eventualmente serás capaz de
hacer una oración como:

Hay muchos cantantes que se vuelven famosos y gastan su dinero muy

rápido.

Esta oración también terminaría en “많다.” La estructura sería, básicamente:

(cantantes que se vuelven famosos y gastan su dinero muy rápido)가 많다

Todavía estamos muy lejos de comprender cómo funcionan oraciones tan

complejas como esa, pero quiero mostrarte que el contenido que
aprendiste en esta lección te pone un paso más cerca.

También fíjate que las partículas 이/가 se añaden a los sujetos en oraciones
terminadas en “많다.” Hay algunas palabras donde el uso de las partículas ~
이/가 en el sujeto de la oración es más natural que usar ~는/은. 많다 es una
de esas palabras. Continuaremos mencionando en qué situaciones es más
natural usar ~이/가 en vez de ~은/는 mientras avanzamos en las lecciones.
 

Particula ~도

~도 es otra partícula muy útil en coreano. Significa “también”. Puede

reemplazar las partículas de sujeto (는/은) O las partículas de objeto (를/을),
dependiendo con qué estés diciendo “también”. Por ejemplo:

저도 한국어를 말하다 = Yo también hablo coreano (otras personas lo

hablan, y yo también)
(나도 한국어를 말해 / 저도 한국어를 말해요)

que es diferente de:

저는 한국어도 말하다 = Yo también hablo coreano (hablo otros idiomas, y

también hablo coreano)
(PLAY 나는 한국어도 말해 / 저는 한국어도 말해요)

Asegúrate de distinguir bien la diferencia entre los ejemplos anteriores. En

español se escriben igual, pero son diferentes al hablar y tener en cuenta el
contexto. En el primer ejemplo, estás enfatizando que TÚ también hablas
coreano, sumado a las otras personas de las que estás hablando. En el
segundo ejemplo, estás enfatizando que, además de hablar otros lenguajes,
también hablas coreano.

Mira las oraciones de aquí abajo para el mismo ejemplo:

저도 사과를 먹다 = Yo también como manzanas

(PLAY 나도 사과를 먹어 / 저도 사과를 먹어요)

저는 사과도 먹다 = Yo también como manzanas

(나는 사과도 먹어 / 저는 사과도 먹어요)

Observa la diferencia en español. La primera frase significa “otras personas

comen manzanas; yo también como manzanas”. La segunda frase significa
“yo como otros platillos de comida, pero también como manzanas”. Es
importante saber que el sustantivo al que va pegado “~도” es el que está
siendo expresado como “también”. Más ejemplos:
나도 그것을 알다 = Yo también sé eso
(나도 그것을 알아 / 저도 그것을 알아요)

나도 피곤하다 = Yo también estoy cansada

(PLAY 나도 피곤해 / 저도 피곤해요)

나의 딸도 행복하다 = Mi hija también es feliz

(PLAY 나의 딸도 행복해 / 저의 딸도 행복해요)

Vocabulario

El vocabulario está separado en sustantivos, verbos, adjetivos y adverbios

con el propósito de simplicidad.

Da click en la palabra en español para ver información y ejemplos de uso.

A estas alturas es muy probable que no seas capaz de entender el

vocabulario que aparece en las oraciones, pero es bueno para que después
veas cómo vas progresando.

Puedes encontrar un PDF que contiene estas palabras en orden, con

ejemplos y usos frecuentes, además de información extra, aquí (en inglés).

Sustantivos:
PLAY 동생 = hermano/a menor

PLAY 남동생 = hermano menor

여동생 = hermana menor

PLAY 형 = hermano mayor

PLAY 오빠 = hermano mayor

PLAY 누나 = hermana mayor

PLAY 언니 = hermana mayor

PLAY 삼촌 = tío

PLAY 이모 = tía (del lado de la madre)

PLAY 고모 = tía (del lado del padre)

PLAY 아저씨  = señor (hombre más grande que tú que no es tu pariente)

PLAY 아주머니 = señora (mujer más grande que tú que no es tu pariente)

PLAY 할아버지 = abuelo

할머니 = abuela

PLAY 친구 = amigo/a

PLAY 사진 = foto

PLAY 안경 = anteojos

PLAY 비밀 = secreto

PLAY 비 = lluvia

가게 = tienda

PLAY 박물관 = museo

가스 레인지 = estufa

PLAY 오리 = pato

PLAY 꼬리 = cola

Verbos:
PLAY 보고 싶다 = extrañar a alguien
기대하다 = esperar/anticipar (algo)

PLAY 건너다 = cruzar (un camino/etc)

PLAY 던지다 = lanzar/aventar

PLAY 싫어하다 = no gustar/desagradar

PLAY 떠나다 = dejar/irse de algún lado

PLAY 농담하다 = bromear

Adjetivos:
PLAY 지루하다 = ser aburrido

PLAY 마르다 = estar demasiado delgado

PLAY 멀다 = estar lejos

PLAY 마르다 = estar seco

PLAY 비슷하다 = ser parecido

PLAY 싫다 = desagradable

오래되다 = ser viejo/antiguo

Adverbios y otras palabras:

PLAY 오늘 = hoy

PLAY 어제 = ayer

PLAY 내일 = mañana

모레 = pasado mañana

PLAY 년 = año
일 = día

PLAY 시간 = tiempo

Días de la semana:
PLAY 월요일 = Lunes
PLAY 화요일 = Martes
수요일 = Miércoles
PLAY 목요일 = Jueves
금요일 = Viernes
PLAY 토요일 = Sábado
PLAY 일요일 = Domingo

Para memorizar estas palabras, puedes utilizar nuestra herramienta

Memrise (en inglés).

Cómo decir “yo/mí” en coreano

Antes que nada, quisiera analizar un poco las palabras “yo” y “mí”. En
español utilizamos estas palabras en distintos lugares de la oración. Cuando
la persona que habla es el sujeto, utilizamos “yo”. Cuando el que habla es el
objeto de la oración, se utiliza “mí”. Por ejemplo:

(Yo) te amo (“Yo” es el sujeto de esta oración)

Tú me amas (a mí) (“mí” es el objeto de la oración)

En coreano se utiliza la misma palabra para decir “yo” y “mí”. Lo único que
cambia al ser sujeto u objeto son las partículas que se le añaden a la
palabra. Si bien la palabra “yo/mí” no cambia según su uso dentro de la
oración, sí que cambia según el grado de formalidad de la frase. Por
ejemplo:

저 significa “yo/mí” y se utiliza en situaciones formales

나 means “yo/mí” y se utiliza en situaciones informales

~는 puede añadirse a 저 y 나 para indicar que “yo” es el sujeto de la

oración. Por ejemplo:
저는
나는
(No estoy poniendo oraciones completas a propósito porque aún no has
aprendido conjugaciones. En esta lección lo veremos.)
~를 puede añadirse a 저 y 나 para indicar que “mí” es el objeto de la
oración. Por ejemplo:
저를
나를
(No estoy poniendo oraciones completas a propósito porque aún no has
aprendido conjugaciones. En esta lección lo veremos.)

~가 puede añadirse a 저 y 나 para indicar que “yo” es el sujeto de la

oración. En la Lección 2 expliqué brevemente la diferencia entre ~이/가 y ~
은/는. Esta diferencia es muy sutil, y toma años comprenderla por
completo. El tema se toca más a fondo en las Lecciones 17 y  24, pero por
ahora no es tan importante. Lo que sí es importante en este momento es
que recuerdes que cuando a 나 se le añade ~가, cambia a 내, y 저 cambia a
제. Por ejemplo:

내가
제가
(No estoy poniendo oraciones completas a propósito porque aún no has
aprendido conjugaciones. En esta lección lo veremos.)

En la parte que sigue, todas las oraciones están conjugadas en estilo

informal. Por lo tanto, todas las oraciones utilizan “나” o “내”, que son
informales. Por esta lección no te preocupes por la formalidad y sólo
enfócate en la información. En la siguiente lección, aprenderás más sobre el
discurso formal y el informal, y verás “저” y “제” siendo aplicados.

Cómo decir “tú”

Quizás te hayas dado cuenta de que aún no te he enseñado una de las

palabras más comunes del español. Sé que suena extraño, pero la palabra
“tú” no se dice a menudo en coreano. Las personas coreanas le sacan la
vuelta a decir “tú” de varias maneras:

1. La mayoría del tiempo se utiliza la posición (usualmente de trabajo) de

una persona para referirse o hablar de ellos. Por ejemplo, jefe (부장님),
director (교장선생님), subdirector (교감선생님), Sr. Nombre (para un
maestro) (Nombre 선생님), cliente (고객님), invitado (손님), 회장님/
사장님 (presidente/CEO de una compañía).
2. Es muy común en coreano referirte a personas cercanas a ti como si
fueran de tu familia. Por ejemplo, 오빠 significa “hermano mayor”
(cuando eres mujer). Pero si eres muy cercana a esa persona, puedes
llamarlo ‘오빠’, incluso que no sea realmente tu hermano mayor.
3. Usualmente puedes llamar a cualquier mujer u hombre mayores
“abuela” o “abuelo” (할머니/할아버지). Fuera de este caso, no es
común llamar a alguien más como parte de tu familia, a menos que tú
y esa persona sean muy cercanos.
4. En general, puedes llamar a cualquier hombre o mujer extraños ‘
아저씨’ (señor) y ‘아주머니’ (señora).
5. En situaciones informales, puedes utilizar la palabra “너.” ~는 y ~를 se
pueden añadir a “너” cuando “tú” es el sujeto u objeto de una oración
(respectivamente). Si se añade ~가 a ~너, cambia a “네가.” Para
distinguir la pronunciación de “네가” y “내가” (ya que deberían, en
teoría, pronunciarse igual), “네가” se pronuncia como “ni-ga.”
6. También puedes usar la palabra “당신”, que significa “tú”. Puedes usar
esta palabra para hablarle a quien sea, pero los coreanos casi no la
usan. La mayoría de las personas que utilizan ‘당신’ son extranjeros
que la usan porque están acostumbrados a decir “tú” al hablar.
 

Conjugación básica: Pasado, presente, futuro

Como ya mencioné en las lecciones anteriores, todas las oraciones que

hemos visto hasta ahora no estaban conjugadas. Todas las oraciones que
viste hasta ahora jamás serían usadas en coreano porque no están
conjugadas. Consideré que primero necesitabas conocer la estructura
básica antes de aprender a conjugar. Las buenas noticias es que conjugar
en coreano es muchísimo más fácil que en otros lenguajes (incluyendo
inglés, español y especialmente francés).

Una nota importante antes de comenzar

En esta lección aprenderás cómo conjugar presente, pasado y futuro de la

manera más básica. Si bien estas conjugaciones son gramaticalmente
correctas, rara vez se usan al hablar. A esta forma se le suele llamar de
“diario”, porque usualmente se utiliza al escribirte a ti mismo en un diario.
También se usa al escribir un examen, libro (no dialogo), artículos (ya sean
de, investigación, de periódico o de revista), y otras situaciones en las que
no le estás hablando/escribiendo a una audiencia en específico.

A veces se le llama la “forma simple”. Si usaras esta forma al hacer una

oración, debes usar “나”, ya que esta conjugación se considera informal. Por
lo tanto, en esta lección verás que se usa “나” para decir “yo”. Sin embargo,
como ya mencioné, esta forma de conjugar también se usa en textos
impresos (libros, periódicos, artículos, etc…). Cuando esto ocurre, la oración
no es ni formal ni informal, ya que sólo está transmitiendo hechos; por lo
que no hay orador, ni nadie a quien se le esté hablando directamente. En
estas situaciones, no verás “저” o “나”, y no es necesario considerarlas ni
formales ni informales.

Aunque no es importante para el coreano hablado, esta “forma simple” es

importantísima si más adelante quieres comprender vocabulario y
gramática más complejos, o aprender a leer la mayor parte de los textos
coreanos impresos (libros, periódicos, etc…). En la próxima lección veremos
las principales conjugaciones utilizadas en conversación, pero te
recomiendo que comprendas primero las presentadas en esta lección.

Lo único que se conjuga en coreano son los verbos y adjetivos. Como ya lo

sabes, una oración debe terminar o en un verbo o en un adjetivo.
Veamos cómo conjugar verbos y adjetivos en tiempos pasado, presente y
futuro.

Verbos
Tiempo presente

Cuando la última sílaba de la raíz termina en consonante, se le añade ~는다:

먹다 = 먹는다 = como* (먹 + 는다)

닫다 = 닫는다 = cierro* (닫 + 는다)

*Nota: se presenta en español la conjugación de la primera persona (yo)

para más sencillez, pero hay que recordar que en coreano la misma palabra
funciona para cualquiera de los pronombres. Es decir, “먹는다” equivale a
como/comes/come/comemos/comen en español.

Ejemplos:

나는 문을 닫는다 = Yo cierro la puerta

나는 밥을 먹는다 = Yo como arroz

Cuando la última sílaba de la raíz termina en vocal, se le añade ~ㄴ다:

배우다 = 배운다 = aprender (배우 + ㄴ다)

이해하다 = 이해한다 = entender (이해하 + ㄴ다)
가다 = 간다 = to go (가 + ㄴ다)

Ejemplos:
PLAY 나는 친구를 만난다 = Yo me reúno con un amigo
PLAY 나는 그것을 이해한다 = Yo entiendo eso
PLAY 나는 한국어를 배운다 = Yo aprendo coreano
PLAY 나는 집에 간다 = Yo voy a casa

 
 

Pasado

Antes de que aprendas esto, necesitas saber algo importante. El lenguaje

coreano se basa en añadir cosas directamente a los verbos o adjetivos para
que tengan un significado en particular. Es la primera vez que menciono
esto, así que no te preocupes si te resulta un poco confuso. Aún así, en la
parte de arriba aplicaste esto. Recuerda, para conjugar en presente, debes
añadir lo siguiente a los verbos:

●~는다 si la raíz termina en consonante; ~ㄴ다 si la raíz termina en

vocal.
Cientos de principios gramaticales (no sólo conjugaciones, sino principios
gramaticales que tienen uso real en oraciones) se utilizan al añadir ciertas
cosas a las raíces de verbos y adjetivos. Todavía no aprendes ninguno, pero
quiero enseñarte algunos ejemplos de cosas que aprenderás en futuras
lecciones. Las siguientes son cosas que se añaden a las raíces de verbos y
adjetivos para tener ciertos significados:

● ~ㄴ/은 후에 para significar “después”

● ~기 전에 para significar “antes”
● ~기 때문에 para significar “porque”
● ~아/어서 para significar “porque”
● ~아/어야 하다 para significar “uno debe”
● ~아/어서는 안 되다 para significar “uno no debería”
La lista puede seguir y seguir hasta el infinito.

Observa que varios de estos principios gramaticales requieren que les

añadas “~아/어.” Muchos principios gramaticales (o conjugaciones, u otras
cosas) necesitan que se agregue “~아/어” a la raíz de un verbo o adjetivo. La
diagonal indica que necesitas escoger qué es lo que se le agrega a la raíz. En
algunos casos es “~아”, y en otros casos es “~어”. La siguiente regla es la
que indica cuál de las dos usar:
 ● Si la última vocal de la raíz es ㅏ o ㅗ (incluidos los raros casos en los
que la última vocal es ㅑ o ㅛ), se añade ~아 seguida del resto del
principio gramatical. (La única excepción es “하.” Si la última sílaba de
una raíz es “하”, se añade ~여 en lugar de ~아.)
● Si la última vocal de la raíz es cualquier cosa excepto ㅏ o ㅗ, se añade
~
어 seguido del resto del principio gramatical.

Cuando conjugamos en pasado, tenemos que añadir “~았/었다” a la raíz de

la palabra (o 였다 en el caso de 하다). Siguiendo la regla anterior, se añade
~았다 a palabras cuya última vocal es ㅗ o ㅏ, y ~었다 se añade a las
palabras cuya última vocal es cualquiera excepto ㅏ o ㅗ. Por último, se
añade ~였다 a palabras cuya última sílaba sea “하”. Por ejemplo:

나는 밥을 먹다 = Yo como arroz (observa que esta oración no está

conjugada)
La última vocal en la raíz es ㅓ. No es ni ㅏ ni ㅗ. Así que agregamos 었다 a
la raíz:
PLAY 나는 밥을 먹었다 = Yo comí arroz (먹 + 었다)

나는 문을 닫다 = Yo cierro la puerta (observa que esta oración no está

conjugada)
La última vocal en la raíz es ㅏ. Así que agregamos 았다 a la raíz:
PLAY 나는 문을 닫았다 = Yo cerré la puerta (닫 + 았다)

나는 창문을 열다 = Yo abro la ventana (observa que esta oración no está

conjugada)
La última vocal en la raíz es ㅕ. No es ni ㅏ ni ㅗ. Así que agregamos 었다 a
la raíz:
PLAY 나는 창문을 열었다 = Yo abrí la ventana (열 + 었다)

나는 한국어를 공부하다 = Yo estudio coreano (observa que esta oración no

está conjugada)
La última sílaba de la raíz es “하”. Por lo tanto, añadimos ~였다 a la raíz:
PLAY 나는 한국어를 공부하였다 = Yo estudié coreano (공부하 + 였다)
Lo que resulta un poco complicado (al principio) es que para los verbos que
tienen una última sílaba terminada en vocal (incluido 하다), el ~았다/었다
se fusiona con la raíz. Así es como se mezclan ~아 y ~어 con sílabas que
terminan en vocal:

● 아 + 아 = 아 (Ejemplo: 가 + 았다 = 갔다)
● 오 + 아 = 와 (Ejemplo: 오+ 았다 = 왔다)
● 우 + 어 = 워 (Ejemplo: 배우+ 었다 = 배웠다)
● 이 + 어 = 여 (Ejemplo: 끼+ 었다 = 꼈다)
● 어 + 어 = 어 (Ejemplo: 나서 + 었다 = 나섰다)
● 여 + 어 = 여 (Ejemplo: 켜다 + 었다 = 켰다)
● 하 + 여 = 해 (Ejemplo: 공부하다 + 였다 = 공부했다)
Aunque 하 + 여 se pueden escribir como “해,” existen algunas
situaciones (usualmente en documentos oficiales) en los que verás “
하여” en vez de “해”.

● Las palabras cuya última vocal es “ㅡ” (Por ejemplo: 잠그다) son más
complicadas y serán explicadas en laLección 7.
Muchas personas me han preguntado “¿cómo mezclo ~아/어 con vocales
compuestas como ㅠ, ㅑ, ㅔ, etc…?” Te darás cuenta de que las raíces de
casi todos los verbos y adjetivos en coreano no terminan en vocales
complejas. Las palabras más comunes que se me ocurren donde sí
terminan en una vocal compleja son:

바래다 (desvanecer)
매다 (amarrar)
메다 (poner en/cargar sobre los hombros)

Con estas palabras (y otras parecidas), se aplica la misma regla de arriba. Es

decir, la última vocal no es ㅏ o ㅗ, así que añadimos “어” más lo que sea
que estemos añadiendo. En estos casos, es irrelevante si mezclas la raíz con
lo añadido. Ambas formas (juntas o separadas) se consideran correctas.

Por ejemplo:
바래 + 었다 = 바랬다 o 바래었다
매다 + 었다 = 맸다 o 매었다
메다 + 었다 = 멨다 o 메었다

Aquí está un desglose más detallado:

가다 = ir
La última vocal de la raíz es ㅏ. Añadimos 았다 a la raíz.
나는 박문관에 가았다
Pero como la raíz termina en una vocal, 았다 se combina con 가:
PLAY 나는 박물관에 갔다 = Yo fui al museo

오다 = venir
La última vocal de la raíz es ㅗ. Añadimos 았다 a la raíz.
삼촌은 가게에 오았다
Pero como la raíz termina en una vocal, 았다 se combina con 오:
PLAY 삼촌은 가게에 왔다 = (Mi) tío vino a la tienda

배우다 = aprender
La última vocal de la raíz es ㅜ. Añadimos 었다 a la raíz.
오빠는 영어를 배우었다
Pero como la raíz termina en una vocal, 었다 se combina con 우:
PLAY 오빠는 영어를 배웠다 = (Mi) hermano mayor aprendió inglés

던지다 = lanzar
La última vocal de la raíz es ㅣ. Añadimos 었다 a la raíz.
나는 공을 던지었다
Pero como la raíz termina en una vocal, 었다 se combina con 지:
나는 공을 던졌다 = Yo lancé la pelota

건너다 = cruzar
La última vocal de la raíz es ㅓ. Añadimos 었다 a la raíz.
나는 길을 건너었다
Pero como la raíz termina en una vocal, 었다 se combina con 너:
나는 길을 건넜다 = Yo crucé la calle

만나다 = conocer/encontrarse/reunirse
La última vocal de la raíz es ㅏ. Añadimos 았다 a la raíz.
나는 친구를 만나았다
Pero como la raíz termina en una vocal, 았다 se combina con 나:
PLAY 나는 친구를 만났다 = Yo me reuní con amigos

공부하다 = estudiar
La última vocal de la raíz es 하. Añadimos 였다 a la raíz.
나는 한국어를 공부하였다
Pero, 하 y 여 se pueden combinar para formar 해:
PLAY 나는 한국어를 공부했다 = Yo estudié coreano

Futuro

El tiempo futuro es muy sencillo, ya que sólo hay que añadir “~겠다” a la
raíz de la palabra. Al contrario del presente y el pasado, no importa si
termina en una vocal o en una consonante. Por ejemplo:

나는 먹다 = Yo como (sin conjugar)

PLAY 나는 먹겠다 = Yo comeré

나는 가다 = Yo voy (sin conjugar)

PLAY 나는 가겠다 = Yo iré

나는 배우다 = Yo aprendo (sin conjugar)

PLAY 나는 배우겠다 = Yo aprenderé
Hay dos verbos específicos que se conjugan frecuentemente en futuro,
pero que no son acciones en futuro. Son 알다 (saber) y 모르다 (no saber).
No quiero presentar oraciones de ejemplo porque son muy complicadas a
estas alturas, pero es bueno que recuerdes que las palabras 알다 y 모르다 a
menudo se conjugan como 알겠다 y 모르겠다. Si bien se conjugan en
tiempo futuro, esas dos palabras generalmente se usan para expresar que
alguien sabe o no sabe algo en tiempo presente.

También ten en cuenta que la terminación de la conjugación cambiará

dependiendo de los diferentes honoríficos que aprenderás en la siguiente
lección.
Revisa esta tabla con un desglose de los verbos en pasado, presente y
futuro:

Verbo Raíz Pasado Presente

먹다 먹 먹었다 먹는다

닫다 닫 닫았다 닫는다

배우다 배우 배웠다 배운다

가다 가 갔다 간다

이해하다 이해하 이해했다 이해한다

오다 오 왔다 온다

던지다 던지 던졌다 던진다

 
 Adjetivos
Presente

Aprendiste previamente que necesitas añadir ~ㄴ/는다 a un verbo para

conjugarlo en presente. Para conjugar un adjetivo en presente, ¡no necesitas
hacer nada! Sólo deja el adjetivo así como está, y automáticamente está en
presente. Algunos ejemplos:

PLAY 그 선생님은 아름답다 = Esa maestra es hermosa

그 길은 길다 = Esa calle es larga
PLAY 나의 손은 크다 = Mi mano es grande

Pasado

Para conjugar adjetivos en pasado, se usa la misma regla que al conjugar

verbos en pasado. La regla, de nuevo, dice así:

Debes añadir 았다 o 었다 a la raíz de una palabra. 았다 se añade a palabras

cuya última vocal en la raíz es ㅏ o ㅗ, y 었다 se añade a palabras cuya
última vocal en la raíz es cualquiera menos ㅏ o ㅗ. Por ejemplo:

PLAY 그 길은 길었다 = Esa calle era larga (길 + 었다)

그 음식은 맛있었다 = Esa comida era deliciosa (맛있 + 었다)
PLAY 그 선생님은 좋았다 = Esa maestra era buena (좋 + 았다)
그 식당이 오래되었다 = Ese restaurante es viejo*** (오래되 + 었다)

*El significado de “오래되다” no es de “viejo” en sentido negativo, sino que

indica que algo ha existido por bastante tiempo y ahora se considera viejo
o antiguo. Una manera más apropiada de decir que algo es “viejo y
decrépito” es usar la palabra “낡다”, que tampoco se debe confundir con
la palabra “늙다”, que se refiere a una persona “vieja”.
A estas alturas esto es un todavía un poco complicado, pero aunque ~
었다 se añade a 되 para formar “되었다”, se puede acortar. Por el
momento no nos adentraremos en eso, ya que verás más acerca de 되다
en lecciones futuras. Puedes consultar la Lección 9 o la Lección 14, que
son las lecciones más próximas en las que se discute “ 되다”.

Así mismo, si bien 되다 se usa y conjuga como verbo, en este caso

오래되다 es un adjetivo. Lo que significa que (además de otras maneras
en las que puede cambiar cuando se usan otros principios gramaticales),
se le puede añadir ~ㄴ para describir un sustantivo.

Por ejemplo: 우리는 오래된 집에 갔다 = Fuimos a la casa vieja

Al igual que con los verbos, si la última letra de la raíz de un verbo o

adjetivo es una vocal, ~았다/었다 se puede fusionar con la raíz:

이것은 비쌌다 = Esto fue caro (비싸 + 았다)

PLAY 그 남자는 잘생겼다 = Ese hombre era guapo (잘생기 + 었다)
그 사람은 뚱뚱했다 = Esa persona era gorda (뚱뚱하 + 였다)

Futuro

Conjugar adjetivos en futuro es igual que al conjugar verbos. Lo único que

tienes que hacer es agregar 겠다 a la raíz del adjetivo:

나는 행복하겠다 = Yo seré feliz

PLAY 그것은 맛있겠다 = Esa cosa será deliciosa
나는 배고프겠다 = Yo estaré hambriento
En general, además de que es muy raro usar esta forma básica al hablar, las
personas coreanas no usan adjetivos en futuro tanto como los
hispanohablantes.
Revisa esta tabla con un desglose de los adjetivos en pasado, presente y
futuro:

Adjetivo Raíz Pasado Presente

행복하다 행복하 행복했다 행복하다

비싸다 비싸 비쌌다 비싸다

길다 길 길었다 길다

맛있다 맛있 맛있었다 맛있다

낡다 낡 낡았다 낡다

Conjugar 있다 y 있다

Aprendiste en la Lección 2 que 있다 tiene dos significados.

Uno de los significados es “tener”, y se considera un adjetivo. En la Lección

2 aprendiste estas oraciones:
나는 펜이 있다 = Yo tengo una pluma
PLAY 나는 차가 있다 = Yo tengo un carro
나는 가방이 있다 = Yo tengo una bolsa

Como 있다 se considera adjetivo, debemos seguir la regla para conjugar

adjetivos en tiempo presente – la cual es dejar el adjetivo tal cual está. Así
que estas tres oraciones de arriba están conjugadas a la perfección y son
gramaticalmente correctas.

El otro significado de 있다 es “estar en (algún lugar)” y se considera verbo.

En la Lección 2 aprendiste estas oraciones:

나는 은행 안에 있다 = Yo estoy dentro del banco

개는 집 안에 있다 = El perro está en la casa
고양이는 의자 밑에 있다 = El gato está debajo de la silla

Como 있다 se considera verbo, debemos seguir la regla para conjugar

adjetivos en tiempo presente – la cual es añadir ~ㄴ/는다 a la raíz del verbo.
Por lo tanto, las oraciones de arriba no están conjugadas y son
gramaticalmente incorrectas. Para corregirlas, debemos conjugarlas:

나는 은행 안에 있는다 = Yo estoy dentro del banco

개는 집 안에 있는다 = El perro está en la casa
고양이는 의자 밑에 있는다 = El gato está debajo de la silla

Aunque todo esto es correcto, es más probable que veas o escuches 있다

(y todos los demás verbos de esta lección) conjugados usando los
honoríficos que se presentan en la siguiente lección. Saber que 있는다 es
correcto se vuelve más importante cuando aprendes principios
gramaticales más complicados. Por ejemplo, las oraciones citadas (Lección
52) requieren del uso de esta forma simple. Por ahora no es necesario que
te preocupes por ello, enfócate primero en la siguiente lección, que
introduce los honoríficos.

Vocabulario

El vocabulario está separando en sustantivos, verbos, adjetivos y adverbios

con el propósito de simplicidad.
Coloque el ratón sobre cualquier palabra para ver ejemplos de esa palabra
en uso (usted posiblemente no será capaz de entender la gramática en las
oraciones a esta altura, pero es bueno verlo conforme progresa en su
aprendizaje).

Un archivo PDF gratis presentando bien organizadas todas estas palabras y

ejemplos de oraciones además del uso común y notas específicas puede
ser encontrado aquí.

Sustantivos:
PLAY 신발 = zapato

PLAY 남방 = camisa

PLAY 질문 = pregunta

PLAY 문제 = pregunta/problema

PLAY 나이 = edad

PLAY 화장실 = baño

부장님 = jefe

PLAY 분위기 = ambiente (de algún lugar)

PLAY 차 = té

바지 = pantalones

PLAY 교실 = salón (de clases)

PLAY 급식 = comida escolar / almuerzo en la escuela

PLAY 교감선생님 = subdirector (de escuela)

PLAY 교장선생님 = director (de escuela)

PLAY 풀 = pegamento

PLAY 수도 = capital (de un país)

PLAY 병 = botella

PLAY 병 = enfermedad

PLAY 생선 = pescado

야채 = verdura/vegetal

PLAY 언덕 = colina

선물 = regalo

PLAY 기타 = guitarra

PLAY 종이 = papel

PLAY 우유 = leche

손목 = muñeca

PLAY 시계 = reloj

PLAY 손목시계 = reloj de pulsera

PLAY 영화 = película

Verbs:
노력하다 = intentar

PLAY 앉다 = sentarse

PLAY 만지다 = tocar
자다 =  dormir

PLAY 보다 = ver

기다리다 = esperar

청소하다 = limpiar

PLAY 약속하다 = prometer

PLAY 듣다 = oír

PLAY 들어보다 = escuchar

그만하다 = detener

PLAY 운동하다 = “hacer

Adjetivos:
PLAY 놀라다 = sorprenderse

PLAY 빠르다 = ser rápido

PLAY 느리다 = ser lento

PLAY 착하다 = ser amable/ser agradable

Adverbios y otras palabras:

PLAY 곧 = pronto

PLAY 항상 = siempre

PLAY 주 = semana

아래 = abajo
Hay 1050 palabras de vocabulario en la Unidad 1. Todas tienen un link a una
grabación de audio. Puedes descargar todos los archivos en un
paquete aquí (en inglés).

Para ayuda en memorizar estas palabras, trate de usar nuestra

herramienta Memrise.

Conjugar con honoríficos

En la Lección 5, aprendimos cómo conjugar verbos y adjetivos en pasado,

presente y futuro. También vimos que estas conjugaciones rara vez se
utilizan al hablar y son usadas en su mayor parte cuando escribimos un
libro, examen, artículo, o diario. En esta lección aprenderás las formas
básicas de conjugación más usadas al hablar.

¿Qué son los honoríficos?

A estas alturas, todavía no has aprendido nada sobre honoríficos (al menos
no en este sitio). En coreano, dependiendo de con quién estés hablando, se
deben usar distintas conjugaciones de la misma palabra. Estas diferentes
conjugaciones llevan implícitos diferentes grados de respeto y formalidad.
Dependiendo de la edad o experiencia de esa persona en relación a la tuya,
debes conjugar de diferente manera.
Si bien en español tenemos las palabras “tú” y “usted”, y sus respectivas
conjugaciones para mostrar respeto, el coreano va más allá. Por ejemplo, si
alguien te preguntara “¿a dónde fuiste ayer?”, podrías responder:

Ayer fui a la escuela.

En español, sin importar si le hablaras al abuelo de tu novia o a tu mejor

amigo, esa oración se vería y sonaría exactamente igual. En
coreano, debes usar una forma verbal de más respeto cuando hablas con
alguien mayor o de posición más alta a la tuya. A menos que estés
empezando a aprender coreano (en cuyo caso, algunas personas podrían
dejarlo pasar), siempre debes hacer esto.

Puedo compartir una anécdota que me pasó a mí. Empecé a aprender

coreano unos meses antes de mudarme a Corea. No estudiaba seguido ni
con empeño, así que mi coreano era bastante rudimentario. Cuando llegué
al aeropuerto en Seoul, me llevaron inmediatamente a la escuela en la que
iba a trabajar para conocer al director. El director me dijo “Estoy muy
contento de que va a trabajar en mi escuela,” a lo que yo respondí:

나도 (la forma menos respetuosa de decir “yo también”).

En lugar de estar impresionado de que conocía al menos algunas palabras

en coreano, me miró como si alguien acabara de secuestrar a su hija.

Nunca, nunca subestimes la importancia de las terminaciones honoríficas

en coreano.

Ten en cuenta que todas estas conjugaciones con diferentes terminaciones

tienen exactamente el mismo significado. Aprenderás a conjugar con
honoríficos de las siguientes maneras:

1. Informal de bajo respeto

Se usa cuando hablas con tus amigos, personas con las que eres
cercano, personas más jóvenes que tú, y tu familia.
2. Informal de alto respeto
Este nivel puede ser usado en la mayoría de las situaciones, incluso en
situaciones formales, aunque se llame “informal”. Esta es la forma en la
que la mayoría de la gente habla cuando tratan de mostrar respeto a la
persona con la que están hablando.
 3. Formal de alto respeto
Esta es una forma de muy alto respeto que se usa al hablar con
personas que se merecen muchísimo respeto de tu parte. Es difícil de
describir, pero la verdad es que la diferencia entre ‘Informal de alto
respeto’ y ‘Formal de alto respeto’ no es muy grande. Mientras uses
cualquiera de estas dos formas, no ofenderás a nadie.
Los nombres de cada manera de hablar pueden ser diferentes según el
lugar donde consultes, pero escogí los nombres de arriba para describirlos
fácilmente. Además de estos, aprendiste la “forma simple” en la lección
anterior.

¡Antes de comenzar, recuerda! Como aprendimos en la Lección 5: Cuando

se añade algo a la raíz de una palabra, si la última vocal en la raíz es ㅏ o ㅗ,
debes añadir 아 más lo que sea que estés añadiendo. Si la última vocal es
cualquiera excepto ㅏ o ㅗ, debes añadir 어 más lo que sea que estés
añadiendo. Si la sílaba de la raíz es 하, añades 하여, que se puede acortar a
해.

También aprendiste en la lección anterior que si la raíz de una palabra

termina en vocal, “~았/었다” se combina con la misma raíz al conjugar en
pasado.

En esta lección, dos de las conjugaciones requieren que añadas ~아/어. Al

agregar ~아/어 a la raíz de una palabra, se aplica la misma regla de la
lección pasada. Esto es, si ~아/어 se añade a una raíz que termina en vocal,
~아/어 se combina con la misma raíz. Por ejemplo:

가다 + ~아/어 = 가 (가 + 아)
오다 + ~아/어 = 와 (오 + 아)
배우다 + ~아/어 = 배워 (배우 + 어)
끼다 + ~아/어 = 껴 (끼 + 어)
나서다 + ~아/어 = 나서 (나서 + 어)
켜다 + ~아/어 = 켜 (켜 + 어)
하다 + ~아/어 = 해 (하 + 여)

En cambio, si una raíz termina en consonante, se añade ~아/어 a la raíz,

pero no se combina. Por ejemplo:
먹다 + ~아/어 = 먹어 (먹 + 어)
앉다 + ~아/어 = 앉아 (앉 + 아)

Hay muchas ocasiones en las que tendrás que añadir ~아/어 (u otras

vocales y consonantes) a raíces. Conjugar es solamente una de estas
situaciones. Siempre mantén esta regla en mente, ya que la verás tanto a
través de esta lección como a través de tus estudios.

Verbos
Presente

En la Lección 5 aprendiste a conjugar verbos en presente añadiendo ㄴ/

는다 a la raíz de la palabra. Repasando brevemente:

먹다 = comer (no conjugado)

나는 먹는다 = yo como (conjugado – presente)

배우다 = aprender (no conjugado)

나는 배운다 = yo aprendo (conjugado – presente)

Hay otras tres conjugaciones en presente que debes conocer:

1) Informal de bajo respeto

Todo lo que hay que hacer es añadir ~어/아/여 a la raíz del verbo:

PLAY 나는 항상 저녁에 음식을 먹어 = Yo siempre como comida en la tarde

(먹 + 어)
나는 나의 선생님을 항상 봐 = Yo siempre veo a mi maestro(a) (보 + 아)
PLAY 나는 항상 아침에 운동해 = Yo siempre me ejercito en la mañana (
운동하 + 여)

En la Lección 1, leíste de la función de ~에 como partícula para identificar

la ubicación o el tiempo en el que algo sucede. Desde entonces, has visto
muchos casos de ~에 siendo usado para indicar un lugar, pero todavía
falta que veas ejemplos donde indica tiempo. Este es sólo un pequeño
recordatorio de que ~에 es (además de otras cosas) añadido a la parte de
la oración que indica tiempo.

También fíjate que en los ejemplos de arriba, “항상” (siempre) se

colocó en dos diferentes lugares dentro de la oración. Los adverbios casi
siempre pueden ser puestos donde el interlocutor deseé. El uso y
colocación de adverbios se discute en la Lección 8.

2) Informal de alto respeto

Esto se hace de la misma manera que en Informal de bajo respeto, pero
añadiendo ‘~요’ al final de la palabra. Añadir ~요 al final de cualquier cosa
en coreano lo hace más respetuoso:

저는 항상 저녁에 음식을 먹어요 = Yo siempre como comida en la tarde (먹

+ 어요)
PLAY 저는 저의 선생님을 항상 봐요 = Yo siempre veo a mi maestro(a) (보 +
아요)
PLAY 저는 항상 아침에 운동해요 = Yo siempre me ejercito en la mañana (
운동하 + 여요)

3) Formal de alto respeto

Esto se hace de manera similar a la conjugación que aprendiste en
la Lección 5, donde añadíamos ~ㄴ/는다 a la raíz. Para conjugar usando la
forma Formal de alto respeto, debemos añadir ~ㅂ니다/습니다 al final de la
raíz de la palabra. Si la raíz termina en vocal, se añade ~ㅂ a la última sílaba;
니다 se agrega después. Si una raíz termina en consonante, se añade ~
습니다.

PLAY 저는 항상 저녁에 음식을 먹습니다 = Yo siempre como comida en la

tarde (먹 + 습니다)
PLAY 저는 저의 선생님을 항상 봅니다 = Yo siempre veo a mi maestro(a) (보
+ ㅂ니다)
저는 항상 아침에 운동합니다 = Yo siempre me ejercito en la mañana (
운동하 + ㅂ니다)

 
 .

Pasado

En la Lección 5 aprendiste a conjugar verbos en presente añadiendo 었다/

았다/였다 a la raíz de la palabra. Repasando brevemente:

먹다 = comer (no conjugado)

나는 먹었다 = yo comí (conjugado – pasado)

배우다 = aprender (no conjugado)

나는 배웠다 = yo aprendí (conjugado – pasado)

Las nuevas conjugaciones deberían resultarte sencillas:

1) Informal de bajo respeto

En vez de añadir 었다/았다/였다 a la raíz, hay que quitar 다 y añadir 어
después de 었/았/였:

나는 먹었어 = yo comí (먹 + 었어)

PLAY 나는 들어봤어 = yo escuché (들어보 + 았어)
PLAY 나는 운동했어 = yo me ejercité (운동하 + 였어)

2) Informal de alto respeto

Sólo añade 요 al final de la conjugación de bajo respeto:

PLAY 저는 먹었어요 = yo comí (먹 + 었어요)

저는 들어봤어요 = yo escuché (들어보 + 았어요)
PLAY 저는 운동했어요 = yo me ejercité (운동하 + 였어요)

3) Formal de alto respeto

Después de agregar 었/았/였, en lugar de añadir 다, se añade 습니다:

PLAY 저는 먹었습니다 = yo comí (먹 + 었습니다)

PLAY 저는 들어봤습니다 = yo escuché (들어보 + 았습니다)
PLAY 저는 운동했습니다 = yo me ejercité (운동하 + 였습니다)
 

Futuro

En la Lección 5 aprendiste a conjugar verbos en presente añadiendo 겠다 a

la raíz de la palabra. Repasando brevemente:

먹다 = comer (no conjugado)

나는 먹겠다 = yo comeré (conjugado – futuro)

배우다 = aprender (no conjugado)

나는 배우겠다 = yo aprenderé (conjugado – futuro)

Las nuevas conjugaciones deberían resultarte sencillas:

1) Informal de bajo respeto

En vez de añadir 겠다 a la raíz de una palabra, se quita 다 y se agrega 어
después de 겠:

PLAY 나는 먹겠어 = yo comeré (먹 + 겠어)

나는 배우겠어 = yo aprenderé (배우 + 겠어)

2) Informal de alto respeto

Sólo añade 요 al final de la conjugación de bajo respeto:

PLAY 저는 먹겠어요 = I will eat (먹 + 겠어요)

PLAY 저는 배우겠어요 = I will learn (배우 + 겠어요)

3) Formal de alto respeto

Después de 겠, en vez de añadir 다, añade 습니다:

저는 먹겠습니다 = yo comeré (먹 + 겠습니다)

PLAY 저는 배우겠습니다 = yo aprenderé (배우 + 겠습니다)
Ahora veamos todas las conjugaciones que sabes en una tabla. Esta tabla
incluye la conjugación que aprendiste en la Lección 5, a la cual se llama
frecuentemente “Formal de bajo respeto”, “forma simple” o “forma de
diario.

먹다 Pasado Presente

Informal de bajo respeto 먹었어 먹어

Informal de alto respeto 먹었어요 먹어요

Forma simple 먹었다 먹는다

Formal de alto respeto 먹었습니다 먹습니다

자다 Pasado Presente Futuro

Informal de bajo respeto 잤어 자 자겠어

Informal de alto respeto 잤어요 자요 자겠어요

 Forma simple 잤다 잔다 자겠다

Formal de alto respeto 잤습니다 잡니다 자겠습니다

이해하다 Pasado Presente Futu

Informal de bajo respeto 이해했어 이해해 이해

Informal de alto respeto 이해했어요 이해해요 이해

Forma simple 이해했다 이해한다 이해

Formal de alto respeto 이해했습니다 이해합니다 이해

Adjetivos
Afortunadamente, los adjetivos se conjugan de la misma manera que los
verbos cuando tiene que ver con estas tres terminaciones honoríficas. La
diferencia más grande entre conjugar verbos y adjetivos es cuando se
conjuga en la forma más básica (lo cual hicimos en la Lección 5). Para
conjugar adjetivos en ‘Informal de bajo respeto’, ‘Informal de alto respeto’ y
‘Formal de alto respeto’, se siguen exactamente las mismas reglas que con
los verbos:

비싸다 Pasado Presente Futur

Informal de bajo respeto 비쌌어 비싸 비싸

Informal de alto respeto 비쌌어요 비싸요 비싸

Forma simple 비쌌다 비싸다 비싸

Formal de alto respeto 비쌌습니다 비쌉니다 비싸

길다 Pasado Presente

Informal de bajo respeto 길었어 길어

Informal de alto respeto 길었어요 길어요

 Forma simple 길었다 길다

Formal de alto respeto 길었습니다 깁니다 *

*Conjugación irregular. Aprenderás sobre irregulares en la siguiente lección.

착하다 Pasado Presente Fu

Informal de bajo respeto 착했어 착해 착하

Informal de alto respeto 착했어요 착해요 착하

Forma simple 착했다 착하다 착하

Formal de alto respeto 착했습니다 착합니다 착하

¡Eso es todo por esta lección! Vas progresando bastante bien en coreano.
Hay algunos irregulares que necesitas aprender antes que otra cosa, así que
veremos eso en nuestra próxima lección.
 Vocabulary

The vocabulary is separated into nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs for
the purpose of simplicity.

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use (you probably won’t be able to understand the grammar within the
sentences at this point, but it is good to see as you progress through your
learning).

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Want to give your brain practice at recognizing these words? Try finding the
words in this vocabulary list in a Word Search.

Nouns:
PLAY 한국 = Korea

Common Usages:
한국 사람 = Korean person
한국어 = Korean language (For Korean people, Korean language class is
called “국어 (수업)”)
한국인 = Korean person
한국 역사 = Korean history (in school, Korean history class is usually called
“한국사 (수업)”)
한국 문화 = Korean culture
한국 경제 = Korean economy
한국 전쟁 = the Korean War
한국주식시장 = Korean stock market
한국어능력시험 = Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK)

Notes: The formal name of the country is 대한민국

Examples
저는 7 년 동안 한국에서 살았어요 = I lived in Korea for seven years
저는 내년에 한국에 갈 거예요 = I will go to Korea next year
저의 어머니는 올해 한국에 올 것입니다 = My mom will come to Korea this
year
저는 한국어를 한국에서 배웠어요 = I learned Korean in Korea
고등학교는 한국에서 어려워요 = High school is difficult in Korea
그 집은 한국에서 지어졌어요 = that house was built in Korea
저는 한국에서 살고 있어요 = I live in Korea

PLAY 도시 = city

PLAY 이름 = name

PLAY 저 = I, me (formal)

PLAY 나 = I, me (informal)

PLAY 남자 = man

PLAY 여자 = woman

PLAY 이 = this

PLAY 그 = that

PLAY 저 = that (when something is far away)

PLAY 것 = thing

PLAY 이것 = this (thing)

PLAY 그것 = that (thing)

PLAY 저것 = that (thing)

PLAY 의자 = chair

PLAY 탁자 = table
PLAY 선생님 = teacher

PLAY 침대 = bed

PLAY 집 = house

PLAY 차 = car

PLAY 사람 = person

PLAY 책 = book

PLAY 컴퓨터 = computer

PLAY 나무 = tree/wood

PLAY 소파 = sofa

PLAY 중국 = China

PLAY 일본 = Japan

PLAY 문 = door

PLAY 의사 = doctor

PLAY 학생 = student

Adverbs and Other words:

PLAY 이다 = to be

PLAY 네 = yes

PLAY 아니 = no

There are 1050 vocabulary entries in Unit 1. All entries are linked to an audio
file. You can download all of these files in one package here.
For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

You might also want to try listening to all of the words on loop with
this Vocabulary Practice video.

Greeting Words

Throughout my lessons, I will only use grammar and vocabulary that you
have learned from a previous lesson. In Unit 0, I taught you how to write
words in Korean. Above, you can see the first set of words you should
study to get you started. I have not yet taught you how to use those words
or how conjugate them.

The words for “hello,” “thank you,” “how are you,” and “please” are actually
quite difficult in Korean. There is actually grammar within the words
themselves. At this stage, I would simply memorize these “greeting words”
as one unit, and you can worry about the grammar within them later when
it becomes relevant. The words are:

PLAY 안녕하세요 = hello

감사하다 and 고맙다 are the two words that are commonly used to say
“thank you.” However, they are rarely used in those forms and are almost
always conjugated. They can be conjugated in a variety of ways, which will
be introduced in Lesson 5 and Lesson 6. The most common ways to
conjugate these words are:

PLAY 감사합니다
PLAY 감사해요

PLAY 고마워
PLAY 고맙습니다
PLAY 고마워요

The way to say “how are you?” in Korean is:

PLAY 잘 지내세요?  = How are you?

Although this is the most literal way to ask “how are you?” in Korean, it is
not as common as the English expression. Korean people love food, and
common way to greet somebody is to ask them if they have eaten. The idea
of asking questions in Korean is taught in Lesson 21.

The way to say “please” in Korean is:

PLAY 제발 = Please

It is, of course, important for you to memorize these expressions in Korean,

but you need to know that there is a reason why they are said that way. For
now, don’t worry about why they are said that way, and simply memorize
them. We will get back to them in later lessons when they become
important.

Sentence Word Order

Korean has a sentence structure that is hard to grasp initially for English
speakers. For our purposes in Lesson 1, the words in Korean sentences are
written in the following order:

Subject – Object – Verb (for example: I hamburger eat)

Or
Subject – Adjective (for example: I beautiful)

I am going to quickly explain what a “subject” and “object” mean, as your

ability to understand later concepts depends on your understanding of this.
The subject refers to person/thing/noun/whatever that is acting. The
subject does the action of the verb. For example, the subject in each
sentence below is underlined:

I went to the park

I will go to the park
My mom loves me
He loves me
The dog ran fast
The clouds cleared up

In English, the subject always comes before the verb.

The object refers to whatever the verb is acting on. For example, the object
in each sentence below is underlined

My mom loves me
The dog bit the mailman
He ate rice
Students studied Korean

In English, the object always comes after the verb. However, a sentence
with a verb does not require an object. For example:

I slept
I ate
He died

Sometimes there is no object because it has simply been omitted from the
sentence. For example, “I ate” or “I ate rice” are both correct sentences.
Other verbs, by their nature, cannot act on an object. For example, you
cannot place an object after the verbs “to sleep” or “to go:”

I sleep you
I go you

Subjects are also present in sentences with adjectives. However, there is no

object in a sentence with an adjective. The subjects are underlined in the
following adjective-sentences below:

School is boring
I am boring
The movie was funny
The building is big
My girlfriend is pretty
The food is delicious

Verbs and adjectives are placed at the end of a sentence. Actually, every

Korean sentence and clause must end in one of the following:
– A verb
– An adjective, or
– 이다

I talk about the meaning of 이다 later in this lesson. It is neither a verb nor
an adjective, but it behaves like them. Every verb, every adjective and 이다
end in “다,” and these are the only words in Korean that can be conjugated.

Korean also has a formality system built into the language. That is, the way
one speaks to an older person who deserves high respect would be
different than the way one speaks to a friend. There are many ways words
in a sentence can change depending on the formality of the situation, but
the two most common, basic and important things to be aware of are:

1) There are two ways to say “I” or “me” in Korean:

나, used in informal situations, and

저, used in formal situations.

2) There are many ways to conjugate a word. As we saw above, the word
고맙다 can be conjugated many different ways. It is important to know
which conjugation to use in which situation. This is taught in Lesson 6. Until
Lesson 6, I make no distinction of formality and the focus is more on
sentence structure than conjugations. Until then, you will see both 나 and
저 arbitrarily used. Don’t worry about why one is used over the other until
Lesson 6, when formalities will be explained.

Okay, now that you know all of that, we can talk about making Korean
sentences.

Korean Particles (~는/은 and ~를/을)

Most words in a Korean sentence have a particle (a fancy word to say

‘something’) attached to them. These particles indicate the role of each
word in a sentence – that is, specifically which word is the subject or
object. Note that there is absolutely no way of translating these particles to
English, as we do not use anything like them.
The following are the particles you should know for this lesson:
는 or 은 (Subject)
This is placed after a word to indicate that it is the subject of a sentence.
Use 는 when the last letter of the last syllable of the subject is a vowel. For
example:
나 = 나는
저 = 저는

Use 은 when the last letter of the last syllable of the subject is a consonant.
For example:
집 = 집은
책 = 책은

를 or 을 (Object)
This is placed after a word to indicate that is the object of a sentence.
Use 를 when the last letter of the last syllable is a vowel. For example:
나 = 나를
저 = 저를

Use 을 when the last letter of the last syllable is a consonant. For example:
집 = 집을
책 = 책을

We can now make sentences using the Korean sentence structure and the
Korean particles.

1) I speak Korean = I 는 Korean 을 speak

는 is attached to “I” (the subject)
을 is attached to “Korean” (the object)

2) I like you = I 는 you 를 like

는 is attached to “I” (the subject)
를 is attached to “you” (the object)

3) I wrote a letter = I 는 letter 을 wrote

는 is attached to “I” (the subject)
을 is attached to “letter” (the object)
4) I opened the door = I 는 door 을 opened
는 is attached to “I” (the subject)
을 is attached to “the door” (the object)

5) My mom will make pasta = My mom 은 pasta 를 will make

은 is attached to “my mom” (the subject)
를 is attached to “pasta” (the object)

The same could be done for sentences with adjectives. However,

remember that sentences with adjectives will not have an object:

1) My girlfriend is pretty: My girlfriend 은 is pretty

“은” is attached to “my girlfriend” (the subject)

2) The movie was scary = The movie 는 was scary

“는” is attached to “the movie” (the subject)

We will now switch our focus to using actual Korean words to create
sentences ending in 이다.

To be: 이다

Let’s start building sentences in Korean. In this lesson, we will start by

making simple sentences using the word 이다. The translation for “이다” is
“to be.”  English speakers often don’t realize how difficult the word “to be”
is. Depending on who is being referred to, the word “to be” could be any of
the underlined words below:

I am a man
He is a man
They are men
I was a man
They were men
In each of those sentences, a different word (is, am, are, was, were) is used
depending on the subject and tense of the sentence. I can’t imagine how
difficult this would be for an English learner. In Korean, the 이다 is used to
represent all of those “to be” words.

As mentioned earlier, 이다 can be conjugated. In that way, 이다 is similar to

verbs and adjectives, but the rules for 이다 are often (but not always)
different. I will teach you how 이다 differs from verbs and adjectives as it
becomes important in later lessons. For example, in Lesson 52 you will
learn that the process for quoting a sentence with 이다 is different than with
verbs and adjectives.

Like adjectives, 이다 can not act on an object. Only verbs can act on
objects. For example:

I eat hamburgers (eat is a verb, the object is a hamburger)

She meets my friend (meet is a verb, the object is my friend)
They study Korean (study is a verb, the object is Korean)
We listen to music (listen is a verb, the object is music)

All of those sentences (can) have objects because the verb is the predicate
of the sentence. However, in sentences that are predicated by adjectives,
there will not be an object

I am pretty
She is beautiful
They are hungry
We are smart

Look at those four sentences. When we use adjectives in English, we must

also use “to be” words like am, is and are. In other words, we cannot make
sentences like this:

I pretty
She beautiful
They hungry
We smart
Unlike in English, 이다 is not used in these types of sentences. That is, we
do not use 이다 to indicate that something “is” an adjective. The structure of
sentences predicated by adjectives is discussed in Lesson 3.

So, 이다 is not used in these types of sentences:

I am pretty
She is beautiful
They are hungry
We are smart

However, 이다 is used in these types of sentences:

I am a man
He is a man
They are men
I was a man
They were men

이다 is used to indicate that a noun is a noun. The basic structure for a

sentence predicated by “이다” is:

[noun 은/는] [another noun][이다]

For example:
I 는 man 이다 = I am a man

Now substitute the words for “man” and “I,” which are:

나=I
남자 = man

The Korean sentence would look like this:

나는 남자이다 = I am a man

Notice that 이다 is attached directly to the second noun. Verbs and

adjectives are not attached to nouns like this, but 이다 is. It would be
incorrect to include a space between the second noun and 이다. For
example, this would be incorrect:

나는 남자 이다

Although it might look and feel like “남자” is an object in that sentence, it is
not. 이다, like adjectives and unlike verbs cannot act on an object. It would
be incorrect to include the object particle on the second noun. For example,
this would be incorrect:

나는 남자를 이다

The focus of this lesson (and Lessons 2, 3 and 4) is to introduce you to

simple Korean sentence structure. Until you reach Lessons 5 and Lesson
6 you will not be exposed to the conjugations and honorifics of Korean
verbs, adjectives and 이다. These words are very rarely used without
conjugations and honorifics.

The conjugation of sentences is very important, but so is the structure of

sentences. When creating these lessons, I went back in forth many times
thinking about which one I should present first. You can’t conjugate
sentences if you don’t have a logical sentence to conjugate; and you can’t
create a logical sentence if you don’t know how to conjugate it. In the end, I
figured it would make more sense to present the information this way –
where learners are introduced to sentence structure and then learn how to
conjugate the words within the sentence.

Throughout all of my lessons, I use example sentences to show how

grammar can be used. The example sentences in Lessons 1 – 4 are not
conjugated. However, directly beneath each non-conjugated sentence is a
conjugated version of the same sentence in parenthesis (one formal and
one informal conjugation). You might want to glimpse at how the words are
conjugated, but remember that this will be taught in Lessons 5 and 6 (for
verbs and adjectives) and Lesson 9 (for 이다).
Other examples of 이다 in use:

나는 여자이다 = I am a woman
(PLAY 나는 여자야 / 저는 여자예요)

나는 선생님이다 = I am a teacher
(PLAY 나는 선생님이야 / 저는 선생님이에요)

나는 사람이다 = I am a person
(PLAY 나는 사람이야 / 저는 사람이에요)

나는 ______이다 = I am a _______
(나는 _______ 이야 / 저는 _____이에요)

You can substitute any noun into the blank space to make these sentences.

The words “this” and “that” are often used as the subject of these types of
sentences. Let’s now look at how we can apply 이것, 그것 and 저것 to
sentences with 이다.

This and That (이/그/저)

You can see in the vocabulary above that the word for “this” is 이 in Korean.
We use 이 in Korean when we are talking about something that is within
touching distance (For example: this pen – i.e. the one I am holding). Just
like in English “이” (this) is placed before the noun it is describing. For
example:

이 사람 = This person
이 남자 = This man
이 여자 = This woman
이 차 = This car
이 탁자 = This table
이 의자 = This chair

Unfortunately, there are two words for “that”: 그 and 저. Early learners of
Korean are always confused with the difference between “그” and “저.”

We use 그 when we are talking about something from a previous sentence

or from previous context, regardless of if you could see it or not. Providing
examples would be too difficult right now because you do not know any
Korean sentences. However, if I were to say: “I don’t like that man [when
your friend mentioned him in a previous sentence].” The word “that” in that
sentence would be how “그” is used.

We use 저 when we are talking about something that we can see, but
cannot touch because it is too far away.

We can place “그” or “저” before a noun to describe “this” or “that” thing
just like we did with “이.”

이 사람 = This person
그 사람 = That person
저 사람 = That person

이 남자 = This man
그 남자 = That man
저 남자 = That man

이 여자 = This woman
그 여자 = That woman
저 여자 = That woman

이 의자 = This chair
그 의자 = That chair
저 의자 = That chair
이 탁자 = This table
그 탁자 = That table
저 탁자 = That table

Again, although the English translations of “그” and “저” are the same, it is
important to remember that they are not the same word in Korean.

One of the most common words in Korean is “것” meaning “thing.” When
이, 그 or 저 are placed before “것,” the result is a compound word.
Therefore, when placing “것” after 이, 그 or 저, there should not be a space
between the two. In other words, the following are words in and within
themselves, and not two separate words:

이것 = this thing
그것 = that thing
저것 = that thing

We see this same phenomenon happen with other common words that
you learn in future lessons. You don’t need to worry about this now, but we
see this same thing happen with the word 곳 (meaning “place”) and 
때 (meaning “time”).

With these words, the word “thing” isn’t necessary in the English
translation. Let me explain.

I’ll use “that” as an example, but the same idea can be applied to the word
“this.”

“That” can be placed before a noun to describe it. As we saw earlier:

That person
That man
That woman

However, it can also be a noun itself. For example:

I like that
In this type of English sentence, “that” is referring to some thing that you
like. It is a noun. It is a thing.

Therefore, the sentence could just as easily be said as:

I like that thing

I don’t like to use grammatical jargon in my lessons, but if you know what
these words mean, it could be helpful. In both English and Korean, “that”
can be a determiner (as in, “I like that man”), and it can also be a pronoun
(as in “I like that”). When used as a determiner in Korean, you should place
그 before a noun. When used as a pronoun in Korean, the word 그것 is
used.

In this same respect, while “이, 그 and 저” translate to “this, that and that”
respectively, and are placed before nouns to indicate “this noun, that noun
and that noun,” “이것, 그것 and 저것” are nouns (they are pronouns).
Therefore, they do not need to be followed by the redundant word “thing,”
although their meanings would be exactly the same:

I like this
I like this thing

I like that
I like that thing

We can now use these nouns as subjects or objects in a sentence. We will

look at how they can be used with “이다” next.

Using This/That with 이다

Remember, 이다 translates to “to be” and is conjugated as “am/is/are” in

English. Now that we know how to use 이, 그 and 저 (and 이것, 그것 and
저것), we can now make sentences like this:

That person is a doctor

We can start by putting those words into the Korean structure:

That person 는 doctor is

And then changing the English words to the appropriate Korean words:

그 사람은 +  의사 + 이다
그 사람은 의사이다
PLAY(그 사람은 의사야 / 그 사람은 의사예요)

More examples:
그 사람은 선생님이다 = That person is a teacher
(PLAY 그 사람은 선생님이야 / 그 사람은 선생님이에요)

이것은 탁자이다 = This (thing) is a table

(PLAY 이것은 탁자야 / 이것은 탁자예요)

저것은 침대이다 = That (thing) is a bed

(PLAY 저것은 침대야 / 저것은 침대예요)

그 사람은 남자이다 = That person is a man

(PLAY 그 사람은 남자야 / 그 사람은 남자예요)

그 사람은 여자이다 = That person is a woman

(PLAY 그 사람은 여자야 / 그 사람은 여자예요)

그것은 차이다 = That (thing) is a car

(PLAY 그것은 차야 / 그것은 차예요)

이것은 나무이다 = This (thing) is a tree

(PLAY 이것은 나무야 / 이것은 나무예요)

There are 1250 example sentences in Unit 1. All entries are linked to an
audio file. You can download all of these files in one package here.

Wow! That was an extremely difficult lesson. If you were to pick up another
Korean text book, I am sure the first chapter would be much easier than
this. Trust me though; learning this at the start will be very useful to you
later on. When I was learning how to speak Korean, it took me months to
realize some of these things (not because they were hard, but because I
was using a text book that never taught me the reason why things are the
way they are in Korean).

Before you move on, make sure you understand the simple Korean
sentence structure presented in this first lesson. Also, remember that the
sentences not in parentheses are technically incorrect (or very very
uncommon) because they have not been conjugated.

Vocabulary

The vocabulary is separated into nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs for
the purpose of simplicity.

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use (you probably won’t be able to understand the grammar within the
sentences at this point, but it is good to see as you progress through your
learning).

A PDF file neatly presenting all of these words and example sentences in
addition to common usages and specific notes can be found here.

Want to give your brain practice at recognizing these words? Try finding the
words in this vocabulary list in a Word Search.

Nouns:
PLAY 음식 = food

PLAY 케이크 = cake

PLAY 공항 = airport

PLAY 병원 = hospital

PLAY 공원 = park

PLAY 한국어 = Korean (language)

PLAY 머리 = head
PLAY 다리 = leg

PLAY 손가락 = finger

PLAY 귀 = ear

PLAY 팔 = arm

PLAY 눈 = eye

PLAY 입 = mouth, lips

PLAY 배 = stomach

PLAY 버스 = bus

PLAY 배 = boat

PLAY 우리 = us/we

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 먹다 = to eat

CONJUGATE PLAY 가다 = to go

CONJUGATE PLAY 만나다 = to meet

CONJUGATE PLAY 닫다 = to close

CONJUGATE PLAY 열다 = to open

CONJUGATE PLAY 원하다 = to want (an object)

CONJUGATE PLAY 만들다 = to make

CONJUGATE PLAY 하다 = to do
CONJUGATE PLAY 말하다 = to speak

CONJUGATE PLAY 이해하다 = to understand

CONJUGATE PLAY 좋아하다 = to like

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 크다 = to be big

CONJUGATE PLAY 작다 = to be small

CONJUGATE PLAY 새롭다 = to be new

CONJUGATE PLAY 낡다 = to be old (not age)

CONJUGATE PLAY 비싸다 = to be expensive

CONJUGATE PLAY 싸다 = to not be expensive, to be cheap

CONJUGATE PLAY 아름답다 = to be beautiful

CONJUGATE PLAY 뚱뚱하다 = to be fat, to be chubby

CONJUGATE PLAY 길다 = to be long

CONJUGATE PLAY 좋다 = to be good

Adverbs:
PLAY 아주 = very

PLAY 매우 = very

PLAY 너무 = too (often used to mean ‘very’)

There are 1050 vocabulary entries in Unit 1. All entries are linked to an
audio file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.
For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

You might also want to try listening to all of the words on loop with
this Vocabulary Practice video.

Some Quick Notes about Korean Verbs and Adjectives

Okay, now it is time to get serious. Now it is time to start learning things that
you can apply to any verb or any adjective. There are a few things you
need to know about Korean verbs and adjectives:

1.  I said this before (twice) but I’m going to say it again. Every Korean
sentence must end in either a verb or an adjective (this includes 이다
and 있다). Every sentence absolutely must have a verb or adjective at
the end of the sentence.
2. You should notice (it took me months to notice) that every Korean
verb and adjective ends with the syllable ‘다.’ 100% of the time, the
last syllable in a verb or adjective must be ‘다.’ Look up at the
vocabulary from this lesson if you don’t believe me.
3. In addition to ending in ‘다’ many verbs and adjectives end with the
two syllables ‘하다.’ ‘하다’ means ‘do.’ Verbs ending in 하다 are
amazing, because you can simply eliminate the ‘하다’ to make the
noun form of that verb/adjective.
Confused? I was at first too. In fact, I don’t think I knew this until 3
months after I started studying Korean – but it is something so
essential to learning the language. It is confusing to English speakers
because we don’t realize that words can have a verb/adjective form
AND a noun form.
For example:
행복하다 = happy
행복 = happiness

성공하다 = succeed
성공 = success
말하다 = speak
말 = speech/words

성취하다 = achieve
성취 = achievement

취득하다 = acquire
취득 = acquisition

You don’t need to memorize those words yet (they are difficult), but it is
important for you to realize that ‘하다’ can be removed from words in order
to create nouns.

Verbs/adjectives that end in “~하다” are typically of Chinese origin and have
an equivalent Hanja (한자) form. Verbs that do not end in “~하다” are of
Korean origin and do not have a Hanja form. If you can speak Chinese, you
will probably have an advantage at learning more difficult Korean
vocabulary, as a lot of difficult Korean words have a Chinese origin.

Korean Verbs

We have already talked about verbs a little bit in previous lessons, but
nothing has been formally taught. You learned the basic verb sentence
structure in Lesson 1. Let’s look at this again. If you want to say “I eat food”
you should know how to use the particles 는/은 and 를/을:

I eat food
I 는 food 를 eat
To make a sentence, you simply need to substitute the English words with
Korean words:
저는 + 음식을 + 먹다
저는 음식을 먹다 = I eat food
*Note – Although the structure of the sentences presented in this lesson is
perfect, the verbs are not conjugated, and thus, not perfect. You will learn
about conjugating in Lesson 5 and Lesson 6. Before learning how to
conjugate, however, it is essential that you understand the word-order of
these sentences. However, because of some strange Korean grammatical
rules, the sentences provided in the “Adjectives” section are technically
perfect but are presented in an uncommon (but simplest) conjugation
pattern.

As with the previous lessons, we have attached audio recordings only to

sentences that are grammatically correct. Incorrect sentences (due to not
being conjugated) do not have audio recordings. Again, you will learn about
these conjugations in Lesson 5 and Lesson 6. For now, try to understand the
word order of the sentences and how the verbs/adjectives are being used.

As with previous lessons, conjugated examples (one formal and one

informal) are provided beneath the un-conjugated examples. Use these
only for reference at this point.

Let’s look at some examples:

나는 케이크를 만들다 = I make a cake

(PLAY 나는 케이크를 만들어 / 저는 케이크를 만들어요)

나는 배를 원하다 = I want a boat

(PLAY 나는 배를 원해 / 저는 배를 원해요)

나는 한국어를 말하다 = I speak Korean

(PLAY 나는 한국어를 말해 / 저는 한국어를 말해요)

나는 공원에 가다 = I go to the park (notice the particle 에)

(PLAY 나는 공원에 가 / 저는 공원에 가요)

나는 문을 닫다 = I close the door

(PLAY 나는 문을 닫아 / 저는 문을 닫아요)
나는 창문을 열다 = I open the window
(PLAY 나는 창문을 열어 / 저는 창문을 열어요)

Remember that sentences with verbs don’t necessarily need to have an

object in them if the context allows for it.

나는 이해하다 = I understand
(PLAY 나는 이해해 / 저는 이해해요)

Some verbs by default cannot act on an object. Words like: sleep, go, die,
etc. You cannot say something like “I slept home”, or “I went restaurant”, or
“I died her.” You can use nouns in sentences with those verbs, but only with
the use of other particles – some of which you have learned already (~에)
and some that you will learn in later lessons. With the use of other particles
you can say things like:

I slept at home
I went to the restaurant
I died with her

We will get into more complicated particles in later lessons, but here I want
to focus on the purpose of ~를/을 and its function as an object particle.

Korean Adjectives

Korean adjectives, just like Korean verbs are placed at the end of a
sentence. The main difference between verbs and adjectives is that an
adjective can never act on an object. Notice, in the sentences below that
there is no object being acted on.
Adjectives are very easy to use. Just put them into the sentence with your
subject.  (Remember that the examples in parentheses show sentences that
have been conjugated which you have not learned yet.)

Note that due to weird Korean grammatical rules regarding adjectives, the
un-conjugated sentences below are actually grammatically correct as
they are. Therefore, we provided audio examples for the un-conjugated
sentences and not the conjugated sentences (although all are correct). You
will learn about this weird rule and how to conjugate adjectives in Lesson
5.

PLAY 나는 아름답다 = I am beautiful

(나는 아름다워 / 저는 아름다워요)

PLAY 나는 작다 = I am small

(나는 작아 / 저는 작아요)

PLAY 이 버스는 크다 = This bus is big

(이 버스는 커 / 이 버스는 커요)

PLAY 그 병원은 새롭다 = That hospital is new

(그 병원은 새로워 / 그 병원은 새로워요)

PLAY 이 공원은 매우 작다 = This park is very small

(이 공원은 매우 작아 / 이 공원은 매우 작아요)

PLAY 그 사람은 뚱뚱하다 = That person is fat

(그 사람은 뚱뚱해 / 그 사람은 뚱뚱해요)

There is one confusing thing about translating sentences with Korean

adjectives to English. Notice that in all examples above, the words
“am/is/are/etc…” are used. In English, these words need to be used when
using an adjective:

I am fat
He is fat
They are fat

Remember, the translation for “am/is/are” to Korean is “이다.” However,

you do not use “이다” when writing a sentence like this in
Korean. Within the meaning of Korean adjective is “is/am/are.” Early
learners are always confused by this. The confusion stems from the fact
that it is done differently in English and Korean. Please, from here on,
abandon what you know of grammar based on English – it will only hold
you back.

 
 의 Possessive Particle

Note: The pronunciation of the letter “ㅢ” can change depending on how
and when it is used. You might want to check out the section where I
discuss the pronunciation of  ㅢ in the Pronunciation Guide. 

You already know that ‘I’ in Korean is 저/나. You also know the translation
for various objects in Korean.

“의” is a particle that indicates that one is the owner/possessor of another

object. It has the same role as putting an apostrophe followed by an “s” in
English. For example:

Note: ~’s is not added to pronouns like I, you, he, she and they. Instead, the
words my, your, his, her and their are used. The change from “I” to “my” is
also accomplished by 의 in Korean.

저=I
책 = book
저의 책 = my book

저의 차 = My car
그 사람의 차 = That person’s car
의사의 탁자 = The doctor’s table
선생님의 차 = the teacher’s car
저의 손가락 = my finger

You can use these words in sentences you are familiar with (with verbs and
adjectives):
PLAY 선생님의 차는 크다 = The teacher’s car is big
(선생님의 차는 커 / 선생님의 차는 커요)

나는 선생님의 차를 원하다 = I want the teacher’s car

(PLAY 나는 선생님의 차를 원해 / 저는 선생님의 차를 원해요)

PLAY 나의 손가락은 길다 = My finger is long

(나의 손가락은 길어 / 저의 손가락은 길어요)
PLAY 그 여자의 눈은 아름답다 = That woman’s eyes are beautiful
(그 여자의 눈은 아름다워 / 그 여자의 눈은 아름다워요)

You will find that words like “my/our/their/his/her” are often omitted from
sentences. As you will learn continuously throughout your Korean studies,
Korean people love shortening their sentences wherever possible.
Whenever something can be assumed by context, words are often omitted
from sentences to make them more simple. For example:

나는 나의 친구를 만나다 = I meet my friend

(PLAY 나는 나의 친구를 만나 / 저는 저의 친구를 만나요)

Can be written as the following:

나는 친구를 만나다 = I meet (my/a) friend

(PLAY 나는 친구를 만나 / 저는 친구를 만나요)

In this case (and many others like it) you are clearly meeting “your” friend,
so the word “my” can be omitted from the sentence.

Always try to stay away from translating sentences directly, and try to focus
more on translating sentences based on context as done above.

좋다 and 좋아하다

The word 좋다 in Korean is an adjective that means “good.” Because 좋다 is

an adjective we can use it just like any other adjective:

PLAY 이 음식은 좋다 = this food is good

(이 음식은 좋아 / 이 음식은 좋아요)

PLAY 그 선생님은 좋다 = that teacher is good

(그 선생님은 좋아 / 그 선생님은 좋아요)

PLAY 이 학교는 좋다 = This school is good

(이 학교는 좋아 / 이 학교는 좋아요)
There is also 좋아하다 which is a verb meaning ‘to like.’ Because 좋아하다
is a verb, can use it just like any other verb:

나는 이 음식을 좋아하다 = I like this food

(PLAY 나는 이 음식을 좋아해 / 저는 이 음식을 좋아해요)

나는 그 선생님을 좋아하다 = I like that teacher

(PLAY 나는 그 선생님을 좋아해 / 저는 그 선생님을 좋아해요)

좋아하다 gets formed by removing ‘다’ from 좋다 and adding 아 + 하다.

There is a reason for why this is done, and there is an explanation for how it
is done – but you do not need to know this yet. For now, just understand
that:

좋다 is an adjective which cannot act on an object

좋아하다 is a verb which can act on an object

We, Us, and Our (우리)

At this point I would also like to introduce you to the word “우리” which
you can see from the vocabulary list of this lesson translates to “us” or “we.”
In English, even though they are technically the same word, the usage of
“us” or “we” depends on its location within the sentence it is used in. Just
like “I” and “me”, if the word is the subject of a sentence, “we” is used. For
example:

I like you
We like you

However, if the word is the object in a sentence, the word “us” is used. For
example:

He likes me
He likes us
In Korean, they do not make this distinction, and “우리” is used in both
situations. For example:

우리는 너를 좋아하다 = We like you

(PLAY 우리는 너를 좋아해)
I deliberately didn’t include a formal version of the conjugated sentence
above because it is usually awkward to say the word “you” politely in
Korean. We’ll get to this in a later lesson.

선생님은 우리를 좋아하다 = The teacher likes us

(PLAY 선생님은 우리를 좋아해 / 선생님은 우리를 좋아해요)

By placing the possessive particle “의” after “우리” we can create the
meaning of “our”. While this can be done, I feel it is much more common to
omit this particle when it is used with “우리.” In fact, the particle “의” is very
commonly omitted from words other than “우리” as well. However, I don’t
suggest thinking about doing this until you have a better grasp of the
language. At this point, I only suggest that you do this with “우리.” For
example:

우리 선생님은 남자이다 = Our teacher is a man

(PLAY 우리 선생님은 남자야 | 우리 선생님은 남자예요)

PLAY 우리 집은 크다 = Our house is big

(우리 집은 커 | 우리 집은 커요)

A formal version of “우리” is “저희”. However, even in formal situations it is

acceptable to use “우리”. At this point, you haven’t even begun to learn
about the different levels of formality of Korean, so I don’t want you to get
too worried about this word.

Common Greeting Words

I wish I could tell you not to worry about these. Of course, I can tell you
“don’t worry about these,” but I don’t think that will do. When learning a
language, everybody wants to learn these words as soon as possible. I
understand that completely, but I have purposely waited to teach you these
types of words. In fact, I still don’t want to show them to you – but at this
point I am sure you are asking yourself “I’ve gotten this far and I still don’t
even know how to say ‘goodbye’ yet!”

In Korean, it is much easier to understand these words/phrases if you also

understand why they are used the way they are. Unfortunately, we haven’t
reached the point where you can understand this. We will get to that in a
few more lessons. Either way, here are some very common phrases which I
am sure you are dying to know:

PLAY 안녕히 가세요 = Goodbye (said to somebody going)

PLAY 안녕히 계세요 = Goodbye (said to somebody staying)
PLAY 만나서 반갑습니다 = Nice to meet you
PLAY 실례합니다 = Excuse me
PLAY 죄송합니다/미안합니다 = Sorry
PLAY 이름이 뭐예요? = What is your name?
저의 이름은 ______이에요 = My name is
PLAY 어디에서 왔어요? = Where are you from?
저는 _______에서 왔어요 = I am from

If you can’t memorize them, that is okay. I still maintain the position
that you should put off memorizing these until you can understand the
grammar within them.

Now that we have gotten that out of the way, let’s start studying some
actual material.

Using Adjectives ~ㄴ/은

Alright, this won’t help you understand those greeting words any better, but
what you are about to learn is a major step in learning Korean. You should
remember these two important facts from the previous lesson:

● All sentences must end with either a verb or adjective

●All verbs/adjectives end with the syllable ‘다’
Although both of those are true (and always will be), let’s look at them more
deeply:
 ● All sentences must end with either a verb or adjective
Yes, but verbs and adjectives can ALSO go elsewhere in a sentence. In
the previous lesson, you learned this sentence:
저는 배를 원하다 = I want a boat
(PLAY 나는 배를 원해 / 저는 배를 원해요)

But what if you want to say: “I want a big boat.” In that sentence, there is a
verb and an adjective. Where should we put the adjective? In Korean, this
adjective is placed in the same position as in English. For example:

나는 배를 원하다 = I want a boat

나는 big 배를 원하다 = I want a big boat

Simple. So we just substitute the Korean word for big (크다) into that
sentence?:

나는 크다 배를 원하다 = Not correct. Not by a long shot.

Remember that second rule I taught you?:

● All verbs/adjectives end with the syllable ‘다’

– Yes, but the version of the word with ‘다’ as the last syllable is simply
the dictionary form of that word and is rarely used. Every
verb/adjective in Korean has a ‘stem,’ which is made up of everything
preceding 다 in the dictionary form of the word. Let’s look at some
examples:
크다 = 크 (stem) + 다
작다 = 작 (stem) + 다
좋다 = 좋 (stem) + 다
길다 = 길 (stem) + 다
배우다 = 배우 (stem) + 다

Most of the time, when you deal with a verb/adjective, you eliminate ~다
and add something to the stem.

When you want to make an adjective that can describe a noun, as in:
small boy
big boat
delicious hamburger
soft hand

you must eliminate ‘~다’ and add ~ㄴ or ~은 to the stem of the adjective.

Words in which the last syllable of the stem ends in a vowel  (크다/비싸다/
싸다) you add ~ㄴ to the last syllable:

Word Stem Adjective that can Example Tr

describe a noun

크다 크 큰 큰배 Bi

비싸다 비싸 비싼 비싼 음식 Ex

싸다 싸 싼 싼것 Ch

Words in which the last syllable of the stem ends in a consonant (작다/좋다
/많다) you add ~은 to the stem:

Word Stem Adjective that can Example Tra

describe a noun

작다 작 작은 작은 남자 Sm
 좋다 좋 좋은 좋은 아들 Goo

많다 많 많은 많은 돈 Al

Looking back to what we were trying to write before:

I want a big boat = 저는 크다 배를 원하다 = incorrect

I want a big boat = 저는 큰 배를 원하다 = correct

The key to understanding this is being able to understand the difference

between the following:

PLAY 음식은 비싸다 = The food is expensive

PLAY 비싼 음식 = expensive food

The first example is a sentence. The second example is not a sentence. The
second sentence needs more words in order for it to be a sentence. You
need to add either a verb or adjective that predicates the noun of
“expensive food.” For example:

나는 비싼 음식을 먹다 = I eat expensive food

(PLAY 나는 비싼 음식을 먹어 / 저는 비싼 음식을 먹어요)
The verb “to eat” predicates this sentence.

저는 비싼 음식을 좋아하다 = I like expensive food

(PLAY 나는 비싼 음식을 좋아해 / 저는 비싼 음식을 좋아해요)
The verb “to like” predicates this sentence.

비싼 음식은 맛있다 = Expensive food is delicious

(PLAY 비싼 음식은 맛있어 / 비싼 음식은 맛있어요)
The adjective “to be delicious” predicates this sentence. Notice that there is
no object in this sentence.
(Remember, for the last time – you do not know how to conjugate verbs
and adjectives at the end of a sentence yet. This will be introduced in the
next lesson. Because you do not know how to conjugate verbs/adjectives at
the ends of sentences, examples with un-conjugated forms are presented
in this lesson. Remember that these sentences are technically incorrect, but
understanding them is crucial to your understanding of the Korean sentence
structure.

As with the previous three lessons, I have provided conjugated examples

below each un-conjugated example. You will probably not be able to
understand these conjugations.)

More examples of using adjectives to describe nouns within a sentence:

나는 작은 집에 가다 = I go to the small house

(PLAY 나는 작은 집에 가 / 저는 작은 집에 가요)

나는 큰 차를 원하다 = I want a big car

(PLAY 나는 큰 차를 원해 / 저는 큰 차를 원해요)

나는 잘생긴 남자를 만나다 = I meet a handsome man

(PLAY 나는 잘생긴 남자를 만나 / 저는 잘생긴 남자를 만나요)

나는 많은 돈이 있다 = I have a lot of money

(PLAY 나는 많은 돈이 있어 / 저는 많은 돈이 있어요)

나는 뚱뚱한 학생을 만나다 = I meet a fat student

(PLAY 나는 뚱뚱한 학생을 만나 / 저는 뚱뚱한 학생을 만나요)

In Lessons 1 and 2, I explained that adjectives cannot “act” on objects.

Many learners look at the sentences above and say “Hey! Those sentences
have an object and an adjective!” Adjectives cannot act on an object to
predicate a sentence. This means you cannot use a sentence like this (in
either language):

나는 집을 작다 = I small house
However, I didn’t say anything about adjectives and objects being used in
the same sentence. Adjectives can be used to describe an object that is
being predicated by a verb. I will continue to talk about this in the
examples below.

In all of the examples above, notice the difference in function between

when an adjective is used to describe a noun compared to when it is used
to predicate a sentence. For example:

나는 작은 집에 가다 = I go to the small house

(PLAY 나는 작은 집에 가 / 저는 작은 집에 가요)
The verb “to go” predicates this sentence.

그 집은 작다 = That house is small

(PLAY 그 집은 작아 / 그 집은 작아요)
The adjective “to be small” predicates this sentence. Notice that there is no
object in this sentence.

저는 큰 차를 원하다 = I want a big car

(PLAY 나는 큰 차를 원해 / 저는 큰 차를 원해요)
The verb “to want” predicates this sentence.

이 차는 크다 = This car is big

(PLAY 이 차는 커 / 이 차는 커요)
The adjective “to be big” predicates this sentence. Notice that there is no
object in this sentence.

In each of the examples above, even though the adjective always acts as a
descriptive word, in the cases when they are placed before nouns to
describe them – those nouns are able to be placed anywhere in the
sentence (for example, as the subject, object, location, or other places). This
same thing happens in English, where I can have a simple sentence like this:
남자는 음식을 먹다 = The man eats food
(PLAY 남자는 음식을 먹어 / 남자는 음식을 먹어요)

I can use adjectives to describe each noun in the sentence. For example:

행복한 여자는 작은 차 안에 있다 = The happy girl is inside the small car

(PLAY 행복한 여자는 작은 차 안에 있어 / 행복한 여자는 작은 차 안에
있어요)

You will see some adjectives that end in “~있다.” The most common of
these for a beginner are:

PLAY 맛있다 = delicious

PLAY 재미있다 = fun, funny

When an adjective ends in “~있다” like this, instead of attaching ~ㄴ/은 to

the stem, you must attach ~는 to the stem. For example:

그 남자는 재미있는 남자이다 = that man is a funny man

(PLAY 그 남자는 재미있는 남자야 / 그 남자는 재미있는 남자예요)

나는 맛있는 음식을 먹다 = I eat delicious food

(PLAY 나는 맛있는 음식을 먹어 / 저는 맛있는 음식을 먹어요)

The difference here is due to what I call the “~는 것” principle. For now, you
do not need to think about why ~는 is added instead of ~ㄴ/은. It is
sufficient at this point to just memorize it as an exception. The concept
behind this grammatical rule is introduced in Lesson 26 and I continue to
discuss it into other Lessons in Unit 2. This concept is related to verbs being
able to describe nouns. For example:

“The man who I met yesterday will go to the park that I want to go to”

However, this is very complex and is the whole basis to the ~는 것 principle
that I mentioned earlier. As I said, you will begin to learn about this
in Lesson 26.

 
 

To be a lot of: 많다

A good way to practice your understanding of how adjectives can be used

to describe a noun in a sentence or to predicate an entire sentence is to
apply your knowledge to the word “많다.” 많다 is an adjective that
describes that there is “many’ or “a lot” of something. Its translation to
English usually depends on how it is used in a sentence. For example, when
used to describe nouns in a sentence, it can be used in the following way:

나는 많은 음식을 먹다 = I eat a lot of food

(PLAY 나는 많은 음식을 먹어 / 저는 많은 음식을 먹어요)

나는 많은 돈이 있다 = I have a lot of money

(PLAY 나는 많은 돈이 있어 / 저는 많은 돈이 있어요)

나는 많은 아내가 있다 = I have a lot of wives (ha!)

(PLAY 나는 많은 아내가 있어 / 저는 많은 아내가 있어요)

Now, if we use “많다” to predicate a sentence, it can be used like this:

사람이 많다

In your Korean studies, you need to realize that it is never effective to think
of a Korean sentence as an exact translation in English. The fact is, Korean
and English grammar are completely different, and trying to force the
rules/structure of English into Korean is unnatural. If we stuck with the
translation of “a lot of” for the meaning of “많다” and forced the English
translation to the sentence “사람이 많다”, we would get:

People are a lot of

… But that clearly is not accurate. Instead, what is the sentence “사람이
많다” describing? It is describing that there is a lot of something, therefore,
the translation should be:
사람이 많다 = there is a lot of people
(PLAY 사람이 많아 / 사람이 많아요)

Therefore, when 많다 predicates a sentence, its translation is usually “There

is/are a lot of…”. Here is another example:

음식이 많다 = there is a lot of food

(PLAY 음식이 많아 / 음식이 많아요)

Of course, this can be applied to very complex sentences as well, but this is
just the very beginning. Eventually, you will be able to make a sentence like:

There are a lot of singers who become famous and spend all of their money
too quickly

This sentence as well would also end in “많다.” The structure would
basically be:

(singers who become famous and spend all of their money too quickly)가
많다

You are still very far from understanding how complex sentences like that
work, but I want to show you that the content you learned in this lesson
brings you one step closer.

Also notice that the particles 이/가 are attached to the subjects in sentences
ending with “많다.” There are some words where the use of the particles ~
이/가 on the subject of the sentence is more natural than the use of ~는/은.
많다 is one of these words. We will continue to tell you in which situations
it is more natural to use ~이/가 instead of ~은/는 as we progress through
our lessons.

Particle ~도

~도 is another particle that is very useful in Korean. It has the meaning of

“too/as well.” It can replace the subject  particles (는/은) OR the object
particles (를/을), depending on what you are saying “too” with. For
example:

저도 한국어를 말하다 = I speak Korean as well (In addition to other people)

(PLAY 나도 한국어를 말해 / 저도 한국어를 말해요)

which is different from:

저는 한국어도 말하다 = I speak Korean as well (in addition to other

languages)
(PLAY 나는 한국어도 말해 / 저는 한국어도 말해요)

Make sure you notice the difference between the previous two examples.
In English these two are written the same, but sound different when
speaking. In the first example, you are emphasizing that YOU also speak
Korean, in addition to other people that you are talking about. In the second
example, you are emphasizing that (in addition to other languages), you also
speak Korean.
See the two examples below for the same issue:

저도 사과를 먹다 = I eat apples as well

(PLAY 나도 사과를 먹어 / 저도 사과를 먹어요)

저는 사과도 먹다 = I eat apples as well

(PLAY 나는 사과도 먹어 / 저는 사과도 먹어요)

Notice the difference in pronunciation in English. The first one has the
meaning of “other people eat some apples, but I too eat some apples.” The
second example has the meaning of “I eat some other food as well, but I
also eat apples.” It is important to recognize that whatever noun “~도” is
attached to is the thing that is being expressed as “too.” More examples:

나도 그것을 알다 = I know that, too

(PLAY 나도 그것을 알아 / 저도 그것을 알아요)

나도 피곤하다 = I am tired, too

(PLAY 나도 피곤해 / 저도 피곤해요)
나의 딸도 행복하다 = My daughter is happy, too
(PLAY 나의 딸도 행복해 / 저의 딸도 행복해요)

How to say “I” or “me” in Korean

First of all, I want to point out the difference between “I” and “me” in
English. This is something that I never knew/realized until I started to learn
Korean as you will find that learning a foreign language will vastly increase
your understanding of your mother tongue and languages in general. In
English “I” and “me” have the same meaning, but they differ in their usage.
When the speaker is the subject of a sentence “I” is used. When the speaker
is the object (or other part) of a sentence “me” is used. For example:

I love you (“I” is the subject of the sentence)

You love me (“me” is the object of the sentence)

In Korean, the same word is used to say “I” or “me.” That is, there is no
difference in the Korean word if it used as a subject or object. However,
remember that different particles will have to be attached to these words.

Although the word in Korean for “I/me” doesn’t change based on its usage
in a sentence, it does change based on the politeness of a sentence. For
example:

저 means “I/me” and is used in formal situations

나 means “I/me” and is used in informal situations

~는 can be attached to 저 and 나 to indicate “I” is the subject of a sentence.

For example:
저는
나는
(I am purposely not providing example sentences because you still haven’t
learned proper conjugations. You will finally learn about conjugations in
this lesson)

~를 can be attached to 저 and 나 to indicate that “me” is the object of a

sentence. For example:
저를
나를
(I am purposely not providing example sentences because you still haven’t
learned proper conjugations. You will finally learn about conjugations in
this lesson)

~가 can be attached to 저 and 나 to indicate “I” is the subject of a sentence

or clause. I have already briefly distinguished the difference between ~이/
가 and ~은/는 in Lesson 2. The difference between these particles is very
subtle and takes years to fully grasp. I discuss these differences more
deeply in Lesson 17 and Lesson 22 but this isn’t immediately important to
you right now. What is immediately important to you is that you remember
that when ~가 is attached 나 changes to 내, and 저 changes to 제. For
example:

내가
제가
(I am purposely not providing example sentences because you still haven’t
learned proper conjugations. You will finally learn about conjugations in
this lesson)

In the lesson below, all of the sentences are conjugated in an informal style.
Therefore, all of the example sentences below use the informal “나” or “내.”
In this lesson, don’t worry about formality and just focus on the information
that I present. In the next lesson, you will learn more about formal and
informal speech, and you will see “저” and “제” being used.

How to say “you”

You may have noticed that I still haven’t taught you one of those most
common words in the English language. I know this sounds weird, but the
word ‘you’ is not said very often in Korean. Korean people get around
saying the word ‘you’ through a number of ways:

1. Most of the time, you use somebody’s (usually job) position when
referring to them or talking about them. For example, boss (부장님),
principal (교장선생님), vice principal (교감선생님), Mr. Name (for a
teacher) (Name 선생님), customer (고객님), guest (손님), 회장님/
사장님 (president/CEO of a company).
 2. It is very common in Korean to refer to people that you are close with
as your own family member. For example, 오빠 means “older brother”
(when you are a woman). But even if somebody is not your older
brother, you can call him ‘오빠’ if you are close to him.
3. You can usually call any woman or man that looks very old
“grandmother” and “grandfather” (할머니/할아버지). But other than
that, you don’t really call somebody part of your family unless you are
close with that person.
4. You can generally call any strange man or woman that you don’t know
‘아저씨’ (man) and ‘아주머니’ (woman).
5. In informal situations, you can use the word “너.” ~는 and ~를 can
attach to “너” when “you” is the subject or object of a sentence,
respectively. If ~가 is added to ~너, it changes to “네가.” In order to
distinguish the pronunciation of “네가” and “내가” from each other
(which, technically should be pronounced the same), “네가” is
pronounced as “knee-ga.”
6. You can also use the word “당신” which means “you.” You may use
this word when talking to anybody, but Korean people hardly ever use
it. Most people that say ‘당신’ are foreigners and only do so because
they are so used to saying “you” in a sentence.
 

Basic Conjugation: Past, Present, Future

As I have mentioned in every lesson so far – every sentence that you have
learned thus far has not been conjugated. All the sentences you have
learned so far would never actually be used in Korean because they are not
conjugated. I felt you needed to know basic sentence structure before you
learned how to conjugate. The good news, however, is that conjugating in
Korean is much easier than other languages (including English and
especially French!).

An important note before you begin

This lesson will show you how to conjugate past/present/future verbs in

the most basic way. Although all of these conjugations are grammatically
correct, they are rarely used in conversation. This form is sometimes called
“diary form” because it is usually used when writing to yourself in a diary. It
is also used when writing tests, books (not in dialogue), research papers,
newspaper articles, magazine articles, and other times when one is not
speaking/writing to a specific audience. It is also sometimes called the
“plain form.”

If you used this form in a sentence, you should use the informal “나,” as this
conjugation is seen as informal. As such, throughout this lesson, you will see
the word “나” used for “I.” However, as I mentioned, this conjugation form
is also used in print (books, newspapers, articles, etc…). When this is done,
the sentence is neither formal or informal – as it is just relaying facts. When
used like this, no specific person is the speaker, and nobody is getting
directly spoken to. Therefore, you don’t generally see “저” or “나” in these
forms of Korean, and there is no need to see these writings as formal or
informal.

It is possible to use this “diary” or “plain” form in conversation, but you are
more likely to hear one of the conjugations discussed in the next lesson.
Although the plain form is not very common in conversation, the
conjugation itself is incredibly important if you want to understand more
complex grammar later on or learn to read most printed forms of Korean
(books, newspaper, etc…). You will learn the most important conjugations
for conversation in the next lesson, but I highly recommend you to
understand the conjugations presented in this lesson first.

The only part of speech that gets conjugated in Korean is verbs and
adjectives (and 이다). As you already know, a sentence must end in either a
verb or adjective or 이다.

Let’s look at how to conjugate verbs and adjectives into the past, present
and future tenses.

Verbs
Present Tense

When the last syllable of the stem ends in a consonant, you add ~는다 to
the stem of the word:
먹다 = 먹는다 = to eat (먹 + 는다)
닫다 = 닫는다 = to close (닫 + 는다)

Examples:

나는 문을 닫는다 = I close the door

나는 밥을 먹는다 = I eat rice

When the last syllable of the stem ends in a vowel, you add ~ㄴ to the last
syllable followed by 다

배우다 = 배운다 = to learn (배우 + ㄴ다)

이해하다 = 이해한다 = to understand (이해하 + ㄴ다)
가다 = 간다 = to go (가 + ㄴ다)

Examples:
PLAY 나는 친구를 만난다 = I meet a friend
PLAY 나는 그것을 이해한다 = I understand that
PLAY 나는 한국어를 배운다 = I learn Korean
PLAY 나는 집에 간다 = I go home

Past Tense

Before you learn this, you need to know something important. Korean
grammar is based on adding things directly to verbs or adjectives to create
a specific meaning. For example, earlier in this lesson you saw how ~는다
or ~ㄴ다 can be added to the stem of a verb in order to conjugate that verb
to the present tense.

Hundreds of grammatical principles (not just conjugations, but grammatical

principles that have actual meanings in sentences) are created by adding
certain things to the stems of verbs and adjectives. You will learn about
these in later lessons as you progress through your studies. For example,
the following is a short list of additions that can be added to the stems of
verbs and/or adjectives to create a specific meaning:
 ● ~기 to create a noun form of a verb or adjective (Lesson 29)
● ~아/어서 to give reason (Lesson 37)
● ~(으)시 to denote an honorific acting agent (Lesson 39)
● ~(으)세요 to make a command (Lesson 40)
● ~자 to make a suggestion (Lesson 44)
● ~아/어야 하다 to indicate that one must do something (Lesson 46)
● ~ㄴ/는다고 to quote somebody (Lesson 52)
The list could go on and on forever.

Notice that some of these grammatical principles require the addition of “~

아/어.” Many grammatical principles (or conjugations, or any other thing)
require the addition of “~아/어” to the stem of a verb or adjective. Notice
that the “slash” indicates that you need to choose what actually gets added
to the stem. In some cases it is “~아”, and in some cases it is “~어”. The
following is the rule that you can use to determine if you should add “~아”
or “~어”:

● If the last vowel in a stem is ㅏ or ㅗ (this includes rare cases of the

last vowel being ㅑ or ㅛ) you add ~아 followed by the remainder of
the grammatical principle. (The only exception is “하.” If the last
syllable in a stem is “하“, ~여 must be added to the stem followed by
the remainder of the grammatical principle instead of ~아.
● If the last vowel in a stem is anything but ㅏ or ㅗ you add ~어
followed by the remainder of the grammatical principle
When conjugating to the past tense, we need to add “~았/었다” to the stem
of a word (or 였다 in the case of 하다). Following the rule above, ~았다 is
added to words with the last vowel being ㅗ or ㅏ and ~었다 is added to
words with the last vowel being anything but ㅏ or ㅗ. Finally, ~였다 is
added to words with the last syllable being “하.” For example:

나는 밥을 먹다 = I eat rice (note that this sentence is unconjugated)

The last vowel in the stem is ㅓ. This is not ㅏ or ㅗ. So, we add 었다 to the
stem:
PLAY 나는 밥을 먹었다 = I ate rice (먹 + 었다)
나는 문을 닫다 = I close the door (note that this sentence is unconjugated)
The last vowel in the stem is ㅏ. So we add 았다 to the stem:
PLAY 나는 문을 닫았다 = I closed the door (닫 + 았다)

나는 창문을 열다 = I open the window (note that this sentence

is unconjugated)
The last vowel in the stem is ㅕ. This is not ㅏ or ㅗ. So we add 었다 to the
stem:
PLAY 나는 창문을 열었다 = I opened the window (열 + 었다)

나는 한국어를 공부하다 = I study Korean (note that this sentence

is unconjugated)
The last syllable in the stem is “하”. Therefore, we add ~였다 to the stem:
PLAY 나는 한국어를 공부하였다 = I studied Korean (공부하 + 였다)

What makes this complicated (at first) is that for verbs that have a last
syllable that end in a vowel (including 하다), the ~았다/었다 gets merged to
the actual stem itself. This is how ~아 and ~어 merge with syllables ending
in a vowel:

● 아 + 아 = 아 (example: 가 + 았다 = 갔다)
● 오 + 아 = 와 (example: 오+ 았다 = 왔다)
● 우 + 어 = 워 (example: 배우+ 었다 = 배웠다)
● 이 + 어 = 여 (example: 끼+ 었다 = 꼈다)
● 어 + 어 = 어 (example: 나서 + 었다 = 나섰다)
● 여 + 어 = 여 (example: 켜다 + 었다 = 켰다)
● 하 + 여 = 해 (example: 공부하다 + 였다 = 공부했다)
Although 하 + 여 can be written as “해,” there will be some situations
(usually official documents) where you will see “하여” used instead of
“해.” This comes up a lot on street signs.

● Words where the last vowel is “ㅡ” (for example: 잠그다) are
complicated and will be covered in Lesson 7.
Many people have asked me “how do I merge ~아/어 to complex vowels
like  ㅠ, ㅑ, ㅔ, etc…?” You will find that the stem of almost all verbs and
adjectives in Korean do not end in these complex vowels. The most
common words I can think of that have stem that ends in one of these
complex vowels are:

바래다 (to fade)

매다 (to tie up)
메다 (to put on/carry something on one’s shoulder)

With these words (and others like it), the same rule applies as above. That
is, the final vowel does not end in ㅏ or ㅗ, so we need to add “어” plus
whatever we are adding. With these complex vowels, it is irrelevant if you
merge the addition to the stem. Both forms (merged and non-merged)
would be correct.

For example:

바래 + 었다 = 바랬다 or 바래었다
매다 + 었다 = 맸다 or 매었다
메다 + 었다 = 멨다 or 메었다

Here is a more detailed breakdown:

가다 = to go
The last vowel in the stem is ㅏ. So we add 았다 to the stem.
나는 박물관에 가았다
But, because the stem ends in a vowel, 았다 can merge with 가:
PLAY 나는 박물관에 갔다 = I went to the museum

오다 = to come
The last vowel in the stem is ㅗ. So we add 았다 to the stem.
삼촌은 가게에 오았다
But, because the stem ends in a vowel, 았다 can merge with 오:
PLAY 삼촌은 가게에 왔다 = (My) uncle came to the store

배우다 = to learn
The last vowel in the stem is ㅜ. So we add 었다 to the stem.
오빠는 영어를 배우었다
But, because the stem ends in a vowel, 었다 can merge with 우:
PLAY 오빠는 영어를 배웠다 = (My) older brother learned English

던지다 = to throw
The last vowel in the stem is ㅣ. So we add 었다 to the stem.
나는 공을 던지었다
But, because the stem ends in a vowel, 었다 can merge with 지:
PLAY 나는 공을 던졌다 = I threw the ball

건너다 = to cross
The last vowel in the stem is ㅓ. So we add 었다 to the stem.
나는 길을 건너었다
But, because the stem ends in a vowel, 었다 can merge with 너:
PLAY 나는 길을 건넜다 = I crossed the street

만나다 = to meet
The last vowel in the stem is ㅏ. So we add 았다 to the stem.
나는 친구를 만나았다
But, because the stem ends in a vowel, 았다 can merge with 나:
PLAY 나는 친구를 만났다 = I met friends

공부하다 = to study
The last vowel in the stem is 하. So, we add 였다 to the stem.
PLAY 나는 한국어를 공부하였다
But, 하 and 여 can be merged to formed 해:
PLAY 나는 한국어를 공부했다 = I studied Korean

Future Tense
Future tense is easy, and is simply a matter of adding “~겠다” to the stem of
a word. Unlike the past and present tense conjugations, there is no
difference if the stem ends in a vowel or a consonant. For example:

나는 먹다 = I eat (unconjugated)
PLAY 나는 먹겠다 = I will eat

나는 가다 = I go (unconjugated)
PLAY 나는 가겠다 = I will go

나는 배우다 = I learn (unconjugated)

PLAY 나는 배우겠다 = I will learn

Two verbs specifically that are often conjugated in the future tense without
actually having a meaning in the future tenses are 알다(to know) and 모르다
(to not know). I don’t want to make any example sentences (because they
would be too complicated at this point), but it would be good to remember
that the words 알다 and 모르다 are often conjugated to 알겠다 or 모르겠다.
Although they are conjugated to the future tense, those two words are
typically used to express that somebody knows/doesn’t know something in
the present tense.

Also note that the ending of the conjugation will often change as well
depending on the different honorifics that you will learn in the next lesson.

Check out the table giving a breakdown of verbs in the past, present and
future forms:

Verb Stem Past tense Present tense Fu

먹다 먹 먹었다 먹는다 먹

닫다 닫 닫았다 닫는다 닫
 배우다 배우 배웠다 배운다 배

가다 가 갔다 간다 가

이해하다 이해하 이해했다 이해한다 이

오다 오 왔다 온다 오

던지다 던지 던졌다 던진다 던

Adjectives
Present Tense

You learned previously that you need to add ~ㄴ/는다 to a verb stem in
order to conjugate it in the present tense. In order to conjugate an adjective
into the present tense you don’t need to do anything! Just leave the
adjective as it is, and it is conjugated in the present tense. Some examples:

PLAY 그 선생님은 아름답다 = that teacher is beautiful

PLAY 그 길은 길다 = that street is long
PLAY 나의 손은 크다 = my hand is big

 
 Past tense

In order to conjugate adjectives to the past tense, you must follow the same
rule as when you conjugate verbs to the past tense. This rule, again, is:

You must add 았다 or 었다 to the stem of a word. 았다 is added to words

with the last vowel being ㅗ or ㅏ, and 었다  is added to words with the last
vowel being anything but ㅏ or ㅗ. For example:

PLAY 그 길은 길었다 = That street was long (길 + 었다)

PLAY 그 음식은 맛있었다 = That food was delicious (맛있 + 었다)
PLAY 그 선생님은 좋았다 = That teacher was good (좋 + 았다)
PLAY 그 식당이 오래되었다 = That restaurant is old*** (오래되 + 었다)

The meaning of “오래되다” is not “old” in a bad, negative sense. Rather, it

is indicating that something has existed for a long time, and now it is “old.”
A more appropriate way to indicate that something is “old and decrepit” is
to use the word “낡다”… not to be confused with the word “늙다”, which
refers to an “old” person.

This is a little bit complicated for you now, but although ~었다 is attached
to 되 to make “되었다”, this can be contracted. Teaching this is not the
focus of this lesson, so don’t worry about this for now. You will learn more
about 되다 in future lessons. See Lesson 9 or Lesson 14 for lessons nearby
that discuss ‘되다.’

Also, while 되다 is commonly used and conjugated as a verb, in this case, 

오래되다 is an adjective. Which means that [in addition to other ways it
will change when used with other grammatical principles], ~ㄴ can be
added to it to describe an upcoming noun.

For example: 우리는 오래된 집에 갔다 = We went to the old house

 

Just like with verbs, if the final letter of a verb/adjective stem is a vowel, ~
았다/었다 can be merged to the actual stem itself:

PLAY 이것은 비쌌다 = This was expensive (비싸 + 았다)

PLAY 그 남자는 잘생겼다 = That man was handsome (잘생기 + 었다)
PLAY 그 사람은 뚱뚱했다 = That person was fat (뚱뚱하 + 였다)

Future tense

Conjugating adjectives into the future tense is the same as conjugating

verbs into the future tense. All you need to do is add 겠다 to the stem of the
adjective:

PLAY 나는 행복하겠다 = I will be happy

PLAY 그것은 맛있겠다 = That thing will be delicious
PLAY 나는 배고프겠다 = I will be hungry

In general, not only is this basic form rare in conversation, but Korean
people do not use adjectives in the future as often as English speakers.

Check out the table giving a breakdown of adjectives in the past, present
and future forms

Adjective Stem Past tense Present tense Fu

행복하다 행복하 행복했다 행복하다 행

비싸다 비싸 비쌌다 비싸다 비

 길다 길 길었다 길다 길

맛있다 맛있 맛있었다 맛있다 맛

낡다 낡 낡았다 낡다 낡

Conjugating 있다 and 있다

있다 is one of the most complex and versatile words in Korean.

Unfortunately, it is also one of the most common words. It is often very
difficult for learners of a language to fully understand some of the most
commonly used words in whatever language they are studying. For
example, a native English speaker might think that the word “the” is one of
the easiest words as it is used so frequently. However, try explaining the
meaning and purpose of “the” to a Korean person and you will quickly
discover that its usage is very complex.

있다 can be an adjective, or it can be a verb. Whether it is an adjective or a

verb depends on its usage.

있다 is an adjective when it is used to indicate that one “has” something.

You learned these sentences in Lesson 2:

PLAY 나는 펜이 있다 = I have a pen

PLAY 나는 차가 있다 = I have a car
PLAY 나는 가방이 있다 = I have a bag

Because this 있다 is considered an adjective, we follow the rule for

conjugating an adjective to the present tense – which is do nothing and
leave the adjective the way it is. So, those three sentences above are
perfectly conjugated and grammatically correct.
When 있다 is used to indicate that something/someone is “at/in” a location,
it is also an adjective. This is also very difficult for an English speaker to
wrap their head around. You learned these sentences in Lesson 2:

나는 은행 안에 있다 = I am inside the bank

개는 집 안에 있다 = The dog is in the house
고양이는 의자 밑에 있다 = The cat is under the chair

Again, because this usage of 있다 is considered an adjective, we follow the

rule for conjugating an adjective to the present tense – which is do nothing
and leave the adjective the way it is. So, those three sentences above are
perfectly conjugated in the plain form and grammatically correct.

However, the usage of 있다 is much more complex than just these two
meanings. 있다 has many usages. In fact, there are times when 있다 is
considered a verb. At this point, your understanding of Korean is not strong
enough to see example sentences of 있다 as a verb because you haven’t
learned some critical grammatical principles yet. What I want you to take
from this is that 있다 can be a verb – and thus – is conjugated as a verb
sometimes. Therefore, although the example sentences above with 있다
are properly conjugated, there are times when the proper conjugation of
있다 in the “plain form” would be 있는다.

있다 is considered a verb when a person (or animal) is not only “at” a

location, but “staying” at a location or in a state for a period of time. The
difference between the adjective “있다” (to indicate something/someone is
at a location) and the verb “있다” (to indicate that someone stays at a
location or in a state) is confusing.

Below are some complicated ways that 있다 can be seen as a verb. You
absolutely do not need to understand these now. I suggest that you worry
about them when you reach that particular lesson in your studies:

● In Lesson 14 when ~아/어 있다 is used to indicate the passive state of a

verb
● In Lesson 18 when ~고 있다 is used to indicate one continues doing
something
● In Lesson 40 when telling somebody to stay in a location or in a state
 ● In Lesson 44 when ~자 is used to make a suggestion to stay in a place
Vocabulary

The vocabulary is separated into nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs for
the purpose of simplicity.

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use (you probably won’t be able to understand the grammar within the
sentences at this point, but it is good to see as you progress through your
learning).

A PDF file neatly presenting all of these words, example sentences and
extra information can be found here.

You can try to find all of the words from this lesson, and all of the words
from every lesson in Unit 1 in a package of twenty five Word Searches.

Nouns:
PLAY 신발 = shoe

PLAY 남방 = shirt

PLAY 질문 = question

PLAY 문제 = question, problem

PLAY 나이 = age

PLAY 화장실 = bathroom, restroom

PLAY 부장님 = boss

PLAY 분위기 = the atmosphere of something

PLAY 차 = tea

PLAY 바지 = pants
PLAY 교실 = classroom

PLAY 급식 = food at school

PLAY 교감선생님 = vice principal

PLAY 교장선생님 = principal

PLAY 풀 = glue

PLAY 수도 = capital city

PLAY 병 = bottle

PLAY 병 = disease, sickness

PLAY 생선 = fish

PLAY 야채 = vegetable

PLAY 언덕 = hill

PLAY 선물 = present

PLAY 기타 = guitar

PLAY 종이 = paper

PLAY 우유 = milk

PLAY 손목 = wrist

PLAY 시계 = clock/watch

PLAY 손목시계 = wristwatch
PLAY 영화 = movie

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 노력하다 = to try

CONJUGATE PLAY 앉다 = to sit

CONJUGATE PLAY 만지다 = to touch

CONJUGATE PLAY 자다 = to sleep

CONJUGATE PLAY 보다 = to see

CONJUGATE PLAY 기다리다 = to wait

CONJUGATE PLAY 청소하다 = to clean

CONJUGATE PLAY 약속하다 = to promise

CONJUGATE PLAY 듣다 = to hear

CONJUGATE PLAY 들어보다 = to listen

CONJUGATE PLAY 그만하다 = to stop

CONJUGATE PLAY 운동하다 = to exercise

CONJUGATE PLAY 놀라다 = to be surprised

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 빠르다 = to be fast

CONJUGATE PLAY 느리다 = to be slow

CONJUGATE PLAY 착하다 = to be nice

Adverbs and Other Words:
PLAY 곧 = soon

PLAY 항상 = always

PLAY 주 = week

PLAY 아래 = bottom

There are 1050 vocabulary entries in Unit 1. All entries are linked to an
audio file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

You might also want to try listening to all of the words on loop with
this Vocabulary Practice video.

Conjugating with Honorifics

In Lesson 5, you learned how to conjugate verbs and adjectives into the
past, present and future forms. You also learned that those conjugations are
hardly ever used in speech and are most often used when writing a book,
test, article or diary. In this lesson, you will learn the basic word
conjugations that are more commonly used in speech.

What are Honorifics in Korean?

To this point, you haven’t learned anything about Honorifics (from this
website, at least). In Korean, depending on who you are speaking to, you
must use different conjugations of the same word. The different
conjugations imply respect and politeness to the person you are speaking
to. Depending on that person’s age and/or seniority in relation to yours, you
must speak differently to that person.
The reason this is so hard for English speakers to understand is that we have
nothing like this in English. We can make some sentences sound polite by
adding ‘please’ and ‘thank you,’ but you can only use those words in a
limited amount of sentences. For example, if somebody asked you “where
did you go yesterday?” You could respond:

I went to school yesterday.

In English, regardless of whether you were speaking to your girlfriend’s

grandfather or your best friend, that sentence would look and sound
exactly the same. In Korean, you must use a higher respect form when
speaking to somebody older or higher in position. Unless you are literally
just starting to learn Korean (in which case, some Korean people would let it
pass) you must always do this.

I can share a really funny experience that happened to me. I started learning
Korean a few months before I moved to Korea. I was not studying very hard
or often, so my Korean was extremely basic. When I arrived at the airport in
Seoul, was driven directly to my school and introduced to my principal
immediately. My principal said “I am happy you are working at my school,”
to which I replied:

나도 (the lower respect form of saying “me too”)

Instead of being impressed that I at least knew some words in Korean, the
look on his face was as if somebody had just kidnapped his daughter.

Never, never underestimate the importance of honorific endings in Korean.

Keep in mind that all these conjugations with different honorific endings
have exactly the same meaning. You will learn how to conjugate using
honorifics in the following ways:

1. Informal low respect

Used when talking to your friends, people you are close with, people
younger than you and your family.
2. Informal high respect
This can be used in most situations, even in formal situations despite
the name being “informal.” This is usually the way most people speak
when they are trying to show respect to the person they are talking to.
 3. Formal high respect
This is a very high respect form that is used when addressing people
who deserve a lot of respect from you. It is hard to describe perfectly,
but honestly, the difference between ‘Informal high respect’ and
‘Formal high respect’ is not very big. As long as you speak in either of
these two ways, you will not offend anyone.
The names of each form of speech might be different in every source, but I
have chosen the words above to describe each form. In addition, you
learned the “Plain form” in the previous lesson.

Before you start! Remember the rule you learned in Lesson 5: When adding
something to a word stem, if the last vowel in the stem is ㅏ or ㅗ, you must
add 아 plus whatever you are adding. If the last vowel is anything other
than ㅏ or ㅗ, you must add 어 plus whatever you are adding. If the syllable
of the stem is 하, you add 하여 which can be shortened to 해.

Also, in the previous lesson, you learned that if a stem of a word ends in a
vowel, “~았/었다” gets merged to the actual stem itself when conjugating
into the past tense.

In this lesson, two of the conjugations you will learn will require the addition
of ~아/어. When adding ~아/어 to the stem of a word, the same rule applies
from previous lesson. That is, if ~아/어 gets added to a stem that ends in a
vowel, ~아/어 will be merged to the stem itself. For example:

가다 + ~아/어 = 가 (가 + 아)
오다 + ~아/어 = 와 (오 + 아)
배우다 + ~아/어 = 배워 (배우 + 어)
끼다 + ~아/어 = 껴 (끼 + 어)
나서다 + ~아/어 = 나서 (나서 + 어)
켜다 + ~아/어 = 켜 (켜 + 어)
하다 + ~아/어 = 해 (하 + 여)

Conversely, if a stem ends in a consonant, ~아/어 is attached to the stem,

but not merged to it. For example:

먹다 + ~아/어 = 먹어 (먹 + 어)
앉다 + ~아/어 = 앉아 (앉 + 아)
There are many situations when you will have to add ~아/어 (or other
vowels and consonants) to stems. Conjugating is just one of these
situations. Always keep this rule in mind, as you will see it throughout this
lesson, and throughout your studies.

Verbs
Present Tense

You learned in Lesson 5 how to conjugate verbs to the present tense by

adding ㄴ/는다 to the stem of the word. To review:

먹다 = to eat (not conjugated)

나는 먹는다 = I eat (conjugated – present tense)

배우다 = to learn (not conjugated)

나는 배운다 = I learn (conjugated – present tense)

There are three more conjugations in the present tense that you should
know:

1) Informal low respect

All you need to do is add ~어/아/여 to the stem of the verb:

Remember, 나 is the informal way to say “I” and 저 is the formal way to
say it. As such, you will always see 나 used in informal situations and in
sentences conjugated informally. Conversely, you will see 저 used in
formal situations and in sentences conjugated formally.

PLAY 나는 항상 저녁에 음식을 먹어 = I always eat food in the evening (먹 +

어)

PLAY 나는 나의 선생님을 항상 봐 = I always see my teacher (보 + 아)

PLAY 나는 항상 아침에 운동해 = I always exercise in the morning (운동하 +

여)
In Lesson 1, you were introduced to the function of ~에 as a particle which
identifies a location or a time in which something occurs in a sentence.
Since then, you have seen many cases of ~에 being used to indicate a
place, but you have yet to see any examples of it being used to indicate a
time. This is just a quick reminder that ~에 is (in addition to other things)
attached to part of a sentence to indicate a time.

Also notice in the examples above that “항상” (always) is placed in two
different places within a sentence. Adverbs are usually able to be placed
wherever the speaker desires. The usage and placement of adverbs is
discussed in Lesson 8

2) Informal high respect

This is done the exact same way as ‘Informal low respect’ but you also add
‘~요’ to the end of the word. Adding ~요 to the end of anything in Korean
makes it more respectful:

PLAY 저는 항상 저녁에 음식을 먹어요 = I always eat food in the evening (먹

+ 어요)

PLAY 저는 저의 선생님을 항상 봐요 = I always see my teacher (보 + 아요)

PLAY 저는 항상 아침에 운동해요 = I always exercise in the morning (운동하

+ 여요)

3) Formal high respect

This is done very similar to the conjugation you learned in Lesson 5 – that is,
adding ~ㄴ/는다 to the stem of the word. To conjugate using the Formal
high respect honorific ending, you add ~ㅂ니다/습니다 to the end of the
word stem. If a word stem ends in a vowel, you add ~ㅂ to the last syllable
and 니다 follows. If a word stem ends in a consonant, you add ~습니다 to
the word stem.

PLAY 저는 항상 저녁에 음식을 먹습니다 = I always eat food in the evening

(먹 + 습니다)
PLAY 저는 저의 선생님을 항상 봅니다 = I always see my teacher (보 +
ㅂ니다)

PLAY 저는 항상 아침에 운동합니다 = I always exercise in the morning (

운동하 + ㅂ니다)

Past Tense

You learned in Lesson 5 how to conjugate verbs to the past tense by adding
었다/았다/였다 to the stem of the word. To review:

먹다 = to eat (not conjugated)

나는 먹었다 = I ate (conjugated – past tense)

배우다 = to learn (not conjugated)

나는 배웠다 = I learned (conjugated – past tense)

The three new conjugations should be very simple for you now:

1) Informal low respect

Instead of adding 었다/았다/였다 to a stem, remove 다 and add 어 after 었
/았/였:

PLAY 나는 먹었어 = I ate (먹 + 었어)

PLAY 나는 들어봤어 = I listened (들어보 + 았어)
PLAY 나는 운동했어 = I exercised (운동하 + 였어)

2) Informal high respect

Just add 요 to the end of the Informal low respect conjugations:

PLAY 저는 먹었어요 = I ate (먹 + 었어요)

PLAY 저는 들어봤어요 = I listened (들어보 + 았어요)
PLAY 저는 운동했어요 = I exercised (운동하 + 였어요)
3) Formal high respect
After adding 었/았/였 instead of adding 다 add 습니다:

PLAY 저는 먹었습니다 = I ate (먹 + 었습니다)

PLAY 저는 들어봤습니다 = I listened (들어보 + 았습니다)
PLAY 저는 운동했습니다 = I exercised (운동하 + 였습니다)

Future Tense

You learned in Lesson 5 how to conjugate verbs to the future tense by

adding 겠다 to the stem of the word. To review:

먹다 = to eat (not conjugated)

나는 먹겠다 = I will eat (conjugated – future tense)

배우다 = to learn (not conjugated)

나는 배우겠다 = I will learn (conjugated – future tense)

The three new conjugations should be very simple for you now:

1) Informal low respect

Instead of adding 겠다 to a word stem, remove 다 and add 어 after 겠:

PLAY 나는 먹겠어 = I will eat (먹 + 겠어)

PLAY 나는 배우겠어 = I will learn (배우 + 겠어)

2) Informal high respect

Just add 요 to the end of the Informal low respect conjugations:

PLAY 저는 먹겠어요 = I will eat (먹 + 겠어요)

PLAY 저는 배우겠어요 = I will learn (배우 + 겠어요)

 
3) Formal high respect
After 겠 instead of adding 다 add 습니다:

PLAY 저는 먹겠습니다 = I will eat (먹 + 겠습니다)

PLAY 저는 배우겠습니다 = I will learn (배우 + 겠습니다)

Lets try looking at all the verb conjugations you know together in one table.
This table will include the conjugation you learned in Lesson 5, often called
“Formal low respect,” “plain form,” or “diary form.”

먹다 Past Present Future

Informal low 먹었어 먹어 먹겠어

Informal high 먹었어요 먹어요 먹겠어요

Plain form 먹었다 먹는다 먹겠다

Formal high 먹었습니다 먹습니다 먹겠습니

자다 Past Present Future

Informal low 잤어 자 자겠어

 Informal high 잤어요 자요 자겠어요

Plain form 잤다 잔다 자겠다

Formal high 잤습니다 잡니다 자겠습니다

이해하다 Past Present Future

Informal low 이해했어 이해해 이해하겠어

Informal high 이해했어요 이해해요 이해하겠어요

Plain form 이해했다 이해한다 이해하겠다

Formal high 이해했습니다 이해합니다 이해하겠습니다

.
 Adjectives

Thankfully, adjectives are conjugated the exact same way as verbs are
when using these three honorific endings. The major difference in
conjugating adjectives and verbs is when conjugating in the most basic
form (which we did in Lesson 5). To conjugate adjectives with ‘Informal low
respect,’ Informal high respect’ and Formal high respect,’ follow the same
rules as verbs:

비싸다 Past Present Future

Informal low 비쌌어 비싸 비싸겠어

Informal high 비쌌어요 비싸요 비싸겠어요

Plain form 비쌌다 비싸다 비싸겠다

Formal high 비쌌습니다 비쌉니다 비싸겠습니

길다 Past Present Future

Informal low 길었어 길어 길겠어

 Informal high 길었어요 길어요 길겠어요

Plain form 길었다 길다 길겠다

Formal high 길었습니다 깁니다 * 길겠습니

*Irregular conjugation. You will learn about irregulars in the next lesson.

착하다 Past Present Future

Informal low 착했어 착해 착하겠어

Informal high 착했어요 착해요 착하겠어요

Plain form 착했다 착하다 착하겠다

Formal high 착했습니다 착합니다 착하겠습니

There are 1250 example sentences in Unit 1.

All entries are linked to an audio file. You can download all of these files in
one package here.
That’s it for this lesson! You are progressing really well in Korean! There are
a few irregulars that you need to learn before anything else, so we will
cover that in our next lesson.

Vocabulary

The vocabulary is separated into nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs for
the purpose of simplicity.

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use (you probably won’t be able to understand the grammar within the
sentences at this point, but it is good to see as you progress through your
learning).

A PDF file neatly presenting all of these words, example sentences and
extra information can be found here.

You can try to find all of the words from this lesson, and all of the words
from every lesson in Unit 1 in a package of twenty five Word Searches.

Nouns:
PLAY 눈썹 = eyebrow

PLAY 교사 = teacher

PLAY 반 = class of students in school

PLAY 직장 = location of work

PLAY 벽 = wall

PLAY 털 = hair (not on head), fur

PLAY 머리카락 = hair (on head)

PLAY 저녁 = dinner, evening

PLAY 점심 = lunch, noonish

PLAY 옷 = clothes

PLAY 오전 = morning

PLAY 오후 = afternoon

PLAY 여름 = summer

PLAY 가을 = fall

PLAY 겨울 = winter

PLAY 봄 = spring

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 찾다 = to search for, find

CONJUGATE PLAY 가르치다 = to teach

CONJUGATE PLAY 일하다 = to work

CONJUGATE PLAY 짓다 = to build

CONJUGATE PLAY 가지다 = to own, to possess

CONJUGATE PLAY 잠그다 = to lock

CONJUGATE PLAY 잊다 = to forget

CONJUGATE PLAY 돕다 = to help

CONJUGATE PLAY 주다 = to give

CONJUGATE PLAY 맞다 = to be correct

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 쉽다 = to be easy
CONJUGATE PLAY 덥다 = to be hot

CONJUGATE PLAY 그립다 = to miss (a thing)

CONJUGATE PLAY 귀엽다 = to be cute

CONJUGATE PLAY 춥다 = to be cold

CONJUGATE PLAY 어렵다 = to be difficult

CONJUGATE PLAY 더럽다 = to be dirty

CONJUGATE PLAY 바쁘다 = to be busy

CONJUGATE PLAY 같다 = to be the same

CONJUGATE PLAY 안전하다 = to be safe

CONJUGATE PLAY 딱딱하다 = to be hard, to be rigid

CONJUGATE PLAY 부드럽다 = to be soft

CONJUGATE PLAY 가능하다 = to be possible

CONJUGATE PLAY 불가능하다 = to be impossible

CONJUGATE PLAY 예쁘다 = to be pretty

Adverbs:
PLAY 일찍 = early

PLAY 매일 = everyday

There are 1050 vocabulary entries in Unit 1. All entries are linked to an
audio file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.
For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

You might also want to try listening to all of the words on loop with
this Vocabulary Practice video.

Irregulars

As with all languages, there are some irregular conjugations that you need
to know. Irregulars are applied to certain verbs or adjectives when adding
something to the stem of the word. Korean grammar is based on these
“additions” that are added to stems. I mentioned this in Lesson 5, but I want
to reiterate it here.

There are hundreds of additions that you can add to the stem of a verb or
adjective. Some of these additions are conjugations and some of them are
grammatical principles that have meaning in a sentence.

You have learned about some of these additions now. For example:

● ~ㄴ/는다 to conjugate to the plain form

● ~아/어 to conjugate to the informal low respect form
● ~아/어요 to conjugate to the informal high respect form
● ~ㅂ/습니다 to conjugate to the formal high respect form
● ~았/었어 to conjugate to the informal low respect form in the past
tense
● ~ㄴ/은 added to an adjective to describe an upcoming noun
In future lessons, you will learn about many more of these additions. For
example, some of them are:

● ~ㄴ/은 후에 to mean “after”

● ~기 전에 to mean “before”
● ~기 때문에 to mean “because”
● ~아/어서 to mean “because”
● ~(으)면 to mean “when”
 ● ~아/어야 하다 to mean “one must”
● ~아/어서는 안 되다 to mean “one should not”
Notice that some of these additions start with a vowel, and some of them
start with a consonant. Most of the irregulars are applied when adding a
vowel to a stem. The ㄹ irregular that is introduced at the end of the lesson
is the only irregular that applies when adding a consonant to a stem.

Let’s look at one example before I introduce each irregular one by one. Let’s
say we want to conjugate the word “어렵다” into the past tense using the
informal low respect form. The following would happen:

어렵다 + ~았/었어 = 어려웠어

Here, you can see that the actual stem of the word changed. This is referred
to as the “ㅂ irregular” because the same phenomenon happens with many
(but not all) words whose stem ends in “ㅂ”.

As I mentioned previously, most of these irregulars are applied when

adding a vowel to a stem.  There are many additions that start with a vowel,
and you got a start on learning some of those conjugations in Lessons
5 and 6:

● ~아/어
● ~아/어요
● ~았/었어
● ~았/었어요
● ~았/었습니다
● ~았/었다
As such, this lesson will present the Korean irregulars and how they change
as a result of adding these conjugations. In later lessons when you learn
about other additions, you can apply what you learned in this lesson to
those concepts. For now, let’s get started.

 
 ㅅ Irregular

If the last letter of a word stem ends in ㅅ (for example: 짓다 = to build), the
ㅅ gets removed when adding a vowel. For example, when conjugating:

짓다 = to make/build
짓 + 어 = 지어
PLAY 나는 집을 지어 = I build a house

짓 + 었어요 = 지었어요
PLAY 저는 집을 지었어요 = I built a house

Notice that this only happens when adding a vowel. When conjugating to
the plain form, for example, you only add “~는다” to a stem and thus ㅅ
does not get removed. For example:

집을 짓는다 = to  build a house

The reason this irregular is done is to avoid changing the sound of a word
completely after conjugating it.

Pronouncing 짓다 sounds like ‘jit-da.’

Pronouncing 지어 sounds like ‘ji-uh’
Pronouncing 짓어 sounds like ‘jis-suh’

The third one (which is incorrect) completely changes the sound of the
word stem when a vowel is added (from ‘jit’ to ‘jis.’ Whereas in the second
one, the sound of the word stem only changes from ‘jit’ to ‘ji,’ which is much
smaller of a difference (especially considering the ‘t’ in the pronunciation of
짓 is not aspirated – which makes it barely audible). I know that is
confusing, but if you can’t understand why it is done, that’s fine. Just know
that it must be done.

Some other examples of words that follow this irregular are (these words
are too difficult for you right now, but I’m just showing you):

낫다 = better (adjective) – You will learn more about this word in Lesson 19
잇다 = to continue (verb)
Common words that this does not apply to are:

웃다 (to laugh) = PLAY 저는 웃었어요 = I laughed

벗다 (to take off clothes) = PLAY 저는 저의 옷을 벗었어요 = I took off my
clothes
씻다 (to wash) = PLAY 저는 저의 손을 씻었어요 = I washed my hands

Here is a table with the word “짓다 (to build)” being conjugated using all the
honorific forms you have learned so far. The irregular conjugations are in
bold. Notice that this only occurs when ~아/어 (or one of its derivatives like
~았/었어요) is added to the verb stem.

짓다 = build Past Present Future

Informal low 지었어 지어 짓겠어

Informal high 지었어요 지어요 짓겠어

Plain form 지었다 짓는다 짓겠다

Formal high 지었습니다 짓습니다 짓겠습

Note that when a word stem has ㅅ as the fourth consonant, this irregular
does not apply. For example, this does not apply to 없다, which you will
learn about in the next lesson.

 
 ㄷ irregular

If the last letter of a word stem ends in ㄷ (for example: 걷다 = to walk), the
ㄷ gets changed to ㄹ when adding a vowel. This is only done with verbs.
For example:

걷다 = to walk
걷 + 어 = 걸어
PLAY 저는 걸어요 = I walk

걷 + 었어요 = 걸었어요
PLAY 저는 걸었어요 = I walked

I don’t mean to confuse you, but I will:

걷다 means “to walk.” When conjugating, by adding a vowel it changes to

걸어
Another meaning of 걷다 is “to tuck.” But this meaning of 걷다 does not
follow the irregular rule. So when conjugating by adding a vowel, it simply
stays as 걷어.
걸다 means “to hang.” When conjugating, by adding a vowel it stays as
걸어

Confusing enough? Let’s look at all three:

걷다 걷다 걸다
To walk To tuck To ha

Past (Informal High) 걸었어요 걷었어요 걸었어

Present (Informal High) 걸어요 걷어요 걸어요

 Future (Informal High) 걷겠어요 걷겠어요 걸겠어

Honestly, though, the whole 걷다/걷다/걸다 thing is probably the most

confusing part of this conjugation, and don’t worry too much about it.
“Walk” is a word that is used much more frequently than “tuck,” so it is not
something that comes up a lot.

The reason this conjugation is done is simply because the sounds flows off
your tongue better. It is similar to pronouncing the word “butter” in English.
When pronouncing “butter” we don’t say “butt-tter,” we just say “bud-er.”
Like the ㄷ irregular, it is simply to avoid saying a hard consonant.

This is done to most stems ending in ㄷ. Common words that this does not
apply to (like 걷다 = to tuck) are:

받다 (to get/receive) = PLAY 돈을 받았어요 = I received money

묻다 = 묻어요 (to bury) = PLAY 저는 저의 강아지를 묻었어요 = I buried my
dog
닫다 = 닫아요 (to close) = PLAY 저는 문을 닫았어요 = I closed the door

Here is a table with the word “걷다 (to walk)” being conjugated using all the
honorific forms you have learned so far. The irregular conjugations are in
bold. Notice that this only occurs when ~아/어 (or one of its derivatives like
~았/었어요) is added to the verb stem.

걷다 = walk Past Present Future

Informal low 걸었어 걸어 걷겠어

Informal high 걸었어요 걸어요 걷겠어

 Plain form 걸었다 걷는다 걷겠다

Formal high 걸었습니다 걷습니다 걷겠습

ㅂ Irregular

If the last letter of a word stem ends in ㅂ (쉽다 = easy), the ㅂ changes to
우 when adding a vowel. 우 then gets added to the next syllable in the
conjugated word.

This is mostly done with adjectives. Many verbs end with ㅂ but this rule is
rarely applied to verbs (some of the few verbs where this rule applies are:
줍다 (to pick up), 눕다 (to lie down)). For example:

쉽다 = to be easy
쉽 + 어 = 쉬 + 우 + 어 = 쉬워
PLAY 그것은 쉬워 = That is easy

어렵다 = to be difficult
어렵 + 어요 = 어려 + 우 + 어요 = 어려워요
PLAY 그것은 어려워요 = That is difficult

귀엽다 = cute
귀엽 + 어요 = 귀여 + 우 + 어요 = 귀여워요
PLAY 그 여자는 귀여워요 = That girl is cute

In the words “돕다” (to help) and “곱다” (an uncommon way to say
“beautiful”) ㅂ changes to 오 instead of 우. For example:
돕다 = to help
돕 + 았어요 = 도 + 오 + 았어요 = 도왔어요
PLAY 저는 저의 어머니를 도왔어요 = I helped my mother

Note: The ㅂ in 돕다 and 곱다 changes to 오 only when ~아/어 (or any

derivative like ~았/었다 or ~아/어요) is added. When adding any other
vowel, ㅂ changes to 우. As of now, you haven’t learned when you would
need to add a different vowel. For example, in future lessons you will learn
about adding ~ㄹ/을 to verbs. When this gets added to 돕다, it changes
to 도울. This isn’t immediately pressing to you now, but you should make a
mental note of it.

Because the ㅂ irregular is found in adjectives, you will be conjugating it not

only at the end of a sentence, but also in the middle of a sentence (before a
noun). Remember the difference between these two sentences.

PLAY 사과는 크다 = Apples are big

PLAY 나는 큰 사과를 좋아한다 = I like big apples

In the first sentence, ‘big’ is an adjective that describes the noun (apple) at
the end of the sentence.
In the second, ‘big’ describes the apple (as ‘a big apple’) and then “like” acts
on the noun. In Lesson 4, you learned how to describe a noun by placing an
adjective with ~ㄴ/은 before it. Adding ~ㄴ/은 to adjectives where the stem
ends in “ㅂ” causes this irregular to come into play.

When placing an adjective (who’s stem ends in “ㅂ”)  before a noun to

describe it, you add ~ㄴ to the newly formed 우/오 syllable:

귀엽 + ㄴ = 귀여 + 우 + ㄴ = 귀여운
PLAY 저는 귀여운 여자를 좋아해요 = I like cute girls

More examples:
쉽다 = easy
쉽 + ㄴ = 쉬 + 우 + ㄴ = 쉬운
PLAY 저는 쉬운 일을 했어요 = I did easy work
부드럽다 = soft
부드럽 + ㄴ = 부드러 + 우 + ㄴ = 부드러운
PLAY 나는 부드러운 손이 있어= I have soft hands

춥다 = cold
춥 + ㄴ = 추 + 우 + ㄴ = 추운
PLAY 저는 추운 날씨를 좋아해요 = I like cold weather

Note that in most irregulars, the word changes differently if the last vowel in
the stem is ㅗ OR ㅏ. However, in the ㅂ irregular, except for 돕다 and 곱다,
all applicable words are changed by adding 우. Therefore, even in words
where the last vowel in the stem is ㅏ (ex: 아름답다) or ㅗ (ex: 새롭다), 우
is added. For example:

아름답다 = beautiful:
아름답 + 어요 = 아름다 + 우 + 어요 = 아름다워요
PLAY 그 여자는 아름다워요 = That girl is beautiful

새롭다 = new
새롭 + 어요 = 새로 + 우 + 어요 = 새로워요
PLAY 그 학교는 새로워요 = That school is new
PLAY 그것은 새로운 학교예요 = That (thing) is a new school

Probably the most confusing of all irregulars, mainly because it seems

strange that ㅂ can change to 우/오. The reason this happens is similar to
the ㅅ irregular. As you know already, when pronouncing a syllable with the
last letter ㅂ, you don’t really pronounce the ‘B’ sound. If you don’t know
what I mean, check out the Pronunciation guide. But, if you add a vowel
after ㅂ the sound of ‘B’ would be pronounced. The purpose of the irregular
is to eliminate the ‘B’ sound which isn’t actually in the word. Confusing? Yes,
I know, but again, you don’t really need to care about why it is done.

This is done to some words ending in ㅂ. Some common words in which

this does not apply:

좁다 (narrow) = PLAY 이 방은 좁아요 = This room is narrow

잡다 (to catch/grab) = PLAY 저는 공을 잡았어요 = I caught the ball
넓다 (wide) PLAY 이 방은 넓어요 = This room is wide
(Korean people often describe a room/place being “big” by saying it is
“wide”)

Here is a table with the word “춥다 (cold)” being conjugated using all the
honorific forms you have learned so far. The irregular conjugations are in
bold. Notice that this only occurs when ~아/어 (or one of its derivatives like
~았/었어요) is added to the verb stem.

춥다 = cold Past Present Future

Informal low 추웠어 추워 춥겠어

Informal high 추웠어요 추워요 춥겠어

Plain form 추웠다 춥다 춥겠다

Formal high 추웠습니다 춥습니다 춥겠습

Adjective form 추운 날씨 = cold weather

ㅡ Irregular
If the final letter in a stem is ㅡ (for example: 잠그다 = to lock), when adding
~아/어, you can not determine whether you need to add ~어 or ~아 to the
stem by looking at ㅡ. Instead, you must look at the vowel in the second last
syllable. For example, in the word 잠그다, the second last syllable in the
stem is 잠, and the vowel here is ㅏ. We use the same rules as above to
determine  whether 아 or 어 is added. If the vowel in the second last
syllable is ㅏ or ㅗ, 아 is added. If the vowel in the second last syllable is
anything other than ㅏ or ㅗ, 어 is added. For example:

Where the vowel in the second last syllable is ㅏ or ㅗ:

잠그다 + ~아/어
= 잠그아

Where the vowel in the second last syllable is anything but ㅏ or ㅗ:

슬프다 + ~아/어
= 슬프어

Unfortunately, that is not all that happens. When ~아/어 is added to a stem
where the last letter is ㅡ, ~아/어 merges to the stem and the ㅡ is
eliminated. That is quite confusing, so let’s look at examples of how this is
done.

잠그다 = to lock
This stem ends in ㅡ. If we were to add ~아/어, we need to look at the
second last syllable, which is 잠. The vowel in this syllable is ㅏ, so ~아
needs to be added to the stem.
잠그 + 아
~아 merges to the stem and the ㅡ is eliminated:
잠그 + 아 = 잠가

바쁘다 = to be busy
This stem ends in ㅡ. If we were to add ~아/어, we need to look at the
second last syllable, which is 바. The vowel in this syllable is ㅏ, so ~아
needs to be added to the stem.
바쁘 + 아
~아 merges to the stem and the ㅡ is eliminated:
바쁘 + 아 = 바빠

예쁘다 = pretty
This stem ends in ㅡ. If we were to add ~아/어, we need to look at the
second last syllable, which is 예. The vowel in this syllable is not ㅏ or ㅗ, so
~어 needs to be added to the stem.
예쁘 + 어
~어 merges to the stem and the ㅡ is eliminated:
예쁘 + 어 = 예뻐

슬프다 = to be sad
This stem ends in ㅡ. If we were to add ~아/어, we need to look at the
second last syllable, which is 슬. The vowel in this syllable is not ㅏ or ㅗ, so
~어 needs to be added to the stem.
슬프 + 어
~어 merges to the stem and the ㅡ is eliminated:
슬프 + 어 = 슬퍼

This merging of ~아/어 to the stem occurs when ~아/어 is added, or any of
its derivatives, including ~아/어요 and past tense conjugations like ~았/었어
or ~았/었어요. For example:

PLAY 저는 문을 잠갔어요 = I locked the door

PLAY 저는 바빠요 = I am busy
PLAY 그 여자는 예뻐요 = That girl is pretty
PLAY 저는 아주 슬퍼요 = I am very sad

Some stems only have one syllable. For example, the stem of 크다 is just 크.
In this case, we know that we need to use the ㅡ irregular, but there is no
previous syllable to draw on to determine what should be added to the
stem. In these cases, ~어 is added to the stem. For example:

크다 = to be big
This stem ends in ㅡ. If we were to add ~아/어, we need to look at the
second last syllable, but there is none, so ~어 needs to be added to the
stem.
크+어
~어 merges to the stem and the ㅡ is eliminated:
크+어=커
PLAY 그 집은 커요 = That house is big

Sometimes the last vowel of a stem is ㅡ, but the stem ends in a consonant.

In these cases, there is no merging and ~어 is always chosen instead of ~아.
For example:

긁다 = to scratch
The last vowel in the stem is ㅡ. However, the stem does not end in ㅡ and
instead ends with a consonant. Therefore, 어 is added.
긁 + 어요 = 긁어요
PLAY 저는 머리를 긁었어요 = I scratched my head

듣다 = to hear
The last vowel in the stem is ㅡ. However, the stem does not end in ㅡ and
instead ends with a consonant. Therefore, 어 is added.
듣 + 었어요 = 듣었어요

But wait! Don’t forget the ㄷ irregular.

듣 + 었다 = 들었다
PLAY 저는 쥐를 들었어요 = I heard a mouse

만들다 = to make
The last vowel in the stem is ㅡ. However, the stem does not end in ㅡ and
instead ends with a consonant. Therefore, 어 is added. Regardless of what
the vowel in the previous stem is, because the stem ends in a consonant, 어
is added.
만들다 + ~아/어요
= 만들어요

Here is a table with the word “잠그다 (to lock – which is a verb)” being
conjugated using all the honorific forms you have learned so far. The
irregular conjugations are in bold. Notice that this only occurs when ~아/어
(or one of its derivatives like ~았/었어요) is added to the verb stem.

잠그다 = lock Past Present Future

Informal low 잠갔어 잠가 잠그겠어

Informal high 잠갔어요 잠가요 잠그겠어

Plain form 잠갔다 잠근다 잠그겠다

Formal high 잠갔습니다 잠급니다 잠그겠습

And here is a table with the word “예쁘다 (pretty – which is an adjective)”
being conjugated using all the honorific forms you have learned so far. The
irregular conjugations are in bold. Notice that this only occurs when ~아/어
(or one of its derivatives like ~았/었어요) is added to the verb stem.

예쁘다 = pretty Past Present Future

Informal low 예뻤어 예뻐 예쁘겠어

Informal high 예뻤어요 예뻐요 예쁘겠어

 Plain form 예뻤다 예쁘다 예쁘겠다

Formal high 예뻤습니다 예쁩니다 예쁘겠습

Finally, here is a table with the word “만들다 (to make – which is a verb)”
being conjugated using all the honorific forms you have learned so far.

만들다 = to make Past Present Future

Informal low 만들었어 만들어 만들겠

Informal high 만들었어요 만들어요 만들겠

Plain form 만들었다 만든다 만들겠

Formal high 만들었습니다 만듭니다 만들겠

You will learn how 만든다 and 만듭니다 are formed later in the lesson

when you learn about the ㄹ irregular.

 
 르 Irregular

If the final syllable in a stem is 르 (마르다), it is conjugated differently when

adding ~아/어. This irregular only applies when adding ~아/어(or any of its
derivatives) to a stem and not when adding any other grammatical
principles that starts with a vowel or consonant. Up until now, you haven’t
learned about any of these other grammatical principles, that can start with
anything other than ~아/어~, so don’t worry about this distinction too much.

When adding ~아/어 to these words, an additional ㄹ is created and placed

in the syllable preceding 르 as the last consonant. The 르 also gets changed
to either 러 or 라 (depending on if you are adding 어 or 아). This is done to
both verbs and adjectives (the only exception is 따르다 = to follow/to
pour). This is difficult to explain, and much easier to show with examples:

다르다 = different
다르 + 아요 = 다 + ㄹ + 라요 = 달라요
PLAY 그것은 달라요 = That thing is different

빠르다 = to be fast
빠르 + 아요 = 빠 + ㄹ + 라요 = 빨라요
PLAY 그 남자는 빨라요 = That man is fast

부르다 = to call somebody’s name

부르 + 었어요 = 부 + ㄹ + 렀어요 = 불렀어요
PLAY 저는 저의 누나를 불렀어요 = I called my sister

Here is a table with the word “고르다 (to choose – which is a verb)” being
conjugated using all the honorific forms you have learned so far. The
irregular conjugations are in bold. Notice that this only occurs when ~아/어
(or one of its derivatives like ~았/었어요) is added to the verb stem.

고르다 = choose Past Present Future

 Informal low 골랐어 골라 고르겠어

Informal high 골랐어요 골라요 고르겠어

Plain form 골랐다 고른다 고르겠다

Formal high 골랐습니다 고릅니다 고르겠습

And here is a table with the word “마르다 (thin – which is an adjective)”
being conjugated using all the honorific forms you have learned so far. The
irregular conjugations are in bold. Notice that this only occurs when ~아/어
(or one of its derivatives like ~았/었어요) is added to the verb stem.

마르다 = thin Past Present Future

Informal low 말랐어 말라 마르겠어

Informal high 말랐어요 말라요 마르겠어

Plain form 말랐다 마르다 마르겠다

Formal high 말랐습니다 마릅니다 마르겠습

 Adjective form 마른 여자 = thin girl

ㄹ Irregular

Okay, last one, I promise.

As you know, there are times when you must choose between two things
to add to a stem. For example:

~아/어 means you must choose between adding ~아 or ~어

~ㄴ/은 means you must choose between adding ~ㄴ or ~은
~ㅂ/습 means you must choose between adding ~ㅂ or ~습
~ㄹ/을 means you must choose between adding ~ㄹ or ~을

As you know, you choose the correct addition based on the stem.

If the final letter of a stem is ㄹ AND you add any of the following:

~ㄴ/은
~ㄴ/는
~ㅂ/습
~ㄹ/을

The first option (~ㄴ/ ~ㅂ / ~ㄹ ) should be used. In addition, the ㄹ is

removed from the stem and the ~ㄴ / ~ㅂ / ~ㄹ is added directly to the
stem. Let’s look at each one individually.

 
ㄹ Irregular: Adding ~ㄴ/은 to words

You have learned about adding ~ㄴ/은 to adjective stems when describing
nouns. Usually, you add ~ㄴ directly to the stem of an adjective ending in a
vowel, and ~은 to the stem of an adjective ending in a consonant, for
example:

크다 = 큰 남자
작다 = 작은 남자

When adding ~ㄴ/은 to a stem which ends in ㄹ, the ㄹ is removed and ㄴ

is added to the stem:

길다 = long
길+ㄴ=긴
PLAY 저는 긴 거리를 건넜어요 = I crossed the long street

멀다 = far away
멀+ㄴ=먼
PLAY 저는 먼 병원에 갔어요 = I went to a far away hospital (a hospital that
is far away)

There will be times when you have to add ~ㄴ/은 to verbs stems as well,
but you haven’t learned about this yet. I introduce this concept in Lesson
26, and then talk about the irregular being applied in Lesson 28. I don’t want
you to think about this too much until those lessons, but just so you know,
the concept is the same as adding ~ㄴ/은 to an adjective. For example:

열다 = to open
열+ㄴ=연

Although you haven’t learned about adding ~ㄴ/은 to stems,

you have learned about adding ~ㄴ/는다 to verb stems. Normally, you add
~ㄴ다 to the stem of a verb ending in a vowel, and ~는다 to the stem of a
verb ending in a consonant. For example:
나는 집에 간다 = I go home
나는 밥을 먹는다 = I eat rice

But when adding ~ㄴ/는다 to a verb stem that ends in ㄹ, you must remove
ㄹ and add ~ㄴ다 to the verb stem:

나는 문을 연다 = I open the door

PLAY 나는 케이크를 만든다 = I make a cake

ㄹ Irregular: Adding ~ㅂ/습 to words

You have also learned about adding ~ㅂ/습니다 to verb and adjective stems
when conjugating in the Formal high respect form: Normally, you add ~
ㅂ니다 to the stem of a word ending in a vowel, and ~습니다 to the stem of
a word ending in a consonant. For example:

Verbs:
PLAY 저는 집에 갑니다 = I go home
PLAY 저는 밥을 먹습니다 = I eat rice

Adjectives:
PLAY 그 여자는 예쁩니다 = That girl is pretty
PLAY 이 방은 넓습니다 = This room is big/wide

But when adding ~ㅂ니다 to the stem of a word that ends in ㄹ, you must
remove ㄹ and add ~ㅂ directly to the stem. For example:

Verbs:
PLAY 저는 문을 엽니다 = I open the door
PLAY 저는 케이크를 만듭니다 = I make a cake

Adjectives:
PLAY 그 병원은 멉니다 = That hospital is far
PLAY 그 여자의 머리카락은 깁니다 = That girls hair is long
머리 can mean ‘head’ or ‘hair’ depending on the context. If you want to
specifically mention your hair, you can say 머리카락, which always means
the hair on one’s head. 머리 or 머리카락 does not refer to the hair on an
animal, or the body hair of a human. This hair is referred to as “털” and
extends to most of the hair that can be found on animals (fur, the wool on
a sheep, etc).

The addition of ~ㅂ/습니다 only affects words that end in ㄹ. There is no

irregular that occurs if adding ~ㅂ/습니다 to any other type of stem. For
example, notice how only the stem of 길다 changes as a result of adding
this:

Irregular Example Word + ~ㅂ/습니다

ㅅ Irregular 짓다 짓습니다

ㄷ Irregular 걷다 걷습니다

ㅂ Irregular 쉽다 쉽습니다

ㅡ Irregular 예쁘다 예쁩니다

르 Irregular 마르다 마릅니다

ㄹ Irregular 길다 깁니다
 

Here is a table with the word “열다 (to open – which is a verb)” being
conjugated using all the honorific forms you have learned so far. The
irregular conjugations are in bold. Notice that this only occurs when ~ㄴ or ~
ㅂ is added to the verb stem.

열다 = open Past Present Future

Informal low 열었어 열어 열겠어

Informal high 열었어요 열어요 열겠어

Plain form 열었다 연다 열겠다

Formal high 열었습니다 엽니다 열겠습

And here is a table with the word “길다 (long – which is an adjective)” being
conjugated using all the honorific forms you have learned so far. Notice that
this only occurs when ~ㄴ or ~ㅂ is added to the verb stem (it would
happen when ~ㄴ is added, but you don’t add ~ㄴ/는 to an adjective when
you conjugate it like this. There are times, however, when this would
happen, but you haven’t even gotten close to learning about them yet. For
example, in Lesson 76, we talk about the addition of ~ㄴ/는데 to clauses.
This would make 길다 turn into 긴데. Please don’t even think about looking
ahead to Lesson 76 until you’ve finished with this lesson, and the 69 lessons
in between.

길다 = long Past Present Future

Informal low 길었어 길어 길겠어

Informal high 길었어요 길어요 길겠어

Plain form 길었다 길다 길겠다

Formal high 길었습니다 깁니다 길겠습

Adjective form 긴 거리 = long road

I don’t want to confuse you too much more because I am sure you are
already really confused. Just the amount of content on this page alone is
enough to make somebody cry. That being said, I think it is a very good
exercise to try to compare how the words 듣다 and 들다 differ in their
conjugations. Don’t worry about the meaning of 들다 yet (it is a very
complex word that has many meanings), but just assume it is a verb in this
case. For now, let’s just focus on how they are conjugated.

Notice that when conjugating 듣다, you need to consider the following
irregular patterns:

● ㄷ irregular (because it ends in ㄷ)

 ● ㅡ irregular (because the final vowel is ㅡ)
The following table shows how 듣다 should be conjugated across the
honorifics and tenses you have learned so far: (Irregular conjugations are in
bold)

듣다 = to hear Past Present Future

Informal low 들었어 들어 듣겠어

Informal high 들었어요 들어요 듣겠어

Plain form 들었다 듣는다 듣겠다

Formal high 들었습니다 듣습니다 듣겠습

Notice when conjugating 들다, you need to consider the following irregular
patterns:

● ㄹ irregular (because it ends in ㄹ)

● ㅡ irregular (because the final vowel is ㅡ)
The following table shows how 들다 should be conjugated across the
honorifics and tenses you have learned so far: (Irregular conjugations are in
bold)

들다 Past Present Future

 Informal low 들었어 들어 들겠어

Informal high 들었어요 들어요 들겠어

Plain form 들었다 든다 들겠다

Formal high 들었습니다 듭니다 들겠습

I feel that comparing these two is a very good exercise because you can see
that sometimes, because of the irregular conjugations, 듣다 might look
exactly like 들다. For example, in all of the past tense conjugations, there is
no way to distinguish between the two based on sound, and the only way
to distinguish them is by context in a sentence.

There is no easy way around memorizing stuff like this. The only words of
encouragement I can give you is that – as you become more and more
familiar with the language, and as you expose yourself to it more and more,
it does become second nature. I know you can’t believe that now, but it
does.

Adding ~ㄴ/은 to Adjectives

I mentioned this in some of the sections above, but I would like to organize
it all here. In Lesson 4, you learned how to add ~ㄴ/은 to adjectives to
describe an upcoming noun. Some irregulars will come into play when
doing this because of the possibility of adding a vowel to a stem. Let’s look
at the word “어렵다” as an example. 어렵다 has a consonant as its final
letter, which means that ~은 must be added (instead of ~ㄴ). Therefore, we
end up with:

어렵은
Because of this, we now have the final consonant “ㅂ” followed by a vowel,
which causes the ㅂ irregular to be applied. The correct conjugation of
어렵다 + ~ㄴ/은 is therefore “어려운.”

Below is a table that shows how irregular adjectives can change because of
adding ~ㄴ/은:

Irregular Example Word Does this apply? Applic

ㅅ Irregular 낫다 (better) YES 나은

ㄷ Irregular NA NA NA

ㅂ Irregular 쉽다 (easy) YES 쉬운

ㅡ Irregular 바쁘다 (busy) NO 바쁜

르 Irregular 빠르다 (fast) NO 빠른

ㄹ Irregular 길다 (long) YES 긴

 
 Looking Ahead to Grammatical Principles that you will Learn in Future
Lessons

There are many additions that you will learn in future lessons. You will learn
the meaning and usage of all of these when they become important for your
level of study. When you learn about a new addition in a future lesson, I will
explain how it causes irregular words to change.

The good thing is – if you learn how one format of addition causes irregulars
to change, every addition with the same initial letters will cause the same
change. For example, adding ~아/어 causes ㅅ to be eliminated in words
that follow the ㅅ irregular. Likewise, any other addition that starts with ~아
/어 causes the same change. For example, if I add ~아/어 or ~았/었다 to
짓다, we see the same change to the word stem – that is 짓다 changes to
지어 and 지었다 respectively.

This same idea can be applied to grammatical additions that will be

introduced in later lessons. For example, in Lesson 43 you will learn how
~(으)면 causes irregular words to change. The change that results from
adding ~(으)면 is exactly the same as the change that results from adding
similar additions like ~(으)며 and ~(으)면서. Therefore, you don’t need to
memorize how each one affects irregulars, but rather how the general
format of adding ~(으)ㅁ… will affect irregulars. I know the road ahead to
memorizing these new additions and their effects on irregulars looks
daunting, but this grouping of formats will allow your brain to
compartmentalize the information.

Each time a new format/style of addition is introduced in my lessons, I will

explain how irregulars adapt to it. This only needs to be done once for each
format, because each successive addition with the same format will create
the same change to irregulars. Below is a list of grammatical principles you
will learn in future lessons. Each one follows a particular style. In each of
these lessons, I will explain how they cause irregular words to change.
Furthermore, I will explain the other grammatical principles that follow the
same format that will create the same change:

~ㄹ/을 (Lesson 9)
~니 (Lesson 21)
~ㅁ/음 (Lesson 29)
~(으)려고 (Lesson 32)
~(으)시다 (Lesson 39)
~(으)면 (Lesson 43)
~(으)니까 (Lesson 81)

For now, focus on the concepts that were introduced in this lesson. When
you reach each of the lessons above, I will bring up the discussion of
irregulars again. At that point, we can talk about how that grammatical
principle causes irregular words to change.

Vocabulary

The vocabulary is separated into nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs for
the purpose of simplicity.

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use (you probably won’t be able to understand the grammar within the
sentences at this point, but it is good to see as you progress through your
learning).

A PDF file neatly presenting all of these words and example sentences in
addition to common usages and specific notes can be found here.

You can try to find all of the words from this lesson, and all of the words
from every lesson in Unit 1 in a package of twenty five Word Searches.

Nouns:
PLAY 기계 = machine

PLAY 대학교 = college, university

PLAY 트럭 = truck

PLAY 검은색 = (the color) black

PLAY 흰색 = (the color) white

PLAY 음료수 = beverage, drink

PLAY 외국 = foreign country

PLAY 외국인 = foreigner

PLAY 고등학교 = high school

PLAY 도서관 = library

PLAY 곳 = place

PLAY 동시 = same time

PLAY 밤 = night

PLAY 어젯밤 = last night

PLAY 낮 = daytime

PLAY 동 = East

PLAY 남 = South

PLAY 서 = West

PLAY 북 = North

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 놀다 = to play

CONJUGATE PLAY 쓰다 = to use

CONJUGATE PLAY 쓰다 = to write

CONJUGATE PLAY 실수하다 = to make a mistake

CONJUGATE PLAY 수리하다 = to repair

CONJUGATE PLAY 잡다 = to catch, to grab, to grasp

CONJUGATE PLAY 읽다 = to read

CONJUGATE PLAY 내다 = to pay for

CONJUGATE PLAY 받다 = to get, to receive, to acquire

CONJUGATE PLAY 도착하다 = to arrive

CONJUGATE PLAY 여행하다 = to travel

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 완벽하다 = to be perfect

CONJUGATE PLAY 아프다 = to be sick, to be sore

CONJUGATE PLAY 똑똑하다 = to be smart

CONJUGATE PLAY 중요하다 = to be important

CONJUGATE PLAY 젊다 = to be young

CONJUGATE PLAY 늙다 = to be old

CONJUGATE PLAY 나쁘다 = to be bad

Adverbs:
PLAY 바로 = immediately

PLAY 즉시 = immediately

PLAY 빨리 = quickly/fast

PLAY 자주 = often

PLAY 가끔 = sometimes
PLAY 많이 = many/a lot of

PLAY 방금 = a moment ago

PLAY 갑자기 = suddenly

PLAY 매년 = every year

PLAY 다시 = again

PLAY 혼자 = alone

PLAY 안 = not

There are 1050 vocabulary entries in Unit 1. All entries are linked to an
audio file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

You might also want to try listening to all of the words on loop with
this Vocabulary Practice video.

Korean Adverbs

To this point, you have studied Korean verbs and adjectives in great depth,
but you have yet to learn much about Korean adverbs. First of all, what is an
adverb? Adverbs are words in sentences that tell you when, where, or to
what degree something is being done.

When: I went to work on Tuesday

Where: I am inside the house
Degree: I opened the door quickly
In this lesson, you will learn how to use adverbs in Korean sentences. Let’s
get started!

When and Where

Anytime you put a word in a sentence that indicates when or where

something is taking place, you must add the particle 에 to the end of that
word. Keep in mind, however, that 에 is not the only particle that can go at
the end of words of position or time. There are other particles that can go at
the end of these words to indicate from when/where something
occurred, until when/where, etc. For now, though, lets just talk about 에.

This is very important. Even though all places (park, house, hospital, school,
office, room, kitchen, etc.) are also nouns, when they are being talked
about as a place, the particle 에 must be attached to them. Notice the
difference between the following two sentences:

PLAY 저는 병원을 지었어요 = I built a hospital

PLAY 저는 병원에 갔어요 = I went to the/a hospital

In the first sentence, “hospital” is the thing that you are building – so it is an
object, which requires you to use the  을/를 particle.
In the second sentence, the hospital is the place in which you went to – so
it is a place, which requires it to have the 에 particle.

However, if you wanted to say where you built that hospital, you could say
this:

PLAY 저는 병원을 공원 옆에 지었어요 = I built a hospital beside the park

In addition to this, any word that indicates when something is taking place,
needs to have the Korean particle 에 attached to it. For example:

PLAY 저는 화요일에 가겠어요 = I will go on Tuesday

PLAY 저는 저녁에 공부했어요 = I studied in the evening
PLAY 저는 가을에 공원 옆에 병원을 지었어요 = I built a hospital beside the
park in the fall
The best part about Korean adverbs is that they can essentially be placed at
any place in the sentence. The only place they cannot be placed is at the
end of the sentence – because a sentence must always end in an adjective
or verb. They could even be placed at the beginning of a sentence:

PLAY 여름에 저는 공부하겠어요 = I will study in the summer

Korean people don’t add ~에 when using 오늘 (today), 내일 (tomorrow)

and 어제 (yesterday):

PLAY 저는 한국에 오늘 도착했어요 = I arrived in Korea today

PLAY 저는 도서관에 어제 갔어요 = I went to the library yesterday
PLAY 저는 내일 한국어를 공부하겠어요 = I will study Korean tomorrow.

To what degree/How much

In addition to “when” and “where” adverbs, many adverbs can tell us to

what degree something is being done. These adverbs usually (but not
always) end in ‘ly’ in English:

I ran really quickly
I ate fast
I left immediately
I often meet my friend on Thursday
I eat too much sometimes

When adding these types of adverbs to sentences, no particle needs to be

attached.
While other adverbs are generally free to be placed anywhere in a
sentence, adverbs like this that indicate a degree to which something is
done are typically placed immediately before the verb. For example:

PLAY 저는 저의 친구를 자주 만나요 = I meet my friend often

PLAY 저는 밥을 많이 먹었어요 = I ate a lot of food (rice)
PLAY 저는 집에 바로 갔어요 = I went home immediately
PLAY 저는 숙제를 빨리 했어요 = I did my homework quickly
Also, many of these words are just transferred from their adjective forms to
create an adverb. This is done in English as well, for example:

Quick   -> Quickly

Easy     -> Easily
Quiet    -> Quietly

A lot of adverbs in Korean are simply made by adding ‘게’ to the stem of an
adjective:

Adjective Adverb

쉽다 = easy 쉽게 = easily

비슷하다 = similar 비슷하게 = similarly

다르다 = different 다르게 = differently

Adjectives that end in 하다 are sometimes changed into adverbs by

changing 하다 to 히.  With most adjectives you can either add 게 to the
stem or 히 with no difference in meaning. The only thing I can suggest is try
to listen to which one is said in a specific situation, because even Korean
people don’t know the answer to the question “what is the difference
between 조용하게 and 조용히”:

Adjective Adverb

조용하다 = quiet 조용하게/조용히 = quietly

 안전하다 = safe 안전하게/안전히 = safely

Finally, some adjectives are changed into adverbs in a different way. When
this happens, they are usually very similar to their original adjective form:

Adjective Adverb

많다 = many 많이 = many/a lot*

빠르다 = quick/fast 빨리 = quickly

*많다/많이 essentially have the same meaning aside from the fact that one
is an adverb and one is an adjective. Most of the time, the difference
between the adjective and adverb form is very clear, but with 많이/많다,
the meaning is similar. See the following:

PLAY 저는 많은 밥을 먹었어요 = I ate a lot of rice

PLAY 저는 밥을 많이 먹었어요 = I ate a lot of rice.
Now that you know ALL that, using adverbs in sentences is easy as pie!:

PLAY 저는 조용하게 먹었어요 = I ate quietly

PLAY 저는 거리를 안전하게 건넜어요 = I crossed the street safely
PLAY 저는 행복하게 살았어요 = I lived happily

You can, of course, use more than one adverb in a sentence. To look at the
list I showed you earlier:
PLAY 저는 매우 빨리 달렸어요 = I ran really quickly
PLAY 저는 빨리 먹었어요 = I ate fast
PLAY 저는 바로 떠났어요 = I left immediately
PLAY 저는 저의 친구를 목요일에 자주 만나요 = I often meet my friend on
Thursday
PLAY 저는 가끔 너무 많이 먹어요 = I eat too much sometimes

Though you can do that, using two adverbs that indicate the ‘degree of
something’ is generally not done in Korean. For example, this would sound
awkward:

저는 거리를 쉽게 빨리 건넜어요 = I easily quickly crossed the street (It’s

also awkward in English!)

Negative Sentences

There are two ways you can make a sentence negative:

1. By adding 안, which acts as an adverb in the sentence. 안 is typically

placed immediately before the final verb or adjective. For example:

PLAY 그 여자는 안 예뻐요 = That girl isn’t pretty

PLAY 저는 생선을 안 좋아해요 = I don’t like fish
PLAY 저는 내일 학교에 안 가겠어요 = I’m not going to school tomorrow

2. By adding ~지 않다 to the stem of the final verb or adjective. 않다 then

becomes the verb or adjective in that sentence and must be conjugated
accordingly. For example:

PLAY 그 여자는 예쁘지 않아요 = That girl isn’t pretty

PLAY 저는 생선을 좋아하지 않아요 = I don’t like fish
PLAY 저는 내일 학교에 가지 않겠어요 = I’m not going to school tomorrow

Their respective meanings are identical. It is up to the speaker to decide

which one will be used. There are times when it will be more natural to use
“안” and there will be times when it will be more natural to use “~지 않다.”
At this point, you can consider them the same. Throughout your studies you
will constantly be exposed to 안 and ~지 않다, and through this exposure
you can gradually develop a preference for which one should be used and
in which circumstance.

I like to share my observations that I have made through my experiences

with the Korean language. I think this can be helpful to learners as they
struggle to understand when to use some grammatical principles over
others. There are a few things I would like to talk about regarding these
negative sentences.

As you know, most verbs ending in ~하다 can be turned into a noun-form
of that verb by removing ~하다. For example:

공부하다 = to study
공부 = the noun form of “study”

실수하다 = to make a mistake

실수 = a mistake

여행하다 = to travel
여행 = a trip

When indicating that one “does not do” a ~하다 verb, it is common to
separate ~하다 from the noun and place “안” in between them. For
example:

PLAY 저는 공부를 안 했어요 = I didn’t study

Instead of:
저는 안 공부했어요

PLAY 저는 실수를 안 했어요 = I didn’t make (do) a mistake

Instead of:
저는 안 실수했어요

PLAY 저는 여행을 안 했어요 = I didn’t travel

Instead of:
저는 안 여행했어요
It would also be appropriate to use the ~지 않다 form with these words.
However, in these cases, it doesn’t matter if the noun is separated from ~
하다 or not. For example:

PLAY 저는 공부하지 않았어요 = I didn’t study

PLAY 저는 공부를 하지 않았어요 = I didn’t study

PLAY 저는 실수하지 않았어요 = I didn’t make a mistake

PLAY 저는 실수를 하지 않았어요 = I didn’t make a mistake

PLAY 저는 여행하지 않았어요 = I didn’t travel

PLAY 저는 여행을 하지 않았어요 = I didn’t travel

Many adjectives end in ~하다. It is unnatural to remove the ~하다 in these

words and place “안” between them. You can’t separate an adjective and
“act” on it with ~하다 because they are adjectives. For example, the
following would be incorrect:

저는 행복을 안 해요 (This does not mean “I am not happy”)

However, you could use ~지 않다 on a -하다 adjective or place “안” before

the verb without separating it. For example:

PLAY 저는 안 행복해요 = I am not happy

PLAY 저는 행복하지 않아요 = I am not happy

I have had people ask me about the word order of sentences using an
adverb and the negative adverb “안”. One learner asked me if this sentence
would be okay:

저는 빨리 안 공부했어요

While it might be understood, this sentence sounds very awkward in

Korean. The reason is probably due to the fact that there are two adverbs
being used. In this sentence, both “빨리” and “안” act as adverbs that
indicate the degree to which the studying was done. As I mentioned earlier,
this usually isn’t done in Korean. Instead, if you wanted to express that
meaning, you can use the ~지않다 negative addition instead. By doing this,
you effectively remove one of the adverbs and are left with:

저는 빨리 공부하지 않았어요 = I didn’t study quickly

Even still, though. This sentence could still be a little awkward in Korean –
because when would you ever say “I didn’t study quickly”? In most cases, it
would be more natural to simply use an adverb that has the opposite
meaning. For example, this sentence:

저는 밥을 빨리 먹지 않았어요 = I didn’t eat (rice) quickly

Would be more naturally said as:

PLAY 저는 밥을 천천히 먹었어요= I ate rice slowly

To not be: 아니다

아니다 (to not be) is the opposite of the word 이다 (to be), but they are
used a little bit differently. Remember that 이다 is always attached directly
to a noun. For example:

나는 선생님이다 = I am a teacher
나는 대학생이다 = I am a university student

However, when using 아니다, the particle ~이/가 is attached to the noun,
and 아니다 is used as a separate word:

나는 선생님이 아니다 = I am not a teacher

나는 대학생이 아니다 = I am not a university student
Below are some examples, with possible conjugations of 아니다. You have
learned how to conjugate verbs and adjectives, but you still haven’t learned
how to conjugate 이다 and 아니다. You will learn this in the next lesson.

나는 선생님이 아니다 = I am not a teacher

(PLAY 저는 선생님이 아니에요)

나는 너의 친구가 아니다 = I am not your friend

(PLAY 나는 너의 친구가 아니야)

나는 대학생이 아니다 = I am not a University Student

(PLAY 저는 대학생이 아니에요)

To not have: 없다

Just like how 아니다 is the opposite of 이다 – 없다 is the opposite of 있다.

In Lesson 5, you learned some ways to use 있다. 없다 can indicate that one
“does not have” something or that something “wasn’t at a particular
location.” For example:

To not have:
PLAY 저는 돈이 없어요 = I don’t have money
PLAY 저는 시간이 없어요 = I don’t have time
PLAY 우리는 차가 없어요 =  We don’t have a car

To not be in a location:
PLAY 저의 친구는 지금 한국에 없어요 = My friend is not in Korea now
PLAY 사람이 없었어요 = There was no people

To not like: 싫어하다 and 싫다

While we are talking about negative words, I want to talk about 싫어하다
quickly. “싫어하다” is a verb that is used to indicate that one dislikes
something. 싫어하다 is the opposite of 좋아하다 (to like). For example:

PLAY 저는 과일을 싫어해요 = I dislike fruit

PLAY 저는 과일을 좋아해요 = I like fruit

In Lesson 3, you learned how 좋다 and 좋아하다 are different. I explained

that 좋다 is an adjective (meaning “to be good”), and thus cannot act on an
object. For example:

PLAY 그 선생님은 좋다 = That teacher is good

PLAY 이 학교는 좋다 = This school is good

The adjective form of 싫어하다 is 싫다. However, contrary to what you

probably expect, 싫다 is not used to mean “to not be good.” In order to
indicate that something is “not good” (i.e. “bad”), the adjective 나쁘다 is
commonly used. Instead, 싫다 is often used to indicate that one dislikes
something (just like 싫어하다). For example:

PLAY 저는 과일이 싫어요 = I dislike fruit

Notice that because 싫다 is an adjective, it cannot act on an object, so the

particles ~이/가 are attached to the noun. This type of sentence is a little bit
too complex right now, so I don’t want to dig too deep into it. I discuss this
more deeply in Lesson 15.

Be careful to not make double negative sentences. Although technically

grammatically correct, this one reads funny:

저는 과일을 싫어하지 않아요 = I don’t dislike fruit

Vocabulary

The vocabulary is separated into nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs for
the purpose of simplicity.
Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use (you probably won’t be able to understand the grammar within the
sentences at this point, but it is good to see as you progress through your
learning).

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

You can try to find all of the words from this lesson, and all of the words
from every lesson in Unit 1 in a package of twenty five Word Searches.

Nouns:
PLAY 공장 = factory

PLAY 열 = fever

PLAY 극장 = theater

PLAY 회사 = company

PLAY 장소 = place/location

PLAY 간판 = a sign

PLAY 직업 = job

PLAY 수업 = a class (that you 'take' or 'teach')

PLAY 고기 = meat

PLAY 돼지 = pig

PLAY 돼지고기 = pork

PLAY 소 = cow

PLAY 소고기 = beef
PLAY 꽃 = flowers

PLAY 값 = price

PLAY 땅콩 = peanut

PLAY 축구(하다) = (to play) soccer

PLAY 야구(하다) = (to play) baseball

PLAY 여권 = passport

PLAY 수건 = towel

PLAY 체육 = physical education

PLAY 지하철 = subway

PLAY 미래 = future

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 되다 = to become

CONJUGATE PLAY 시작하다 = to start

CONJUGATE PLAY 행동하다 = to act

CONJUGATE PLAY 소개하다 = to introduce

CONJUGATE PLAY 발견하다 = to discover, to find

CONJUGATE PLAY 방문하다 = to visit

CONJUGATE PLAY 잃다 = to lose

CONJUGATE PLAY 잃어버리다 = to lose

CONJUGATE PLAY 입다 = to put on one's clothes, to wear

CONJUGATE PLAY 벗다 = to take off one's clothes

CONJUGATE PLAY 웃다 = to laugh

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 부끄럽다 = to be shy

CONJUGATE PLAY 건강하다 = to be healthy

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 이제 = now

PLAY 현재 = now/present

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

You might also want to try listening to all of the words on loop with
this Vocabulary Practice video.

Conjugating 이다

In earlier lessons, you learned a lot about conjugating verbs and adjectives.
Exactly three things can be conjugated in Korean: verbs, adjectives and 
이다. The conjugation of 이다 is different than verbs and adjectives.
Actually, there are many times where 이다 behaves differently than verbs
and adjectives – which you will learn in future lessons. In this lesson, you
will learn how to conjugate 이다, and you will see how the conjugation
differs from verbs and adjectives. The sentence below shows the plain
form, present tense conjugation of 이다, which you have seen in lessons up
to this point:

나는 선생님이다 = I am a teacher
If the last letter of the noun before 이다 ends in a vowel, you can eliminate
이. For example:

나는 의사다 = I am a doctor
나는 의사이다 = I am a doctor

Both of the above can be seen as correct. Here, the pronunciation of “이” is
merging with the pronunciation of the vowel in the noun. If you pronounce
the two sentences above, you can see that there is very little difference.

Conversely, if the last letter of the noun before 이다 is a consonant, this

merging cannot happen. For example:

나는 선생님이다 = I am a teacher (correct)

나는 선생님다 – incorrect

This merging of 이다 does not happen because it has nothing to merge with.
Furthermore, if you try to pronounce “선생님다”, it just doesn’t flow
properly. It is hard to get your mouth to move from the “ㅁ” sound
immediately to the “ㄷ” sound. This same principle occurs in other
conjugations of 이다, but it is a little bit more complex.

In almost every case, you can conjugate 이다 differently depending on if the

noun it is being attached to ends in a vowel or consonant. The reason they
are conjugated differently is similar to the example above with 의사다 vs.
의사이다. Here, the pronunciation of “이” is being merged with something,
and can therefore disappear. You will learn about each conjugation
specifically, but I will give you an example here to prepare you for all the
future explanations. Try not to worry about the meanings of these
sentences, and just focus on what I am presenting.

As you will learn later, when conjugating 이다 into the past tense in the
plain form, “었다” is added to the stem of “이다” (이). This is actually quite
simple for you to understand, because every other verb and adjective
follows this same rule. For example:

의사이었다
선생님이었다
However, the pronunciation of 이었다 can merge to “였다” when the noun
that it is being attached to ends in a vowel. For example, both of these are
correct:

의사이었다
의사였다

Pronounce both of those, and listen to how little of a difference there is

between the two. Not only that, the pronunciation of both of those is very
easy and it flows off the tongue.

Conversely, 이 and 었다 cannot merge when the noun it is added to ends in

a consonant. For example:

선생님이었다 – correct
선생님였다 – incorrect

Pronounce both of those and listen the difference. Not only that,‘
선생님였다’ is hard to pronounce. It is difficult to move your mouth from
the ㅁ sound directly to the 여 sound. It is much easier to pronounce it like
this: 나는 선생님-이-었-다.

Although I am only talking about the past tense plain form in this example,
this same rule applies in many situations. If you keep this in mind when
learning the conjugations in this lesson, they will be much easier to grasp.

이다 Present Tense

Conjugating 이다 to the present tense is relatively confusing compared to

the past tense because new syllables are added with no real logic behind
them. Whereas past conjugations are simply done by connecting the stem
“이” to the typical past tense addition of “었다”, present tense conjugations
have additions that are not seen with any other verb or adjective. Let’s talk
about these first.
 

Informal Low Respect

Add ~이야 to a word ending in a consonant, or ~(이)야 to a word ending in

a vowel:

PLAY 나는 좋은 학생이야 = I am a good student

PLAY 그것은 책이야 = That thing is a book
PLAY 나는 선생님이야 = I am a teacher
PLAY 이것은 여권이야 = This is a passport

PLAY 그것은 사과야 = That thing is an apple

PLAY 나는 의사야 = I am a doctor
PLAY 야구는 좋은 스포츠야 = Baseball is a good sport

When conjugating “아니다” in this respect, you simply add “~야” to “

아니다:”

PLAY 나는 학생이 아니야 = I am not a student

PLAY 그것은 책이 아니야 = That thing is not a book

Informal High Respect

Add ~이에요 to a word ending in a consonant, or ~예요 to a word ending in

a vowel:

PLAY 그것은 사진이에요 = That thing is a picture

PLAY 저는 선생님이에요 = I am a teacher
PLAY 저는 좋은 학생이에요 = I am a good student

PLAY 이 사람은 저의 누나예요 = This (person) is my sister

PLAY 저는 의사예요 = I am a doctor
PLAY 저것은 사과예요 = That thing is an apple
When conjugating “아니다” in this respect, you simply add ~에요 to 아니다:

PLAY 저는 학생이 아니에요 = I am not a student

Note that Korean people are often confused if they need to add “~예요” or
“~에요” to 아니다. Therefore, it is not uncommon to see somebody use “
아니예요.”

Formal High Respect

Add ~입니다 (~이 + ~ㅂ니다) to words ending in a vowel or consonant:

PLAY 저는 의사입니다 = I am a doctor

PLAY 그 사람은 저의 형입니다 = That person is my brother
PLAY 저는 선생님입니다 = I am a teacher
PLAY 저는 좋은 학생입니다 = I am a good student
PLAY 이 고기는 돼지고기입니다 = This meat is pork

With words ending in vowels, you can eliminate ~이 and attach ~ㅂ니다
directly to the word. This is more commonly done in conversation, and not
usually written.

When conjugating “아니다” in this respect, you must add “~ㅂ니다” directly
to “아니다.” For example:

PLAY 저는 의사가 아닙니다 = I am not a doctor

PLAY 저는 학생이 아닙니다 = I am not a student
PLAY 그것은 저의 직업이 아닙니다 = That (thing) is not my job
PLAY 그것은 저의 여권이 아닙니다 = That (thing) is not my passport
PLAY 그 건물은 극장이 아닙니다 = That building is not a theater

이다 Past Tense
Conjugating 이다 to the past tense is simple, and is done by connecting ~이
to ~었~. When the last syllable in a word ends in a vowel, ~이 + ~었 can
combine to make ~였.

Informal Low Respect

Add ~이었어 to all words. If the word ends in a vowel, ~이었어 can contract
to ~였어.

PLAY 나는 바쁜 선생님이었어 = I was a busy teacher

PLAY 나는 학생이었어 = I was a student
PLAY 나는 선생님이었어 = I was a teacher

PLAY 나는 나쁜 애기였어 = I was a bad baby

PLAY 나는 나쁜 의사였어 = I was a bad doctor

Informal High Respect

This conjugation is the same as above (Informal Low Respect), except for
that “~요” is added to the end of ~이었 or ~였. That is,  you should add ~
이었어요 to all words. If the word ends in a vowel, ~이었어요 can contract
to ~였어요.

PLAY 그것은 큰 비밀이었어요 = That was a big secret

PLAY 저는 선생님이었어요 = I was a teacher

PLAY 저는 의사였어요 = I was a doctor

PLAY 저는 나쁜 애기였어요 = I was a bad baby

Plain Form
Same as above, but you should add the regular “~다” ending instead of “~
어요.” That is, you should add ~이었다 to all words. If the word ends in a
vowel, ~이었다 can contract to ~였다.

PLAY 나는 선생님이었다 = I was a teacher

PLAY 나는 의사였다 = I was a doctor

Formal High Respect

add ~이었습니다 to all words. If the word ends in a vowel, ~이었습니다 can
contract to ~였습니다.

PLAY 저는 선생님이었습니다 = I was a teacher

PLAY 저는 의사였습니다 = I was a doctor

In all situations in the past tense, 아니다 is conjugated just like any other
word. An example of each respect:

PLAY 나는 학생이 아니었어

PLAY 나는 학생이 아니었다
PLAY 저는 학생이 아니었어요
PLAY 저는 학생이 아니었습니다

The weird thing is that Korean speakers sometimes would use these:

나는 학생이 아니였어
나는 학생이 아니였다
저는 학생이 아니였어요
저는 학생이 아니였습니다

Just going by the rules of the language, I’d have to assume that the first set is
correct. I base this on the fact that in no other word do we add “~였~” to a
stem. In other words, “~였~” is created from “이 + 었,” but it is never added
as a stand-alone thing.
 

How to actually conjugate verbs/adjectives to the Future Tense

In Lesson 6, you learned how to conjugate words to the future tense by

adding 겠어/겠어요/겠다/겠습니다 to the word stem. Though adding ~겠~
to a word stem is one way to conjugate words to the future, there is a more
common way to conjugate to do this!

Before learning how to do to this, you needed to learn more grammar first
(namely, how to conjugate 이다 properly). Either way, ~겠~ is still used in
Korean, but not as much as the method you are about to learn.

For verbs or adjectives, when conjugating into the future tense, you must
first add ~ㄹ/을 to the stem of the word.

When you add ~ㄹ/을 to a word stem, ~ㄹ gets attached directly to stems
ending in a vowel, and ~을 gets added onto stems ending in a consonant.
For example:

가다 ends in a vowel, so
가다 + ㄹ = 갈

먹다 ends in a consonant, so
먹다 + 을 = 먹을

——————-

This is going to sound extremely complicated (and it is): adding ~ㄹ/을 to

the stem of an adjective changes it to a word that can describe a noun in
the future tense. For example:

행복한 사람 = happy person

행복할 사람 = a person that will be happy

Similarly, (this is where it gets complicated) adding ~ㄹ/~을 to a stem of

a verb turns it into a word that can describe a noun in the future.
먹을 음식 = the food that will be eaten

In practice, entire clauses – ending in verbs, which in turn describe the

noun – are commonly used. For example:

제가 먹을 음식 = the food that will be eaten by me (the food that I will eat)

——————-

If you can’t understand the explanation between the lines – don’t worry.
That level of grammar is very difficult to grasp at this stage of learning. That
grammar will be discussed very deeply in Lessons 26 – 29. If you want to
jump ahead to those lessons, feel free. However, the mechanics within the
grammar are not important to you yet. For now, these are the three major
points I want you to think about:

1. Adding ~ㄹ/~을 to the stem of an adjective allows that adjective to

describe a noun in the future tense
2. Adding ~ㄹ/~을 to the stem of a verb allows that verb to describe a
noun in the future tense
3. Because these newly formed words can describe nouns, they must be
followed by a noun
What does all this have to do with conjugating into the future?

When Korean people conjugate to the future, they usually do so by adding

~ㄹ/~을 to a verb/adjective.
This is essentially the same as adding ㄴ/은 to an adjective stem which you
already know: (좋다 -> 좋은).
You should know, however, that you cannot end a sentence like this:

나는 좋은

Because 좋은 is an adjective that modifies a noun, a noun must follow 좋은:

나는 좋은 사람

Now, to end the sentence, you need to add 이다 to the noun:

나는 좋은 사람이다 = I am a good person.

So, again, when Korean people conjugate verbs/adjectives to the future,

they usually do so by adding ~ㄹ/~을 to the word stem:

나는 행복할
나는 먹을
나는 공부할

But this changes verbs/adjectives into an adjectives that describe nouns.

Therefore, (just like 좋은) a noun must follow these words. The noun that is
always used in this situation is 것 (thing):

나는 행복할 것
나는 먹을 것
나는 공부할 것

Now, to end those sentences, you need to add 이다 to the noun:

나는 행복할 것이다
나는 먹을 것이다
나는 공부할 것이다

If you try to directly translate these sentences to English, they have the
meaning:

I am a thing who will be happy

I am a thing who will eat
I am a thing who will study

But their actual meanings are:

나는 행복할 것이다 = I will be happy

나는 먹을 것이다 = I will eat
나는 공부할 것이다 = I will study

The 이다 can then be conjugated based on the level of politeness or

formality. But keep in mind that even though this sentence is conjugated
into the future, the 이다 should stay in the present tense. Because the ~ㄹ/
을 creates a future sentence, 이다 does not need to be in the future.

것 is also sometimes shortened to 거, for no other reason than it is easier to

say and creates a shorter sentence. For example, these two are exactly the
same:

PLAY 저는 밥을 먹을 것이에요 = I will eat rice

PLAY 저는 밥을 먹을 거예요 = I will eat rice

Notice that ~이에요 is added when 것 (which ends in a consonant) is used

and ~예요 is added when 거 (which ends in a vowel) is used. This is the
same rule that you learned earlier in the lesson when conjugating 
이다 depending on if the final letter of a noun ends in a consonant or
vowel.

Note that Korean people are often confused if they need to add “~
이에요,” or “~예요” or “~에요” to 거 in these cases. Therefore, it is not
uncommon to see somebody use “할 거에요.”

Other examples:

PLAY 나는 내일 친구를 만날 것이야 = I will meet my friend tomorrow

PLAY 나는 내일 친구를 만날 거야 = I will meet my friend tomorrow
PLAY 저는 내일 학교에 갈 것입니다 = I will go to school tomorrow
PLAY 저는 영어를 공부할 거예요 = I will study English

In Lesson 7, you learned how irregular words change as a result of adding

different additions. This is the first time you have been introduced to adding
~ㄹ/을. Let’s look at how irregulars change as a result of adding this
grammatical principle.

● The ㅅ irregular, ㄷ irregular and ㅂ irregular all follow the same rules
that were introduced in Lesson 7. The addition of the vowel causes a
change (or elimination) of the last letter of the stem.
 ● The ㅡ and 르 irregular are not affected by this addition.

● Adding ~ㄹ/을 to a word that follows the ㄹ irregular brings about a

change you are not familiar with. Normally, you would add ~ㄹ to the
stem of a word ending in a vowel, and ~을 to the stem of a word
ending in a consonant.
● For example: 잃다 + ~ㄹ/을 = 잃을
예쁘다 + ~ㄹ/을 = 예쁠
● However, when you add ~ㄹ/을 to a stem of a word that ends in
ㄹ, the ㄹ is dropped and ㄹ is attached directly to the stem. In
effect, you removed something and replace it with exactly the
same thing. For example:갈다 + ㄹ/을 = 갈
빨다 + ㄹ/을 = 빨
열다 + ㄹ/을 = 열
PLAY 저는 문을 열 거예요 = I will open the door (열 + 을 = 열)
Below is a table showing the changes that result from adding ~ㄹ/을 to a
word.

Irregular Word Does this apply? +~

ㅅ Irregular PLAY 짓다 (to build) YES 지

ㄷ Irregular PLAY 걷다 (to walk) YES 걸

ㅂ Irregular PLAY 쉽다 (to be easy) YES 쉬

 ㅂ Irregular PLAY 돕다 (to help) YES 도

ㅡ Irregular PLAY 잠그다 (to lock) NO 잠

르 Irregular PLAY 다르다 (to be different) NO 다

ㄹ Irregular PLAY 길다 (to be long) YES 길

Notice that I also included the word 돕다. As you learned in Lesson 7 – ㅂ
changes to 오 when ~아/어 (or any derivative) is added. When any other
vowel is added, ㅂ changes to 우 as you can see above.

You will see these same changes to irregulars anytime you add something
that begins in ~ㄹ/을. For example:

~ㄹ/을래(요) – Lesson 44
~ㄹ/을까(요) – Lesson 63
~ㄹ/을게(요) – Lesson 63
~ㄹ/을걸(요) – Lesson 115

Future 이다  – Using 되다
Conjugating 이다 to the future tense is the same as is done above, but it is
also possible to use another verb; 되다. 되다 is one of the hardest words in
Korean, mainly because it has so many meanings. You will be introduced to
each of these meanings as you progress through our lessons, but the first
meaning of ‘되다’ is “to become”… which is slightly different than “to be”. Let
me introduce the word “되다” to you by showing you examples of it being
used in the past tense:

(Note the way 되다 is used. ~이/가 is attached to the noun that the subject
“becomes” instead of ~를/을)

저는 선생님이 되었어요 = I became a teacher

Which is slightly different than:
저는 선생님이었어요 = I was a teacher

Very similar, but the difference between “to become” and “to be” (which in
this case is in the past tense of ‘was’) is “become” suggests that prior to that
time, the situation was different. I’m sure you get it, but let me describe it
using English examples:

I became a teacher last year

I was a teacher last year

When you say “I became a teacher last year”, you are indicating that –
before last year you were not a teacher – but last year you became a
teacher.

When you say “I was a teacher last year”, you are not specifying if you were
a teacher before that time as well, or even if you are still a teacher. All you
are specifying is that you were a teacher last year, and no other information
is given.

되다 can be used in the present tense as well (and again differs slightly from
이다). I’ll save examples for when I’ve presented more grammar principles
further into the course. My whole purpose in mentioning it is to explain the
application to the future tense. First off, it is awkward to conjugate 이다 to
the future tense using ~겠다.

나는 선생님이겠다
If you want to say that something “will be” something in the future, because
of the nature of the word “되다” there is no real difference if you use 되다
or 이다. For example:

PLAY 저는 곧 선생님이 될 것입니다 = I will become a teacher soon

PLAY 저는 곧 선생님일 거예요 = I will be a teacher soon

Other examples:
PLAY 나는 미래에 의사가 될 거야 = I will become a doctor in the future
PLAY 나는 미래에 의사일 거야 = I will be a doctor in the future

PLAY 한국이 곧 좋은 나라가 될 것이다 = Korea will become a good country

soon
PLAY 한국이 곧 좋은 나라일 것이다 = Korea will be a good country soon

PLAY 이 장소는 공원이 될 것이다 = This place will become a park

PLAY 이 장소는 공원일 것이다 = This place will be a park

I just want to point out here that the “일” you are seeing above is not the
word “일“. Rather it is the future conjugation (using the conjugation taught
in the lesson) of 이다. 선생님이다 becomes 선생님 + 이다 + ~ㄹ/을 것이다.

As you build vocabulary, you will be able to apply this same format of
sentences to create sentences like:

This place will become a park next year

I will become a doctor in a few months

In Lesson 11, you will learn the vocabulary necessary to create those types
of sentences. 

The sentences above using 이다 and 되다 in the future tense can be used to
make negative sentences as well. When making the negative form of a 되다
sentence, you can just add 안 or ~지 않다 just like with any other verb or
adjective. When making the negative form of an 이다 sentence, you should
use 아니다. You can change each pair of sentences above to a negative
sentence. For example:
나는 미래에 의사가 되지 않을 거야 = I won’t become a doctor in the future
나는 미래에 의사가 아닐 거야 = I won’t be a doctor in the future

한국이 곧 좋은 나라가 되지 않을 거야 = Korea won’t become a good

country soon
한국이 곧 좋은 나라가 아닐 거야 = Korea won’t be a good country soon

이 장소는 공원이 되지 않을 거야 = This place won’t become a park

이 장소는 공원이 아닐 거야 = This place won’t be a park

Those sentences, while kind of ridiculous, are all grammatically correct. I

can’t think of any time when you would actually want to say a sentence like
that, but they are all possible if the right situation came up. Most of the time,
there would be a better way to say each of the sentences above. For
example, instead of saying:

나는 미래에 의사가 되지 않을 거야 = I won’t become a doctor in the future

It would probably be more natural to say something like “I don’t want to

become a doctor in the future.” You will learn how to say this, and other
grammatical principles that can make your speech more natural as you
progress along with your studies. For now, try to understand what is being
done grammatically, and don’t worry too much about when you would
actually use a sentence like that.

One other quick thing; and I really don’t want to spend too much time on
this because I have already overwhelmed you with grammar in this lesson.
However, the future conjugation of 이다 is introduced in this lesson and I
feel this needs to be talked about here. By using the future ~ㄹ/을 것이다
conjugation on 이다, you can also create a sentence where the speaker is
guessing about a certain situation in the present tense. Look at some
examples first:

PLAY 그 사람이 의사일 거예요 = That person is probably/most likely a

doctor
PLAY 그것은 여권일 거예요 = That thing is probably/most likely a passport
PLAY 문제는 돈일 거예요 = The problem is probably/most likely money
Remember, you are not adding 일 to these nouns. You are adding ~
이다 followed by adding ~ㄹ 것이다 to 이다. I get a lot of questions from
learners asking me where this “일” came from.

These sentences as well can be said using 아니다 instead of 이다:

PLAY 그 사람이 의사가 아닐 거야 = That person is probably/most likely not

a doctor
PLAY 그것은 여권이 아닐 거야 = That thing is probably/most likely not a
passport
PLAY 문제는 돈이 아닐 거야 = The problem is probably/most likely not
money

Notice that in these cases the speaker is not talking about him/herself. Also,
even though the sentence is conjugated into the future tense, the speaker is
guessing that something is the case in the present tense. Thus, it is weird to
include time indicators in these sentences (for example “next year” or “in a
few months from now”) because the speaker is not trying to create this
meaning.

The question then becomes – how can I distinguish if somebody is saying

one of these “guessing” sentences or saying “something will become
something”. You will learn continuously throughout your Korean studies
that understanding a Korean sentence is all about context – and the
situation almost always makes it clear what the speaker wants to express.

For now, rather than concern yourself with guessing nuances, I suggest
focusing on how to use the ~ㄹ/을 것이다 form to conjugate
verbs/adjectives into the future tense – and realize that 되다 can be used
instead of 이다 when conjugating to the future tense.

The vocabulary in this section does not need to be separated. In my mind,

they would all fall under the category of “Other.”

PLAY 하나 = one

PLAY 둘 = two
PLAY 셋 = three
PLAY 넷 = four
PLAY 다섯 = five
PLAY 여섯 = six
PLAY 일곱 = seven
PLAY 여덟 = eight
PLAY 아홉 = nine
PLAY 열 = ten
PLAY 스물 = twenty
PLAY 서른 = thirty
PLAY 마흔 = forty
PLAY 쉰 = fifty

PLAY 일 = one

PLAY 이 = two
PLAY 삼 = three
PLAY 사 = four
PLAY 오 = five
PLAY 육 = six
PLAY 칠 = seven
PLAY 팔 = eight
PLAY 구 = nine
PLAY 십 = ten
PLAY 백 = one hundred
PLAY 천 = one thousand
PLAY 만 = ten thousand

PLAY 영 = zero

PLAY 공 = zero

Click on the English words below to see information and examples of that
word in use. You probably won’t be able to understand the grammar within
the sentences at this point, but seeing words being used in sentences is
very helpful for understanding how they can be used.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

You can try to find all of the words from this lesson, and all of the words
from every lesson in Unit 1 in a package of twenty five Word Searches.
PLAY 처음 = the first time/beginning

PLAY 마지막 = last

PLAY 번째 = counter for 1st/2nd/3rd/etc..

PLAY 첫 번째 = first (1st)

PLAY 두 번째 = second (2nd)

PLAY 개 = counter for things

PLAY 번 = counter for behaviors/actions

PLAY 명 = counter for people

PLAY 대 = counter for automobiles

PLAY 잔 = counter for a ‘glass’ of ____

PLAY 시 = “o’clock”

PLAY 분 = minute

PLAY 초 = second

PLAY 살 = years old

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

You might also want to try listening to all of the words on loop with
this Vocabulary Practice video.

There are 1050 vocabulary entries in Unit 1. All entries are linked to an
audio file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.

 
 Korean Numbers

Korean numbers are actually very easy once you get the hang of them. But,
because they are so different from English numbers, it is often hard for
English speakers to fully understand them at first.
First thing you need to know, there are two sets of numbers in Korean: The
pure Korean numbers and the numbers derived from Chinese (called Sino-
Korean numbers). Let’s look at the Sino-Korean numbers first, because they
are easier:

Sino-Korean Numbers

These are the Sino-Korean numbers as provided earlier:

일 = one
이 = two
삼 = three
사 = four
오 = five
육 = six
칠 = seven
팔 = eight
구 = nine
십 = ten
백 = one hundred
천 = one thousand
만 = ten thousand

With only those numbers, you can create any number from 1 – 10 million.
All you need to do is put them together:

일 = one (1)
십 = ten (10)
십일 = eleven (10 + 1)
이십 = twenty (2 x 10)
이십일 = twenty one (2 x 10 + 1)
이십이 = twenty two (2 x 10 + 2)
백 = one hundred (100)
백일 = one hundred and one (100 + 1)
백이 = one hundred and two (100 + 2)
백구십 = one hundred and ninety (100 + 90)
구백 = nine hundred (9 x 100)
천 = one thousand (1000)
천구백 = one thousand nine hundred (1000 + 9 x 100)
오천 = five thousand (5 x 1000)
오천육백 = five thousand six hundred (5 x 1000 + 6 x 100)
만 = ten thousand
십만 = one hundred thousand
백만 = one million
천만 = ten million

The Sino-Korean numbers are used in limited situations. As each of these

are taught throughout the upcoming lessons, you will slowly learn when to
use the Sino-Korean numbers over the Korean numbers. For now, don’t
worry about memorizing when they should be used, as it will come
naturally.

– When counting/dealing with money

– When measuring
– When doing math
– In phone-numbers
– When talking about/counting time in any way except the hour
– The names of each month
– Counting months (there is another way to count months using pure
Korean numbers)

Pure Korean Numbers

These are the pure Korean numbers as provided earlier:

하나 = one
둘 = two
셋 = three
넷 = four
다섯 = five
여섯 = six
일곱 = seven
여덟 = eight
아홉 = nine
열 = ten
스물 = twenty
서른 = thirty
마흔 = forty
쉰 = fifty

Creating numbers 11-19, 21-29, 31-39 (etc..) is easy, and is done like this:

11: 열하나 (10 + 1)

12: 열둘 (10 + 2)
21: 스물하나 (20 + 1)
59: 쉰아홉 (50 + 9)

Notice that there are no spaces between the words representing numbers
for both the Sino-Korean and pure Korean numbers. I discuss this in
a much more difficult lesson that covers how numbers greater than
10,000 are used. For now, it is more important to focus on how to use
simple numbers in sentences.

After 60, regardless of what you are doing, pure Korean numbers are rarely
used. I was talking to my wife about this once, and she said that she didn’t
think there was even a pure Korean number for 60. I told her “yes, there is:
예순.” To which she replied “Oh yeah, I forgot.” When you get that high
(even as high as 40-50) it is not uncommon to use the Sino-Korean
numbers instead.

The pure Korean numbers are used when:

– You are counting things/people/actions

– Talking about the hour in time
– Sometimes used when talking about months.

Again, don’t worry about memorizing each of those yet. Whenever I talk
about numbers, I will tell you which set you are expected to use.
 Using Numbers

Counters

When counting anything in Korean, you need to use the pure Korean
numbers. In addition, one thing that is very hard for English speakers to
wrap their head around is that, when counting most things in Korean, you
need to also include a ‘counter.’ The most common counters are:

개 = counter for things

명 = counter for people
번 = counter for behaviors/actions

There are many more counters, but if you can’t remember the specific
counter of something, you can usually substitute “개” (the counter for
“thing”) instead. You will learn the more difficult counters as you progress
through future lessons. For now, the goal is to get you accustomed to using
these three simple counters.

When counting in English, we usually don’t use counters. Rather we just

say: “two people,” as in:

I met two people

But some things in English require the use of these counters. For example,
you could not say “I bought two films” (referring to the film in a camera, not
a ‘movie’). Instead, you have to say “I bought two rolls of film.” The word
roll in that sentence is a counter, and is similar to the counters in Korean.
The main difference is that counters are used to count almost everything in
Korean.

The words 1, 2, 3, 4 and 20 change when adding a counter:

1 = 하나 -> 한
2 = 둘 -> 두
3 = 셋 -> 세
4 = 넷 -> 네
20 = 스물 -> 스무
Place a number, followed by a counter, after a noun to indicate how many
of that thing there are. For example:

PLAY 사람 두 명 = 2 people

PLAY 사람 한 명 = 1 person
PLAY 펜 다섯 개 = 5 pens
PLAY 펜 마흔네 개 = 44 pens

————

It is also possible to put the number-counter combination before the noun

that is being counted. However, the method shown immediately above is
much more common. When placed before the noun, “~의” is added to the
counter, for example:

PLAY 두 명의 사람 = 2 people

PLAY 한 명의 사람 = 1 person
PLAY 다섯 개의 펜 = 5 pens
PLAY 마흔네 개의 펜 = 44 pens

The purpose and function of ~의 in this type of construction is discussed

in Lesson 23. As I said, it is usually less common to count using this
method, so for now, don’t worry about this grammar. I simply want you to
know that it can be done. Pay more attention to the “사람 두 명” form
instead of the “두 명의 사람” form.

————

When writing out the word instead of using the numeral (for example,
writing “한” instead of “1”) the correct form is to have a space between the
written number and the counter. For example:

한 개 instead of 한개
두 번 instead of 두번
세 명 instead of 세명
When the Korean numbers are used (i.e. when counting things or actions),
the word is more typically used than the numeral. In our lessons, you will
usually see the Korean word written out when a counter is used.

In other situations where Sino-Korean numbers are used, there is no

difference if you use the Sino-Korean numeral or the word. I will come back
to this in the next lesson when you learn applications for Sino-Korean
numbers.

These nouns that we have counted can now become the object of a
sentence:

PLAY 나는 펜 네 개를 샀어 = I bought four pens

PLAY 나는 햄버거 두 개를 먹었어 = I ate two hamburgers
PLAY 나는 어제 친구 다섯 명을 만났어 = I met five friends yesterday

————

The number-counter combination could also be placed before the noun,

as we discussed earlier:

PLAY 나는 네 개의 펜을 샀어 = I bought four pens

PLAY 나는 두 개의 햄버거를 먹었어 = I ate two hamburgers
PLAY 나는 어제 다섯 명의 친구를 만났어 = I met five friends yesterday

————

Although the placement of the particles is important for your initial

understanding of Korean grammar, eventually, you will become more
comfortable with omitting particles altogether. Omitting particles is not
something I recommend for a beginner because it is very important that
you understand how to use them perfectly for more complex sentences.
Nonetheless, most often in speech, particles in this situation are often
omitted. For example, you might hear something like this:

나는 펜 네 개 샀어 = I bought 4 pens

In this structure, it is also possible to put the particle on the noun instead of
the counter, for example:
나는 펜을 네 개 샀어 = I bought 4 pens

Try not to worry about this too much at this stage, as the following three
sentences would sound perfect to Korean people:

나는 펜 네 개 샀어
나는 펜을 네 개 샀어
나는 펜 네 개를 샀어

————

Here are some more examples of counters in use:

PLAY 그 사람은 차 네 대가 있어요 = That person has four cars

PLAY 저는 우유 두 잔을 샀어요 = I bought two glasses of milk
PLAY 저는 땅콩 두 개를 먹었어요 = I ate two peanuts

Zero

I figure since I am talking about numbers, I should mention something about

how/when the number zero is used. Just like other numbers, there are two
ways to say “zero” in Korea. However, unlike other numbers, both ways of
saying “zero” are of Chinese origin.

영, which is (from what I understand), the way Chinese people say “zero”
공, which is sort of like the meaning of “nothing”

That isn’t really very important, but what is important is knowing which
word to use in which situation.

You should use “영” when talking about:

● Points that can be given or taken away, like in a game. For example,
when saying the score “2 – 0”, you would say “이 대 영”. Another
 example would be if you are in a quiz show, and you ask your friend
how many points she has, she could say “영점”
● The temperature “zero”
● When using numbers in math (which, if you’re just learning Korean
now, you probably won’t do for a long time)
You should use “공” when talking about:

● Phone numbers. For example, when saying “010 – 5555 – 5555”, all
the zeros should be read as “공.” If you don’t live in Korea, you
probably won’t know this, but “010” is the typical area code for a cell
phone (in Seoul, at least). Therefore, when giving your phone number,
you usually start out by saying “공-일-공”.
 

번 – Counter of Behavior or Action

번 is a common counter that counts behavior or actions, and is not directly

counted with a noun in a sentence. Putting a number before “번” creates an
adverb that tells you how many times something was done. It is an adverb,
so 를/을 is usually not attached to it.

PLAY 저는 어제 학교에 세 번 갔어요 = I went to school three times

yesterday
PLAY 저는 그 영화를 다섯 번 봤어요 = I saw that movie five times
PLAY 저는 오늘 두 번 운동할 것입니다 = I will exercise twice (two times)
today
PLAY 저는 어제 고기를 두 번 먹었어요 = I ate meat twice yesterday
PLAY 저는 오늘 축구를 네 번 할 거예요 = I will play soccer four times today

This is fairly simple to use, but you will continue to learn about this word in
the next lesson when you learn how to say “this time,” “next time,” and “last
time.”

Telling Korean Time

There are so many different ways to talk about time (seconds, minutes,
hours, days, weeks, months, years, etc…). You will learn more about how to
indicate when you did/do/will do something using these ‘time’ words in
the next lesson. In this lesson, however, you will learn about telling time, as
in the time on a clock.

When talking about the hour, as in ‘2 o’clock’ all you need to do is put 시
after a number:

2 시 = 2:00 (2 o’clock)

When talking about the minute, add 분 after the number:

2 시 30 분 = 2:30

The pure Korean numbers are used when saying the hour number, whereas
the Sino-Korean numbers are used when saying the minute number. For
example:

PLAY2 시 30 분 = 2:30, or

PLAY 두 시 삼십 분 = Two thirty

Earlier in the lesson I said that when a pure Korean number is used with a
counter, it is more commonly written out instead of using the numeral. In
this case, “시” could be seen as a counter as we are counting “hours.”
However, writing the numeral or the word is equally as common and
acceptable when referring to the time. In my case, I much prefer to use the
numeral instead of the word.

To indicate the minute, Sino-Korean numbers are used and (just like all
times when Sino-Korean numbers are used) there is no difference if you
use the numeral or the word. I prefer to use the numeral in these cases.

The spacing of these also needs to be discussed. As I mentioned earlier,

when a written number is placed before a counter, there should be a space
between the number and the counter. This is true for the number before
“분” as well. For example, if you were writing the words out:
두 시 should be written instead of 두시
삼십 분 should be written instead of 삼십분

However, when using the numeral, it is acceptable to omit the space and
attach the numeral directly with the following counter. For example:

PLAY2 시 30 분

Officially, there should be a space. However, most people do not include a

space and it is also seen as correct to omit it. Other examples:

PLAY3 시 10 분 = 3:10

PLAY 세 시 십 분 = Three ten

PLAY12 시 50 분 = 12:50

PLAY 열두 시 오십 분 = Twelve fifty

You will see more examples of this in the next lesson when you learn more
applications of numbers (specifically Sino-Korean numbers). If you can’t
get it into your brain yet, it will be easier when you see more examples in
the next lesson.

These times can now go in a sentence as usual by adding 에 to indicate a

time:

PLAY 나는 5 시에 먹을 거야 = I will eat at 5:00

PLAY 나는 2 시 30 분에 왔어 = I came at 2:30
PLAY 우리는 야구를 1 시에 할 거예요 = We will play baseball at 1:00
PLAY 우리는 7 시 20 분에 시작할 거예요 = We will start at 7:20

Age
When indicating how old a person is, you should use pure Korean numbers
along with the word “살” which is a counter for ages. For example:

PLAY 저는 열 살이에요 = I am ten years old

PLAY 저의 여자 친구는 스물여섯 살이에요 = My girlfriend is twenty six
years old

It would sound weird to use the Sino-Korean numbers to indicate the age
of somebody who is under thirty. However, after thirty, it is not uncommon
to use the Sino-Korean numbers instead of the pure Korean numbers. The
older the age, the more likely you will hear the Sino-Korean number used
instead of the pure Korean number. After 50, you are most likely to
exclusively hear the Sino-Korean numbers.

You haven’t learned how to ask questions yet, so it is difficult for me to

explain how to ask about a person’s age. You will understand the following
sentence better once you are confident with the content introduced
in Lessons 21 and 22. Nonetheless, it would be good to memorize this
sentence because of how common of a question it is:

PLAY 몇 살이에요? = How old are you?

번째: First, Second, Third, etc…

번째 can be used after a number like a counter to mean

first/second/third/etc. When saying “first”, “첫” replaces “한”.

For example:

첫 번째 = first
PLAY 저의 첫 번째 친구는 착했어요 = My first friend was nice
PLAY 저는 첫 번째 차를 싫어했어요 = I didn’t like that first car
If you think that is confusing, explain how ‘one’ gets changed to ‘first,’ ‘two’
gets changed to ‘second’ and ‘three’ gets changed to ‘third.’

After “first,” you can use the regular Korean numbers. Just like with
counters, the numbers 2 – 4 change when 번째 follows. For example:
두 번째 = second
PLAY 그 두 번째 선생님은 똑똑했어요 = That second teacher was smart
PLAY 저는 두 번째 남자를 골랐어요 = I chose the second man

세 번째 = third
PLAY 이 여권은 저의 세 번째 여권이에요 = This passport is my third
passport
PLAY 저는 세 번째 문을 열었어요 = I opened the third door

네 번째 = fourth
PLAY 저는 네 번째 사람이었어요 = I was the fourth person
PLAY 이 아이는 저의 네 번째 아들이에요 = This person is my fourth son

After the number four, the words don’t change when adding 번째. For
example:

PLAY 이 수업은 오늘 저의 열 번째 수업입니다 = This is my tenth class today

PLAY 저는 백 번째 페이지를 읽었어요 = I read the 100  page th

Sometimes you might see these numbers + counters used in the following
way:

첫 번째 = 첫째 = first
두 번째 = 둘째 = second
세 번째 = 셋째 = third
네 번째 = 넷째 = fourth
etc.…

Here is a video explaining a Korean sign that uses this idea of shortening 첫
번째 to 첫째.

These shortened forms can’t be used in as many situations as their longer

counterparts. The most common situation where these are used is when
talking about your first/second/third/etc. children. For example:

PLAY 우리 둘째 아들은 고등학생이에요 = Our second son is a high school

student
PLAY 우리 셋째 아이는 야구를 좋아해요 = Our third child likes baseball
PLAY 이 아이는 우리 첫째 아들이에요 = This (child) is our first son

In these cases, it is common to just refer to the child as “one’s first” or “one’s
second.” We often do the same thing in English. For example:

PLAY 우리 둘째는 고등학생이에요 = Our second (child) is a high school

student
PLAY 우리 셋째는 야구를 좋아해요 = Our third (child) likes baseball
PLAY 이 아이는 우리 첫째예요 = This (child) is our first (child)

However, as I mentioned, it would be unnatural to use these words in

sentences like this:

저는 셋째 문을 열었어요 (very understandable, but awkward)

저는 넷째 사람이었어요 (very understandable, but awkward)

Another place you will see words like 첫째 and 둘째 is when making lists
about things that need to be done, and the speaker/writer is indicating
“Firstly… and then secondly…” For example:

첫째, 저는 야채를 많이 먹겠습니다 = First, I will eat a lot of vegetables

둘째, 저는 매일 운동하겠습니다 = Second, I will exercise everyday

I didn’t make audio recordings for the above sentences because I feel they
would more likely be written than spoken.

Another useful word is 마지막 which often translates to ‘last.’ It is often

confusing for English speakers to understand the usage of 마지막 at first
because the word “last” has more than one usage in English. 마지막 is used
to refer to the final (last) thing at the end of sequence… as in “first meal…
second meal… third meal… fourth meal… final (last) meal.” It is not used to
refer to a “previous” thing. Notice the difference between these two usages
of “last night”:

Last night (the previous night) I went to the movies

The last night (the final night) of our trip was the best
The second example would be where you could use 마지막, because you
are referring to the final (last) night of a sequence of nights on a trip. In the
first example, you are talking about the previous night. I will introduce how
you can refer to a “previous” thing in the next lesson where I introduce 지난.

Here are some examples of 마지막 in use:

PLAY 이것은 저의 마지막 수업이에요 = This is my last class

PLAY 저는 마지막 것을 안 봤어요 = I didn’t see the last thing (I didn’t see
that last one)

In these examples, 마지막 is being used as a descriptive word, even though

it is not an adjective in its original form (it is not an adjective because it does
not end in 다, and cannot be conjugated). Words can be used this way in
English as well. The word “face” is a noun. But in the sentence “I put on face
paint,” the word “face” describes the type of paint you used. Similarly, you
could say “that is a computer room,” where the word “computer” is
describing the room.

처음– First Time

처음 is a very complex word that can be used in many situations. I have

been studying Korean for years and I still don’t know how to use it perfectly
in all situations. It can be used in sentences when you are talking about the
first time something is being done. It can be used as a noun or an adverb,
depending on the situation (which adds to it’s complexity). The two most
common situations are:

1) 처음에 … (at first/in the beginning)

PLAY 처음에 그 여자를 싫어했어요 = I didn’t like that girl at first
PLAY 저는 처음에 체육 수업을 싫어했어요 = At first I didn’t like PE class

2) Put in a sentence as an adverb to indicate this is the first time something

has happened:
PLAY 저는 어제 선생님을 처음 만났어요 = I met my teacher for the first
time yesterday
PLAY 저는 내일 한국에 처음 갈 것입니다 = I will go to Korea for the first
time tomorrow

You’ve gotten this far! You can’t stop now! Haha. The learning curve now is
still fairly steep, but it will get much easier in the future. As I keep saying,
having a good solid base in the fundamental grammar concepts of Korean
will help you tons later on!

Vocabulary

The vocabulary is separated into nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs for
the purpose of simplicity.

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use (you probably won’t be able to understand the grammar within the
sentences at this point, but it is good to see as you progress through your
learning).

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

You can try to find all of the words from this lesson, and all of the words
from every lesson in Unit 1 in a package of twenty five Word Searches.

Nouns:
PLAY 사실 = fact

PLAY 약 = medicine

PLAY 음악 = music

PLAY 하늘 = sky

PLAY 땅 = land

PLAY 지하 = underground

PLAY 빵 = bread
PLAY 쓰레기 = trash/garbage

PLAY 회계사 = accountant

PLAY 녹차 = green tea

PLAY 이 = teeth

PLAY 정부 = government

PLAY 성격 = personality

PLAY 온도 = temperature

PLAY 커튼 = curtains

PLAY 숨 = breath

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 축하하다 = to congratulate

CONJUGATE PLAY 일어나다 = to rise, to get up

CONJUGATE PLAY 준비하다 = to prepare, to get ready

CONJUGATE PLAY 들어오다 = to come in

CONJUGATE PLAY 들어가다 = to go in

CONJUGATE PLAY 입장하다 = to enter (the verb form of 'admission'

CONJUGATE PLAY 숨쉬다 = to breathe

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 흥미롭다 = to be interesting

CONJUGATE PLAY 늦다 = to be late

CONJUGATE PLAY 시원하다 = to be cool, to be relaxing

CONJUGATE PLAY 질투하다 = to be jealous

CONJUGATE PLAY 맵다 = to be spicy

CONJUGATE PLAY 죄송하다 = to be sorry

CONJUGATE PLAY 미안하다 = to be sorry

CONJUGATE PLAY 무겁다 = to be heavy

CONJUGATE PLAY 가볍다 = to be light

CONJUGATE PLAY 유명하다 = to be popular, to be famous

CONJUGATE PLAY 익숙하다 = to be familiar with something

Adverbs:
PLAY 요즘 = these days

PLAY 같이 = together

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

You might also want to try listening to all of the words on loop with
this Vocabulary Practice video.

There are 1050 vocabulary entries in Unit 1. All entries are linked to an
audio file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.

Introduction

In the last lesson, you learned some important Korean particles that you can
use in a wide variety of situations. There are still a few more basic particles
that you need to be aware of before you can begin learning more complex
grammar. Most of these particles are very common, so it is hard to build
sentences using more complex grammar without the use of what you
learned in Lesson 12, and what you will learn in this lesson. Let’s get started!

Korean Particles (and): ~과/와, ~랑/이랑 and ~하고

~과/와, ~랑/이랑 and ~하고 can all be used interchangeably to mean “and”
in Korean.
~과 and ~와 are the same. ~과 is attached to words ending in a consonant, ~
와 is attached to words ending in a vowel. Similarly, ~랑 and ~이랑 are the
same. ~이랑 is attached to words ending in a consonant, ~랑 is attached to
words ending in a vowel. ~하고 can be attached to words ending in a vowel
or consonant. These can be added fairly simply to nouns. For example:

PLAY 우리는 밥과 빵을 팔아요 = We sell rice and bread

PLAY 나는 사과와 바나나를 샀어 = I bought apples and bananas

The two examples above show ~와/과/랑/이랑/하고 placed between two

nouns that together act as the object of the sentence. Notice that although
there are two nouns, both of them (together) sort of act as the single object
of the sentence.

Other particles can attach to the construction made by using ~와/과/랑/

이랑/하고 as well. For example:

PLAY 나는 인천이랑 서울에 갈 거야 = I will go to Seoul and Incheon

PLAY 형하고 아버지는 영화를 봤어 = My brother and dad saw a movie
PLAY 저는 약과 녹차만 샀어요 = I only bought medicine and green tea

Korean Particles (with): ~과/와, ~랑/이랑 and ~하고

Just when you thought this was going to be an easy lesson! Ha! This sounds
crazy to an English speaker, but the same particles are used to mean “and”
and “with” in Korean. You can distinguish them purely by the context of the
conversation, which sounds like it would be difficult. However, even though
you probably think it is difficult, it is always clear (even to a beginner) if the
speaker is trying to express the meaning of “and” or “with” because of the
sentence structure.

For example, when used to have the meaning of “and,” a noun will always
follow 과/와/(이)랑/하고:  For example:

PLAY 나는 사과와 바나나를 샀어 = I bought apples and bananas

After 와, another noun is used, which means you are talking about apples
AND bananas. But if I said this:

PLAY 나는 친구와 갔어 = I went with my friend

There is no additional noun after 와, which means it can only mean “with.” If
~와 in that sentence had the meaning of “and”, it would translate to:

I went, my friend and…

… which is just nonsense

Here are some examples:

PLAY 저는 친구와 집에 갔어요 = I went home with my friend

PLAY 나는 아버지랑 공원에 갈 거야 = I will go to the park with my dad
PLAY 선생님은 학생들과 박물관에 갔다 = The teacher went to the museum
with the students
PLAY 요즘에 사람들이 친구들이랑 매운 음식을 먹지 않아요 = These days,
people don’t eat spicy food with their friends

Also notice that you can actually use these particles to mean both “and” and
“with” within the same sentence:

PLAY 저는 밥을 친구랑 저의 어머니랑 먹었어요 = I ate (rice*) with my mom

and my friend
*Korean people often use “밥” (rice) to simply mean “food.” It stems from
the fact that Korean people eat rice with (almost) every meal – so if you
ate, it means that you ate rice. You can say “밥을 먹었어” which can
simply mean “I ate.”
Two adverbs that are commonly used in sentences with “with” are 같이
and 함께. Both of them mean “together,” and can be used in sentences even
if the sentence doesn’t have one of the particles meaning “with” (과/와/랑/
이랑/하고). For example:

PLAY 우리는 빵을 같이 먹었어요 = We ate bread together

PLAY 우리는 빵을 함께 먹었어요 = We ate bread together

PLAY 우리는 집에 같이 들어갔어요 = We went into the house together

PLAY 우리는 집에 함께 들어갔어요 = We went into the house together

PLAY 우리는 음악을 같이 들었어요 = We listened to music together

PLAY 우리는 음악을 함께 들었어요 = We listened to music together

The use of the word “together” in the same sentence as the word “with” in
English is usually unnatural. For example, it sounds unnatural for me to say
something like this:

I ate bread together with a friend

Instead, in English, we would say one of the following sentences:

I ate bread with a friend

We ate bread together

In Korean however, it is okay to use 같이 or 함께 in either of these

situations; that is – with the word “with” in the sentence, or without it. For
example:

PLAY 저는 빵을 친구랑 같이 먹었어요 = I ate bread with a friend (together)

PLAY 저는 빵을 친구와* 함께 먹었어요 = I ate bread with a friend (together)

PLAY 저는 빵을 친구랑 먹었어요 = I ate bread with a friend

PLAY 저는 빵을 친구와 먹었어요 = I ate bread with a friend
Notice that I used ~와 with 함께 instead of ~랑. Just like with the meaning
of “and,” “~와/과” is more likely to be used in writing and in formal
situations, whereas “~(이)랑” is more likely to be used is speech. This
entirely depends on the person who is speaking/writing, but it is generally
true. Likewise, the use of “함께” is generally used in writing and formal
situations. Therefore, the use of 함께 is more likely to be paired with ~과/
와 in these cases.

To add an additional level of complexity to this explanation – 같이 is more

commonly used than 함께 (같이 is probably one of the most common
words in Korean, while 함께 would fall much further down the list).
However, when 함께 is used, it is more likely to be used with ~과/와. These
are just generalizations based on observations of years of speaking with
Korean people.

More examples:

PLAY 저는 녹차를 엄마랑 같이 마셨어요 = I drank green tea with my mom

PLAY 저는 엄마랑 유명한 영화를 같이 봤어요 = I saw/watched a famous
movie with my mom

PLAY 저는 선생님과 함께 공부했어요 = I studied with my teacher

PLAY 저는 여자 친구와 함께 영화를 봤어요 = I watched a movie with my
girlfriend

You can also use these particles to say that you are simply ‘with’ somebody
in a location. In order to do this, you must use 있다 along with one of the
adverbs meaning “together”. For example:

PLAY 나는 친구랑 같이 있어 = I’m with my friend

PLAY 저는 친구와 집에 함께 있어요 = I’m with a friend at home

Note that this meaning of “with” in Korean cannot be used like this:
I built a house with my hands
Remember, “my hands” are the method by which you did something, so,
as you learned in Lesson 12  ~(으)로 should be used in those situations. For
example:

저는 손으로 집을 지었어요

 
 

Korean Particles (to) 에게/한테/께

These three particles can all be used to indicate that you are doing (usually
giving) something TO somebody. 에게, 한테 and 께 all have the same
meaning, but ~한테 is usually used in conversation, ~에게 is usually written
(although it is still said in conversation very often) and ~께 is used when the
person you are giving something to requires respect (께 is the honorific
form of 에게/한테).

PLAY 아버지는 아들에게 돈을 준다 = The father gives money to his son
PLAY 나는 학생들한테 한국어를 가르쳤어 = I taught Korean to the students
PLAY 저는 부장님께 그 사실을 말할 거예요 = I will tell that (fact) to my boss

In the sentence above using ~께, a different verb (말씀) and grammatical
form (드리다) would more likely be used to conjugate the sentence. At this
point, you haven’t learned either of those words (or how they are used), so
I refrained from using them in this example. These will be introduced
in Lesson 39. For now, focus on the use of ~께 in this sentence.

Note that just because you use ~께 doesn’t mean that your sentence needs
to end in a polite way. ~께 is used when the person who is being given to is
of high importance, regardless of who you are talking to. For example, if I
was a teacher, talking to my student, talking about something being given
TO the principal, I could say:

PLAY 나는 책을 교장선생님께 줬어 = I gave the principal a book

Again, the word “드리다” would most likely be used instead of 주다 here.

For now, focus on the use of ~께 and we will continue to discuss this
in Lesson 39.

Korean Particles (from): ~에게서/한테서/(으)로부터

You learned in Lesson 12 that ~에서 can be used to mean “from” in a wide
variety of situations. ~에게서/한테서 can also have the translation of “from,”
but they are used in a more restricted way.

~에게서/한테서 has the meaning that is opposite of ~에게/한테/께, which

means it is used when somebody receives something from somebody.
These particles are attached to the person from whom one receives
something. For example:

PLAY 나는 나의 여자친구에게서 편지를 받았어 = I received a letter from

my girlfriend

The “thing” that is being received doesn’t need to be something physical. It

could be something abstract like stories, explanations, or other things. For
example:

PLAY 저는 교감선생님에게서 한국어를 배웠어요 = I learned Korean from

my vice principal
PLAY 저는 그것을 친구한테서 들었어요 = I heard that from my friend

A very similar particle is ~(으)로부터. This particle can also be attached to

the person from whom one receives something. For example:

PLAY 나는 나의 여자친구로부터 편지를 받았어 = I received a letter from

my girlfriend
PLAY 저는 교감선생님으로부터 한국어를 배웠어요 = I learned Korean from
my vice principal
PLAY 저는 그것을 친구로부터 들었어요 = I heard that from my friend
PLAY 저는 친구들로부터 사랑을 많이 받았어요 = I received a lot of love
from friends
PLAY 아버지로부터 선물이 왔어요 = A present came from my father

~(으)로부터 can also be used when receiving something from a non-person

thing (a company/the government/etc). For example:

PLAY 나는 돈을 정부로부터 받았어 = I received money from the

government
PLAY 이것을 하늘로부터 받았어요 = I received this from the sky (heavens)
However, you cannot use ~에게서/~한테서 to indicate that you received
something from a non-person.

To summarize, ~(으)로부터 can be used to indicate that one receives

something from a person or non-person. ~에게서 and ~한테서 have a
similar meaning, but can only be used when one receives something from a
person.

Do something for somebody: ~을/를 위해(서)

If you want to say that you are doing something FOR (the benefit of)
somebody, you can add ~를/을 to the person who you are doing something
for, followed by 위해(서):

PLAY 나는 나의 여자 친구를 위해(서) 꽃을 샀어 = I bought flowers for my

girlfriend
PLAY 나는 부장님을 위해(서) 이것을 썼어 = I wrote this for my boss
PLAY 저는 친구를 위해 빵을 만들었어요 = I made bread for my friend
PLAY 아버지를 위해 시원한 물을 준비했어요 = I prepared cool water for
my father

There doesn’t seem to be a difference between 위해 and 위해서.

This form is usually used when you are doing something for a person, but
can also be used sometimes when you are doing something for a non-
person:

PLAY 저는 회사를 위해 열심히 일할 거예요 = I will work hard for the

company

The important thing is that the thing for which you are doing something
must be a noun. You can use 위해 to indicate that you are doing something
for the purpose of a verb (I am going there to/for the purpose of see(ing) a
movie) but you will learn about that in Lesson 32 once  you have learned
how to change verbs into nouns.
Also make sure that you realize that ‘for’ can have many meanings in
English. Just because you say ‘for’ in English, doesn’t mean that it can be
translated directly to ~를/을 위해. In Korean, ~를/을 위해 means for the
benefit of. For example, in this sentence:

I am waiting for the bus – the ‘bus’ is the object which you are waiting for,
so, in Korean, you attach the particle ~을/를 to ‘bus’ but not ~을/를 위해:

나는 버스를 기다린다

This isn’t incredibly important right now, but I thought I’d mention it. “위해”
is actually a verb, and the base form of the verb is 위하다. When ~아/어/여
is added to 위하다, it changes to 위하여. This was first presented in Lesson
5. 하다 officially changes to 하여 when adding ~아/어/여, but this is
commonly shortened to 해. Therefore, it is possible to use “위하여” instead
of “위해.” Technically, this is possible in any word that finishes in ~하다, but
it seems to be much more common with 위하다 than any other verb or
adjective.

Here is a Korean sign that shows ~을/를 위하여, and my explanation of it.

About something ~에 대해

~에 대해 can also be attached to nouns like 를/을 위해, but this has the
meaning of “about.” It’s very easy to understand when used in simple
situations:

PLAY 나는 너에 대해 생각했어 = I thought about you

PLAY 나는 나의 아버지에 대해 말했어 = I spoke about my father
PLAY 나는 그것에 대해 책을 쓸 거야 = I will write a book about it
PLAY 그 회계사는 정부에 대해 나쁜 말을 했어요 = That accountant said bad
things about the government

Just like with ~을/을 위해서, there is very little (if any) difference between ~
에 대해 and ~에 대해서. For example, the sentences above could all be
written as:
나는 너에 대해서 생각했어 = I thought about you
나는 나의 아버지에 대해서 말했어 = I spoke about my father
나는 그것에 대해서 책을 쓸 거야 = I will write a book about it
그 회계사는 정부에 대해서 나쁜 말을 했어요 = That accountant said bad
things about the government

One way that you cannot use ~에 대해 is in the following sentence:

My favorite thing about you is your eyes.

I’d love to teach you that sentence in Korean, even though we haven’t
covered the grammar, Ah, what the heck – I’ll show you – even though full
understanding won’t come until Lesson 28.

너에 있어서 내가 가장 좋아하는 것은 너의 눈이야.

Too complicated for you right now, the grammar within that sentence will
be discussed in Lesson 28. Until then…

Vocabulary

The vocabulary is separated into nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs for
the purpose of simplicity.

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use (you probably won’t be able to understand the grammar within the
sentences at this point, but it is good to see as you progress through your
learning).

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

You can try to find all of the words from this lesson, and all of the words
from every lesson in Unit 1 in a package of twenty five Word Searches.

Nouns:
PLAY 냄새 (나다) = smell

PLAY 청소기 = vacuum cleaner

PLAY 얼굴 = face

PLAY 시장 = market

PLAY 몸 = body

PLAY 불 = light/fire

PLAY 숙제 = homework

PLAY 기억 = memory

PLAY 상자 = box

PLAY 바람 = wind

PLAY 세금 = tax

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 켜다 = to turn on

CONJUGATE PLAY 끄다 = to turn off

CONJUGATE PLAY 숨다 = to hide oneself

CONJUGATE PLAY 숨기다 = to hide an object

CONJUGATE PLAY 고장내다 = to break

CONJUGATE PLAY 놓다 = to lay an object down

CONJUGATE PLAY 눕다 = to lie down

CONJUGATE PLAY 존경하다 = to respect

CONJUGATE PLAY 대체하다 = to replace

CONJUGATE PLAY 제공하다  = to provide, to offer

CONJUGATE PLAY 포함하다 = to include

CONJUGATE PLAY 내다 = to make something come up/arise/occur

CONJUGATE PLAY 싸우다 = to fight

CONJUGATE PLAY 속이다 = to trick somebody

CONJUGATE PLAY 감동하다 = to impress

CONJUGATE PLAY 서다 = to stand

Passive Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 잠기다 = to be locked

CONJUGATE PLAY 켜지다 = to be turned on

CONJUGATE PLAY 꺼지다 = to be turned off

CONJUGATE PLAY 나다 = to have something you didn’t have

CONJUGATE PLAY 고장나다 = to be broken

CONJUGATE PLAY 화나다 = to be mad

CONJUGATE PLAY 짜증나다 = to be annoyed

CONJUGATE PLAY 놓이다 = for an object to be lying down

CONJUGATE PLAY 열리다 = to be open

CONJUGATE PLAY 닫히다 = to be closed

CONJUGATE PLAY 속다 = to be tricked

Adverbs:
PLAY 자꾸 = repeatedly

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

You might also want to try listening to all of the words on loop with
this Vocabulary Practice video.

There are 1050 vocabulary entries in Unit 1. All entries are linked to an
audio file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.

Introduction

This lesson contains a lot of boring, confusing grammar. I am warning you

now.

If you looked at the vocabulary list of this lesson before reading this, you
may have noticed something strange with some of the words. A lot of the
words look very similar to each other. The reason for this is because today
you will learn about passive verbs in Korean. Though I studied passive
verbs very early in my studies, it is something that actually took me a year
to fully grasp – and not because it is incredibly difficult, but rather that I
never received any proper instruction regarding passive verbs.

I don’t really like explaining English grammar too much in my lessons.

However, an understanding of what passive verbs are and how they are
used in English sentences will help you with your understanding of their
equivalent Korean sentences.

An active verb is used when a subject does an action. For example:

In the examples below, the subject is “I”

I eat
I learn
I open

Active verbs often act on an object. For example:

The word “object” here refers to the part of speech that a verb can act on.
Sometimes learners get confused and think that an object means “a thing,”
for example; “a pencil” or “a door.” In theory, any noun can be an object of
a sentence – including people or abstract ideas that are not considered
“objects” in the literal (non-language) sense. For example, the objects are
underlined in the following sentences:

I love my father
He wants respect

I eat rice
I learn Korean
I open the door

Some active verbs by their nature cannot act on an object. For example, the
active verbs are underlined in the examples below:

I went to the park

I arrived at the park

“The park” in the above examples are not objects. The verb is not acting on
that part of speech. They just indicate places within the sentence.

In all of the above examples, regardless of if there is an object in the

sentence or not, the subject performs the action. These are all active
sentences.

Passive sentences indicate that an action is performed on the subject. For

example:

I was kicked
The door was opened
The hamburger was eaten

In English, passive verbs feel like adjectives because their sentence

structures are similar. For example:

I was handsome
The door was big
The hamburger was delicious
Let’s look at an active verb and passive verb being used in similar
sentences:

1) I opened the door

2) The door was opened

In the first example “I” am the subject and I performed the action (opening)
on the object (the door).
In the second example, “the door” is the subject and the action (opening)
was performed on it.

Below are some more active-passive pairs to help you see how they differ
from one-another:

All of the examples below are in the present tense. In the present tense,
these passive sentences (just like most plain sentences used in the present
tense) sound unnatural. For example, I would never say “I turn the
computer on.” However, I am using the present tense simply because this
is the basic “raw” form of the sentence. They could be applied to the past,
the future, or other complicated things could be applied to them.

I turn the computer on

The computer is turned on

I lock the door

The door is locked

I respect my friend
My friend is respected

I cooked the rice

The rice is cooked

Passive verbs (like adjectives) cannot act on an object. For example:

I opened the door (active verb) – correct

The door was opened me (passive verb) – incorrect
The door was big me (adjective) – incorrect

However, sentences with passive verbs can include more information to

indicate by whom (or by what) the action was performed. For example:
The door was opened by me
The door was opened by the wind
The door was opened by the guard

I’ll do the same with all of the passive sentences that I showed you earlier:

The computer was turned on by me

The door was locked by the teacher
My friend is respected by many people
The rice was cooked by my mother

Because passive verbs cannot act on an object, you will never see ~을/를 in
a sentence predicated by a passive verb in Korean. Remember, ~을/를 is
used to mark objects in Korean sentences – and therefore their usage is
impossible with passive verbs.

This is probably the most important paragraph in the entire lesson; it is

usually unnatural to use passive verbs in Korean. In almost every situation,
it is more natural to use the active form of a verb. For example, instead of
saying “the house is built” it is more natural to say “somebody built the
house” (which implies that the house is now built).

Nonetheless, understanding how passive verbs are used in Korean is crucial

to your development.

There are many ways to make a passive sentence in Korean. In this lesson,
we will look at the different ways this can be done.

It is also important to remember that passive verbs are verbs – not

adjectives. Korean learners often think they are adjectives because they
look, sound and feel similar to adjectives and they never act on objects.
Always remember that passive verbs are verbs. This is important because
you must conjugate them as verbs and not as adjectives.

Alright, let’s get started.

Korean Passive Verbs – 하다 to 되다

I’ve told you twice before that verbs ending in 하다 can usually be
separated from 하다 to create a noun form of that verb. 하다 then has the
meaning of “do”:

나는 일했어 = I worked
which has the same meaning of:
나는 일을 했어 = I did work/I worked

When dealing with 하다 verbs, most of the time you can simply exchange
하다 with 되다, to make that verb passive. For example:

포함하다  = to include
포함되다 = to be included

제공하다 = to provide
제공되다 = to be provided

대체하다 = to replace
대체되다 = to be replaced

You can use passive verbs to create sentences that have similar meaning to
sentences with each respective active verb. Structurally the sentences will
be different however, because the passive version of a verb cannot act on
an object. For example:

PLAY 이 값은 세금을 포함해요 = This price includes tax

PLAY 세금은 포함돼요 = The tax is included

PLAY 저는 점심을 준비했어요 = I prepared (the) lunch

PLAY 점심이 준비되었어요 = (The) lunch was prepared

PLAY 회사는 기계를 대체했어 = The company replaced the machine

PLAY 기계는 대체되었어 = The machine was replaced

Adding 어 to 되 creates either 되어 or 돼 with no difference in meaning.

(For example, 되다 in the present tense can either be 돼 or 되어. In the
past tense, it can either be 되었다 or 됐다.
Often the speaker wants to indicate by whom/what the lunch was
prepared, or by whom/what the machine was replaced. For example:

– The lunch was prepared by the school

– The machine was replaced by the company

In the examples above, although we are still using a passive verb,

information about how the passive verb occurred is given. This is an
example of when it is much more common to use the active form over the
passive form in Korean. In Korean (and most likely in English as well), it
would be much more natural to say “I prepared the lunch” instead of “The
lunch was prepared by me.” Nonetheless, the grammar within these
sentences is important, so I need to continue teaching it to you here.

In order to create these sentences, you need to remember that sentences

with a predicating passive verb can NOT have an object – which means that
you CANNOT attach ~를/을 to “the school” or “the company.” For example,
the sentence below would be ridiculous and probably wouldn’t be
understood at all:

점심이 학교를 준비되었어요

In these types of sentences, in order to indicate how/by which means the

passive verb occurs, you need to use different particles. If this part of a
sentence is a person, it is acceptable to attach the particle “에게” to the
noun. For example:

PLAY 그것은 이해되었어 = It was understood

PLAY 그것은 학생들에게 이해되었어 = It was understood by the students

PLAY 집은 청소되었어 = The house was cleaned

PLAY 집은 아버지에게 청소되었어 = The house was cleaned by my dad

Again, I highly suggest that you refrain from using this passive voice in
Korean. I need you to understand what is being introduced here so I can
build on it in later lessons. The two sentences above would be better said
as:

PLAY 학생들은 그것을 이해했어요 = The students understood that

PLAY 아버지는 집을 청소했어요 = My dad cleaned the house
The particle ~에 can be used when this part of a sentence is a non-person.
For example:

점심이 학교에 준비되었어요 = The lunch was provided by the school

The particle “~에 의해” can also be attached to nouns that are non-people
in these situations, but the distinction between ~에 and ~에 의해 isn’t
formally introduced until Lesson 78, Since I’m advising against using this
passive form, it’s best to focus on the current presentation and not skip
ahead.

Also, remember the meaning of ~(으)로 which you learned in Lesson 12. You
learned that ~(으)로 can be used to indicate with what
tool/device/method/material something is carried out. This means that you
can say something like:

PLAY 저는 집을 청소기로 청소했어요 = I cleaned the house with a vacuum

cleaner

But, if you wanted to say that sentence by using the passive verb (to be
cleaned), you would have to again use ~(으)로 as the particle attached to
청소기 because that was the method/tool that was used for it to be
cleaned:

PLAY 집은 청소기로 청소되었어요 = the house was cleaned by a vacuum

cleaner, whereas:
집은 청소기에 청소되었어요 = is not correct, although most Korean people
would probably understand you.

Wow. Confusing.

It’s confusing for me, I’m sure it is confusing to you, and it is actually
confusing to Korean people as well – so don’t get too hung up on the
difference between ~에/에게 /~(으)로 in these situations because, as I said
– Korean people don’t use passive verbs as much as they use active verbs.

What do you need to take from all of this? Because it is so confusing, I

wrote the main points that you should know:
 1. Clauses ending in a passive verb can never have a word with an object
marker (를/을) within the clause.
2. Passive verbs are conjugated just like active verbs, even though they
feel like adjectives
3. Though clauses ending in a passive verb cannot have an object in the
clause, other particles can be attached to nouns to indicate how the
passive action occurred. These particles are usually:
1. 에 – to indicate that something occurred due to a non-person
2. 에 의해 – to indicate that something occurred due to a non-
person, but we haven’t studied this specifically yet
3. 에게 – to indicate that something occurred due to a person
4. ~(으)로 – to indicate the tool/method by which something
occurred
One other thing. Just because a noun in a passive sentence has the particle
~에 (or ~에게, or ~에 의해 for that matter) attached to it, it doesn’t
necessarily mean that is the noun that caused the passive verb to occur. ~에
could also have its more familiar function of designating a place. For
example, we saw this sentence before:

PLAY 세금은 포함돼요 = the tax is included

I could put the noun “값” in the sentence to indicate the location of where
the tax is included in.

PLAY 세금은 값에 포함된다 = The tax is included in the price

Notice in the example above that the particle “~에” is not denoting that the
tax is included by the price. Rather, it is included in the price. Being able to
recognize things like this just takes practice and your understanding of this
will increase as you progress through your studies. For now, try not to focus
too much on the tiny parts of this lessons, and focus more on the big-
picture.

 
 

Korean Passive Verbs – 하다 to 받다

In addition to the usual way of switching 하다 with 되다 to make a passive

verb – there is another (similar) way of making these verbs passive. This can
only be done with certain verbs (usually acting on people), and is done by
switching 하다 with 받다 (to receive). For example:

PLAY 저는 저의 형을 존경해요 = I respect my brother

PLAY 저의 형은 존경 받아요 = My brother is respected (literally-my brother
receives respect)

The same rules apply with ~에 and ~에게 as described previously:

PLAY 교장선생님은 선생님들에게 존경받아요 = The principal is respected

by the teachers
PLAY 나는 너의 말에* 감동받았어 = I was impressed with what you said
*Remember that 말하다 means “to speak.” By removing 하다, 말 becomes
the noun form of “speak,” which is “words/the thing you said/what you
said/etc…”

Korean Passive Verbs – Non-하다 verbs

So far you have only learned how to change ~하다 verbs into the passive
tense. There are, of course many verbs in Korean that don’t end in ~하다.
When dealing with words not ending in 하다, there is often a separate (but
very similar) word that can be used to indicate the passive voice. These
words will always be presented separately in the vocabulary lists. Here are
some examples:

켜다 = to turn on
켜지다 = to be turned on

끄다 = to turn off
꺼지다 = to be turned off
닫다 = to close
닫히다 = to be closed

The words above are just some examples of active verbs and their passive
equivalents. There are many more of these active-passive pairs, and
unfortunately there is no way to instinctively know which one is active and
which one is passive. In all of the examples above, the longer word (i.e. the
word with one more syllable) is the passive verb. However, sometimes the
longer word is the active verb, for example:

붙다 = to be attached
붙이다 = to attach

끓다 = to be boiling
끓이다 = to boil

If you look at these examples, you might think “Oh, so maybe the pattern is
– if there is an active-passive pair where “이” is the difference between the
two, then the longer word will be the active verb.” Unfortunately, it’s not
that simple. Here are two other examples of active-passive pairs that
show the opposite:

쓰다 = to write
쓰이다 = to be written

보다 = to see
보이다 = to be seen

There are many instances of these active-passive pairs in Korean, and

there is no way to know which one is active or which one is passive unless
you have specifically memorized it. This is just something that you will
have to memorize whenever you come across it. The only thing that is
helpful is that the active verb usually looks very similar to the passive verb
– with just one syllable added or deleted from the active form.  

I talk about passive verbs, and the use of 줄다 (to be decreased) and 
줄이다 (to decrease) in this YouTube video.

I also talk about it in this video, where 열리다 is used.

You can treat these passive verbs just like the passive verbs you learned in
the previous two sections (되다 and 받다 verbs). Make sure you use the
passive verb and not the active verb (for example – use 닫히다 instead of
닫다 in a passive sentence):

PLAY 밥은 학교에 의해 제공된다 = food is provided by the school

PLAY 밥은 학교에 의해 제공되었다 = food was provided by the school
PLAY 문은 바람에 의해 닫혔어요 = The door was closed by the wind

When dealing with these passive verbs however, you need to think about
whether or not that passive verb is in the state of something. For example,
every passive verb you learned in the previous two sections (하다 to 되다
and 하다 to 받다) were not passive verbs in the state of something. For
example, again:

PLAY 나는 너의 말에 감동받았어 = I was impressed with what you said

Simply means that you were impressed. It does not mean that you are in
the state of being impressed. But, in these sentences:

The computer is on.

The TV is off
The door is locked

All of those nouns are in the state of something. The computer is in the state
of being on, the TV is in the state of being off, and the door is in the state of
locked. To indicate that something “is in the state” of something in Korean,
you must add ~아/어 있다 to the passive verb. For example:

As you know, 있다 has many usages and meanings in Korean. Sometimes 

있다 is a verb, and sometimes it is an adjective. When used as ~아/어
있다 as described here, 있다 is a verb. For now, this is only important to
you when conjugating in the plain form. In the future, there will be other
times when this distinction will be important.

PLAY 저는 컴퓨터를 켰어요 = I turned the computer on

PLAY 컴퓨터가 켜져 있어요 = The computer is (in the state of) on
PLAY 저는 TV 를 껐어요 = I turned the TV off
PLAYTV 가 꺼져 있어요 = The TV is (in the state of) off

PLAY 저는 문을 잠갔어요 = I locked the door

PLAY 문이 잠겨 있어요 = The door is (in the state of) locked

Notice that ~이/가 is used in the passive sentences above. In most cases,
this is usually more natural with these types of sentences. Don’t worry
about that for now (I’ll discuss it in Lesson 17), and focus more on how the
verbs (both active and passive) are being used.

I get a lot of people who are confused about this “state” nonsense of these
passive verbs. I would like to fully describe how these words can be used
to describe that something is in a “state” and compare them to the same
passive verb that is not in that state. For example:

PLAY 저는 문을 닫았어요 = I closed the door

This sentence is an active sentence. It has an active verb, and has an object.
This should be no problem.

PLAY 문이 닫혔어요 = The door was closed

This is a passive sentence. It is indicating that at some point in the past, the
door was closed by something or someone. This is the exact passive
equivalent of “저는 문을 닫았어요” – the only difference is that we have no
idea who/what closed the door. Though you could assume that the door
(after that point) was in the state of “closed” this sentence does not
specifically indicate that.

PLAY 문이 바람에 닫혔어요 = The door was closed by the wind

This is essentially the same sentence as above, but in this case we know
how the door was closed. Again, though you could assume that the door
(after that point) was in the state of “closed” this sentence does not
specifically indicate that.

PLAY 문이 닫혀 있었어요 = The door was closed

This is another passive sentence, but notice the difference between this
sentence and the two examples above. Here, the sentence is specifically
indicating that the door was in the state of “closed”. Here, we have
absolutely no idea if something/somebody had opened it recently; all we
know is that, at that time, the door was not open.
PLAY 저는 문을 닫아요 = I close the door
This is another active sentence with an active verb. Though it makes sense,
it probably wouldn’t be said like this unless there was some sort of adverb
or other information in the sentence (for example, “I close the door every
day at 9:00pm”)

PLAY 문이 닫혀요 = The door closes

While technically correct, you would need some other information to make
this sentence more natural (for example, “the door closes every day at
9:00pm”). This is the exact passive equivalent of “저는 문을 닫아요” –
except for that in this example, there is no information given as to
who/what will close the door. The sentence is not referring to the door
being in the state of “closed”, but rather, indicating that door somehow
closes.

PLAY 문이 닫혀 있어요 = The door is closed

Notice the difference between this example and the one above. This
sentence is not referring to the door closing. It is only stating that the door is
currently in the state of “closed”

PLAY 문이 닫힐 거예요 = The door will close

Again, this example is referring to the door somehow closing. It is the exact
passive equivalent of “저는 문을 닫을 거예요” – except for that in this
example, there is no information given as to who/what will close the door.

PLAY 문이 닫혀 있을 거예요 = The door will be closed

This is a passive sentence that is indicating that the door will be in the state
of “closed” in the future. It does not indicate who/what will close the door;
all we know is that, at that time in the future, the door will be closed.

Just because an active verb has a passive equivalent, it does not mean you
can attach ~아/어 있다 to that word to describe that it is in the “state” of
something. Typically this is only done for words like on, off, open, closed,
etc…

A good example of this not working with a passive verb is with 속이다 and
속다.
속이다 = to trick somebody
속다 = to be tricked

PLAY 나는 친구를 속였어 = I tricked my friend

This is an active sentence.

PLAY 나는 친구에게 속았어 = I was tricked by my friend

This is a passive sentence

나는 속아 있다…
… I am… in the state of being tricked.
This doesn’t make sense. Once you’re tricked, you’re tricked. You do not
continue being in the state of “tricked” like a door continues to be open
once it is open.

Here’s an example that I am including just because I have the audio for it.
I’m going to get more example sentences for this lesson shortly with more
audio clips:

PLAY 펜이 탁자에 놓여 있었어요

= The pen was (in the state of) laying on the table

Korean Passive Verbs – 내다 and 나다

There are quite a few words in Korean that can either end in 나다 or 내다.

These two play the same role as 되다 and 하다, where a word ending in
나다 is passive and a word ending in 내다 is active. For example:

끝내다 = to finish
끝나다 = to be finished

나다 and 내다 can actually be used as standalone verbs as well as be

attached to other words. Both of their meanings are very complex and
depend heavily on the situation, but their general meanings are:
나다 = for something to come up/arise/occur
내다 = to make something come up/arise/occur

However, not all words ending in 나다 have an equivalent 내다 verb (and

vice-versa). For example, 어긋나다 is a word (to be out of step with
something) but 어긋내다 is not a word. At any rate, the two most common
words ending in 나다/내다 are:

끝내다 = to finish
끝나다 = to be finished

고장 내다 = to break
고장 나다 = to be broken

It is very common to use the past tense conjugation of both of these words
in the passive voice even when the thing is currently broken/finished. In
English, we would say these sentences in the present tense, but in theory
the thing/task was broken/finished in the past. For example:

PLAY 숙제는 끝났어요 = My homework is finished

PLAY 컴퓨터는 고장 났어요 = The computer is broken

It is possible to use the active voice to express these sentences, but the use
of “나다” (as seen above) is more common than the use of 내다 in these
cases. Nonetheless, the following are acceptable:

PLAY 저는 숙제를 끝냈어요 = I finished my homework

PLAY 저는 컴퓨터를 고장냈어요 = I broke the computer

As I said before, 나다 itself means “for something to come up/arise/occur”

which means it can be used in a lot of sentences to indicate that some noun
“comes up”. Three common ways to use 나다 are with 기억 (a memory)
with 생각 (a thought) and with 냄새 (a smell):

PLAY 아! 그것이* 기억났다! = Ah! I remember that! (Literally – my memory

came up)
PLAY 좋은 생각이* 났어요! = I have a good idea (Literally – a good idea
came up)
PLAY 그 가방에서 냄새가 났어요 = That bag is smelly (A smell is coming out
of that bag)
PLAY 그 방에서 냄새가 났어요 = That room is smelly (A smell is coming out
of that room)

*Remember that 나다 is a passive verb and cannot act on an object.

Therefore, the particle ~이/가 must be used on “것.” You will learn more
about this sentence structure in the next lesson.

Another common example of “나다” in use is in the following phrase:

PLAY 큰 일 났어요!

Literally, this translates to “a big thing/task/work came up!” In Korean, this

expression is used similar to the expression “Oh no! Something bad just
happened!” A more common expression would probably be “Oh crap!”

You will see “나다” used with many other words throughout your Korean
studies. The most common examples of 나다 (or it’s active 내다 form) are
the examples above. Other common examples that you will learn shortly
are provided below. I haven’t included these words in the vocabulary list
above, so you don’t need to memorize them now. I am simply introducing
them to you at this point because they are related to this topic.

소리 = sound
소리가 나다 = the verb of a sound happening (for a sound to “come up”)

화 = anger, rage
화가 나다 = to be angry (for anger to “come up”)

사고 = accident
사고가 나다 = to get into an accident (for an accident to “arise”)

땀 = sweat
땀이 나다 = to be sweating (for sweat to “come up”)
전쟁 = war
전쟁이 나다 = for a war to start (for a war to “come up”)

멀미 = motion sickness
멀미가 나다 = for motion sickness to “come up”

In a lot of these cases, you will see 나다 conjugated into the past tense
when we as English speakers would think of the situation in the present
tense. To explain this phenomenon, let me bring up an example from
before:

PLAY 아! 그것이 기억났다! = Ah! I remember that!

Notice here that 나다 is conjugated to the past but I have translated the
English sentence into the present tense. If you imagine your memory as a
thing that can “come up,” in theory, the memory had already came up
before you said that sentence – therefore making it in the past tense. Here,
the context of the conversation can inform you if the speaker is referring to
something in the past or present tense.

It is possible to use these words in the present tense, but that would mean
that the noun is currently coming up. A good example from that list above
would be:

PLAY 땀이 났어요 = I’m sweating

Here again, you can see 나다 conjugated to the past tense but the English
sentence is translated into the present tense. Just by the nature of the word
“나다” (to come out) in Korean, when sweat has “come out” of your body it
means that you now have sweat on your body which we as English
speakers would say as “I’m sweating.”

When 나다 is conjugating into the present tense in these cases, it insinuates

that the thing is currently “coming up.” In most situations, the difference is
negligible and distinguishing them would really be splitting hairs.

However, let’s split some hairs:

PLAY 땀이 났어요 = Sweat was coming out of my body… which means that
there is currently sweat on my body… which means that I am wet from the
sweat on my body that had previously come out of my body.

PLAY 땀이 나요 = Sweat is literally currently coming out of my body

PLAY 저는 그것이 기억 났어요 = I remembered that… which means that I

also currently remember that fact… which means that I know that fact that I
had previously remembered

PLAY 저는 그것이 기억 나요 = That memory is literally currently just coming

to my mind

Really, this whole past/present thing is quite advanced and is not something
I developed an understanding of until many years of exposure to Korean. As
a beginner (you are still a beginner if you are only at Lesson 14!) you
probably don’t need to worry about splitting these hairs. However, when I
was learning, I would have wanted this to be explained to me at some
point, so here I am explaining it to you.

I should point out that we don’t see this same phenomenon when these
words are used in negative sentences. For example, if I say:

그것이 기억 안 났어

Does the fact of your memory “not coming up” mean that it is currently not
up when you said the sentence? Huh…. I can’t even wrap my head around
that sentence.

This type of past-tense-conjugated negative sentence with 나다

would only be used to say that you didn’t remember something sometime
in the past. If you want to say that you cannot currently remember
something, you can use the present tense conjugation. For example:
PLAY 나는 그때 기억이 안 났어 = I didn’t remember (that) at that time
PLAY 나는 그것이 기억 안 나 = I don’t remember that

Korean Passive Verbs – Normal verbs

So far, you’ve learned about dealing with 하다/되다/받다 verbs, verbs that
can be in a state (닫다/닫히다) and 나다/내다 verbs. Sometimes, however,
a verb that fits none of these conditions can be put into the passive voice.
All that needs to be done in these cases is to add ~아/어지다 to the verb
stem to make it passive. Note that this cannot be done with all verbs, but
some common examples are:

주다 = to give
주어지다 = to be given
(Note that the word is 주어지다 and not 줘지다)

짓다 = to build
지어지다 = to be built (짓 + 어 = 지어) + 지다 = 지어지다

PLAY 기회가 주어졌어요 = I was given a chance

PLAY 그 집은 한국에서 지어졌어요 = that house was built in Korea

That’s it!

I warned you earlier, there was a lot of grammar in this lesson. Though all of
the grammar in this lesson is very important, and must be understood to
continue your development of Korean – keep in mind that it is always more
natural to use active sentences instead of passive sentences in Korean.

I’m sure you are very confused! But I did my best to describe everything
somebody would need to know when having to worry about the passive
voice in Korean.

Vocabulary
Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use (you probably won’t be able to understand the grammar within the
sentences at this point, but it is good to see as you progress through your
learning).

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

You can try to find all of the words from this lesson, and all of the words
from every lesson in Unit 1 in a package of twenty five Word Searches.

Nouns:
PLAY 잠 = sleep

PLAY 모자 = hat

PLAY 줄 = line, string, rope, queue

PLAY 감기 = a cold

PLAY 기침 = cough

PLAY 설사 = diarrhea

PLAY 독감 = the flu

PLAY 재채기 = sneeze

PLAY 동아리 = a club in school or university

PLAY 취미 = hobby

PLAY 수학 = math

PLAY 가족 = family

PLAY 실력 = skills
PLAY 사촌 = cousin

PLAY 삶 = life

PLAY 맥주 = beer

PLAY 과거 = past

PLAY 마음 = one’s heart/mind

PLAY 그림 = picture, painting

PLAY 속 = inside

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 들다 = to lift, to carry, to hold

CONJUGATE PLAY 들다 = to enter, to go into

CONJUGATE PLAY 가져오다 = to bring an object

CONJUGATE PLAY 가져가다 = to bring/take an object

CONJUGATE PLAY 돌리다 = to turn, to run a machine, to hand out

CONJUGATE PLAY 돌다 = to turn oneself, to rotate oneself

CONJUGATE PLAY 돌아보다 = to look back

CONJUGATE PLAY 돌아가다 = to go back, to return

CONJUGATE PLAY 돌아오다 = to come back, to return

CONJUGATE PLAY 돌려주다 = to give back

CONJUGATE PLAY 걸다 = to hang

CONJUGATE PLAY 주문하다 = to order

CONJUGATE PLAY 결혼하다 = to get married

CONJUGATE PLAY 부르다 = to call out

CONJUGATE PLAY 고르다 = to choose, to pick

CONJUGATE PLAY 넣다 = to insert, to put inside

CONJUGATE PLAY 경험하다 = to experience

CONJUGATE PLAY 설명하다 = to explain

CONJUGATE PLAY 자랑하다 = to show off

Passive verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 걸리다 = to be hanging

CONJUGATE PLAY 걸리다 = to be caught, to be stuck, to be trapped

CONJUGATE PLAY 걸리다 = to catch a cold/sickness

CONJUGATE PLAY 걸리다 = to “take” a certain amount of time

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 똑같다 = to be exactly the same

CONJUGATE PLAY 자랑스럽다 = to be proud

CONJUGATE PLAY 또 다르다 = another

CONJUGATE PLAY 시끄럽다 = to be noisy, to be loud

CONJUGATE PLAY 흔하다 = to be common

CONJUGATE PLAY 드물다 = to be rare

Adverbs and Other words:
PLAY 아마도 = maybe/might

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

You might also want to try listening to all of the words on loop with
this Vocabulary Practice video.

There are 1050 vocabulary entries in Unit 1. All entries are linked to an
audio file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.

Introduction

This lesson will have a very different feel than all the previous lessons you
have learned. Most of the words you have learned so far can be understood
and used in sentences without much thought or hesitation. For example, if
you knew how to say this:
저는 한국어를 배웠어요 = I learned Korean

And then subsequently learned “공부하다” (to study), it would be easy to

figure out that you could also say:
저는 한국어를 공부했어요 = I studied Korean.

However, there are many words that you would not be able to pick up
instinctively because they follow different rules or patterns. In this lesson, I
want to teach you about some of these words. I also want to use this lesson
as a means to teach you some small concepts in Korean that you should
know. These concepts are important, but are too small to have an entire
lesson dedicated to that one concept. So, I have included them in this
“miscellaneous” lesson:

More about 좋다/싫다 to 좋아하다/싫어하다
I have told you a few times that in most words ending in 하다, you can
remove the ~하다 and the remaining word then becomes a noun of that
verb. For example:

말 = speech/words/the thing that you say

말하다 = to speak

주문 = an order
주문하다 = to order

결혼 = marriage
결혼하다 = to marry

존경 = respect
존경하다 = to respect

This cannot be done with 좋아하다 and 싫어하다. That is:

좋아 is not a noun that means “likeness” (or whatever), and

싫어 is not a noun that means “dis-likeness “(or whatever)

Note, however that 좋아 and 싫어 can be found in sentences, but only as

conjugated forms of 좋다/싫다 and not as the noun form of 좋아하다 and
싫어하다. You learned in previous lessons that 좋다 and 싫다 are
adjectives. As adjectives, they can describe an upcoming noun or predicate
a sentence. For example:

PLAY 저는 좋은 김치를 먹었어요 = I ate good kimchi

PLAY 김치는 좋아요 = Kimchi is good

Just a quick note. Only in rare cases would you actually say ‘김치는
좋아요.’ In most cases if you wanted to describe 김치 by saying it was
good, you would use the word 맛있다 instead. You would only really use
this sentence if you/somebody was talking about something bad (like
maybe something bad for your health), and then you could say “… is bad,
but Kimchi is good.” Nonetheless, it is grammatically correct, and I am
specifically using this sentence to make a point that you will understand
later in the lesson.

좋아하다 is made by adding ~아/어하다 to the stem of 좋다. This changes

좋다 from an adjective (good) to a verb (to like). Likewise,

싫어하다 is made by adding ~아/어하다 to the stem of 싫다. This changes

싫다 from an adjective (not good) to a verb (to dislike).

It would be good to note that you can add ~아/어하다 with some other
adjectives as well. 좋다 and 싫다 are the most common (and the most
important) to worry about right now, but other common examples are:

부끄럽다 = shy (this is an adjective)

부끄러워하다 = shy (this is a verb)

부럽다 = envious (this is an adjective)

부러워하다 = envious (this is a verb)

Aside from knowing that one is a verb and one is an adjective, you don’t
need to worry about these other words right now. I talk more about this
concept and how they are used differently, but not until much later
in Lesson 105. For now, let’s just focus on 좋아하다 and 싫어하다.

As a verb, 좋아하다 can be used to indicate that one “likes” something. For
example:

PLAY 김치는 좋아요 = Kimchi is good

PLAY 저는 김치를 좋아해요 = I like Kimchi

Likewise, 싫어하다 can be used to indicate that one “dislikes” something.

For example:

PLAY 김치는 싫어요 = Kimchi is bad/not good

PLAY 저는 김치를 싫어해요 = I don’t like Kimchi

However, the use of “좋다” and “싫다” in these sentences is commonly

used to say:
PLAY 김치가 좋아요 = I like Kimchi
PLAY 김치가 싫어요 = I don’t like Kimchi

Or, other examples:

PLAY 학교가 좋아요 = I like school

PLAY 학교가 싫어요 = I don’t like school

PLAY 맥주가 좋아요 = I like beer

PLAY 맥주가 싫어요 = I don’t like beer

The mechanics to how this is done is talked about next.

Subject – Object – Adjective Form

One of the basic fundamentals of grammar (not just Korean grammar) is

that an adjective cannot act on an object. This means in Korean you can
never have a sentence predicated by an adjective that is acting on a word
with the object particle ~를/을. This means that you cannot say this:

저는 김치를 좋다 = I kimchi good

(this doesn’t make sense in either language)

But, you can say any of these:

PLAY 저는 김치를 먹었어요 = I ate kimchi

An object predicated by a verb

PLAY 김치가 좋아요 = kimchi is good

A subject predicated by an adjective

PLAY 저는 좋은 김치를 먹었어요 = I ate good kimchi

An object being described by an adjective predicated by a verb
That being said, sometimes, Korean people actually DO make sentences
that are predicated by adjectives and also have an “object.” Remember
though, you cannot (100% cannot) use an adjective to act on an object. So
how do Korean people say this? They do so by adding ~이/가 to the object
instead of ~을/를. This technically makes the grammar within the sentence
correct because there is not an adjective acting on an object. Take a look at
the example:

PLAY 김치는 좋아요 = Kimchi is good

PLAY 저는 김치를 좋아해요 = I like kimchi, which can also be said like this
PLAY 저는 김치가 좋아요 = I like kimchi

What I am trying to get at here – is that often times in Korean there is an

adjective or passive verb that acts on objects. However, these
adjective/passive verbs must (of course) always be treated as an adjective
or passive verb.

Adjectives and passive verbs can never act on objects, so instead of using ~
를/을 in these situations, you have to use ~이/가. Another example where
this is commonly done is with 그립다:

그립다 = this word is translated as “to miss,” but is usually used when
talking about missing a non-person (it is sometimes used to say that you
miss a person, but we will talk about how to say you miss a person
in Lesson 17).

그립다 is an adjective in Korean (because it actually describes the feeling

rather than an action verb). This means that if you want to say “I miss
Korean food” you cannot say:

저는 한국 음식을 그리워요. Instead, you must say:

PLAY 저는 한국 음식이 그리워요 = I miss Korean food

More examples. Notice that the predicating word of each sentence in an

adjective:

PLAY 나는 네가 자랑스러워 = I am proud of you

PLAY 나는 그 사람이 싫어 = I don’t like that person
PLAY 저는 한국이 좋아요 = I like Korea
You also saw this same phenomenon in the previous lesson with passive
verbs. Remember, you cannot have a passive verb act on an object.
Therefore, we saw the following types of examples in the previous lesson:

PLAY 저는 그것이 기억나요! = I remember that!

PLAY 저는 땀이 나요! = I’m sweating!
PLAY 저는 화가 났어요 = I was/I am angry

Korean Word: 들다

The word 들다 in Korean is very difficult because it can be used in so many

ways. Two of the most common usages are:

들다 = to carry/hold something
들다 = to enter/go into something/somewhere

Both of these usages are overarching situations that most of the usages of
들다 can fit into. The difficulty with 들다 is, because it can be used in so
many different ways, it is often hard to come up with a translation that fits
all possible situations. Let me show you three examples of how 들다 can be
used under the overarching situation of “to enter/go into
something/somewhere.”

PLAY 나는 동아리에 들었어 = I joined a club (I “entered” a club)

(나는) PLAY 잠이 들었다 = I fell asleep (I “entered” sleep)
PLAY 저는 그 그림이 마음에 들어요 = I like that picture (That picture enters
my heart)
The definition of the word 마음 generally refers to one’s heart/one’s mind

Now, let me show you examples of how 들다 can be used under the
overarching situation of “to carry/hold something.”

PLAY 저는 손을 들었어요 = I raised my hand (I “held up” my hand/carried

my hand)
PLAY 저는 가방을 들었어요 = I carried the/my bag
Okay, so what’s my point?

Well, I have three points actually.

1) First, I wanted to introduce how 들다 can be used. With a general

understanding of the two overarching usages presented here (along with
the specific situations outlined in the example sentences), you should be
able to tackle most usages of 들다 as you continue to study more advanced
sentences.

2) This is really crucial to your development of Korean and how it relates to

the meanings you have of words from your understanding of English. You
have to realize that Korean and English are fundamentally different, and it is
very difficult to translate sentences sometimes. In cases like these, you
should try not to translate the meaning of a word directly into a specific
definition. Rather, you should be open to the fact that it can have many
meanings depending on the context.

For example, imagine if you knew the following words and their definitions:

● 저 = I/me
● 마음 = heart/mind
● 들다 = enter
● 그림 = picture
And you saw the following sentence:

PLAY 저는 그 그림이 마음에 들어요

Would you be able to understand its meaning if I had not explained it to

you earlier? Many learners of Korean might read that and say “Well, it looks
like that person has a picture entering his heart/mind… but I’m not quite
sure what that means.”

This is the first of many times where I will encourage you to not
translate/understand sentences literally. Instead, try to understand what the
meaning of a sentence could be based on your understanding of the words
within it. For example, if you come across the word “들다” in your studies,
realize that it can have many usages – and just because it doesn’t
immediately look like it will translate to “enter” or “carry,” an open mind
might allow you to see things in different ways.

3) I specifically wanted to teach you the meaning of 들다 because it is

commonly used in compound words, which I will talk about in the next
section.

Korean Compound Verbs

You will notice (or may have already noticed) that many Korean verbs are
made by combining two verbs together. This is usually done by adding one
verb to the stem of the other, along with ~아/어. When this happens, the
meanings of both of the words form to make one word. For example:

들다 = to enter something

가다 = to go

들다 + 가다 = 들 + 어 + 가다
= 들어가다 = to go into something

PLAY 아버지는 은행에 들어갔어요 = My dad went into the bank

들다 = to enter something

오다 = to come

들다 + 오다 = 들 + 어 + 오다
= 들어오다 = to come into something
PLAY 남자는 방에 들어왔어요 = A man came into the room

나다 = to arise out of something/come up/come out

가다 = to go

나다 + 가다 = 나 + 아 + 가다
= 나가다 = to go out of something

PLAY 저는 집에서 나갔어요 = I went out of home (I left home)

나다 = to arise out of something/come up/come out

오다 = to come

나다 + 오다 = 나 + 아 + 오다
= 나오다 = to come out of something

PLAY 학생은 학교에서 나왔어요 = The student came out of school

가지다 = to own/have/posses
오다 = to come

가지다 + 오다 = 가지 + 어 + 오다
= 가져오다 = to bring something

PLAY 나는 나의 숙제를 가져왔어 = I brought my homework

PLAY 그 학생은 숙제를 가져오지 않았어 = That student didn’t bring his
homework
가지다 = to own/have/posses
가다 = to go

가지다 + 가다 = 가지 + 어 + 가다
= 가져가다 = to take something

PLAY 저는 저의 모자를 가져갈 거예요 = I will bring/take my hat

가져오다 often translates to “to bring” and 가져가다 often translates to “to

take.” However, the translation of “to bring” could work for both 
가져오다 and 가져가다.

가지다 means “to possess” and “오다” and “가다” mean “to come” and “to
go” respectively.  Deciding to use 가져오다 or 가져가다 depends on the
point of reference of the acting agent in the sentence to the speaker.
Specifically, whether the acting agent is coming or going to the location in
question.

Imagine you have money at your house, and you will go to your friend’s
house later to give it to him. Therefore, you will have to “bring” or “take”
(same meaning) that money with you when you head over there. If you are
currently at your house and are talking to your friend about what you will
do, you should use the word “가져가다” because you are going to your
friend’s house while in possession of the money (저는 돈을 가져갈 거예요).
In this example, 가져가다 is used and the best English translation would
be “I will bring the money.”

However, imagine you have already arrived at your friend’s house with the
money. You can use the word “가져오다” because you came to your
friend’s house while in possession of the money (저는 돈을 가져왔어요). In
this example, 가져오다 is used and the best English translation would be “I
brought the money.”

People would read those two examples and think “Oh, so if it is something
happening in the future – I should use 가져가다 and if it is something
happening in the past, I should use 가져오다.”
No. It has nothing to do with the tense of the sentence. It has everything to
do with the point of reference of the acting agent of the sentence to the
speaker.

For example, imagine you are at your house with the money. If your friend
wants to tell you to “bring the money,” he should use the word “가져오다”
because you are coming (not going) to him. To his reference, you are
“coming.” In this case, 가져오다 should be used.

You will come across many of these words when you are learning how to
speak Korean. It is not something terribly difficult, but is something that you
should be aware of (it helps to understand the word if you realize that it is
made up of two separate words).

Another word that you will see commonly in these compound words is “
돌다”:

돌다 = to turn/to spin/to rotate

Examples of compound words:

돌다 + 보다 = 돌아보다 = to turn around (and see)

돌다 + 가다 = 돌아가다 = to return/go back
돌다 + 오다 = 돌아오다 = to return/come back
돌리다 + 주다 = 돌려주다 = to give back

PLAY 저는 9 월 1 일에 캐나다에 돌아갈 거예요 = I will go back to Canada on

September 1 st

PLAY 저는 친구에게 책을 돌려줬어요 = I gave my friend back his book

That’s good enough for now, but you will continue to see these as you
progress through your studies.

 
 Different/Similar/Same in Korean (다르다/비슷하다/같다)

Three words that you have learned in previous lessons are:

다르다 = different
비슷하다 = similar
같다 = same

Using these words isn’t as straight forward as it would seem, so I wanted to

spend some time teaching you how to deal with them. Of course, in simple
sentences, they can be used just like any other adjectives. For example:

PLAY 그것은 비슷해요 = That is similar

PLAY 우리는 매우 달라요 = We are so different
우리는 같아요 = We are the same

The sentence above sounds unnatural in Korean. Although “같다”

translates to “the same,” in most cases (especially in cases like this where
nothing is being compared), it is more natural to use the word “똑같다,”
which usually translates to “exactly the same.”

For example:
PLAY 우리는 똑같아요 = We are exactly the same

When comparing things like this in English, we use a different preposition

for each word. For example:

I am similar to my friend
That building is different from yesterday
Canadian people are the same as Korean people

In Korean, the particle ~와/과/랑/이랑/하고 can be used to represent all of

these meanings. For example:

PLAY 저는 친구와 비슷해요 = I am similar to my friend

PLAY 그 건물은 어제와 달라요 = That building is different from yesterday
PLAY 캐나다 사람들은 한국 사람들과 같아요 = Canadian people are the
same as Korean people
PLAY 이 학교는 우리 학교와 똑같아요 = This school is exactly the
same as our school

The ability of ~와/과/랑/이랑/하고 to be used in all of these cases creates

confusion for Korean people when they learn English. You will often hear
mistakes from Korean people like:

“This school is the same to our school”

Notice in the sentence above that the particle ~와/과/랑/이랑/하고 is used

to denote that something is different from, similar to, or the
same as something else. In theory, you could change the order of the
sentences (to make the sentence structure similar to what you learned
in Lesson 13) to indicate that two things (this and that) are different, similar
or the same. For example:

PLAY 우리 학교와 이 학교는 똑같아요 = Our school and this school are
exactly the same

As you can see with the English translation – this doesn’t create any
difference in meaning. It merely changes the wording of the sentences and
the function of the particles slightly.

I talk about the usage of 같다 later in Lessons 35 and 36. Specifically,

in Lesson 36 I talk about how 같다 is more commonly used to say
“something is like something.” I don’t want to get into this too much in this
lesson, because the purpose of this section was for me to introduce you to
the grammar within these sentences so you could apply it to what I am
about to introduce next.

Check this grammar out. This is probably an easy sentence to you now:
PLAY 나는 잘생긴 남자를 만났어 = I met a handsome man
Subject – adjective (describing an) – object – verb

What about these next sentences?

PLAY 나는 비슷한 남자를 만났어 = I met a similar man, or
PLAY 나는 같은 남자를 만났어 = I met the same man

These sentences have the same structure as before:

Subject – adjective (describing an) – object – verb
That should be easy for you too. But what about if you wanted to say “I met
a man who is similar to your boyfriend.” Seems too complicated, but let’s
break it down:

너의 남자친구와 비슷하다 = similar to your boyfriend

비슷하다 is an adjective – which means it can modify a noun:
비슷한 남자 = similar man

너의 남자친구와 비슷한 남자 = A man (that is) similar to your boyfriend

나는 ( — )를 만났어 = I met —

PLAY 나는 (너의 남자친구와 비슷한 남자)를 만났어 = I met a man that is

similar to your boyfriend

This structure is very complex and is an introduction to describing nouns

with phrases instead of simply using one adjective. In Lesson 26, you will
learn more about how to describe nouns with things other than simple
adjectives – such as verbs and complex phrases.

The meaning of “different” in English has more than one nuance, which are
possessed by “다르다” as well. Although the meaning of “different” in the
two sentences below is similar, try to see that they are slightly different:

I am different than him

I saw a different movie

The first one describes that something is not the same as something else.

The second one has a meaning similar to “other” or “another,” where (in this
case) the person did not see the movie that was originally planned, but
instead saw “another” or a “different” movie.

다르다 can be used in both situations. For example:

PLAY 저는 그와 달라요 = I am different from him

PLAY 저는 다른 영화를 봤어요 = I saw a different (another) movie
“또 다르다” usually translates to “another,” while “다르다” translates to
“other.” However, in the example above, replacing “another” with “other”
makes it sound weird.

The function of “또 다르다” is hard to explain, but it is easier to explain (and

understand) if you think of it as two separate words (which it actually is). It
is a combination of the adjective “다르다” and the adverb “또”, which is
used when something happens again.

“또 다르다” is used when one particular thing has already been described,
and you are explaining another thing. For example, imagine you are sitting
in a meeting with your coworkers discussing potential problems for a plan.
People are all discussing the problems they see, and you can point out:

PLAY 또 다른 문제는 그것이 비싸요 = Another problem is it (that thing) is

expensive

In this same respect, you can say the following sentence, and although the
translation in English is similar, try to understand the difference in adding
“또”:

PLAY 저는 또 다른 영화를 봤어요 = I saw ANother movie

In this, maybe the person saw one movie, and then again saw a different
movie.

Words that are the same but have different meanings (Korean Homonyms)

This may be something that is obvious when learning any language, but I
wanted to point it out. In Korean, there are a lot of words that have more
than one meaning. It is like this in English as well, but most people never
notice it until they stop to think about how many there actually are.
Whenever there is a word with many meanings in Korean, these different
meanings will always have a separate entry in our vocabulary lists (not
necessarily in the same lesson, however). An example of this is “쓰다”:
쓰다 = to write
쓰다 = to use
쓰다 = to wear a hat

Each of these words has had a separate entry in our vocabulary lists.
However, when a word has many meanings, but most of those meanings
can be combined into a few ‘umbrella term’ meanings – only those
‘umbrella term’ meanings will be shown. A good example we talked about
earlier is 들다. 들다 has so many meanings, most of which can fit into three
or four broad definitions.

Either way, be aware that many words have many meanings in Korean:

PLAY 나는 편지를 친구를 위해 쓸 거야 = I am going to write a letter for my

friend
PLAY 나는 그 기계를 썼어 = I used that machine
PLAY 저의 아버지는 모자를 항상 써요 = My father always wears a hat

Another word that has many common meanings is 걸리다:

걸리다 = to be (in the state of) hanging

걸리다 = to be caught/stuck/trapped
걸리다 = to “take” a certain amount of time
걸리다 = to catch a cold/sickness

There are more usages, but lets just focus on these four for now:

걸리다 = to be hanging
Similar to the passive verbs you learned in the previous lesson, this verb
can be used to indicate the passive ‘state’ of hanging:

PLAY 그림은 벽에 걸려 있어요 = The picture is hanging on the wall

걸리다 = to be caught/stuck/trapped
A verb that can be used when something trips/gets caught/gets trapped:

PLAY 나는 줄에 걸렸어 = I tripped over the line

걸리다 = to “take” a certain amount of time
This is a very useful form that we will talk about in greater detail in a later
lesson. You can use this to indicate how long it takes to get from one place
to another:

PLAY 서울부터 인천까지 2 시간 걸려요 = It takes 2 hours to get from Seoul

to Incheon
PLAY 우리 학교에서 식당까지 10 분 걸려요 = It takes 10 minutes to get from
our school to the restaurant

Notice however, that even though each of these has a very different
meaning in English (to be hanging, to be caught, to take a certain amount of
time) they are actually pretty similar. When a picture is ‘hanging’ on the
wall, technically it is ‘stuck/trapped’ on the wall. Similarly, if you go from
Incheon to Seoul, the time it takes (2 hours) is ‘stuck/trapped.’ Haha, No?
Well, that’s just the way I explained it to myself when I first learned some of
these words.

Try to think outside of the English box. One word in Korean is often used to
represent many words in English. Usually these words aren’t actually very
different, but the different translations lead us to believe that they are in fact
very different. Read these sentences again and see if you can understand
them this way:

The picture is caught on the wall

I was caught over the line
2 hours are caught to get from Seoul to Incheon

Obviously not natural in English – but you can probably understand what
these sentences mean.

My point? Just because it looks like a word has many meanings doesn’t
necessarily mean that those meanings are vastly different from each other.
Think about the example from earlier in this lesson (들다) one more time. 
들다 has many meanings – but most of which can be grouped into only 2 or
3 different meanings. Always keep this in mind.

Being Sick in Korea

One of the things people often try to learn first when learning a new
language is how to express themselves in the event that they have to go to
the doctor. This is something that wouldn’t fit into any specific lesson, so I
want to cover it here:

You already know the word 아프다, which you can use to indicate that you
are sick OR sore in some place. In English “sore” and “sick” mean slightly
different things. Because of this, Korean people (who are learning English)
often mistakenly say “My arm is sick.” Also note that 아프다 is an adjective…
and for some reason ‘이/가’ are used instead of 는/은 when creating
sentences about a place on your body:

PLAY 배가 아파요 = My stomach is sore

PLAY 팔이 아파요 = My arm is sore
PLAY 저는 어제 너무 아팠어요 = I was very sick yesterday

Also, you can use the word 걸리다 to indicate that you have some sort of
disease/sickness. You learned a little bit about 걸리다 in the previous
section. This usage of 걸리다 essentially has the same meaning that was
described in all the other examples of 걸리다 (I am caught in a sickness).
Korean people use this in the following way:

PLAY 저는 감기에 걸렸어요 = I caught a cold/I have a cold

PLAY 저는 독감에 걸렸어요 = I caught the flu/I have the flu
Notice how “에” is used in these sentences due to 걸리다 having the
nuance of being stuck IN something

Also note that even though you have a cold in the present tense, Korean
people use the past “걸렸다” to express that they currently have a cold.

기침 (a cough) and 재채기 (a sneeze), although not originally nouns of

Chinese origin, are both nouns where you can add 하다 to get the
respective verb form (to cough and to sneeze). For example:

PLAY 저의 아들은 시끄럽게 기침했어요 = My son coughed loudly

(Probably more naturally translated to “My son was coughing loudly.”
Korean people don’t really distinguish between simple and progressive
past tenses as much as we do in English. You will learn about the
progressive tense in Lesson 18.)  

Wow that’s a long lesson. I have to apologize for writing these lessons so
long. This lesson could have easily been broken into 2, 3 or even 4 separate
lessons, but I chose against doing it that way. When I was first learning
Korean, I wanted to plow through material as fast as I possibly could – and I
guess that is coming out as I am writing these lessons as well.

Vocabulary

Some of these words are too difficult for you at this level. However, I am
introducing them to you in this lesson so you can understand a specific
grammatical concept. These words are separate from the other words in
the Vocabulary List below.

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use (you probably won’t be able to understand the grammar within the
sentences at this point, but it is good to see as you progress through your
learning).

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

You can try to find all of the words from this lesson, and all of the words
from every lesson in Unit 1 in a package of twenty five Word Searches.

PLAY 경제 = economy/economics

PLAY 경제적 = economical

PLAY 역사 = history

PLAY 역사적 = historical

PLAY 과학 = science

PLAY 과학적 = scientific

PLAY 충동 = impulse/shock
PLAY 충동적 = impulsive

PLAY 문화 = culture

PLAY 문화적 = cultural

PLAY 민주(주의) = democracy

PLAY 민주적 = democratic

PLAY 개인 = individual/personal

PLAY 개인적 = individual

PLAY 자연 = nature

PLAY 자연스럽다 = natural

PLAY 실망(하다) = disappointment(disappointed)

PLAY 실망스럽다 = to be disappointing

PLAY 사랑(하다) = love/(to love)

PLAY 사랑스럽다 = to be lovely

PLAY 만족(하다) = satisfaction/(to be satisfied)

PLAY 만족스럽다 = to be satisfactory

Nouns:
PLAY 관계 = relationship

PLAY 스트레스 = stress

PLAY 연필 = pencil
PLAY 색깔 = color

PLAY 그 = he, him

PLAY 그녀 = she, her

PLAY 결과 = result

PLAY 꿈 = a dream

PLAY 세상 = world

PLAY 세계 = world

PLAY 회화 = conversation

PLAY 문자 = text message

PLAY 가슴 = chest

PLAY 제목 = title of something (book, etc)

PLAY 근처 = close/near by

PLAY 나중 = later

PLAY 최근 = recently

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 풀다 = to untie, to unfasten, to loosen

CONJUGATE PLAY 꿈꾸다 = to dream

CONJUGATE PLAY 태어나다 = to be born

CONJUGATE PLAY 다니다 = to go somewhere frequently

CONJUGATE PLAY 믿다 = to believe, to trust

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 가깝다 = to be close to, to be near

CONJUGATE PLAY 힘들다 = to be difficult to do something

CONJUGATE PLAY 순수하다 = to be pure

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 조금 = a little

PLAY 그러나 = but/however

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

You might also want to try listening to all of the words on loop with
this Vocabulary Practice video.

There are 1050 vocabulary entries in Unit 1. All entries are linked to an
audio file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.

~적/적으로/적이다

~적 is a common suffix that can be added after some nouns of Chinese

origin (적 (的) is of Chinese origin). At first, there is no way to anticipate or
expect which nouns this can be added to. As you progress through your
Korean studies, you can sort of start anticipating this, but still, the only real
way of knowing if ~적 can be added to a particular noun is if you have
specifically learned that it can. The goal of this lesson isn’t to teach you all of
the words that ~적 can be attached to (that would take forever). Rather, the
goal of this lesson is to show you how you can recognize and use these
words when you come across them.
Adding ~적 to a noun changes it into a descriptive word that has the
meaning of “relating to, or having the properties of’ the original noun. For
example:

문화 = culture
문화적 = relating to, or having the properties of culture

경제 = economy
경제적 = relating to, or having the properties of economy

역사 = history
역사적 = relating to, or having the properties of history

However, the translations above are nonsense and a more accurate way to
translate words with ~적 is to add “-al” to the English word. For example:

문화 = culture
문화적 = cultural

경제 = economy
경제적 = economical

역사 = history
역사적 = historical

Adding “-al” doesn’t always work with the English word, though. For
example:

과학 = science
과학적 = relating to, or having the properties of science
과학적 = scientific

충동 = impulse/shock
충동적 = relating to, or having the properties of impulse
충동적 = impulsive
The main point of this lesson is to teach you how you can understand the
meaning of a word ending in ~적 even if you have never seen it before. This
still happens to me fairly regularly – I will read something, and come across
a word I have never seen before ending in ~적.

For example, if you knew that the word “민주” meant “democracy” What
do you think “민주적” would mean? A descriptive word that has the
properties of democracy – that would be “democratic.”

민주 = democracy
민주적 = democratic

Though these descriptive words can be used in sentences, it is easy for a

beginner to understand them when they are used by adding ~이다 or ~으로.

Adding 으로

Adding ‘으로’ to the end of ~적 changes the word into an adverb. These
adverbs usually have the ending ‘ly’ in English. Below are the most common
examples of using ~적으로 with example sentences for each:

문화 = culture
문화적 = cultural
문화적으로 = culturally

PLAY 한국은 지난 50 년 동안 문화적으로 많이 변했어요 = Korea has

changed a lot culturally in the period of/during/for the past 50 years

경제 = economy
경제적 = economical
경제적으로 = economically

PLAY 그것은 경제적으로 가능하지 않아요 = That isn’t economically

possible
역사 = history
역사적 = historical
역사적으로 = historically

PLAY 한국과 미국은 역사적으로 좋은 관계가 있다 = Historically, Korea and

the US have had a good relationship

과학 = science
과학적 = scientific
과학적으로 = scientifically

PLAY 그들은 그 문제를 과학적으로 풀었다 = They solved that problem

scientifically

충동 = impulse/shock
충동적 = impulsive
충동적으로 = impulsively

PLAY 저는 자주 옷을 충동적으로 사요 = I often buy clothes impulsively

민주 = democracy
민주적 = democratic
민주적으로 = democratically

Any examples I can make using “민주적으로” require me to use words that
you haven’t learned before. Forgive me:
PLAY 미국은 대통령을 민주적으로 선출해요 = America elects its president
democratically

Adding 이다

Adding ‘이다’ to the end of ~적 turns the word into an adjective that can
predicate a sentence or describe an upcoming noun. The translation of
these adjectives are usually are the same (in English) as without adding ‘
이다.” For example:

문화 = culture
문화적 = cultural
문화적이다 = cultural

PLAY 캐나다와 미국은 문화적인 차이가 있다 = Canada and the US have a
cultural difference
(차이 = difference)

경제 = economics
경제적 = economical
경제적이다 = economical

PLAY 미국은 경제적인 결정을 했어요 = The US made an economical

decision
역사 = history
역사적 = historical
역사적이다 = historical

PLAY 저 학교는 역사적인 건물이에요 = That school is a historical building

과학 = science
과학적 = scientific
과학적이다 = scientific

PLAY 이것은 과학적인 문제예요 = This is a scientific problem

충동 = impulsive
충동적 = impulsive
충동적이다 = impulsive

PLAY 저는 너무 충동적이에요 = I’m too impulsive

Notice that when a word ending in ~적이다 is used to predicate a sentence,
이다 is conjugated as if it were actually 이다.

민주 = democracy
민주적 = democratic
민주적이다 = democratic

PLAY 미국은 민주적인 나라예요 = The US is a democratic nation

 
A question that always comes up here is – What is the difference between
using ~적이다 and just using ~적? For example, what is the difference
between these two:

경제적 = economical
경제적이다 = economical

The difference between these is that ~적 is a noun, whereas ~적이다 is an

adjective. Sometimes however, nouns can technically be used to sound like
adjectives. For example:

That is a big bag

‘Big’ describes the type of bag it is. Big is clearly an adjective which is telling
us about the type of bag that it is (that it is big). “Book” is clearly a noun.

However, in the following example:

That is a book bag

In this example, ‘book’ acts as a descriptive word because it describes the

type of bag it is (that it is a book bag).

This is usually the only time that ~적 (with nothing following it) is used in
Korean. That is, when it is actually a noun, but acting as a descriptive word
within a sentence. Because it is usually used as this type of descriptive
word, you don’t really need to worry much about the difference between ~
적 and ~적이다. Just be aware that ~적이다 is more commonly used,
and how they are used within a sentence. That is, when using “~적이다,”
이다 should be conjugated, and when using “~적” nothing needs to be
conjugated because it is a noun. For example:

PLAY 미국은 민주적인 나라예요 = The US is a democratic nation

PLAY 북한에는 민주적 정부가 없습니다 = There is not a democratic
government in North Korea

At this point, I don’t want you to spend too much time dwelling over when
you need to use ~적 vs. 적이다 . The purpose of this lesson was to
introduce you to what ~적(이다/으로) can do to a word and how it can be
used. I’ve created four more examples of ~적 vs. ~적이다 that I would like
to show you, but please don’t worry about these too much. If anything, just
try to understand the use of ~적(이다) in these sentences:

PLAY 경제적 문제가 있다 = There is a financial problem

PLAY 경제적인 문제가 있다 = There is a financial problem

PLAY 캐나다와 미국은 문화적 차이가 있다 = Canada and the US have a
cultural difference
PLAY 캐나다와 미국은 문화적인 차이가 있다 = Canada and the US have a
cultural difference

PLAY 나는 개인적 문제로 회사를 그만두었다 = I quit the company due to

personal reasons (problems)
PLAY 나는 개인적인 문제로 회사를 그만두었다 = I quit the company due to
personal reasons (problems)
(그만두다 = to quit a job or school)

PLAY 이 건물은 역사적 건물이다 = This building is a historical building

PLAY 이 건물은 역사적인 건물이다 = This building is a historical building

In all cases above, I would rather use the ~적인 form to describe the
upcoming noun. The native Korean speaker beside me says the same thing.
However, she also says that the first example of each (the examples just
using ~적 instead of ~적인) are also acceptable. In my opinion, the use of ~
적인 instead of ~적 is more common in speaking and in printed sources.
However, you are more likely to see ~적 in print sources compared to
hearing it in spoken Korean. (i.e. ~적이다 is more common than ~적 in all
cases. However, when compared only to itself, you are more likely to find ~
적 in print than in speech).

Okay, enough of that for now. Let’s talk about something else.

~스럽다
~스럽다 can also be added to some nouns to change them into an adjective,
much like the function of ~적(이다). When doing this, ~스럽다 changes the
noun into an adjective that has the “properties” of that noun. The two
easiest examples to explain this change are:

사랑 = love
사랑스럽다 = “with the properties of love”

자연 = nature
자연스럽다 = “with the properties of nature”

For example:

PLAY 그 여자가 아주 사랑스러워요 = That girl is something “with the

properties of love”
PLAY 그 여자의 머리 색깔은 자연스러워 = That girl’s hair color has “the
properties of nature”

Of course, those translations are nonsense. A more accurate translation of

these words would be:

사랑스럽다 = lovely
자연스럽다 = natural

The only way of knowing if ~스럽다 or ~적 can be added to a word is if you

have specifically learned that it can. Because one can never know which
words ~스럽다 and ~적 can be added to, these words will always be
presented as a separate entry in our vocabulary lists.

Anyways, ~스럽다 can be added to nouns to make that noun a descriptive

word:

The two examples above are fairly straight-forward. However ~스럽다 is

sometimes added to words that seem to already have an adjective form.
For example:
실망 = disappointment
실망하다 = to be disappointed
실망스럽다 = “with the properties of disappointment” (disappointing)

I’ll do the best I can to distinguish between 실망스럽다 and 실망하다 for
you.

실망하다 is used to describe a person’s emotions. This could be referring to

anybody’s emotions; not necessarily just the speaker’s emotions. For
example:

PLAY 저는 실망했어요 = I was disappointed

PLAY 우리 아버지는 어제 실망했어요 = Our dad was disappointed
yesterday

If you want to say that somebody is disappointed in a person using

실망하다, you must attach the particle ~에게/한테 to the person he/she is
disappointed in. For example:

PLAY 저는 친구에게 실망했어요 = I was disappointed in my friend

PLAY 우리 아버지는 저에게 실망했어요 = Our dad was disappointed in me

If you want to say that somebody is disappointed in a non-person using

실망하다, you must attach the particle ~에 to the thing he/she is
disappointed in. For example:

PLAY 저는 영화에 실망했어요 = I was disappointed in the movie

PLAY 우리 아버지는 식당에 실망했어요 = Our dad was disappointed in the
restaurant

Hmmm… Adding ~에게/한테 to a person, and adding ~에 to a non-person.

What does this remind you of? Remember, you learned this same rule in
Lesson 14 when predicating sentences with passive verbs.

Well, 실망하다 is a verb. In English, it definitely feels like an adjective, but in

Korean the dictionary (and the use of the particles ~에게/한테 and ~에)
indicate that it is a verb. Here, 실망하다 is a verb (much like passive verbs)
that cannot act on an object. Other verbs like this are 자다 (to sleep), 죽다
(to die), etc. This really means very little, and the only thing you need to take
from this is:

In order to say one is disappointed, you can use 실망하다:

PLAY 저는 실망했어요 = I was disappointed

PLAY 우리 아버지는 어제 실망했어요 = Our dad was disappointed
yesterday

In order to say one is disappointed in something/somebody, you can use

실망하다 along with the use of the particles ~에게/한테 (for a person) or ~
에 (for a non-person). For example:

PLAY 저는 친구에게 실망했어요 = I was disappointed in my friend

PLAY 우리 아버지는 저에게 실망했어요 = Our dad was disappointed in me

PLAY 저는 영화에 실망했어요 = I was disappointed in the movie

PLAY 우리 아버지는 식당에 실망했어요 = Our dad was disappointed in the
restaurant

Now, 실망스럽다 usually is not describing one’s emotions. Rather, it is

describing something that has the “properties of disappointment.” This
usually translates to “disappointing.” For example:

PLAY 결과는 조금 실망스러웠어요 = The result was a little bit disappointing

PLAY 그 영화는 조금 실망스러웠어요 = The movie was a little bit
disappointing

That being said, you might sometimes hear 실망스럽다 being used like this:

PLAY 저는 실망스러웠어요

In this case, what do you think this would mean?

I guess in theory this could sometimes mean “I am disappointing.” But very

rarely would somebody say that. Most of the time, this sentence would
translate to “I am disappointed.”
Wait a second… I thought the word to describe one’s emotions as
“disappointed” was “실망하다.” In this sentence, why is “실망스럽다” being
used to describe the person’s emotions in this sentence.

It’s not.

If you heard the sentence “저는 실망스럽다” in Korean, it would most likely
be from a person describing that something is disappointing, but they have
omitted it from the sentence. For example, using the adjective “실망스럽다”
you can use the Subject – Object – Adjective form in the following way:

PLAY 저는 친구가 실망스러워요 = I am disappointed in my friend

(My friend is disappointing, and therefore I am disappointed)

PLAY 저는 학생들이 실망스러웠어요 = I was disappointed in the students

(My students were disappointing, and therefore I was disappointed)

PLAY 저는 그 영화가 실망스러웠어요 = I was disappointed in the movie

(The movie was disappointing, and therefore I was disappointed)

If you just walked into a room and said:

저는 실망스러워요~ = I am disappointed (in something….)

Whoever was listening to that sentence would probably say “In what?”
What the speaker has done when saying “저는 실망스러워요” is they have
simply omitted the object that they are describing.

Wow… that’s a lot of stuff to wrap your head around. Let’s break it down
one more time:

● 실망하다 is a verb that describes one’s emotions of being

disappointed:
PLAY 저는 실망했어요 = I was disappointed
● 실망하다 cannot act on an object (like 자다, 죽다, or any passive
verb). Therefore, the following is incorrect:
저는 학생을 실망했어요
 ● Instead, as with passive verbs, the use of ~에게/한테 should be used
to indicate that you are disappointed in a person:
PLAY 저는 친구에게 실망했어요 = I was disappointed in my friend
● ~에 can be used to indicate that you are disappointed in a non-person:
PLAY 저는 영화에 실망했어요 = I was disappointed in the movie
● 실망스럽다 is an adjective that describes something which is
disappointing:
PLAY 그 영화는 조금 실망스러웠어요 = The movie was a little bit
disappointing
● The adjective 실망스럽다 can be used in the subject – object –
adjective form to indicate that you were disappointed in something:
PLAY 저는 그 영화가 실망스러웠어요 = I was disappointed in that
movie
● In the sentence above, the object can be omitted from the sentence, in
which case the speaker is indicating that something was disappointing
(and by virtue, he/she is disappointed), but has omitted the noun that
is disappointing:
PLAY 저는 실망스러웠어요 = I was disappointed (something was
disappointing…)
I realize that is incredibly confusing.

This same phenomenon happens with the word 만족스럽다. Look at the
following three words:

만족 = satisfaction
만족하다 = to be satisfied
만족스럽다 = “with the properties of satisfaction” (satisfactory)

Just like with 실망하다, 만족하다 is used to describe a person’s emotions.

This could be referring to anybody’s emotions; not necessarily just the
speaker’s emotions. For example:

PLAY 저는 만족해요 = I am satisfied

PLAY 그는 만족해요 = He is satisfied

Again, just like with 실망스럽다, 만족스럽다 is not describing one’s

emotions. Rather, it is an adjective that is describing something that has the
“properties of satisfaction.” This usually translates to “satisfactory.” For
example:

PLAY 결과는 만족스러웠어요 = The results were satisfactory

만족스럽다 can be used in the Subject – Object – Adjective form to indicate

that one is satisfied in something. For example:

PLAY 저는 결과가 만족스러웠어요 = I was satisfied with the results

PLAY 저는 음식이 만족스러웠어요 = I was satisfied with the food

In this Subject – Object – Adjective form, the object can be omitted and the
speaker can indicate that something was satisfactory (and thus he/she was
satisfied). For example:

PLAY 저는 만족스러웠어요 = I was satisfied (something was satisfying…)

Don’t worry too much about the difference between words like 실망하다
vs. 실망스럽다 and 만족하다 vs. 만족스럽다. I’m really going deep into this,
and it is not something you really need to worry about as most Korean
people wouldn’t know the difference unless they really think about it.

In other words with -스럽다, the difference is much less ambiguous

because the -스럽다 version of the word is an adjective, but the –하다
version is a verb that can act on an object. For example:

PLAY 저는 그 여자를 사랑해요 = I love that girl

PLAY 그 여자는 사랑스러워요 = That girl is lovely

Another good example of –스럽다 is:

자랑하다 = to show off (verb)

자랑스럽다 = proud (adjective)

Here as well, 자랑하다 is a verb that can act on a noun, so its usage is very
simple:
PLAY 저는 저의 한국어 실력을 자랑했어요 = I showed off/boasted my
Korean skills
자랑스럽다 is usually used in the Subject – Object – Adjective form to
indicate who somebody is proud of. For example:

PLAY 저는 저의 딸이 아주 자랑스러워요 = I am very proud of my daughter

PLAY 저는 학생들이 자랑스러워요 = I am proud of the students

It’s also good to recognize that because all of these ~스럽다 words are
adjectives, they can also describe an upcoming noun (just like any other
adjective) by placing ~ㄴ/은 to the stem of the word. For example:

PLAY 우리 딸은 사랑스러운 여자예요 = Our daughter is a loving/lovely girl

Also, ~게 can be added to the end of the stem of –스럽다 to change the
word into an adverb. For example:

PLAY 그는 한국어를 자연스럽게 말해요 = he speaks Korean naturally

PLAY 저는 그를 사랑스럽게 봤어요 = I looked at him lovingly
PLAY 그는 실망스럽게 행동했어요 = He acted disappointingly (in a
disappointing way)
PLAY 저는 일을 만족스럽게 끝냈어요 = I finished the work/job satisfactorily
(in a satisfactory way)

That’s it for this lesson!

There are 1250 example sentences in Unit 1.

All entries are linked to an audio file. You can download all of these files in
one package here.

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use (you probably won’t be able to understand the grammar within the
sentences at this point, but it is good to see as you progress through your
learning).

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.
You can try to find all of the words from this lesson, and all of the words
from every lesson in Unit 1 in a package of twenty five Word Searches.

Nouns:
PLAY 과일 = fruit

PLAY 술 = alcohol

PLAY 우산 = umbrella

PLAY 잎 = leaf

PLAY 교회 = church

PLAY 강 = river

PLAY 계절 = season

PLAY 날씨 = weather

PLAY 부엌 = kitchen

PLAY 담임선생님 = homeroom teacher

PLAY 방학 = vacation

PLAY 배 = pear

PLAY 당근 = carrot

PLAY 무 = radish

PLAY 감자 = potato

PLAY 칼 = knife

PLAY 단어 = word
PLAY 문법 = grammar

PLAY 발 = foot

PLAY 바다 = sea

PLAY 신문 = newspaper

PLAY 고객 = customer

PLAY 부자 = a rich person

PLAY 교육 = education

PLAY 기분 = feelings

PLAY 산 = mountain

PLAY 순서 = turn (turn to go)/order

PLAY 시험 = exam/test

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 머무르다 = to stay

CONJUGATE PLAY 쉬다 = to relax, to rest

CONJUGATE PLAY 보내다 = to send

CONJUGATE PLAY 걸어오다 = to come by walking

CONJUGATE PLAY 걸어가다 = to go by walking

CONJUGATE PLAY 초대하다 = to invite

CONJUGATE PLAY 울다 = to cry

CONJUGATE PLAY 환영하다 = to welcome

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 반갑다 = to be happy when meeting somebody

CONJUGATE PLAY 따뜻하다 = to be warm

CONJUGATE PLAY 높다 = to be high

CONJUGATE PLAY 가난하다 = to be poor

CONJUGATE PLAY 낮다 = to be low

Adverbs and Other words:

PLAY 권 = a counter for books/magazines/etc

PLAY 분 = ‘person’ – high respect form, also a high-respect counter for

‘people’

You might also want to try listening to all of the words on loop with
this Vocabulary Practice video.

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will be introduced to your first (of very many) connecting
particles in Korean. You can usually use these particles to separate two
ideas/phrases/sentences. In this lesson you will learn about 고 and how it
can be used in sentences, also using the example of ~고 싶다. You will also
learn that some words (usually position-like words) play by different rules
than most verbs in these situations.

Connecting Particle ~고
When studying Korean, eventually your entire life becomes learning about
the various connecting particles and their respective meanings. There are so
many of these things, whose functions are essentially to connect two
clauses, sentences, or ideas. These particles usually get attached to the end
(i.e. the adjective/verb) of one clause connecting it to the next clause. The
simplest one of these connecting particles is ~고, which can be attached to
the stem of a verb/adjective.

The most basic usage of ~고 is to indicate that one action occurs, and then
something happens after that. The most common translation of this usage
of “~고” is “then.” For example:

PLAY 저는 밥을 먹고 갈 거예요 = I will eat then go

PLAY 저는 자고 한국어를 공부했어요 = I slept then studied Korean
PLAY 저는 책을 읽고 바로 잤어요 = I read a book then slept immediately
PLAY 저는 10 분 동안 쉬고 갈 거예요 = I will rest for 10 minutes then go
PLAY 애기가 1 분 동안 울고 배를 먹었어요 = The baby cried for 1 minute and
then ate a pear
PLAY 저는 당근을 칼로 자르고 냉장고에 넣었어요 = I cut the carrots with
the knife then put (them) in the fridge
PLAY 우리는 서울에서 2 일 동안 머무르고 부산에 갈 거예요 = We will stay
in Seoul for two days, then go to Busan

If you really want to stress that you are doing something after doing
something else, you can add 나서 after ~고. For example:

PLAY 저는 숙제를 끝내고 나서 집으로 갈 거예요 = I will finish my

homework and then go home
PLAY 저는 친구를 만나고 나서 은행에 갈 거예요 = I will meet a friend and
then go to the bank

In the sentences I presented so far, ~고 represents the meaning of ‘then,’

but it doesn’t always have that meaning. It can also be used to simply
connect two clauses that have a similar idea. For example:

PLAY 저는 과일도 좋아하고 야채도 좋아해요 = I like fruit, and I like

vegetables too
*Notice that 도 can be added to both 과일 and 야채 in this example. In
English, we would just say “I like apples and vegetables too.” That
sentence only has one “too,” but in Korean,  도 can be used twice. That
sentence before could also be said like this:
PLAY 저는 과일과 야채도 좋아해요 = I like fruit and vegetables too

Essentially, ~고 is used to connect two sentences/clauses together. Korean

people LOVE making their sentences as short as possible – and using ~고 is
one way of doing this. All of the sentences above could be separated into
two sentences. I don’t need to write all of them, but for example:

저는 밥을 먹을 거예요. 그리고 저는 갈 거예요

= PLAY 저는 밥을 먹고 갈 거예요

저는 잤어요. 그리고 저는 한국어를 공부했어요

= PLAY 저는 자고 한국어를 공부했어요

저는 과일을 좋아해요. 저는 야채를 좋아해요

= PLAY 저는 과일도 좋아하고 야채도 좋아해요

You can also use ~고 when you want to string together adjectives to
describe something. Again, while each of these sentences could be split into
two separate sentences, you can use ~고 to connect two clauses with a
similar idea. For example:

그 사람은 착해요. 그 사람은 똑똑해요 = That person is nice. That person is

smart.
= PLAY 그 사람은 착하고 똑똑해요 = That person is kind and smart

저의 여자 친구는 귀여워요. 저의 여자 친구는 예뻐요 = My girlfriend is cute.

My girlfriend is pretty.
= PLAY 저의 여자 친구는 귀엽고 예뻐요 = My girlfriend is cute and pretty

오늘 고객이 많아요. 오늘 분위기가 좋아요 = Today there are a lot of

customers. Today the atmosphere is good
= PLAY 오늘 고객이 많고 분위기가 좋아요 = Today there are a lot of
customers, and the atmosphere is good

In a lot of Korean grammatical principles that connect sentences (which you

will start learning a lot of soon), you will notice that the verb/adjective in
the first clause is not conjugated, and that the grammatical principle is
added directly to the stem of the word in the first clause. In these cases, the
tense is usually indicated in the final verb/adjective of the sentence and the
tense of the first verb/adjective can usually be implied by the context.

When attaching ~고 to the first clause, it is possible for the first

verb/adjective to be conjugated. I have noticed that there are two cases
when you would do this:

1) When one action happens after another action (just like I introduced at
the beginning of this lesson), but when a considerable amount of time has
passed between the two actions. The two actions are often connected in a
way in that the first clause led to the possibility of the second clause to
happen. For example:

PLAY 저는 열심히 공부했고 의사가 되었어요 = I studied hard and (then)

became a doctor
PLAY 저는 영어 문법을 열심히 공부했고 시험을 잘 봤어요 = I studied
English grammar hard and then did well on the test
Notice that Korean people say “시험을 보다” to mean “to take/do a test”

2) When connecting two clauses that have a similar idea that both
happened in the past tense. Here, there is no real indication of one action
happening after another. Instead, the person is just indicating that both
things happened. For example:

PLAY 저는 방학 동안 영어 문법을 많이 공부했고 영어 신문도 많이

읽었어요 = During vacation I studied a lot of English grammar, and I also
read a lot of English newspapers

The sentences I provided at the beginning of the lesson (where one clause
happens [right] after the other clause) would sound awkward if the first
clause was conjugated. For example:

저는 잤고 한국어를 공부했어요
저는 책을 읽었고 바로 잤어요

You started learning about the particles ~는/은 and ~이/가 in Lesson 2. I
continue to discuss the difference in purpose between these particles later
in the lesson. Before that, I would like to introduce you to usage of ~는/은
because it is commonly used in sentences with ~고.

In Lesson 2, I mentioned that ~는/은 has a comparative function. One way

that it is often used is to say “this thing is one way, and this other thing is
another way.” For example:

이 산은 높아요. 저 산은 낮아요. = This mountain is high. That mountain is

low.
문법은 어려워요. 단어는 쉬워요. = Grammar is difficult. Words are easy.
이 사람은 부자예요. 저 사람은 가난해요 = This person is rich. That person is
poor.
이분은 저의 아버지입니다. 이분은 저의 어머니입니다. = This person is my
father. This person is my mother

In these situations, it is common to use ~고 to connect the two sentences as

they are expressing a similar idea. In these cases, ~는/은 is attached to both
things that are being compared. For example:

PLAY 이 산은 높고 저 산은 낮아요 = This mountain is high, but that

mountain is low
PLAY 문법은 어렵고 단어는 쉬워요 = Grammar is hard, but words are easy
PLAY 이 사람은 부자이고 저 사람은 가난해요 = That person is rich, but that
person is poor
PLAY 이분은 저의 아버지이고 이분은 저의 어머니입니다 = This person is
my father, and this person is my mother

I continue to talk about the use of ~는/은 and ~이/가 later in the lesson.

For now, let’s move on to applying this meaning to other verbs.

Using ~아/어서
Another way to indicate that one action happens after another action is to
attach ~아/어서 to the verb in the first clause. The verb before ~아/어서 is
never conjugated to the past tense. For example:

PLAY 저는 당근을 칼로 잘라서 냉장고에 넣었어요 = I cut carrots with a

knife and then put them into the fridge

You must be thinking, then: “What is the difference between using ~고 and
using ~아/서.” For example:

PLAY 저는 당근을 칼로 잘라서 냉장고에 넣었어요 = I cut the carrots with

the knife then put them in the fridge
PLAY 저는 당근을 칼로 자르고 냉장고에 넣었어요 = I cut the carrots with
the knife then put them in the fridge

Both sentences are effectively saying the same thing.

However, from my experience ~아/어서 is more likely to be used when the

action of the first clause is intrinsically linked with the action of the second
clause.

The best way to explain this is to look at why specifically ~아/어서 is more
commonly used with the verbs 가다 and 오다 instead of ~고.

If you want to say that you go somewhere then do something, you should
not say this:

저는 학교에 가고 공부할 거예요

Instead of ~고, you must add ~아/어서 here:

PLAY 저는 학교에 가서 공부할 거예요 = I will go to school and then study

Likewise, if you want to say that you come somewhere and do something,
you should not say this:

우리는 집에 오고 바로 잤어요
Instead of ~고, you must add ~아/어서 here:

PLAY 우리는 집에 와서 바로 잤어요 = We came home and went to sleep

immediately

The reason for this is simply due to the nature of the verbs 오다 and 가다.
When connecting two clauses with ~고 containing other verbs, (for
example: 먹다), the first and second action, despite the fact that one
happened before the other one, have no real connection. For example, in an
example I presented previously:

저는 밥을 먹고 갈 거예요 = I will eat and then go

This sentence is implying that you will eat, and then finish eating, and then
go somewhere. Aside from the fact that one happened after another, the
act of eating didn’t affect the act of going.

However, with “가다” and “오다,” the fact that you are “coming” or “going”
is directly connected to the next action, in that, in order to do the second
action, you needed to have gone somewhere or came from somewhere.

I drew a picture to express the image that I have in my brain about this
explanation.

When you use 가서 … 먹다, the verb of “going” leads up to the verb of
“eating.” However, when you use 먹고 … 가다, even though the verb of
“eating” happened before the verb of “going,” they aren’t related to each
other.
In this same sense, it is possible to attach ~아/어서 to verbs other than 가다
or 오다 to connect two clauses. Below are some examples that show this
being done:

PLAY 우리는 맛있는 고기를 골라서 같이 먹었어요 = We chose delicious

meat then ate together
PLAY 문을 열어서 밖으로 나갔어요 = I opened the door and then went
outside

While it is very important to know how to use “~고”, and how to use “~아/
어서” with “가다/오다” at this point, being able to fully understand the
nuance of adding “~아/어서” to other words is beyond your current ability.
The usage of ~아/어서 is much more complex, and I will continue to discuss
its usage in Lesson 70. Also note that the sentence connector ~아/어서 has
another meaning that will be discussed in Lesson 37.

It is possible to connect ~고 to “가다” and “오다”, but only in situations

where the speaker is connecting sentences that have a similar idea, and not
where one goes/comes to a place and does something.

For example, I was in my office today and one of my coworkers was telling
a current student about all the former students who came to visit him the
day earlier (it was Teacher’s Day). He said:

PLAY 혜원도 오고… 슬기도 오고… 승하도 오고… 지혜도 오고… = 혜원 came,
슬기 came, 승하 came, 지혜 came, …

Position verbs
There are also many position verbs that usually act differently than regular
verbs (not just in this situation, but in many situations). The most common
of these are to sit (앉다), stand (서다), and to lie down (눕다).

The reason these are treated differently is because these are verbs of
position. For example, if I just said:
저는 먹고 공부했어요 = I ate and studied

In that sentence, aside from the fact that one action happened after another,
먹다 and 공부하다 have no relation to each other. However, if you were to
say:

저는 눕고 책을 읽었어요 – That would mean “I lied down, and then read a

book” – as in, I lied down, stood up again, and then read a book. I guess
technically you COULD do that, but nobody would ever do that. Instead,
what you wanted to say is that you lied down, and then, while lying down,
you read a book. In these situations with position verbs, the first action is
related to the second action (similar to how 가다 and 오다 are related to the
upcoming verb). That is why they are treated differently.

If you want to use these position verbs in this way, you need to add ~아/
어서 to them:

PLAY 저는 누워서 책을 읽었어요 = I lied down and read a book

PLAY 나는 앉아서 쉴 거야 = I’m going to sit down and relax
PLAY 저는 줄에 서서 순서를 기다렸어요 = I stood in line and waited for my
turn

I want to: ~고 싶다

As I said earlier, ~고 is a verb that can connect two clauses/sentences

together. However, there are many other usages of ~고 when also
combined with other words. What you are about to learn is SO common (in
Korean and English), and I almost want to apologize for waiting until lesson
17 to finally introduce it to you. I just felt that there were other things you
needed to learn before this.

Anyways, enough apologizing, lets get down to business.

Adding ~고 싶다 to the stem of a verb gives it the meaning of “I want to

____.” Very easy to use:
PLAY 저는 한국어를 배우고 싶어요 = I want to study Korean
PLAY 저는 캐나다에 가고 싶어요 = I want to go to Canada
PLAY 저는 여자친구를 위해 편지를 쓰고 싶어요 = I want to write a letter for
my girlfriend
PLAY 저는 새로운 차를 사고 싶어요 = I want to buy a new car
PLAY 저는 내일 쉬고 싶어요 = I want to rest tomorrow
PLAY 저는 저의 친구를 파티에 초대하고 싶어요 = I want to invite my friend
to the party
PLAY 저는 방학 동안 책 두 권을 읽고 싶어요 = I want to read two books
during vacation

It can be used with 되다 to indicate that you want to be/become

something:

PLAY 저는 선생님이 되고 싶어요 = I want to be/become a teacher

It can be used in the past tense as well:

PLAY 저는 선생님이 되고 싶었어요 = I wanted to become a teacher

PLAY 그 여자는 나랑* 결혼하고 싶었어 = that girl wanted to marry me

Notice that when talking about ‘marrying’ somebody, ‘with’ must be used
in Korean instead of attaching ‘를/을.’ Because of this difference in English
and Korean, many Korean people will mistakenly say “I want to marry
with you.”

Actually, you have come across this ~고 싶다 grammar concept before, but

you probably didn’t even realize it. In Korean, there are two ways to say “I
miss ____.” One way is to use the word “그립다” and is used when you
“miss” something other than a person (I miss my hometown). The word for
missing a person in Korean is 보고 싶다. See anything funny about that
word? 보고 – 싶다? Literally, it means “I want to see:”

PLAY 저는 친구를 보고 싶어요 = I miss my friend/I want to see my friend

~고 싶다 is not used with adjectives. In English, it is acceptable to say

something like “I want to be happy.” If you want to say something like this in
Korean, you need to add an additional grammatical principle that changes
the meaning to “I want to become happy.” You will learn how to create this
meaning with ~아/어지다 in the next lesson.

One thing to note is that 싶다 actually acts as an adjective, and must be

conjugated as one. This means that:

나는 먹고 싶다 (I want to eat) would be a correct conjugation, however

나는 먹고 싶는다, would be an incorrect conjugation

Also, notice the difference between 원하다 and ~고 싶다. You can say
원하다 when you want an object:

PLAY 저는 그 책을 원해요 = I want that book

and you can use ~고 싶다 when you want to do a verb:

PLAY 저는 그 책을 읽고 싶어요 = I want to read that book

You can also use “안” or attach “~지 않다” to 싶다 to indicate that one does
not want to do something. For example:

PLAY 저는 술을 안 마시고 싶어요 = I don’t want to drink alcohol

PLAY 저는 울고 싶지 않아요 = I don’t want to cry
PLAY 나는 너를 파티에 초대하고 싶지 않아 = I don’t want to invite you to
the party
PLAY 저는 부자가 되고 싶지 않아요 = I don’t want to become a rich man
PLAY 방학 동안 저는 학교에 있고 싶지 않아요 = I don’t want to be at school
during vacation

Sometimes you will learn grammatical principles that are not used so much
– but the concepts you learned in this lesson are used all the time. Up until
now, actually, it has been hard for me to continue to create good example
sentences without the use of ~고 and ~고 싶다.

The further and further you go along in these lessons, the more complicated
the example sentences will become!
Before you move to the next lesson, I would like to continue the discussion
from Lesson 2 about ~이/가 and ~는/은.

~는/은 and ~이/가 Revisited

Now it is time to continue what was presented back in Lesson 2. In Lesson

2, you started learning about the differences between ~이/가 and ~는/은.

Now that you have increased your understanding of Korean grammar, I can
continue to explain the nuances between ~이/가 and ~는/은. At this point, I
encourage you to re-read Lesson 2 in order to refresh yourself on what we
talked about at that time.

One problem with both of these particles is that they both have many
functions. Another specific function of ~는/은  (in addition to the
comparison function that you learned in Lesson 2 and the examples I
showed you earlier in the lesson) is to indicate a general fact or statement.
For example:

Rocky (로키) 산은 높아요 = The Rocky Mountains are high (the Rocky
Mountain is high)

This would be said as a general fact. Everybody would typically know that
the Rocky Mountains are high, so this could be said in a general way as seen
as above. This can be contrasted with ~이/가. Used this way, ~이/가
wouldn’t be used to describe a general fact about something. Rather, it
would be used to describe a specific situation that (usually) the speaker just
realized or observed. For example, if you were hiking with your friend, and
suddenly got a glimpse of a nearby mountain, you could say:

와! 산이 높다! = Wow! The mountain is high!

Note here that even though the speaker is talking about this one specific
mountain, he or she is not comparing it with something else (for example,
another mountain), as this would require the use of ~는/은 (albeit, in its
other usage)
Let’s look at more simplified versions of the sentences above:

산은 높다
산이 높다

Remember that the difference between ~이/가 and ~는/은 is more about
nuance, and not about creating a different translation in your head. If I
attempted to make a translation that describes this nuance for the two
examples above, I could maybe write:

산은 높다 = In general, mountains are high

산이 높다 = This mountain that I’m looking at, which I’ve never seen or
noticed before, is high

At the same time (and this is where people really get confused with these
particles) ~는/은 could be used in this situation to have a comparing
function. For example, I could say:

이 산은 높아요. 하지만, 저 산은 낮아요 = This mountain is tall. But that

mountain is low (small)

This is precisely what causes the confusion among foreigners when trying
to distinguish the difference between ~이/가 and ~는/은. Both of them can
be used to express different nuances that seem to overlap each other. For
example, if I say:
“산은 높다”

What am I trying to say? Am I trying to say…:

“In general, mountains are high”, or

“This mountain, in comparison to that other mountain (or maybe some
other thing) is high”

The only way you can distinguish between the particular nuances being
used is by understanding the situation in which they are said.

Let’s look at another example. If I said:

여름 날씨는 좋다 = (in general) summer weather is good
The purpose of this sentence would be to express a general fact about
summer weather. That is, that summer weather is (in general) good.
However, if you just walked outside and saw /experienced that the weather
is good, you would be more inclined to say:

날씨가 좋다 = The weather (right now that I am experiencing) is good

Here, the speaker is just indicating that the weather at the moment is good,
and is not talking about the weather being good all the time.
This doesn’t mean that “날씨는 좋다” is incorrect. You most definitely could
use that sentence, but only in an appropriate situation. This was the
dialogue I had with a Korean person:

● Me: When would you be able to say “날씨는 좋다”. It clearly isn’t used
as a general statement, because weather (in general) isn’t always
good. So when could I say this?
● Korean person: It sounds like you are comparing it with something.
Like, you are saying that the weather is good, but something else might
be bad.
● Me: For example?
● Korean person: Maybe, “여기 음식이 맛이 없어요. 하지만 날씨는
좋아요.” (The food here isn’t delicious, but the weather is good). Here,
you’re saying that the weather is good, but the food is bad.
That’s the thing about ~이/가 and ~는/은. It’s not about understanding their
meanings. Their meanings can’t be translated into English. It’s about
understanding the nuances they possess when used in different situations.

Let’s look at another example:

다이아몬드는 딱딱하다 = (in general) Diamonds are hard
(This is a statement that can be applied generally. Most people would know
that diamonds are hard, and this is not new information or anything like
that)

However, if somebody picked up a diamond and felt it, and realizes exactly
how hard that particular diamond is, they would be more inclined to say:

다이아몬드가 너무 딱딱하다 = Diamonds are hard (due to the experience

that I have right now with this diamond, I can see/realize that this diamond
is very hard!)
(Please try to ignore my attempt to translate this nuance. It would never
actually be translated to that.)

Now, if we changed the noun:

밥은 딱딱하다 = The rice is hard
This would not be expressed as a general statement. Why? Because rice is
generally not hard. However, if you were about to have dinner with the rice
on your plate and you touched it, you could say:
밥이 딱딱하다 = The rice is hard (due to what I am experiencing right now, I
can say that this particular rice is hard)
(Again, please ignore this ridiculous translation)

Now this:
밥은 딱딱하다 = The rice is hard
Again, this is not a general statement. Therefore… is it wrong?
No, because there are other purposes of ~는/은. Maybe here the speaker
wanted express the comparison function of ~는/은. Maybe to say that the
soup is hot (and ready to eat), but the rice is hard. Remember, all of this is
situational.

Another example: (빨갛다= red, 노랗다= yellow. These words aren’t

introduced until Lesson 23. Sorry.)
사과는 빨갛다 = (in general) apples are red, or
사과는 빨갛다. 바나나는 노랗다 = Apples are red. Bananas are yellow
사과가 빨갛다 = the apple is red (the apple that I am looking at that I just
noticed)
사과가 파랗다 = the apple is blue (this would not normally be the case and
therefore would never be used with ~는/은 to express a general statement
meaning. However, ~이/가 is used here to specifically describe the apple
that the speaker is experiencing – which may or may not follow what is
typical of other apples)

의사들은 똑똑하다 = (in general), doctors are smart

그 의사가 아주 똑똑하다 = the doctor is smart (the one specific doctor who
is in the room, for example)
This is why, when you want to say “it is raining” you must use the following
sentence:
비가 와요 = It’s raining

Instead of:
비는 와요… (incorrect)

The use of “비는 와요” would suggest that, in general, it rains; which
wouldn’t make sense. Instead, the fact that it is raining/rained/will rain
would always fall into the particular situation that “이/가” is used for.

I said this at the end of Lesson 2, but I’m going to say it again here. Your
understanding of exactly when to use ~는/은 over ~이/가 and vice-versa
will progress with your general understanding of Korean grammar.

Also remember that sentences (in every language, including Korean) are
usually much more complicated than what is presented in this lesson. In
addition, very rarely are sentences said as just ‘one-off’ sentences. Rather,
they are said in response to a question or statement, which is important
information in understanding the nuances of both ~이/가 and ~는/은.

I am sorry to do this again, but you still haven’t learned everything you need

to know about ~이/가. Once again, I need to send you along without having
learned everything.

In order to understand the next explanation detailing the usages of ~이/가

and ~는/은, you need to have some understanding of how questioning
works in Korean. I will continue this explanation at the end of Lesson 22.

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use (you probably won’t be able to understand the grammar within the
sentences at this point, but it is good to see as you progress through your
learning).

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.
You can try to find all of the words from this lesson, and all of the words
from every lesson in Unit 1 in a package of twenty five Word Searches.

Nouns:
PLAY 원숭이 = monkey

PLAY 교과목 = subject in school

PLAY 교과서 = textbook

PLAY 소문 = rumor

PLAY 충전기 = charger

PLAY 청구서 = bill

PLAY 계산원 = cashier

PLAY 계산기 = calculator

PLAY 출장 = business trip

PLAY 밥솥 = rice cooker

PLAY 소설 = novel

PLAY 백과사전 = encyclopedia

PLAY 전공 = major (in university)

PLAY 가위 = scissors

PLAY 팀 = team

PLAY 부모님 = parents

PLAY 피부 = skin
PLAY 군대 = army

PLAY 군인 = soldier

PLAY 지도 = map

PLAY 책상 = desk

PLAY 어깨 = shoulder

PLAY 백화점 = department store

PLAY 대학생 = university student

PLAY 중학교 = middle school

PLAY 가수 = singer

PLAY 공기 = air

PLAY 새벽 = dawn

PLAY 내부 = inside part

PLAY 외부 = outside part

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 자르다 = to cut

CONJUGATE PLAY 요청하다 = to ask, to request

CONJUGATE PLAY 젖다 = to be wet

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 궁금하다 = to be curious about

CONJUGATE PLAY 안타깝다 = to be unfortunate

Adverbs and Other Words
PLAY 주로 = mainly, mostly

PLAY 이쪽 = this direction

PLAY 그쪽 = that direction

PLAY 저쪽 = that direction

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Present Progressive (I am __ing): ~고 있다

Attaching ~고 있다 to the stem of verbs gives it the meaning of “I am ____

ing,” – as in, I am currently doing something. It is called the “present
progressive” because the action is being done in the present, and is
currently “progressing” as time goes on.

This grammatical form is very common in Korean. Simply attach ~고 있다 to

a verb stem:

As you know, 있다 has many usages and meanings in Korean. Sometimes 

있다 is a verb, and sometimes it is an adjective. When used as ~고 있다 as
described here, 있다 is a verb. For now, this is only important to you when
conjugating in the plain form. In the future, there will be other times when
this distinction will be important.

PLAY 나는 음악을 듣고 있어 = I am listening to music

PLAY 저의 아버지는 자고 있어요 = My father is sleeping
PLAY 여자들은 지금 영화를 보고 있어요 = The girls are watching a movie
now
PLAY 저는 사과를 자르고 있어요 = I am cutting the apple
PLAY 저는 청구서를 지금 내고 있어요 = I am paying the bill now

This same form can be used in the past tense to mean “I was ___ing.”
PLAY 저는 밥을 먹고 있었어요 = I was eating
PLAY 학생들은 수업 시간 동안 자고 있었어요 = The students were sleeping
during class

You learned previously that 동안 has the meaning of “for” when placed

after an indication of time (10 년 동안 = for 10 years). However, when
placed after a noun, it has the meaning of “during” (방학 동안 = during
vacation/수업 시간 동안 = during class)

However, using ~고 있다 in the past tense is slightly awkward in Korean.

It can be used like this, but it is often more natural to use the regular past
tense conjugation instead. For example:

PLAY 저는 밥을 먹고 있었어요 = I was eating

PLAY 학생들은 자고 있었어요 = The students were sleeping

In most situations the sentences above could be said in the following way
without any real difference in meaning:

PLAY 저는 밥을 먹었어요 = I ate

PLAY 학생들은 잤어요 = The students slept

Nonetheless, if you really want to stress that you were doing something,

you can use this form. More examples:

저는 백화점에서 쇼핑했어요 = I shopped at the department store

대학생은 책상에서 공부를 했어요 = The university student studied at his
desk

PLAY 저는 백화점에서 쇼핑하고 있었어요 = I was shopping at the

department store
PLAY 대학생은 책상에서 공부를 하고 있었어요 = The university student
was studying at his desk

~고 있다 can also be conjugated into the future tense. For example:

PLAY 나는 다음 주에 시험 공부를 하고 있을 거야 = Next week, I will be

studying for an exam
But, just like with the past tense of this form, the same meaning can be
expressed by just using a regular future tense conjugation. Therefore,
although the sentence above is correct, the same meaning can be
expressed by saying:

저는 다음 주에 시험 공부를 할 거예요 = Next week, I will study for an exam

~고 있다 can usually be used very easily with most verbs, but there are
some special situations that we need to talk about before we move on.

1) 살고 있다

In English, we can say “I live in Canada.” You could also say “I am living in

Canada,” but to me it sounds more natural to say “I live in Canada.” In
Korean, however, “살고 있다” is often used when you want to say “I live in
________:” For example, both of these are acceptable:

PLAY 저는 한국에서 살고 있어요 = I live in Korea

PLAY 저는 한국에서 살아요 = I live in Korea

살다 (to live) is a little bit strange because you can actually use ‘에서’ or ‘에’
to indicate the place that you are living. For example, these are also correct,
and have the same meaning as the previous examples:

PLAY 저는 한국에 살고 있어요 = I live in Korea

PLAY 저는 한국에 살아요 = I live in Korea

Although they both sound natural to Korean speakers, I’ve heard that ~에서
is probably the correct one.

2) 알고 있다
In English, almost every verb can go into the “I am ___ing” form. For
example:

I am studying
I am praying
I am listening
I am walking
I am playing

However, one word that we would never say that way is

I am knowing

In Korean, however, it is very common to say “알고 있다.” Instead of

translating this to “I am knowing” it needs to be translated to “I know,”
because we would never say “I am knowing” in English.

PLAY 나는 그것을 알고 있어 = I know that

PLAY 나는 그것을 알아 = I know that

While we are on the subject of “알다,” let’s talk about other ways that this
word is commonly used.

When a person tells you something and you want to say “okay,” Korean
people would use “알다” in these situations. One common time you would
want to say “okay” or “알다” in this respect is when responding to a
command. I haven’t taught you how to give commands yet (you will learn
that in Lesson 40), but for the moment just accept that “집에 빨리 와”
means “come home quickly.”

Person 1: PLAY 집에 빨리 와! = come home quickly

Person 2: PLAY 알았어 = Okay

However, this doesn’t need to be used in response to a command. It could

just be any piece of new information that you want to say “okay” to. For
example:
Person 1: PLAY 우리는 내일 6 시에 출발 할 거야 = We will leave at 6:00
tomorrow
Person 2: PLAY 알았어 = Okay

In formal situations, it is possible to use “알았어요,” but it is also very

common to use the future tense formal conjugation of 알겠습니다. For
example:

Person 1: PLAY 이 일을 내일까지 해야 합니다 = You have to finish this work

by tomorrow
(You haven’t learned the grammar for this sentence yet, so don’t worry
about the Korean sentence. Focus more on the English sentence, because
what I am trying to teach you here is the response to that question in
Korean)
Person 2: PLAY 네, 알겠습니다 = Yes, okay. (I got it)

3) 가지고 있다
A word that you learned in a previous lesson is “가지다.” 가지다 is a verb
that means “to have/posses.” You also know that you can use 있다 to state
that you “have” something. For example:

나는 펜이 있다 = I have a pen (remember that this usage of 있다 requires

that 이/가 be added to the object, because 있다 is actually an adjective in
this form).

When using 가지다, however, you would think that you could simply do
this:

나는 펜을 가져 – I have a pen – But, it is not usually said like this. If you

want to say that you have something using 가지다, you should say “가지고
있다” instead of just “가지다.” For example:

PLAY 나는 펜을 가지고 있어 = I have a pen

Just like how we don’t say “I am knowing” in English, we also wouldn’t say “I
am having.” Therefore, when translating “~를/을 가지고 있다” into English,
you need to say “I have ____.”

If you want to talk about ‘people’ that you ‘have,’ you should never use “
가지고 있다.’ Instead, you should use just ‘있다.’ For example:

PLAY 나는 여자 친구가 있어 = I have a girlfriend

나는 여자 친구를 가지고 있어 – this technically means “I have a girlfriend,”
but it’s meaning is more similar to “I possess a girlfriend.” If you say
something like this in Korean, Korean people will probably understand you,
but laugh at your mistake (similar to if somebody told me that they possess
a girlfriend in English).

Using 고 있다 with Position Verbs

In the previous lesson, you learned that you cannot add ~고 to position
verbs. Examples of these verbs were:

앉다 = to sit
서다 = to stand

Specifically, I said:

“These position verbs usually act differently than regular verbs (not just in
this situation, but in many situations).”

~고 있다 is another situation where these position verbs act differently than

regular verbs.

First of all, adding ~고 있다 to these verbs can be done. For example:

저는 앉고 있다 = I am sitting – but note that this only means that you are
actually in the process of sitting; as in, you are currently bending your knees
getting ready to sit.
“저는 앉고 있다” is grammatically correct, but you need to ask yourself
when you would ever say this.
What you want to say, is “I am (in the state of) sitting”… as in, your butt is on
the floor/on a chair, etc.. If you want to do this, you have to add ~아/어
있다 to these verbs instead of ~고 있다. For example:

PLAY 나는 앉아 있어 = I’m sitting

PLAY 나는 학교 옆에 서 있어 = I’m standing next to the school
PLAY 나는 침대에 누워 있어 = I’m lying in bed

In theory, this is the same concept that you used when you added ~아/어
있다 to “state” like words in Lesson 14. For example:

PLAY 컴퓨터가 켜져 있어요 = The computer is (in the state of) on

PLAYTV 가 꺼져 있어요 = The TV is (in the state of) off
PLAY 문이 잠겨 있어요 = The door is (in the state of) locked

One more time, for good measure:

나는 서고 있다 = This means that you are currently in the process of

standing up – which probably wouldn’t be said… especially since Korean
people have a specific word for “getting up” – 일어나다.
나는 서 있다 = This means that you are in the state of standing (probably
what you want to say in almost every situation)

Another common word that this is used with is 살다. Earlier in this lesson,
you learned how you can use ~고 있다 with 살다. For example:

PLAY 저는 한국에서 살고 있어요 = I live in Korea

By adding “~아/어 있다” to 살다, you can create the meaning of “in the state
of living” (as in, the opposite of dead. For example:

PLAY 그 돼지는 살아 있어요 = That pig is living (alive)

PLAY 그 소는 살아 있지 않아요 = That cow isn’t living (alive)

 
Using ~고 있다 with Adjectives
You cannot attach ~고 있다 to adjectives. Adjectives, by their nature, are
not able to “progress” as verbs do. This is the same as in English. For
example:

저는 행복해요 = I am happy – this is okay.

저는 행복하고 있어요 – I am… being happy? Doesn’t make any sense.

In English, you can say I am getting happy. The next section will teach you
how to do that.

Adjective + ~아/어지다

Another powerful grammatical form in Korean is adding ~아/어지다 to the

stem of an adjective. This changes the meaning of an adjective from “be
(adjective)” to “get/become (adjective).” For example:

행복하다 = to be happy
행복해지다 = to get/become happy

춥다 = to be cold
추워지다 = to get cold

비싸다 = to be expensive
비싸지다 = to get expensive

크다 = to be big
커지다 = to get/become big

따뜻하다 = to be warm
따뜻해지다 = to get warm

You can technically use these adjectives in the present tense, but just like
with verbs, you only ever really use the present tense conjugation to
indicate common truths or to indicate the frequency of something
happening. For example, you would rarely ever say:
I eat rice
But you might be more inclined to say:
I eat rice everyday

Same thing here:

날씨가 추워져 = The weather gets cold

PLAY 날씨가 매일 밤에 추워져요 = The weather gets cold every night

It is more natural to use these types of words in sentences in the

past/future tense:

PLAY 날씨는 주말에 추워졌어 = The weather got cold over the weekend
PLAY 기름 값은 비싸졌어요 = The price of oil got expensive
PLAY 그 사람은 밥을 먹고 나서 행복해졌어요 = That person ate, and then
became happy
PLAY 우리 강아지는 지난 1 년 동안 많이 커졌어요 = Our puppy got a lot
bigger in the last year
PLAY 저는 군대에 갔고 똑똑해졌어요 = I went to the army and got smart
PLAY 대학교 수업은 내년에 어려워질 거예요 = University classes will get
difficult next year

Want to see how ~아/어지다 would be used in a Korean street sign? Watch
me breakdown the usage in a YouTube video.

When ~아/어지다 is added to an adjective, the entire construction is a verb.

In practice, this is rarely an issue because most times the conjugation of an
adjective and a verb is the same. However, there are some conjugation
patterns (which you learned about in Lessons 5 and 6) that are different
depending on if the word is an adjective or verb. For example, when
conjugating these using the “diary form,” it should be conjugated as:

날씨가 매일 밤에 추워진다 = The weather gets cold every night, instead of:
날씨가 매일 밤에 추워지다 = The weather gets cold every night

Keep this on your mind when you reach Lessons 26 – 30, where I introduce
the ~는 것 principle. In those lessons, you will learn about another
grammatical principle that is treated differently depending on if it is added
to verbs or adjectives. It also allows grammatical principles that otherwise
wouldn’t be able to be attached to adjectives to be attached to this new
“verb” word.

As I mentioned earlier, you cannot attach ~고 있다 to an adjective.

However, by attaching ~아/어지다 to an adjective, you can indicate that
something “becomes” an adjective. It is then possible to attach ~고 있다 to
an adjective that has ~아/어지다 already attached. For example:

PLAY 저의 여자 친구는 예뻐지고 있어요 = My girlfriend is getting pretty

PLAY 집 값은 비싸지고 있어 = House prices are getting expensive
PLAY 피부가 부드러워지고 있어요 = My skin is getting soft

In the previous lesson, you learned that you cannot add ~고 싶다 to an

adjective. By attaching ~아/어지다, you can indicate that something
“becomes” an adjective. It is then possible to attach ~고 싶다 to an adjective
as with ~고 있다. For example:

PLAY 나는 행복해지고 싶어 = I want to become happy (I want to be happy)

PLAY 나는 예뻐지고 싶어 = I want to become pretty (I want to be pretty)

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use (you probably won’t be able to understand the grammar within the
sentences at this point, but it is good to see as you progress through your
learning).

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

You can try to find all of the words from this lesson, and all of the words
from every lesson in Unit 1 in a package of twenty five Word Searches.

Nouns:
PLAY 한식 = Korean food

PLAY 양식 = western food

PLAY 키 = height

PLAY 별 = star

PLAY 태도 = attitude

PLAY 월급 = pay cheque

PLAY 도심 = downtown

PLAY 시내 = downtown

PLAY 추억 = memory

PLAY 후보자 = candidate

PLAY 라면 = instant noodles (ramen)

PLAY 주년 = anniversary

PLAY 자세 = body position/posture

PLAY 평소 = usual

PLAY 옛날 = old days

PLAY 옛사랑 = old love

PLAY 옛길 = old road/path

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 걱정하다 = to worry

CONJUGATE PLAY 씻다 = to wash

CONJUGATE PLAY 확인하다 = to confirm, to check

CONJUGATE PLAY 모으다 = to gather, to collect

CONJUGATE PLAY 이야기하다 = to talk with, to have a conversation

CONJUGATE PLAY 수집하다 = to collect

CONJUGATE PLAY 추천하다 = to recommend

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 좁다 = to be narrow

CONJUGATE PLAY 넓다 = to be wide

CONJUGATE PLAY 특별하다 = to be special

CONJUGATE PLAY 게으르다 = to be lazy

CONJUGATE PLAY 편하다 = to be comfortable

CONJUGATE PLAY 안락하다 = to be comfortable

Adverbs and Other words:

PLAY 더 = more

PLAY 덜 = less

PLAY 가장 = the most (superlative)

PLAY 제일 = the most (superlative)

PLAY 여러 = many/various

PLAY 옛 _____ = something old

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

You might also want to try listening to all of the words on loop with
this Vocabulary Practice video.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn how to make comparative and superlative
sentences in Korean. Using comparative sentences, you will learn how to
make sentences like “I am more beautiful than you” or “he is faster than his
brother.” Using superlative sentences, you will learn how to make
sentences like “I am the most handsome person in the world.” In addition,
we will take an in-depth look at the word 더, which is commonly used in
comparative sentences. Let’s get started.

More: 더

Before we even get into using comparatives, I want to make you familiar
with the word 더, meaning “more” in English. The word ‘more’ (in English
and Korean) is very commonly used in sentences when comparing things.
For example:

I am more handsome than you

In order to understand how 더 is used, let’s first look at sentences where it

is not used:

PLAY 여기는 편해요 = Here is comfortable (it is comfortable here)

PLAY 라면은 매워요 = Ramen is spicy

Those are simple sentences without 더. By adding 더 you can indicate that

the particular subjects are “more comfortable” or “spicier” than something
else. For example:

PLAY 여기는 더 편해요 = Here is more comfortable (it is more comfortable

here)
PLAY 라면은 더 매워요 = Ramen is spicier
At this point we haven’t specifically indicated what the subjects are being
compared to, but we will get to that later in the lesson. For now, let’s just
focus on the use of 더. Below are many more examples:

PLAY 도심은 더 멀어요 = Downtown is further

PLAY 이 방은 더 좁아요 = This room is smaller (narrower)
PLAY 추억은 더 중요해요 = Memories are more important
PLAY 한식은 더 맛있어요 = Korean food is more delicious
PLAY 저는 더 특별한 것을 사고 싶어요 = I want to buy something more
special
PLAY 저는 더 넓은 집에서 살고 싶어요 = I want to live in a bigger (wider)
house

In all of the examples above, 더 is used with adjectives. It can also be used
with verbs to indicate that an action will happen “more.” For example:

PLAY 저는 밥을 더 먹을 거예요 = I will eat more

PLAY 저는 더 공부할 거예요 = I will study more
PLAY 저는 더 기다릴 거예요 = I will wait more (longer)
PLAY 그 회사는 월급을 더 줘요 = That company gives more of a paycheque
PLAY 우리는 돈을 더 모을 거예요 = We will collect more money
PLAY 저는 손을 더 씻을 거예요 = I will wash my hands more

In sentences where 더 is used with verbs, it is common to place an adverb

after 더 to indicate the degree in which the action occurs. When used like
this, it’s not that the action happens more – but rather that the verb
happens more in a way of the adverb. For example:

PLAY 저는 더 열심히 공부할 거예요 = I will study harder

PLAY 저는 밥을 더 건강하게 먹을 거예요 = I will eat healthier
PLAY 그 학생들은 더 시끄럽게 이야기했어요 = Those students talked
louder

It is also common to use 조금 before 더 to indicate that something occurs

“a little bit more.” For example:
PLAY 이 방은 조금 더 좁아요 = This room is a little bit smaller
PLAY 저는 조금 더 기다릴 거예요 = I will wait a little bit more
PLAY 저는 조금 더 열심히 공부할 거예요 = I will study a little bit harder

——————-

You can also add 더 to sentences with counters in them. For example:

PLAY 나는 펜 두 개가 있어 = I have two pens

PLAY 나는 펜 두 개가 더 있어 = I have two more pens

PLAY 사람 두 명이 올 거예요 = Two people will come

PLAY 사람 두 명이 더 올 거예요 = Two more people will come

PLAY 저의 여동생은 지난 주에 책을 두 권 읽었어요 = My sister read two

books last week
PLAY 저의 여동생은 지난 주에 책을 두 권 더 읽었어요 = My sister read two
more books last week

PLAY 나는 어제 학교에 두 번 갔어 = I went to school two times (twice)

yesterday
PLAY 나는 어제 학교에 두 번 더 갔어 = I went to school two more times
yesterday

——————-

It is common to use the word 좋다 with 더 to indicate that something is

“more good.” Of course, we don’t say “more good” in English. Instead, we
say “better.” For example:

PLAY 도심이 더 좋아요 = Downtown is better

PLAY 그 자세가 더 좋아요 = That position/posture is better
PLAY 그 학생의 태도가 더 좋아요 = That student’s attitude is better

——————-

It is also common to use the word 많다 with 더 to indicate simply that

there is more of something. For example:
PLAY 저는 돈이 더 많아요 = I have more money
PLAY 여기는 별이 더 많아요 = There are more stars here

So far, you have seen how 더 can be used in simple sentences without any
specifically identified comparison. It is also possible to indicate what the
situation is being compared to. I will discuss this in the next section.

Korean Comparatives – 보다

As you learned in the previous section, you can use 더 in sentences when
not making any specific comparison. 더 is often used in sentences when a
specific comparison is being made. In English, comparing is really hard and
confusing. Look at these examples:

It is hotter than yesterday
It is more beautiful than yesterday
It is smellier than yesterday

In English, depending on the word that you are using to compare, the
conjugation is different. I can’t imagine how annoying this would be for an
English learner. Luckily, comparatives in Korean are much simpler (or is it
more simple?).

In Korean, you can make a specific comparison by attaching the particle ~

보다 to the thing that is being compared to. I feel like it is most logical to
present sentences using ~보다 in the same order that I presented the
sentences using 더. So here we go:

You can use ~보다 to make a specific comparison with adjectives:

PLAY 나는 더 잘생겼어 = I am more handsome

PLAY 나는 아버지보다 더 잘생겼어 = I am more handsome than my father

Notice here the example “잘생기다” (handsome) is conjugated into the

past tense. When conjugating 잘생기다 and 못생기다 it is always more
natural to use the past tense conjugation.
PLAY 선생님들은 더 똑똑해요 = Teachers are smarter
PLAY 선생님들은 학생들보다 더 똑똑해요 = Teachers are smarter than
students

PLAY 한식은 더 매워 = Korean food is spicier

PLAY 한식은 양식보다 더 매워 = Korean food is spicier than western food

PLAY 오늘은 더 더워 = Today is hotter

PLAY 오늘은 어제보다 더 더워 = Today is hotter than yesterday

PLAY 저는 키가 더 커요 = I am taller

PLAY 저는 남동생보다 키가 더 커요 = I am taller than my brother

PLAY 추억은 더 중요해요 = Memories are more important

PLAY 추억은 돈보다 더 중요해요 = Memories are more important than
money

You don’t really need 더 in these types of sentences. The use of ~보다 in
these types of sentences would also carry this meaning. However, there is
no harm in including it.

You can use ~보다 to make a specific comparison with verbs:

PLAY 나는 밥을 더 먹었어 = I ate more

PLAY 나는 남동생보다 밥을 더 먹었어 = I ate more than my brother
PLAY 나는 어제보다 밥을 더 먹었어 = I ate more than yesterday

PLAY 저는 더 공부할 거예요 = I will study more

PLAY 저는 친구들보다 더 공부할 거예요 = I will study more than my friends
PLAY 저는 작년보다 더 공부할 거예요 = I will study more than last year

You can use adverbs in these sentences to indicate that they occur more as
a function of the adverb:

PLAY 저는 친구들보다 더 열심히 공부할 거예요 = I will study harder than

my friends
PLAY 저는 작년보다 더 열심히 공부할 거예요 = I will study harder than last
year

You can compare things in sentences with counters as well. For example:

PLAY 나는 친구보다 펜이 두 개 더 있어 = I have two more pens than my

friend
PLAY 어제보다 두 명 더 올 거예요 = Two more people will come compared
to yesterday
PLAY 저의 여동생은 지난 주보다 이번 주에 책을 두 권 더 읽었어요 = My
sister read two more books this week than she read last week

——————

The words 좋다 and 많다 are often used with ~보다 as well. For example:

PLAY 저는 옛날보다 돈이 더 많아요 = I have more money than a long time

ago
PLAY 저는 저의 아버지보다 돈이 더 많아요 = I have more money than my
father
PLAY 그 학생의 태도가 지난 주보다 더 좋아요 = That student’s attitude is
better than last week

——————

Another way you can create the meaning of “better” is by using the
adjective 낫다. 낫다 is very much like 좋다, but it is more naturally used
when a specified comparison is being made. Therefore, it is common to see
낫다 used in sentences with ~보다. For example:

PLAY 그 학생의 태도가 지난 주보다 나아요 = That student’s attitude is

better than last week
PLAY 라면보다 밥이 더 나아요 = Rice is better than Ramen
PLAY 한식보다 양식이 더 나아요 = Western food is better than Korean food

낫다 is also very commonly used when you are talking about getting better
after being sick. You can say things like this:
PLAY 병은 나았어 = I’m better (literally – the sickness/disease is better)
PLAY 감기는 나았어 = My cold is better

Although ~보다 is not used in the sentences above, by context the listener
assumed that the speaker is referring to the time where he/she had a cold.

——————

Two words that ~보다 is commonly attached to are 평소 and 생각. For
example:

PLAY 저는 요즘에 평소보다 더 바빠요 = These days, I am busier than usual

PLAY 나는 평소보다 더 공부하고 있어 = I am studying more than usual
PLAY 오늘 하늘에 별이 평소보다 더 많아요 = Tonight, there are more stars
in the sky than usual

PLAY 도심은 생각보다 멀어요 = Downtown is further than I thought

PLAY 별이 생각보다 더 많아요 = There are more stars than I thought
PLAY 한식은 생각보다 매워요 = Korean food is spicier than I thought

덜 – Less

The word “덜” can be used to have the opposite meaning of 더. That is, it
can be used to mean “less.” For example:

PLAY 나는 남동생보다 덜 잘생겼어 = I’m less handsome than my brother

PLAY 한국에서 대학교는 고등학교보다 덜 어려워요 = In Korea, University is
not as hard as high school

These sentences are correct, and would be perfectly understood, but it is

usually more natural and common to create the opposite sentence and use
더 instead. For example, I would much rather say the following sentences
than the two sentences above:

PLAY 남동생이 나보다 더 잘생겼어 = My brother is more handsome than

me
PLAY 한국에서 고등학교는 대학교보다 더 어려워요 = In Korea, high school
is harder than university

One more quick thing – it is kind of funny/cute slang to pronounce 덜 as 들.

I suggest you try it out sometime. Korean people often get a kick out of
foreign people speaking in slang-like language. They usually can’t get over
the fact that we know Korean, let alone the fact that we know a bit of slang.

Korean Superlatives – 가장/제일

Superlatives, just like comparatives are so much easier in Korean than they
are in English. In English, depending on the word you are using, you have to
conjugate it differently:

She is the hottest girl

She is the most beautiful girl
She is the smelliest girl

In Korean, instead of mucking (I said “mucking”) around with different forms

like in English, all you need to do is add one word: 가장

예쁘다 = pretty
가장 예쁘다 = Prettiest

아름답다 = beautiful
가장 아름답다 = Most beautiful

A synonym of “가장” is “제일,” which is often used in speech.

You can then put these into sentences just like you would normal
adjectives:

PLAY 저의 여자 친구는 한국에서 가장 예쁜 여자예요 = My girlfriend is the

prettiest girl in Korea
PLAY 가족은 가장 중요해요 = Family is the most important
You can’t really use 가장 with verbs unless there is also an adverb included
within the sentence. For example, you can’t say this:

나는 가장 달려 = I run… most?… doesn’t make sense

In these cases, you need to add an adverb to the sentence:

PLAY 나는 가장 빨리 달려 = I run the fastest

PLAY 우리가 집에 제일 늦게 도착했어요 = We arrived home the latest (we
were the latest people to arrive at home)

However, you can add 가장 to 좋아하다 (to like) without an adverb to

indicate that you ‘like something the most.’ (This is also how you say “my
favorite” in Korean).

PLAY 나는 그 여자를 가장 좋아해 = I like that girl most (that girl is my

favorite)
PLAY 나는 수학을 가장 좋아해 = I like math most (math is my favorite)

Note here that in most real situations it is probably more natural [in English
and in Korean] to say something like:

I am the fastest runner – instead of – I run the fastest

Math is my favorite subject – instead of – Math is my favorite

To this point, you haven’t learned how to add this extra dimension to your
sentences with verbs. This concept is introduced in Lesson 26. That being
said, it is essentially the same as making this change to adjectives:
가족은 가장 중요해요 = Family is the most important
가족이 가장 중요한 것이에요 = Family is the most important thing

In order to express a negative superlative, of course, you can use a word

that has a negative meaning, for example:

PLAY 저는 사과를 가장 싫어해요 = I dislike apples the most

PLAY 저는 사과를 제일 싫어해요 = I dislike apples the most

You could technically add ~지 않다 or ~안 to the sentence to make it a

negative superlative sentence. For example:
PLAY 그 여자는 우리 반에서 가장 예쁘지 않은 여자예요 = That girl is the
least pretty in our class
PLAY 그 여자는 우리 반에서 제일 예쁘지 않은 여자예요 = That girl is the
least pretty in our class

수학은 가장 쉽지 않아요 = Math is the least easy

수학은 제일 쉽지 않아요 = Math is the least easy

However, those sentences would sound much more natural (in English and
Korean) if you just used a word with the opposite meaning. For example:

PLAY 그 여자는 우리 반에서 제일 못생긴 여자예요 = That girl is the ugliest

in our class
PLAY 수학은 제일 어려워요 = Math is the hardest

In most of these superlative sentences, it would usually sound much more

natural to add “Of all X”. For example:

Of all subjects at school, math is the most difficult

Of all fruit, I dislike apples the most

The grammatical principle needed to add this extra level of complexity to

your sentences is introduced in Lesson 33.

Two adverbs that 가장/제일 are often used with are 잘 and 못, which will
be talked about in the next lesson

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use (you probably won’t be able to understand the grammar within the
sentences at this point, but it is good to see as you progress through your
learning).

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

You can try to find all of the words from this lesson, and all of the words
from every lesson in Unit 1 in a package of twenty five Word Searches.
Nouns:
PLAY 교수 = professor

PLAY 주인 = master/owner/proprietor

PLAY 잘못 = mistake/fault

PLAY 기온 = temperature

PLAY 거울 = mirror

PLAY 가루 = powder

PLAY 근육 = muscle

PLAY 어둠 = darkness

PLAY 기본 = basic/basics

PLAY 사고 = accident

PLAY 교통 = traffic

PLAY 이상 = a noun to indicate that something is more than something else

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 잘하다 = to do something well

CONJUGATE PLAY 못하다 = to do something poorly

CONJUGATE PLAY 수영하다 = to swim

CONJUGATE PLAY 대우하다 = to treat somebody

CONJUGATE PLAY 퇴직하다 = to retire

CONJUGATE PLAY 접수하다 = to receive (an application)

CONJUGATE PLAY 씹다 = to chew

CONJUGATE PLAY 통역하다 = to interpret

CONJUGATE PLAY 번역하다 = to translate

CONJUGATE PLAY 젓다 = to stir

CONJUGATE PLAY 늘리다 = to gain, to improve, to increase

CONJUGATE PLAY 빠지다 = to fall into

CONJUGATE PLAY 빠져나오다 = to escape, to come out of

CONJUGATE PLAY 빠져나가다 = to escape, to go out of

CONJUGATE PLAY 헷갈리다 = to be confused

Passive Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 늘다 = to be gained, improved, increased

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 둥글다 = to be round, to be spherical

CONJUGATE PLAY 어둡다 = to be dark

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 잘 = well

PLAY 못 = poorly

PLAY 님 = adds respect to person’s name or position

PLAY 또는 = or

PLAY 세 = a counter for years of age

PLAY 꼭 = surely/definitely

PLAY 물론 = of course

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

You might also want to try listening to all of the words on loop with
this Vocabulary Practice video.

Introduction

Until now, you have not learned how to say “I am good at something/I do
something well” or “I am bad at something/I do something poorly.” In this
lesson, you will learn about the words 잘하다 (to do something well) and
못하다 (to do something poorly). 못하다 is very hard to understand
perfectly, so I will ease you in by introducing you to 잘하다 first.
.

잘하다: To do something well

The main meaning of 잘하다 is “to do something well.” To use 잘하다,

simply place a noun in a sentence with 잘하다 as the verb.

This is easy to do with 하다 verbs (for example, 수영하다 and 공부하다)

because to make a noun all you need to do is remove 하다 from those
words. I discuss making non-하다 verbs into nouns in Lesson 26, but the
principal is the same for any noun form of a verb.  All you need to do is:

나는 (noun form of verb)을/를 잘하다. For example:

PLAY 나는 수영을 잘해 = I am good at swimming

PLAY 저 학생은 공부를 잘해 = That student studies well
PLAY 우리 애기는 말을 잘해요 = Our baby speaks well
PLAY 저는 야구를 잘해요 = I play baseball well

잘하다 is a verb, but now we need to talk about “잘,” which is an adverb.

잘: Well

Just like 잘하다, you can use the word 잘 in sentences to indicate that one
does something well. Usually, when you remove 하다 from a word, the
word without 하다 becomes a noun. In this case, removing 하다 from 잘
does not make 잘 a noun. Instead, it is an adverb. The only reason this is
important is so that you know that you can use 잘 in sentences just like
other adverbs, in this case to mean “(to do something) well.” It is essentially
the same as “잘하다,” but used slightly different. For example:

PLAY 그 주인은 고객님들을 잘 대우해요 = That owner treats the customers

well
PLAY 나는 어젯밤에 잘 잤어 = I slept well last night

When I first learned about 잘하다 and 잘, I was trying to understand if

these two sentences were the same:

PLAY 나는 공부를 잘해 = I study well

나는 잘 공부해 = I study well

The answer: essentially, but not entirely.

The difference is so subtle that you don’t really need to worry about it.
However, when I learned this, I worried about it, so I think maybe you
should worry about it too. The reason I say “don’t worry about it” is because
now when I speak I can’t really distinguish the difference in meaning. The
only way I could tell the difference is referring back to my old notes from 5
years ago. Nonetheless, there is a subtle difference:
나는 공부를 잘한다 = I study well, or
“나는 (noun)을 잘한다” means that, in general, your ability to do something
is good. However,

나는 잘 공부한다 = I study well, or

“나는 잘 (verb)다” means that you can study well because of some situation
(for example, maybe you have a test coming up and you are studying really
hard because of that situation).

But really, don’t get too caught up on the difference between the two.
Especially since sometimes they look and sound almost exactly the same. If
you separated 공부 and 하다 in the second example, you would get:

PLAY 나는 공부를 잘 해 = I study well, which sounds (and almost looks)
exactly the same as:
PLAY 나는 공부를 잘해 = I study well

Anyways, don’t worry about it too much.

You already know the word 잘생기다 means “handsome.” That word is
actually 잘 and 생기다 put together. 생기다 has a lot of meanings, but
putting 잘 and 생기다 together, it sort of means “to come out well.” The
opposite is true for 못생기다 (to be ugly).

Always remember to not translate directly from English to Korean, as there

are so many things that are not 100% the same in both languages. For
example, in English, we would never say “I don’t know well,” but in Korean,
it is very common to say:

PLAY 저는 잘 모르겠어요* = I don’t know (well)

*Also notice that the future tense 모르다 is used here. Even though it is in
the present, 모르겠다 is used very commonly to indicate that you don’t
know something – Even though it directly translates to “I will not know.”

 
 못하다: To do something poorly

Alright, this is where it gets hard. 잘하다 was easy. Let’s do this step by
step.

First of all, 못하다 has the opposite meaning of 잘하다 – so it can be used to
indicate that one generally is poor at something. For example:

PLAY 나는 수영을 못해 = I am bad at swimming

PLAY 저 학생은 공부를 못해 = That student does not study well

The difference between 못하다 and 못 is the same as the difference

between 잘하다 and 잘. When you say a sentence like “나는 수영을 못해” it
means that in general your ability to swim is bad. Because of this, you need
to be careful about the type of verb you are using in this situation. For
example, you couldn’t really use the verb “to eat” in this situation, because
that would mean that “in general, my ability to eat is bad.” Instead, what
you would probably want to say is that “I CAN eat, but because of some
situation, I can’t really eat right now.” That is when you need to use 못
instead of 못하다.

못: Poorly

Using 못하다 and understanding the meaning it creates is quite simple,

especially if you can understand how 잘하다 is used. If you use the adverb
못, the meaning depends on the situation. Here are two simple examples
we can look at:

PLAY 저는 어제 못 잤어요
PLAY 저는 어제 시험을 못 봤어요

This is where it gets unnecessarily confusing. Both of those sentences could

have two meanings.
The first example:
PLAY 저는 어제 못 잤어요 could mean either of the following:

I didn’t sleep well last night because of some situation, or

I didn’t sleep last night because something prevented me from sleeping

The second example:

PLAY 저는 어제 시험을 못 봤어요 could mean either of the following:

I did poorly on the exam yesterday because of some situation, or

I didn’t write the exam yesterday because something prevented me from
doing so

(My translations of “… One didn’t … because something prevented him/her

from …” is often simply translated to “One couldn’t” or “One can’t.” These
English terms are complex, and might be related to one not doing
something because something prevented them or related to one’s ability.
Another way to say “one couldn’t” or “one can’t” in Korean is by using ~ㄹ/
을 수 없다 , which I discuss in Lesson 45).

Confusing? Let me say this again. When you put 못 in a sentence, it can
indicate that one does something poorly (or not well) OR that one does not
do something because something prevented him/her from doing it. When it
has the second meaning (“I didn’t do”) it is the result of some situation
preventing you.

I want to take a minute to distinguish this from other negative sentences –

specifically using 안 or ~지 않다 which you learned in Lesson 8. When you
use 안 or ~지 않다, there is no deeper meaning that “something prevented
you from doing the action.” For example, if I said:

저는 어제 시험을 안 봤어요, or
저는 어제 시험을 보지 않았어요

I am just saying that I didn’t write the exam yesterday – as if yesterday

specifically was not the day that I was supposed to write the exam anyway
(or something like that). Why would I write the exam when it is not the
exam day? Of course I wouldn’t. Nothing is preventing me from writing the
exam. It’s just not the day to write the exam. It’s also possible that I just
didn’t do the exam because I didn’t want to. Either way, nothing is
preventing me from doing it, I just didn’t do it.

However, if I say:

PLAY 저는 어제 시험을 못 봤어요

It probably was the day to write the exam, but something prevented me

from writing it. The thing that prevented me from writing it could be
anything – it could have been that I had to go to a party with my wife, or it
could of been that I had explosive diarrhea. Either way, both of those things
(especially the latter) would prevent me from writing the exam.

——————–

In order to explain this further, I can explain a very common mistake that

English speakers make when speaking Korean.

You don’t know how to ask questions yet (you’ll learn that in the next
lesson), but imagine if somebody asks you

“Did you hear what I say?” (내 말을 들었어?)

English speakers learning Korean often respond with:

아니. 안 들었어.

However, if you say that, it’s kind of like you are specifically/purposely
trying not to hear what the person said. Instead, you obviously can hear,
but something prevented you from hearing the person. Maybe it was the
loud TV, maybe it was the motorcycle driving by, or maybe it was your
explosive diarrhea. Either way, something prevented you from hearing the
person, so you should say:

아니. 못 들었어. = No, I didn’t (couldn’t) hear (you)

——————–
But, how can you distinguish the difference between somebody saying “I
did something poorly” and “I didn’t do something”? There are three ways I
can teach you:

잘못
If you really want to stress that you do something poorly, you can include
잘 before 못. This specifically indicates that you “don’t do something well”
and removes the ambiguity of “I didn’t”:

PLAY 저는 어제 시험을 잘 못 봤어요 = I didn’t do good on the exam

yesterday

The word being used

Sometimes, the word being used makes it clear which meaning you are
trying to express. For example, if I said:

PLAY 저는 어제 학교에 못 갔어요, This could have two meanings:

1) I didn’t go to school yesterday because of some situation

2) I didn’t go to school well yesterday

Which one of those two makes sense? In situations like this, it is easy to
figure out which meaning is being used. Is it possible to “go somewhere
well?” I don’t think so.

A perfect real-world example of this is something that my co-worker said

to me once. The school I work at was in the process of buying my plane
ticket back home, and it happened to be really expensive (like, really
expensive). My co-worker always wanted to go to Canada, but when she
heard how much my plane ticket was, she said to herself “캐나다에 못
가겠다.” The meaning of this sentence is not “she will go to Canada poorly”
but rather “she can’t/won’t go to Canada because of some situation” (the
ticket being too expensive).

 
Situation
Sometimes you just need to think about the context of the sentence to
understand the meaning completely. For example, if you already knew for
sure that a friend wrote the exam, and they later said “시험을 못 봤어요” –
the sentence could only have one meaning (because you already knew that
he/she wrote the exam).

Let’s look at some examples. If somebody said:

저는 밥을 못 먹어요

This could technically mean two things. It could mean:

1. That the person can’t eat (well)

2. That the person won’t eat because of some situation (most likely
because he/she is full/doesn’t like that particular food, etc…)
In this case, the first possibility does not make sense because everybody
(99.9% of the time) has the ability to eat. Therefore, this person is
expressing that he/she is not going to eat because of some situation that is
causing him/her to not want to eat.

Another example:
PLAY 저는 답을 잘 못 썼어요

This sentence could really only mean one thing. Because of the use of “잘,”
we know that the speaker is expressing that he/she did not do
something well. Therefore, the sentence above translates to “I didn’t
answer well.

There is still another way that 못/못하다 can be used to have yet another
similar meaning to what has been described so far.

~지 못하다

One more thing about 못하다. Similar in structure to ~지 않다, you can also
write ~지 못하다 to have the same meaning as 못. For example:
PLAY 저는 어제 못 잤어요 AND
저는 어제 자지 못했어요 have the same meaning (I didn’t sleep [well] last
night)

Remember that 못 and ~지 못하다 have the same meaning, which is subtly
different than 를 못하다:

PLAY 저는 어제 못 공부했어요 = I didn’t study well yesterday/I couldn’t

study yesterday
PLAY 저는 어제 공부하지 못했어요 = I didn’t study well yesterday/I couldn’t
study yesterday
PLAY 저는 공부를 못해요 = I am bad at studying

잘못

To make all of this even more confusing, the word 잘못 (with no space
between 잘 and 못) has a different meaning. 잘못 means “mistake.” This
word would normally be an easy word to deal with. However, it is more
difficult than it needs to be because 잘못 and 잘 못 have two different
meanings. 잘못 can be used like this:

PLAY 그것은 제 잘못이었어요 = That was my fault/my mistake

Normally when you say “my _____” you use 저의 or 나의. However, some
nouns prefer to have 제 and 내 before them instead of 저의/나의. 잘못 is
one of these nouns. Another example is 제/내 생각 (instead of 저의/나의
생각) meaning “my thought/my opinion/what I think.”

잘 and 못 with Comparatives and Superlatives

One final thing before I finish. In the previous lesson, you learned about
using ~보다 and 가장/제일 to make comparative and superlative sentences.
The concepts you learned in this lesson are very commonly used alongside
~보다 or 가장/제일 in sentences to say that somebody can do something
better/worse, or do something the best/worst. Some examples:

Comparative Sentences:
PLAY 우리 아들은 친구들보다 축구를 더 잘해요 = Our (my) son is better
than (his) friends at soccer
PLAY 그 교수는 다른 교수들보다 수업을 더 잘해요 = That professor teaches
classes better than other professors
PLAY 저는 수영을 작년보다 더 잘해요 = I am better at swimming than last
year

Superlative Sentences:
PLAY 우리 아들은 축구를 가장 잘해요 = Our (my) son is the best at soccer
PLAY 그 교수는 수업을 제일 잘해요 = That professor teaches classes the
best (is the best at teaching classes)

PLAY 저는 축구를 제일 못해요 = I play soccer the worst

PLAY 저는 수영을 제일 못해요 = I swim the worst

Again, in most situations, these sentences would sound more natural with
the use of other grammatical principles. For example, to say “I am the one
who plays soccer the worst” or “Of all people, I play soccer the worst.” To
be able to wrap your head around those sentences, you’ll need to
read/understand the grammar taught in Lessons 26 and 33 respectively.

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use (you probably won’t be able to understand the grammar within the
sentences at this point, but it is good to see as you progress through your
learning).

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

You can try to find all of the words from this lesson, and all of the words
from every lesson in Unit 1 in a package of twenty five Word Searches.

Nouns:
PLAY 소식 = news
PLAY 엄마 = mom

PLAY 아빠 = dad

PLAY 결혼식 = wedding

PLAY 우표 = postage stamp

PLAY 신 = god

PLAY 만화 = comics, cartoons

PLAY 만화책 = comic book

PLAY 예정 = schedule

PLAY 코딱지 = booger, a small amount of something

PLAY 논 = rice paddy

PLAY 낮잠 (자다) = nap

PLAY 의견 = opinion, feedback

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 사라지다 = to disappear

CONJUGATE PLAY 졸업하다 = to graduate

CONJUGATE PLAY 입원하다 = to check into a hospital

CONJUGATE PLAY 퇴원하다 = to check out of a hospital

CONJUGATE PLAY 이기다 = to win

CONJUGATE PLAY 지다 = to lose

CONJUGATE PLAY 후회하다 = to regret

CONJUGATE PLAY 타다 = to ride

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 즐겁다 = to be pleasant

CONJUGATE PLAY 부족하다 = to not be enough, to be lacking

CONJUGATE PLAY 간단하다 = to be simple

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 누구 = who

PLAY 왜 = why

PLAY 언제 = when

PLAY 어디 = where

PLAY 역시 = also

PLAY 몇몇 = some

PLAY 벌써 = already

PLAY 이미 = already

PLAY 특히 = especially, particularly

PLAY 점점 = gradually

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Asking Questions in Korean

Asking questions in Korean, at first glance, is very easy. For the most part,
asking questions in Korean without the use of a “question” word
(who/what/when/where/why/how/how much/how many) is incredibly
simple.

Asking questions in English is unnecessarily complicated. If I asked you the

question “Do you like sports?” In English, what is the meaning of the word
“do” in that sentence? In English, whenever we ask a question (without a
question word), we need to include the words did/do/will to make the
listener know that we are asking a question.

Did you go to the park?

Do you like sports?
Will you eat with us?

It is so confusing in English, and my two sentence explanation doesn’t really

explain it very well. Luckily, this is not an English learning website! You are
here to learn how to ask questions in Korean. Enough of this English
nonsense.

In Korean, if you are asking a question that does not require the use of a
question word (one more time: who/what/when/where/why/how/how
much/how many) you don’t need to do anything structurally to make that
sentence a question. All you need to do is raise the intonation of the end of
the sentence to make it sound like a question. For example, if you want to
say “My mother ate” you already know that you can say:

엄마는 먹었어요 = My mom ate

But if you want to ask somebody “did you eat?” You just raise the intonation
of the end of the sentence to make it sound like a question:

PLAY 엄마는 먹었어요? = (literally means “did mom eat?”)

Remember that Korean people rarely say the word “you,” so if you ask a
question to the person you are talking to about the person you are talking
to, you can just omit the subject of the sentence.

PLAY 밥을 먹었어? = Did (you) eat?

PLAY 집에 갔어? = Did (you) go home?
PLAY 소식을 들었어? = Did (you) hear the news?
If you are talking to somebody and the subject of the sentence is not the
person who you are talking to, you can just use the subject as normal. Also
notice that regardless of the tense of the sentence (past/present/future) you
don’t need to do anything special other than raise the intonation at the end
of the sentence:

PLAY 남동생은 울었어요? = Did your brother cry?

PLAY 한국은 좋은 나라야? = Is Korea a good country?
PLAY 엄마도 올 거야? = Will mom come too?

As I said, you don’t need to change anything structurally in these sentences

to make them questions. There are, however, a few ways that you can
change the structure of a sentence to make the sentence a question (if you
want).

Korean Questions ~ㅂ/습니까

The formal high respect ~습니다 is never used as a question. When asking a
question in this form, instead of using ~습니다 you must use ~ㅂ/습니까. ~
ㅂ니까 gets added directly to stems ending in a vowel, and ~습니까 gets
added after a stem ending in a consonant. You can do this with all tenses:

PLAY 방학 동안 집에 안 갔습니까? = You didn’t go home during vacation?

PLAY 그 사람을 만나고 싶습니까? = Do you want to meet that person?
PLAY 내일 학교에 갈 겁니까? = Are you going to school tomorrow?
PLAY 내일 학교에 갈 것입니까? = Are you going to school tomorrow?

I work at a school in Seoul. In the bathrooms, there are charts on the walls
that the cleaning staff is supposed to check once per day. Written on these
charts is a list of questions about the state of the bathroom.

While you will not understand most of the words on this list, notice that all
of the sentences (except for the last one) has the ending ~ㅂ/습니까?
 Some of the words provided in the 10
sentences above are fairly difficult. However, I would like to translate it for
you:

1. Is the bathroom floor clean?

2. Is the sink clean?
3. Has the mirror been wiped clean?
4. Is there extra soap?
5. Is the toilet paper ready?
6. Is the bathroom’s garbage can empty?
7. Are there no toilets that haven’t been flushed?
8. Are any lights broken?
9. Is there any smell?
10. Are there any places, the doorknob, the faucet, etc that are broken?
There are other ways you can change a sentence to make it a question. ~ㅂ/
습니까 is typically the most formal. We will talk about the others in the
upcoming sections.

Korean Questions ~니
When asking a question, instead of ending your sentences with ~아/어, you
can end them with ~니. This is an informal way to ask a question, and you
can do this in all tenses. For example:

Past tense: 했니, 먹었니, 갔니, 이었니

Present tense: 하니, 먹니, 가니, 이니
Future tense (~겠): 하겠니, 먹겠니, 가겠니
Future tense (~ㄹ 것이다): 할 거니, 할 것이니, 먹을 거니, 먹을 것이니

However, note that using this form gives the sentence a slightly feminine
feel to it (I’ve never once used ~니). However, I work at a Korean high
school, and I hear female Korean teachers use this form all the time when
asking questions to a student.

PLAY 시험을 잘 봤니? = Did you write the exam well (did you do well on the
exam)?
PLAY 서울에 가겠니? = Are you going to go to Seoul?
PLAY 몇 반이니? = What class are you in?
PLAY 이미 졸업했니? = Did you already graduate?

—————–

In Lesson 7, you learned how irregular words change as a result of adding

different additions. This is the first time you have been introduced to adding
~니.

The ㄹ irregular applies when adding ~니. When you add ~니 to a stem of a
word that ends in ㄹ, you must drop the ㄹ from the stem, and attach the
grammatical principle to the remainder of the word. For example:

열다 + ~니 = 여니

As you know, some additions require the speaker to choose between two
possible options – for example, choosing between ~아 and ~어 when
adding ~아/어. Notice that when adding ~니 there is no choice. I call this a
“solid ㄴ.” That is, there is only one choice, and it starts with ㄴ.
In later lessons, you will learn other grammatical additions that have a solid
ㄴ. For example:

~나 (later in this lesson)

~는 (Lesson 26)
~는데 (Lesson 76)
~네 (Lesson 83)
~나 (Lesson 109)

All grammatical additions where a solid ㄴ is attached to a word follow the

same rule as when ~니 is added. Below are some examples of ~니 in use
with the ㄹ irregular:

PLAY 뭐 만드니? = What are you making?

PLAY 마음에 드니? = Do you like it?
PLAY 어디 사니? = Where do you live?

~니 also affects the ㅎ irregular, which is introduces in Lesson 23.

Korean Questions ~ㄴ/은가(요)

Just like ‘~니’ you can also end your questions with ~ㄴ/은가(요). Adding
“요” to the end  makes it more formal. This form is less formal than the high-
respect ~ㅂ/습니까 form.

~ㄴ/은가(요) gets added to the stem of adjectives. Using this form makes a
question a little bit softer than using the forms described previously. The
exact difference cannot be translated perfectly, but sort of like how “would
it be okay if I go into the park?” sounds slightly softer than “can I go into the
park.”

You add ~ㄴ/은 to adjective stems just like you would when conjugating it
to describe a noun:
예쁘다 + ㄴ/은 = 예쁜
작다 + ㄴ/은 = 작은

And then attach “가(요)” after that construction:

예쁜가(요)?
작은가(요)?

It is only conjugated into the present tense and therefore usually only used
to ask about some sort of present situation. For example:

PLAY 그 여자는 예쁜가? = Is that girl pretty?

PLAY 이것은 너무 작은가요? = Is this too small?
PLAY 그 학교가 좋은가? = Is that school good?
PLAY 일이 너무 복잡한가요? = Is this work/task too complicated?

~ㄴ/은가(요) is commonly added to 이다 as well. For example:

PLAY 그 사람이 선생님인가? = Is that person a teacher?

PLAY 그 사람이 우리 엄마인가? = Is that person our mom? (Is that our
mom?)

아닌가(요)? Is very commonly used at the end of a full sentence to say

“no?” when you are asking yourself a question as if you are doubting
yourself. For example:

PLAY 그 여자는 한국에서 가장 예쁜 여자야. 아닌가?  = That girl is the most

beautiful girl in Korea… no?/isn’t she?

PLAY 너무 복잡해! 아닌가? = This is too complicated. Isn’t it?

Korean Questions ~나(요)

Using ~나(요) at the end of a sentence to ask a question has the same
function of ~ㄴ/은가(요). That is, it can be used to make a question sound
slightly softer than the other ways to ask a question. However, ~나(요) is
more often used with verbs and with 있다 and 없다. For example:

Notice that the ㄹ irregular needs to be applied in appropriate situations

again:

PLAY 밥이 있나? = Is there rice?

PLAY 사과도 여기서 파나요? = Do you sell apples here too?
PLAY 소녀시대 콘서트를 여기서 하나요? = Is the Girl’s Generation concert
here?
PLAY 지하철을 타고 있나요? = Are you on (riding) the subway now?

This form can be used in the past tense as well. For example:

PLAY 교통카드가 있었나요? = Did you have your bus (transportation) card?
PLAY 그 소식을 들었나요? = Did you hear that/the news?
PLAY 만화책을 샀나요? = Did you buy the comic book?
PLAY 어제 병원에 입원했나요? = Did you go to the hospital yesterday?

It is possible to use this in the future tense, but it only sounds natural when
applying it to the ~겠다 future conjugation. Adding ~나(요) to 이다 is
typically not done, and therefore adding it to words that are conjugating
using ~ㄹ/을 것이다 is unnatural. For example:

내일 퇴원할 거나요? – unnatural

내일 퇴원할 것이나요? – unnatural

Using Question Words

Depending on which question word you are using, building a question can
be really easy or really confusing. I will teach you the easy examples in this
lesson (who, when, where, why) and the more confusing examples in the
next lesson (what, how, how much/how many).
 

Why (왜)

Why (왜) is probably the easiest question word in Korean. ‘왜’ is an adverb,
which means it can be used/placed as an adverb in sentences. Many of the
question words that you will learn in this lesson (and the following lesson)
are adverbs. As you know, adverbs can be used very freely in sentences
and do not have any specific location that they need to be used. However,
the most common position for these adverb-question words is before the
verb. If there are other adverbs in the sentence (including the negative “안”)
the question word is usually placed first.

With these adverb-question words, you can typically just take a statement
and change it into a question by inserting the word into the sentence. For
example:

만화책을 좋아합니까? = Do you like comic books?

PLAY 만화책을 왜 좋아합니까? = Why do you like comic books?

(저는) 한국어를 공부하고 있어요 = I am studying Korean

PLAY 한국어를 왜 공부하고 있어요? = Why are you studying Korean?

(저는) 너무 빨리 먹었어요 = I ate really fast

PLAY 왜 너무 빨리 먹었어요? = Why did you eat so fast?

(저는) 어제 학교에 안 갔어요 = I didn’t go to school yesterday

PLAY 어제 학교에 왜 안 갔어요? = Why didn’t you go to school yesterday?

왜 is also used to respond when somebody calls your name (because they
want you for some reason). In English, we would say “what,” but in Korean,
they say “왜.” For example:

Person 1: PLAY 슬기야! = Seulgi!

Person 2: PLAY 왜? = Why/what do you want?

Notice that saying “why” in English is unnatural. This is how they say it in
Korean.
 

When (언제)

The usage of ‘when’ (언제) is very similar to the usage of ‘왜’ in Korean. As
an adverb, it can be used to ask “when” something happens. For example:

집에 갔어? = Did you go home?

PLAY 집에 언제 갔어? = When did you go home?

집에 갈 거야? = Will you go home?

PLAY 집에 언제 갈 거야? = When will you go home?

그 여자가 사라졌어요 = That girl disappeared

PLAY 그 여자가 언제 사라졌어요? = When did that girl disappear?

낮잠을 잤어요? = Did you take a nap?

PLAY 낮잠을 언제 잤어요? = When did you take a nap?

아빠가 왔어요? = Did dad come?

PLAY 아빠가 언제 왔나요? = When did dad come?

Particles like ~부터 and ~까지, which are often used to indicate from/until
when something happens can be attached to 언제 to indicate that it is
unknown “from/until when” something happens. For example:

어제부터 아팠어요 = I have been sick since yesterday

PLAY 언제부터 아팠어요? = Since when have you been sick?
Notice that 어제 and 언제 are not the same word.

한국에서 내년까지 있을 거예요 = I will be in Korea until next year

PLAY 한국에서 언제까지 있을 거예요? = Until when will you be in Korea?

작년부터 한국어를 공부했어요 = I have been studying Korean since last

year
PLAY 언제부터 한국어를 공부했어요? = Since when have you been
studying Korean?
언제 can also be attached to “이다” to ask “when” something is. In these
cases as well, it replaces the noun that would normally be attached to 이다.
For example:

결혼식은 내일이야 = The wedding is tomorrow

PLAY 결혼식은 언제야? = When is the wedding?

방학은 다음 주야 = Vacation is next week

PLAY 방학은 언제야? = When is vacation?

The grammatical principle ~든지 is commonly attached to 언제 to form

언제든지. For now, you can think of this simply as a word that means
“whenever.” When you learn about the function of ~든지 in Lesson 106, you
will understand how this meaning is formed.

Where (어디)

어디 works very much like 언제. It can be used to ask “where” something
happened if the place is unknown. For example:

집에 가고 싶어요 = I want to go home

PLAY 어디 가고 싶어요? = Where do you want to go?

한국에 살아요 = I live in Korea

PLAY 어디 살아요? = Where do you live?

Just like 여기, ~에 is often omitted from “어디.” 어디에서 is often

contracted to 어디서.

More examples:
그것을 집에서 하고 싶어요 = I want to do that at home
PLAY 그것을 어디서 하고 싶어요? = Where do you want to do that?

한국에서 왔어요 = I came from Korea

PLAY 어디에서 왔어요? = Where are you from (from where did you come?)
The particle ~까지 is commonly attached to 어디. ~부터 is not commonly
attached to 어디 for the same reason that ~부터 is not commonly attached
to a place, as described in Lesson 12. For example:

부산까지 가고 싶어요 = I want to go until Busan

PLAY 어디까지 가고 싶어요? = How far/until where do you want to go?

지하철을 서울역까지 탈 거예요 = We will take/ride the Subway until Seoul

Station
PLAY 지하철을 어디까지 탈 거예요? = Until where will we ride the subway?

Like 언제, it can be used as the noun before 이다 to ask where something
“is.”

Placing 어디 before 이다 is really only done if asking somebody directly

where they are:

PLAY 어디야? = Where are you?

Or when asking where a place is:

PLAY 너의 집이 어디야? = Where is your house?
PLAY 그곳이 어디야? = Where is that place?
PLAY 학교가 어디예요? = Where is the/your school?

When asking where another person, or an object is, it is more natural to use
있다 in these sentence. For example:

PLAY 친구가 어디에 있어요? = Where is your friend?

PLAY 엄마가 어디에 있어요? = Where is mom?
PLAY 펜이 어디에 있어요? = Where is the pen?
PLAY 아빠가 어디에 있어? = Where is dad?
PLAY 그 만화책이 어디에 있어? = Where is that comic?

These would be unnatural:

아빠가 어디야?
그 만화책이 어디야?
Just like 언제, there are of course more complicated ways that 어디 can be
used. For now, this is good enough.

Who (누구)

In Korean, 누구 has the function of a pronoun.

Actually, some of the ways you use 언제 and 어디 in Korean are pronouns.

I chose not to explain this to you because the definition of a pronoun in
Korean and English is not exactly the same. 언제 and 어디 can act as
pronouns in Korean, but this same usage would be called an adverb in
English. I actually had an explanation typed out, but decided not to include
it into this lesson because it makes things more confusing than they
actually are. However, knowing that 누구 is a pronoun in English and
Korean is helpful (if you know what pronouns are).

As a pronoun, 누구 can be used in the place of a noun in a sentence – that

is, it can be used to replace the object, the subject or as a noun before 이다.

This is the same in English – as you can see in the following three examples:

Who will study Korean tomorrow? – ‘who’ is the subject of the sentence

Who will you meet tomorrow? – ‘who’ is the object of the sentence -“you”
is the subject
Who is that person? = ‘who’ is ‘that person’ in the sentence

However, this is confusing in English because in all three cases “who” is the
first word of the sentence regardless of its role.
In Korean, instead of always placing ‘who’ at the start of the sentence, it
should be placed in the location of the subject (usually the start of the
sentence), the object (usually somewhere in the middle of the sentence) or
before 이다. I will show you an example of each:
In the third sentence below you can see an example of 누구 being used as a
subject. The subject is underlined in each case. When 누구 is used as the
subject of a sentence, it is changed to 누가.

너는 내일 한국어를 공부할 거야 = You will study Korean tomorrow

너는 내일 한국어를 공부할 거야? = Will you study Korean tomorrow?
PLAY 누가 내일 한국어를 공부할 거야? = Who will study Korean
tomorrow?

In the third sentence below you can see an example of 누구 being used as
an object. The object is underlined in each case. The object particles can be
used if 누구 is the object.

너는 내일 친구를 만날 거야 = You will meet a friend tomorrow

너는 내일 친구를 만날 거야? = Will you meet a friend tomorrow?
PLAY 너는 내일 누구(를) 만날 거야? = Who will you meet tomorrow?

In the third sentence below you can see an example of 누구 being used
before 이다:

그 사람은 너의 아버지야 = That person is your dad

그 사람은 너의 아버지야? = Is that person your dad?
PLAY 그 사람은 누구야? = Who is that person?

That’s it for this lesson, but there is still lots for you to know about asking
questions in Korean! This lesson covered the first half of what you need to
know, and the following lesson (Lesson 22) will cover the rest!

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use (you probably won’t be able to understand the grammar within the
sentences at this point, but it is good to see as you progress through your
learning).

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.
You can try to find all of the words from this lesson, and all of the words
from every lesson in Unit 1 in a package of twenty five Word Searches.

Nouns:
PLAY 계란 = eggs

PLAY 자리 = a seat, a place to put something

PLAY 중요성 = importance, emphasis

PLAY 벌금 = a fine

PLAY 파일 = file

PLAY 로션 = lotion

PLAY 습관 = customs, habit

PLAY 치마 = skirt

PLAY 단계 = step, phase, stage

PLAY 짓 = some sort of negative act

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 차지하다 = to occupy a space

CONJUGATE PLAY 수거하다 = to collect, to come and pick up

CONJUGATE PLAY 첨부하다 = to attach (a file)

CONJUGATE PLAY 찢다 = to tear, to rip

CONJUGATE PLAY 다녀오다 = to go and then come back

CONJUGATE PLAY 예상하다 = to expect

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 올바르다 = to be correct

CONJUGATE PLAY 복잡하다 = to be complicated

CONJUGATE PLAY 짧다 = to be short, to be brief

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 얼마나 = how much

PLAY 몇 = how many ___

PLAY 뭐 = what

PLAY 무슨 = what

PLAY 무엇 = what

PLAY 어떤 = which

PLAY 어떤= some

PLAY 어느 = which

PLAY 어때? = How is/was … ?

PLAY 대개 = usually

PLAY 바깥 = outside

PLAY 쯤= approximately

PLAY 서로= reciprocally

PLAY 필독 = must read

PLAY 며칠 = how many days

PLAY 퍼센트 = percent

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In the previous lesson, you learned about how to make question sentences
in Korean. In this lesson, you will build on what you learned in Lesson 21 by
learning more ways to ask questions in Korean. Specifically, you will learn
how to ask questions using the following words: how, what, which and how
many.

How (어떻게)

어떻게 is the easiest of the words that you will learn today. The word
어떻게 is actually 어떻다 (a word you don’t know yet) turned into an
adverb by adding ~게 to the stem (어떻 + 게). Though 어떻다 and 어떻게
are technically the same word, don’t think of them that way. Just remember
that 어떻게 means “how.” You can use 어떻게 to ask how somebody does
a verb, but it can not be placed before an adjective or adverb in Korean to
mean “how (adjective/adverb).” For example:

“Learn” is a verb, so you can use 어떻게 in the following sentence:

How did you learn?

“Beautiful” is an adjective. “Often” is an adverb. Which means you

can not use 어떻게 in the following sentences:
How beautiful is your girlfriend?
How often do you go to school?

You will learn another word (얼마나) later in this lesson to use in those
sentences.

어떻게 is an adverb, so you can place it in sentences very freely. You can
use it to ask questions in the past, present or future tense. For example:
PLAY 그것을 어떻게 해요? = How do you do that?
PLAY 한국어를 어떻게 배웠어요? = How did you learn Korean?
PLAY 그 자리를 어떻게 찾았어요? = How did you find that seat?
PLAY 그 파일을 어떻게 보낼 거예요? = How are you going to send that file?

One thing that is different between English and Korean is when you ask
“what do you think about…” If you want to say that in Korean, you have to
use the equivalent of “how do you think about…”:

PLAY 그 여자에 대해 어떻게 생각해요? = What do you think about that girl?

That’s pretty much all you need to know with regards to ‘어떻게,’ but there
is still more that you should know about the word 어떻다.

어때?
The word 어떻다 is rarely used as 어떻다 in sentences. Actually, if you
asked Korean people if they thought that ‘어떻다’ and 어떻게’ are the same
word, they would probably say that the two are completely different
words.

In addition to 어떻게, there is another way that you can use 어떻다 in
sentences. Through conjugation, 어떻다 can change to ‘어때.” I’ll show you
how 어떻다 changes to 어때, but you really don’t need to worry about how
it is changed (there are only a few other words in Korean that can take on a
similar transformation).

1. 어떻다 is an adjective
2. ~아/어하다 can be added to some adjectives (You already know about
좋다 + ~아/어하다 = 좋아하다)
3. The addition of ~아/어하다 causes the ㅎ to drop (you will learn more
about this in the next lesson)
4. 어떠하다 can conjugate to 어떠해
5. Say 어떠해 fast enough and it comes out as “어때”
어때 is used to say “how is/was the…?” or “what do/did you think about…?”
It is used when you want to ask somebody’s opinion/evaluation of
something. It sounds more natural in Korean for the thing you are asking
about with “어때”  to not have a particle. For example:

PLAY 남자 친구 어때? = How is your boyfriend? (is he

good/bad/handsome/etc..?)

It is also very commonly used in the present tense to say “how about…
?/what do you think of…?” For example:

PLAY 점심 어때? = How about lunch? / What do you think about lunch?

Think of this example. You and I are searching through a bunch of pictures,
trying to find the best one for my profile picture on Facebook. I find one that
I like, but I want to ask you “what do you think about this picture/how
about this picture?” In that case, I can say:

PLAY 이 사진(이) 어때? = How about this picture?

In fact, 어때 is probably the most commonly miss-translated word by

Korean speakers learning English. If you ask a Korean person what ‘어때’
means, they will all say it means “how about.” Sometimes, this is true, but
어때 can only be used as “how about” in a limited number of cases. In the
example I just gave about choosing a good picture, 어때 can be translated
to “how about.” But what about in example with the boyfriend?:

How about your boyfriend?

Sounds weird, and most English-speaking people probably couldn’t even

understand the meaning of this sentence.

Try it sometime. If you have a Korean friend (one that can’t speak 100%
perfect English), ask him how to say “한국 어때?” in English. I guarantee he
will say “How about Korea?” But really, this should be translated to “what
do you think about Korea?/How is Korea?”

~요 can be added to 어때 to make it more formal. Also, 어때 can be put into

the past-tense to ask about something in the past. But note that even if you
are asking about the past, it is not 100% necessary to use 어때 in the past
tense:

PLAY 시험 어땠어요? = How was the exam?/What did you think about the
exam? (was it hard/easy?)
PLAY 점심 어땠어요? = How was the lunch?/What did you think about the
lunch? (was it delicious?)

What (뭐/무엇/무슨)

Now that you’ve learned all the easy ways to ask questions, let’s work on
the hard ways. Figuring out how to ask “what” in Korean is probably the
hardest thing you will come across (grammatically) for a while. Essentially,
there are three ways to say “what:”

뭐 – which is a pronoun
무엇 – which is a pronoun
무슨 – which is a word that can be placed before nouns to describe them

Let me explain how each one is used.

뭐 and 무엇

These two essentially have the same meaning and function. Let me
introduce 뭐 first.

뭐 can be used similar to 언제, 어디 and 누구. That is, to represent an

unknown thing in a sentence. For example:

밥을 먹었어 = I ate rice

PLAY 뭐 먹었어요? = What did you eat?
계란을 샀어요 = I bought eggs
PLAY 뭐 샀어요? = What did you buy?

Like 누구 (as you learned in the previous lesson), “뭐” and “what” act as a
pronouns in their respective sentences. More examples:

파일을 첨부했어요 = I attached the file

뭐 첨부했어요? = What did you attach?

치마를 입었어요 = I put on a skirt

PLAY 뭐 입었어요? = What did you put on/wear?

Particles are not usually attached to 뭐 when asking a question like this. For
example, these would be unnatural:

뭐를 먹었어요?
뭐를 첨부했어요?
뭐를 입었어요?

One of the times it is possible to attach a particle to 뭐 is when asking

somebody what they are referring to in a previous sentence where a noun
was omitted. For example, if you look at this dialogue:

Person 1: PLAY 저는 많이 먹었어요 = I ate a lot

Person 2: PLAY 뭐를? = what? (you ate a lot of what?)

Here, the first person didn’t specifically indicate what he/she ate. The
second person is asking for clarification of what was eaten, and can use “
뭐를.” Here, “뭐” essentially acts as the noun that was omitted in the
previous sentence.

무엇 is very similar to 뭐. However, it is more common to attach ~을 to

무엇 than with 뭐. For example:

PLAY 점심을 먹었어? = Did you eat lunch?

PLAY 무엇을 먹었어? = What did you eat?
PLAY 무엇을 입었어요? = What did you put on/wear?
PLAY 무엇을 샀어요? = What did you buy?

When used before 이다 to ask what something “is,” it is more common to

use 뭐 than to use 무엇. For example:

PLAY 이것이 뭐야? = What is this?

PLAY 이름이 뭐예요? = What is your name?
PLAY 점심이 뭐야? = What is (for) lunch?

Instead of:
이것이 무엇이야?
이름이 무엇이야?
점심이 무엇이야?

무슨

무슨 also translates to “what” but it is instead placed before nouns to

describe them.

For example:

그 영화를 보고 싶어요? = Do you want to see that movie?

무서운 영화를 보고 싶어요? = Do you want to see a scary movie?
PLAY 무슨 영화를 보고 싶어요? = What movie do you want to see?

The dictionary form of 무슨 is 무슨. Although it looks like an adjective with ~

ㄴ/은 attached to it, the word itself is 무슨, and thus, is not actually an
adjective. However, it looks and feels like an adjective because of how it is
used in sentences.

무슨 is used when the speaker doesn’t know what an object is, and is asking
about what it may be. The most common situations you will see 무슨 used
are the following:
PLAY 그것이 무슨 냄새야? = What is that smell?
PLAY 무슨 생각(을) 해? = What are you thinking?
PLAY 그것이 무슨 소리야? = What is that sound?
PLAY 무슨 말이야? = What do you mean?
(The last two examples are often used to ask “what do you mean” or “I
can’t understand what you are trying to say”)

One way I like to think of 무슨 and how it can be distinguished from 어떤

and 어느 (which you will learn next in the lesson), is that 무슨 is used when
the speaker is asking a question and has no idea what the answer will be.
The answer could be almost an unlimited choice of options. For example, if
I ask:

PLAY 무슨 냄새야? = What is that smell?

I might use that if I just walk into a room and smell something for the first
time. Because of this, I would not know the source of the smell and would
have no idea what the answer to my question might be. The answer could
be anywhere from “my fart” to “the toaster.”

Likewise, if I ask:

PLAY 무슨 생각(을) 해? = What are you thinking?

I might be looking at somebody and seeing them staring into space. In this
case, I would not be able to even guess what that person is thinking, so I
have no idea what the answer to my question might be. The answer could
be anywhere from “my future” to “eating pizza.”

Sounds simple enough, right? Let’s talk about other words that are often
confused with 무슨.

Which (어떤/어느)
어떤

어떤 is another one of these words that, although not an adjective, we can

place before a noun to describe it. For example:

그 영화를 보고 싶어요? = Do you want to see that movie?

무서운 영화를 보고 싶어요? = Do you want to see a scary movie?
PLAY 무슨 영화를 보고 싶어요? = What movie do you want to see?
PLAY 어떤 영화를 보고 싶어요? = Which movie do you want to see?

Or

그 차를 사고 싶어요? = Do you want to buy that car?

비싼 차를 사고 싶어요? = Do you want to buy an expensive car?
무슨 차를 사고 싶어요? = What car do you want to buy?
PLAY 어떤 차를 사고 싶어요? = Which car do you want to buy?

The first question every learner has when learning about 어떤 is how it can
be differentiated from 무슨. 어떤 usually translates to “which” and 무슨
usually translates to “what.” Their meanings are very similar and their
respective English translations don’t really give any hints as to what the
differences between the two are.

The difference is subtle, and at this point you don’t really need to fully
understand how they are different. The difference is even hard for Korean
people to understand, and using one of them in place of the other usually
creates a sentence with essentially the exact same meaning. That being
said, let me give you a brief introduction of how they are different.

In the case of asking questions, 어떤 is used for two main reasons.

● To choose from a selection of options

For example, in: “어떤 차를 사고 싶어요?” Maybe you are selling cars
and giving a person a selection of cars to choose from. Here, although
you technically don’t know the answer to the question, you can
assume that it will be from a limited number of choices given.

● To ask about the type of properties or characteristics related to a

person/object
 For example, in: “어떤 차를 사고 싶어요?” Maybe you are asking your
friend about the type of car he wants to buy based on the
characteristics of it. Here, you could be asking if he wants to buy a van,
an SUV, a truck, etc…
By looking at those two main usages, you can see how 어떤 should not be
used to replace 무슨 in most situations. For example, in the examples
earlier with 무슨, I showed you this sentence:

PLAY 무슨 냄새야? = What is that smell?

Here, “PLAY 무슨 냄새야?” would be used when the person doesn’t know
the source of the smell, and has no idea what the smell could be. Like I said
earlier, the answer to the question would likely indicate the source of the
smell and could literally be anything from “farts” to “the toaster.”

However saying “어떤 냄새야?” in most situations would be ridiculous. It

could only really be used if you are asking a person to tell you about the
characteristics of a smell they are smelling. For example, imagine if you had
a bouquet of flowers and put the flowers to your friend’s nose. In this case,
you want your friend to describe the characteristics of the smell – “Is it a
nice smell? A fresh smell? A rosy smell?” The answer to this question would
likely be describing (the characteristics) of the smell.

Despite this distinction, there are many situations where 어떤 and 무슨

could basically be used interchangeably. For example, ask a Korean person
if they can describe the differences between the two sentences:

PLAY 무슨 영화를 보고 싶어요? = What movie do you want to see?

(In theory, the speaker would have no idea what the answer to the
question would be)

PLAY 어떤 영화를 보고 싶어요? = Which movie do you want to see?

(In theory, the speaker would have given the listener a choice to choose
from, or would be asking about the type of movie the listener wants to see
[for example, a comedy, a horror movie, or a love story]).
Another usage of 어떤 that is completely unrelated to asking questions can
be seen in this sentence:

PLAY 어떤 남자는 어제 여기에 왔어 = Some man came here yesterday

Here, 어떤 is used to show that the speaker knew a man came, but is
unsure of specifically who he was. This can be applied to other nouns as
well when the speaker is aware of some object, but is unsure of what
specific object is in question. For example

PLAY 저는 어떤 책을 읽고 있었어요 = I was reading some book

(the speaker doesn’t know exactly what book he was reading)

PLAY 저는 어떤 건물에 들어갔어요 = I went into some building

(the speaker doesn’t know exactly what building he went into)

Just when you thought you might actually be understanding this confusion,
we have to look at another word with a similar meaning.

어느

Another way you can ask this type of question is with the word 어느. Like
무슨 and 어떤, 어느 is placed immediately before nouns.

Unfortunately for your brain, 어느 translates to “which.” For example:

그 영화를 보고 싶어요? = Do you want to see that movie?

무서운 영화를 보고 싶어요? = Do you want to see a scary movie?
PLAY 무슨 영화를 보고 싶어요? = What movie do you want to see?
PLAY 어떤 영화를 보고 싶어요? = Which movie do you want to see?
PLAY 어느 영화를 보고 싶어요? = Which movie do you want to see?
In the case of asking questions, 어느 is used in a similar way to the first
explanation I gave of 어떤 from above. That is, “to choose from a selection
of options.” It would not be used to refer to the type of characteristics or
properties of an object, and it would not be used to refer to something
unknown.

Here, you can see that the usages of 무슨, 어떤 and 어느 overlap on
multiple levels. Although this overlap leads to confusion, it also allows each
word to be used interchangeably in most cases, which makes using them
easier than you think. In my opinion, it is just as important to realize
how not to use each of these words when asking a question. Let me brief
that for you:

무슨:
Don’t use this when asking about the type of characteristics or properties of
something
Don’t use this when giving somebody options to choose from

However,
Do use this when you can’t expect what the answer will be at all

어떤:
Don’t use this when asking about something that you can’t expect the
answer for

However,
Do use this when asking about the type of characteristics or properties of
something
Do use this when giving somebody options to choose from

어느:
Don’t use this when asking about the type of characteristics or properties of
something
Don’t use this when asking about something that you can’t expect the
answer for

However,
Do use this when giving somebody options to choose from

Here are a bunch of similar examples which each word being used:
PLAY 무슨 집에서 살아요? = What house do you live in?
PLAY 어떤 집에서 살아요? = Which house do you live in?
PLAY 어느 집에서 살아요? = Which house do you live in?

PLAY 무슨 대학교를 다녀요? = What university do you go to?

PLAY 어떤 대학교를 다녀요? = Which university do you go to?
PLAY 어느 대학교를 다녀요? = Which university do you go to?

무슨 쪽으로 가고 싶어요? – This would generally not be said in Korean.

You would most likely say this when standing on a street (or somewhere
similar), where you have a selection of options to choose from. Therefore,
one of the following would be used instead:
어떤 쪽으로 가고 싶어요? = Which way do you want to go?
어느 쪽으로 가고 싶어요? = Which way do you want to go?

PLAY 무슨 치마를 샀어요? = What skirt did you buy?

PLAY 어떤 치마를 샀어요? = Which skirt did you buy?
PLAY 어느 치마를 샀어요? = Which skirt did you buy?

This table is equally confusing, but it helped me organize my thoughts, so I

thought I would present it here as well. I have attempted to organize the
main usages of 무슨, 어떤 and 어느.

무슨 어떤 어느

Object is 무슨 냄새야? 어떤 냄새야? 어느 소리

unknown What is that smell? Could be okay, but it Awkward
would be referring to the
characteristics of the
smell, not the source.

Characteristics 그 사람이 무슨 사람이야? 그는 어떤 사람이야? 그 사람이

 Awkward What type of person is he? Awkward

Choosing among 무슨 차를 사고 싶어요? 어떤 차를 사고 싶어요? 어느 차를

options What car do you want to buy? Which car do you want to Which car
More in Lesson (This fits in with the “object is buy?
33 unknown” usage) (This could also be
referring to the
characteristics/type of car)

Unsure of 나는 무슨 책을 읽었어 나는 어떤 책을 읽었어 나는 어느

specifics Awkward I read some book Awkward

This is a good start, but there are other specific situations when you might
use one of these words. For example, 어느 has other usages as well. You
will learn about some of the other usages of 어느 in Lesson 25 and Lesson
72.

In addition, as 어떤 and 어느 are used when options are given, we will

continue to talk about these words in Lesson 33 when you learn how to
give options to people.

How many (몇)___ (words with counters)

Before I explain how to ask somebody “how many ____?” as in “how many
cars do you have?” let’s review how to say “I have # cars.” Remember that
you need to use counters in these types of sentences:

PLAY 저는 차 두 대가 있어요 = I have 2 cars

PLAY 나는 어제 친구 다섯 명을 만났어 = I met five friends yesterday
PLAY 저는 그 영화를 다섯 번 봤어요 = I saw that movie five times
If you want to ask “how many ___?” you must include “몇” before the
counter:

PLAY 차가 몇 대 있어요? = How many cars do you have?

PLAY 친구를 몇 명 만났어요? = How many friends did you meet?
PLAY 어제 학교에 몇 번 갔어요? = How many times did you go to school
yesterday?
PLAY 파일을 몇 개 보냈어요? = How many files did you send?
PLAY 치마를 몇 개 샀어요? = How many skirts did you buy?
PLAY 그 종이를 몇 번 찢었어요? = How many times did you rip that paper?

Notice the difference in the placement of the particles. When you say “몇
번” or “몇 대” or “몇 명” you have essentially created a question word. Just
like most other question words, particles are not typically attached.
Nonetheless, if you placed the particles after “몇 ___”, your questions would
still be understood, but to me it is more natural to place them after the noun
that you are asking about, and not after the counter. Just to show you, these
would be understandable, and it probably just depends on the speaker who
says them:

차 몇 대가 있어요? = How many cars do you have?

친구 몇 명을 만났어요? = How many friends did you meet?

Also make sure not to confuse these types of sentences with these similar
sentences you learned in a previous lesson:
(저는) 차 몇 대가 있어요 = I have some cars
(저는) 어제 학교에 몇 번 갔어요 = I went to school some times (a few
times) yesterday
(저는) 친구를 몇 명 만났어요 = I met some friends

The difference between the first three sentences and the last three
sentences is the first three are questions and the last three are statements.
Remember when you are asking a question that the intonation needs to rise
at the end of the sentence.

By using 몇 ___ you can also ask “how old are you?” and “what time is it?”:
PLAY 몇 시예요? = What time is it?
PLAY 몇 살이에요? = How old are you?
PLAY 너의 남동생은 몇 살이야? = How old is your younger brother?

How much, How many: 얼마나

The word “얼마나” can be placed before adjectives and adverbs to mean
“how.” In these cases, the speaker is asking to what extent something
occurs. For example:

Adjectives
얼마나 짧다 = how short
얼마나 예쁘다 = how pretty
얼마나 많다 = how much/many

Adverbs
얼마나 자주 = how often
얼마나 빨리 = how quickly
얼마나 잘 = how well

For example:

PLAY 한국어를 얼마나 자주 공부해요? = How often do you study Korean?

PLAY 여자 친구는 얼마나 예뻐요? = How pretty is your girlfriend?
PLAY 축구를 얼마나 잘 해요? = How well do you play soccer?

It can also be used before verbs when the speaker is not making a
distinction between countable objects in his/her question. Instead, the
speaker’s inquiry falls within an uncountable continuum. For example,
notice the difference between these two questions:

How many pieces did you eat?

Speaker is making a distinction between countable objects
How much did you eat?
Speaker is not making a distinction between countable objects. Here, the
speaker’s inquiry falls within an uncountable continuum.

When used like this with a verb, the most common translation for “얼마나”
is “how much.” For example:

PLAY 빵을 얼마나 먹었어요? = How much bread did you eat?

PLAY 그 여자를 얼마나 사랑해요? = How much do you love that girl?
PLAY 돈을 얼마나 가져갈 거예요? = How much money will you take?
PLAY 물을 얼마나 마셨어요? = How much water did you drink?
PLAY 그 책상은 자리를 얼마나 차지해요? = How much space does that
desk take up?

The adverb 많이 is sometimes used in these sentences, and creates

essentially the same meaning. In fact, the translation usually would not
change when using 많이 in these types of sentences. For example:

PLAY 빵을 얼마나 많이 먹었어요? = How much bread did you eat?

PLAY 그 여자를 얼마나 많이 사랑해요? = How much do you love that girl?
PLAY 돈을 얼마나 많이 가져갈 거예요? = How much money will you take?
PLAY 물을 얼마나 많이 마셨어요? = How much water did you drink?
PLAY 그 책상은 자리를 얼마나 많이 차지해요? = How much space does
that desk take up?

Using 많이 in the sentences above just stresses that the speaker knows that
the answer is “a lot” (remember, the meaning of 많이 is “a lot” or “many”),
and is sort of asking “okay, I know it is a lot, but how much a lot?” (I realize
that sentence is grammatically incorrect).

—————–

많이 (the adverb) can also be used as 많다 (the adjective) in these

sentences. The meaning is still the same, but the structure of the sentence
changes so 많다 describes the noun in question. For example:
PLAY 얼마나 많은 빵을 먹었어요? = How much bread did you eat?
PLAY 얼마나 많은 돈을 가져갈 거예요? = How much money will you take?
PLAY 얼마나 많은 물을 마셨어요? = How much water did you drink?

Although correct and understandable, I highly suggest you refrain from

using this style of sentence. It sounds much more natural to say “빵을
얼마나 먹었어요?” or “빵을 얼마나 많이 먹었어요?” instead of “얼마나 많은
빵을 먹었어요?”

—————–

When the speaker is making a distinction between countable objects, the

counter should be used as you learned in the previous section. For
example:

PLAY 빵을 몇 개 먹었어요? = How many pieces of bread did you eat?

PLAY 몇 명의 여자를 사랑해요? = How many girls do you love?

Note that although “얼마나” translates to “how” in all of these usages above.
This is different from the usage of 어떻게 which also translates to “how” in
English.

Notice the difference between the use of “how” in the sentences below:

PLAY 한국어를 얼마나 자주 공부해요? = How often do you study Korean?

PLAY 한국어를 어떻게 배웠어요? = How did you learn Korean?

The word “얼마” can be used to ask how much something costs.
얼마나 and  얼마 are technically not the same word. However, I am
presenting  얼마 in this form here because it is very common and it is in the
form of a question.

For example:

PLAY 그 로션이 얼마예요? = How much is that lotion?

PLAY 저 바지가 얼마예요? = How much are those pants?
PLAY 벌금은 얼마였어요? = How much was the fine?
PLAY 이게 얼마예요? = How much is this?

Remember, 이게, 그게 and 저게 are contractions of 이것이, 그것이 and 

저것이 respectively.

———————-

I just want to point out that it is possible to use most of these question
words by themselves to ask for more information about a situation. If
somebody is talking, and you want more information about who, what,
when, where, why or how something occurs, you can use 누구, 뭐, 언제,
어디, 왜 or 어떻게 by themselves as questions. I don’t show this, but you
can also add “요” after any of these words if you are speaking in a more
formal situation. For example:

왜
In Lesson 21, you saw that you can use this when somebody calls you, for
example:

Person 1: PLAY 슬기야! = Seulgi!

Person 2: PLAY 왜? = Why/what do you want?

It can also be used by itself to ask “why” something occurs. For example:

Person 1: 저는 내일 캐나다에 갈 거예요 = Tomorrow, I will go to Canada

Person 2: 왜? = Why (will you go to Canada tomorrow)?

언제
Person 1: 저는 캐나다에 갈 거예요 = I will go to Canada
Person 2: 언제? = When (will you go to Canada)?

어디
Person 1: 저는 내일 갈 거예요 = I will go tomorrow
Person 2: 어디? = Where (will you go tomorrow)?
누구
Person 1: 내일 그 사람을 만날 거예요 = I will meet that person tomorrow
Person 2: 누구(를)? = Who(m) (will you meet)?

You can use 누가 by itself when asking about the acting agent of a sentence.
For example:

Person 1: 내일 어떤 사람이 여기 올 거예요 = Tomorrow, some person will

come here
Person 2: 누가? = Who (will come here)?

어떻게
Person 1: 저는 공항에 갈 거예요 = I will go to the airport
Person 2: 어떻게? = How (will you go to the airport)?

뭐
You saw this already in this lesson:

Person 1: PLAY 저는 많이 먹었어요 = I ate a lot

Person 2: PLAY 뭐(를)? = what? (you ate a lot of what?)

———————-

That’s it for asking questions in Korean! There was a lot of content in this
lesson and the one before it (Lesson 21). Make sure you review those
concepts a lot, because they are very important!

Before we move on to the next lesson, though, we need to revisit ~는/은

and ~이/가 again.

~는/은 and ~이/가 Revisited (again)

Now that you have continued to increase your understanding of Korean
grammar over the past few lessons – and specifically learned how to ask
questions in Korean, I can continue to explain the nuances between ~이/가
and ~는/은.

Assuming that the situation is not set up in a way that would be

grammatically appropriate to compare yourself with somebody else, it
would be very awkward for you to say the following:

내가 밥을 먹었어

If you just walked into a room without anybody saying anything to you, or
without any prior back-story, and simply said “내가 밥을 먹었어” (despite
being able to understand you perfectly) it would sound very awkward to
Korean people.

When you use ~이/가 over ~는/은, the speaker is putting an enormous
amount of stress on the fact that it was that particular subject that did the
action. The speaker isn’t comparing anything, but specifically stressing that
it was the subject who/that does the action in the sentence (or has the
properties described by the adjective, or “is” the thing attached to 이다).
Again, this is just a nuance, and cannot be expressed in translation to
English. The only way it can be explained is through descriptions.

The reason why “내가 밥을 먹었어” sounds weird is because it is just like
walking into a room and saying:

“I am the one who ate rice!”

Note here that I wouldn’t actually translate “내가 밥을 먹었어” to “I am the
one who ate rice.” I would still translate it to “I ate.” I am using the
translation “I am the one who ate” to show how the stress can be on the
subject.
Nobody would ever say that without anything prompting a person to say it.
Instead, you would just say:

나는 밥을 먹었어 = I ate rice

Note that here, you are not comparing anything. You are also not stating a
general fact. You are just indicating the subject of the sentence. How can I
know that nothing is being compared? How can I know that this isn’t just a
general fact? How can I know that ~는/은 is just acting as a plain old subject
marker?

I am going to reiterate what I said in Lesson 17:

This is precisely what causes the confusion amongst foreigners when trying
to distinguish the difference between ~이/가 and ~는/은. Both of them can
be used to express more than one nuance. The only way you can
distinguish between the particular nuances being used is by understanding
the situation in which they are used.

The whole process of distinguishing ~이/가 from ~는/은 is incredibly

confusing. I want to share an important phrase that I came up with that you
should always think about when trying to learn the purposes of these
particles:
“It’s not about understanding them – it’s about understanding when to use
them.”

At this point I would like to dive a little bit deeper into this purpose of
stressing the subject of a sentence. Like I said, to have this purpose, it would
need some sort of back-story indicating why the speaker would need to
stress the subject.

It would be weird in most situations to just say the following as a one-off

sentence:

내가 학생이야
… this is just like walking into a room and saying “It is me who is a/the
student!”

However, imagine two students in a class arguing about who gets to sit in
the front row (the best seats in the class). After arguing for a few minutes,
the class president can come in and say:

내가 반장이야! = I am the class president! (반장 = class president)

In this situation, the speaker is stressing that it is he/she that is the class
president, and therefore has the power to solve the situation.
I waited until Lesson 22 to talk about this usage because now you know
how to ask questions. The particle ~이/가, in its usage as a subject stressor,
is used when somebody specifically asks “who” did a particular action.

For example, in the following dialogue:

누가 밥을 먹었어? = Who ate the rice?

내가 밥을 먹었어 = I ate the rice
This could also be shortened to only include the subject:
내가 = “I did”, or “me”

Another example:
누가 피자를 만들었어? = Who made the pizza?
내가 만들었어 = I made it (me)

Notice here that just because (in English) somebody asks a “who” question
doesn’t mean that ~이/가 must be used on the subject. This is only relevant
when the speaker is asking “who” the subject was – and not who the object
was (in effect, when “who” translates to 누가 and not to 누구”).

누가 그녀를 좋아해? = Who likes her?

내가 그녀를 좋아해 = I like her
Notice above the question is asking who the subject is

너는 누구를 좋아해? = Who do you like?

나는 그녀를 좋아해 = I like her
Notice above the question is asking who the object is. The use of “는” on the
subject takes the stress off of the subject and “는” just acts as a subject
marker.

The same thing can be done with other question words, as long as the
question is asking for the subject. For example:

어떤 것이 더 좋아요? = Which one is better?

이것이 더 좋아요 = This one is better

I can’t stress enough that all of these nuances are all situational.
A particular sentence with ~는/은 can make sense in one situation, but
could be awkward in another situation. That same sentence might be
awkward with ~이/가 in one situation, but appropriate in another situation.
In some situations, they could be exactly the same. Ask a Korean person to
distinguish between the following:

내 친구가 밥을 먹었다
내 친구는 밥을 먹었다

They will tell you that – depending on the situation – they could be exactly
the same. It entirely depends on the nuance that the speaker is trying to
make.

Before we finish, I would like to organize everything that we’ve done and try
to describe the usages of ~는/은 and ~이/가 very quickly. Notice that I say
“try.” It is almost impossible to do this in any form, let alone in just a few
sentences. Korean people literally write their doctoral theses on this topic.
Nonetheless, here we go:

~는/은:

● 1)    To denote a subject of a sentence. For example:

나는 밥을 먹었다 = I ate rice
내 친구는 밥을 먹었다 = My friend ate rice
나는 그녀를 좋아해 = I like her
This may or may not have an overlapped meaning with the following
purposes:

● 2)    To compare something. For example:

이 산은 높다 = This mountain is high (but maybe another mountain is
low)
사과는 빨갛다. 바나나는 노랗다 = Apples are red. Bananas are yellow.

● 3)    To state a general fact. For example:

로키산은 높다 = The Rocky Mountains are high
여름 날씨는 좋다 = Summer weather is good (nice)
다이아몬드는 딱딱하다 = Diamonds are hard
사과는 빨갛다 = Apples are red
~이/가:
 ● 1)    To denote a subject of a sentence. For example:
고양이가 집 뒤에 있다 = The cat is behind the house
This may or may not have an overlapped meaning with the following
purposes:

● 2)    To indicate something based on a recent experience/observation.

For example:
날씨가 좋다 = The weather is nice!
비가 와요 = It’s raining!
사과가 파랗다 = The apple is blue

● 3)    To stress that the subject does the action (or is the adjective). For
example:
누가 그녀를 좋아해? = Who likes her?
– 내가 그녀를 좋아해 = I like her
내가 반장이야! = I am the class president!

● 4)    Placed on objects in sentences that are predicated by adjectives.

For example:
나는 학교가 싫다 = I don’t like school
나는 그것이 좋다 = I like that
나는 펜이 있다 = I have a pen

● 5)    Placed on the object before 아니다 to indicate what something is

not. For example:
나는 학생이 아니다 = I am not a student
나는 의사가 아니다 = I am not a doctor

● 6)    Placed on the object predicated by “되다” to indicate what

something becomes. For example:
나는 의사가 되고 싶다 = I want to become a doctor
나는 선생님이 되고 싶다 = I want to become a teacher
In Lesson 14 you also learned about creating passive sentences with verbs
that act in the “state” of something. For example:

문이 열려 있다 = The door is open

In that lesson, I told you that you should use ~이/가 on the object that is in
the state of something. I can only assume that the purpose of this is what is
described in number 2) above. That is, “the door being open” is not some
general statement because (obviously) not all doors are open. Rather, the
speaker is referring to a particular door in a particular situation that is open,
and thus, requires the use of ~이/가. Adding ~는/은 to “문” (or any other
object in that situation) would only be acceptable in a comparison situation.

One last time before we put this to bed for a while:

Your understanding of this will progress along with your understanding of
Korean in general. Through Lesson 2, 17 and 22 I hope you have a better
understanding of this. However, I know that you will still be confused. Don’t
worry, that is normal, and I promise your understanding will evolve as you
keep progressing with your Korean.

In our later lessons, you will continue to be introduced to when it is more

appropriate to use either ~는/은 or ~이/가. For now, focus on what we have
learned so far.

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use (you probably won’t be able to understand the grammar within the
sentences at this point, but it is good to see as you progress through your
learning).

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

You can try to find all of the words from this lesson, and all of the words
from every lesson in Unit 1 in a package of twenty five Word Searches.

Nouns:
PLAY 초록색 = (the color) green

PLAY 보라색 = (the color) purple

PLAY 연두색 = (the color) light green

PLAY 분홍색 = (the color) pink

PLAY 갈색 = (the color) brown

PLAY 회색 = (the color) grey

PLAY 적색 = (the color) red

PLAY 셔츠 = shirt

PLAY 눈 = snow

PLAY 눈보라 = blizzard, snow storm

PLAY 뉴스 = news

PLAY 전쟁 = war

PLAY 작품 = a piece of work

PLAY 날짜 = date

PLAY 그릇 = bowl

PLAY 등 = one's back

PLAY 손등 = back of hand

PLAY 손톱 = fingernail

PLAY 독자 = readers

PLAY 부부 = couple, married couple

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 변경하다 = to change

CONJUGATE PLAY 들르다 = to stop by

CONJUGATE PLAY 내려오다 = to come down

CONJUGATE PLAY 내려가다 = to go down

CONJUGATE PLAY 드러내다 = to reveal, to show

CONJUGATE PLAY 발표하다 = to announce

Passive Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 드러나다 = to be revealed, to be shown

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 푸르다 = to be sea blue

CONJUGATE PLAY 노랗다 = to be yellow

CONJUGATE PLAY 빨갛다 = to be red

CONJUGATE PLAY 하얗다 = to be white

CONJUGATE PLAY 까맣다 = to be black

CONJUGATE PLAY 파랗다 = to be blue

CONJUGATE PLAY 섬세하다 = to be delicate

CONJUGATE PLAY 이렇다 = to be like this

CONJUGATE PLAY 그렇다 = to be like that

CONJUGATE PLAY 저렇다 = to be like that

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 대부분 = most

PLAY 송이 = counter for “bunch” of bananas or single flower

PLAY 종류 = counter for a “type/kind of thing”

PLAY 가지 = counter for a “type of thing”

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn how to use colors in Korean by applying the ㅎ
irregular. In addition, you will learn about the words 이렇다, 그렇다 and
저렇다 and how the ㅎ irregular can be applied to those words. Let’s get
started.

Korean Irregular: ㅎ

Korean Colors

You learned all about the Korean irregulars in Lesson 7. On top of all of
those irregulars, there is one more that you should be aware of.
The reason I didn’t include this irregular in Lesson 7 is because it is
an irregular irregular. Usually, if the last consonant of a word stem ends in
ㅎ, the word is not conjugated in any special way. For example:

좋다 = 좋아
많다 = 많아

However, a lot of colors in Korean end with the final syllable ㅎ (see the
vocabulary list for a good list of these). When conjugating these words
(which are adjectives) to allow them to describe an upcoming noun, we can
add ~ㄴ/은, just like it is done with other adjectives. However, in some
words (mostly colors) the ㅎ gets dropped and ㄴ gets added directly to the
word stem. For example:
 Word Word + ~ㄴ/은 Word + noun Trans

PLAY 노랗다 = yellow 노란 노란 공 Yello

PLAY 빨갛다 = red 빨간 빨간 공 Red b

PLAY 하얗다 = white 하얀 하얀 공 White

PLAY 까맣다 = black 까만 까만 공 Black

PLAY 파랗다 = blue 파란 파란 공 Blue

You can use those color words to describe objects in sentences where
appropriate. For example:

PLAY 저 노란 집이 예뻐요 = That yellow house is pretty

PLAY 빨간 사과는 가장 맛있어요 = Red apples are the most delicious
PLAY 그녀는 빨간 셔츠를 입고 있다 = She is wearing a red shirt
PLAY 나는 하얀 차를 사고 싶어 = I want to buy a white car
PLAY 저는 보통 까만 양복을 입어요 = I usually wear black suits
PLAY 파란 불이 제일 뜨거워요 = The blue flame is the hottest

If you want to use these words as nouns (as in, “the color white” or “the
color red”), you can add “색” after the adjective form of the color (색 means
‘color’):
노란색 = the color yellow
빨간색 = the color red
하얀색 = the color white
까만색 = the color black
파란색 = the color blue

Though these words are nouns, they are often placed before another noun
to describe it. For example

PLAY 저 노란색 집이 예뻐요 = That yellow (colored) house is pretty

PLAY 그녀는 빨간색 셔츠를 입고 있어요 = She is wearing a red (colored)
shirt
PLAY 나는 하얀색 차를 사고 싶어 = I want to buy a white (colored) car
PLAY 저는 보통 까만색 양복을 입어요 = I usually wear black (colored) suits
PLAY 파란색 불이 제일 뜨거워요 = The blue (colored) flame is the hottest

Here, each of these “color” nouns is describing an upcoming noun without

being an adjective.

This is a good time to teach you about another usage of the particle “~의”. “~
의” can be attached to words that commonly describe nouns (like
adjectives) but are inherently not adjectives. What I mean by this, is that
you will often find words that are always (or very commonly) placed before
nouns to describe them, but are technically classified as adverbs or nouns
(and hence, don’t end with “~다” like a typical adjective). It is acceptable to
attach the particle “~의” to these adjective-like adverbs or nouns when they
describe an upcoming noun. The meaning is the same when using “~의” or
not using it, but in speech it is more common to not use it.

For example, all of the above could be written as:

저 노란색의 집이 예뻐요 = That yellow (colored) house is pretty

그녀는 빨간색의 셔츠를 입고 있다 = She is wearing a red (colored) shirt
나는 하얀색의 차를 사고 싶어 = I want to buy a white (colored) car
저는 보통 까만색의 양복을 입어요 = I usually wear black (colored) suits
파란색의 불이 제일 뜨거워요 = The blue (colored) flame is the hottest
Although acceptable and understandable, it would be slightly more natural
to not use ~의 with these color words. Therefore, I didn’t make audio
recordings for the sentences above using ~의. In other situations with other
(non-color) words, you will more commonly see ~의 attached to a noun or
adverb being used to describe a noun.

For example, a common word that ~의 is attached to is “대부분,” which

translates to “most.” Just like in English 대부분 is usually placed immediately
before a noun to say “most (noun).” For example:

대부분 사람들… = Most people…

대부분 부부들… = Most couples…
대부분 독자들… = Most readers…

In each case, it is also possible to attach ~의. For example:

대부분의 사람들… = Most people…

대부분의 부부들… = Most couples…
대부분의 독자들… = Most readers…

These constructions can now be used in sentences where appropriate. For

example:

PLAY 대부분의 사람들은 아침밥을 먹지 않아요 = Most people don’t eat

breakfast (rice breakfast)
PLAY 대부분 사람들은 아침밥을 먹지 않아요 = Most people don’t eat
breakfast (rice breakfast)

PLAY 대부분의 부부들은 같은 침대에서 자요 = Most couples sleep in the

same bed
PLAY 대부분 부부들은 같은 침대에서 자요 = Most couples sleep in the
same bed

PLAY 대부분의 독자들은 그 작품을 안 좋아해요 = Most readers don’t like

that work
PLAY 대부분 독자들은 그 작품을 안 좋아해요 = Most readers don’t like that
work
Using ~의 here is in effect the same reason why we can attach ~의 to
counters when placed before a noun (as you learned in Lesson 10). To jog
your memory, in that lesson I said it was acceptable to place a counter
before a noun you are counting followed by the use of “~의.”

For example:

PLAY 나는 네 개의 펜을 샀어 = I bought four pens

PLAY 나는 두 개의 햄버거를 먹었어 = I ate two hamburgers
PLAY 나는 어제 다섯 명의 친구를 만났어 = I met five friends yesterday

The number-counter pairs in the above sentences are effectively describing

the upcoming noun. Of course, the number-counter pairs are not
adjectives, so ~의 can be used.

I dig deeper into the use of “의” and specifically how it relates to “적” (which
was introduced in Lesson 16) later in the lesson. I want you to be aware of
this usage of ~의 and how it can be attached to adverbs and nouns when
describing an upcoming noun. However, the main purpose of this lesson is
to talk about color words and the ㅎ irregular, so I will continue with that
now.

Often, the most common way to describe a color is to use a word that only
exists as a noun and does not have an adjective form. For example, look at
the following:

초록색 = (the color) green

연두색 = (the color) light green
보라색 = (the color) purple
분홍색 = (the color) pink
갈색 = (the color) brown
회색 = (the color) grey

The above are all color words, but they do not have a respective adjective
form (like 빨갛다 and 빨간색). In order to use these words to describe the
color of something, they can be placed immediately before a noun
(naturally) without ~의 and (slightly unnaturally) with 의 just as described
earlier. For example:
PLAY 저는 초록색(의) 펜으로 쓰고 싶어요 = I want to write this with a green
pen
PLAY 연두색(의) 바지를 샀어요 = I bought green pants
PLAY 대부분(의) 여자들은 분홍색(의) 가방을 골랐어요 = Most girls chose
the pink bag
PLAY 남자 친구가 보라색(의) 꽃 한 송이를 샀어요 = My boyfriend bought
one purple flower

When adding “~아/어” (or any of its derivatives) to color words where the
stem ends in ‘ㅎ,’ an irregular conjugation applies. For now, the only
situation you know where you would add ~아/어 (or a derivative like ~았/
었) is when conjugating using the honorifics introduced in Lesson 6. Note
that there are other times when you would have to add ~아/어 to words,
you just haven’t learned about them yet.

When adding ~아/어 to these words, the ㅎ is dropped and the final vowel
changes to either ㅐ or ㅒ. If the final vowel is ㅏ or ㅓ, it changes to ㅐ, and
if the final vowel is ㅑ, it changes to ㅒ. For example:

Word Word + ~아/어 Word + ~았/었어

PLAY 노랗다 노래 노랬어

PLAY 빨갛다 빨개 빨갰어

PLAY 하얗다 하얘 하얬어

PLAY 까맣다 까매 까맸어

 PLAY 파랗다 파래 파랬어

Here are some of these used in sentences:

PLAY 불이 노래요 = The light is yellow

PLAY 얼굴이 왜 빨개요? = Why is your face red?
PLAY 유럽 사람의 피부는 하얘요 = European people’s skin is white
PLAY 그 여자의 머리가 까매요 = That girl’s hair is black
PLAY 저 남자의 눈이 진짜 파래요 = That man’s eyes are really blue

In each case, it would also be acceptable to use the noun form of each of
the words above and conjugate the sentence with 이다. For example:

PLAY 불이 노란색이에요 = The light is (the color) yellow

PLAY 얼굴이 왜 빨간색이에요? = Why is your face (the color) red
PLAY 유럽 사람의 피부는 하얀색이에요 = European people’s skin is (the
color white)
PLAY 그 여자의 머리가 까만색이에요 = That girl’s hair is (the color) black
PLAY 저 남자의 눈이 진짜 파란색이에요 = That man’s eyes are really (the
color) blue

A more advanced Korean speaker (or a Korean person) could argue that
the two sets of sentences are not completely identical. Their meanings and
translations could be exactly the same, but they could have a slightly
different nuance. For example, “얼굴이 왜 빨개요?” would be more about a
face being red as a result of it blushing, whereas “얼굴이 왜
빨간색이에요?” would be more about a face that is actually red from
something like paint. This nuance is very subtle and not something you
need to worry about as a beginner. Even as an advanced learner, I find it
very hard to articulate this difference into words. In a way, I find the
difference between the two similar to “why is your face red?” and “why is
your face the color red?”  
 ————–

So far, you have seen how ~ㄴ/은 and ~아/어 cause the ㅎ irregulars to
change. Since the beginning of this course, you have also learned the
following additions that could potentially cause a change to a word stem:

~ㅂ/습니다 (Lesson 6)
~ㄹ/을 (Lesson 9)
~니 and ~나 (Lesson 21)

To this point, you have seen how these additions can cause changes to the
irregulars introduced in Lesson 7. Because this is your first time learning
about the ㅎ irregular, we should quickly discuss the changes that occur as
a result of adding these to ㅎ irregular words:

● Adding ~ㅂ/습니다 does not cause a change to ㅎ irregular words. ~

습니다 is added directly to the stem. For example:
노랗다 + ~ㅂ/습니다 = 노랗습니다

● Adding ~ㄹ/을 causes a change to ㅎ irregular words. The ㅎ is

removed, and ~ㄹ is added to the stem. For this addition, the ㅎ
irregular and ㄹ irregular follow the same rule. For example:
살다 + ~ㄹ/을  = 살
노랗다 + ~ㄹ/을 = 노랄

● Adding ~니 causes a change to ㅎ irregular words. The ㅎ is removed,

and ~니 is added after the stem. For this addition, the ㅎ irregular and
ㄹ irregular follow the same rule. For example:
살다 + ~니 = 사니
노랗다 + ~니 = 노라니

The table below shows all of the additions you have learned so far that can
cause a change to a word stem. This table shows how these additions affect
various words, including words that follow the ㅎ irregular. Examples
where irregulars apply are in bold.
 Word (translation + ~ㄴ/은 ~ㅂ/습니다 ~아/어 ~ㄹ/을

짓다 (to build) 지은 짓습니다 지어 지을

걷다 (to walk) 걸은 걷습니다 걸어 걸을

쉽다 (to be easy) 쉬운 쉽습니다 쉬워 쉬울

돕다 (to help) 도운 돕습니다 도와 도울

잠그다 (to lock) 잠근 잠급니다 잠가 잠글

다르다 (to be different) 다른 다릅니다 달라 다를

살다 (to live) 산 삽니다 살아 살

노랗다 (to be yellow) 노란 노랗습니다 노래 노랄

You will learn more additions in later lessons. In those lessons, you will
learn how each addition affects each irregular – including the ㅎ irregular.

————–
The words 이렇다, 그렇다 and 저렇다 are not colors, but they also follow
the ㅎ irregular. I will talk about those in the section below.

이렇다/그렇다/저렇다

이렇다, 그렇다 and 저렇다 are all adjectives. Each word is essentially the
same – the only difference being the difference between 이, 그 and 저.
Remember the difference between these?

이 means “this”

그 means “that” when you are referring to something in a previous

sentence. For example: “I went to Canada last week. At that time I forgot
about my test that I had to write.”

저 means “that” when something is far from you.

이렇다, 그렇다 and 저렇다 are very important and common in Korean, so
let’s look at them one by one.

이렇다

이렇다 means “like this,” but (along with 그렇다 and 저렇다) is rarely used
in its dictionary form. It is generally used in two ways: as an adjective and
as an adverb:

As an Adjective: 이런
By adding ~ㄴ/은 to the stem of 이렇다 we get 이런, which means “this sort
of/this kind of/this type of.” For example:

PLAY 이런 일은 위험하다 = This type of work is dangerous

PLAY 이런 차는 너무 커요 = This type of car is too big
As an Adverb: 이렇게
By adding ~게 to the stem of 이렇다 we get 이렇게, which means “like this.”

PLAY 저는 이렇게 하고 싶어요 = I want to do it like this

PLAY 왜 이렇게 일찍 가요? = Why are you going so early (like this)?
PLAY 이 일은 왜 이렇게 어려워요? = Why is this so hard (like this)?

You’ll notice that in the last two examples, the words “like this” in English
don’t necessarily need to be in the sentence. It is hard to fully explain in
words, as this is something that you really just pick up after a while when
learning Korean. When Korean people ask a “why” question, they often
stress “why” by using  이렇게.

*Also notice the usage of “일” in the sentence above. Although the best
translation of the word “일” is “work” (in noun form), it is very common for
Korean people to use “일” to represent some sort of task or thing that
somebody has to do (regardless of if we would call it “work” in English). I
am reluctant to show you the most common example of this being used
because you haven’t learned the grammar within it yet. Nonetheless, you
will often see “저는 할 일이 있어요” which translates to “I have something
to do.” As of now, you haven’t learned how “할” is being used, but try to
focus on the usage of “일” in this sentence. The sentence is essentially
saying “I have a task that I will do.” The sentence above could also be
written as “이것은 왜 이렇게 어려워요.”

그렇다

Now that you know about 이렇다, learning about 그렇다 is simple. Like
이렇다, 그렇다 is usually used as an adjective or an adverb:

As an Adjective: 그런
By adding ~ㄴ/은 to the stem of 그렇다 we get 그런, which means “that sort
of/that kind of/that type of.” For example:

PLAY 저는 그런 사람을 믿지 않아요 = I don’t trust that type of person/those

types of people
PLAY 저는 그런 것을 좋아하지 않아요 = I don’t like that type of thing

As an Adverb: 그렇게
By adding ~게 to the stem of 그렇다 we get 그렇게, which means “like that.”

PLAY 저는 그렇게 생각하지 않아요 = I don’t think like that

PLAY 저는 그렇게 운동하고 싶어요 = I want to exercise like that

저렇다

저렇다 can be used the same way as 이렇다 and 그렇다; as 저런 and
저렇게. All you need to do is to keep in mind the differences between 이, 그
and 저.

As an adjective: 저런
PLAY 저는 저런 여자를 좋아하지 않아요 = I don’t like that kind of girl
PLAY 저는 저런 차를 사고 싶어요 = I want to buy that type of car

As an adverb: 저렇게
PLAY 아빠는 왜 저렇게 말하고 있어요? = Why is dad talking like that?
PLAY 저 사람이 왜 저렇게 걸어요? = Why is that person walking like that?

Just like our color words presented earlier in this lesson, when ~아/어 (or a
derivative) is added to 이렇다, 그렇다 or 저렇다, an irregular conjugation
occurs. Let’s look at this next.

이렇다, 그렇다 and 저렇다 As Predicating Words

이렇다, 그렇다 and 저렇다 can also be used as the predicating word (i.e.
the end) of a sentence. These are usually only seen in relatively simple
sentences asking or indicating if something is “like this/like that.” For
example:

PLAY 이 학교도 그렇지 않습니까? = Is this school not like that as well?
PLAY 네, 그렇습니다 = Yes, that is correct (that is the way it is)

The most common way that you will see any of these words being used,
especially for a beginner, is in the following form:

PLAY 왜 이래?
PLAY 왜 그래?
PLAY 왜 저래?

Notice that the same ㅎ irregular applies to the words above. That is, when
adding ~아/어 (or one of its derivatives), the ㅎ is dropped and the ㅓ
changes to ㅐ.

In each case, the speaker is asking “Why are you like this/that?” This is very
common in Korean conversation, as it essentially is like saying “what’s
wrong?” or “what’s the matter” or “what the **** are you doing?”

그렇다 specifically is also commonly used by people to express their

content/agreement with some sort of statement or situation. For example:

Person 1: PLAY 내일 공원에 같이 가고 싶어요? = Do you want to go to the

park together tomorrow?
Person 2: PLAY 그래요. 같이 가요 = Sure (like that is fine). Let’s go together.

Person 1: PLAY 제가 지금 갈 거예요 = I’m going to go now

Person 2: PLAY 그래요! = Sure (like that is fine)

Person 1: PLAY 저는 내일 회사에 못 와요 = Tomorrow, I can’t come to work

Person 2: PLAY 그래요! 월요일에 봐요! = Sure (like that is fine). See you on
Monday!
In this same respect, it is often used as a question to express one’s
“disbelief” or “shock.” In reality, the speaker isn’t actually “shocked” or “in
disbelief” but is merely showing his/her interest in the conversation. This
would be akin to using the word “Really?!” in English. For example:

Person 1: PLAY 저는 지난 주에 캐나다에 있었어요 = I was in Canada last

week
Person 2: PLAY 그래요? 어디에 갔어요? = Really!? (It’s like that?) Where did
you go?

Person 1: PLAY 나는 보통 고기를 안 먹어 = I usually don’t eat meat

Person 2: PLAY 그래? 왜 안 먹어? = Really? (It’s like that?) Why don’t you eat
it?

Person 1: PLAY 이 물이 맛이 없어 = This water doesn’t taste good

Person 2: PLAY 그래? = Really? (It’s like that?)

Many other grammatical principles can be added to 이렇다, 그렇다 and

저렇다 but these haven’t been introduced yet.

Specifically, you will find that many grammatical principles can attach to
그렇다 to have their respective meaning combined with the meaning of
그렇다. These will all be introduced in future lessons (where the
grammatical principle is introduced), but here is a quick taste of what I am
referring to. I suggest browsing through this list just to get an idea of:

a) How versatile 그렇다 is

b) The general meaning of 그렇다
c) How this meaning can be applied to many, many other grammatical
principles.

This list is by no means exhaustive, but rather a small taste of some of the
concepts that you will be learning in the next 100 lessons or so.

그렇다 + ㅁ/음 (Introduced in Lesson 29)

그럼 = “Yes, like that.”
그렇다 + ~ㄴ/은지 (Introduced in Lesson 30)
왜 그런지 몰라요 = “I don’t know why it is like that”

그렇다 + ~ㄹ/을 것 같다 (Introduced in Lesson 35)

그럴 것 같아요 = “It is probably like that”

그렇다 + ~아/어서 (Introduced Lesson 37)

그래서 = “It is like that, so…” (Therefore)

그렇다 + ~기 때문에 (Introduced in Lesson 38)

그렇기 때문에 = “It is like that, so…” (Therefore)

그렇다 + ~(으)면 (Introduced in Lesson 43)

그러면 = “If it is like that…”

그렇다 + ~지만 (Introduced in Lesson 47)

그렇지만 = “Even though it is like that”

그렇다 + ~았/었으면 좋겠다 (Introduced in Lesson 61)

그랬으면 좋겠다 = “It would be nice if it is like that”

그렇다 + ~ㄹ/을까? (Introduced in Lesson 63)

그럴까? = “Do you think it is like that?”

그렇다 + ~ㄴ/은데 (Introduced in Lesson 76 and 77)

그런데 = “It is like that… so…”

그렇다 + ~구나 (Introduced in Lesson 82)

그렇구나 = “Oh! It is like that”

그렇다 + ~네(요) (Introduced in Lesson 83)

그러네 = “Oh! It is like that”

그렇다 + ~지/죠 (Introduced in Lesson 93)

그렇죠 = Sure, yep, it is like that
At this point, I hope you can understand how 이렇다, 그렇다 and 저렇다
can be used, and their general meanings. In addition, I hope you can
understand how color words can be used in sentences. Just below, I will
continue the discussion of the use of ~의 and how it is used on words
where ~적 is commonly attached.

I have had some people ask me about the difference between using “의” on
a word to describe a noun (like 흰색의 차) and using “적” on a word to
describe a noun. The grammar below is a little bit advanced, but this is the
lesson that it belongs in (as I am already discussing the purpose of “~의”
attached to nouns or adverbs to describe an upcoming noun). It might be
good to glimpse over this, and then come back to it later when you have a
better understanding of Korean grammar.

As you will recall from Lesson 16, “적” can be added to words to change
them into a type of adjective as well. As I mentioned in Lesson 16, the
addition of “적” to a noun causes the word to change a little bit. It’s hard to
say exactly how the word changes, because it is a little bit different for
every word. The examples that are given in the lesson are:

경제 = economy/economics
경제적 = economical

역사 = history
역사적 = historical

과학 = science
과학적 = scientific

충동 = impulse/shock
충동적 = impulsive
문화 = culture
문화적 = cultural

개인 = individual/personal
개인적 = individual

Some other examples that you might want to jot down, but not memorize
at this point because they are quite advanced:

열정 = passion
열정적 = passionate

체계 = system
체계적 = systematic

획일 = standardization
획일적 = standardized

세계 = world
세계적 = global

Before I start, I want to first mention that the “의” that we are talking about
here is not the possessive particle that is discussed in Lesson 3. Rather, it is
a particle that is added to a word that is inherently not an adjective, but
allows it to describe an upcoming noun (like an adjective).

Most of the time, adding “적” literally changes the translation of the word.
As you can see in the list above, the word changes when “적” is added. For
example, from “passion” to “passionate”. However, when just “의” is added
to the word, the translation would not change – and using “noun+의” only
makes sense if that word (the original word) can actually act as an adjective
(without being an adjective) to begin with.

The easiest examples to start with are ones that work with “적” but not with
“의”. For example:
열정 means “passion.” I can say things like:
과학에 대한 학생의 열정은 놀라워요 = The student’s passion for science is
surprising

“적” can be added to mean “passionate”. For example:

그는 열정적인 사람이다 = He is a passionate man

However, simply adding “의” to the noun (열정) does not change it from
“passion” to “passionate”. The meaning still stays as “passion”. Using this in
a sentence would yield:
그는 열정의 사람이다 = He is a passion man – which doesn’t make sense

In the same way “과학” means “science”

과학적 means “scientific”
과학의 still means “science”

I can use “과학적” to describe a noun that would be natural being described
by “scientific”. For example:

과학적인 증거 = scientific proof

However, “과학의 증거” literally translates to “science proof” which

wouldn’t sound right.

Now, just like everything in life, there are some exceptions.  Specifically, the
word “개인” (without the use of “적” or “의” actually means personal.
Therefore, just like how the word “대부분(의)” (most) isn’t actually an
adjective but feels like an adjective, “개인의” can be placed before a noun
to describe it.
“개인적” also works, as it also means “personal.”

My advice is to learn words with “적” as separate words. Don’t try to think
of words with “적” as a noun followed by a grammatical principle, but try to
think of them as their own words with their own translation. From what I
can see – there are some words where the “-적” version of the word is the
same as the non-적 version of the word. In these cases, it appears that both
“의” and “적” can be used.
 Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use (you probably won’t be able to understand the grammar within the
sentences at this point, but it is good to see as you progress through your
learning).

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

You can try to find all of the words from this lesson, and all of the words
from every lesson in Unit 1 in a package of twenty five Word Searches.

Nouns:
PLAY 설탕 = sugar

PLAY 경찰관 = policeman

PLAY 경찰서 = police station

PLAY 구름 = cloud

PLAY 경쟁 = competition

PLAY 경쟁자 = competitors

PLAY 피 = blood

PLAY 구두 = shoes, boots

PLAY 목욕 = bath

PLAY 번호 = number

PLAY 전화번호 = phone number

PLAY 열쇠 = key
PLAY 수박 = watermelon

PLAY 과자 = candy, cookies, snacks

PLAY 양복 = suit

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 날다 = to fly

CONJUGATE PLAY 걷히다 = to clear up (in weather)

CONJUGATE PLAY 구경하다 = to sight see

CONJUGATE PLAY 뒤처지다 = to fall behind

CONJUGATE PLAY 앞지르다 = to pass, to overtake

CONJUGATE PLAY 감독하다 = to supervise

CONJUGATE PLAY 느끼다 = to feel

CONJUGATE PLAY 치우다 = to remove, to clear away

CONJUGATE PLAY 지우다 = to wipe off, to erase

CONJUGATE PLAY 두다 = to put, to set, to place something

Passive Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 느껴지다 = to be felt

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 달다 = to be sweet

CONJUGATE PLAY 깊다 = to be deep

CONJUGATE PLAY 조용하다 = to be quiet

CONJUGATE PLAY 뜨겁다 = to be hot

CONJUGATE PLAY 차갑다 = to be cold

CONJUGATE PLAY 친절하다 = to be nice, to be kind

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 전 = before/ago

PLAY 직전 = just before

PLAY 후 = after/later

PLAY 직후 = right after

PLAY 이래 = since

PLAY 잠시 = a moment

PLAY 잠깐 = a short time

PLAY 이내 = within

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In Lesson 11, you learned a wide variety of different “time” words that you
can use in sentences. In that lesson, I said that there were two more words
that were very important when talking about time (전 and 후). In that
lesson, I said that I would teach you those two words sometime later. Well,
this is now later.

In this lesson, you will learn how to use the words 전 and 후 as well as
some other similar words. Let’s get started:
.
 

Before/Ago (전)

The word ‘전’ translates to ‘before’ or ‘ago’ depending on where it is used.

When placed after any indication of time (2 seconds, 5 minutes, 10 hours, 4
days, 3 weeks, 2 years, etc…) it has the meaning of “ago.” For example:

2 초 전에 = 2 seconds ago
5 분 전에 = 5 minutes ago
열 시간 전에 = 10 hours ago*
4 일 전에 = 4 days ago
3 주 전에 = 3 weeks ago
2 년 전에 = 2 years ago

*I typically write the word instead of the numeral when referring to an

hour. To see why, check out Lesson 10 and 11.

Notice that ‘에’ gets added to ‘전’ because it is referring to a time.

You can now use those words in sentences very intuitively:

PLAY 저는 2 주 전에 남동생을 만났어요 = I met my brother 2 weeks ago

PLAY 구름은 5 분 전에 걷혔어요 = The clouds cleared up 5 minutes ago

When ‘전’ is placed after a verb, it translates to “before.” When you want to
use 전 like this, you must add ~기 to the verb stem of the preceding verb:

제가 먹기 전에 = before I ate
제가 가기 전에 = before I go
제가 오기 전에 = before I come

A few very important things before I say anything else:

There is a reason why ~기 is added to the stem of a verb. Adding ~기  to the
stem of a verb is a topic I cover in detail in Lesson 29.
Another thing. You can essentially add any sentence to the (verb-stem)~기
전에 grammatical form and it will have the meaning of “before (this
happened).” You could say something like “the country of Canada becomes
a sovereign state 기 전에” and it would have the meaning of “before Canada
became a sovereign state”… Of course, that is a terrible example because in
English the verb doesn’t come at the end of the sentence.

You are now ready to create two-clause sentences. Up to this point we

have dealt with sentences having only one clause, meaning one subject,
one object, and one predicating verb or adjective. To illustrate, in the
following sentences subjects are colored red, objects are blue, and
predicating verbs or adjectives are green. (Adverbs and other parts of the
sentences are not colored):

나는 너를 사랑해 = I love you
아버지는 언제 왔어요? = When did dad come?
저와 엄마는 밥을 같이 먹었어요 = Mom and I ate (rice)
그 여자들은 예뻐요 = Those girls are pretty
저는 똑똑한 여자들만 좋아해요 = I only like smart girls

However, there are grammatical principles (in English and Korean) that
allow us to create more than one clause. Each clause is able to have a
subject, object and also a verb/adjective. A sentence with more than one
clause could therefore have more than one subject, object or
verb/adjective. For example:

When I go home, my mom will be waiting for me

When my mother ate a hotdog, I ate a hamburger
Before I eat, I want to wash my hands
After I saw the movie, my friend called me
I don’t want to meet him because he isn’t nice

The grammatical rules of a Korean sentence with two (or more) clauses are
similar those with only one clause. However, when a sentence has two (or
more) clauses, the particle ~는/은 cannot be placed on the subject of both
clauses. Instead, it can only be attached to the subject of the main clause of
the sentence.

The main clause of a sentence is the clause that is expressing the main idea
of the sentence. One way to find the non-main clause (referred to as the
“sub-clause” for the remainder of this lesson) is by looking for the part of
the sentence that tells us when/where/why/how the main idea is
happening. For example:

When I go home, my mom will be waiting for me

– Main clause: My mom will be waiting for me
– When will this happen: When I go home

When my mother ate a hotdog, I ate a hamburger

– Main clause: I ate a hamburger
– When did this happen: When my mother ate a hotdog

Before I eat, I want to wash my hands

– Main clause: I want to wash my hands
– When did this happen: Before I eat

After I saw the movie, my friend called me

– Main clause: My friend called me
– When did happen: After I saw the movie

I don’t want to meet him because he isn’t nice

– Main clause: I don’t want to meet him
– Why does this happen: because he isn’t nice

Notice that if you eliminate the sub-clause, the main clause still makes
sense. However, if you eliminate the main clause, you are left with an
incomplete sentence.

Let’s go back to ~기 전에 and see how these rules apply. In the following
sentence:
“Before my mom came, I ate rice”

Which clause is the main clause? Which clause is the sub-clause?

“I ate rice” is the main idea of the sentence. It is a perfect sentence by itself.

“Before my mom came” describes when the action in the main clause takes

place. It is also an incomplete sentence by itself.

Therefore, this sentence in Korean can be written as:

엄마가 오기 전에 나는 밥을 먹었어 = Before my mom came, I ate (rice)
I am going to talk about how the particles ~는/은 and ~이/가 can be used in
these sentences. I’m going to separate this discussion with a line before and
after it in an attempt to organize it a little bit.

———————————————————————-

Notice that ~는/은 is attached to the subject of the main clause of the
sentence. The reverse would be incorrect. For example:
엄마는 오기 전에 내가 밥을 먹었어 – incorrect

Placing ~는/은 on both subjects would also be incorrect:

엄마는 오기 전에 나는 밥을 먹었어 – incorrect

However, placing ~이/가 on both subjects is acceptable. That is, it is not

necessary to place ~는/은 on the subject of the main clause of the sentence,
just like how (as you learned in Lesson 2) it is not necessary to place ~은/는
on the subject of the following sentence:

고양이가 집 뒤에 있어요 = The cat is behind the house

Placing ~는/은 on the subject of the main clause of a multi-clause sentence

has the same effect of adding ~는/은 to the subject of a sentence with one
clause. That is, it could indicate that something is being compared with
something else. It could also have the exact same meaning as a sentence
with “~이/가” used as the subject particles. In both situations, the context is
the only thing that can determine if there is a subtle difference in meaning.
For example:

친구가 오기 전에 저는 은행에 갔어요 = Before my friend came, I went to

the bank, or
친구가 오기 전에 제가 은행에 갔어요 = Before my friend came, I went to
the bank

There could be a difference between these two sentences. If the context

allowed for it, the feeling is that “I” is being compared to another noun. For
example, “before your friend came, (maybe) your girlfriend stayed home
but you (I) went to the bank.”
Sometimes, the use of “~는/은” as the subject particle creates a different
translation in English, although the end result of the sentence is the same.
Notice the difference between the following possible English translations:

친구가 오기 전에 저는 은행에 갔어요 = Before my friend came, I was the

person who went to the bank (compared to my girlfriend who stayed
home)
친구가 오기 전에 제가 은행에 갔어요 = Before my friend came, I went to
the bank

If you are unsure of this distinction between ~은/는 and ~이/가 I encourage
you to re-read the distinction made in Lesson 2 and Lesson 22.

Almost all of the time, when you are making the sub-clause to go before “~
전에,” ~이/가 will be attached to the subject of that clause. The only time
this isn’t the case is when the subject of both clauses is the same. In these
cases, it is acceptable to place “~는/은” on the subject of the first clause,
and eliminate it from the second clause. For example:

PLAY 나는 오기 전에 밥을 먹었어 = Before I came, I ate

Instead of:
내가 오기 전에 나는 밥을 먹었어 = Before I came, I ate

Remember that Korean people love shortening their sentences. Every

chance they get, they want to eliminate something from their sentences. So,
instead of saying “내가… 나는…” you only need to say “I” once.

———————————————————————-

Also notice that (like a lot of things in Korean), no indication of tense is

made before ~기 전에. Instead, the tense is determined by the conjugation
of the main clause:

PLAY 엄마가 오기 전에 나는 먹었어 = Before mom came, I ate

PLAY 엄마가 오기 전에 나는 먹을 거야 = Before mom comes, I will eat

Many more examples of ~기 전에:

PLAY 한국에 오기 전에 저는 한국어를 배웠어요 = I learned Korean before I
came to Korea
PLAY 수박을 먹기 전에 사과를 먹었어요 = Before I ate a watermelon I ate
an apple
PLAY 양복을 입기 전에 목욕을 했어요 = Before putting on the suit I took a
bath
PLAY 구름이 걷히기 전에 비가 왔어요 = Before the clouds cleared it rained
PLAY 집에서 나가기 전에 방을 치웠어요 = Before leaving the house I
cleaned my room
PLAY 제가 아내와 결혼하기 전에 우리는 2 년 동안 사귀었어요 = Before
marrying my wife, we went out/dated for 2 years

After/Later (후)

The word ‘후’ translates to ‘after’ or ‘later/from now’ depending on how it is

used in Korean sentences. When placed after any indication of time (2
seconds, 5 minutes, 10 hours, 4 days, 3 weeks, 2 years, etc…) it has the
meaning of “later/from now:” For example:

2 초 후에 = 2 seconds later/from now

5 분 후에 = 5 minutes later/from now
열 시간 후에 = 10 hours later/from now*
4 일 후에 = 4 days later/from now
3 주 후에 = 3 weeks later/from now
2 년 후에 = 2 years later/from now

*I typically write the word instead of the numeral when referring to an

hour. To see why, check out Lesson 10 and 11.

You can use these sentences intuitively just like sentences with “전.” For
example:

PLAY 두 시간 후에 갈 거예요 = I will go 2 hours from now

PLAY 수업은 2 분 후에 끝날 거예요 = Class will finish 2 minutes from now
When ‘후’ is placed after a verb, it has the meaning of “after.” You learned
earlier in this lesson that you must add ~기 to the stem of a verb to make “~
기 전에.” When using “후” after a verb, you do not add ~기 to the stem of
the word. Instead, you must add ~ㄴ/은 to the stem of the verb. ~은 gets
added to a stem where the final syllable ends in a consonant. ~ㄴ gets
added directly to stems ending in a vowel. For example:

내가 먹은 후에 = After I eat
내가 간 후에 = After I go

These can now go into sentences like “~기 전에”

PLAY 숙제가 끝난 후에 나는 집에 갈 거예요 = After my homework is

finished, I will go home
PLAY 밥을 먹은 후에 친구를 만났어요 = After I ate I met a friend
PLAY 과자를 많이 먹은 후에 배가 아팠어요 = After eating a lot of
candy/snacks, my stomach was sore
PLAY 구두를 신은 후에 의자에서 일어났어요 = After putting on my boots, I
got up from the chair
PLAY 방을 치운 후에 밖에 나갔어요 = After cleaning up my room, I went
outside

It is also possible to substitute the word 다음 (which you learned about

in Lesson 11) for 후 to create the same meaning. For example:

PLAY 숙제가 끝난 다음에 나는 집에 갈 거예요 = After my homework is

finished, I will go home
PLAY 밥을 먹은 다음에 친구를 만났어요 = After I ate I met a friend
PLAY 과자를 많이 먹은 다음에 배가 아팠어요 = After eating a lot of
candy/snacks, my stomach was sore
PLAY 구두를 신은 다음에 의자에서 일어났어요 = After putting on my boots,
I got up from the chair
PLAY 방을 치운 다음에 밖에 나갔어요 = After cleaning up my room, I went
outside

You can see in the vocabulary list that there are also these words:
PLAY 직전 = just before
PLAY 직후 = right after

These two can be used just like 전 and 후 respectively – the difference
being that the addition of “직” emphasizes that something was
done immediately before or after the action or indication of time. For
example:

PLAY 아들이 저녁 먹기 직전에 과자를 먹었어요 = Right before having

dinner, he (the son) ate candy/snacks
PLAY 경찰관이 오기 직전에 그 사람이 갔어요 = That person left right before
the police came

PLAY 양복을 입은 직후에 밖에 나갔어요 = Right after I put on the suit, I

went outside
PLAY 전화번호를 받은 직후에 잃어버렸어요 = Right after I got his phone
number, I lost it

One quick thing. In a lot of the example sentences above, I placed the ~기
전에 or ~ㄴ/은 후에 clauses before the main clause of the sentence. It is
important to recognize something here – what we are essentially doing is
creating a unit that gives us an indication of time. For example:

친구가 오기 전에 저는 은행에 갔어요 = Before my friend came, I went to

the bank

“친구가 오기 전에” can just be seen as one unit that can be placed
elsewhere in a sentence, just like other adverbs that give us an indication of
time. For example:

저는 (at some time) 은행에 갔어요 =I went to the bank (at some time)
저는 (어제) 은행에 갔어요 = I went to the bank (yesterday)
저는 (친구가 오기 전에) 은행에 갔어요 = I went to the bank (before my
friend came)

Therefore, although I often place this indication of time before the clause, it
doesn’t always need to be there, and it is the discretion of the speaker that
will decide exactly where to place it. Being able to create a single unit from
a clause like this is a quick introduction to what you will begin learning
in Lesson 26 – where you will be able to manipulate entire clauses to
describe nouns in the middle of sentences.

Since: ~ㄴ/은 이래로

The word “since” in Korean (이래로) can be used in place of “후” in ~ㄴ/은
후에 to have the meaning of “since I…”:

한국에 온 이래로 한국어를 배우고 있어요 = Since coming to Korea, I have

been learning Korean
열심히 공부한 이래로 실력은 빨리 늘었어요 = Since studying hard, my
skills have been quickly increasing

Those two sentences are perfectly correct, but you should know that
Korean people rarely use the word 이래로. You can use it, and everybody
will understand what you mean (they will probably be impressed because
이래로 is a difficult word). Instead, it is more common for Korean people to
use ~ㄴ/은 후에 to have the meaning of “since.” For example:

한국에 온 이래로 한국어를 배우고 있어요.. is better said like this:

PLAY 한국에 온 후에 한국어를 배우고 있어요 = After coming to Korea, I
have been learning Korean

열심히 공부한 이래로 실력은 빨리 늘었어요… is better said like this:

PLAY 열심히 공부한 후에 실력은 빨리 늘었어요 = After studying hard, my
skills have been quickly increasing

 Within/inside (안/이내)

Two other words that you can use in similar situations as 전 and 후 are 안
and 이내. You already know the word “안” can be used in sentences to
mean “inside:”

나는 집 안에 있다 = I am inside the house

If 안/이내 are placed after an indication of time, they have the meaning of
“within” that time period. For example:

PLAY 나는 5 년 이내에 외국어 다섯 개를 배우고 싶어 = I want to learn five

languages within 5 years
PLAY 나는 5 년 안에 외국어 다섯 개를 배우고 싶어 = I want to learn five
languages within 5 years

PLAY 우리는 1 년 이내 결혼할 거예요 = We will get married within one year
PLAY 우리는 1 년 안에 결혼할 거예요 = We will get married within one year

This was a bit of an easy lesson as well! This lesson and the one before it
were pretty easy – but don’t worry – you are almost at Unit 2, and the
lessons in that unit will be really hard!

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use (you probably won’t be able to understand the grammar within the
sentences at this point, but it is good to see as you progress through your
learning).

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

You can try to find all of the words from this lesson, and all of the words
from every lesson in Unit 1 in a package of twenty five Word Searches.

The following words are kept in the order below because this lesson
presents them in that order:

PLAY 모든 = every

PLAY 모든 것 = everything

PLAY 어디나 = everywhere

PLAY 언제나 = every time

PLAY 누구나 = everyone

PLAY 뭔가 = something

PLAY 어딘가 = somewhere

PLAY 언젠가 = sometime, some day

PLAY 누군가 = somebody

PLAY 아무나 = anybody

PLAY 아무 거나 = anything

PLAY 아무 데나 = anywhere

PLAY 아무 때나 = anytime

PLAY 아무도 = nobody

PLAY 아무 것도 = nothing

PLAY 아무 데도 = nowhere

PLAY 마다 = each

PLAY 모두 = all

PLAY 다 = all

PLAY 데 = place

PLAY 언제든지 = anytime

Nouns:
PLAY 젓가락 = chopsticks
PLAY 혀 = tongue

PLAY 지갑 = wallet, purse

PLAY 기숙사 = dorm

PLAY 주소 = address

PLAY 메뉴 = menu

PLAY 아시아 = Asia

PLAY 동남아시아 = south east Asia

PLAY 눈물 = tears

PLAY 회의 = meeting, conference

PLAY 고향 = hometown

PLAY 휴일 = holiday

PLAY 아기/애기 = baby, infant

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 산책하다 = to go for a walk

CONJUGATE PLAY 사귀다 = to go out with, to date

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 무관심하다 = to be indifferent

CONJUGATE PLAY 심하다 = to be severe, to be extreme

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 하루 종일 = all day long
PLAY 예전 = old days, past

PLAY 관심이 있다 = to be interested in

PLAY 이때 = at this moment

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

Once again, the vocabulary list of this lesson is the lesson. While all slightly
similar, these words are very difficult to understand on their own, so I
dedicated an entire lesson to making you understand them. Here, you will
learn how to say:

Every-
(everybody, every time, everywhere, etc…)

Any-
(anybody, anytime, anywhere, etc…)

Some-
(somebody, sometime, somewhere, etc…)

No-
(nobody, nowhere, nothing)

I left spaces in the vocabulary list between different sets of these words (for
no reason other than to make it organized).

Everything/Everywhere/Every time/Everyone

Everything/All
모든

The most common way to say “every _____” is to place the word ‘모든’
before a noun. 모든 looks, sounds, and acts like an adjective, but it can not
be used to predicate a clause or sentence. This means that you won’t see
the word “모든” at the end of a sentence, just like in English. For example,
you can’t say something like:

He is every…

Even though 모든 ends in ~ㄴ (which is the same as all adjectives when

placed immediately before a noun to describe them – 예쁜, 아름다운,
똑똑한), the dictionary form of 모드다 does not exist.

However, as I mentioned, (like an adjective) “모든” can be placed before a

noun. If you place “모든” before a noun, it has the meaning of “every _____.”
For example:

모든 것 = everything
모든 사람 = all people/every person
모든 과일 = all fruits/every fruit
모든 선생님 = all teachers/every teacher

Those can now go in sentences very easily:

PLAY 모든 아시아 사람들은 젓가락을 잘 쓴다 = All Asian people use

chopsticks well
PLAY 모든 학생들은 하루 종일 잤어 = All students slept all day

다
Another possible word to use in similar situations is 다. 다 is used as an
adverb in sentences to indicate that “all” of something is done.

One way this is done is to use it in a sentence with an object to indicate that
some action was completed without leaving anything behind. For example:

PLAY 저는 라면을 다 먹었어요 = I ate all the ramen

PLAY 저는 숙제를 다 했어요 = I did all of my homework
PLAY 저는 소설을 다 읽었어요 = I read the whole book – or – I read all the
books
PLAY 저는 월급을 이미 다 썼어요 = I already spent all of my paycheque

In these situations using “모든” and “다” create a slightly different meaning.
‘다’ is more about doing one action to completion and leaving nothing
behind. 모든 is indicating that the action was performed on all possible
nouns after “모든”. For example, if I say:

PLAY 저는 라면을 다 먹었어요 = I ate all of the ramen

In this sentence, I am indicating that I have completed the action of “eating

ramen” and nothing was left behind. In other words, there is no ramen left
in my bowl because I ate it all.

However, in this sentence:

저는 모든 라면을 먹었어요 = I ate every ramen

This sentence is a little bit ambiguous and a little but unnatural because in
most situations you wouldn’t say this. However, bear with me as I use it to
explain the difference in nuance. In this situation, there might have been
many different types of ramen at my house. I would use this sentence to
indicate that I ate/tried “every one of them.” It is ambiguous as to whether
or not I finished eating them, which means that there could still be some left
– either in my bowl or in the cupboard.

If you did actually eat every one of them and finished all of the ramen in
your house, it would be more natural to use “저는 라면을 다 먹었어요”
because the action was completed and nothing was left behind.
This is why I provided two translations for this sentence:

PLAY 저는 소설을 다 읽었어요 = I read the whole book

PLAY 저는 소설을 다 읽었어요 = I read all the books

Depending on the situation, that sentence could be translated to either of

those English translations. In the first sentence, the action of ‘reading’ was
completed on the subject (one book) without leaving any pages behind
within that book. In the second sentence, the action of ‘reading’ was
completed on the subject (more than one book) without leaving any pages
behind in any of those books.

However, by just saying:

저는 모든 소설을 읽었어요

I am more indicating that I have tried reading every book, but there is no
indication on if I have finished reading any of them.

다 can also be used to indicate that all the members/things that represent a
subject do some action (or are some adjective). For example:

PLAY 사람들이 다 왔어요 = All the people have come

PLAY 사람들이 다 죽었어요 = All the people died
PLAY 부모님은 다 그래요 = All parents are like that
PLAY 남자들은 다 게을러요 = All men are lazy
PLAY 학생들은 다 공부하고 있어요 = All of the students are studying
PLAY 애기들이 다 낮잠 자고 있어요 = All the babies are taking a nap

In these cases, I have noticed that there is effectively no difference between

using 다 or 모든. For example, each of these sentences would have the
same meaning:

PLAY 모든 사람들이 왔어요 = All the people have come

PLAY 모든 사람들이 죽었어요 = All the people died
PLAY 모든 부모님은 그래요 = All parents are like that
PLAY 모든 남자들은 게을러요 = All men are lazy
PLAY 모든 학생들은 공부하고 있어요 = All of the students are studying
PLAY 모든 애기들이 낮잠을 자고 있어요 = All the babies are taking a nap

The only difference I can feel is that ‘모든’ is considering the subjects
(although groups of people) almost as unique individuals/things within the
group, whereas ‘다’ is describing the subjects a groups. At this point, this is
not something you need to worry about. Understanding the precise nuance
is more about feeling (which you will develop with time).

The similarities in these usages allow them to be used in the same sentence.
For example:

모든 사람들이 다 왔어요 = All the people have come

모든 사람들이 다 죽었어요 = All the people died
모든 부모님은 다 그래요 = All parents are like that
모든 남자들은 다 게을러요 = All men are lazy
모든 학생들은 다 공부하고 있어요 = All of the students are studying
모든 애기들이 다 낮잠 자고 있어요 = All the babies are taking a nap

All of these can also be used in negative sentences, for example:

PLAY 사람들이 다 안 왔어요 = Not all the people have come

PLAY 저는 라면을 다 안 먹었어요 = I didn’t eat all of the ramen
PLAY 저는 숙제를 다 하지 못했어요 = I couldn’t do all of my homework

다 can also be used as a noun. In this form, it is usually placed before 이다

or 아니다 to indicate that something is (or isn’t) “all.” For example:

PLAY 그게 다야? = Is that all

PLAY 이게 다가 아니야 = This isn’t all

모두
There is also another word that you should be aware of: “모두,” which has
the meaning of “all.” It can generally be used in the following ways:

As an adverb
In these cases, 모두 essentially has the same meaning as “다.” For example:

PLAY 선생님들은 모두 똑똑해요 = All teachers are smart, which could also
be written as:
PLAY 선생님들은 다 똑똑해요 = All teachers are smart, or
PLAY 모든 선생님들은 똑똑해요 = Every teacher is smart

In this adverb form, 다 can also be placed after 모두 in the same sentence.

For example:

PLAY 선생님들은 모두 다 똑똑해요 = All teachers are smart

In this adverb form, you would not see particles attached to it.

As a (pro)noun
In these cases 모두 typically means “everybody” or “everything.” Particles
are usually attached to it. For example:

PLAY 모두가 이해했어요 = Everybody understood

PLAY 모두가 산책하고 있어요 = Everybody is going for a walk

Here’s the part that is a bit confusing. Often times when the sentence
structure is just Subject – 모두 – Verb, the ~를 is omitted from 모두. For
example:

나는 모두를 이해했어 would be better said as:

PLAY 나는 모두 이해했어 = I understood everything

And

저는 모두를 먹고 싶어요 would be better said as:

PLAY 저는 모두 먹고 싶어요 = I want to eat everything
It took me a long time to come to this conclusion, but my explanation as to
why this is done is because in these cases 모두 is acting as an adverb.
Therefore, it is not so much that the ~를 is being omitted, but rather that the
모두 is serving a different function (and the sentence ends up having the
same meaning anyways).

Just like how you would not see ~를 attached to 다 in the following
sentences:

나는 다 이해했어 = I understood everything

저는 다 먹고 싶어요 = I want to eat everything

Often times a word that represents a group of people is placed before 모두.
In these cases, ~를 is usually attached to 모두. For example:

PLAY 저는 가족 모두를 사랑해요 = I love all of my family

PLAY 저는 학생 모두를 가르쳤어요 = I taught all of the students

The same structure works when the group of people is the subject of a
sentence. For example:

PLAY 학생 모두가 기숙사로 갔어요 = All of the students went to the dorm
PLAY 가족 모두가 고향에 갔어요 = All of the/my family went to the/our
hometown
PLAY 선생님 모두가 회의에 갔어요 = All of the teachers went to a meeting

Other particles can be attached to it as well, for example:

PLAY 저는 선물을 모두에게 주었어요 = I gave a present to everybody

Everywhere/Every time/Everyone

~나 can be added to the words ‘where,’ ‘when,’ and ‘who’ to mean

‘everywhere,’ ‘every time,’ and ‘everyone.’ Particles are usually not added to
these words. For example:
어디 = where
어디나 = everywhere

PLAY 나는 한국에서 어디나 여행하고 싶어 = I (would) want to travel

everywhere in Korea
PLAY 우리는 동남아시아에 어디나 갈 거예요 = We will go everywhere in
South East Asia
PLAY 밥은 어디나 맛이 똑같아요 = Rice tastes the same everywhere

언제 = when
언제나 = every time/always

PLAY 그녀는 언제나 늦게 와요 = She comes late every time

PLAY 저는 언제나 똑같은 메뉴를 먹어요 = I always eat the same menu
PLAY 저는 언제나 똑같은 시간에 일어나요 = I always wake up at the same
time

누구 = who
누구나 = everyone

PLAY 누구나 그 여자를 알아요 = Everybody knows that girl

PLAY 누구나 우리 애기를 보고 싶어요 = Everybody wants to see our baby
PLAY 누구나 한국을 좋아해요 = Everybody likes Korea

 
 

Something/Somewhere/Sometime/Somebody

~ㄴ가 can be added to the words ‘what,’ ‘where,’ ‘when,’ and ‘who’ to mean
‘something,’ ‘somewhere,’ ‘sometime,’ and ‘somebody.’ For example:

뭐 = what
뭔가 = something

The subject and object particles in general can be omitted from any
sentence (although I don’t suggest omitting particles until you have a very
deep understanding of Korean), but they seem to be more commonly
omitted from these types of sentences. Many examples:

PLAY 나는 방금 뭔가(를) 봤어 = I just saw something a minute ago

PLAY 등에 뭔가(가) 있어요 = There is something on your back
PLAY 등에 뭔가(가) 있나요? = Is there something on my back?
PLAY 저는 팔에 뭔가(가)느껴져요 = I feel something on my arm
PLAY 저는 뭔가(를) 먹고 싶어요 = I want to eat something
PLAY 저는 뭔가(를) 말하고 싶어요 = I want to say something

어디 = where
어딘가 = somewhere

By the nature of the word “somewhere,” you are most likely to use the
particles ~에 or ~에서 in these sentences. It would be acceptable to omit
the particle ~에 from 어딘가 but less acceptable to omit the particle ~에서.
Many examples:

PLAY 열쇠를 어딘가(에) 뒀어 = I left my keys somewhere

PLAY 전쟁이 아시아 어딘가에서 났어요 = A war broke out somewhere in
Asia
PLAY 피가 어딘가에서 나오고 있어요 = Blood is coming out of somewhere
PLAY 저는 그릇을 어딘가(에) 두었어요 = I put the bowl in some place
PLAY 선생님들이 회의를 어딘가에서 하고 있어요 = The teachers are having
a meeting somewhere
PLAY 저는 휴일에 어딘가에 가고 싶어요 = I want to go somewhere on the
holiday
PLAY 저는 어딘가에서 커피를 마시고 싶어요 = I want to drink a cup of
coffee somewhere

언제 = when
언젠가 = sometime/someday

~에 is typically not attached to 언젠가. Many examples:

PLAY 그 날이 언젠가 올 거예요 = The day will come sometime

PLAY 구름이 언젠가 걷힐 거예요 = The clouds will clear
eventually/sometime
PLAY 저는 언젠가 경찰관이 되고 싶어요 = I want to become a police officer
someday
PLAY 저는 언젠가 중국어도 배우고 싶어요 = I want to learn Chinese as well
some day
PLAY 저는 언젠가 고향에 돌아가고 싶어요 = I want to return (go back) to
my hometown some day

When I first learned about this word, I wondered if particles like ~까지 or ~
부터 could be attached to it because 언젠가 represents a time. I kept
bugging Korean people to try to make me example sentences of these
particles attached to 언젠가 and they always came up with nothing. I
realized that in both English and Korean, it isn’t logical to make sentences
with “until someday” or “from someday.”
 

누구 = who
누군가 = somebody

PLAY 누군가(는) 너를 찾고 있어 = Somebody is looking for you

PLAY 저는 누군가의 열쇠를 찾았어요 = I found somebody’s keys
PLAY 경찰관들은 누군가와 얘기하고 있어요 = The policemen are talking
with somebody
PLAY 누군가가 지갑을 잃어버렸어요 = Somebody lost their wallet
PLAY 누군가가 그 파일을 저에게 보냈어요 = Somebody sent that file to me

In Lesson 22, you learned about using 어느 in sentences. Another usage of

어느 is to reference a vague place or point in time. I am including this
explanation in this section of the lesson because of the similarities with the
sentences above.

You would often see this type of thing in stories, poetry or news reports
where the specific location does not need to be given. This would be similar
to something like this at a start of a story in English:

A long time ago in a far-away castle, or

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away

In this usage, 어느 is commonly placed before a broad indication of time or

place. For example:

어느 날 = some day (an ambiguous day)

어느 밤 = some night (an ambiguous night)
어느 겨울 = some winter (an ambiguous winter)
어느 여름 = some summer (an ambiguous summer)
어느 마을 = some village (an ambiguous village)
어느 시장 = some market (an ambiguous market)

Here, the person speaking/writing this way because he/she does not need
to specifically reference the time. Some example sentences:
PLAY 어느 겨울 꽃이 다 사라졌다 = Some winter, all the flowers
disappeared
PLAY 어느 마을에서 애기 두 명이 태어났다 = Two babies were born in
some village
PLAY 그 다음 날, 할머니가 어느 시장을 구경하고 있었다 = The next day,
the grandmother was browsing around some market

Again, like I said, you would most likely see these types of sentences used
in stories, often setting up the scenario or something within a book.

It is also possible to use a question word to refer to an ambiguous place,

thing or person. This is most commonly done with the following words:

어디
Person 1: 엄마가 집에 있어? = Is mom at home
Person 2: 아니요. 어디 갔어. = No, she went somewhere

뭐
우리가 이미 뭐 먹었어요 = We already ate something

누구
나는 내일 누구 만날 거야 = Tomorrow I’m going to meet somebody

Using these words like this is quite advanced, and is not something I learned
until a few years of exposure with Korean. What makes these usages even
more confusing is that you can use these words in sentences when you are
asking a question. For example:

뭐 먹었어요? Could mean both:

– What did you eat? or
– Did you eat something?

어디 갔어요? Could mean both:

– Where did you go? or
– Did you go somewhere
누구(를) 만났어요? Could mean both:
– Who did you meet? Or
– Did you meet somebody

Distinguishing them, believe it or not, can be done quite easily if you train
your ear correctly. When using “뭐, 어디 or 누구” as the question word in
the sentence, the stress of the sentence is on the question word itself. Pay
close attention to the audio in the following examples:

PLAY 뭐 먹었어요? = What did you eat?

PLAY 어디 갔어요? = Where did you go?
PLAY 누구 만났어요? = Who did you meet?

When using “뭐, 어디 or 누구” to refer to an ambiguous thing, place or

person, the stress of the sentence is on the verb. Again, pay close attention
to the audio in the following examples, and specifically how they differ from
the examples above:

PLAY 뭐 먹었어요? = Did you eat something?

PLAY 어디 갔어요? = Did you go somewhere?
PLAY 누구 만났어요? = Did you meet somebody?

As I mentioned however, this is quite advanced. You might not be able to

hear the difference at this stage in your learning, but it is good to be aware
of as you continue to progress through your studies.

아무
Anybody/Nobody

아무 is a pronoun that refers to “any” person. When using it in a sentence,

the speaker is indicating the person he/she is referring to is not a specific
“set” person, but could actually be “anybody.”
It is most commonly used with ~나 attached to it. This particle (when
attached to other nouns as you will learn in Lesson 58) often indicates the
same indifference meaning that “아무” itself has.

When used together, it can almost be seen as one unit that means
“anybody.” As ~나 is actually a particle in itself, when used as the subject or
object of a sentence, particles ~는 or ~가 are not usually doubled up on top
of ~나. For example:

아무나 그 책을 좋아할 거예요 = Anybody will/would like that book

이렇게 좋은 학교에서는 아무나 공부를 잘 할 거예요 = Anybody can study
well at this school

However, particles can be added before ~나 if the word being used has
other functions within a sentence (other than the subject or object).
Because 아무 refers to a person in this case, the most common particles
you would see here are particles meaning “to” (~에게/한테) and “with” (~와
/하고). For example:

PLAY 나는 아무와나 사귀고 싶어 = I want to go out with anybody

PLAY 저는 이 선물을 아무에게나 주고 싶어요 = I want to give this present
to anybody
PLAY 저는 아무하고나 축구를 하고 싶어요 = I want to play soccer with
anybody

When ~도 replaces ~나 in these cases, we get the opposite meaning.

아무도 can be used as the subject or object of a sentence to mean
“nobody.” Just like 아무나, particles are not usually attached to 아무도 as “~
도” is actually the particle being used.

When using 아무도, the sentence must be conjugated in a negative way or

end with some negative word like 없다. This is counter intuitive for English
speakers – because it makes us think we are saying a double negative. For
example, the following sentence:

집에 아무도 있어요 looks like it should mean “there is nobody at home.”

However, as I said, a sentence with “아무도” should end in a negative way.
Therefore, this is correct:

PLAY 집에 아무도 없어요 = There is nobody at home/There isn’t anybody at

home

Because of the double negative in the Korean version, this creates a

confusing translation for the English version. In the English version, we can
usually say either “anybody” with a negative conjugation, or “nobody” with
a positive conjugation.

For example:
PLAY 저는 아무도 못 봤어요 = I didn’t see anybody/I saw nobody
PLAY 저는 아무도 만나고 싶지 않아요 = I don’t want to meet anybody/I
want to meet nobody
PLAY 아무도 집에 가지 않았어요 = Nobody went home
PLAY 아무도 나를 좋아하지 않아 = Nobody likes me

Particles can be added before ~도 if the word being used has other
functions within a sentence (other than the subject or object). Because 아무
refers to a person in this case, the most common particles you would see
here are particles meaning “to” (~에게/한테) and “with” (~와/하고). For
example:

PLAY 저는 그 말을 아무에게도 안 했어요 = I didn’t say that to anybody/I

said that to nobody
PLAY 저는 아무하고도 얘기하고 싶지 않아요 = I don’t want to talk with
anybody/I want to talk with nobody

It is very easy to be confused with these double negatives at first. To make

it simple at the beginning, just tell your brain to use “아무나” when you
want to say something that ends positively, and to use “아무도” when you
want to say something that ends negatively. In theory, 아무나 and 
아무도 are the same word in Korean (with different particles attached).
One just happens to be used with positive sentences, and the other
happens to be used in negative sentences.

아무 Used Before Other Nouns

Another function that 아무 has is to be placed before a thing/place/time to
describe it. The most common nouns you will see after 아무 are:

거 = short form of 것, meaning “thing”

데 = meaning “place”
때 = meaning “time”

When ~나 is attached to these nouns, the speaker is indicating that the

thing/place/time is not a specific “thing/place/time,” but could actually be
“anything,” “anywhere” or “anytime.” For example:

PLAY 저는 아무 거나 먹고 싶어요 = I want to eat anything (I’d eat anything)

PLAY 아무 때나 좋아요 = Anytime is good
PLAY 저는 아무 데나 가고 싶어요 = I want to go anywhere (I’d go
anywhere)

In the example above, you can see that “데” is used to refer to a place.
When the verb being used requires “~에” to be attached to that place, “~에”
is omitted. However, when the verb being used requires “~에서” to be
attached to that place “~에서” should be added before ~나.

For example, even though the same place is being used in both sentences
below, because of the nature of the verbs 가다 and 먹다, ~에 should be
used in one case, and ~에서 should be used in the other.

저는 공원에 가고 싶어요 = I want to go to the park

저는 밥을 공원에서 먹고 싶어요 = I want to eat in the park

The difference between these two sentences is the same as the difference
between these two sentences:

PLAY 저는 아무 데나 가고 싶어요 = I want to go anywhere

PLAY 저는 아무 데서나 먹고 싶어요 = I want to eat (at) anywhere

~도 can replace ~나 in these cases to have the meaning of “nothing” or

“nowhere.” For example:
PLAY 저는 아무 것도 먹고 싶지 않아요 = I don’t want to eat anything/I want
to eat nothing
PLAY 아기는 아무 데도 가지 않았어 = The baby didn’t go anywhere/The
baby went nowhere

“아무 때도” means “no time?” This doesn’t make sense. Instead, the word 
전혀 (introduced in Lesson 34) should be used.

It is possible to use other nouns after 아무. For example:

PLAY 저는 아무 버스나 타고 갈 거예요 = I’m going to take any bus and

leave
PLAY 저는 아무 말도 하지 않았어요 = I didn’t say anything/I said nothing
PLAY 저는 엄마랑 아무 관계도 없어요 = I don’t have any relationship with
my mother/I have no relationship with my mother

However, by far the most common three things to use after 아무 are 거, 데
and 때.

I would love to provide way more examples, but many of the examples I
want to make with 아무 (and the words it can create) use grammatical
principles that you haven’t been introduced to you yet. The two most
common grammatical principles that you haven’t learned yet that would be
used in these situations are:

Making a command (introduced in Lesson 40), and

One can/cannot do (Introduced in Lesson 45)

Here are some quick examples using those two principles. The only reason I
am showing you these is because I think it is likely you have learned about
these either by looking ahead or by using some other resource.

Making a command
가방을 아무 데나 두세요 = Put your bag down anywhere
아무 거나 고르세요! = Choose anything!
아무 거나 먹자! = Let’s eat anything!

One can/cannot do
아무나 그것을 할 수 있어요 = Anybody can do that
It also might be helpful to take a peek at Lesson 58 to see how ~나 can be
used when not used in these specific cases of 아무나, 아무 거나, 아무 때나,
etc. In theory, I should have presented these words after I taught you about
~나, but in my opinion the use ~나 as it is used in this lesson is more
common (and therefore more important) than the general use of ~나
introduced later.

Each (마다)

마다 means “each” and is attached directly to the end of a noun:

날마다 = each day

학생마다 = each student
금요일마다 = each/every Friday
30 분마다 = each/every 30 minutes

When I first learned about this, I asked the following question to my

grammar teacher:

“What is the difference between ‘모든 학생’, and 학생마다?”

The answer is so subtle, but there is a difference. The only way I can

explain it is by saying the following:
If you can explain the difference between “every student” and “each
student” in English, then you fully understand the difference between “모든
학생” and “학생마다.”

But really, can you explain the difference between “every student” and

“each student?” There is a difference. I know there is a difference. “Each”
has something to do with ‘each individual student,’ whereas “every” has
something to do with ‘all students.’… huh?
I don’t know. I always think I can explain the difference between “each” and
“every” in English, but it’s too confusing.

Just remember that 마다 means “each” and “모든” means “every.” That is
more than enough.

PLAY 그 버스는 10 분마다 와요 = That bus comes each/every 10 minutes

PLAY 학생마다 달라요 = Each student is different

… and with that, you have finished Unit 1! You have come a really long way
from our first lessons. When you first started learning through our website,
you were learning sentences like: “나는 선생님이다.”

Hopefully you enjoyed our first unit, and hopefully you didn’t get too
confused – because in Unit 2 you will start learning Korean grammar
concepts that will not only make your sentences much more complex, but
also make your head explode.

If you are confident in what you learned in Lessons 17 – 25, why not check
your knowledge on our Lessons 17 – 25 Mini-Test.

Or you can go directly to our Unit 1 test, which will test you on everything
you learned in Unit 1.

If you are not into taking the tests, you could always head directly to Unit
2 and check out our first lesson (Lesson 26).

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. You will probably be able to understand most of the grammar in these
example sentences, but some of the sentences might use grammar from
later lessons. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each word
can be used.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 아줌마 = middle aged/older woman
PLAY 물건 = thing, item, goods

PLAY 복도 = hall, hallway

PLAY 목적 = purpose, aim, goal

PLAY 목적지= destination

PLAY 국가 = nation, country

PLAY 동네 = neighborhood

PLAY 학비 = tuition

PLAY 무기 = weapon

PLAY 정답 = right/correct answer

PLAY 청소년 = youth

PLAY 지역 = a certain area or region

PLAY 경기 = match or game

PLAY 점수 = grade, score

PLAY 선수 = player (in sports)

PLAY 목숨 = life

PLAY 모기 = mosquito

PLAY 허리 = waist

PLAY 달 = moon
PLAY 인사 = greeting

PLAY 소금 = salt

PLAY 담배 = tobacco, cigarettes

PLAY 환자 = patients

PLAY 옷걸이 = hanger

PLAY 국제 = international

PLAY 일반 = usual, normal, typical

PLAY 사이 = space, gap

PLAY 밖 = the outside of something

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 깎다 = to peel, cut, trim, shave

CONJUGATE PLAY 알아보다 = to recognize, to try to know

CONJUGATE PLAY 극복하다 = to overcome

CONJUGATE PLAY 맞추다 = to adjust, fix, set

CONJUGATE PLAY 합격하다= to pass, to get accepted

CONJUGATE PLAY 결정하다 = to decide

CONJUGATEPLAY 이혼하다 = to get a divorce

CONJUGATE PLAY 물어보다 = to ask

CONJUGATE PLAY 피우다 = to smoke, to light a fire of some sort

CONJUGATE PLAY 불다 = to blow

CONJUGATE PLAY 계속하다 = to continue

CONJUGATE PLAY 다치다 = to injure, to hurt

CONJUGATE PLAY 답하다 = to answer, to respond

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 틀리다 = to be incorrect

CONJUGATE PLAY 깨끗하다 = to be clean

CONJUGATEPLAY 남다= to be remaining, to be left over

CONJUGATE PLAY 맑다 = to be clear, clean, pure

Adverbs and Other words:

PLAY 무료 = free

PLAY 영업 시간 = business hours

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

There are 800 vocabulary entries in Unit 2. All entries are linked to an
audio file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.

Introduction

Okay, it is time to kick it up a notch.

Most of what you learned in Unit 1 was taught simply to be a foundation to

what you will learn here in Unit 2 (and later in Units 3, 4, 5 etc…). Of course,
the content you learned in Unit 1 was very important (foundations are
important) but here in Unit 2 it will be slightly different.
When learning Korean, you eventually reach a point where the only thing
you are learning is other ways to end sentences. There are hundreds upon
hundreds of different things that you can add to the end of sentences (to
end them or to connect them to other sentences) to give a sentence a
different meaning. I’m not going to lie: most of what you will learn from
here on out (aside from vocabulary) will be these sentence
enders/connectors.
Not today, though. Today you will learn the most important aspect (in my
mind) of Korean grammar. It took me months to fully grasp this concept –
but not because it is terribly difficult, but rather because I did not have good
enough explanations when learning it. That is why I am here. I am going to
break down this concept for you like crazy – spanning four lessons.

I am talking, of course, of ~는 것.

Understanding this concept will literally make your ability to create

sentences increase dramatically. Lets get started.

This lesson is long. Very long. Please read the entire lesson to fully

understand everything. If something is confusing, it will more than likely be
resolved later in the lesson.

~는 것: Modifying Nouns with Verbs

Adjectives (in Korean and in English) get placed before nouns to describe
them. You learned this a long time ago in Lesson 4. You learned that when
you want to use an adjective to describe a noun, you must add ~ㄴ/은 to
the stem of the adjective. For example:

예쁘다 = 예쁜
똑똑하다 = 똑똑한
젊다 = 젊은

To describe nouns in the following way:

Pretty girl: 예쁜 여자
Smart student: 똑똑한 학생
Young teacher: 젊은 선생님

Simple enough.

But, what you don’t know is that verbs can also describe nouns in this same
way. It is the exact same premise with adjectives, but it is very difficult for
English speakers to understand.

This same thing (verbs describing nouns) is also done in English, but is done
differently than in Korean. As you know, In English and Korean, when an
adjective describes a noun, the adjective comes before the noun:

However, In English, when a verb describes a noun, the verb

comes after the noun. For example:

The girl who walks

The student who studies
The teacher who eats

The word “who” was added in all three examples, but it doesn’t necessarily
need to be “who” in English. For example:

The girl that walks

The student that studies
The teacher that eats

In those three examples, “that” was added, and each example essentially
has the same meaning as when “who” was written instead. You don’t need
to worry about if it should be “who/that” or whatever because you are not
learning English – you are learning Korean.

The point I am trying to get at here is that verbs can also describe nouns. In
English, verbs are placed after the nouns to describe them.

The next sentence is the most important sentence of the entire lesson:

In Korean, verbs are placed before nouns to describe them – very similar to

how it is done with adjectives.
How is this done? Like this:?

걷다 여자
공부하다 학생
먹다 선생님

Are those correct? Haha. No. Not by a long shot.

When you adjust adjectives to describe nouns, you know that you should
add ~ㄴ/은 to the stem of the word.
When you adjust verbs to describe nouns, you must add ~는 to the stem of
a verb:

걷다 = 걷는
공부하다 = 공부하는
먹다 = 먹는

These are all verbs that can now be placed before a noun to describe it:

걷는 여자 = the girl who walks

공부하는 학생 = the student who studies
먹는 선생님 = the teacher who eats

Now, I know what you are thinking. You are thinking “Okay, that is great, but
when would I ever say ‘the girl who walks’ in a sentence?”

That is a good question. Really, you would never (or very rarely) say
something like that in a sentence – but understanding that sentence is the
foundation for understanding everything else about ~는 것.

Remember, in regular sentences (in English and Korean), it is very rare to

just use the present tense conjugation. For example, are these natural?:

여자는 걷는다 = The girl walks

학생은 공부한다 = The student studies
선생님은 먹는다 = The teacher eats
Are those natural? Yes, they are natural, but who would ever just say “the
girl walks.” Usually in every day sentences, you would add more
information or conjugate the sentence in other tense:

여자는 학교에 걸었어요 = The girl walked to school

여자는 학교에 걸을 거예요 = The girl will walk to school
여자는 빨리 걷는다 = The girl walks fast
etc…

You can use the same information to describe the noun (the girl):

The girl who walked to school

The girl who will walk to school
The girl who walks fast

Lets stick to the one in the present tense for now:

The girl walks: 여자는 걷는다

The girl who walks: 걷는 여자

The girl walks fast: 여자는 빨리 걷는다

The girl who walks fast: 빨리 걷는 여자

Okay, so what’s the point? When would I ever want to say “The girl who
walks fast”?

The thing is, now that you have made the noun “the girl who walks fast” (“
빨리 걷는 여자”) you can now place that noun in sentences that:

–  end in an adjective
–  end in a verb
–  end in 이다

You have been doing the exact same things with adjectives since Lesson 4.

예쁜 여자 = Pretty girl
– 예쁜 여자는 어려요 = The pretty girl is young
– 저는 예쁜 여자를 만났어요 = I met a pretty girl
– 저는 예쁜 여자예요 = I am a pretty girl
The three sentences above include a noun that is being described by an
adjective.

빨리 걷는 여자 = The girl who walks fast

– PLAY 빨리 걷는 여자는 어려요 = The girl who walks fast is young
– PLAY 저는 빨리 걷는 여자를 만났어요 = I met a girl who walks fast
– PLAY 저는 빨리 걷는 여자예요 = I am a girl who walks fast

The three sentences above include a noun that is being described by a verb.

Those sentences may not be that common in either English or Korean, but
that is the basis of this entire lesson. It is important to realize that entire
clauses (including clauses that include complex grammatical principles
within them) can be put before this ~는 것 form. These clauses can also
include subjects within them. Typically, the subject within a clause that is
used to describe an upcoming noun has the simple subject marker “~이/가”
attached to it. Just like when a noun is being described by an adjective, once
you have a noun that is being described by a verb (or by an entire clause),
you can put it wherever you want in the sentence. Below are many more
examples:

PLAY 제가 만나고 있는 사람은 예뻐요 = The person I am meeting is pretty

PLAY 제가 보고 있는 영화는 재미있어요 = The movie I am watching is
funny
PLAY 제가 먹고 있는 음식은 맛있어요 = The food I am eating is delicious
PLAY 저는 제가 자주 가는 곳에 가고 있어요 = I am going to the place I often
go to
PLAY 친구는 제가 자주 가는 곳에 가고 있어요 = My friend is going to the
place I often go

Actually, I feel like this is getting a little bit too complicated. I want to break
this down one more time.

This sentence should be simple to you:

친구는 학교에 가고 있어요 = My friend is going to school

Simple enough. Subject – place – verb.

If you want to describe that school, you could do so with adjectives:

큰 학교 = big school
작은 학교 = small school|
나쁜 학교 = bad school

… or verbs:
제가 자주 가는 학교 = The school I go to often

Then, it is simply a matter of putting those nouns into sentences:

친구는 큰 학교에 가고 있어요 = My friend is going to the big school

친구는 작은 학교에 가고 있어요 = My friend is going to the small school
친구는 나쁜 학교에 가고 있어요 = My friend is going to the bad school

PLAY 친구는 제가 자주 가는 학교에 가고 있어요 = My friend is going to the

school that I go to often

Incredibly complicated at first, incredibly simple once you get the hang of it.
The only problem is that it is difficult for English speakers to get used to
because we describe a noun with a verb after the noun.

Many more examples:

과학을 좋아하는 여자 = the/a girl that likes science

PLAY 저는 과학을 좋아하는 여자들을 좋아해요 = I like girls that like science

제가 보고 있는 시험 = The exam I am writing

PLAY 제가 보고 있는 시험은 어려워요 = The exam I am writing is difficult

제가 사귀고 있는 여자 = The girl who I am going out with

PLAY 제가 사귀고 있는 여자는 미국에 갔어요 = The girl who I am going out
with went to the US

엄마가 요리하는 음식 = The food that my mother cooks

PLAY 엄마가 요리하는 음식은 항상 맛있어요 = The food that my mother
cooks is always delicious

공부하지 않는 학생들 = students who do not study

PLAY 공부하지 않는 학생들은 똑똑하지 않아요 = Students who do not
study are not smart

제가 공원에 가는 날 = the day(s) I go to the park

PLAY 저는 공원에 가는 날에 항상 행복해요 = I am always happy on the
days I go to the park

이 동네에서 축구를 잘 하는 청소년들 = kids who are good at playing soccer

in this neighborhood
PLAY 이 동네에서 축구를 잘 하는 청소년들이 많아요 = There are a lot of
kids who are good at playing soccer in this neighborhood

Actually, Korean people have the same problem with this concept when
translating to English. If you meet a Korean person who can’t speak English
well, they will always say sentences like this in their ‘Korean style.’

Instead of saying: “girls that like science,” they say:

“like science girls’

Instead of saying “the exam I am writing,” they say:

“I write exam”

Instead of saying “the girl I am going out with,” they say:

“I go out with girl”

Instead of saying “the food my mother cooks,” they say:

“my mother cooks food”

Anyways, enough of what Korean people say.

It is hard to translate the definition of this concept directly in English, but it

sometimes translates to ‘who,’ ‘when,’ or ‘that.’ These words however don’t
need to be in the sentence in English, as you will see in the following
examples. Each of the following pairs of sentences have the same meaning
in English:

My friend is going to the school I go to often

My friend is going to the school that I go to often
The exam I am writing is difficult
The exam that I am writing is difficult

The girl I am going out with went to the US

The girl who I am going out with went to the US
The girl that I am going out with went to the US

The food my mother cooks is always delicious

The food that my mother cooks is always delicious

Students that do not study are not smart

Students who do not study are not smart

I am always happy on the days I go to the park

I am always happy on the days that I go to the park
I am always happy on the days when I go to the park

“That” can be used in most situations. If the noun you are using is a person,
“who” can be exchanged for “that.” If the noun you are using is a time,
“when” can be exchanged for “that.”

I’m going to say this one more time. Read it a few times to make sure you
understand it completely (it is complicated). The noun that you create by
describing it with a verb can be placed anywhere that other nouns can be
placed!

Lets describe one more noun and see where it can be placed:

내가 가르치는 학생들 = the students that I teach

Placed as the subject of a sentence:

PLAY 내가 가르치는 학생들은 수업을 듣고 싶지 않아 = The students that I
teach don’t want to come to class

Before 이다:
PLAY 그 사람은 내가 가르치는 학생이다 = That person is a student that I
teach (I teach that student)
Placed in any clause within a sentence:
PLAY 내가 가르치는 학생들이 수업에 오기 전에 나는 교실을 청소했어 =
Before the students that I teach came to class, I cleaned the classroom

.. okay, I think you get it.

I’ve made a bunch of YouTube videos that break down the grammar and
vocabulary in various Korean street signs. ~는 것 comes up in the following
videos:
Video 1: Recycling Day Information
Video 19: Bus Etiquette

So far in this lesson you have learned how to describe nouns using verbs in
the present tense:

The place I go
The food I eat
The student I teach

But what about the past tense?

The place I went

The food I ate
The student I taught

Or the future tense?

The place I will go

The food I will eat
The student I will teach

Lets talk about those now.

~는 것 Past Tense (~ㄴ/은 것)

You can also describe nouns with verbs in the past tense to make nouns
like:
The place I went
The food I ate
The student I taught

To do this, instead of adding ~는 to the stem of a verb, you must add ~ㄴ/은.
You must add ~은 to stems ending in a consonant (먹다 = 먹은), and ~ㄴ
should be added directly to stems ending in a vowel (가다 = 간):

제가 간 곳 = The place I went

제가 먹은 음식 = The food I ate
제가 가르친 학생 = The student I taught

The general idea is the same as the present tense; the verb is simply
conjugated into the past. More examples:

PLAY 엄마가 요리한 음식은 너무 맛있어요 = The food my mom cooked is

delicious
PLAY 저는 엄마가 요리한 음식을 다 먹었어요 = I ate all the food my mom
cooked
PLAY 제가 어제 만난 사람은 저를 다시 만나고 싶어요 = The person I met
yesterday wants to meet me again
PLAY 남은 음식을 포장하고 싶어요 = I want to pack up the food that is left
over
PLAY 내가 회사에 가지 않은 날에 병원에 갔어 = On the day I didn’t go to
work, I went to the hospital
PLAY 선생님은 학생들이 물어본 질문에 답했어요 = The teacher answered
the questions that the students asked
PLAY 옛날에 담배를 많이 피운 환자가 많아요 = There are a lot of patients
who smoked a lot a long time ago
PLAY 내가 작년에 가르친 학생 한 명은 벌써 의사가 되었어 = One of the
students I taught last year has already become a doctor

I talk about how ~ㄴ/은 is used to describe an upcoming noun in this

Korean Sign Explanation video.

 
 ~는 것 Future Tense (~ㄹ/을 것)

You can also describe nouns with verbs in the future tense to make nouns
like:

The place I will go

The food I will eat
The student I will teach

To do this, instead of adding ~는 to the stem of a verb, you must add ~ㄹ/을.
You must add ~을 to stems ending in a consonant (먹다 = 먹을) and ~ㄹ
should be added directly to stems ending in a vowel (가다 = 갈):

내가 갈 곳 = The place I will go

내가 먹을 음식 = The food I will eat
내가 가르칠 학생 = The student I will teach

Many more examples:

PLAY 제가 갈 곳은 제주도예요 = The place I will go is Jeju-do

PLAY 저는 할 일이 있어요 = I have something/work to do
PLAY 저는 그 사람이 저에게 줄 선물을 받고 싶지 않아요 = I don’t want to
accept the gift that that person will give me
PLAY 제가 받을 점수는 중요해요 = The score I will receive is important

In Lesson 9, you learned how to create a future tense conjugation by

attaching ~ㄹ/을 것이다 to words. For example, in Lesson 9, you saw this
sentence:

PLAY 저는 밥을 먹을 것이에요 = I will eat rice

If you look closely, the grammar being used in this type of sentence is the
same as the grammar that I am presenting in this lesson. If you look at the
two examples below:
PLAY 저는 밥을 먹을 것이에요 = I will eat rice
PLAY 제가 받을 점수는 중요해요 = The score I will receive is important

In both of the sentences above, the ~을 attached to the verb is performing

the same function – in that it is describing the upcoming noun.

Remember, “것” is a noun, and in the first sentence above, “것” is being
described by the word before it (먹다). For example, look how “것” is being
described in the first example::

밥을 먹을 것 = A thing that will eat rice

In theory, the full sentence (PLAY 저는 밥을 먹을 것이에요) could translate

to “I am a thing that will eat rice.” However, it would never be translated like
that because when ~ㄹ/을 것이다 is used at the end of a sentence, it is
usually done to create the future tense conjugation that would translate to
“one will do…” This isn’t imperative to your understanding, but it is good to
recognize that ~ㄹ/을 has the same function in both of these types of
sentences – which is describing the noun in-front of it.

There are many instances of a Korean grammatical principle having

different English translations depending on the type of sentence it is used in.
There might be one thing in Korean that represents many meanings in
English, and there might be one thing in English that represents many
meanings in Korean. Try to step out of the “English box” and understand
that two vastly different languages will have very little similarities.

…Anyways…

…. All of this brings me to the last point of this lesson:

So What’s the Point?: ~는 것

The name for everything you learned in this lesson is “~는 것” (or ~ㄴ 것 for
past tense and ~ㄹ 것 for future tense). So far, I have shown you many
examples of other nouns in place of “것”:

제가 먹는 음식 = The food I eat

제가 먹은 음식 = The food I ate
제가 먹을 음식 = The food I will eat

제가 가르치는 학생 = the student I teach

제가 가르친 학생 = the student I taught
제가 가르칠 학생 = the student I will teach

제가 가는 날에 = the day I go
제가 간 날에 = the day I went
제가 갈 날에 = the day I will go

Question:
So why is the grammar concept called “~는 것”?

Answer: (This answer is ridiculously important)

If you ever want to change a sentence (or any part of a sentence) into a
noun, you must do so by adding ~는 것 to the clause. … which leads to the
next question:

Question:
Why on earth would I want to change a sentence into a noun?

Answer:
Look at the following example:

You know this already:

저는 사과를 원해요 = I want apples

Very simple sentence. Subject – object – verb,

But what if you wanted to say the following:

I want my friend to bring apples.

The structure is actually identical in the two sentences:

I want apples
I want my friend to bring apples

In both cases, I will put the thing that you want in brackets:

I want (apples)
I want (my friend to bring apples)

In Korean:

저는 (apples)를 원해요
저는 (my friend to bring apples)를 원해요

The first one is easy, you already know:

저는 사과를 원해요

But the second one? How would I say this in Korean?:

저는 (my friend to bring apples)를 원하다

How can you say “my friend brings apples” in Korean?

친구는 사과를 가져와요 = My friend brings apples

But! You need to change that sentence to a noun. THIS is the situation when
you will need to change clauses/sentences to nouns. Lets change that
sentence into a noun:

친구가 사과를 가져오는 것

This is very hard to translate into English. 것 means “thing.” The rest of it is
an adjective describing that “thing.” If I had to translate it, I would say “the
thing of my friend bringing apples.”.. but, again, it cannot really be
translated.

So, if we look at our sentences again:

I want (apples)
I want (my friend to bring apples)

Apples = 사과
My friend brings apples (noun form) = 친구가 사과를 가져오는 것

저는 (apples)를 원해요
저는 (my friend to bring apples)를 원해요

저는 (사과)를 원해요
저는 (친구가 사과를 가져오는 것)을 원해요

저는 사과를 원해요 = I want apples

PLAY 저는 친구가 사과를 가져오는 것을 원해요 = I want my friend to bring
apples

Wow, complicated.
Lets look at another example.

I like movies.
PLAY 저는 영화를 좋아해요
Simple sentence. Subject – object – verb

But what if you wanted to say

“I like making movies,” or

“I like watching movies”

Again, I will put the things that you like in brackets:

I like (movies)
I like (making movies)
I like (watching movies)

Movies: 영화
I make movies: 영화를 만들어요
I watch movies: 영화를 봐요
Into noun form?:

영화
영화를 만드는 것
영화를 보는 것

저는 (movies)를 좋아해요
저는 (making movies)를 좋아해요
저는 (watching movies)를 좋아해요

저는 (영화)를 좋아해요
저는 (영화를 만드는 것)을 좋아해요
저는 (영화를 보는 것)을 좋아해요

PLAY 저는 영화를 좋아해요 = I like movies

PLAY 저는 영화를 만드는 것을 좋아해요 = I like making movies
PLAY 저는 영화를 보는 것을 좋아해요 = I like watching movies

I didn’t realize this when I first learned this grammar concept. In almost
every sentence you will ever say, you need to put this concept into use –
whether you realize it or not.

Think about it, how often do you simply say “I want to eat food”? You
usually make it more complex by saying:

PLAY 나는 그 사람이 먹고 있는 것을 먹고 싶어 = I want to eat what that

person is eating
PLAY 나는 우리가 지난 번에 같이 먹은 것을 먹고 싶어= I want to eat what
we ate (together) last time
PLAY 나는 엄마가 요리하는 것을 먹고 싶어 = I want to eat my mom’s
cooking

Etc…

Or, if you wanted to talk about what your dream is. Before this lesson, you
could have said this:

나의 꿈은 선생님이다 …
… but that translates to “My dream is teacher”…. Is that natural? My dream is
teacher? Instead, it would sound more natural if you said:

나의 꿈은 선생님이 되는 것이다 = My dream is becoming a teacher

Below are many more examples of a verb (with a clause before it)
describing a noun being used in sentences. The following sentences
specifically use the vocabulary that is introduced at the beginning of this
lesson. In addition, these sentences are slightly more complex than the
simple sentences I have used to describe the ~는 것 concept up until this
point.

PLAY 우리 학교의 목적은 국제고등학교가 되는 것이다 = Our school’s goal

is becoming an international school
PLAY 소금을 많이 먹는 것은 건강에 안 좋아요 = It is not healthy to eat a lot
of salt
PLAY 담배를 피우는 것은 건강에 나빠요 = It is unhealthy to smoke
cigarettes
PLAY 저의 목적은 그 시험을 합격하는 것이에요 = My goal is to pass that
exam
PLAY 이 문제를 극복하는 것이 힘들 거예요 = It will be difficult to overcome
this problem
PLAY 모자를 쓴 학생을 알아보는 것이 어려워요 = It is difficult to recognize
students wearing hats
PLAY 네가 지금 말하는 것이 틀려 = (the thing that) What you are saying
now is incorrect
PLAY 친구가 머리를 깎은 것을 알아보지 못했어요 = I couldn’t recognize
that my friend cut his hair
PLAY 복도에서 달리는 것은 위험해요 = It is dangerous to run in the hallway
PLAY 병원에서 넘어져서 팔을 다친 아줌마가 약을 무료로 받았어요 = The
woman who fell in the hospital and broke her arm received free medicine

————————-

Just one more quick note specifically about translating from English to
Korean or vice-versa. Translations are often ambiguous from English to
Korean, so you don’t need to worry about this too much.
When you use ~는 것 to describe an upcoming noun, the translation is often
“who,” “that,” or “where.” For example:

걷는 여자
= The girl who walks
= The girl that walks

내가 간 곳
= The place where I went
= The place that I went

This type of translation is also appropriate when describing a “thing.” For

example:

PLAY 내가 먹는 것은 밥이야
= The thing that I (am) eat(ing) is rice

PLAY 내가 가장 원하는 것은 차야
= The thing that I want most is a car

However, when using ~는 것 to change a clause into a noun so that you can
do something with that noun in a sentence, the translation of “to” or “~ing” is
usually more appropriate. For example:

PLAY 저는 친구가 사과를 가져오는 것을 원해요

= I want my friend to bring apples

PLAY 나의 꿈은 선생님이 되는 것이다

= My dream is becoming a teacher
= My dream is to become a teacher

PLAY 저는 영화를 보는 것을 좋아해요

= I like watching movies
= I like to watch movies

In terms of Korean grammar, the purpose of ~는 것 in all of these types of

sentences (i.e. whether it is being used to describe a noun or used to turn a
clause into a noun) is the same. However, in English these look like entirely
different sentences. Again, translations are often confusing and ambiguous.
You don’t necessarily need to worry about the different types of English
translations. What is more important is that you understand the Korean
grammar presented here.

————————-

That’s it for this lesson, but in the next 3 – 4 lessons I will be going deeper
and deeper into the ~는 것 grammar concept. This first lesson should give
you a good first step.

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. You will probably be able to understand most of the grammar in these
example sentences, but some of the sentences might use grammar from
later lessons. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each word
can be used.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 이유 = reason

PLAY 방법 = way, method

PLAY 예술 = art, the arts

PLAY 예술가 = artist

PLAY 내용 = contents

PLAY 종업원 = employee, server, worker

PLAY 기술 = technology, skill

PLAY 공책 = notebook

PLAY 달력 = calendar
PLAY 주스 = juice

PLAY 우체국 = post office

PLAY 대사관 = embassy

PLAY 휴지 = toilet paper

PLAY 햄버거 = hamburger

PLAY 비누 = soap

PLAY 숟가락 = spoon

PLAY 간호사 = nurse

PLAY 약국 = pharmacy

PLAY 사회 = community, society

PLAY 충격 = shock, impact

PLAY 법 = law

PLAY 시민 = citizen

PLAY 땀 = sweat

PLAY 보험 = insurance

PLAY 차이 = difference

PLAY 손님 = guest, visitor

PLAY 승객 = passenger
PLAY 대통령 = president (of country)

PLAY 회원 = member

PLAY 오렌지 = an orange

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 담다 = to put something in/on/onto/into

CONJUGATE PLAY 서명하다 = to sign

CONJUGATE PLAY 그리다 = to draw

CONJUGATE PLAY 밝히다 =  to lighten something, to reveal

CONJUGATE PLAY 발음하다 = to pronounce

CONJUGATE PLAY 포기하다 = to give up

CONJUGATE PLAY 지나다 = for something to pass by

CONJUGATEPLAY 실패하다 = to fail

CONJUGATE PLAY 근무하다 = to be employed

CONJUGATE PLAY 환승하다 = to transfer on a bus, subway

CONJUGATE PLAY 멈추다 = to stop

Passive verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 담기다 = to be put in/on/onto/into

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 외롭다 = to be lonely

CONJUGATE PLAY 소중하다 = to be significant, precious

Adverbs and Other words:
PLAY 따로 = separately, privately

PLAY 영원히 = forever

PLAY 한때 = once, at one time

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In the previous lesson, you learned how ~는 것 can:

● Turn clauses/sentences into nouns to make sentences like this:

저는 친구가 사과를 가져오는 것을 원해요 = I want my friend to bring
apples

● Use verbs to describe nouns to make sentences like this:

저는 과학을 좋아하는 여자들을 좋아해요 = I like girls who like Science
Now, let’s build on what you learned and apply the ~는 것 principle in other
ways.

Describe Past Tense with ~던 and ~았/었던

Before I even begin this lesson, I want to point out that I will be describing
things that most Korean people can’t distinguish. When learning about
subtle differences in a foreign language, it is often difficult to fully grasp
because native speakers of that language can intuitively feel the difference,
but not express it. I will do my best to describe this feeling, but keep in
mind that most Korean people would probably have difficulty expressing
what I will attempt to describe in this lesson.
For a long time now, you have been able to describe upcoming nouns with
adjectives. For example:

예쁜 여자 = pretty girl
똑똑한 학생 = smart student
나쁜 선생님 = bad teacher

In the previous lesson, you learned to describe upcoming nouns

with verbs. For example, in the present tense:

영어를 공부하는 학생 = the student that/who studies English

한국어를 가르치는 선생님 = the teacher that/who teaches Korean

… the future tense:

영어를 공부할 학생 = the student that/who will study English

한국어를 가르칠 선생님 = the teacher that/who will teach Korean

… and the past tense:

영어를 공부한 학생 = the student that/who studied English

한국어를 가르친 선생님 = the teacher that/who taught Korean

As you learned in the previous lesson (and as you can see in the two

example sentences immediately above), you can attach ~ㄴ/은 to the stem
of a verb to describe an upcoming noun in the past tense.

In addition to ~ㄴ/은, there are other ways that you can describe upcoming
nouns in the past tense. The two additional ways to describe an upcoming
noun in the past tense include the grammatical principle ~더~. Notice that
there is a “~” both before and after the syllable “더.” I include ~ both before
and after to “더” to indicate that not only is ~더~ attached to things, but
things are also attached to it.

~더~ is a fairly advanced grammatical principle and has multiple

applications. I discuss ~더~ and introduce the various ways that it can be
used in the later lessons of Unit 5; where I introduce ~던가 (Lesson 117), ~
더라 (Lesson 118) and ~더니 (Lesson 120). For now, I will concentrate on the
nuance that ~더~ adds by showing you how it can be used to describe an
upcoming noun.

When you see ~더~ used as part of a grammatical principle, it signifies that
the speaker is recalling/remembering some fact from the past that was
experienced. ~더~ can be attached to the stem of a verb, and ~ㄴ/은 (the
same ~ㄴ/은 that describes upcoming nouns in the past tense as learned in
the previous lesson) can be attached to ~더~.

Simply put, one use is: Verb stem + ~더~ + ~ㄴ/은

What comes out is Verb stem + ~던 – and this can be used to describe an
upcoming noun in the past tense. For example:

내가 입던 옷

Now, the difficult part of this lesson is trying to understand the difference
between the following:

I’m not going to make full sentences yet because I’m still in the process of
explaining the subtle difference between various ways to describe a noun
in the past tense. Once we get all the grammar under our belt, I’ll start
making real sentences.

● 내가 입은 옷 = The clothes I wore

● 내가 입던 옷 = The clothes I wore
Despite their similar (/identical) translations, there is a difference between
the two constructions above.

First of all, remember that the function of ~더~ is to indicate that the speaker
is recalling/remembering some fact that was experienced. In the second
example, the speaker is explicitly expressing that this thought is coming
from memory – something that the person remembers doing or
experiencing.

The first example is just a simple fact, and this additional “memory” feeling
isn’t present. This doesn’t mean that the first example above isn’t being
“recalled/remembered,” it just isn’t being explicitly expressed.
I realize that this sounds ambiguous. I’ve talked about this with Korean
people for years. When I try to get Korean people to explain the image they
have in their brain when hearing ~더~ (and specifically ~던 compared to ~ㄴ
/은) they move their hands in a way that shows that something is popping
or exploding out of their head.

In theory, you could translate the usage of ~던 in a sentence differently. For

example, you could say:

내가 입던 옷 = The clothes I recall wearing

However, I would never translate that sentence this way. The “recalling”
feeling of ~더~ in these cases is very subtle – more of a feeling – and unless
the context indicates otherwise, the focus is most likely on the clothes than
on the recollection.

In addition to having this “memory from experience” feeling, the use of ~던

in the construction above indicates that an action occurred repeatedly in
the past. I specifically chose the construction “내가 입던 옷” because it is an
excellent example to describe this usage. The clothes that are being
described are clothes that the speaker wore on multiple occasions (this
makes sense, because they are clothes).

When you say “내가 입은 옷,” again, you are just stating a simple fact, and
there is no additional information regarding “memory” or if you wore the
clothes once, or many times. All that is being stated is that – at some time in
the past, you wore those clothes – and no additional information is given. ~
ㄴ/은 is a very simply way to express that you wore these clothes in the
past.

So, now we know that adding ~던 gives the meaning of personal

experience/memory and that the action occurred repeatedly. Knowing this,
look at the following examples and think about which one would be
correct:

● 내가 입던 옷
● 내가 사던 옷
In the first example, the act of “wearing” an article of clothing can happen
repeatedly over time. Therefore, this construction is possible.
In the second example, the act of “buying” an article of clothing does not
happen repeatedly. Once you buy one piece of clothing, you don’t buy it
again. Therefore, this construction would be unacceptable (or at the very
least, very uncommon).

The difference between the two constructions above clearly illustrate this
“repeated” meaning of ~던. In the constructions above, I attached ~던 to
two different verbs to illustrate this difference. Below, I have used the same
verb, but this time have attached ~던 to the first one, and ~ㄴ/은 to the
second one. Look at the following examples and think about which one
would be correct:

● 내가 태어난 도시
● 내가 태어나던 도시
In the first example, ~ㄴ/은 indicates a simple past-tense fact, and there is
no additional meaning attached unless implied within the sentence. Here,
the speaker is describing the city as “the city that I was born in.”
In the second example, the act of “being born” cannot happen repeatedly.
Therefore, I can’t imagine a situation where this would be appropriate.

I realize that I just keep piling on the meanings hidden behind ~던, but there
is another subtlety that you should be aware of. When ~던 is used, we
know that the speaker is recalling something from memory, and that the
action occurred repeatedly in the past. It is also possible that this “repeated”
action is still reoccurring into the present (or whatever current time is being
described in the sentence). Unless otherwise specified in other parts of the
sentence, this repeated action hasn’t been stopped and is still re-occurring.

Let’s look at our classic “clothes” example and outline this specifically:

내가 입은 옷
The speaker is describing the clothes that he wore. There is no
deep/hidden/subtle meaning to it. All we know is that at some point in the
past, he wore the clothes. Did he wear it often/repeatedly? Did he wear it
once? Does he still wear it? Has he stopped wearing it? The answer to all of
these questions is ambiguous – and rightfully so. A lot of the time in
conversation you don’t need to specifically describe the noun you are
talking about. Simply saying “the clothes I wore” can be sufficient. In this
English sentence (“the clothes I wore”) is equally ambiguous to the sentence
above.
내가 입던 옷
The speaker is describing the clothes that he recalls/remembers wearing (as
is the function of ~더~). The clothes being described were worn repeatedly
in the past, and are likely still presently being worn – not necessarily at this
moment, but “these days” (or at whatever time is being described in the
sentence). There is no specific information about whether he stopped
wearing the clothes – and unless otherwise stated, he probably still wears
the clothes from time to time.

With the constructions I have shown so far, there is no additional context

given. In real situations with full sentences, you will most likely have
additional information that will allow you to distinguish the sentence better.
For example, I can put the construction above into a sentence:

PLAY 내가 지금까지 입던 옷을 내일 버릴 거야 = Tomorrow, I am going to

throw out the clothes that I have been wearing until now

The use of ~던 in the sentence can tell us the following:

● You have a recollection of wearing the clothes

● You wore the clothes repeatedly in the past
● The clothes haven’t “stopped” being worn – and they are still being
worn “until now.” Of course, you won’t be wearing them after today
because you’ll be throwing them out.
Here are many more examples:

PLAY 내가 읽던 책은 재미없었어 = The book I was reading wasn’t funny

PLAY 이 빵은 내가 자주 먹던 빵이야 = This bread is bread that I ate often
PLAY 제가 매일 마시던 주스를 샀어요 = I bought the juice that I drink
everyday
PLAY 여기가 내가 근무하던 곳이야 = This place (here) is the place that I
worked

PLAY2015 년에 쓰던 달력을 내일 버릴 거예요

= Tomorrow, I am going to throw out the calendar that I used to use in 2015

PLAY 제가 자주 가던 약국이 오늘부터 문을 닫을 거예요

= The pharmacy that I had been going to often will close its doors from
today
In the examples above, the object is being described by some action that “I”
did. I mentioned earlier that one of the subtleties of ~던 is the feeling of
“remembering/recalling.” In the examples above, of course I am
remembering them, because “I” am the person who performed the action.
This subtle meaning of “remembering/recalling,” although present, seems
irrelevant. Nonetheless, you should remember that ~더~ contains this
meaning.

In situations where the object is being described by some action

that another person did, the subtleties of ~던 seem more apparent. For
example, I could say these sentences:

PLAY 이 빵은 슬기가 자주 먹던 빵이야 = This bread is bread that Seulgi eats

often

PLAY 이곳에 근무하던 우체국 직원이 삶을 영원히 포기했어요

= The worker/employee who used to work at this post-office gave up on
his life forever

PLAY 길을 밝히던 불이 꺼지고 나서 길이 어두워졌어요

= The street became dark after the light that used to brighten the street
went out

PLAY 방금 들어온 사람은 우리 가게에 자주 오던 손님이야

= The person who just came in is a customer who comes to the store often

I use the present tense “come” in the English translation above. You could
argue than “came” or “used to come” would be more appropriate because
we are describing the person as a customer who came in the past.
However, because of the context of the sentence – they also “just came in”
and are probably still there now – indicating that it could be used in the
present tense. Again, it is difficult to translate these sentences in English.
Pay more attention to the Korean sentence and use the English translation
as a reference.

Because ~던 (through the usage of ~더~) indicates that one is

“remembering/recalling” something, the bread is not only “bread that Seulgi
eats often” but more specifically “bread that I specifically
remember/recall/experienced Seulgi eating often.”
Again, these types of translations are nonsense. I would never write a
translation of these types of sentences to include
“remember/recall/experienced.” It’s always better to just understand the
subtle meanings that they can have and forget about English translations. I
can’t really think of a great translation for ~던. If you think about it, with all
you know about ~던, how would you translate the following:

내가 입던 옷

Would you translate it to:

The clothes I wore

The clothes I used to wear
The clothes often wore

These sentences could all be possible in English to describe ~던 in this case,

but in my mind don’t accurately describe the subtleties that exist within ~던.
To add to the confusion, there is another way to describe an upcoming
noun that looks similar to ~던 and has a similar meaning. Let’s talk about this
next.

———————————–

So far, you have seen how ~던 can be used to describe an upcoming noun
and have compared it to ~ㄴ/은. For example:

내가 입은 옷 = The clothes I wore – (Simple description of the clothes in the

past tense)
내가 입던 옷 = The clothes I wore – (Recalling/remembering the clothes
that were worn repeatedly in the past and continued to the point in time
being described)

It is also possible to add ~았/었~ between the verb stem and ~던. For
example:

내가 입었던 옷 = The clothes I wore

Alright, now it’s time to explain the difference between ~았/었던 and ~던 or
~ㄴ/은.
When ~았/었던 is added to a verb to describe an upcoming noun, the
speaker is indicating that the action has completely finished and is not
currently occurring. For example, if we go back to our tried and tested
example:

내가 입었던 옷
The speaker is describing the clothes that he wore in the past. Because ~더~
is included within this, the speaker is describing the clothes that he
recalls/remembers. The clothes being described were worn at some time in
the past (this could be indicated elsewhere in the sentence), and are not
pants that the speaker wears anymore.

The meaning and feeling of ~았/었던 is similar to the meaning and feeling of
~ㄴ/은. Most Korean people would tell you at first glance that they are the
same. I will do my best to distinguish them for you.

As I mentioned before, when you say “내가 입은 옷,” you are stating a
simple fact, and there is no additional information regarding “memory” or if
you wore the clothes once, or many times, or if you still wear those clothes
these days too. All that is being stated is that – at some time in the past, you
wore those clothes – and no additional information is given. ~ㄴ/은 is a very
simple way to express that you wore these clothes in the past.

Saying “내가 입었던 옷” is similar, but the usage of ~더~ describes that the
speaker is “remembering/recalling” this from memory/experience. Saying
“내가 입었던 옷” is also specifically indicating that the action of “wearing
the clothes” is finished and doesn’t happen anymore. It is possible that ~ㄴ/
은 can be used to express this, but its meaning is more broad and doesn’t
state this explicitly.

Korean people often incorrectly assume that the use of ~았/었던 indicates
that a lot of time has passed since the last action. Many Korean people have
described this to me, so it is hard to call it “incorrect” because if Korean
people feel that way about their own language, than in a way, it is correct.
However, the time interval from when the action stopped happening to the
present time is irrelevant. For example, you could say:

오늘 아침에 입었던 바지
The use of ~았/었던 is not used to show that the pants were worn a long
time ago (of course, “this morning” was not a long time ago). Rather, it is
used to show that the pants were worn, and are currently not being worn
anymore. If you were to say the sentence above, at some point since the
morning, you would have had to change or take off the pants being
described because the use of ~았/었던 indicates that you are no longer
wearing them. Compare the construction above to the following:

오늘 아침에 입은 바지

Because the pants were worn (or put on) in the morning, it’s likely that you
are still wearing these pants. This sentence does not explicitly state if you
have taken them off or if you are still wearing them.

Below are examples of ~았/었던 in use. Notice that it is difficult to translate

the nuance of ~았/었던 to English. Using the past perfect “had” is a common
way to express this feeling in English, but depending on the context this
doesn’t always need to be the case. When reading the sentences below, try
not to pay attention to the English translations and try to remember the
purpose of ~았/었던:

PLAY 그 컴퓨터는 작년에 썼던 거예요 = That is the computer I had used last
year
PLAY 저는 애기가 썼던 휴지를 다 버렸어요 = I threw out all the tissue paper
that the baby had used
PLAY 한때 포기했던 시험을 다시 공부했어요 = I again studied for the exam
that I once gave up on
PLAY 우리가 지난 번에 먹었던 곳에서 먹고 싶어요 = I want to eat at the
place that we ate at last time
PLAY 대통령이 여기에 살았던 시민들에게 돈을 줬어요 = The president
gave money to those who once lived here

PLAY 우리가 지난 주에 배웠던 내용을 다시 공부할 거예요

= I will study the contents that we had learned last week again

PLAY 작년에 사업에 실패했던 남자가 새로운 기술을 발견했어요

= The man who had failed at (starting his own) business last year
discovered a new technology
PLAY 한때 저의 손님이었던 사람이 이제는 유명한 예술가가 되었다
= The person who had been my customer at one time has now become a
famous artist

PLAY 고장으로 계속 멈추는 버스를 탔던 승객들이 다른 버스를 탔어요

= The passengers who had been riding the bus that kept stopping because it
is/was broken got on another bus

Let’s organize everything that has been presented so far:

~ㄴ/은: Attached to a verb to describe a noun where the action occurred

sometime in the past. There is no additional meaning given to it. All we
know is that at some point in the past, the action happened.

~던: Attached to a verb to describe a noun where the action is recalled to

have occurred repeatedly in the past, and is continually repeating to the
present (or to the time described in the sentence).

~았/었던: Attached to a verb to describe a noun where the action is

recalled to have occurred in the past, but has finished occurring and
currently does not occur.

I don’t like distinguishing these grammatical principles based on their

English translations. Given the number of possible situations that could
come up, there is no perfect way to accurately translate any of them.
However, the examples below show common translations for each of these
grammatical principles in use:

내가 입은 바지 = the pants I wore

내가 입던 바지 = the pants I used to wear (I find this translation particularly
insufficient)
내가 입었던 바지 = the pants I had worn

Here is an image that I drew to show the picture I have in my head of each
one placed along a timeline. I also included other additions that you learned
in Lesson 26:
I deliberately didn’t include English translations because using words to
describe when the pants are worn in either language heavily depends on
the context of the sentence. Also notice that I included an exclamation mark
“!” for the last two to depict that there is a feeling that those actions are
being recalled from experience.

Describing Past Tense with ~던 and ~았/었던 (Adjectives)

I think you might be comfortable with this now. Unfortunately, we need to

discuss how ~던 and ~았/었던 can be added to adjectives.

As you know, adding ~ㄴ/은 to an adjective allows you to describe a noun.

For example:

예쁜 여자 = (a) pretty girl

Although “예쁜” is indicating that the girl is currently pretty, we can infer
that she also was pretty in the past. Most of the time, if a noun is described
a certain way by an adjective in the present, the same could be true of that
noun in the past.

Earlier in the lesson you learned about adding ~았/었던 to verbs. ~았/었던
can also be added to adjectives, and it has a similar function as when used
with verbs. When used with a verb, the speaker is indicating that the action
happened in the past, but has since finished and does not occur anymore.

If you attach ~았/었던 to an adjective to describe a noun, you are indicating

that the noun was that way in the past, but is no longer that way anymore.
For example, think about how unfortunate of a situation this would be:

예뻤던 여자

This would indicate that this girl was (or “had been”) pretty. However her
being “pretty” has finished and she is no longer pretty anymore. The use of
~더~ also carries this “remembering/recalling” from experience subtlety. As
you know, I hate translating these types of constructions; but if I were to
translate the construction above:

예뻤던 여자 = The girl who I recall being pretty, but is not pretty anymore

Up until now, I have been able to describe the subtle difference in nuance
between ~ㄴ/은, ~던 and ~았/었던 when added to verbs.

I have also been able to describe the subtle difference in nuance between ~
ㄴ/은 and ~았/었던 when added to adjectives.

Adding ~던 to an adjective is possible but is very confusing.

I had a lengthy discussion with a Korean grammar teacher recently. After

writing everything you see above (i.e. this whole lesson until now) I
discussed every point with her to hear her opinion about my observations.
We discussed the differences between ~ㄴ/은, ~던 and ~았/었던 when
added to verbs. We then talked about ~ㄴ/은 and ~았/었던 when added to
adjectives.
All of this led me to this question:

“If ~던 is added to verbs to indicate that one ‘remembers/recalls’ an action

occurring repeatedly in the past and continuing to the present, how can this
meaning be transferred to adjectives?”

I figured this would not make sense, but I showed her this construction:

예쁘던 여자

She said that this would not be used. She then said that it would be
incorrect to add “~던” directly to adjectives because an adjective can’t
“occur” repeatedly in the past. Puzzled, I looked at her and said “absolutely,
~던 can be added to adjectives.” She challenged me and said “okay, come
up with a situation where ~던 can be added to an adjective.”

Remember, this conversation happened between a Korean person who, as

her profession, teaches Korean language to Korean high school students
and a dude from Canada.

The example is a little bit above your level, but I started singing the song “
나에게 넌” in front of her:

소중했던 우리 푸르던 날을 기억하며

우~~후회없이 그림처럼 남아주기를
나에게 넌 내 외롭던 지난 시간을

Notice that ~던 is added directly to two adjectives in the short lyrics above.
It is attached to 푸르다 in the first line and to 외롭다 in the third line. The
first word, 소중하다 has ~았/었던 attached.

After she heard my amazing singing, she realized she was wrong. She then
thought about it more and said that adding ~던 to an adjective has the same
meaning as when adding ~았/었던, but the latter would be much more
common.

I figured that explanation was nonsense. There is no way that ~았/었던 and
~던 could have identical meaning. The only reason why I’m sharing this
story with you is so you can realize that even Korean people, including
those you would call “experts” in their own language, have a hard time
distinguishing these things.

I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on ~던 being attached to adjectives and

how I can present it to you. It’s not that simple because when used
separated from a sentence just shown with one noun, it often sounds very
unnatural. For example:

예쁜 여자 = the pretty girl

예뻤던 여자 = the girl who I recall being pretty, but is not pretty anymore
예쁘던 여자 – Grammatically this is correct, but Korean people would tell
you that this would never be said

However, there are cases where the adjective and noun being used could
make it appropriate. For example:

시끄러운 교실 = the noisy classroom

시끄러웠던 교실 = the classroom that I recall being noisy, but is not noisy
anymore

시끄럽던 교실 – This construction is possible. Although the “repeated”

function of ~던 can’t really be applied, the function of indicating that
something occurs to the present tense can be applied. If you said “시끄럽던
교실” to a Korean person, they would assume that the classroom was loud
up until the present, but it just stopped being loud. If we compare this to
“시끄러웠던 교실,” Korean people would say that the classroom was loud
further in the past, and there is a gap between when it stopped being loud
until the present.

This could explain why a construction like “예쁘던 여자” would be

unnatural. It’s not really possible for you to recognize that a girl was pretty
in the past, and notice that this continues all the way until present and for
her to all of a sudden not be pretty anymore. However, it could be possible
(however unfortunate) for a girl to have been pretty in the past, and for
some time to pass, and then (presumably during that time period) for the
girl to stop being pretty.
Because of this, I can use some adjectives to describe some nouns using ~
던, but it wouldn’t be appropriate with others. For example:

Again, please don’t pay too much attention to the English translations:

조용하던 길 = The street that I recall being quiet until now

따뜻하던 날씨 = The weather that I recall being warm until now
맑던 하늘 = The sky that I recall being clear until now

For example:

PLAY 맑던 하늘이 갑자기 어두워졌어요

= The sky that I recall being clear until now suddenly became dark

PLAY 따뜻하던 날씨가 비가 오고 나서 추워졌어요

= The weather that I remember being warm until now got cold after it
rained

PLAY 조용하던 길이 사람들이 집에서 나오기 시작하고 나서 

시끄러워졌어요
= The street that I recall being quiet until now got loud after people started
coming out of their houses

———————————

There is something that I want to discuss in the midst of all of this

confusion. In most cases – in both English or in Korean (or in any language,
I guess), these subtle differences don’t need to be distinguished. For
example, if I said:

“The clear sky became dark”

Was the sky clear until the present and then became dark?
Was the sky clear sometime in the past and then became dark sometime
in the past?
Was the sky clear sometime in the past and then became dark in the
present?
Was the sky clear every day (habitually) before becoming dark?
Will the sky become clear again after becoming dark?
The answer to all of these questions – and any other questions you can
think of – is irrelevant. As learners of Korean, we often find ourselves
overthinking things and getting worked up over the meaning of something
away from context. In reality, context will usually explain everything for
you. For example, look at the ambiguous way that I describe “the sky” (
하늘) in the following example:

맑? 하늘이 갑자기 어두워졌어요

Regardless of what replaces the “?” in the example above, the context
from the rest of the sentence would be able to clarify the meaning and
result of the sentence for you. Much like how the English sentences below,
in effect, have the same result:

The sky that was clear all of a sudden became dark

The sky that had been clear all of a sudden became dark
The sky that used to be clear all of a sudden became dark
The sky that is habitually clear all of a sudden became dark
The sky that I recall being clear all of a sudden became dark

———————————–

That’s as far as I’m going to go. As I said at the beginning of this lesson – the
difference between ~던 and ~았/었던 (compared with other grammatical
principles that you learned in the previous lesson) is very confusing. If you
have reached this point and think to yourself “I am still a little bit unclear of
the difference” – Congratulations! You’re just like a typical Korean person.

As I have discussed, Korean people – including those who you would

consider “experts” in their own language – can’t describe the difference
precisely. I hope that you have enjoyed my discussion about these, and I
hope that you are able to distinguish them a little bit.

Above all, I hope that this lesson hasn’t completely turned you off of Korean
forever!

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. You will probably be able to understand most of the grammar in these
example sentences, but some of the sentences might use grammar from
later lessons. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each word
can be used.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 어른 = adult

PLAY 어린이 = child, children

PLAY 공주 = princess

PLAY 영향 = influence

PLAY 글 = some sort of writing

PLAY 문학 = literature

PLAY 지방 = district, local area

PLAY 이웃사람 = neighbor

PLAY 환경 = environment

PLAY 농장 = farm

PLAY 부분 = part, section

PLAY 광고 = advertisement

PLAY 농구 = basketball

PLAY 배구 = volleyball

PLAY 지구 = earth
PLAY 방귀 = fart

PLAY 고개 = head

PLAY 방향 = direction

PLAY 해외 = abroad, overseas

PLAY 자체 = itself, its own

PLAY 시대 = times, period

PLAY 주의 = caution

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 연구하다 = to research

CONJUGATE PLAY 집중하다 = to concentrate

CONJUGATE PLAY 나누다 = to divide

CONJUGATE PLAY 이용하다 = to use

CONJUGATE PLAY 등록하다 = to register

CONJUGATE PLAY 메다 = to carry on one's shoulder

CONJUGATE PLAY 세우다 = to stand something up, to line something up

CONJUGATE PLAY 움직이다 = to move

CONJUGATE PLAY 정리하다 = to arrange

CONJUGATE PLAY 취소하다 = to cancel

CONJUGATE PLAY 지키다 = to protect, to defend

CONJUGATE PLAY 놓치다 = to miss (a train/bus/opportunity)

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 적다 = to be few

CONJUGATE PLAY 강하다 = to be strong

CONJUGATE PLAY 불편하다 = to be uncomfortable

CONJUGATE PLAY 충분하다 = to be enough, to be sufficient

CONJUGATE PLAY 졸리다 = to be sleepy

CONJUGATE PLAY 솔직하다 = to be honest/frank

CONJUGATE PLAY 정확하다 = to be exact

CONJUGATE PLAY 친하다 = to be familiar with, to be close with

CONJUGATE PLAY 급하다 = to be urgent

Adverbs and Other words:

PLAY 결국 = eventually

PLAY 내내 = throughout a time

PLAY 드디어 = finally, at last

PLAY 그냥 = only, just

PLAY 약간 = slightly/a little bit

PLAY 철저히 = thoroughly

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

 
 Irregulars with ~는 것

Present Tense

In Lesson 7 you learned all about Korean irregulars. In that Lesson, I wrote:

● As with all languages, there are some irregular conjugations that you
need to know. The irregulars apply at times when you add ~아/어/
여 (or another vowel/consonant) to a verb/adjective stem (aside from
conjugating, you have yet to learn other times when you must add a
vowel to a word. You will learn about these later).
Irregulars can act differently depending on what vowel/consonant you are
adding to them. Up to now, you have learned a lot about adding ~아/어 to
verbs/adjectives and how irregulars change as a result of this addition. For
example:

걷다 + 어/아 = 걸어
부르다 + 어/아 = 불러

However, adding ~는 것 to the stem of 걷다 or 부르다 does not change

them.

The only irregular that comes into play when adding ~는 것 in the present
tense is the ㄹ irregular.

The ㄹ irregular from Lesson 7 stated:

● If the final letter of a stem is ㄹ AND you add ~ㄴ/~ㅂ to that stem, the
ㄹ is removed and the ㄴ /ㅂ get added on directly to the stem.
However, if you are adding ‘는’ or something starting with ㅅ to the
stem – the ㄹ is removed and ~는/~ㅅ is added directly after the stem.
Here is a table showing how ~는 것 should be added to the stem of a verb
from each respective irregular. Notice that the ㄹ irregular is the only case
where the stem changes as a result of ~는 것.
 Present Tense Addition of ~는 것

Irregular Word Application

ㅅ 짓다 짓는 것

ㄷ 걷다 걷는 것

ㅂ 돕다 돕는 것

ㅡ 잠그다 잠그는 것

르 부르다 부르는 것

ㄹ 열다 여는 것

Here are some example sentences:

PLAY 저는 친구가 문을 여는 것을 봤어요 = I saw my friend opening the
door
PLAY 마음에 드는 부분이 있나요? = Do you have a part/section that you
like?
PLAY 저는 아는 것만 하고 싶어요 = I only want to do things that I know
PLAY 옆에 사는 이웃사람이 너무 시끄러워요 = The neighbor who lives next
to me is too loud
PLAY 우리가 사는 지역이 조금 위험해요 = The area we live in is a little bit
dangerous
PLAY 농장에서 사는 게 싫어요 = I don’t like living on a farm
PLAY 옆 집에서 사는 사람과 친해지고 있어요 = I am getting close to the
person who lives next door

Past and Future Tense

Four irregulars come into play when adding ~ㄴ/은 것 and ~ㄹ/을 것:

ㅅ irregular
If a word stem ends in ㅅ, the ㅅ gets removed when adding a vowel.

ㄷ irregular
If a word stem ends in ㄷ, the ㄷ gets changed to ㄹ when adding a
vowel.

ㅂ irregular
If a word stem ends in ㅂ, the ㅂ gets changed to 우 when adding a
vowel.

ㄹ irregular
When adding ~ㄴ/은 or ~ㄹ/을 to the stem of a verb or adjective where
the stem ends in ㄹ, ~ㄴ or ~ㄹ replaces the ㄹ in the stem.

The first two follow essentially the same rule. In each case, the stem of the
word originally ends with a consonant. For example:

짓다
걷다

Therefore, when we have to decide if we add ~ㄴ or ~은, we much choose

~은:
짓은
걷은

However, each of the respective rules indicates that the placement of a

vowel immediately following the stem causes it to change. The above
should be changed to:

지은
걸은

When adding ~ㄴ/은 to a verb that ends in ㅂ, the same rule applies as if
you were adding it to an adjective. For example:

쉽다 + ~ㄴ/은 = 쉬운
돕다 + ~ㄴ/은 = 도운
Remember that the ㅂ in 돕다 changes to 오 only when ~아/어 (or one of
its derivatives) is added to it. When any other vowel is added, ㅂ changes
to 우.

When adding ~ㄴ/은 to a verb that ends in ㄹ, the same rule applies as if
you were adding it to an adjective. For example:

길다 + ~ㄴ/은 = 긴
열다 + ~ㄴ/은 = 연

Here is a table showing how ~ㄴ/은 것 should be added to the stem of a

verb from each respective irregular. Notice that this applies to the ㅅ, ㄷ, ㅂ
and ㄹ irregulars:

Past Tense Addition of ~ㄴ/은 것

Irregular Verb Application

 ㅅ 짓다 지은 것

ㄷ 걷다 걸은 것

ㅂ 돕다 도운 것

ㅡ 잠그다 잠근 것

르 부르다 부른 것

ㄹ 열다 연것

The exact same thing is done for each respective future tense conjugation
but with, ~ㄴ/은 replaced with ~ㄹ/을.

Here is a table showing how ~ㄹ/을 것 should be added to the stem of a

verb from each respective irregular. Notice that this applies to the ㅅ, ㄷ, ㅂ
and ㄹ irregulars and is exactly the same as the table above except for that
~ㄹ/을 is used instead of ~ㄴ/은:

Future Tense Addition of ~ㄹ/을 것

Irregular Word Application

 ㅅ 짓다 지을 것

ㄷ 걷다 걸을 것

ㅂ 돕다 도울 것

ㅡ 잠그다 잠글 것

르 부르다 부를 것

ㄹ 열다 열것

Here are some example sentences:

ㅅ irregular:
PLAY 그 집을 지은 사람은 누구예요? = Who is the person that built that
house?
PLAY 저는 집을 지을 거예요 = I will build a house
Remember that the future tense conjugation of ~ㄹ/을 것이다 is actually
just the future ~는 것.
ㄷ irregular:
PLAY 그 사람은 서울에서 부산까지 걸은 첫 번째 사람이었다 = That person
was the first person who walked from Seoul to Busan

ㅂ irregular
PLAY 제가 도울 게 있나요? = Is there something I can help you with?
것이 is often contracted to 게 in speech.

ㄹ irregular:
PLAY 그는 문을 열 사람이에요 = He is the person who will open the doors
PLAY 저는 내일 시장에서 사과를 팔 거예요 = I will sell apples at the market
tomorrow
PLAY 그 광고를 만든 사람이 진짜 잘 만들었어요 = The person who made
this advertisement did a really good job

My Favorite Thing: 가장 좋아하는 것

Saying “My favorite…” is one of the first things that people want to learn
whenever learning a new language. In Korean, the grammar within this
sentence is a little bit difficult (you only just learned it), so that is why you
are just learning about it now.

There is no word in Korean for “favorite.” Instead, they use a combination of

좋아하다 (to like) and “제일/가장” (which you learned in Lesson 19). You
have known how to use 제일/가장 with 좋아하다 for a long time now. Here
are some simple sentences:

저는 우리 학교를 좋아해요 = I like our school

저는 우리 학교를 가장 좋아해요 = I like our school most

But you haven’t yet learned how to specifically say “My favorite ____ is…”
Let’s look at adjectives first. These should all be easy to you:

가장 큰 것 = the biggest thing

가장 작은 것 = the smallest thing
가장 어려운 것 = the most difficult thing

However, in those sentences, only adjectives are describing the noun. Now
that you have learned how to describe nouns with verbs, you can now say:

내가 가장 좋아하는 것 = the thing that I like most (which is also – my

favorite thing)

Notice that it is not “나의 가장 좋아하는 것.” Really, you are not saying “my
favorite thing” – you are saying “the thing that I like most.” So even though
in English we say “my,” in Korean you shouldn’t use 나의/저의 in place of
내가/제가 in these sentences.

You could take 가장 out to simply mean “the thing that I like”

내가 좋아하는 것 = the thing that I like

Or change the subject:

저의 친구가 가장 좋아하는 것 = The thing that my friend likes most

Now that you have created the noun of “the thing that I like most” you can
place it in sentences:

PLAY 제가 가장 좋아하는 것은 음식이에요 = My favorite thing is food

PLAY 음식은 제가 가장 좋아하는 것이에요 = Food is my favorite thing

You can also replace “것” with any other noun:

PLAY 제가 가장 좋아하는 음식은 김치예요 = My favorite food is kimchi

PLAY 제가 가장 좋아하는 날은 금요일이에요 = My favorite day is Friday
As I said before, people often don’t realize the power of the ~는 것 principle.
Now that you can describe nouns with verbs, you can say much more
complicated (and natural) sentences. Look at the following example:

내가 가장 좋아하는 것은 영화야 = My favorite thing is movies

This sentence is natural, but you could more precisely describe what you
like if you used ~는 것. For example, you could say that your favorite thing is
“watching movies” or “making movies.” You learned in Lesson 26 how to
make these nouns:

영화를 보는 것 = watching movies

영화를 만드는 것 = making movies

PLAY 내가 가장 좋아하는 것은 영화를 보는 것이다 = My favorite thing is

watching movies

The easiest mistake to make in that sentence is (incorrectly) not changing

the latter part of the sentence to a noun. Many learners of Korean would
just say the following:

내가 가장 좋아하는 것은 영화를 봐…

But that just translates to “My favorite thing watches movies.” You need to
say “My favorite thing is watching movies” which requires you to change
the second clause of the sentence to a noun and then add 이다 (is).

친구는 선생님이다 = My friend is a teacher

PLAY 내가 가장 좋아하는 것은 영화를 보는 것이다= My favorite
thing is watching movies

… heh, complicated. That’s why I waited until this lesson to teach it to you.

If you specifically want to say that your “favorite thing about X is Y” you can
attach “~에 있어서” to a noun in the sentence. ~에 있어서 typically
translates to “when it comes to…” in English. For example:
PLAY 한국에 있어서 내가 가장 좋아하는 것은 한식이야 = My favorite thing
about Korea is Korean food
(or, “When it comes to Korea, my favorite thing is Korean food”)

Not only can you do that, but now that you have learned about the ~는 것
principle, you can create more complex nouns throughout the sentence. For
example, instead of saying the sentence above, you could say:

PLAY 한국에서 사는 것에 있어서 내가 가장 좋아하는 것은 한식이야

= My favorite part about living in Korea is Korean food

PLAY 한국에서 사는 것에 있어서 내가 가장 좋아하는 것은 한식을 매일

먹는 것이야
= My favorite part about living in Korea is eating Korean food every day

~는 With 싶다, 있다 and 없다

There are a few words that seem a lot like verbs but are actually adjectives.

In Lesson 17, you learned about 싶다 and how it can be used to say that one
“wants” to do an action. For example:

PLAY 저는 한국어를 배우고 싶어요 = I want to study Korean

PLAY 저는 캐나다에 가고 싶어요 = I want to go to Canada

In that lesson, I told you that 싶다 is an adjective. As such, you must treat it
as any other adjective when describing a noun. This means that if you want
to describe nouns in the present tense using 싶다 you must add ~ㄴ/은:

예쁜 사람 = beautiful person
똑똑한 사람 = smart person
내가 만나고 싶은 사람 = the person (who/that) I want to meet

Below are many examples:

PLAY 제가 가장 만나고 싶은 사람은 유재석이에요 = The person who I want
to meet most is 유재석
PLAY 배구를 하고 싶은 사람이 없어요 = There isn’t anybody who wants to
play volleyball
PLAY 이 수업을 등록하고 싶은 사람이 적어요 = There aren’t many people
who want to register for this class
PLAY 이 수업을 등록하고 싶은 사람이 충분하지 않아요 = There aren’t
enough people who want to register for this class
PLAY 먹고 싶은 것이 있어요? = Do you want something to eat? (literally –
do you have something that you want to eat?)
PLAY 체육수업시간에 농구를 하고 싶은 사람이 있어요?  = Is there anybody
who wants to play basketball during PE class?

~았/었던, which you learned in the previous lesson, can be added to 싶다

to carry the meaning that it creates. Essentially, the speaker can indicate
that there was something he/she “wanted” to do in the past but currently
doesn’t want to do anymore. For example:

PLAY 그것은 제가 말하고 싶었던 것이었어요 = That was what I wanted to

say

—————————————-

In Lesson 5, you learned how to use 있다 to indicate that one “has”

something. I explained that this usage of 있다 is an adjective. For example:

나는 펜이 있다 = I have a pen
나는 차가 있다 = I have a car

When using adjectives to describe nouns in the present tense, you know
that you should add ~ㄴ/은 to the stem of the adjective. For example:

예쁜 사람 = beautiful person
똑똑한 사람 = smart person

Grammatically it should be correct to do this with 있다 as well:

펜이 있은 사람
But this is incorrect. Even though this usage of 있다 is an adjective, you
must treat it as a verb when describing an upcoming noun. For example, the
following is correct:

펜이 있는 사람

The same rule applies to 없다. For example:

펜이 없는 사람

Actually, when speaking to a large group of people (for example, a teacher

speaking to a group of students), it is common to ask “is there anybody who
has (or doesn’t have) x?” by using this form without a predicating word.
That is, it is common to say:

PLAY 펜이 있는 사람!? = Does anybody have a pen? (Is there anybody who
has a pen)?
PLAY 펜이 없는 사람!? = Does anybody not have a pen? (Does everybody
have a pen)?

This is why ~는 (instead of ~은) is added to words like “재미있다 or

재미없다” and “맛있다 or 맛없다” when describing an upcoming noun. The
inclusion of “to have” or “to not have” with 있다 and 없다 requires them to
describe upcoming nouns by using ~는 instead of ~은. For example:

저는 재미있는 영화를 봤어요 = I watched a fun/funny movie

저는 맛있는 밥을 먹었어요 = I ate delicious rice/food

관심 translates to “interest” and is commonly used to indicate that one “is

interested” (or not interested) in something. To indicate that one has (or
does not have) interest in a topic, 있다 or 없다 can be used. For example:

PLAY 저는 과학에 관심이 없어요 = I am not interested in Science

PLAY 저는 과학에 관심이 있어요 = I have interest in Science
(When saying that one is interested in something, it is also common to
replace 있다 with 많다 to indicate that one is really interested in a topic)
We can attach ~는 to 있다 and 없다 here to describe somebody who is
interested. For example:

PLAY 과학에 관심이 있는 사람이 없었어요 = There was nobody who was/is
interested in Science

When using 있다 to indicate that something is in the “state” of an action

using ~아/어 있다 (introduced in Lesson 18) or to indicate that one is
progressively doing something using ~고 있다 (also introduced in Lesson
18), 있다 is seen as a verb. Therefore, as a verb ~는 should be attached, but
this isn’t seen as “strange” because in this form it is a verb anyways. It is
only “strange” when adding ~는 to 있다/없다 when it is an adjective.

Below are many examples of ~는 것 being used with 있다:

PLAY 수업에 집중하고 있는 학생이 없어요 = There aren’t any students who
are concentrating on the class
PLAY 주문을 취소하고 있는 사람이 많아요 = There are a lot of people who
are cancelling their order
PLAY 이렇게 앉아 있는 것이 불편해요 = It is uncomfortable to sit like this
PLAY 열쇠를 가지고 있는 사람이 드디어 왔어요 = The person who has the
key eventually came
PLAY 정부가 그 병을 연구하고 있는 회사에게 돈을 줄 것이다 = The
government will give money to the company researching that disease

~았/었던, which you learned in the previous lesson, can be added to 있다

to carry the meaning that it creates. Essentially, the speaker can indicate
that something “was” in a place in the past, but is currently not in the place
anymore. For example:

PLAY 그곳에 있었던 사람들은 다 죽었다 = All the people that were there
died
PLAY 그 자리에 앉아 있었던 사람이 다른 데로 갔어요 = The person who
had been sitting there went to another place

———————-
Only in a few grammatical principles is it appropriate to add ~은 to 있다 or
없다 to create 있은 or 없은. When a grammatical principle creates a
meaning that specifies that an action was done in the past and we are
looking at the time since that action, ~은 can be used. Two practical
examples where you can see this is when adding ~ㄴ/은 후 to a word
(Lesson 24) and adding ~ㄴ/은 지 to a word (Lesson 30)

Using 그 (and other smaller words) in ~는 것 sentences

One thing that I want to mention before this lesson ends is how to include
words like 이/그/나의/저의 in 는 것 sentences. It’s hard to describe what I
mean without examples (it’s not really a “concept” so I better show you
some examples.)

In English, we could say:

The person who I met. That would be easy to translate to Korean: 내가 만난
사람

However, in English, we could also say something like “that person I met.”
Almost the same meaning, but not exactly the same. If you were to
translate that directly, it would come out like this:

그 내가 만난 사람

But in Korean, they always place those small words that can go before
nouns (이/그/저/나의/저의) immediately before nouns. So, instead of
saying:

그 내가 만난 사람 you should say:

내가 만난 그 사람
It’s hard to translate some of these sentences into Korean. Look at next
example. You will probably be able to understand it completely, but
translating it to English is very difficult:

선생님이 본 나의 영화

It would translate to something like “my movie that the teacher watched”
but that sounds a little bit unnatural in English. When these sentences come
up, you should realize that the noun being described (영화 – movie) is being
described by two different things:

나의 영화 = my movie, and
선생님이 본 영화 = the movie that the teacher watched

Even though it is unnatural to say the full sentence in English (my movie that
the teacher watched), you should be able to understand the meaning
without needing to translate it directly.

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. You will probably be able to understand most of the grammar in these
example sentences, but some of the sentences might use grammar from
later lessons. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each word
can be used.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 싸움 = a fight

PLAY 기쁨 = happiness, gladness

PLAY 도움 = help

PLAY 걸음 = step

PLAY 죽음 = death
PLAY 느낌 = a feeling

PLAY 행정 = administration

PLAY 구역 = zone, area

PLAY 보행자 = pedestrian

PLAY 좌석 = seat

PLAY 사전 = dictionary

PLAY 언어 = language

PLAY 국어 = the Korean language

PLAY 노동자 = laborer

PLAY 음악가 = musician

PLAY 능력 = capabilities

PLAY 자료 = data

PLAY 제품 = products

PLAY 사업 = business

PLAY 감정 = emotion

PLAY 쌀 = uncooked rice

PLAY 방송 = broadcast

PLAY 접시 = plate
PLAY 역할 = role

PLAY 정보 = information

PLAY 모양 = shape

PLAY 마을 = village/town

PLAY 합법 = legal

PLAY 불법 = illegal

PLAY 효과 = effects

PLAY 순간 = moment, second

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 확대하다 = to expand, to enlarge

CONJUGATEPLAY 검색하다 = to search for, to surf the internet

CONJUGATEPLAY 훔치다 = to steal

CONJUGATEPLAY 즐기다 = to enjoy oneself

CONJUGATE PLAY 변하다 = to have changed

CONJUGATE PLAY 붙이다 = to stick/stamp/label/attach

CONJUGATE PLAY 쳐다보다 = to stare

CONJUGATE PLAY 모이다 = to gather, to congregate

CONJUGATE PLAY 낳다 = to give birth

CONJUGATE PLAY 넘다 = to cross over, to climb over

CONJUGATE PLAY 주차하다 = to park a car

CONJUGATE PLAY 보호하다 = to protect

CONJUGATE PLAY 표현하다 = to express

Passive Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 붙다 = to be stuck

Adverbs and Other words:

PLAY 현대 = modern times

PLAY 직접 = directly

PLAY 스스로 = for oneself/by oneself

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In the past few lessons, you have learned a lot about adding ~는 (or ㄴ/은
for past tense and ㄹ/을 for future tense) to verb stems to turn them into
descriptive words that can describe nouns. One more time, for example:

밥을 먹다 = to eat rice
밥을 먹는 사람 = the person who eats rice

빨리 가다 = to go fast
내가 빨리 가는 곳 = the place I am going to fast

A lot of times, the noun following the descriptive verb is 것, which allows an
entire sentence to be turned into a noun:

나는 사과를 가져온다 = I bring apples – is a sentence

내가 사과를 가져오는 것 – is the same sentence as above, but
in noun form. This noun can now be placed in other sentences just like
other nouns:

나의 여자 친구는 내가 사과를 가져오는 것을 원했다 = My girlfriend wanted

me to bring apples

So that’s what you already know. What you don’t know is that in addition to
the ~는 것 principle, there are other ways that you can modify verbs to
change them into nouns. We will look at this today.

Changing Verbs to Nouns ~기

Adding ~기 to the stem of a verb changes that verb into a noun. The noun
can technically be used like any other noun:

가다 = to go
가기 = the noun form of “to go”

읽다 = to read
읽기 = the noun form of “to read”

먹다 = to eat
먹기 = the noun form of “to eat”

So… the million dollar question is, “what is the difference between ‘~는 것’
and ‘~기’?”

Well, first, notice exactly what ~는 것 is. Adding ~는 to a verb stem allows
you to describe nouns (것, 사람, 음식, etc…). Adding ~기 to a verb stem
does not allow you to describe anything. It just turns verbs into nouns.

But, turning verbs into nouns is one of the functions of ~는 것. Remember,

there are two main functions of ~는 것:
1) To change verbs into things that can describe nouns:
밥을 먹고 있는 사람 = the person who is eating rice

2) To change a clause into a noun

사과를 가져오는 것 = the noun form of “to bring apples” – “bringing apples”

Adding ~기 is essentially the same as the second function described above.

That is, you can use ~기 to turn a clause into a noun – but you cannot use ~
기 to describe nouns. So this:

내가 사과를 가져오는 것 and 내가 사과를 가져오기 essentially have the

same meaning, being “the noun form of “to bring apples.”

Which means you can use ~기 in sentences like:

PLAY 나의 여자 친구는 내가 사과를 가져오기를 원해 = My girlfriend wants

me to bring apples

Technically you can say it that way, but I very rarely hear verbs turned into
nouns using ~기 in that way. If you ask a Korean person, they will say that
sentence sounds fine, but somebody like me who analyzes grammar will
notice that it is not used as much as “나의 여자 친구는 내가 사과를
가져오는 것을 원해.”

However, there are certain cases where using ~기 is more natural than
using ~는 것. In later lessons, you will see ~기 used in various grammatical
principles. For example:

~기 때문에 (Lesson 38)

~기도 하고 (Lesson 51)
~기 바라다 (Lesson 61)
~기로 하다 (Lesson 87)

Before you see ~기 being applied in those grammatical principles, I would

like to introduce some simple, practical uses of ~기 that you can use right
away.
~기 시작하다

When one “starts” an action, you can attach ~기 to the verb that starts to
occur followed by 시작하다. For example:

가다 = to go
가기 시작하다 = to start to go

먹다 = to eat
먹기 시작하다 = to start to eat

These types of constructions can then be placed in sentences. For example:

PLAY 나는 밥을 벌써 먹기 시작했어 = I already started to eat

PLAY 다음 달에 한국어를 배우기 시작할 거야 = I will start learning Korean
next month

PLAY 어제부터 사람들이 거기서 모이기 시작했어요

= People started gathering there from yesterday

PLAY 쌀을 물에 넣은 후에 쌀의 색깔이 변하기 시작했어요

= After I put the rice in the water, the color of the rice started to change

PLAY 이상한 행동을 한 다음에 사람들이 저를 쳐다보기 시작했어요

= After acting strangely, people started staring at me

When you want to say that you stop something, it is more common to use

the ~는 것 form:

PLAY 다음 달에 한국어를 배우기 시작할 거야 = I will start learning Korean

next month
PLAY 다음 달에 한국어를 배우는 것을 그만할 거야 = I will stop learning
Korean next month

~기 싫다
It is also very common to put verbs before ~기 싫다 to indicate that you
don’t want to do something. Literally, this translates to “I don’t like _____”

PLAY 밥을 먹기 싫어 = I don’t want to eat

PLAY 가기 싫어 = I don’t want to go
PLAY 쌀을 씻기 싫어요 = I don’t want to wash the rice

It is possible to use this with the word 좋다 (the opposite of 싫다), however,
it is not that common in Korean. Instead, it sounds more natural to use ~고
싶다.

Actual Words

There are also a handful of words where it is common to use the ~기 form
as an actual word.

For example, if you are going for a run, I could use the word “달리기”
PLAY 저는 달리기를 할 거예요 = I will go for a run

The word for skipping (jump-rope skipping) is the word 줄 (rope) combined
with the word 넘다 (going over) with ~기:
PLAY 저는 줄넘기를 못해요 = I’m bad at skipping

When writing a language test, there will often be many sections. For
example, there might be a “writing” section, a “reading” section and a
“listening” section:

Writing = 쓰기
Reading = 읽기
Listening = 듣기

Here’s an example of these actually being used in a sentence:

Person 1: PLAY 시험은 어땠어?

Person 2: PLAY 쓰기랑 듣기는 너무 어려웠어. 하지만 읽기는 너무 쉬웠어.
Person 1: How was the exam?
Person 2: The writing and listening (parts) were really hard. But the reading
(part) was really easy.

Making Lists
When making a list of things that you are going to do, it is also common to
end the phrase by using ~기. This essentially makes the entire phrase a
noun, which is similar to what we do in English. For example, if I made a to-
do list, I could write:

커피를 만들기 = Make coffee

책상을 정리하기 = Organize my desk
방 청소하기 = Clean my room
쌀을 사기 = Buy rice
인터넷에 자료를 검색하기 = Look for data on the internet

Another example; if I made a list of goals for myself for the year, I could
write:

매일매일을 즐기기 = Enjoy every day

집 청소를 매일 하기 = Clean the house every day
숙제를 매일 하기 = Do my homework every day
감정을 표현하기 = Show my emotions
책을 매일 읽기 = Read books every day
운동을 등록하기 = Register at a gym (to exercise)

Here’s a list that appears on a Korean street sign. You can see that ~ 기 is
used. Watch me break this down, along with all of the other grammar and
vocabulary in the sign.

 
 

Buttons
On a computer, if you wanted to “zoom” in on a picture, you would press
the “zoom” button. In Korean, the verb “zoom” is “확대하다.” On Korean
computers, they usually don’t put verbs on buttons on the screen – instead
they put the noun form of the verb. For ~하다 verbs, the noun form is easy
to find. The noun form of 확대하다 is 확대. Simple.

But, what is the noun form of 보다? (to see)

What about 열다? (to open)

If you wanted to see something on a Korean screen, or click on the “view”

button at the top of every screen, you would have to press “보기.”

If you wanted to open something, you could press the “열기” button.

Want to close something? Press “닫기.”

Want to search? You might see a “찾기” button or “검색” – which is the
noun form of 검색하다 also meaning “search/find.”

Want to send an e-mail? You would have to press “보내기.”

There are a lot of applications for ~기, they just might not seem apparent at
the moment. As you learn more and more Korean grammar, you will see
that there will be more applications where you can use ~기. In later lessons,
you will see ~기 paired up with other grammatical principals.

Up to now, the applications you should be aware of are:

1) Turning any verb into a noun: 사과를 가져오기, 달리기

2) Put before 시작하다: 먹기 시작했다
3) Put before 싫다: 먹기 싫어
4) Making Lists: 쌀을 사기
5) On buttons: 보내기
Before we go any further, let’s look at another way you can turn verbs (or
even adjectives) into nouns.

Changing Verbs/Adjectives to Nouns ~ㅁ/음

Adding ㅁ/음 to verbs or adjectives to turn them into nouns. ㅁ gets added
to stems ending in a vowel, and 음 gets added after stems that end in a
consonant.

This form can be used to change entire sentences into noun forms, just like
with ~는 것:

PLAY 나는 네가 먹고 있는 것을 알았어 = I knew you were eating

나는 네가 먹고 있기를 알았어 – sounds wrong to a Korean person, but
would look correct to a foreign learner of Korean
PLAY 나는 네가 먹고 있음을 알았어 = I knew you were eating

Like I said earlier. You can use ㅁ/음 to turn entire sentences into nouns, but
this is rarely done in speech. It is done much more commonly in
books/poems (for whatever reason).

The main usage of ㅁ/음 is to turn single words (verbs or adjectives) into
nouns, and not full sentences. Some of these you may have already come
across:

싸우다 = to fight
싸움 = a fight

꾸다 = to dream
꿈 = a dream

아프다 = to be sore/sick
아픔 = pain
기쁘다 = to be happy/glad
기쁨 = happiness/gladness

돕다 = to help
도움 = help

죽다 = to die
죽음 = death

걷다 = to walk
걸음 = a step

느끼다 = to feel
느낌 = a feeling

Adding ㅁ/음 to verbs/adjectives is usually done to words that don’t end in

하다. The reason for this is because there is already a very simple way to
make a 하다 verb/adjective a noun – by removing the 하다 from the rest of
the word (설명하다 = to explain – 설명 = an explanation).

These noun form words can then be added to sentences as usual:

PLAY 나는 형이랑 싸움에서 이겼어 = I won in a fight with my brother
PLAY 나는 아빠의 죽음을 잊지 않았어 = I didn’t forget the death of my
father

——————

In Lesson 7, you learned how irregular words change as a result of adding

different additions. This is the first time you have been introduced to adding
~ㅁ/음. Let’s look at how irregulars change as a result of adding this
grammatical principle.

● The ㅅ irregular, ㄷ irregular and ㅂ irregular all follow the same rules
that were introduced in Lesson 7. The addition of the vowel causes a
change (or elimination) of the last letter of the stem.

● The ㅡ and 르 irregular are not affected by this addition.

 ● Adding ~ㅁ/음 to a word that follows the ㄹ irregular brings about a
change you are not familiar with. Normally, you would add ~ㅁ to the
stem of a word ending in a vowel, and ~음 to the stem of a word
ending in a consonant. For example:
● 싸우다 + ~ㅁ/음 = 싸움
● 죽다 + ~ㅁ/음 = 죽음
● However, when you add ~ㅁ/음 to a stem of a word that ends in ㄹ, ㅁ
is added beside the ㄹ and a double consonant is created. Korean
people often don’t even know this rule.In fact, this is how some
common nouns are created in Korean. The verb 살다 means “to live.”
The addition of ㅁ to the stem of the verb creates the noun “삶,”
meaning “life” or “living.”
● Adding ~ㅁ/음 causes a change to ㅎ irregular words. The ㅎ is
removed, and ~ㅁ is added to the stem. For example:
● 그렇다 + ~ㅁ/음 = 그럼
Below is a table showing the changes that result from adding ~ㅁ/음 to a
word.

Irregular Word + ~ㅁ/음

ㅅ Irregular PLAY 짓다 (to build) 지음

ㄷ Irregular PLAY 걷다 (to walk) 걸음

ㅂ Irregular PLAY 쉽다 (to be easy) 쉬움

ㅂ Irregular PLAY 돕다 (to help) 도움

 ㅡ Irregular PLAY 잠그다 (to lock) 잠금

르 Irregular PLAY 다르다 (to be different) 다름

ㄹ Irregular PLAY 살다 (to live) 삶

ㅎ Irregular PLAY 그렇다 (to be like that) 그럼

Notice that I also included the word 돕다. As you learned in Lesson 7 – ㅂ
changes to 오 when ~아/어 (or any derivative) is added. When any other
vowel is added, ㅂ changes to 우 as you can see above.

You will see these same changes to irregulars anytime you add something
that begins in ~ㅁ/음. For example:

~ㅁ/음에도 (Lesson 74)

——————

In Lesson 23, you learned about the word 그렇다. ~ㅁ/음 is commonly
added to this word when somebody asks a question and you just say “yeah,
of course.” This is basically the same as saying “yes,” but it would be more
like “Yes, it is like that.” For example:

PLAY 운동을 매일 해요? = Do you exercise every day?

PLAY 그럼요 = Yes (it is like that)
PLAY 차를 스스로 주차했어요? = Did you park the car by yourself?
PLAY 그럼요 = Yes (it is like that)

Notice that you can add “요” to make the response formal. In informal
situations, this can be removed.

This is one of the usages of 그럼. 그럼 actually has other usages, but these
are actually a contraction of a grammatical principal that you haven’t
learned yet, so I will not introduce you to these here.

Here’s a Korean sign that uses ~ㅁ/음. Watch me break this down, along
with all of the other grammar and vocabulary in the sign.

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. You might not be able to understand all of the grammar within the
example sentences, but most of the grammar used will be introduced by
the end of Unit 2. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each
word can be used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that
you will be learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 택배 = delivery

PLAY 가격 = price

PLAY 용돈 = allowance

PLAY 아르바이트 = part-time job

PLAY 빛 = a light

PLAY 시인 = poet

PLAY 주제 = subject
PLAY 그룹 = group

PLAY 요금 = fare, price

PLAY 위치 = position, location

PLAY 해안 = the coast

PLAY 가정 = family

PLAY 재료 = materials, ingredients

PLAY 자유 = freedom

PLAY 책임 = responsibility

PLAY 입구 = entrance, way in

PLAY 출구 = exit , way out

PLAY 출입 = enter and exit

PLAY 수술 = surgery, operation

PLAY 훈련 = training

PLAY 비상 = emergency

PLAY 계단 = steps, stairs, staircase

PLAY 전통 = tradition, culture, heritage

PLAY 호선 = a subway line

PLAY 기간 = a period of time

PLAY 구체적 = detailed, specific

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 꺼내다 = to take out, to remove something

CONJUGATE PLAY 전하다 = to convey, to deliver

CONJUGATE PLAY 정하다 = to set

CONJUGATE PLAY 줄이다 = to reduce, to decrease

CONJUGATE PLAY 데려오다 = to bring a person (coming)

CONJUGATE PLAY 데려가다 = to bring a person (going)

CONJUGATE PLAY 막다 = to obstruct, to block

CONJUGATE PLAY 허락하다 = to allow, to permit

CONJUGATE PLAY 버리다 = to throw away

CONJUGATE PLAY 잊어버리다 = to forget

CONJUGATE PLAY 벌다 = to earn

CONJUGATE PLAY 기르다 = to raise (a child, pet), to cultivate (a plant)

CONJUGATE PLAY 조심하다 = to act carefully

CONJUGATE PLAY 관리하다 = to manage, to administer

CONJUGATE PLAY 치료하다 = to treat, to cure

CONJUGATE PLAY 헤어지다 = to break up with a person

Passive Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 줄다 = to be reduced, to be decreased
CONJUGATE PLAY 깨지다 = to be broken, cracked, smashed

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 쌀쌀하다 = to be chilly

CONJUGATE PLAY 밝다 = to be bright

CONJUGATE PLAY 목마르다 = to be thirsty

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

Up to now, you have learned a lot (probably too much!) about using ~는 것
(or one of its derivatives) with a clause to describe an upcoming noun. For
example:

내가 가고 있는 곳 = the place I am going

내가 만난 사람 = the person I met
내가 먹을 음식 = the food I will eat

In this lesson, you will learn about adding ~는지 to indicate that the
preceding clause is a guess or something uncertain. Let’s get started.

A Clause of Uncertainty: ~는지

I didn’t know what title to give to “~는지,” but I came up with the “clause of
uncertainty” which I feel describes it well. By placing ~는지 at the end of a
clause, you can indicate that the clause is some sort of guess, question or
uncertainty.
A common situation where there is uncertainty is when there is a question
word in a sentence. For example:

저는 친구가 어디 가는 것을 몰라요

If we break that sentence down into more simple pieces, we get:

저는 (—) 몰라요 = I don’t know (—-)

What don’t you know? You don’t know the noun within the brackets:

저는 (친구가 어디 가는 것을) 몰라요

So the sentence reads:

저는 친구가 어디 가는 것을 몰라요 = I don’t know where my friend is going

However, because “친구가 어디 가는 것” is uncertain, ~는지 should be

added to the clause instead of ~는 것. For example:

PLAY 저는 친구가 어디 가는지 몰라요 = I don’t know where my friend is

going

It is also worth pointing out here that the future tense ~겠다 is commonly
added to 모르다 in these types of sentences. When 모르다 is used like this
(as “모르겠다”), it does not have a future tense meaning. Rather, it is just a
common (and slightly more polite) way to say that one “does not know
something.” Therefore, it would be more common to see the sentence
above written/spoken as:

PLAY 저는 친구가 어디 가는지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know where my friend

is going

You will continue to see “모르겠다” used instead of a present tense

conjugation of 모르다 in the rest of this lesson and throughout your Korean
studies.
By default, if a clause contains a question word (누구, 뭐, 언제, 어디, 왜,
etc…) ~는지 is usually added due to the uncertainty that it contains. For
example:

PLAY 엄마가 누구랑 먹는지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know who mom is eating

with
PLAY 엄마가 뭐 먹는지 모르겠어요= I don’t know what mom is eating
PLAY 엄마가 어디서 먹는지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know where mom is
eating
PLAY 엄마가 왜 먹는지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know why mom is eating

However, a question word does not need to be included in order to use ~

는지. All that is needed is that there is uncertainty in the sentence. When
there is no question word in a sentence that includes “~는지” the English
word “if” is usually used. For example:

PLAY 엄마가 지금 먹고 있는지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know if mom is eating

now

Below are more examples. Also notice that the final word of the sentence
does not need to be “모르다.” Any verb or adjective that makes sense along
with the preceding uncertain clause can be used. For example:

PLAY 그 사람을 왜 데려오는지 물어봤어요

= I asked him why he is bringing that person

PLAY 비상출입구가 어디 있는지 찾았어요

= We found where the emergency exit is

PLAY 해안까지 어떻게 가는지 물어봤어요

= I asked how to get to the beach/coast

PLAY 엄마가 무슨 재료를 쓰고 있는지 모르겠어요

= I don’t know what ingredients mom is using

PLAY 정부가 외국인 선생님 예산을 왜 줄이는지 모르겠어요

= I don’t know why the government is decreasing the budget for foreign
teachers
PLAY 학생들은 선생님들이 돈을 얼마나 버는지 몰라요
= Students don’t know how much money teachers earn

PLAY 저는 그 학생이 어느 대학교를 다니는지 기억(이) 안 나요

= I don’t remember which university that student attends

Past tense:
The same concept can be used to indicate a guess, question or uncertainty
in the past tense. In order to express this, ~았/었 should be added to the
verb at the end of the uncertain clause, followed by ~는지. For example:

PLAY 저는 엄마가 왜 먹었는지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know why mom ate

PLAY 저는 엄마가 뭐 먹었는지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know what mom ate
PLAY 저는 엄마가 언제 먹었는지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know when mom ate
PLAY 저는 엄마가 어디서 먹었는지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know where mom
ate
PLAY 저는 엄마가 밥을 먹었는지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know if mom ate

The form above (using ~았/었는지) is officially correct in Korean. However,

in speech, it is very common to hear ~ㄴ/은지 being used instead. For
example:

저는 엄마가 왜 먹은지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know why mom ate

저는 엄마가 뭐 먹은지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know what mom ate
저는 엄마가 언제 먹은지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know when mom ate
저는 엄마가 어디서 먹은지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know where mom ate
저는 엄마가 밥을 먹은지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know if mom ate

There really isn’t any difference between the two sets of sentences,
especially in speech. Both sets of sentences sound natural to a Korean
speaker. However, the correct grammatical form is to use ~았/었는지, and
the use of ~ㄴ/은지 is more used in spoken Korean.

Other examples:
PLAY 그 셔츠를 언제 버렸는지 기억이 안 나요 = I don’t remember when I
threw away that shirt
PLAY 열쇠를 어디 두었는지 잊어버렸어요 = I forget where I put my keys
PLAY 우리가 이것을 언제 정했는지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know when we set
it
PLAY 그가 저에게 무슨 말을 전했는지 기억이 안 나요 = I don’t remember
what that person told me (conveyed to me)

Future tense:
The same concept can be used to indicate a guess, question or uncertainty
in the future tense. In order to express this, ~ㄹ/을 should be added to the
verb at the end of the uncertain clause, followed by ~지. For example:

PLAY 택배가 언제 올지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know when the delivery will

come
PLAY 용돈을 얼마나 줄지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know how much allowance I
should give
PLAY 오후에 비가 올지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know if it will rain in the
afternoon
PLAY 수술을 받을지 확실하지 않아요 = It is not certain if I will get surgery
PLAY 내일 공원에 갈지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know if I will go to the park
tomorrow
PLAY 내일 영화를 볼지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know if I will see a movie
tomorrow

When the uncertain clause doesn’t have a question word in it, it is common
to use the word “might” in the English translation. For example

PLAY 오후에 비가 올지 모르겠어요 = It might rain in the afternoon

tomorrow
PLAY 수술을 받을지 모르겠어요 = I might get surgery
PLAY 내일 공원에 갈지 모르겠어요 = I might go to the park tomorrow
PLAY 내일 영화를 볼지 모르겠어요 = I might see a movie tomorrow

English speakers are often confused about how the same Korean sentence
can seemingly translate to different things in English. My answer is: They
don’t translate to different things. The Korean usage of “~ㄹ/을지 몰라요”
just indicates that something may or may not happen. Both translations
above (“I don’t know if” and “might…”) indicate that something may or may
not happen. Remember that sometimes it is difficult to translate a Korean
sentence perfectly into English. As such, I always suggest that you
understand the general meaning of the Korean sentence, and try to focus
less on the given English translations. The nuance of using “~ㄹ/을지
몰라요” can translate to many things in English, all which (as a result of
being a completely different language) cannot perfectly describe this
nuance.

Using ~는지 with Adjectives

It is also possible to attach ~는지 to an uncertain clause that is predicated

by an adjective. However, instead of adding ~는지, ~ㄴ/은지 should be
added. Notice that the difference in ~는지 and ~ㄴ/은지 is the same as the
difference when attaching ~는 or ~ㄴ/은 to verbs and adjectives to describe
an upcoming noun. For example:

먹는 것
가는 것

행복한 것
밝은 것

Below are some examples of ~ㄴ/은지 being used with adjectives:

PLAY 제가 준 것이 괜찮은지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know if the thing that I

gave is good
PLAY 이 빛이 충분히 밝은지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know if this light is bright
enough
PLAY 제가 구한 아르바이트가 좋은지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know if the job I
found is good
PLAY 제가 가져온 자료가 충분한지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know if I brought
enough materials
PLAY 제가 강아지를 기르고 싶은지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know if I want to
raise a puppy
PLAY 그 책이 얼마나 긴지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know how long that book is

To use this form with adjectives in the past or future tenses, you can add
the same thing as with verbs. For example:

PLAY 그 시대가 그렇게 길었는지 깨닫지 못했어요 = I didn’t realize that era
was so long
PLAY 그 일이 힘들지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know if that work will be difficult
PLAY 내일 날씨가 쌀쌀할지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know if tomorrow’s
weather will be chilly

If… or not…

In all of the above examples, only one situation is indicated in the sentence.
It is possible to indicate more than one situation by using more than one
verb or adjective connected to ~는지 in the sentence. The simplest way to
do this is to include the opposite situation, followed by ~는지. For example:

PLAY 내일 영화를 볼지 안 볼지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know if I will see a

movie tomorrow or not
PLAY 수술을 받을지 안 받을지 확실하지 않아요 = It is not certain if I will get
surgery or not
PLAY 그가 제 말을 들었는지 안 들었는지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know if he
was listening to me or not
PLAY 저는 엄마가 밥을 먹었는지 안 먹었는지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know if
mom ate or not
PLAY 제가 구한 아르바이트가 좋은지 안 좋은지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know
if the job I found is good or not

When you are dealing with non-하다 verbs (like 먹다), you need to write
out the verb again to indicate “I don’t know if mom ate or not.” However,
when dealing with 하다 verbs, the sentence can usually be shortened by
eliminating the word before ~하다 when you say the verb the second time.
For example, instead of saying:

저는 엄마가 공부했는지 안 공부했는지 모르겠어요

You could just say:

PLAY 저는 엄마가 공부했는지 안 했는지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know if mom

studied or not

Remember that Korean people love shortening their sentences, and taking
out the redundant “공부” the second time around is more natural in Korean.

In all of the above examples, two possibilities are listed, and the speaker is
indicating that he/she doesn’t know which one will happen amongst the
two. The examples above simply use the positive and negative outcomes of
the same situation. It is also possible to list two (or more) outcomes that are
unrelated to each other. For example:

PLAY 내일 공원에 갈지 영화를 볼지 모르겠어요

= I don’t know if I will see a movie or go to the park tomorrow

PLAY 제가 구한 아르바이트가 좋은지 나쁜지 모르겠어요

= I don’t know if the (part-time) job I found is good or bad

PLAY 수술을 받을지 그냥 약으로 치료할지 확실하지 않아요

= It is not certain if I will get surgery or just treat it with medicine

You can also use “~지” to form a question. For example, if you are asking
somebody if they know how to do something. The most common word that
finishes the sentence would be “알다.” For example, you can say:
PLAY 서울에 어떻게 가는지 알아요? = Do you know how to get to Seoul?
PLAY 그 단어를 어떻게 발음하는지 알아요? = Do you know how to
pronounce that word?
PLAY 그 학생이 책을 왜 버렸는지 알아요? = Do you know why that student
threw out his book?
PLAY 물을 어떻게 막는지 알아요? = Do you know how to block the water?

I call clauses with ~지 “clauses of uncertainty”, but that is just a name I gave
it because it describes it well in most situations. There are times when “지”
represents something certain. For example, the answers to those questions
would be:

PLAY 서울에 어떻게 가는지 알아요 = I know how to get to Seoul

PLAY 그 단어를 어떻게 발음하는지 알아요 = I know how to pronounce that
word
PLAY 그 학생이 책을 왜 버렸는지 알아요 = I know why that student threw
out his book

In those examples, “지” technically doesn’t represent something uncertain….

so why do we use “지?” In these cases, the use of the question word in the
sentence makes it more natural to use “지” as the noun instead of “것.”

Also note that there is another way to say that one “knows how to do
something” (which is more based on ability than knowing something). This
other way is discussed in Lesson 85.

Attaching ~도 to ~지

It is common to find ~도 attached to ~지. Adding ~도 to ~지 can have two

meanings:
1) To have the “too” or “also” or “either” meaning that ~도 usually has. For
example:

저는 밥도 먹었어요 = I ate rice too

저도 밥을 먹었어요 = I also ate rice
저는 밥도 안 먹었어요 = I didn’t eat rice either

This first meaning of ~도 will be discussed in a later lesson. This usage is

more about the use of ~도 and not really related to the usage of ~지. I will
just show you one example sentence so you can understand what I mean:

문을 열지도 몰라요 = You don’t even know how to open the door

Let’s focus on the more ambiguous meaning of ~도, which will be talked
about in #2:

2) To have very little meaning or purpose in a sentence. Look at the two

sentences below:

PLAY 내일 비가 올지 모르겠어요 = It might rain tomorrow

PLAY 내일 비가 올지도 모르겠어요 = It might rain tomorrow

Assuming ~도 isn’t being added to have the meaning described in #1 above

(which is possible), the use of ~도 does not really change the sentence.
Same goes for these two sentences:

PLAY 내일 공원에 갈지 모르겠어요 = I might go to the park tomorrow

PLAY 내일 공원에 갈지도 모르겠어요 = I might go to the park tomorrow

For seven years, I’ve been curious about the specific nuance that ~도 adds
to these types of sentences (again, assuming that ~도 is not the ~도
from #1 above). All of my research, all of my studying, and all of my
exposure to the language has lead me to believe that they are essentially
the same. I’ve always thought to myself – “they can’t be exactly the same…
the ~도 must have some purpose… right?”
Recently, I had discussions with many people to try to better understand
this nuance. I want to show you conversations I had with two people
because I think it will not only help you understand how subtle this
difference is, but it will also show you that even Korean people don’t really
know what the difference is.

My first conversation was with a Korean person who is a fluent English

speaker. Below is how our conversation went.

—————————————————————————————————————-

Me: Explain the difference in nuance that you feel between these two
sentences:
PLAY 내일 비가 올지 모르겠어요 = It might rain tomorrow
PLAY 내일 비가 올지도 모르겠어요 = It might rain tomorrow

Her: The use of ~도 makes it seem like you don’t know if it will happen or
not. It’s possible that it will happen, but it is also possible that it won’t
happen.

Me: But isn’t that sort of implied in the first sentence as well?

Her: Technically yes, but it’s just two different ways to say the same
meaning. It would be like saying “I don’t know if it will rain tomorrow or
not” and “It might rain tomorrow.”

Me: I feel like that first sentence that you just said would be better written
as
PLAY“내일 비가 올지 안 올지 모르겠어요.”

Her: Ah, yes. I feel like these two sentences mean exactly the same thing:
PLAY 내일 비가 올지도 모르겠어요
PLAY 내일 비가 올지 안 올지 모르겠어요.
I feel like the use of ~도 adds that extra nuance that something might
happen or not.
—————————————————————————————————————-

After speaking with that person, I discussed this problem with a teacher
who teaches Korean grammar to Korean high school students. I can only
assume that her understanding of Korean grammar is excellent, although
sometimes it is hard for somebody to understand the grammar of their own
language. Either way, she cannot speak English and our entire conversation
was in Korean. This is how it went:

—————————————————————————————————————-

Me: Explain the difference in nuance that you feel between these three
sentences:
PLAY 내일 비가 올지 모르겠어요
PLAY 내일 비가 올지도 모르겠어요
PLAY 내일 비가 올지 안 올지 모르겠어요

Her: The first two sentences are identical. In the third one, you are
indicating the two possibilities of “it might rain” or “it might not rain.”

Me: I just talked with another Korean person, and she said that the use of “~
도” in the second sentence sort of implies those two possibilities as well.
She said that the second and third sentences had the same meaning. What
do you think about that?

Her: I don’t feel that way when I hear it. I feel the first two are the same, and
the third one is listing more possibilities.

——————————

So here I had two Korean people – one with excellent English and the other
with a lot of Korean grammar knowledge, and they gave me opposing
answers. My conclusion from this and all of my studying, researching and
exposure to the language is:

~ㄹ/을지 모르다 and

~ㄹ/을지도 모르다

Have the same, or effectively the same meaning.

Let me take a minute to explain when you would use ~도 in this case.

~도 is added to uncertain clauses that are conjugated in the future tense to

express one’s uncertainty of if something will happen in the future (or not).
You will typically not see ~도 added to an uncertain clause in the past or
present tense unless it is being used to have the meaning as discussed
in #1 above.

~도 is not added to uncertain clauses where there is a question word in the

clause. For example, it would be unnatural to say something like this:
비가 언제 올지도 모르겠어요
This “rule” leads me to believe that the purpose of ~도 is somewhat closer
to having the “if or not” meaning as it was described by the English speaking
Korean person in our conversation. Just like how adding “or not” would be
unnatural to add to the following English sentence, it would be unnatural to
add “~도” to its Korean translation:
비가 언제 올지도 모르겠어요 = I don’t know when it will rain or not

Again, this usage is not the usage of ~도 from #1 above. In that usage, ~도

can be added to ~는지, ~았/었는지 or ~ㄹ/을지 to have the meaning that ~
도 usually possesses when it is added to nouns. It can also be added to
uncertain clauses that have question words. I will discuss this meaning in a
future lesson.

Wow. All of that work to understand one syllable.

We’re not done yet. That syllable (지) has another meaning… one that is
easier to dissect.

I have been doing X for Y – 지

Up to this point, this lesson has explained the meaning of ~는지 as a

grammatical principle that is attached to its previous clause. For example:

PLAY 저는 친구가 어디 가는지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know where my friend

is going
When ~는지 is added to 가다, notice that there is no space between 가다, ~
는 or 지. In this usage, ~지 is not a noun but instead just a part of a larger
grammatical principle that can be attached to verbs or adjectives.

지 has another meaning, and it is completely unrelated to the meaning of ~

지 that was described earlier in this lesson. I would like to talk about this
other meaning in this lesson as well.

In this other meaning, you will see ~지 used after a verb with ~ㄴ/은
attached to the verb.

Notice that ~ㄴ/은 is the same addition that is added to verbs in the past
tense of ~는 것

For example, you will see:

사귀다 + ㄴ/은 지 = 사귄 지
먹다 + ㄴ/은 지 먹은 지

I want to take a moment to explain what you are seeing here.

Remember that ~ㄴ/은 (just like ~는 in the present tense and ~ㄹ/을 in the
future tense) is added to verbs when they will describe an
upcoming noun. For example:

우리가 먹은 밥 = The food we ate

우리가 먹는 밥 = The food we eat
우리가 먹을 밥 = The food we will eat

In this same respect, 지 is also a noun. However, this is the type of noun
that I like to call a “pseudo-noun.” These are nouns that can be described
by a verb (using ~는 것) or by an adjective (just like any other noun), but
they can’t be used on their own.

You will eventually learn more of these nouns in your Korean studies. Below
are some of the pseudo-nouns that you will come across shortly:
적 in ~ㄴ/은 적이 없다 | Introduced in Lesson 32
(For example: 그것을 한 적이 없어요 = I haven’t done that)

수 in ~ㄹ/을 수 있다 | Introduced in Lesson 45

(For example: 그것을 할 수 있어요 = I can do that)

줄 in ~ㄹ/을 줄 알다 | Introduced in Lesson 85

(For example: 그것을 할 줄 알아요 = I know how to do that)

Let me explain the situation where you can use the pseudo-noun “지.”

Again, when placed after a verb with ~ㄴ/은 attached:

사귄 지
먹은 지

… and when followed by an indication of time:

사귄 지 6 개월
먹은 지 5 분

… and then followed by 되다 conjugated to the past tense:

사귄 지 6 개월 됐다
먹은 지 5 분 됐다

Remember, 지 is officially a noun. Nouns have meaning. The meaning of

“지” is the representation of the period of time that has passed since the
action took place until the present. To English speakers, it is hard to imagine
that a noun represents a figurative period of time like this. This is the image I
have in my head that represents the meaning of “지” in the construction “
사귄 지 6 개월 됐다:
Let’s put this construction into a sentence and look at how this could be
translated.

PLAY 여자 친구랑 사귄 지 6 개월 됐어

Possible translations for this could be:

= I have been going out with my girlfriend for six months
= It has been six months since I started/have been going out with my
girlfriend

Let’s look at another example – specifically one that illustrates the

importance of context when understanding these sentences:

PLAY 밥을 먹은 지 5 분 됐다

Imagine you are eating, and your friend walks into the room and witnesses
you eating. If your friend asks “how long have you been eating?” you could
respond with:

PLAY 밥을 먹은 지 5 분 됐다
= I have been eating for five minutes
= It has been five minutes since I started/have been eating

However, imagine you are not eating, and your friend walks into the room
and witnesses you not eating. If your friend asks “how long has it been since
you last ate? (How long has it been since you have not been eating?)” you
could respond with the same sentence used above. Remember, “지”
represents the time period from when the action took place until the
present. It’s possible that the action is still occurring, but it’s also possible
that the action has stopped. In the context where the action has stopped,
and where one wants to indicate how long it has been since something last
occurred, the Korean sentence can be the same as the context where the
action is continuing. The Korean sentence may be the same, but the English
translation would be different because of this context. For example, in
response to your friend asking “how long has it been since you last ate?”
you could respond:

PLAY 밥을 먹은 지 5 분 됐다
= I haven’t eaten for five minutes
= It has been five minutes since I last ate

That’s the explanation for 지. Before I get into some deeper discussion, let’s
look at some examples to get you familiar with these types of sentences.

In the example sentences below, the translations are assuming that the
action is still occurring, and thus, the speaker is referring to how long it has
been since the action started.

PLAY 한국에서 산 지 25 년 됐어요

= I have been living in Korea for 25 years
= It has been 25 years since I started living in Korea

PLAY 강아지를 기른 지 10 년 됐어요

= I have been raising a dog for 10 years
= It has been 10 years since I started raising a dog

PLAY 그 그룹이 훈련을 받은 지 다섯 시간 됐어요

= That group has been receiving training for 5 hours
= It has been 5 hours since that group started receiving training

PLAY 이 아르바이트를 한 지 2 주일 됐어요

= I’ve had this part-time job for 2 weeks
= It has been 2 weeks since I started this part-time job

PLAY 한국에 온 지 2 년 됐어요

= I have been in Korea for 2 years
= It has been 2 years since I came to Korea

————————-

Let’s discuss some things.

I already discussed the idea that “지” in the sentence “PLAY 밥을 먹은 지 5
분 됐다” can be used to refer to the amount of time that has passed (to the
present) since one started eating, or since one finished eating. You would
have to rely on context to know specifically which translation would work
best.

This possibility of two meanings can only be applied to certain verbs. For
example:

PLAY 밥을 먹은 지 5 분 됐다

This can be used to mean:

= I have been eating for five minutes (in the case that you are currently
eating), or
= It has been five minutes since I last ate (in the case that you are currently
not eating)

However, let’s go back to the first sentence we created using 지:

PLAY 여자 친구랑 사귄 지 6 개월 됐어

As you have seen, this sentence can be used to have the following meaning:

= It has been six months since I started/have been going out with my
girlfriend

For the translation above to work, you would have to still be going out with
your girlfriend. However, if you are currently not going out with your
girlfriend, you would not be able to use this sentence. That is, the sentence
above could not translate to “It has been six months since I was going out
with my girlfriend.” In order to create that sentence, you would have to use
the opposite verb, for example:

PLAY 여자 친구랑 헤어진 지 6 개월 됐어 = It has been six months since I

broke up with my girlfriend

Likewise, look at the following sentence with the translations provided:

PLAY 이제 결혼한 지 1 년 됐어요
= I have been married for one year
= It has been a year since I got married

The sentence above would be used if you are currently married, but not if
you are not currently married.

In trying to understand which verbs can hold this dual meaning – my brain
keeps trying to tell me that it is related to whether or not the verb is able to
repeat or continue itself. For example, when you eat, the act of eating is not
one instant, and the action continues to progress.

When you exercise, the act of exercising is not one instant, and the action
continues to progress. If you are exercising hard and look very sweaty, your
friend might ask you “how long has it been since you started exercising?” In
response, you could say:

PLAY 운동한 지 한 시간 됐어요

= I have been exercising for one hour
= It has been one hour since I started exercising

However, if you just came home and threw your exercise bag on the couch,
your friend might ask you “how long has it been since you last exercised (or
stopped exercising)?” In response, you could again say:

PLAY 운동한 지 한 시간 됐어요

= I haven’t exercised in an hour
= It has been an hour since I stopped exercising

When you shower the act of showering is not one instant, and the action
continues to progress. If you are in the shower, your friend might ask you
“how long it has been since you started showering?” In response, you could
say:

PLAY 샤워한 지 10 분 됐어요

= I have been showering for 10 minutes
= It has been 10 minutes since I started showering
However, if your friend gets a whiff of your armpit and finds it to be very
stinky, your friend might ask you “how long has it been since you last
showered?” In response, you could again say:

PLAY 샤워한 지 10 분 됐어요

= I haven’t showered in 10 minutes
= It has been 10 minutes since I stopped showering

However, some words don’t continue to progress. For example, 결혼하다

refers to the act of getting married, not the state of being married. It doesn’t
start or stop – it just happens. As such, if I were to say:

PLAY 이제 결혼한 지 1 년 됐어요

You would have to still be married to say that sentence. You never “started”
getting married. You never “stopped” getting married. You just got married,
and “지” represents the time from that point until the present.

This can also be applied to the word “오다,” which you already saw in an
example sentence earlier:

PLAY 한국에 온 지 2 년 됐어요

= I have been in Korea for 2 years
= It has been 2 years since I came to Korea

In this case, 오다 refers to the (completed) action of arriving in Korea. It

doesn’t start, and it doesn’t finish. It just happens, and “지” represents the
time from that point to the present. Thus, you would have to still be in
Korea to say that sentence.

Another example would be the word “졸업하다” (to graduate):

PLAY 고등학교를 졸업한 지 1 년 됐어요

= I graduated one year ago
= It has been a year since I graduated
You would have had to have graduated to say that sentence. You never
“started” graduating. You never “stopped” graduating. You just graduated,
and “지” represents the time from that point until the present.

The good news is – it is never this complicated in real conversations. The

only reason why this is getting so complicated is because the sentences I’m
providing don’t have any context. In everyday conversations, it is much
easier to pick up the meaning using other information. In addition, it is also
possible to specifically indicate that it has been a certain amount of time
since an action finished. In order to do this, you can describe “지” with a
negative sentence. For example:

PLAY 우리가 안 만난 지 2 주일 됐어요 = We haven’t met in 2 weeks

PLAY 밥을 안 먹은 지 아홉 시간 됐어요 = I haven’t eaten in nine hours
PLAY 용돈을 안 받은 지 1 년 됐어요 = I haven’t received (an) allowance in a
year

————————-

지 refers to the period of time from when an action occurs until the present.
You cannot use 지 to refer to a time that completed some other time in the
past. If you want to indicate the period of time that an action occurred in
the past, you can use sentences like this:

저는 두 시간 동안 먹었어요 = I ate for two hours

English speakers will quickly point out that “I ate for two hours” and “I had
eaten for two hours” do not have exactly the same meanings. Korean
people usually don’t distinguish between these two meanings in their
sentences and instead rely on context to make the specific meaning clear.

————————-

You can also use this same type of sentence to ask questions about how
long one has been doing something by using 얼마나 or words like 오래. For
example:
PLAY 한국어를 공부한 지 얼마나 되었어요? = How long have you been
studying Korean?
PLAY 운동한 지 오래 됐어? = Have you been exercising for a long time?

It is common to use the construction “얼마 안 되다” to indicate that you

haven’t been doing something for very long. For example

PLAY 제가 한국에서 산 지 얼마 안 됐어요 = I haven’t been living in Korea for

very long
PLAY 제가 우리 학교에서 일한 지 얼마 안 됐어요 = I haven’t been working
at our school for very long

You also saw in Lesson 28 that this is one of the acceptable times where ~
은 can be added to 있다. For example:

여기에 있은 지 얼마나 되었어요? = How long have you been here for?

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. You might not be able to understand all of the grammar within the
example sentences, but most of the grammar used will be introduced by
the end of Unit 2. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each
word can be used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that
you will be learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 미소 = smile

PLAY 배달 = delivery

PLAY 반지 = ring

PLAY 입술 = lips

PLAY 미술 = art
PLAY 목걸이 = necklace

PLAY 귀걸이 = earrings

PLAY 수영복 = bathing suit

PLAY 간식 = snacks

PLAY 목표 = goal

PLAY 숲 = forest

PLAY 주머니 = pocket

PLAY 칠판 = blackboard, chalkboard

PLAY 딸기 = strawberry

PLAY 상추 = lettuce

PLAY 공사 = construction

PLAY 교시 = class, period

PLAY 종교 = religion

PLAY 시청 = city hall

PLAY 동갑 = the same age

PLAY 긍정적 = positive

PLAY 부정적 = negative

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 어울리다= to get along with
CONJUGATE PLAY 알리다 = to tell, to inform

CONJUGATE PLAY 아끼다 = to cherish, to save

CONJUGATE PLAY 남기다 = to leave something

CONJUGATE PLAY 면도하다 = to shave

CONJUGATE PLAY 빌리다 = to borrow, to lend

CONJUGATE PLAY 샤워하다 = to shower

CONJUGATE PLAY 덮다 = to cover

CONJUGATE PLAY 없어지다 = to disappear

CONJUGATE PLAY 따라가다 = to follow

CONJUGATE PLAY 따라오다 = to be followed

CONJUGATE PLAY 지나가다 = to go and pass by

CONJUGATE PLAY 키우다 = to raise (children), to train (animals), to develop

(skills)

CONJUGATE PLAY 참다 = to hold back, to endure

CONJUGATE PLAY 선택하다 = to choose

CONJUGATE PLAY 깨닫다 = to realize

Passive Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 쓰이다 = to be written on

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 부럽다 = to be envious
Adverbs and Other Words:
PLAY 식 = a certain way/method

PLAY 아까 = earlier

PLAY 꽉 = tightly

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

I keep saying this, but you have learned a lot about using the ~는 것
principle. Don’t think that you’re out of the woods yet – because there is still
a lot to know. In this lesson, you will learn how to use ~는 것 with 이다.
Let’s get started.

Using ~는 것 with 이다

You’ve learned a lot about how to add ~는 것 to any verb (and technically
adjectives as well by using ~ㄴ/은 것), but you have yet to learn about how
to add it to 이다.

You are probably asking yourself: When would I ever want to add ~는 것 to
이다?
(I just want to point out that this is actually the same thing as adding ~
ㄴ to “~적이다” words, which you learned in Lesson 16.)

Let’s remember what ~는 것 does:

If you want to just say a noun, you can just say a noun. For example:
Person = 사람
If you want to describe that noun, you can use adjectives:
똑똑한 사람 = smart person

Or verbs:
먹고 있는 사람 = the person who is eating

But… now think about this for a second… what if you want to describe a
noun with a noun? Look at the difference (or similarities) between the three
following sentences:

똑똑한 사람= the smart person (or – person who is smart)

먹고 있는 사람 = the person who is eating
_____________= the person who is a teacher

How would you do that? Remember that 이다 is conjugated as an adjective.

Using the ~는 것 principle with 이다 is really no different than adding ~ㄴ/은
to an adjective to describe an upcoming noun. Because 이다 is conjugated
as an adjective, the following would not be correct:

선생님이는 남자…

Instead, 이다 gets conjugated as ~인. For example:

PLAY[직업이] 선생님인 사람들은 인기가 많아요 = People who[se jobs] are

teachers are popular
(It sounds slightly more natural to say “직업이 선생님인 사람들” in this
case instead of just “선생님인 사람들.” Remember here that the entire
clause before “~인” is describing the upcoming noun. In this case, the
clause is “직업이 선생님이다” which would unnaturally translate to
something like “the job is a teacher”. However, when put in the place of
describing an upcoming noun, it can translate to “직업이 선생님인 사람들 
= people whose jobs are teachers”. At any rate, try not to worry about the
use of “직업” (as I realize it might be difficult) in that sentence and focus
more on the big picture of what adding “~ㄴ” to 이다 accomplishes. 

The thing is, as you can see with my big blurb above, this may not be as
simple as it should be. Most of the time, there would be a better way –
using another word or something to accomplish the same sentence. For
example, in the sentence above “직업이 선생님인 사람들은 인기가 많아요”,
is the meaning not exactly the same (in English) if we just say “Teachers are
popular”? For example:

선생님들은 인기가 많아요 = Teachers are popular

Here, we are accomplishing the same thing but don’t need to use 이다 as a
descriptor in the sentence.

Another great example would be if you wanted to say something like:

“Students who are girls wear skirts”

That would translate to something like:

여자인 학생들은 치마를 입는다

But, that sentence sounds ridiculous (in both English and Korean). In Korean,
it would sound much better if you just used the word “여학생”, which
literally means “female students.” For example:

여학생들은 치마를 입는다 = female students wear skirts

(I would much rather say “female students must wear skirts,” but you
haven’t learned how to do that yet, and I try not to use examples that use
a concept you haven’t learned)

Despite this, there will be some times where you will find the need for using
~는 것 with 이다. Some times this happens when you come across a noun
that has the feeling of an adjective. For example, the word “부자” literally
means “rich person.” In English, if we wanted to say “that person is rich,”
the word “rich” acts as an adjective. However, in Korean, they would say:

그 사람은 부자야 = That person is (a) rich (person)

Here, 부자 acts as a noun, and the whole sentence is predicated by 이다. In

this case, you might find it useful to use 이다 + ~ㄴ to describe an upcoming
noun. For example:

PLAY 내 친구는 부자인 아버지를 자랑했어 = My friend boasted about/was

showing off his rich father
Another example using the word “불법” which, as a noun, translates to
“illegal”:

PLAY 슬기는 불법인 일을 하고 있어요 = Seulgi is doing something illegal

It is also common to see this form attached to somebody’s job title to

describe their name. Sort of like saying “He is Rob, the CEO of Samsung”.
For example:

PLAYTitanic 배우인 Leonardo Dicaprio 는 잘생겼어요 = Leonardo Dicaprio,

who is an actor in Titanic is handsome

At this point, you might be saying “all of this sounds really complicated and
I can’t even really understand when I would use this form.” I agree with you,
this looks complicated. The thing is, the foundation of many other (more
complicated) grammatical principles have ~는 것 incorporated within them.
These grammatical principles, in addition to being able to attach to verbs
and adjectives, are able to attach to 이다 as well.

Here are some other sentences using other grammatical principles that you
have not learned yet. I’m including these just so you can see that attaching ~
ㄴ to 이다 is important to your Korean studies as you progress:

그 사람은 가난한 사람인 것처럼 행동했어요 = That person acted like a poor
person
(처럼 is introduced in Lesson 67)

그는 축구선수인 만큼 달리기를 잘해요 = He runs as well as a soccer

athlete/player
(만큼 is introduced in Lesson 72) 

그 사람이 너의 아버지인 줄 몰랐어요 = I didn’t know that person is your

father
(줄 is introduced in Lesson 85)

In each case above, ~ㄴ is attached to 이다 to form “인”. You can see in

each example that “인” is used to describe an upcoming noun. There are
many more examples of how 이다 can be used to describe an upcoming
noun like this, but I don’t need to include them all here, as you will learn
about them as they become important.

~는지 is also added to 이다 in this same way. Again, because 이다 acts as

an adjective ~ㄴ/은 should be added to it (이다 + ㄴ/은지 will always be ~
인지). For example:

PLAY 그 사람이 선생님인지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know if that person is a

teacher
PLAY 그 사람이 선생님인지 아닌지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know if that person
is a teacher or not
PLAY 우리가 동갑인지 몰랐어요 = I didn’t know that we were the same age
PLAY 이것이 저의 엄마의 목걸인지 어떻게 알아요? = How do you know
that this is my mother’s necklace?

Often times 이다 is attached to a question word to predicate a sentence. In

this same sense, you will often see ~인지 attached to question words. For
example:

Note that the pairs of sentences below are not dialogues. I organized them
this way to show you the similar format that you can see between using ~
인지 and using 이다 to predicate a sentence.

비상출구가 어디예요? = Where is the emergency exit?

PLAY 비상출구가 어디인지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know where the
emergency exit is

지금 몇 시예요? = What time is it now?

PLAY 지금 몇 시인지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know what time it is now

당신의 목표가 뭐예요? = What is your goal?

PLAY 저의 목표가 무엇인지 알아요? = Do you know what my goal is?

이 일의 관리자가 누구예요? = Who is the manager of this job?

PLAY 이 일의 관리자가 누구인지 알아요? = Do you know who the manager
of this job is?
가격이 얼마예요? = How much is this?
PLAY 가격이 얼마인지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know how much the price is

——————-

It is also possible, as it is with attaching ~는 것 to a verb or ~ㄴ/은 것 to an

adjective, to turn an entire clause into a noun, and then predicate the
sentence using a verb. Just like how you learned how to write this sentence
in Lesson 26:

I am only including the brackets below to show you that we are still using
the same basic sentences of subject – object – verb.

저는 (사과)를 원해요 = I want apples

PLAY 저는 (친구가 사과를 가져오는 것)을 원해요 = I want my friend to
bring apples

You can do the same thing but with 이다 here:

내가 (열쇠를 안 가져온 것)을 깨달았어 = I realized that I didn’t bring my

keys
PLAY 내 (행동은 실수인 것)을 깨달았어 = I realized that my actions (what I
did) is/was a mistake

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. You might not be able to understand all of the grammar within the
example sentences, but most of the grammar used will be introduced by
the end of Unit 2. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each
word can be used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that
you will be learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 기적 = miracle
PLAY 차량 = vehicle

PLAY 관객 = audience

PLAY 치과 = dentistry

PLAY 공연 = performance, show, concert

PLAY 업무 = administrative work

PLAY 탈의실 = change room

PLAY 표 = ticket

PLAY 표 = graph, table

PLAY 간장 = soy sauce

PLAY 고생 = some sort of hard time or hardship

PLAY 휴대폰 = cell phone

PLAY 뜻 = meaning

PLAY 세일 = sale

PLAY 이력서 = resume, curriculum vitae

PLAY 비서 = secretary

PLAY 연예인 = celebrity

PLAY 행사 = event, function

PLAY 일자리 = job position

PLAY 평일 = a weekday

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 명령하다 = to order, to command

CONJUGATE PLAY 빼다 = to pull out, to extract

CONJUGATE PLAY 지원하다 = to apply for

CONJUGATE PLAY 신다 = to put on shoes or socks

CONJUGATE PLAY 신기다 = to put shoes or socks on somebody

CONJUGATE PLAY 따르다 = to pour

CONJUGATE PLAY 채우다 = to fill

CONJUGATE PLAY 비우다 = to empty

CONJUGATE PLAY 끊다 = to cut off, to quit something

CONJUGATE PLAY 살리다 = to save (a life)

CONJUGATE PLAY 썰다 = to chop, to slice

CONJUGATE PLAY 예매하다 = to purchase in advance

CONJUGATE PLAY 판단하다 = to judge

CONJUGATE PLAY 해결하다 = to solve, to resolve

CONJUGATE PLAY 구하다 = to search for a worker, to search for a job, to

get a job

CONJUGATE PLAY 통제하다 = to control

CONJUGATE PLAY 연락하다 = to contact

CONJUGATE PLAY 예약하다 = to reserve

CONJUGATE PLAY 평가하다 = to evaluate

CONJUGATE PLAY 갈아입다 = to change clothes

Passive Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 끊기다 = to be cut off

CONJUGATE PLAY 막히다 = to be congested

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 약하다 = to be weak

CONJUGATE PLAY 자세하다 = to be detailed

CONJUGATE PLAY 취하다 = to be drunk

CONJUGATE PLAY 심심하다 = to be bored

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn about how to use ~려고 and ~러 in sentences to
have the meaning of “for the purpose of/in order to.” You will also learn
how to add ~어/아 보다 to verbs to have the meaning of “attempt/try to,”
which is often used with the noun ‘적’. Let’s get started.

With the intention of doing…: ~(으)려고

Adding ~(으)려고 to the stem of the verb gives it the meaning of “with the
intention of” or “in order to.” ~려고 gets added to stems ending in a vowel
and ~으려고 gets added to stems ending in a consonant. For example:

밖에 나가려고… With the intention of going outside/in order to go outside…

그 사람을 살리려고… With the intention of saving that person/in order to
save that person…

The constructions we have created above are not full sentences – they are
just clauses that we can put into sentences. We can create full sentences by
adding a clause to the end of them. For example:

PLAY 밖에 일찍 나가려고 숙제를 빨리 했어요 = I did my homework fast in

order to go out early
PLAY 저는 신발을 신으려고 잠깐 앉았어요 = I sat down for a minute in
order to put on my shoe

The translation of “to”, “so that”, or “with the intention” are also usually
appropriate, as they all describe the same thing. For example:

PLAY 밖에 일찍 나가려고 숙제를 빨리 했어요 = I did my homework fast so

that I could go out early
PLAY 밖에 일찍 나가려고 숙제를 빨리 했어요 = I did my homework fast to
go out early
PLAY 밖에 일찍 나가려고 숙제를 빨리 했어요 = I did my homework fast
with the intention of going out early

Here are many more examples:

PLAY 저는 그 사람을 살리려고 경찰관을 불렀어요 = I called the police
officer in order to save that person
PLAY 그 문제를 해결하려고 우리는 잠깐 만났어요 = In order to solve that
problem, we met for a little bit
PLAY 그 뜻을 이해하려고 책을 두 번 읽었어요 = In order to understand that
meaning, I read the book twice
PLAY 학생들을 평가하려고 내일 시험을 볼 거예요 = In order to evaluate the
students, they will do an exam tomorrow
PLAY 이렇게 많은 내용을 학생들에게 가르치려고 고생을 많이 했어요
= I worked hard/suffered in order to teach that much content to the
students

PLAY 저는 일을 구하려고 그 회사에 이력서를 냈어요

= I submitted my resume to that company with the intention of getting a job

PLAY 저는 그 일에 지원하려고 그 회사에 이력서를 냈어요

= I submitted my resume to that company with the intention of applying for
that job

You can specifically use ~(으)려고 at the end of a sentence when the

remainder of that sentence can be assumed. When used like this, it typically
indicates what the speaker is just about to do. It is usually used in response
to a question. For example:

PLAY 마트에 갔어요?  = Have you gone to the store?/Did you go to the
store?
PLAY 아니요~ 지금 가려고요 = No, but I’m going right now/I’m just about to
go

PLAY 일을 다 했어? = Have you finished the work/Did you finish the work?
PLAY 지금 하려고 = I’m doing it right now/I’m just about to do it/finish it

Notice that these constructions look like incomplete sentences because

~(으)려고 is usually used between clauses (as you can see in the examples
provided earlier in the lesson), and not to end a sentence. However, the
language has evolved to allow the above constructions to be correct. Also
notice that you can add the honorific “요” to “(으)려고” when used at the
end of a sentence to make the sentence more formal. You will learn many
other grammatical principles throughout your Korean studies that typically
connect two clauses, but can be used at the end of a sentence like this if the
context allows for it. In most of these cases, it is acceptable to attach “요” to
make it polite, even though it is not an actual conjugated word.

The clauses that you can add after ~(으)려고 are, for all intents and
purposes, endless as long as the situation makes sense. However, one verb
that is very commonly used after ~(으)려고 is “노력하다”, which means “to
put effort into.” We will talk about this after our discussion of irregulars.
 —————

In Lesson 7, you learned how irregular words change as a result of adding

different additions. This is the first time you have been introduced to adding
~(으)려고. Let’s look at how irregulars change as a result of adding this
grammatical principle.

– The ㅅ irregular, ㄷ irregular and ㅂ irregular all follow the same rules that
were introduced in Lesson 7. The addition of the vowel causes a change (or
elimination) of the last letter of the stem.

– The ㅡ and 르 irregular are not affected by this addition. The final letter in
both types of stems is a vowel, so ~려고 is added instead of ~으려고.

– The purpose of adding ~으려고 to a stem that ends in a consonant, and ~

려고 to a stem that ends in a vowel is to make pronunciation easier. For
example, it would be difficult to pronounce 받다 (to receive) if ~려고 were
attached to it. Therefore, instead of being “받려고” the correct form is “
받으려고.” However, grammatical principles that start with ㄹ can be added
directly to stems that end in ㄹ – and the optional vowel is not used.
Therefore, when adding ~(으)려고 to a stem that ends in ㄹ, ~려고 is added
directly to the stem. For example:

썰다 + ~(으)려고 = 썰려고

– Adding ~(으)려고 causes a change to ㅎ irregular words. The ㅎ is

removed, and ~려고 is added to the stem. Anytime you have the option of
adding ~(으) as part of a grammatical addition, the ㅎ will be removed from
the stem and the grammatical addition without “으” will be added to the
remainder of the stem. For example:

그렇다 + ~(으)려고 = 그러려고

Below is a table showing the changes that result from adding ~(으)려고 to a
word.
 Irregular Word + ~(으)려

ㅅ Irregular PLAY 짓다 (to build) 지으려고

ㄷ Irregular PLAY 걷다 (to walk) 걸으려고

ㅂ Irregular PLAY 돕다 (to help) 도우려고

ㅡ Irregular PLAY 잠그다 (to lock) 잠그려고

르 Irregular PLAY 자르다 (to cut) 자르려고

ㄹ Irregular PLAY 살다 (to live) 살려고

ㅎ Irregular PLAY 그렇다 (to be like that) 그러려고

You will see these same changes to irregulars anytime you add something
that begins in ~(으)ㄹ…. For example:

~(으)라고 (Lesson 54)

~(으)려면 (Lesson 96)

—————
 To try to: ~려고 노력하다

If you want to say “I try to ___” you can use the verb 노력하다 after ~(으)
려고. For example:

PLAY 그 친구를 매 주말 만나려고 노력해요 = I try to meet that friend every

weekend
PLAY 한국어를 배우려고 노력하고 있어요 = I am trying to learn Korean

노력하다 itself means to try/put effort into something. So literally, the

sentences means

“In order to meet that friend every weekend, I try”, and

“In order to learn Korean, I am trying”

But neither of those sentences (in English) sound natural. It is more natural
to just say “I try…”

You could also add this to a long line of other words. It’s hard to explain,
and you would never really need to say something like this, but
understanding it will help you with grammar (a little bit). When I first started
learning things like this, I always asked how I would say “I think I want to
start to try to learn Korean.” Perfect sentence, but nobody would ever really
say anything that ridiculous. You know everything in that sentence except “I
think,” so with what you learned today, you should know how to say “I
want to start to try to learn Korean:”

한국어를 배운다 = I learn Korean

한국어를 배우려고 노력한다 = I try to learn Korean
한국어를 배우려고 노력하기 시작한다 = I start to try to learn Korean
한국어를 배우려고 노력하기 시작하고 싶다 = I want to start to try to learn
Korean

… Heh, like I said – saying something that complex is unnecessary, but

understanding it is always good grammar practice.

To Come/Go to… ~(으)러

The clause connector ~(으)러 is very similar to ~(으)려고, but is specifically
used when one is “going to” or “coming from” a place in order to do
something. To distinguish it from the sentences earlier, these two would not
be appropriate:

밖에 일찍 나가러 숙제를 빨리 했어요 = I did my homework fast in order to

go out early
저는 신발을 신으러 잠깐 앉았어요 = I sat down for a minute in order to put
on my shoe

Instead, ~(으)러 should be used when one is going to or coming from a

place in order to do something. This usually means that the predicating verb
of the whole sentence should be either 가다 or 오다, but other variations of
those verbs are also acceptable (for example: 내려가다, to go down;
내려오다, to come down; 들어가다, to go in; 들어오다, to come in). Here
are some examples:

PLAY 친구를 만나러 왔어 = I came (here) to meet my friend

PLAY 공부하러 학교에 가고 있어 = I’m going to school to study
PLAY 표를 예매하러 극장에 가고 있어요 = I am going to the theater to buy
the tickets (in advance)
PLAY 그 연예인을 보러 행사에 갔어요 = I went to the event to see that
celebrity
PLAY 일자리에 지원하러 왔어요 = I came to apply for that job
PLAY 옷을 갈아입으러 탈의실에 갔어요 = He went to the change-room to
change his clothes
PLAY 저는 영화를 보러 나가고 싶어요 = I want to go out to see a movie

As you saw before, you cannot use ~(으)러 instead of ~(으)려고. That is,
while this sentence is okay:
PLAY 밖에 일찍 나가려고 숙제를 빨리 했어요

The following sentence is not correct because it does not use 가다, 오다, or
a similar “come/go” verb:
밖에 일찍 나가러 숙제를 빨리 했어요

However, the opposite can be done. That is, ~(으)려고 can be used instead
of ~(으)러. For example, all of the sentences below are okay:
표를 예매하려고 극장에 가고 있어요
그 연예인을 보려고 행사에 갔어요
일자리에 지원하려고 왔어요
옷을 갈아입으려고 탈의실에 갔어요
심심해서 저는 영화를 보려고 나가고 싶어요

In Lesson 13, you learned about adding ~을/를 위해 to nouns to have the
meaning “for.” For example:

나는 나의 여자 친구를 위해(서) 꽃을 샀어 = I bought flowers for my

girlfriend

You can also use “위해” to say that you do something “for (the purpose of)”
a verb. To do this, you attach ~기 위해 to a verb, just like you did with ~(으)
러 or ~(으)려고. For example:

PLAY 친구를 만나기 위해 여기로 왔어 = I came here to meet a friend

PLAY 친구를 만나러 여기로 왔어 = I came here to meet a friend
PLAY 친구를 만나려고 여기로 왔어 = I came here to meet a friend

PLAY 공부하기 위해 학교에 가고 있어 = I’m going to school to study

PLAY 공부하러 학교에 가고 있어 = I’m going to school to study
PLAY 공부하려고 학교에 가고 있어 = I’m going to school to study

It is important to notice that in all of these cases the tense is indicated in the
final clause of the sentence. That is – no indication of tense is to be made
before ~기 위해/~(으)러/~(으)려고. For example, notice how the tense is
indicated in the final clause of the following sentences:

PLAY 친구를 만나러 학교에 갔어요 = I went to school to meet a friend

PLAY 친구를 만나러 학교에 가고 있어요 = I am going to school to meet a
friend
PLAY 친구를 만나러 학교에 갈 거예요 = I will go to school to meet a friend

PLAY 공연을 보러 행사에 갔어요 = I went to the event to see the

performance
PLAY 공연을 보러 행사에 가고 있어요 = I am going to the event to see the
performance
PLAY 공연을 보러 행사에 갈 거예요 = I will go to the event to see the
performance

Before we finish this lesson, let’s look at another grammatical principle that
is often translated similarly to the ones above.

To attempt: ~아/어 보다

Adding ~아/어 보다 to the stem of a verb gives it the meaning of “to

attempt/try.” The translations to English are very similar – if not identical to
~(으)려고/~(으)러/~기 위해 but the meanings are very different. Notice the
similarities in the English translations of the following sentences:

나는 밥을 먹으려고 노력했다 = I tried to eat rice

나는 밥을 먹어 봤다 = I tried to eat (the) rice

I would like to describe the meaning of ~아/어 보다 by distinguishing it from

the use of “try” in the translation of ~(으)려고/(으)러/기 위해.

나는 밥을 먹으려고 노력했다
Means that you tried to eat rice in the sense that you put effort into eating. A
less ambiguous (but less natural) translation would be “I put effort into
eating the rice.”

나는 밥을 먹어 봤어
Means that you tried rice, similar to the meaning that you “tried something
out.” This meaning is not related to the effort of eating the rice, but instead
the experience of the “test” or “trial” or “attempt” of trying the rice. Another
good way to translate that sentence would be to say “I gave the rice a try.”

It is a little bit confusing at first because the best translations of both

sentences above is to use “try,” which can be very ambiguous. In my
examples below, I prefer to use the simple translation of “try” when using “~
아/어 보다” because it is usually the most natural way to express that
meaning. When reading the English translations below, keep in mind that
the usage of “try” is not related to effort, but instead related to a
“trial/test/attempt.” Let’s look at some examples:

PLAY 엄마가 요리한 음식을 먹어 봤어? = Did you try the food mom
cooked?
PLAY 결혼하기 위해 남자들을 만나 봤어 = In order to get married, I tried
meeting a lot of men
PLAY 그 신발을 신어 봤어요 = I tried on the shoes
PLAY 옛날 친구를 연락해 봤어요 = I tried contacting an old friend
PLAY 그 셔츠를 탈의실에서 입어 봤어요 = I tried on that shirt in the change
room
PLAY 비상출구를 찾아 볼 거예요 = I will look for the emergency exit
PLAY 그 업무를 처음으로 해 봤어요 = I tried that work for the first time
PLAY 그 회사에 지원해 볼 거예요 = I am going to try to apply to that
company
PLAY 이력서를 회사에서 일하는 비서에게 줘 봤어요 = I tried giving my
resume to the secretary who works at that office

One of the most common usages of ~아/어 보다 is when you are telling
somebody to do something. In essence, telling somebody to “try/attempt”
something. I have yet to teach you about the imperative mood (this will be
discussed in Lesson 40), so you won’t understand these example sentences
completely. Regardless, examine the following example sentences to try to
understand how ~아/어 보다 is being used.

PLAY 그것을 확인해 봐! = Check that! (Try checking that!)

PLAY 이것을 먹어 봐! = Eat this! (Try eating this!)
PLAY 여기 와 보세요 = Come here (Try coming here)
PLAY 지금 앉아 봐 = Sit down (Try sitting down)
PLAY 문을 열어 봐 = Open the door (Try opening the door)
PLAY 먼저 가 봐 = Go first (Try going first)
PLAY 이거를 봐 봐 = Look at this (Try looking at this)
PLAY 이것을 드셔 보세요 = Eat this (Try eating this)
PLAY 이 차를 마셔 보세요 = Drink this tea (Try drinking this tea)

Another common usage of the ~아/어 보다 grammatical form is used in

conjunction with the pseudo-noun 적, which we will talk about next.
 

The Noun of Experience: 적

In Lesson 30, you learned about the pseudo-noun ‘지.’ For example:

PLAY 밥을 먹은 지 5 분 됐다 = I have been eating for 5 minutes

In that lesson, you learned that 지 is one of a handful of nouns that have no
meaning when used on their own. However, when used in connection with
a describing verb or adjective, they have a special meaning.

“적” is another one of these nouns which cannot be used on its own.
However, if you add ~ㄴ/은 to a verb stem and place 적 after ~ㄴ/은, “적”
has the meaning of “experience.” Notice that ~ㄴ/은 is the same addition
that is added to verbs when the past-tense form of ~는 것 is added.

So, let’s go through this step by step. First, you need a verb: 먹다

● Add ~ㄴ/은 to the verb stem. ~은 gets added to words ending in a

consonant, ~ㄴ gets added directly to words ending in a vowel: So we
get: 먹은
● Add 적: 먹은 적
If I were to say:

김치를 먹은 적

It would mean “the experience of eating kimchi.” Remember that ‘적’ is a

noun that means ‘experience’ when used this way.

But, you can’t end sentences with nouns, so you need to finish the sentence
with 있다 or 없다 to mean “to have the experience of eating kimchi” or “to
not have the experience of eating kimchi.”

For example:
PLAY 김치를 먹은 적이 없어요 = I don’t have the experience of eating
kimchi…
… which is translated naturally to “I have never eaten kimchi”

Here are many more examples:

PLAY 거기에 간 적이 없어요 = I have never gone/been there/I haven’t been

there
PLAY 그 여자를 만난 적이 없어요 = I have never met that girl/I haven’t met
that girl
PLAY 연예인을 만난 적이 없어요 = I have never met anybody famous
PLAY 이런 업무를 한 적이 없어요 = I have never done this type of work
before
PLAY 이런 공연을 평일에 본 적이 없어요 = I have never seen a
performance like this on a weekday
PLAY 그 영화를 본 적이 있어요? = Have you seen that movie?

Because 적 refers to an experience, it is common to attach ~아/어 보다 to

the preceding verb to indicate that the particular experience was
“tried/attempted.”

PLAY 거기에 가 본 적이 없어요 = I have never been there (tried going there)
PLAY 그 여자를 만나 본 적이 없어요 = I have never met that girl (tried
meeting her)
PLAY 저는 치과에 가 본 적이 없어요 = I have never (tried going to) been to
the dentist
PLAY 이력서를 만들어 본 적이 없어요 = I have never tried making a resume
before
PLAY 그 영화를 봐 본 적이 있어요? = Have you tried seeing that that movie?

Notice that even in the final example, the word 보다 (to see/watch) is not
the same as the 보다 in the ~아/어 보다 grammatical principle. Therefore, it
is not unnatural to say 보다 twice in a row.

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. You might not be able to understand all of the grammar within the
example sentences, but most of the grammar used will be introduced by
the end of Unit 2. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each
word can be used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that
you will be learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 장면 = movie scene

PLAY 냄비 = pot, pan

PLAY 모습 = one's figure, appearance

PLAY 수표 = cheque

PLAY 자 = ruler

PLAY 지우개 = eraser

PLAY 지리 = geography

PLAY 태극기 = the Korean flag

PLAY 국기 = flag

PLAY 가구 = furniture

PLAY 미팅 = a kind of group blind date

PLAY 강의 = lecture

PLAY 전원 = electricity, power

PLAY 프린터 = printer

PLAY 집값 = price of houses

PLAY 변명 = excuse

PLAY 규칙 = rule, regulation

PLAY 주름 = wrinkle

PLAY 마늘 = garlic

PLAY 교환학생 = exchange student

PLAY 상가  = a building with a bunch of stores in it

PLAY 계약 = contract

PLAY 웃음 = laughter, smile

PLAY 학기 = semester

PLAY 외모 = a person’s outside appearance

PLAY 제한 = limit, restriction

PLAY 무제한 = something without limit

PLAY 현금 = cash

PLAY 물고기 = fish

PLAY 오랫동안 = for a long time

PLAY 그중 = of those things

PLAY 감정적 = emotional

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 상담하다 = to consult
CONJUGATE PLAY 높이다 = to heighten, to increase

CONJUGATE PLAY 올리다 = to raise, to lift, to increase

CONJUGATE PLAY 편집하다 = to edit

CONJUGATE PLAY 촬영하다 = to film

CONJUGATE PLAY 보관하다 = to store

CONJUGATE PLAY 복구하다 = to restore, recover

CONJUGATE PLAY 보증하다 = to guarantee

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 민감하다 = to be sensitive

CONJUGATE PLAY 상하다 = to be hurt, to be damaged

CONJUGATE PLAY 옳다 = to be right, to be proper, to be correct

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 원래 = originally

PLAY 짜리 = the one worth...

PLAY 일부러 = on purpose

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn how to use 중, which is a very important word
in Korean. By itself, it has the meaning of “middle” but it is never really used
on its own. Combined with other words or grammatical principles, this one
word can have a lot of meanings – most of them similar to the meaning
“middle.” The Chinese (Hanja) character for this word is one of the easiest
to know and recognize, as it is one of the few characters where the
character actually represents the meaning of the word: 中 (the strike down
the “middle”). Let’s look at how we can use 중 in Korean.

Present Progressive: ~는 중

중 is a noun, which means it can replace 것 in the ~는 것 principle. When

this is done, it gives the sentence the meaning of “I am …ing… (I am in the
middle of).” For example:

나는 먹는 중
나는 공부하는 중

Notice however, that 중 is a noun – and you can’t just end a sentence with a
noun like that. Therefore, if you want to make those sentences perfect, you
need to conjugate the noun using 이다.

For example:

PLAY 나는 먹는 중이야 = I am eating

PLAY 나는 공부하는 중이야 = I am studying

Notice that these sentences would have the same meaning if ~고 있다

(which you learned in Lesson 18) was used instead. For example:

나는 먹고 있어 = I am eating
나는 공부하고 있어 = I am studying

Below are many more examples:

PLAY 우리는 그 감정적인 장면을 촬영하는 중이에요 = We are filming that

emotional scene now
PLAY 아저씨가 프린터를 복구하는 중이에요 = The man is restoring the
printer
PLAY 제 모습을 거울에서 보는 중이에요 = I’m looking at myself (my
appearance) in the mirror
PLAY 오빠가 미팅을 하는 중이에요 = My brother is on a “meeting” (a group
blind date)
PLAY 저는 그 비디오를 지금 편집하는 중이에요 = I am editing that video
now
PLAY 제 삶에서 옳은 길을 찾는 중이에요 = I’m looking for the right path in
my life
PLAY 제가 아주 중요한 규칙을 설명하는 중이에요 = I am explaining a very
important rule

Sometimes you will see “중” being used immediately after the noun form of
a verb without the use of ~는 것. The nouns used in these situations are
usually ~하다 nouns (that is, verbs that we can remove ~하다 from to form
nouns). For example:

PLAY 나는 공부 중이야 = I am studying

PLAY 저는 생각 중이에요 = I am thinking

Many more examples:

PLAY 그 상가가 지금 공사 중이에요 = That building is under construction

PLAY 모든 선생님들은 회의 중이에요 = All the teachers are in a meeting
PLAY 그 선생님은 강의 중이에요 = That teacher is giving a lecture
PLAY 의사가 환자랑 상담 중이에요 = The doctor is having a consultation
with a patient
PLAY 저는 가구를 다 보관 중이에요 = I’m storing all of my furniture (all of
my furniture is in storage)

It is common to see this usage of “중” on signs that inform people what is
happening in a certain place.

For example, outside of a construction site, you might see a sign that says:
공사 중 = Under construction

Outside of a classroom in a University, you might see a sign that says:

강의 중 = Class in progress, or
수업 중 = Class in progress

Outside of a doctor’s office or some other business office where people

need “consulting” you might see a sign that says:
상담 중 = Consultation in progress

Outside of an office meeting room, you might see a sign that says:
회의 중 = Meeting in progress

Outside a set for a TV show or movie, you might see a sign that says:
촬영 중 = Filming in progress

중 is used in a lot of street signs to indicate that something is currently

ongoing, like:
– indicating that something is under construction
– indicating that they are cracking down on illegal parking

Before you learn more about how to use 중, let’s first look at how you can
use ~는 동안.

While: ~는 동안

You learned in Lesson 11 that you can place 동안 after a unit of time to
describe the duration of that time. The usual translation for that usage is
“for.” For example:

PLAY 저는 10 분 동안 걸었어요 = I walked for 10 minutes

PLAY 저는 30 분 동안 공부했어요 = I studied for 30 minutes

You can also place 동안 as the noun in ~는 것, similar to how you use 중 in
this situation. When used like this, the second action occurs “during” the
duration of the first action. This usually translates to “while …” For example:

PLAY 저는 집에 가는 동안 친구랑 얘기했어요 = I talked with a friend while I

walked home
You typically won’t see verbs that happen instantly (and don’t continue)
used before ~는 동안. For example, when you study, that action continues
for a long time, and other actions could happen “while” you are studying.
However, you wouldn’t usually see something like this:

내가 일어나는 동안… = While I was standing up…

The action of “standing up” occurs almost instantly and it is rare for other
actions to occur while “standing up” occurs.

Below are many more examples:

PLAY 저는 수학을 공부하는 동안 연필과 자와 지우개를 다 썼어요

= I used a pencil, eraser and a ruler while I was studying math

PLAY 아줌마가 말을 하는 동안 저는 그 아줌마의 주름을 쳐다봤어요

= I was staring at the older lady’s wrinkles while she was talking

PLAY 종업원이 보증 기간에 대해 설명을 하는 동안 저는 그 종업원의 말을

듣고 있지 않았어요
= I wasn’t listening when the worker was explaining about the warranty
period

PLAY 핸드폰에 전원이 꺼져 있는 동안 전화를 받지 못했어요

= While (the power on) my phone was turned off, I couldn’t answer my
phone

PLAY 그 남자의 모습을 보는 동안 웃음을 참지 못했어요

= While looking at that man’s appearance I couldn’t keep from laughing

PLAY 내가 밥을 먹는 동안 열쇠를 잊어버린 것을 깨달았어

= While I was eating I realized that I forgot my keys

PLAY 영화를 보는 동안 다른 사람들이 너무 시끄러웠어요

= While I was watching the movie, the other people were really loud

Pretty simple grammatical principle that can be used in a lot of applications.

Now that you know that, let’s move on to learn more about 중.
 

Of all…: ~중

In this usage, 중 is placed after a list of two or more things. For example:

밥과 빵 중에

It could also be placed after one noun that represents two or more nouns.

For example:

나의 남동생 세 명 중에…
나의 친구들 중에…

Placing 중에 after some representation of two or more things, you can

create the meaning of “of (those things)” or “among/between (those
things).” For example:

밥과 빵 중에 = Between rice and bread…

나의 남동생 세 명 중에… = Among/of my three younger brothers
나의 친구들 중에… = Among/of my friends

Notice the meaning of these constructions. The examples above are not
complete, but you can fill in the latter part of the sentences as you please.
The latter part of the sentence usually describes something about one of
those things. For example:

PLAY 밥과 빵 중에 밥이 더 맛있어요 = Between rice and bread, rice is more

delicious
PLAY 나의 남동생 세 명 중에 그는 가장 똑똑해  = Of my three younger
brothers, he is the smartest
PLAY 나의 친구들 중에 나는 슬기를 가장 좋아해 = Of all my friends, I like
Seulgi the most
It is slightly easier to grasp the meaning of this concept if you remember the
meaning of “중” is “middle.” Essentially, by making these sentences, you are
saying “in the middle of all my friends.” Heh, not sure if that helps you, but it
helped me understand it.

Many more examples:

PLAY 수업 중에 지리 수업을 제일 좋아해요 = Of all classes, I like Geography

the most
PLAY 남자와 여자 중에 여자들이 감정에 더 민감해요 = Between boys and
girls, girls are more sensitive
PLAY 이 두 계약 중에 이 계약이 나아요 = Between these two contracts, this
one is better
PLAY 모든 프린터 중에 이것이 제일 싸요 = Among all the printers, this one
is the cheapest
PLAY 우리 중에 누가 제일 잘생겼어요? = Who is the most handsome
among us?
PLAY 부산과 서울 중에 어디 가고 싶어요? = Where do you want to go
between Seoul and Busan?
PLAY 제가 받은 요청 중에 그 요청이 제일 이상해요 = Of all the requests
that I’ve received, that one is the strangest

(Notice in the first example that the noun “수업” is singular. When followed
by “중에,” it can be assumed that you are talking about more than one
thing because “중에” always refers to more than one thing.)

The structure of sentences where “중에” is placed after a simple noun (as
shown in the examples above) is very easy. However, “중에” can also be
placed after nouns that have been created through the use of ~는 것. For
example:

모든 영화 중에.. would mean “of all the movies…”

But if you wanted to specifically say “of all the movies (that) I have seen,”
you need to use the ~는 것 principle to describe 영화. For example:

내가 본 영화 = The movie I saw/The movies I have seen

내가 본 영화 중에… of all the movies I have seen
With people, as was described earlier, you use a simple noun, like this:

나의 친구들 중에 = Of all my friends…

You could also use the ~는 것 principle to express “Of all my friends (that)
I have…”

In these cases, you shouldn’t use 있다 to talk about people – because you
can’t really “possess” friends. When you want to express “Of all my friends
(that) I have…” you should use 만나다 to change the meaning to “Of all the
friends (that) I have met…”

내가 있는 친구들 중에 – incorrect
내가 만난 친구들 중에 = Of all the friends I have met (of all the friends I
have)
PLAY 내가 만난 친구들 중에 너는 내가 가장 좋아하는 친구야  = Of all of my
friends (that I have met), you are my favorite

When talking about places you have gone, or things you have eaten or
tried, ~아/어 보다 (which you learned about in Lesson 32) is usually
attached to the verb before 중에.

For example:

내가 먹어 본 음식 중에… = Of all the food I have eaten…

내가 가 본 곳 중에… = Of all the places I have been…

Below are many examples:

PLAY 내가 가지고 있는 펜 중에 이것은 가장 좋아  = Of all the pens I have,

this one is the best
PLAY 내가 가 본 곳 중에 미국은 가장 무서웠어 = Of all the places I’ve been,
the US was the scariest
PLAY 내가 한국에서 먹어 본 것 중에 제일 맛있는 것은 떡볶이였어 = Of all
the things that I have (tried) eating in in Korea, the most delicious thing was
떡볶이
Often times the choices/options are given in a previous sentence and they
are being referred to in a different sentence or clause. When this is the case,
you can use “그중에” to mean “among/between those things previously
mentioned.” For example:

PLAY 바나나와 사과를 샀어요. 그중에 어떤 것을 먹고 싶어요?

= I bought bananas and apples. Between those two, which one do you want
to eat?

In Lesson 22 you learned how to ask questions using 어떤 and 어느.

Specifically, you learned that these words are often used when the listener
has a list of options to choose from when answering. For example:

PLAY 어떤 치마를 샀어요? = Which skirt did you buy?

PLAY 어느 치마를 샀어요? = Which skirt did you buy?

PLAY 어떤 것을 먹고 싶어요? = Which (thing) do you want to eat?

PLAY 어느 것을 먹고 싶어요? = Which (thing) do you want to eat?

In the examples above, the options that the listener has would have to be
assumed from context. However, we can use 중에 to give the listener
options. For example:

PLAY 이 치마와 저 치마 중에 어떤 치마를 샀어요?

PLAY 이 치마와 저 치마 중에 어느 치마를 샀어요?
= Between this skirt and that skirt, which one did you buy?

PLAY 빵과 밥 중에 어떤 것을 먹고 싶어요?
PLAY 빵과 밥 중에 어느 것을 먹고 싶어요?
= Between bread and rice, which one do you want to eat?

Other examples:

PLAY 캐나다 국기와 태극기 중에 어떤 국기가 더 예뻐요?

PLAY 캐나다 국기와 태극기 중에 어느 국기가 더 예뻐요?
= Between the Canadian flag and the Korean flag, which flag is more pretty?
(Which one is prettier? The Canadian or Korean flag?)
PLAY 지리와 수학 중에 어떤 수업이 더 힘들어요?
PLAY 지리와 수학 중에 어느 수업이 더 힘들어요?
= Between Geography and Math, which class is more difficult?
(Which is more difficult? Geography or Math class?)

PLAY 현금과 수표 중에 어떤 것이 나아요?

PLAY 현금과 수표 중에 어느 것이 나아요?
Between cash and a cheque, which one is better?
(Which is better? Cash or cheque?)

PLAY 천만 원짜리 차와 천오백만 원짜리 차 중에 어떤 것을 더 좋아했어요?

PLAY 천만 원짜리 차와 천오백만 원짜리 차 중에 어느 것을 더 좋아했어요?
= Between the 15,000,000 won car and 10,000,000 won cars, which one
did you like more?

(Which did you like more? The 15,000,000 won car or the 10,000,000
won car?)

By sometime: 중

중 can also be used to indicate a limit of time for when some action will be
done by. This is probably the most advanced usages of 중, but it is still good
to know at this point. It is typically placed after an indication of time with
“으로” attached to 중. For example:

PLAY 저는 그것을 내일 중으로 다 할 거예요 = I will do all of it by tomorrow

When used like this, the exact time that the action will be done is
ambiguous, so it is common to use the word “sometime” in the translation:
PLAY 저는 그것을 내일 중으로 다 할 거예요 = I will do all of it by sometime
tomorrow

Other examples:

PLAY 그 장면 촬영을 내일 중으로 끝낼 거예요 = We will finish the filming of

that scene by sometime tomorrow
PLAY 보증 기간은 다음 달 중으로 끝날 거예요 = The warranty period will
finish by sometime next month
PLAY 우리가 편집을 원래 내일 중으로 다 하고 싶었어요 = We originally
wanted to do all of the editing by sometime tomorrow

That’s it!

Introduction

This lesson is focused entirely on difficult vocabulary. I will teach you about
some words that need to be explained before we can move on to more
complex grammar. Specifically, you will learn how to to use: 자기/자신,
훨씬, 관하다/관련하다, 주위, 일단, 전혀/별로, words dealing with weight,
and words ending in ~거리다. Let’s get started.

Below is the list of words I want to introduce.

Click on the English word to see “hidden” information and many examples
of that word in use. This lesson is focused on introducing each specific
word anyways, so a lot of this “hidden” information is already presented in
the lesson itself. However, the sentences hidden behind each word also
include example sentences from later lessons. Use these sentences to give
yourself a feel for how each word can be used, and maybe even to expose
yourself to the grammar that you will be learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

CONJUGATE PLAY 흔들다 = to shake

CONJUGATE PLAY 흔들거리다 = to be shaking

CONJUGATE PLAY 머뭇거리다 = to hesitate

CONJUGATE PLAY 반짝거리다 = to be shiny

CONJUGATE PLAY 두리번거리다 = to look around

CONJUGATE PLAY 끈적거리다 = to be sticky

CONJUGATE PLAY 출렁거리다 = to be sloshing, to be rocking

PLAY 자기 = him or her

PLAY 자신 = oneself

PLAY 아직 = still, yet

PLAY 여전히 = still

PLAY 별로 = not very

PLAY 전혀 = not at all

PLAY 훨씬 = much more

CONJUGATE PLAY 관하다 = related to, regarding

CONJUGATE PLAY 관련하다 = related to, regarding

PLAY 주위 = around the circumference

PLAY 일단 = once, first, for now

PLAY 무게 = weight

PLAY 몸무게 = body weight

PLAY 살 = flesh, weight

CONJUGATE PLAY 찌다 = to gain weight

CONJUGATE PLAY 빠지다 = to lose weight

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Let’s look at each word (or groups of words) individually.

~거리다

You will sometimes see “~거리다” at the end of words. For example:

PLAY 흔들거리다 = to be shaking

PLAY 머뭇거리다 = to hesitate
PLAY 반짝거리다 = to be shiny
PLAY 두리번거리다 = to look around
PLAY 끈적거리다 = to be sticky
PLAY 출렁거리다 = to be sloshing

Some of these words have meaning without ~거리다 attached, or can be

used in another form. For example, 흔들다 means “to shake/swing/wave.”
What meaning could ~거리다 have?

When a word ends in ~거리다, it means that whatever is being done, it is

being done repeatedly – in a stopping and starting fashion. For example:

PLAY 흔들다 = to shake

PLAY 흔들거리다 = to be shaking

Note that you can’t just add ~거리다 to every word to give it the meaning of
‘being repeated.’ Only certain words can use this ending, so I don’t
recommend adding ~거리다 to random words if you haven’t learned that it
can specifically be used like that.

In addition, some words only end in ~거리다. That is, other than their ~
거리다 form, there is no other way that they can be used. For example:

PLAY 머뭇거리다 = to repeatedly hesitate

PLAY 두리번거리다 = to repeatedly look around.

While 머뭇거리다 and 두리번거리다 are words, “머뭇다” and “두리번다”

are not words.

The idea of ~거리다 adding the feeling of a “repeated action” doesn’t always
work in my brain. I feel that it doesn’t do the translation or feeling of ~
거리다 justice sometimes. I’ve noticed that ~거리다 is often added to words
that indicates one’s perception or feeling and where expressing this exact
feeling is difficult. For example, if you touched something gooey and it was
all gross and “sticky,” you could use the word “끈적거리다” to express this
feeling. The stickiness is not really repeating – it’s more of a weird feeling
that I can’t describe. Sometimes you will come across words ending in ~
거리다 where the translation is more about a strange feeling or perception
than an action that repeats itself. In times like these, I like adding the English
word “all” to the sentence to express this strange feeling. For example:

“I touched that goo and it was all sticky.”

Below are some example sentences with words using ~거리다. Note that
there are other words that end in ~거리다 that are not included in the
vocabulary list above. Most words using ~거리다 are quite difficult, and the
purpose of this lesson is not to introduce you to every word where you can
see ~거리다. Rather, the purpose of this lesson is to introduce you to the
general meaning/feeling of ~거리다 to allow you to understand its usage
when you see it used on words during your studies.

It is also important to note that all words ending in ~거리다 are verbs and
therefore must be conjugated as such. Many of these words inherently feel
like adjectives, so it is strange at first to consider them verbs. For example,
“끈적거리다” is a verb, but it typically translates to the adjective “to be
sticky” in English.

PLAY 우리는 흔들거리는 다리를 건넜어요

= We crossed the wobbly bridge (the bridge that keeps shaking, the shaky
bridge)

PLAY 남자가 여자와 얘기하는 것을 머뭇거렸어요

= The man kept hesitating to talk with the girl

PLAY 사고가 난 후에 차를 다시 운전하는 것을 머뭇거렸어요

= I (continually) hesitated about driving again after the accident

PLAY 반짝거리는 목걸이를 하고 있었어요

= She was wearing a necklace that was all sparkly/shiny

PLAY 별이 밤에 하늘에서 반짝거려요

= The stars in the night sky are all sparkly/shiny

PLAY 열쇠를 찾으려고 방을 두리번거렸어요

= I looked around the room to find my keys

PLAY 땀이 나고 나서 몸이 아주 끈적거려요
= After sweating, my body is all sticky

PLAY 바다에서 물이 출렁거렸어요

= The water rocked back and forth in the ocean

It is common to see words with ~거리다 used in literature where the author
wants to describe a certain feeling through language. For example, the
sentence immediately above could be translated to “the water rocked back
and forth.” However, it could also be translated to “the water sloshed back
and forth in the ocean.” The word “slosh” gives me a more descriptive
feeling and image of the water. In Korean, these ~거리다 words often give
sentences a more descriptive feeling and image.

자기 and 자신
When referring to somebody in the third person, you can use words like
“he,” “she,” or “that person.” For example:

그는 한국을 좋아해요 = He likes Korea

그녀는 한국을 좋아해요 = She likes Korea
그 사람은 한국을 좋아해요 = That person likes Korea

자기 is usually used in sentences when a person has already been

mentioned, and is being mentioned again. For example, in the sentence:

“He likes his appearance.”

You could write that sentence like this:

그는 그의 외모를 좋아해요

However, it could also be written like this:

PLAY 그는 자기(의) 외모를 좋아해요 = He likes his appearance

Here, you can use 자기 to replace the person you are talking about
the second time you mention that person. Below are many more examples.
I have bolded the word “자기” and its translation to make it clear what “
자기” translates to.

PLAY 우리 아들은 자기(의) 일을 항상 혼자 하고 싶어요

= Our son always wants to do his work alone

PLAY 저의 아내는 자기가 요리한 것을 보통 안 먹어요

= My wife usually doesn’t eat the food she cooks

PLAY 우리 아들은 자기 건강에 대해 의사와 상담을 했어요

= Our son consulted with a doctor about his health

PLAY 여자가 변한 자기 모습을 보고 실망했어요

= The girl looked at her changed appearance and was disappointed

————————
In the example sentences above using “자기,” some person is being
referred to twice in the same sentence. Although this person is mentioned
twice, the person is not the subject and the object of the sentence. For
example:

PLAY 우리 아들은 자기(의) 일을 항상 혼자 하고 싶어요

The subject is “our son.” The object is “his work.”

PLAY 저의 아내는 자기가 요리한 것을 보통 안 먹어요

The subject is “my wife.” The object is “the food (she cooks).”

When one person is both the subject and the object of a sentence, the

word “자신” is used as the object. The translation of 자신 to English
depends on who the person is, but the basic form you will see is “oneself.”
Depending on the person, the translation would be:

Myself
Yourself
Himself
Herself
Themselves

For example:

PLAY 저는 자신을 안 믿어요 = I don’t trust myself

PLAY 너는 자신을 안 믿어? = You don’t trust yourself?
PLAY 그는 자신을 안 믿어요 = He doesn’t trust himself
PLAY 그녀는 자신을 안 믿어요 = She doesn’t trust herself
PLAY 그들은 자신을 안 믿어요 = They don’t trust themselves

It is common to place the following words before 자신:

나/내/저/제 if the subject is “I”

너/네 if the subject is “you”
그/그녀/자기 if the subject is “him” or “her”
그들 if the subject is “they”

For example:
PLAY 저는 제 자신을 안 믿어요 = I don’t trust myself
PLAY 너는 네 자신을 안 믿어? = You don’t trust yourself?
PLAY 그는 자기 자신을 안 믿어요 = He doesn’t trust himself
PLAY 그녀는 자기 자신을 안 믿어요 = She doesn’t trust herself
PLAY 그들은 그들 자신을 안 믿어요 = They don’t trust themselves

We also see these translations when the person is the subject and also

placed before ~에 대해 or ~에게 in a sentence. For example:

자신에 대해 = about oneself

자신에게 = to oneself

Below are many examples showing the use of 자신:

PLAY 청소년들은 그들 자신을 사랑하지 않아요

= Young people don’t love themselves

PLAY 그 학생은 자기 자신에게 자꾸 변명을 해요

= That student always makes excuses to/for himself

PLAY 저도 제 자신을 몰라요

= Even I don’t know myself

PLAY 저는 제 자신에게 그런 말을 많이 했어요

= I said that (type of thing) to myself many times

PLAY 그 남자가 수업 시간 동안 자기 자신에게 말을 해요

= That boy talks to himself during class

PLAY 저는 한국에서 제 자신에 대해 많이 배웠어요

= I learned a lot about myself in Korea

PLAY 그는 자기 자신에 대해 아무 것도 알고 있지 않아요

= He doesn’t know anything about himself

 
 Still – 아직

When used in the present tense, 아직 translates to “still.” For example:

PLAY 저는 아직 기다리고 있어요 = I am still waiting

PLAY 학생들은 그 선생님을 아직 좋아해요? = Do students still like that
teacher?
PLAY 불이 아직 켜져 있어요 = The light is still on
PLAY 그 상가가 그 길에 아직 있어요 = That building is still on that street
PLAY 저는 주름이 아직 많아요 = I still have a lot of wrinkles
PLAY 저는 한국에 아직 간 적이 없어요 = I still haven’t been to Korea

When used in the past tense, it is typically used in negative sentences to

indicate that something still hasn’t happened. For example:

PLAY 보증 기간이 아직 안 지났어요 = The warranty period still hasn’t

passed
PLAY 수표를 아직 안 받았어요 = I still haven’t received the cheque
PLAY 우리는 그 문제를 아직 해결하지 못했어요 = We still haven’t resolved
that problem
PLAY 새로운 휴대폰을 아직 안 샀어요 = I still haven’t bought a new phone
PLAY 우리는 4 번출구를 아직 찾지 못했어요 = We still haven’t found exit 4

When used like this, the word “yet” can also be used in the translation. For
example:

PLAY 보증 기간이 아직 안 지났어요 = The warranty period hasn’t passed

yet
PLAY 수표를 아직 안 받았어요 = I haven’t received the cheque yet
PLAY 우리는 그 문제를 아직 해결하지 못했어요 = We haven’t resolved that
problem yet
PLAY 새로운 휴대폰을 아직 안 샀어요 = I haven’t bought a new phone yet
PLAY 우리는 4 번출구를 아직 찾지 못했어요 = We haven’t found exit 4 yet

If somebody asks you if you have done something, you can respond with
“아직…. 안 했어요.” For example:
Person 1: PLAY 일을 다 했어요? = Have you done all the work yet?
Person 2: PLAY 아직 안 했어요 = I haven’t done it yet/I still haven’t done it

In these cases, it is common to simplify the sentence and just use “아직” as
the answer (~요 can be added in formal situations). For example:

Person 1: PLAY 일을 다 했어요? = Have you done all the work yet?
Person 2: PLAY 아직요… = Not yet

——————-

Above, notice how only “아직” is being used (which translates to “yet”) and

how the English translation includes both “yet” and “not.” This difference
often causes Korean people to make mistakes when saying this type of
sentence in English. For example, a conversation with a Korean person (in
English) might go like this:

English speaker: Did you do the work yet?

Korean speaker: Yet

——————-

Particles ~도 and ~은 can be attached to 아직 to create a more complex

meaning of the word “still.” The word 여전히 also translates to “still.” The
following can be very confusing:

아직도 = still
아직은 = still
여전히 = still

I’ll explain the subtle nuisances between each one:

아직도 is used when you are emphasizing that something is still the case –
but it shouldn’t be. For example:

PLAY 저는 운동을 아직도 하지 않았어요 = I still haven’t exercised

(Putting emphasis on “still” meaning that you still haven’t exercised – but
should have by now)
PLAY 머리가 아직도 아파요 = My head still hurts
(Putting emphasis on “still” meaning that your head still hurts, but shouldn’t
anymore)

아직은 is used when you are saying that something hasn’t happened yet,
but it will happen soon (or vice-versa). Here, the comparison function of ~
은 is used to compare the present (where something has or hasn’t
happened) with the future (where the opposite will happen). For example:

PLAY 저는 운동을 아직은 하지 않았어요 = I still haven’t exercised

(Indicating that I haven’t exercised, but I will exercise shortly)

PLAY 저는 아직은 공부를 하고 있어요 = I am still studying

(Indicating that I am studying, but I will finish [and therefore won’t be
studying] shortly)

여전히 is used when the action that is still being done/still hasn’t been done
will continue into the foreseeable future. For example:

PLAY 저는 운동을 여전히 하지 않았어요 = I still haven’t exercised

(Indicating that you haven’t exercised, and you have no plans to exercise
soon)

PLAY 저는 그 여자를 여전히 좋아해요 = I still like that girl

(Indicating that you still like that girl, and will continue to like her)

Honestly, this is more confusing than it needs to be. In most situations,

simply using “아직” is sufficient. However, if you ever wanted to be more
specific, you could use 아직도, 아직은 or 여전히. It helps if you understand
the meanings of ~도 and ~은 on their own to extrapolate how they can be
applied to 아직.

Words that need negative endings

In Lesson 25, you learned about using 아무도, 아무 것도, 아무 데도 and
아무 때도. In that lesson, you learned that sentences containing those
words should have a negative conjugation. For example, instead of saying:

아무도 나를 좋아해 (incorrect)

You would have to write:

아무도 나를 좋아하지 않아 or 아무도 나를 안 좋아해 = Nobody likes me

There are a handful of other words that require this negative ending. I
would like to introduce you to 별로 and 전혀.

별로 and 전혀 both have very similar meanings – but 전혀 is more extreme.

별로 has the meaning of “really” or “that” in these types of sentences:

I’m not really/that hungry
I don’t really want to go
He’s not that handsome

To say those sentences in Korean, you can use 별로 as an adverb within the
sentence, and then finish the sentence with a negative conjugation.

For example:

PLAY 나는 별로 배고프지 않아 = I’m not really hungry

PLAY 나는 밖에 별로 나가고 싶지 않아 = I don’t really want to go outside
PLAY 그는 별로 잘생기지 않았다 = He’s not that handsome

You should know by now that 이다 usually does not attach to adverbs. 별로
is an exception, as it is very common for Korean people to use this
construction to describe their indifference towards something. The most
common way you would hear this is in response to a question. For
example:

A: PLAY 밥은 맛있어? = Is the food delicious?

B: PLAY 별로야 = Meh, not really
A: PLAY 이 바지는 마음에 들어? = Do you like these pants?
B: PLAY 별로야 = Meh, not really

If it is being used in a formal setting, it is more common to just attach “요” to

it:

A: PLAY 홍콩에 가고 싶어요? = Do you want to go to Hong Kong?

B: PLAY 별로요 = Meh, not really

It can also be used in the past tense. In these cases, the past tense
conjugation of 이다 is used for both formal and informal situations. For
example:

A: PLAY 점심을 먹었어요? 어땠어요? = Did you have lunch? How was it?
B: PLAY 별로였어요 = Meh, it wasn’t that good

A: PLAY 그 남자를 만났어? 잘생겼어? = Did you meet that man? Was he
handsome?
B: PLAY 아니. 별로였어 = Nah, not really.

It can also be used immediately after a noun, almost as if it were an

adjective. This allows it to be used by a speaker even if there was not a
soliciting question. For example:

PLAY 우리가 먹었던 피자가 별로였어 = The pizza we ate wasn’t that good

This sentence is essentially the same as:

PLAY 우리가 먹었던 피자가 별로 맛있지 않았어 = The pizza we ate wasn’t
that delicious

The only difference is that using “별로이다” in these cases is very colloquial
and more common in speech.

전혀 has a similar meaning, but it is more extreme. 전혀 has the meaning of

“at all” in the following sentences:
I’m not hungry at all
I don’t want to go outside at all
He’s not handsome at all

For example:

PLAY 나는 전혀 배고프지 않아 = I’m not hungry at all

PLAY 나는 밖에 전혀 나가고 싶지 않아 = I don’t want to go outside at all
PLAY 그는 전혀 잘생기지 않았다 = He’s not handsome at all

Another way to express a similar meaning to 전혀 is to attach ~도 to 하나.

Like 별로 and 전혀, this is commonly used in negative sentences.
Technically, this would translate to something like “not even one,” for
example:

PLAY 저는 친구가 하나도 없어요 = I don’t even have one friend

PLAY 저는 사진을 하나도 안 찍었어요 = I didn’t even take one picture
PLAY 그 할아버지는 주름이 하나도 없어요 = That grandfather doesn’t even
have one wrinkle

However, even though the word “하나” is used, it can be used even in
situations where nothing is countable. In this case, it is better translated to
something like “not at all” like 전혀. For example:

PLAY 저는 밥을 하나도 안 먹었어요 = I didn’t eat at all

PLAY 학교가 하나도 재미없어요 = School isn’t fun at all
PLAY 그 여자가 하나도 안 웃었어요 = That girl didn’t laugh at all

훨씬 = much more

훨씬 can be used in sentences just like 더 (which you learned about

in Lesson 19), but the meaning is stronger than 더. For example:
PLAY 나는 나의 남동생보다 훨씬 똑똑해 = I am way/much smarter than my
brother
PLAY 한국어는 영어보다 훨씬 어렵다 = Korean is much more difficult than
English

You can also put 더 in the sentence after 훨씬 with no difference in

meaning:

PLAY 나는 나의 남동생보다 훨씬 더 똑똑해 = I am way/much smarter than

my brother
PLAY 한국어는 영어보다 훨씬 더 어렵다 = Korean is much more difficult
than English

관하다 and 관련하다

You learned how to use ~에 대하다 in Lesson 13. The typical translation for ~
에 대하다 is “about.” For example:

PLAY 나는 너에 대해 생각했어 = I thought about you

PLAY 나는 한국역사에 대한 영화를 봤어 = I saw a movie about Korean
history

You can use ~에 관하다 instead of ~에 대하다. For example:

PLAY 나는 한국역사에 대한 영화를 봤어 = I saw a movie about Korean

history, and
PLAY 나는 한국역사에 관한 영화를 봤어 = I saw a movie about Korean
history

관하다 indicates some form of “relation.” A literal translation would be “to

have relation with.” Therefore, the sentence above could also be translated
to:
PLAY 나는 한국역사에 대한 영화를 봤어 = I saw a movie about Korean
history, and
PLAY 나는 한국역사에 관한 영화를 봤어 = I saw a movie related to Korean
history

Although 관하다 and 대하다 can be used to create a similar meaning in

some situations, it is awkward to use 관하다 when
“thinking” about something/somebody. For example, the following
sentence:

나는 너에 관해 많이 생각했어

Would be better off said as:

PLAY 나는 너에 대해 생각했어 = I thought about you

A word that is similar in form is ~에 관련하다. It is often used in the same

way as ~에 대하다 and ~에 관하다. Notice the difference in meanings:

환경에 대해 = About the environment

환경에 대한 것 = A thing about the environment

환경에 관해 = About/regarding the environment

환경에 관한 것 = A thing about/regarding the environment

환경에 관련해 = About/regarding the environment

환경에 관련한 것 = A thing about/regarding the environment
(관련한 is also often used as 관련돼 and 관련된)

~에 관련해 is usually written/spoken as 관련하여 (or 관련되어). Remember

that 해 is actually the shortened form of 하여, and is much more common.
In some formal situations, instructions, and signs you might find 하여 used
more often than “해,” but other than that, “하여” is less commonly used.
However, 관련하여 is quite common.

Some examples:
PLAY 환경에 관련된 영화가 많아요
PLAY 환경에 관련한 영화가 많아요
PLAY 환경에 관한 영화가 많아요
= There are a lot of movies relating to the environment

PLAY 이 문제에 관련되어 회의가 있을 것이다

PLAY 이 문제에 관련하여 회의가 있을 것이다
PLAY 이 문제에 관해 회의가 있을 것이다
= There will be a meeting relating to this problem

PLAY 태극기에 관련된 이야기를 했어요

PLAY 태극기에 관련한 이야기를 했어요
PLAY 태극기에 관한 이야기를 했어요
= We had a discussion relating to the Korean flag

주위– Around the circumference

주위 is also a fairly simple word, but a little bit of explanation will probably
help you understand it better. In Lesson 2, you learned various words of
position, like ‘inside,’ ‘outside,’ ‘beside,’ etc… For example:

학교 앞에 = in-front of the school

학교 뒤에 = behind the school
학교 안에 = inside the school

You can use 주위 in the same way, but to mean “around.” For example:

PLAY 나는 학교 주위를 걷는 것을 좋아해 = I like walking around the school

PLAY 달은 지구 주위를 돌아요 = The moon spins around the earth
PLAY 학생들이 넘어진 친구 주위에 서 있었어요 = The students stood
around their friend who had fallen

It can also be used to refer to the general surroundings of a place. For

example:
PLAY 그가 주위를 두리번거렸어요 = He looked around at his surroundings
PLAY 주위가 안전하지 않아요 = This area/surrounding area isn’t safe

Finally, you will also see 주위 used to refer to the people who one often
comes in contact with. This is often translated to the people “around” a
person – but not in a physical sense. Rather, it refers to ones friends, family,
coworkers, etc. For example:

PLAY 그는 주위 사람들을 안 믿어요 = He doesn’t trust those around him

PLAY 주위 사람 중에 그를 좋아하는 사람은 하나도 없어요 = There isn’t
even one person around him that likes him

일단 = Once, First, For Now

Throughout your studies, you will learn a variety of adverbs that can be
placed in sentences that have no real meaning. The purpose they serve is
more to add feeling to a sentence rather than to change the meaning in any
drastic way. This is hard to describe in English because (to my knowledge)
we don’t have anything similar. The most common of these words is “만약”
which you have yet to learn about at this point (you will learn about it
in Lesson 43).

The purpose of these words (or the feeling that they give off) is to allow the
listener/reader to expect the type of sentence that is about to be said. For
example, when somebody says “일단”, one can expect that the speaker will
be mentioning that one action will happen before another.

You will usually see the translation of “once” for 일단, although it is hard to
correctly decide on a translation for a word whose meaning is more about
feeling.

In Lesson 24 you learned about how to use ~ㄴ/은 후에 to say sentences

like this:
제가 밥을 먹은 후에 밖에 나갈 거예요 = After I eat, I will go outside
In this sentence, one action (eating) happens before another (going outside).
You can use “일단” in sentences like this. For example:

PLAY 일단 제가 밥을 먹은 후에 밖에 나갈 거예요 = Once I eat, I will go

outside

Notice that the two sentences essentially have the same meaning. The only
reason I translated them differently is to try to account for the fact that “
일단” was used in the second example.

Other examples:

PLAY 일단 일을 다 한 후에 아빠에게 전화할 거예요

= Once I do all the work, I will call my dad

PLAY 일단 재료를 산 후에 샐러드를 만들 거예요

= Once I buy the ingredients, I will make a salad

PLAY 일단 한국어를 배운 후에 중국어를 배우고 싶어요

= Once I learn Korean, I want to learn Chinese

The word “이상” is often used in sentences with 일단 similar to how “후에”
is used. You learned about “후에” in Lesson 24. For example:

PLAY 밥을 먹은 후에 친구를 만났어요 = After I ate I met a friend

PLAY 밥을 먹은 후에 친구를 만날 거예요 = After I eat, I will meet a friend

이상 is similar to 후에, but when 이상 is used the speaker is specifically

indicating that the clause prior to 이상 has already completed, and that
he/she will now complete the clause after 이상. The translation of “now
that one has…” is usually appropriate. For example:

PLAY 일단 제가 시작한 이상 멈추지 않을 거예요 = Now that I’ve started, I

won’t stop
PLAY 일단 일을 다 한 이상 아빠에게 전화할 거예요 = Now that I’m done all
my work, I will call my dad
PLAY 일단 재료를 산 이상 샐러드를 만들 거예요 = Now that I have bought
all the ingredients, I will make a salad
PLAY 일단 한국어를 배운 이상 중국어를 배우고 싶어요 = Now that I have
learned Korean, I want to learn Chinese

In addition to this, you will often see 일단 placed at the beginning of a

sentence that has the particle “~부터” attached to the object in the clause
that happens first, followed by a verb with ~고 attached. For example:

일단 밥부터 먹고…

You learned about the particle “~부터” in Lesson 12. Although the translation
of ~부터 is slightly different, the usage shown above is essentially the same
as the usage introduced in that earlier lesson.

When added to a noun like this (as in the example above) preceded by “
일단” one is indicating that one action should happen before another action.
The construction above (which is not a complete sentence yet) means that
the speaker wants to eat first, and then, after finishing eating, another action
can take place. For example:

PLAY 나는 일단 밥부터 먹고 나갈 거야

Again, this sentence implies that the speaker wants to eat, and then after
finishing eating, wants to go out(side). This sentence could translate to
many different things in English:

PLAY 나는 일단 밥부터 먹고 나갈 거야 = I will eat first, and then go outside

PLAY 나는 일단 밥부터 먹고 나갈 거야 = I will start by (from) eating, and
then go outside
PLAY 나는 일단 밥부터 먹고 나갈 거야 = After I eat, I will go outside
PLAY 나는 일단 밥부터 먹고 나갈 거야 = Once I am finished eating, I will go
outside

Notice that it doesn’t matter what you translate the sentence to. In the end,
the result is the same in each translation, and the purpose of 일단 is merely
there to give feeling to the sentence. More examples:

PLAY 일단 숙제를 끝내고 친구를 만날 거예요

= Once I finish my homework, I will meet a friend
PLAY 일단 피자부터 먹고 과자를 먹을 거예요
= Once I finish eating the pizza, I will eat candy/snacks

PLAY 일단 빵에 땅콩버터부터 바르고 딸기를 놓을 거예요

= Once I spread peanut butter on the bread, I will put strawberries onto it

PLAY 일단 한국어부터 배우고 중국어를 배우고 싶어요

= Once I learn Korean, I want to learn Chinese

Weight Words

There are a lot of words that relate to weight/body weight that aren’t very
easy to understand. I want to take some time to explain these words to you.

The word for “weight” is “무게”

You already know that the word for body is “몸.” If you are talking about
one’s body weight, you can say “몸무게.”

Korea, like most of the world, uses the metric system. People probably
wouldn’t understand if you expressed your weight using pounds.

The first way to indicate how much you weigh is like this:
PLAY 나는 (몸무게가) 70 kg 야 = I weigh 70 kilograms
“kg” is pronounced as “킬로” or “킬로그램” in Korean. You are more likely
to see “kg” written instead of “킬로” or “킬로그램.”

It is also possible to use “나가다” as the predicating word of the sentence.

For example:
PLAY 나는 (몸무게가) 70 kg 나가 = I weigh 70 kilograms

In both situations, “몸무게” can be omitted from the sentence as the

context makes it clear that the speaker is referring to his/her weight. The
sentences above could be shortened to:
PLAY 나는 70 kg 야 = I weigh 70 kilograms
PLAY 나는 70 kg 나가 = I weigh 70 kilograms

If you want to ask how much somebody weighs, you can turn those two
sentences into questions using 몇 (which you learned about in Lesson 22).
For example:

PLAY(몸무게가) 몇 kg 야? = How much do you weigh?

PLAY(몸무게가) 몇 kg(가) 나가? = How much do you weigh?

When talking about weight, it is common to talk about losing or gaining

weight. When doing this, the word “살” is typically used instead of “몸무게.”
살 literally refers to one’s soft tissues (like muscle, fat or flesh) and can also
be applied to the meat/flesh of other animals. For example:

PLAY 그 물고기에 살이 없어요 = There is no meat on that fish

Weight is typically lost and gained in soft tissue, so 살 is used instead of

몸무게. Common verbs you will hear with “살” are:

살이 찌다 = to gain weight
살이 빠지다 = to lose weight (typically used when weight is lost
inadvertently)
살을 빼다 = to lose weight (typically used when weight is lost on purpose)

These verbs have other uses than these situations related to weight. For
example:

빠지다 is a verb used when something falls, sinks, drops or is deflated

빼다 is a verb used when somebody removes something from somewhere
(as in, to remove weight from one’s body).
(찌다 doesn’t have much use outside of this situation)

찌다 and 빠지다 are passive verbs, so they cannot act on objects. In

practice, all this means is that you cannot put ~을/를 in a sentence/clause
that ends in 찌다/빠지다. The best way to use these words in situations of
gaining and losing weight is:
PLAY 나는 작년에 살이 많이 쪘어 = I gained a lot of weight last year
PLAY 나는 살이 많이 빠졌어 = I lost a lot of weight

빼다 is an active verb, and therefore can act on an object. For example:

PLAY 저는 살을 빼고 싶어요 = I want to lose weight

This lesson was a little bit different than our usual lessons, but I felt that
before going any further, you needed to know how to use these important
words in Korean. In the next lesson, we will go back to our usual format of
teaching you a lot of Korean grammar. In the mean time, make sure you are
comfortable with what was taught in this lesson.

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. You might not be able to understand all of the grammar within the
example sentences, but most of the grammar used will be introduced by
the end of Unit 2. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each
word can be used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that
you will be learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 수영장 = swimming pool

PLAY 보건 = preservation of health

PLAY 소나무 = pine tree

PLAY 바닥 = floor

PLAY 변태 = pervert

PLAY 홍수= flood

PLAY 새우 = shrimp
PLAY 왕따 = outcast

PLAY 낚시 = fishing

PLAY 후배 = one’s junior

PLAY 꿀 = honey

PLAY 허벅지 = inner thigh

PLAY 말 = horse

PLAY 휴가 = holiday, vacation

PLAY 휴식 = break

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 넘치다 = to overflow

CONJUGATE PLAY 피하다 = to avoid

CONJUGATE PLAY 펴다 = to unfold, to unroll

CONJUGATE PLAY 답장하다 = to respond to a message

CONJUGATE PLAY 봉사하다 = to volunteer

CONJUGATE PLAY 시도하다 = to try, to attempt

Passive Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 펴지다 = to be unfolded, to be unrolled

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 답답하다 = to be stuffy, to be frustrated

CONJUGATE PLAY 평화롭다 = to be peaceful

CONJUGATE PLAY 신기하다 = to be amazing, to be cool

CONJUGATE PLAY 멋있다 = to be stylish

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 오히려 = on the contrary

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

Over the past 10 lessons, you have been learning a lot about how to use ~는
것 and things related to ~는 것 in Korean. We have just about reached the
extent of what you need to know about ~는 것 and how to use it. In this
lesson (as well as in Lesson 36), you will learn a variety of grammatical
forms that can be used to say “to seem like” or “to look like.”

To seem like/to be likely to: ~ㄹ/을 것 같다

In Lesson 15, you learned how to use ‘같다’ in sentences by placing it after a
noun connected with ~와/과/랑/이랑/하고. For example:

PLAY 저 식당은 이 식당과 같아요 = That restaurant is the same as this one
PLAY 그 나무가 소나무와 같아요 = That tree is like a pine tree

Since then, you have been learning a lot about ~는 것 and how to use it.
Here, you will learn about how to use this ~는 것 principle with the word
같다.
If you conjugate a sentence in the future tense (using ~ㄹ/을 것이다), you
end up with a sentence like this:

나는 밥을 먹을 것이다 = I will eat rice

Remember again what the ending of this sentence is made up of. The
ending is actually made up of ‘~는 것’ in the future tense (~ㄹ 것) followed
by 이다.

If we remove the ‘이다’ we are left with “…~ㄹ/을 것. For example:

나는 밥을 먹을 것

This is an incomplete sentence, so it is hard to translate, but it loosely

translates to “the thing of me eating rice.” Remember again that “것” is a
noun (meaning “thing”). If we place 같다 after that noun, it gives the
sentence a special meaning:

PLAY 나는 밥을 먹을 것 같다

Whenever you finish a sentence using ~ㄹ/을 것 같다, the meaning changes
to something that might happen. This meaning is quite similar to ~ㄹ/을지
모르다, which you learned in Lesson 30. For example:

나는 밥을 먹을 것이다 = I will eat rice

나는 밥을 먹을 것 같다 = I will probably eat rice/I might eat rice
나는 밥을 먹을지 모르겠다 = I don’t know if I will eat rice

Here are many more examples:

It is very common for Korean people to pronounce 같아(요) as “같애(요).”

This is not only true just when using 같다 as it is presented in this lesson,
but also in other grammatical forms that you learned about in Lesson 15,
and that you will learn about in the next lesson.

PLAY 저는 친구들이랑 내일 낚시를 할 것 같아요 = I will probably go fishing

with my friends tomorrow
PLAY 우리 아빠는 저것을 싫어할 것 같아 = Dad will probably not like that
PLAY 선생님이 그 수업을 하지 않을 것 같아요 = The teacher probably
won’t do (teach) that lesson
PLAY 남자 친구가 답장하지 않을 것 같아요 = My boyfriend probably won’t
respond
PLAY 우리는 휴가를 중국에서 보낼 것 같아요 = We will probably spend
our holiday in China
PLAY 모두는 왕따와 밥을 먹는 것을 피할 것 같아요 = Everybody will
probably avoid eating with the outcast

Although the previous examples used a person as the subject, the subject of
the sentence can be anything. For example:

PLAY 비가 올 것 같아 = It will probably rain/it seems like it will rain

PLAY 문이 열려 있을 것 같아요 = The door will probably be open
PLAY 내일 홍수가 날 것 같아요 = There will probably be a flood tomorrow

You can also use this same form on adjectives:

PLAY 우리는 늦을 것 같아 = We will probably be late
PLAY 새우가 너무 비쌀 것 같아요 = The shrimp will probably be too
expensive
PLAY 그 교실이 아주 답답할 것 같아요 = That classroom will probably be
very stuffy

When describing “것 같다” in the future tense these situations are guesses
from the speaker. It is possible to change the conjugation of the word
before “것 같다” to express that something may have happened in past
or might be happening in the present. When doing this, instead of using the
future conjugation of ~ㄹ/을 것, you can use the past (~ㄴ/은 것) or present
(~는 것) additions of ~는 것. (If you forget the purpose of these additions, I
suggest that you review Lesson 26). For example:

PLAY 엄마는 기다리고 있는 것 같아요

PLAY 선생님이 열심히 공부한 것 같아요

When using these past and present conjugations before 것 같다, there is a
slight nuance that the speaker has received some information to make
him/her express this possibility.
For example, if I am talking with my teacher and he is telling me how
difficult it was to get accepted into University back in his day, I could say
something like:

PLAY 선생님이 열심히 공부한 것 같아요 = You (teacher) probably studied

hard (when you were younger)
Here, you have heard the evidence of him getting accepted into University,
which must have been difficult. Therefore, this evidence leads you to
believe that “he studied hard” when he was younger.

In order to describe this nuance, when ~ㄴ/은 or ~는 is used before 것 같다

I prefer the translation of “it seems that” or “it seems as though.” Below are
examples of this being done in the past tense (using ~ㄴ/은 것 같다):

PLAY 부장님이 그 일을 이미 다 한 것 같아요 = It seems that the boss

already did all that work
In this situation, you could be looking at a pile of papers on your boss’s
desk that looks like the completed work.

PLAY 그 사람이 아직 답장을 하지 않은 것 같아요 = It seems that that

person still hasn’t responded
In this situation, you could be looking at your phone and noticing that you
have no new notifications – which would lead you to believe that the
person hasn’t responded.

PLAY 옆 집에서 사는 사람은 그 소나무를 자른 것 같아요 = It seems that the

person who lives in the house next door cut that pine tree
In this situation, you could be looking outside to your yard and noticing
that the tree is missing.

Below are examples that show this being done in the present tense (using ~
는 것 같다)

PLAY 엄마는 기다리고 있는 것 같아요 = It seems as though mom is waiting

now
In this situation, your mother may have called you and told you that she
would have been finished 10 minutes ago.

PLAY 그는 휴식을 하는 것 같아요 = It seems as though he is taking a break

now
In this situation, the worker may have been very loud a few minutes ago.
However, now it seems like he is not making a sound, so he probably
taking a break now.

PLAY 학생들이 요즘에 운동을 하지 않는 것 같아요 = It seems like students

don’t like exercising these days
In this situation, you could be looking at some students playing on their
phones during lunch time instead of playing outside.

PLAY 후배들이 봉사하는 것을 싫어하는 것 같아요 = It seems like our

juniors don’t like volunteering
In this situation, you could be looking at your juniors and noticing that they
are not enjoying themselves.

———————–

When describing 것 같다 in the past tense, it is possible to do so in two

ways:

~ㄴ/은 것 같다 (for example:  한 것 같다)

~았/었을 것 같다 (for example:  했을 것 같다)

This next little section is a discussion about the difference in nuance

between these two usages. Understanding this nuance is not critical at this
point. This nuance is very hard to describe and your understanding of it
will develop with your understanding of Korean in general. I never studied
this specifically in all of my Korean studies, but my experience with Korean
has led me to feel a difference between the two. Simply being aware of
this nuance can be helpful for later, but it is not critical to your
understanding of this grammatical principle.

Notice the use of ~ㄴ/은 in the sentence below:

PLAY 아빠가 돈을 이미 낸 것 같아요 = It seems like dad already paid

Here, the speaker probably saw his/her family get up and leave a restaurant
(or some similar evidence). This evidence would lead the speaker to believe
that the father already paid, and they are ready to leave.
However, by using ~았/었을 것 같다, the speaker is indicating that this
sentence is more of a blind guess and hasn’t received any evidence that
would lead him/her to think this way. For example:

PLAY 아빠가 돈을 이미 냈을 것 같아요 = Dad probably already paid

Notice the way I translate these sentences to express this nuance.

More examples:
PLAY 선생님이 살이 찐 것 같아요 = It seems like the teacher gained weight
You would say this if you are looking at the teacher and noticed that (for
example) his face looks a little bit fatter than usual. Of course, you can’t be
sure if the teacher gained weight or not, but the evidence in-front of you
leads you to believe that he/she did gain weight.

PLAY 선생님이 살이 쪘을 것 같아요 = The teacher probably gained weight

You would say this if you are talking about the teacher and how he went
on vacation recently. You haven’t seen him since he left, but you are
guessing that – because he went on vacation, he “probably gained
weight.”

We see a similar phenomenon with 것 같다 used in the present tense. Even

if “것 같다” is being described in the future tense, it doesn’t necessarily
mean that the meaning of the sentence is based in the future. For example,
look at the following sentence:

PLAY 후배들이 봉사하는 것을 싫어할 것 같아요

This doesn’t necessarily mean that the speaker thinks the juniors “will not
like” volunteering. It is possible that the juniors are volunteering right now,
and the speaker is not with them. Therefore, the speaker has no real way of
knowing if the juniors are enjoying themselves or not – and this is merely a
guess. However, if the present tense was used:

PLAY 후배들이 봉사하는 것을 싫어하는 것 같아요

In this situation, the speaker is most likely with the juniors and can directly
see (receiving evidence) that the juniors are not enjoying themselves.
PLAY 후배들이 봉사하는 것을 싫어할 것 같아요
= The juniors probably won’t like volunteering, or, depending on the
situation:
= The juniors probably don’t like volunteering

PLAY 후배들이 봉사하는 것을 싫어하는 것 같아요

= It seems like the juniors don’t like volunteering

————————

Here’s an example of how I used this grammatical form in my real life.

A few days ago, I was waiting in line to get into a restaurant. There were a
lot of people waiting, and some people were getting fed up with the
ridiculous wait time. The wait was so long, that some people just got up and
left, which would have bumped us up on the wait list. One couple got up
and left, and my girlfriend said:

PLAY 저 사람들이 그냥 가? = Are those people just leaving?

My response was:

PLAY 응… 가는 것 같아 = Yes, they are probably leaving/it seems like they
are leaving

Notice here that the evidence of the people leaving the restaurant leads
me to believe that “they are just leaving.”

————————

Remember that the way to describe a noun in the present tense is to use ~
ㄴ/은. Therefore, when you want to use an adjective to describe “것 같다,”
~ㄴ/은 것 같다 should be used. For example:

PLAY 친구가 아픈 것 같아요 = It seems like my friend is hurt

PLAY 엄마는 저랑 얘기하기 싫은 것 같아요 = It seems like mom doesn’t
want to talk with me
PLAY 그 음식은 건강에 나쁜 것 같아요 = It seems like this food is unhealthy
PLAY 시골에서 사는 것이 아주 평화로운 것 같아요 = It seems like living in
the country is very peaceful
PLAY 이 문제는 시민보건에 아주 중요한 것 같아요 = It seems like this
problem is very important to the health of the citizens

You can attach ~았/었던 (which you learned in Lesson 27) to an adjective
(or verb for that matter) to describe a noun that was (probably) like
something in the past, but currently is not like that. For example:

PLAY 너의 아빠가 너무 행복했던 것 같아 = Your dad was probably very

happy

Also remember that 이다 is conjugated as an adjective. Therefore, the ~ㄴ/

은 것 같다 form should be added to it. For example:

PLAY 그 학생이 학교에서 왕따인 것 같아 = It seems like that student is an

outcast at school
PLAY 그 사람은 변태인 것 같아요 = It seems like that person is a pervert
PLAY 우리가 받은 것은 그 사람의 답장인 것 같아요 = It seems like that thing
we received is probably that person’s response

그렇다 + 것 같다

Also, in Lesson 23 you learned a lot about the word 그렇다, and how it’s
meaning is similar to ‘like that.’ You can treat 그렇다 like a regular
verb/adjective, but remember that when conjugating this word you need to
remove the ㅎ. So, by adding ~ㄹ/을 것 같다 to 그렇다 you get 그럴 것
같다.

Literally ‘그럴 것 같다’ means “it is probably like that.” It is used very often
in Korean to indicate that something “might be the case” or “is probably
true.” For example:

PLAY 엄마가 어디에 있어요? 병원에 갔어요? = Where is mom? Did she go
to the hospital?
PLAY 그럴 것 같아요 = Probably/I think so/It seems as such

PLAY 다음 주 목요일은 휴가인가? = Is next Thursday a holiday?

PLAY 그럴 것 같아 = Probably/I think so/It seems as such

Here as well, you should consider the tense and apply the appropriate
conjugation to 그렇다. Also remember that 그렇다 is an adjective, so the
present tense conjugation in this case is 그런 것 같다, and not 그렇는 것
같다. For example:

PLAY 아빠는 낚시하러 갔어요? = Did dad go fishing?

PLAY 그런 것 같아요 = Probably/I think so/It seems as such

PLAY 수영장물이 다 넘쳤어요? = Did all the water overflow out of the pool?
PLAY 그런 것 같아요 = Probably/I think so/It seems as such

PLAY 그 사람이 말을 잘 타요? = Can that person ride horses (well)?

PLAY 그런 것 같아요 = Probably/It looks like/It seems as such

 
 Expressing Possibility with ~겠다

It is also very common to hear ~겠다 (which you learned as a future

conjugation way back in Lesson 5) used in a way that is similar to
expressing possibility. You’ll most commonly hear this used with some
simple adjectives; the most common of all being:

PLAY 맛있겠다!

It is hard to translate that directly into English. People don’t usually say this
when they’re eating food – instead, they say it when they’re looking at (or
hearing about) food and want to express that it “would be delicious” if they
ate it. You could argue that this is technically the future tense conjugation,
but it’s not really about expressing an idea that is occurring in the future.

A better way to describe this is to look at another example.

Imagine you were talking with your friend and he was telling you how he
hasn’t eaten in 12 hours. In English, you would respond by saying:

“You must be hungry!” or “You are probably hungry!” In Korean, you could
say either of these:

PLAY 배고플 것 같아! = You are probably hungry!

PLAY 배고프겠다! = You are probably hungry!

Here, you can see that the speaker is not saying “you will be hungry”, as
your friend is definitely hungry in the present. Here, we can see how ~겠다
can take on this function of possibility in the present. I’ve noticed (and you
can see from the examples above) that this form is most commonly used
when you see something or hear some fact, and are stating that something
“must be the case” based on that evidence you saw or heard. Other good
words that this is commonly used with:

PLAY 아프겠다! = That must hurt!

PLAY 배부르겠다! = You must be full!
PLAY 힘들겠다! = That must be difficult!

Below are some examples along with my explanation of the situation that
would cause a Korean person to say such a sentence:
PLAY 힘들겠다! = That must be difficult!
You would most likely say this if you are looking at somebody do some
difficult task.

PLAY 나는 캐나다에 못 가겠다! = (I guess) I can’t go to Canada

You would most likely say this if you just found out (evidence that shows
you) how difficult it would be to get to Canada – for example, because the
price is too high or because it was too far or something like that.

PLAY 돈이 부족하겠다! = (I guess) there won’t be enough money

You would most likely say this if you were trying to figure out how much
money you need, and you just found out (evidence that shows you) that
you probably won’t have enough money. 

PLAY 허벅지가 아프겠다! = Your inner thigh must hurt!

You would most likely say this if you were looking at your friend do some
sort of inner thigh exercise. Like that machine at most gyms where you
have to squeeze your legs together against resistance.

That’s it!

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. You might not be able to understand all of the grammar within the
example sentences, but most of the grammar used will be introduced by
the end of Unit 2. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each
word can be used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that
you will be learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 소방서 = fire station

PLAY 무릎 = knee

PLAY 얼음 = ice
PLAY 흡연 = smoking

PLAY 종아리 = calf

PLAY 관리비 = management fees

PLAY 치료비 = medical fees

PLAY 보관료 = storage fees

PLAY 땅값 = land prices

PLAY 입장료 = entrance fees

PLAY 등록금 = tuition/registration fee

PLAY 교통비 = transportation fees

PLAY 원룸 = one room (studio) apartment

PLAY 화장 = makeup

PLAY 소방 = firefighting

PLAY 초등학교 = elementary school

PLAY 첫차 = first bus, first car

PLAY 가격표 = price tag

PLAY 여우 = fox

PLAY 의욕 = drive, motivation

PLAY 일방적 = one sided

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 이사하다 = to move to a new house

CONJUGATE PLAY 귀국하다 = to return to one's home country

CONJUGATE PLAY 터지다 = to explode

CONJUGATE PLAY 기대다 = to lean against

CONJUGATE PLAY 얻다 = to gain, to get, to obtain

CONJUGATE PLAY 임신하다 = to get pregnant

Passive verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 보이다 = to be seen

CONJUGATE PLAY 들리다 = to be heard

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 짜다 = to be salty

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn how to use 보이다 to say that something
can/cannot be seen and to say that something/somebody looks like
something. For example, “You look like a monkey!” The same pattern can be
used to say that something smells/tastes like something. For example, “You
smell like a monkey!” or “You taste like a monkey!” In addition, you will
learn how to use ~아/어 보이다 to say that somebody looks like an
adjective – for example “You look happy!”

 
 To Look Like: ~ 같이 보이다

One of the most common words in Korean is 보다 which means “to see.”
In Lesson 14, you learned the difference between passive and active verbs
in Korean (and English). The word 보이다 is the passive form of 보다 and is
used to indicate that something can or cannot be seen. For example:

PLAYTV 가 안 보여 = The TV can’t be seen

PLAY 소방서가 보여요 = The fire station is seen

That being said, the above sentences could also be translated to:

PLAYTV 가 안 보여 = I can’t see the TV

PLAY 소방서가 보여요 = I can see the fire station

A note for grammar nerds: Notice that the Korean sentences above are
predicated by an intransitive verb (보이다), which means they cannot act
on an object. The English translations directly above are predicated by a
transitive verb (to see), which means they can act on an object. This is a
great example that outlines the difficulty of translating sentences from
Korean to English (or vice-versa). Literally, the first sentence above would
translate “the TV can’t be seen,” but it is often used to mean “I can’t see the
TV.”

A person is often placed in these sentences to specifically indicate the

person who can or cannot see something. These sentences follow the same
Subject – Object – Adjective (or Passive Verb) structure that you learned
about in Lesson 15. For example:

PLAY 나는 TV 가 안 보여 = I can’t see the TV

PLAY 저는 소방서가 보여요 = I can see the fire station

This same idea can be applied to 듣다 (to hear) and 들리다 (to be heard).
For example:

PLAY 저는 소리가 안 들려요 = I can’t hear anything

PLAY 나는 네 목소리가 안 들려 = I can’t hear your voice
PLAY 목소리가 잘 들려 = I hear you (your voice) well
Below are many other examples:

PLAY 입장료가 얼마인지 안 보여요 = I can’t see how much the admission
cost is
PLAY 나는 여기서 산이 안 보여 = I can’t see the mountains from here
PLAY 초등학교가 보여요? = Can you see the elementary school?
PLAY 가격표가 안 보여요 = I can’t see the price tags
PLAY 흡연 구역이 안 보여요 = I can’t see the smoking area
PLAY 첫차가 출발하는 소리가 들렸어요 = I heard the sound of the first
car/bus departing
PLAY 뭔가 터지는 소리가 들렸어요 = I heard something explode

You can also use 보이다 in sentences to indicate that something looks like
something. By placing 같이 (which is the adverb form of the word 같다)
after a noun and predicating the whole sentence with 보이다, you can
create this meaning. For example:

PLAY 너는 원숭이 같이 보여 = You look like a monkey

PLAY 저의 남자친구는 교수님 같이 보여요 = My boyfriend looks like the
professor
PLAY 너는 고등학생 같이 보여 = You look like a high school student

The noun before 같이 can also be a more complex noun that is being
described by ~는 것. For example:

PLAY 네가 새로운 집으로 이사하고 싶은 것 같이 보여 = It looks like you

want to move to a new house
PLAY 그가 공연에 가고 싶지 않는 것 같이 보여 = It looks like he doesn’t
want to go to the performance
PLAY 경기를 이긴 것 같이 보여 = It looks like you won the game
PLAY 그녀가 오늘 화장을 안 한 것 같이 보여요 = It looks like she didn’t do
her makeup today

The sentences above explain how you can say that one “looks like”
something, but in practice, it is often more common to say that something is
just “like” something. For example:
You are like a monkey, instead of:
You look like a monkey

Within the meaning of “you are like a monkey” is the inherent meaning that
that person (along with other traits like acting like a monkey, smelling like a
monkey) would also look like a monkey.

You actually learned how to do this in Lesson 15, where you first learned
how to use words like 같다, 다르다, and 비슷하다. In that lesson, you were
presented with this sentence:

이 학교는 우리 학교와 같아요 = This school is the same as our school

I mentioned in that lesson that even though the word “같다” means “same”,
when you want to indicate that something is the same as something else in
Korean, it is more common to use the word “똑같다” (which typically
translates to “exactly the same). The sentence above is better written as:

PLAY 이 학교는 우리 학교와 똑같아요 = This school is the same as our

school

When you want to express that one thing is “like” another thing, it is more
natural to use the following form:

PLAY 너는 여자 같아 = You’re like a girl

Notice that the particle 와/과/(이)랑/하고 is not added in this sentence.

Below are many more examples:

PLAY 그는 여우 같아요 = He is like a fox

PLAY 그는 원숭이 같아요 = He is like a monkey
PLAY 캐나다는 미국 같아요 = Canada is like the US
PLAY 초등학생 같아요 = You’re like an elementary school student
PLAY 진짜 의사 같아 = You’re really like a doctor

Next, let’s talk about how you can say something tastes or smells like

something.

 
 

To Smell/Taste Like: 맛/냄새

The word 맛 is a noun which means “taste.” You often see this word as “
맛있다,” which means “delicious,” but literally translates to “to have taste.”
The word “냄새” is a noun which means “smell.” In the previous section you
learned how to say:

“___ looks like ____.”

In this section, you will learn how to say

“___ tastes like ____.” and

“___ smells like ____.”

The grammar within these principles is similar to what you were learning
previously. What you need to do is place a noun (that has a taste or smell)
before 맛 or 냄새, followed by “같다.” For example:

____ 맛 같다 = tastes like ____

____ 냄새 같다 = smells like ____

For example:

PLAY 김치 맛 같아 = Tastes like Kimchi

PLAY 김치 찌개 냄새 같아 = It smells like Kimchi Jjigae

Throw in a subject and you’ve got a full sentence:

PLAY 이 떡은 쓰레기 맛 같아 = This 떡 tastes like garbage

PLAY 삼겹살은 베이컨 맛 같아요 = 삼겹살 tastes like bacon

Pretty simple, but I thought you should know because I always wanted to
know how to say these sentences when I was learning Korean.

 
 

To Look (Adjective): ~아/어 보이다

Earlier in this lesson, you learned how to express that something looks like a
noun. However, there are many times when you would want to say
somebody looks like an adjective. For example:

You look happy

You look sad
You look strong

In order to do this, you need to add ~아/어 to an adjective, and then place
보이다 after it. For example:

행복해 보이다 = to look happy

슬퍼 보이다 = to look sad
강해 보이다 = to look strong

Many examples:

PLAY 왜 그렇게 행복해 보여요? = Why do you look so happy?

PLAY 저의 여자친구는 어제 너무 슬퍼 보였어요 = My girlfriend looked
really sad yesterday
PLAY 그 남자 종아리가 아주 강해 보여요 = That man’s calf looks very
strong
PLAY 이 원룸은 깨끗해 보여요 = This (studio) apartment looks clean
PLAY 화장이 예뻐 보여요 = Your makeup looks pretty
PLAY 소방 훈련이 힘들어 보여요 = Firefighting training looks difficult
PLAY 무릎이 아파 보여요 = Your knee looks sore
PLAY 그 남자가 의욕이 많아 보여요 = It looks like that man has a lot of
willpower/drive

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. You might not be able to understand all of the grammar within the
example sentences, but most of the grammar used will be introduced by
the end of Unit 2. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each
word can be used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that
you will be learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 도로 = road

PLAY 고속도로 = highway

PLAY 스님 = Buddhist monk

PLAY 당국 = authorities

PLAY 도시락 = lunch box

PLAY 여행자 = traveler

PLAY 피해 = damage

PLAY 성형 = plastic surgery

PLAY 연휴 = continuous holidays

PLAY 최신 = the latest

PLAY 진심 = sincerity, truth

PLAY 한편 = on the other hand

PLAY 반면 = on the other hand

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 점프하다 = to jump

CONJUGATE PLAY 깜빡하다 = to forget

CONJUGATE PLAY 빨다 = to suck

CONJUGATE PLAY 뜨다 = to open one’s eyes

CONJUGATE PLAY 감다 = to close one’s eyes

CONJUGATE PLAY 다투다 = to fight verbally

CONJUGATE PLAY 겨루다 = to compete, to fight, to vie for

CONJUGATE PLAY 개설하다 = to establish, to open

CONJUGATE PLAY 설레다 = for one's heart to be beating fast in excitement

Passive Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 떠지다 = to have one’s eyes open

CONJUGATE PLAY 감기다 = to have one’s eyes closed

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 왜냐하면 = because

PLAY 그래서 = therefore

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

Okay, now it is time to get really serious. Up until now, you have not been
taught how to say one of the most common words in the English language:
because. It’s not that I didn’t want to teach you this word, but rather that
you didn’t have the knowledge to fully understand this word up until this
point. In Korean, because is not generally said as a word. Okay, that is
slightly untrue. There is a word in Korean for “because”: 왜냐하면.
However, “왜냐하면” is not nearly used as much as the grammatical
principle that has the meaning of “because” in Korean. For example, Korean
people would never say something like this:

나는 밥을 먹는다 왜냐하면 배고팠어

In fact, that sentence makes no sense (I was trying to write it in a way that
didn’t make any sense).

You could technically write something like this:

나는 밥을 먹었어. 왜냐하면 나는 배고팠어 = I ate. Because I was hungry.

However, that wouldn’t sound natural at all in Korean. Instead, Korean

people use ~아/어서 to connect two clauses to have the meaning of
“because.” We will look at how this is done in Korean. Let’s get started.

Because/Therefore: V/A + ~아/어서

~아/어서 is added to the stem of a verb or adjective in a clause to connect it

with the upcoming clause. First, let’s look at how “because” sentences are
formed in English. When saying a sentence with “because,” there are two
clauses:

I want to eat
I am hungry

Both are independent clauses that can be sentences on their own.

However, if we insert “because” between the two, we can create a
sentence with two clauses:

I want to eat because I am hungry

The hardest part about saying these sentences in Korean is that the order
is reversed. So, instead of saying:
I want to eat because I am hungry
I want to go to the park because I am bored

In Korean, we say:

Because I am hungry, I want to eat

Because I am bored, I want to go to the park

Now let’s look at these simple sentences in Korean. We have our two
clauses again:

저는 밥을 먹고 싶어요 = I want to eat

저는 배고파요 = I am hungry

Same as in English; both are independent clauses and can be sentences on

their own. However, by inserting ~아/어서 between the two, we can create
the meaning of “because.” For example:

저는 배고프(+~아/어서) 저는 밥을 먹고 싶어요

Remember from Lesson 24 that ~이/가 should be added to the subject of

any clause that is not the main clause of a sentence. ~는/은 or ~이/가 can
be added to the subject of the main clause of the sentence, depending on
the specific meaning you are trying to create (although they both essentially
have the same meaning). I encourage you to re-read Lesson 2 and Lesson
24 to remind yourself how changing these particles can slightly change the
feeling of a sentence. Therefore, the sentence above could be written as:

제가 배고파서 저는 밥을 먹고 싶어요 = Because I am hungry, I want to eat

제가 배고파서 제가 밥을 먹고 싶어요 = Because I am hungry, I want to eat

However, remember in Korean that when the subject of both (or multiple)
clauses in a sentence is the same, you only need to include the subject
once. Therefore, the sentences above sound more natural as:

PLAY 저는 배고파서 밥을 먹고 싶어요 = Because I am hungry, I want to eat

I always found it easier to remember the meaning of “~아/어서” as

“Therefore.” This way, the order of the clauses is the same in English and
Korean. For example:

PLAY 저는 배고파서 밥을 먹고 싶어요 = I am hungry, therefore I want to eat

Remember that this same addition (~아/어서) can also be added to 가다

and 오다 to express that one does something “after” going/coming from/to
a place. This concept was taught in Lesson 17, and examples from that
lesson were:

PLAY 저는 학교에 가서 공부할 거예요 = I will go to school and then study

PLAY 우리는 집에 와서 바로 잤어요 = We came home and went to sleep
immediately

Note that those sentences technically could mean “Because I go/went to

school, I will study” and “Because I came home, I went to sleep
immediately”. However, 99.9% of the time the meaning you will want to
express using “가서” and “와서” will be the meaning talked about in Lesson
17. Think about how often you would want to say: “The reason I went to
sleep immediately is because I came home” or “The reason I will study is
because I came to school.” I had this same question when I first learned of
these two identical looking grammatical principles. At the time, I asked
Koreans why these sentences couldn’t mean “because…” and they all
looked at me with a weird face and said “because nobody would ever say
something like that.”

Here are many more examples:

PLAY 그 여자가 너무 예뻐서 저는 그녀를 만나고 싶어요

= That girl is very pretty, therefore, I want to meet her (because that girl is
very pretty, I want to meet her)

PLAY 저는 심심해서 공원에 가고 싶어요

= I am bored, therefore, I want to go to the park (because I am bored, I want
to go to the park)

PLAY 우리 집이 홍수로 피해를 입어서 집에 못 들어가요

= We can’t go into our house because it was damaged by the flood

PLAY 저는 너무 못생겨서 성형수술을 받고 싶어요

= I want to get plastic surgery because I am so ugly
PLAY 고속도로가 막혀서 일반 길로 갈 거예요
= I will take the normal road because the highway is blocked up

PLAY 저는 우리 딸을 진심으로 사랑해서 그녀를 위해 모든 것을 할 거예요

= I will do everything for my daughter because I (truly love her/) love her
from the bottom of my heart

PLAY 우리가 어제 다퉈서 저는 그랑 얘기하고 싶지 않아요

= I don’t want to talk with him because we had an argument (we argued)
yesterday

PLAY 슬기가 임신해서 회사에 오는 것이 힘들겠어요

= It must be difficult for Seulgi to come to the office because she is pregnant

PLAY 배가 곧 터질 것 같아서 더 못 먹겠어요

= I can’t eat anymore because my stomach is (like it is) about to explode

PLAY 여기에 여행자가 너무 많아서 다른 곳으로 갈 거예요

= I’m going to go to a different place because there are too many travelers
here

PLAY 오늘 너무 피곤해서 눈이 자꾸 감겨요

= My eyes keep shutting because I’m so tired

So far, we have only looked at using ~아/어서 in the present tense. In the
next few sections, we will look at how to use it in the past and future
tenses.

~아/어서 in the Past Tense

You cannot conjugate a word into the past tense and then use ~아/어서. For
example, the following is incorrect:

저는 배고팠아서 밥을 먹었어요
Instead, the tense of the first clause is inferred from the context of the
sentence. For example:

PLAY 저는 배고파서 밥을 먹었어요 = I was hungry, so I ate

Notice that this sentence wouldn’t make sense if it were “I am hungry, so I
ate.”

The final clause of the sentence doesn’t necessarily need to be in the past
tense in order to suggest that the first clause is in the past. For example,
notice how the final clause below is in the present tense, but the first clause
is in the past tense:

PLAY 점심을 안 먹어서 지금 먹고 있어요 = I didn’t eat lunch, so I’m eating

now
Notice that this sentence wouldn’t make sense if it were “I’m not eating
lunch so I’m eating now.”

Also, it is possible that the final clause of the sentence be in the future tense
to suggest that the first clause is in the past tense. For example:

PLAY 거기에 안 가 봐서 내일 갈 거예요 = I haven’t been there yet, so I will

go tomorrow
Notice that this sentence wouldn’t make sense if it were “I’m not going
there yet so I’ll go tomorrow.”

To somebody who has just learned this, it seems rather confusing and
difficult to have to guess whether the first clause is in the past or present
tense. As I said – you’re not guessing. The context makes this clear. A lot of
meaning in Korean is derived from context. As you progress through your
studies, this will become easier.

Other examples:

PLAY 학생들이 너무 시끄러워서 저는 교수님의 말을 못 들었어요

= The students were too loud, so I couldn’t hear the professor

PLAY 저는 공부하지 않아서 시험을 못 봤어요

= I didn’t study, therefore, I didn’t do well on the exam
PLAY 제가 눈을 감고 있어서 그것을 못 봤어요
= I didn’t see that because my eyes were closed

PLAY 저는 화장을 하지 않아서 못생겨 보여요

= I look ugly because I didn’t do my makeup

PLAY 도시락을 안 가져와서 점심을 못 먹을 거예요

= I won’t be able to eat lunch because I didn’t bring my lunch box

PLAY 공원에 스님이 있어서 우리는 술을 다른 곳에서 마셨어요

= There was a monk in the park, so we drank our alcohol in another place

PLAY 오늘이 무슨 날인지 깜빡해서 선물을 안 준비했어요

= I forgot what today is (what day it is today) so I didn’t prepare a present

PLAY 애기가 손가락을 계속 빨아서 지금 손가락이 끈적거려요

= The baby kept sucking his fingers, so now they are all sticky

PLAY 그 남자가 불법 행동을 하는 것을 봐서 저는 당국에 바로 말할 거예요

= I saw that man do something illegal (an illegal act) so I will tell the
authorities immediately

PLAY 일반 도로가 피해를 입어서 고속도로가 막힐 것 같아요

= The regular road was damaged so the highway will probably be blocked
up

PLAY 이상한 소리를 들어서 눈을 뜨고 밖을 보러 일어났어요

= I heard a weird sound, so I opened my eyes and got up to look outside

Before you learn how to add ~아/어서 to verbs/adjectives in the future

tense, you need to learn how to add it to 이다.

Adding ~아/어서 to 이다
When adding ~아/어서 to 이다, the same principle as before applies. Again,
let’s look at two clauses:

I want to go to the park = 저는 공원에 가고 싶어요

It is Sunday = 일요일이다

Again, both are independent clauses that can be sentences on their own.
However, if we insert “because” between the two clauses, we can make:

I want to go to the park because it is Sunday

Which, in Korean, would be written as:
일요일이다 (+ ~아/어서) 저는 공원에 가고 싶어요

Which is done like this:

PLAY 일요일이어서 저는 공원에 가고 싶어요 = It is Sunday, so I want to go
to the park

~어서 is always added to 이다 and never ~아서 because the last vowel of
the stem of 이다 will always be “이.” So, for example:

일요일이어서
건물이어서
공원이어서

의사이어서
여자이어서
남자이어서

When the word 이다 is attached to ends in a vowel (like in 의사, 여자 and

남자) 이 and 어 can merge to form 여. For example:

의사여서
여자여서
남자여서

There is a difference simply because of ease of pronunciation. If you were

to say “일요일여서” it is hard to pronounce because your tongue has to
move from the ㄹ sound to the 여 sound right away.

Adding ~이라(서) or ~라(서) has the exact same meaning of ~이어서 and ~
여서 respectively. That is, you can add ~이라(서) to nouns ending in a
consonant and 라(서) to nouns ending in a vowel. Both are possible, but I
find that ~(이)라(서) is used more often in speech (not to say that it is not
used in writing – but when speaking, ~(이)라서 is more common than ~
이어서 or ~여서). To me, ~(이)라서 just flows off my tongue better.

For example:

PLAY 일요일이어서 공원에 가고 싶어요 = It is Sunday, so I want to go to the

park
PLAY 일요일이라서 공원에 가고 싶어요 = It is Sunday, so I want to go to the
park

PLAY 예쁜 여자여서 똑똑하지 않을 것 같아 = She is a pretty girl, so she is

probably not smart
PLAY 예쁜 여자라서 똑똑하지 않을 것 같아 = She is a pretty girl, so she is
probably not smart

PLAY 이번 주말이 연휴라서 우리 엄마 집에 갈 거예요

= This weekend is a long weekend, so I will go to our mom’s house

PLAY 이 방은 원룸이라서 너무 작아요

= This is a studio apartment, so it is too small

PLAY 이 학교는 초등학교라서 이 동네에 어린이들이 많아요

= This school is an elementary school, so there are a lot of children in the
neighborhood

PLAY 그것이 최신 정보여서 맞는 것 같아요

= That is the latest (most up-to-date) information, so it is probably right

When adding ~아/어서 to 아니다, you can either add ~어서 or ~라(서). For
example:
PLAY 최신 핸드폰이 아니어서 이 앱이 아주 느려요
PLAY 최신 핸드폰이 아니라서 이 앱이 아주 느려요
= This isn’t the latest cell phone, so the app is really slow

Now that you can add ~아/어서 to 이다, you can learn about adding ~아/
어서 to clauses in the future tense.

~아/어서 in the Future Tense

When adding ~아/어서 to a verb or adjective in the future tense, it is the

same as adding ~아/어서 to 이다. Again, let’s look at two clauses:

My friend will come here = 저의 친구는 여기에 올 것이다

I won’t leave/I won’t go outside = 밖에 안 나갈 것이다

Again, both are independent clauses that can be sentences on their own.
However, if we insert “because” between the two clauses, we can make:

저의 친구가 여기에 올 것이다 (~아/어서) 밖에 안 나갈 거예요

Remember that this future tense conjugation is actually just ~ㄹ/을 것 +

이다. Because of this, adding ~아/어서 to clauses in the future tense is done
exactly the same as adding ~아/어서 to 이다. Any of the following would
work:

저의 친구가 여기에 올 것이어서…

저의 친구가 여기에 올 거여서…
저의 친구가 여기에 올 것이라서…
저의 친구가 여기에 올 거라서
Remember that 것 can be shortened to 거. So you can choose if you would
rather use “것이어서,” “거여서,” “것이라서” or “거라서.”

More examples:
PLAY 나중에 밥이 없을 거라서 저는 지금 먹고 싶어요
= There will not be any food later, therefore, I want to eat now

PLAY 친구가 거기에 많을 거라서 그 파티에 가고 싶어요

= Many of my friends will be there, so/therefore I want to go to that party

PLAY 입장료가 너무 비쌀 거라서 저는 안 갈 거예요

= The price of admission will be so expensive, so I am not going to go

All very confusing, but you really only need to know how to say one of the
future ~아/어서 conjugations (and then just be aware of the other ones). I
personally only ever say ~이라(서) or ~라(서) and never say ~이어서 or ~
여서.

그래서

In Lesson 23, you learned that the meaning of the word ‘그렇다’ is close to
the meaning of ‘like that.’ By adding ~아/어서 to 그렇다 you can create “
그래서.”

When some situation is being talked about, you can use “그래서” to say
“Because of (that situation)…”. The common translation of 그래서 is simply
“therefore” or “that’s why.” For example:

Person 1: PLAY 비가 왔어요? = Did it rain?

Person 2: PLAY 응, 그래서 나가기 싫어요 = Yeah, that’s why/therefore I
don’t want to go out
Person 1: PLAY 우리 학교가 영어회화 수업이 없어요? = Our school doesn’t
have an English Conversation class?
Person 2: PLAY 네, 없어요. 그래서 제가 다음 학기부터 개설할 거예요 =
Right, there isn’t any. That’s why I’m going to start one beginning next
semester

That’s it for this lesson. In the following lesson, you will continue to learn
about how to give the meaning of “because” using the word 때문.

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. You might not be able to understand all of the grammar within the
example sentences, but most of the grammar used will be introduced by
the end of Unit 2. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each
word can be used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that
you will be learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 투자자 = investor

PLAY 주식 = stocks

PLAY 주식시장 = stock market

PLAY 교복 = school uniform

PLAY 여신 = goddess

PLAY 별명 = nickname

PLAY 기업 = enterprise

PLAY 현실 = reality

PLAY 폼 = posture
PLAY 제사 = praying to ancestors on a holiday

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 떨어뜨리다 = to drop

CONJUGATE PLAY 제안하다 = to propose, to suggest

CONJUGATE PLAY 투자하다 = to invest

CONJUGATE PLAY 부정하다 = to deny

CONJUGATE PLAY 되짚다 = to look back (in the past), to go back

CONJUGATE PLAY 망설이다 = to hesitate

CONJUGATE PLAY 세수하다 = to clean one’s face

CONJUGATE PLAY 통화하다 = to talk on the phone

Passive Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 떨어지다 = to be dropped

CONJUGATE PLAY 북적거리다 = to be crowded, to be packed, to be busy

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 귀찮다 = to be annoying

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 고르게 = evenly, flatly

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In the previous lesson, you learned about how to use ~아/어서 to create the
meaning of “because” in Korean sentences. There are actually many ways
you can create the meaning of ‘because’ in Korean – the most common of
those being by connecting two clauses with ~아/어서.

In this lesson however, you will learn another very common way to say
“because” in Korean, which is pretty much interchangeable with ~아/어서.
Let’s get started.

Because of: 때문

By placing ‘때문’ after a noun, you can create the meaning of “because of
(that noun).” For example:

일 때문에 = Because of work

남자 친구 때문에 = Because of (my) boyfriend

The rest of the clause will indicate some event/action that occurred as a
result of the noun preceding 때문에. For example:

PLAY 일 때문에 나는 너를 못 만날 것 같아
= Because of work, I probably won’t be able to meet you

PLAY 남자 친구 때문에 새로운 남자를 못 만나

= Because of my boyfriend, I can’t meet another(/new) man

Notice that this is not the same as adding ~아/어서 to 이다, which you
learned about in the previous lesson. For example, these constructions:

일이라서… = Because it is work

남자 친구라서… Because he is my boyfriend

When these constructions are created ~아/어서 is added to 이다. The

inclusion of 이다 in these constructions/sentences means that their
meanings/translations will have the word am/is/are. When using 때문에
you are simply saying “because of that noun” and are not mentioning the
word “to be.” For example, notice the difference between these two
sentences:

PLAY 남자 친구 때문에 새로운 남자를 못 만나

= Because of my boyfriend, I can’t meet another(/new) man

남자 친구라서 새로운 남자를 못 만나

= Because he is my boyfriend, I can’t meet another(/new) man
(I can’t think of any situation where this sentence in English or Korean
would be appropriate)

That being said, sometimes this difference is irrelevant. Notice how both of
these sentences effectively have the same meaning:

PLAY 우리는 제사 때문에 할아버지 집에 갔어요

= We went to our grandfather’s house because of 제사

PLAY 우리는 제사라서 할아버지 집에 갔어요

= We went to our grandfather’s house because it is 제사

Many other examples:

PLAY 별명 때문에 너의 진짜 이름을 깜빡했어

= I forgot your real name because of your nickname

PLAY 등록금 때문에 저는 그 대학교에 못 가요

= I won’t be able to go to university because of the admission/registration
fees

PLAY 교복 때문에 아주 더워요

= I’m really hot because of my school uniform

PLAY 주식시장 때문에 요즘에 스트레스를 많이 받아요

= I am very stressed these days because of the stock market

 
 Because/Therefore: ~기 때문에

It is also possible to place an entire clause before 때문에 instead of just a

noun to indicate that some event/action occurred as a result of the clause
preceding 때문에. The clause before 때문에 must be in the form of a noun,
and this is done by adding ~기 to the stem of the word immediately
preceding 때문에. For example:

PLAY 저는 배고프기 때문에 밥을 먹고 싶어요 = I want to eat because I am

hungry

Note that this is identical to adding ~아/어서 to the same word (which you
learned about in the previous lesson). For example:

저는 배고파서 밥을 먹고 싶어요 = I want to eat because I am hungry

Just like ~아/어서, you can add ~기 때문에 to verbs, adjectives and 이다.
Below are many examples:

PLAY 저는 행복하기 때문에 죽고 싶지 않아요

= I don’t want to die because I am happy

PLAY 지금 공부를 하고 있기 때문에 너랑 통화하고 싶지 않아

= I don’t want to talk with you on the phone because I’m studying now

PLAY 투자자가 없기 때문에 우리는 다른 방법으로 할 거예요

= We will do it another way because there are no investors

PLAY 무릎이 아프기 때문에 저는 걸어가기 싫어요

= I don’t want to walk because my knee is sore

PLAY 이 셔츠에 가격표가 없기 때문에 얼마인지 몰라요

= I don’t know how much this shirt costs because there is no price tag

PLAY 학생들이 교복을 입기 때문에 다 똑같은 옷을 입었어요

= All the students wore exactly the same clothes because they wear
uniforms
PLAY 내가 남자이기 때문에 그런 영화를 좋아해
= I like those kinds of movies because I am a man

PLAY 입구가 멀기 때문에 다른 곳으로 갈 거예요

= I’m going to go to another place because the entrance is too far

PLAY 그 여자가 여신 같기 때문에 남자들은 그녀를 다 좋아해요

= She’s like a goddess, so all the boys like her

PLAY 거리가 아주 북적거리기 때문에 우리는 밖에 나가고 싶지 않아요

= We don’t want to go out because the streets are very crowded

PLAY 세수를 하는 것이 귀찮기 때문에 안 했어요

= I didn’t wash my face because it is annoying

PLAY2 월이기 때문에 비행기표 가격이 떨어졌어요

= The prices of flights dropped because it is February

PLAY 엄마가 현실을 그냥 부정할 것 같기 때문에 말을 안 할 거예요

= I’m not going to say anything (to mom) because she’s probably just going
to deny the reality

Let’s look at how this can be added to clauses conjugated in the past and
future tenses.

Past Tense: ~았/었기 때문에

When connecting two clauses with ~아/어서, you should always remember
that you do not conjugate the verb/adjective that ~아/어서 is being added
to in the past tense. For example, you should never do this:

내가 밥을 벌써 먹었어서 지금 먹고 싶지 않아
Instead, you know that you should say this:

PLAY 내가 밥을 벌써 먹어서 지금 먹고 싶지 않아 = Because I already ate, I

don’t want to eat now

However, the clause before ~기 때문에 can be conjugated to the past tense.
In these cases, ~기 should be added directly to the addition of ~았/었. For
example:

PLAY 내가 밥을 벌써 먹었기 때문에 지금 먹고 싶지 않아

= Because I already ate, I don’t want to eat now

Many more examples:

PLAY 저는 시험을 못 봤기 때문에 대학교에 못 가요

= Because I did bad on the test, I won’t be able to go to university

PLAY 주식을 많이 샀기 때문에 돈이 없어요

= I don’t have any money because I bought a lot of stocks

PLAY 대학교에 갈지 안 갈지 많이 망설였기 때문에 대학교에 갈 기회를

놓쳤어요
= Because I hesitated a lot about going to university or not, I missed the
opportunity to go to university

PLAY 제가 처음부터 그 기업에 투자하지 않았기 때문에 돈을 많이 못

벌어요
= I don’t earn that much money because I didn’t invest in that company
from the beginning

PLAY 애기들에게 과자를 고르게 안 줬기 때문에 많이 받지 못한 애기들은

울었어요
= I didn’t give the candy to the babies evenly, so the babies that didn’t get a
lot cried

PLAY 세수를 아직 못 했기 때문에 잠깐 화장실에 갈 거예요

= I haven’t washed my face yet, so I’m going to go to the washroom for a
second
PLAY 오늘 공원에 가고 싶지 않았기 때문에 저는 다른 것을 제안했어요
= I didn’t want to go to the park today so I suggested something different (a
different thing)

PLAY 핸드폰이 없었기 때문에 연락하지 못했어요

= Because I didn’t have my phone, I couldn’t contact you

Now let’s look at how you can add ~기 때문에 to the future tense.

 Future Tense: ~ㄹ 것이기 때문에

As you know, you can conjugate a word into the future by connecting ~ㄹ/
을 것이다 to it. For example:

내가 나중에 먹을 것이다 = I will eat later

Adding ~기 때문에 to a word conjugated in the future tense is simply a

matter of attaching ~기 때문에 to the 이다 at the end of this future tense
conjugation. For example:

PLAY 내가 나중에 먹을 것이기 때문에 지금 먹고 싶지 않아

= Because I am going to eat later, I don’t want to eat now
Notice how there is a noun (것) followed by 이다 followed by ~기 때문에

More examples:

Also notice how 것 can be shortened to 거. In these cases, “이” can merge
with “거” and you can see the construction ~ㄹ/을 거기 때문에.

PLAY 나는 내년에 대학교에 갈 것이기 때문에 지금 열심히 공부하고 있어

= Because I will be going to university next year, I am studying hard now
PLAY 그녀가 그 셔츠가 거기에 없는 것을 깨닫지 못할 거기 때문에 저는
그냥 가져갈 거예요
= She won’t notice that shirt is gone (not here) so I’m just going to take it

PLAY 우리가 과거를 되짚어 볼 것이기 때문에 사진을 가져왔어요

= We are going to be looking back at old times, so I brought some pictures

Other Uses of 때문

In Lesson 23, you learned that the meaning of the word ‘그렇다’ is close to
the meaning of ‘like that.’ By adding ~기 때문에 to 그렇다 you can create
“그렇기 때문에.” The common translation for “그렇기 때문에” is “therefore”
or “because of that.” For example:

Person 1: 요즘에 사람들은 그 제품을 안 사요 = These days, people aren’t

buying that product
Person 2: 네, 그렇기 때문에 그 회사의 주식이 떨어지고 있어요 = Yes,
because of that, that company’s stocks are falling

Another good usage of the word 때문 is putting it at the end of a sentence

as a noun. If I were to write this:

사람들이 너무 많이 있었기 때문…

You would think that would mean “because there were too many
people…”… but that is an incomplete sentence because you cannot end a
sentence with a noun like that.

Instead, you must add 이다 to 때문 to make it a full sentence. For example:

사람들이 너무 많이 있었기 때문이야 = Because there were too many

people
The best part about that sentence (and this is where this lesson starts to get
really hard/confusing) is that “때문” turns into a noun of “[because there
were too many people].” I put that “noun” into [brackets] because I’m going
to show you what you can do with it. Look at the following example:

내가 방에 들어가지 않은 이유 = translates to “the reason I didn’t go in the

room”

Because “이유” is a noun (being described by 내가 방에 들어가지 않은) we

can make this the subject of our sentence:

내가 방에 들어가지 않은 이유는 = The reason I didn’t go into the room…

Now if I wanted to say what the reason is, I would need to say:

The reason I didn’t go into the room is …:

내가 방에 들어가지 않은 이유는 ______ 이다

(Notice that I purposely colored the words “is” and “이다” red)

What could I put in the place of that blank? I need to put a noun in there.
How about the noun we made before:  “[because there were too many
people]”:

The reason I didn’t go into the room is [because there were too many
people].

In Korean:

내가 방에 들어가지 않은 이유는 [사람들이 너무 많이 있었기 때문]이야

Without the brackets:

내가 방에 들어가지 않은 이유는 사람들이 너무 많이 있었기 때문이야
= The reason I didn’t go into the room is because there is too many people

Which would make more sense if it said:

The reason I didn’t go into the room is because there were too many
people.
To fix this, we need to change 이다 from the present tense to the past
tense:

PLAY 내가 방에 들어가지 않은 이유는 사람들이 너무 많이 있었기

때문이었어
= The reason I didn’t go into the room was because there were too many
people

More examples:

PLAY 내가 한국에 간 이유는 한국어를 배우고 싶기 때문이었어

= The reason I went to Korea was because I wanted to learn Korean

PLAY 내가 여기서 일하고 싶은 이유는 새로운 경험을 하고 싶기 때문이야

= The reason I want to work here is because I want to have a new
experience

All of which are technically the same as these:

PLAY 사람들이 너무 많이 있어서 나는 방에 들어가지 않았어

= Because there were too many people, I didn’t go into the room

PLAY 한국어를 배우고 싶어서 한국에 갔어

= Because I wanted to learn Korean, I went to Korea

PLAY 새로운 경험을 하고 싶어서 여기서 일하고 싶어

= Because I want to have a new experience, I want to work here

You might be comfortable using ~기 때문에 in sentences by now, but you

are probably still a little bit confused about how to use “~하는 이유는 ____~
기 때문이다” right now. Don’t worry about that. When you become more
and more comfortable not only with 때문에 but also with Korean grammar
in general, using sentences like that will become more and more natural. In
the meantime, keep studying and get ready for our next lesson!

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to make a post on

our Forum!

Vocabulary
Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. You might not be able to understand all of the grammar within the
example sentences, but most of the grammar used will be introduced by
the end of Unit 2. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each
word can be used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that
you will be learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 투자자 = investor

PLAY 주식 = stocks

PLAY 주식시장 = stock market

PLAY 교복 = school uniform

PLAY 여신 = goddess

PLAY 별명 = nickname

PLAY 기업 = enterprise

PLAY 현실 = reality

PLAY 폼 = posture

PLAY 제사 = praying to ancestors on a holiday

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 떨어뜨리다 = to drop

CONJUGATE PLAY 제안하다 = to propose, to suggest

CONJUGATE PLAY 투자하다 = to invest

CONJUGATE PLAY 부정하다 = to deny

CONJUGATE PLAY 되짚다 = to look back (in the past), to go back

CONJUGATE PLAY 망설이다 = to hesitate

CONJUGATE PLAY 세수하다 = to clean one’s face

CONJUGATE PLAY 통화하다 = to talk on the phone

Passive Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 떨어지다 = to be dropped

CONJUGATE PLAY 북적거리다 = to be crowded, to be packed, to be busy

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 귀찮다 = to be annoying

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 고르게 = evenly, flatly

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In the previous lesson, you learned about how to use ~아/어서 to create the
meaning of “because” in Korean sentences. There are actually many ways
you can create the meaning of ‘because’ in Korean – the most common of
those being by connecting two clauses with ~아/어서.

In this lesson however, you will learn another very common way to say
“because” in Korean, which is pretty much interchangeable with ~아/어서.
Let’s get started.

 
 

Because of: 때문

By placing ‘때문’ after a noun, you can create the meaning of “because of
(that noun).” For example:

일 때문에 = Because of work

남자 친구 때문에 = Because of (my) boyfriend

The rest of the clause will indicate some event/action that occurred as a
result of the noun preceding 때문에. For example:

PLAY 일 때문에 나는 너를 못 만날 것 같아
= Because of work, I probably won’t be able to meet you

PLAY 남자 친구 때문에 새로운 남자를 못 만나

= Because of my boyfriend, I can’t meet another(/new) man

Notice that this is not the same as adding ~아/어서 to 이다, which you
learned about in the previous lesson. For example, these constructions:

일이라서… = Because it is work

남자 친구라서… Because he is my boyfriend

When these constructions are created ~아/어서 is added to 이다. The

inclusion of 이다 in these constructions/sentences means that their
meanings/translations will have the word am/is/are. When using 때문에
you are simply saying “because of that noun” and are not mentioning the
word “to be.” For example, notice the difference between these two
sentences:

PLAY 남자 친구 때문에 새로운 남자를 못 만나

= Because of my boyfriend, I can’t meet another(/new) man

남자 친구라서 새로운 남자를 못 만나

= Because he is my boyfriend, I can’t meet another(/new) man
(I can’t think of any situation where this sentence in English or Korean
would be appropriate)

That being said, sometimes this difference is irrelevant. Notice how both of
these sentences effectively have the same meaning:

PLAY 우리는 제사 때문에 할아버지 집에 갔어요

= We went to our grandfather’s house because of 제사

PLAY 우리는 제사라서 할아버지 집에 갔어요

= We went to our grandfather’s house because it is 제사

Many other examples:

PLAY 별명 때문에 너의 진짜 이름을 깜빡했어

= I forgot your real name because of your nickname

PLAY 등록금 때문에 저는 그 대학교에 못 가요

= I won’t be able to go to university because of the admission/registration
fees

PLAY 교복 때문에 아주 더워요

= I’m really hot because of my school uniform

PLAY 주식시장 때문에 요즘에 스트레스를 많이 받아요

= I am very stressed these days because of the stock market

Because/Therefore: ~기 때문에

It is also possible to place an entire clause before 때문에 instead of just a

noun to indicate that some event/action occurred as a result of the clause
preceding 때문에. The clause before 때문에 must be in the form of a noun,
and this is done by adding ~기 to the stem of the word immediately
preceding 때문에. For example:
PLAY 저는 배고프기 때문에 밥을 먹고 싶어요 = I want to eat because I am
hungry

Note that this is identical to adding ~아/어서 to the same word (which you
learned about in the previous lesson). For example:

저는 배고파서 밥을 먹고 싶어요 = I want to eat because I am hungry

Just like ~아/어서, you can add ~기 때문에 to verbs, adjectives and 이다.
Below are many examples:

PLAY 저는 행복하기 때문에 죽고 싶지 않아요

= I don’t want to die because I am happy

PLAY 지금 공부를 하고 있기 때문에 너랑 통화하고 싶지 않아

= I don’t want to talk with you on the phone because I’m studying now

PLAY 투자자가 없기 때문에 우리는 다른 방법으로 할 거예요

= We will do it another way because there are no investors

PLAY 무릎이 아프기 때문에 저는 걸어가기 싫어요

= I don’t want to walk because my knee is sore

PLAY 이 셔츠에 가격표가 없기 때문에 얼마인지 몰라요

= I don’t know how much this shirt costs because there is no price tag

PLAY 학생들이 교복을 입기 때문에 다 똑같은 옷을 입었어요

= All the students wore exactly the same clothes because they wear
uniforms

PLAY 내가 남자이기 때문에 그런 영화를 좋아해

= I like those kinds of movies because I am a man

PLAY 입구가 멀기 때문에 다른 곳으로 갈 거예요

= I’m going to go to another place because the entrance is too far

PLAY 그 여자가 여신 같기 때문에 남자들은 그녀를 다 좋아해요

= She’s like a goddess, so all the boys like her
PLAY 거리가 아주 북적거리기 때문에 우리는 밖에 나가고 싶지 않아요
= We don’t want to go out because the streets are very crowded

PLAY 세수를 하는 것이 귀찮기 때문에 안 했어요

= I didn’t wash my face because it is annoying

PLAY2 월이기 때문에 비행기표 가격이 떨어졌어요

= The prices of flights dropped because it is February

PLAY 엄마가 현실을 그냥 부정할 것 같기 때문에 말을 안 할 거예요

= I’m not going to say anything (to mom) because she’s probably just going
to deny the reality

Let’s look at how this can be added to clauses conjugated in the past and
future tenses.

Past Tense: ~았/었기 때문에

When connecting two clauses with ~아/어서, you should always remember
that you do not conjugate the verb/adjective that ~아/어서 is being added
to in the past tense. For example, you should never do this:

내가 밥을 벌써 먹었어서 지금 먹고 싶지 않아

Instead, you know that you should say this:

PLAY 내가 밥을 벌써 먹어서 지금 먹고 싶지 않아 = Because I already ate, I

don’t want to eat now

However, the clause before ~기 때문에 can be conjugated to the past tense.
In these cases, ~기 should be added directly to the addition of ~았/었. For
example:
PLAY 내가 밥을 벌써 먹었기 때문에 지금 먹고 싶지 않아
= Because I already ate, I don’t want to eat now

Many more examples:

PLAY 저는 시험을 못 봤기 때문에 대학교에 못 가요

= Because I did bad on the test, I won’t be able to go to university

PLAY 주식을 많이 샀기 때문에 돈이 없어요

= I don’t have any money because I bought a lot of stocks

PLAY 대학교에 갈지 안 갈지 많이 망설였기 때문에 대학교에 갈 기회를

놓쳤어요
= Because I hesitated a lot about going to university or not, I missed the
opportunity to go to university

PLAY 제가 처음부터 그 기업에 투자하지 않았기 때문에 돈을 많이 못

벌어요
= I don’t earn that much money because I didn’t invest in that company
from the beginning

PLAY 애기들에게 과자를 고르게 안 줬기 때문에 많이 받지 못한 애기들은

울었어요
= I didn’t give the candy to the babies evenly, so the babies that didn’t get a
lot cried

PLAY 세수를 아직 못 했기 때문에 잠깐 화장실에 갈 거예요

= I haven’t washed my face yet, so I’m going to go to the washroom for a
second

PLAY 오늘 공원에 가고 싶지 않았기 때문에 저는 다른 것을 제안했어요

= I didn’t want to go to the park today so I suggested something different (a
different thing)

PLAY 핸드폰이 없었기 때문에 연락하지 못했어요

= Because I didn’t have my phone, I couldn’t contact you

Now let’s look at how you can add ~기 때문에 to the future tense.
 

 Future Tense: ~ㄹ 것이기 때문에

As you know, you can conjugate a word into the future by connecting ~ㄹ/
을 것이다 to it. For example:

내가 나중에 먹을 것이다 = I will eat later

Adding ~기 때문에 to a word conjugated in the future tense is simply a

matter of attaching ~기 때문에 to the 이다 at the end of this future tense
conjugation. For example:

PLAY 내가 나중에 먹을 것이기 때문에 지금 먹고 싶지 않아

= Because I am going to eat later, I don’t want to eat now
Notice how there is a noun (것) followed by 이다 followed by ~기 때문에

More examples:

Also notice how 것 can be shortened to 거. In these cases, “이” can merge
with “거” and you can see the construction ~ㄹ/을 거기 때문에.

PLAY 나는 내년에 대학교에 갈 것이기 때문에 지금 열심히 공부하고 있어

= Because I will be going to university next year, I am studying hard now

PLAY 그녀가 그 셔츠가 거기에 없는 것을 깨닫지 못할 거기 때문에 저는

그냥 가져갈 거예요
= She won’t notice that shirt is gone (not here) so I’m just going to take it

PLAY 우리가 과거를 되짚어 볼 것이기 때문에 사진을 가져왔어요

= We are going to be looking back at old times, so I brought some pictures

 
 

Other Uses of 때문

In Lesson 23, you learned that the meaning of the word ‘그렇다’ is close to
the meaning of ‘like that.’ By adding ~기 때문에 to 그렇다 you can create
“그렇기 때문에.” The common translation for “그렇기 때문에” is “therefore”
or “because of that.” For example:

Person 1: 요즘에 사람들은 그 제품을 안 사요 = These days, people aren’t

buying that product
Person 2: 네, 그렇기 때문에 그 회사의 주식이 떨어지고 있어요 = Yes,
because of that, that company’s stocks are falling

Another good usage of the word 때문 is putting it at the end of a sentence

as a noun. If I were to write this:

사람들이 너무 많이 있었기 때문…

You would think that would mean “because there were too many
people…”… but that is an incomplete sentence because you cannot end a
sentence with a noun like that.

Instead, you must add 이다 to 때문 to make it a full sentence. For example:

사람들이 너무 많이 있었기 때문이야 = Because there were too many

people

The best part about that sentence (and this is where this lesson starts to get
really hard/confusing) is that “때문” turns into a noun of “[because there
were too many people].” I put that “noun” into [brackets] because I’m going
to show you what you can do with it. Look at the following example:

내가 방에 들어가지 않은 이유 = translates to “the reason I didn’t go in the

room”
Because “이유” is a noun (being described by 내가 방에 들어가지 않은) we
can make this the subject of our sentence:

내가 방에 들어가지 않은 이유는 = The reason I didn’t go into the room…

Now if I wanted to say what the reason is, I would need to say:

The reason I didn’t go into the room is …:

내가 방에 들어가지 않은 이유는 ______ 이다

(Notice that I purposely colored the words “is” and “이다” red)

What could I put in the place of that blank? I need to put a noun in there.
How about the noun we made before:  “[because there were too many
people]”:

The reason I didn’t go into the room is [because there were too many
people].

In Korean:

내가 방에 들어가지 않은 이유는 [사람들이 너무 많이 있었기 때문]이야

Without the brackets:

내가 방에 들어가지 않은 이유는 사람들이 너무 많이 있었기 때문이야
= The reason I didn’t go into the room is because there is too many people

Which would make more sense if it said:

The reason I didn’t go into the room is because there were too many
people.
To fix this, we need to change 이다 from the present tense to the past
tense:

PLAY 내가 방에 들어가지 않은 이유는 사람들이 너무 많이 있었기

때문이었어
= The reason I didn’t go into the room was because there were too many
people

More examples:
PLAY 내가 한국에 간 이유는 한국어를 배우고 싶기 때문이었어
= The reason I went to Korea was because I wanted to learn Korean

PLAY 내가 여기서 일하고 싶은 이유는 새로운 경험을 하고 싶기 때문이야

= The reason I want to work here is because I want to have a new
experience

All of which are technically the same as these:

PLAY 사람들이 너무 많이 있어서 나는 방에 들어가지 않았어

= Because there were too many people, I didn’t go into the room

PLAY 한국어를 배우고 싶어서 한국에 갔어

= Because I wanted to learn Korean, I went to Korea

PLAY 새로운 경험을 하고 싶어서 여기서 일하고 싶어

= Because I want to have a new experience, I want to work here

You might be comfortable using ~기 때문에 in sentences by now, but you

are probably still a little bit confused about how to use “~하는 이유는 ____~
기 때문이다” right now. Don’t worry about that. When you become more
and more comfortable not only with 때문에 but also with Korean grammar
in general, using sentences like that will become more and more natural. In
the meantime, keep studying and get ready for our next lesson!

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to make a post on

our Forum!

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. You might not be able to understand all of the grammar within the
example sentences, but most of the grammar used will be introduced by
the end of Unit 2. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each
word can be used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that
you will be learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.
Nouns:
PLAY 자네 = you

PLAY 또래 = age, peer group

PLAY 세제 = laundry detergent

PLAY 뒷모습 = one's appearance from behind

PLAY 봉지 = paper bag, plastic bag

PLAY 국립 = national

PLAY 산소 = oxygen

PLAY 종 = bell

PLAY 주방 = kitchen

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 드시다 = to eat (formal)

CONJUGATE PLAY 잡수시다 = to eat (formal)

CONJUGATE PLAY 주무시다 = to sleep (formal)

CONJUGATE PLAY 계시다 = to be in/at a location (formal)

CONJUGATE PLAY 말씀하다 = to speak (formal)

CONJUGATE PLAY 드리다 = to give (formal)

CONJUGATE PLAY 소변을 보다 = to urinate

CONJUGATE PLAY 대답하다 = to answer, to reply

CONJUGATE PLAY 치다 = to tap

CONJUGATE PLAY 망치다 = to spoil, to ruin, to screw up

CONJUGATE PLAY 다가가다 = to approach, to go near

CONJUGATE PLAY 다가오다 = to approach, to come near

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 가파르다 = to be steep

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 그저께 = the day before yesterday

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In this lesson, you are going to learn something that we haven’t specifically
looked at in a very long time. Way back in Lesson 6, you learned how to
apply Korean honorifics to the endings of verbs and adjectives. In addition
to what you learned in that lesson, there is still more that you must know in
terms of adding respect to Korean sentences. We will cover more of that
here, starting with the use of ‘~(으)시’ in sentences.

Honorific Addition: ~(으)시

This one is hard for English speakers to understand. Before you learn
specifically when to add ‘~(으)시’ to your sentences, let’s remember when
you should use honorifics in the first place. Remember, if you are talking to
somebody who deserves a high level of respect, you should use honorifics.
These types of people can be: bosses, parents, people older than you,
guests, customers, etc… If you are talking to your boss, you should say:

저는 열심히 일했어요/일했습니다 = I worked really hard

But, if you are talking to your friend (for example) you can use the lower
form:

나는 열심히 일했어 = I worked really hard

Therefore, the use of those honorifics solely depends on the person you are
speaking to.

The use of ‘~(으)시’ is a little bit tricky at first. You should add ‘~(으)시’ to
verbs/adjectives in which the acting person deserves respect, regardless of
who you are speaking to. You can add ‘~시’ to word stems ending in a
vowel and ‘~으시’ to stems ending in a consonant.

————

In Lesson 7, you learned how irregular words change as a result of adding

different additions. This is the first time you have been introduced to adding
~(으)시. Let’s look at how irregulars change as a result of adding this
grammatical principle.

● The ㅅ irregular, ㄷ irregular and ㅂ irregular all follow the same rules
that were introduced in Lesson 7. The addition of the vowel causes a
change (or elimination) of the last letter of the stem.

● The ㅡ and 르 irregular are not affected by this addition. The final letter
in both types of stems is a vowel, so “시” is added instead of “으시.”

● Adding ~(으)시 causes a change to stems ending in ㄹ. The ㄹ is

removed, and ~시 is added to the remaining portion of the stem.

● Adding ~(으)시 causes a change to ㅎ irregular words. The ㅎ is

removed, and ~시 is added to the remaining portion of the stem. For
this addition, the ㅎ irregular and ㄹ irregular follow the same rule.
Anytime you have the option of adding ~(으) as part of a grammatical
addition, the ㅎ will be removed from the stem and the grammatical
addition without “으” will be added to the remainder of the stem. For
example:그렇다 + ~(으)시 = 그러시
Below is a table showing the changes that result from adding ~(으)시 to a
word.

Irregular Word + ~(으)

ㅅ Irregular PLAY 짓다 (to build) 지으시

ㄷ Irregular PLAY 걷다 (to walk) 걸으시

ㅂ Irregular PLAY 돕다 (to help) 도우시

ㅡ Irregular PLAY 잠그다 (to lock) 잠그시

르 Irregular PLAY 자르다 (to cut) 자르시

ㄹ Irregular PLAY 살다 (to live) 사시

ㅎ Irregular PLAY 그렇다 (to be like that) 그러시

You will see these same changes to irregulars anytime you add something
that begins in ~(으)ㅅ…. For example:
~(으)세요 (Lesson 40)
~(으)십시오 (Lesson 40)

Adding ~(으)시 creates an unconjugated word. You cannot just attach ~(으)
시 to a word and use it in a sentence. Rather, a conjugation must be added
to it. Once ‘~(으)시’ is added, the verb/adjective gets conjugated as usual as
if the stem ended in ‘~(으)시.’

The following table shows how ~(으)시다 can be added to words, and then
how other conjugations can be added on top of it:

Original Word + ~(으)시 + ~아/어요 + ~ㅂ/습니다

PLAY 짓다 지으시 지으셔요 지으십니다

PLAY 걷다 걸으시 걸으셔요 걸으십니다

PLAY 돕다 도우시 도우셔요 도우십니다

PLAY 잠그다 잠그시 잠그셔요 잠그십니다

PLAY 자르다 자르시 자르셔요 자르십니다

PLAY 살다 사시 사셔요 사십니다

 PLAY 그렇다 그러시 그러셔요 그러십니다

You can see ~(으)시 attached to the word 알다 on a Korean sign in this
YouTube video.

You can see ~(으)시 attached to the word 말다 on a Korean sign in this
YouTube video.

Let’s look at an example of when you would use this ~(으)시 addition.

If I am talking to my friend and the person I am talking about is that friend’s

mother – the mother deserves respect. Therefore, I should not say this:

어머님은 너에게 돈을 줬어? = Did your mother give you money?

Remember, the mother (who deserves respect) is the person acting in that

sentence. Therefore, ~(으)시 should be added to the verb. This would be
more correct:

PLAY 어머님은 너에게 돈을 주셨어? = Did your mother give you money?

You should always keep the information you learned in Lesson 6 in mind as
well – because depending on who you are speaking to, the form can
change based on what you learned in that lesson. If I were to say a
sentence where I was talking to somebody who deserves respect (my boss,
for example) about somebody who deserves respect, I should say:

PLAY 어머님은 미용실에 가셨습니까? = Did your mother go to the beauty

salon?

Again, notice the situation of this sentence. You are talking to somebody of
high respect, about somebody of high respect. Notice all of the situations
that can take place:
PLAY 어머님은 미용실에 가셨어? = Did your mother go to the beauty salon?
Situation: To somebody of low respect, about somebody of high respect

PLAY 친구는 미용실에 갔어? = Did your friend go to the beauty salon?
Situation: To somebody of low respect, about somebody of low respect

PLAY 친구는 미용실에 갔습니까? = Did your friend go to the beauty salon?
Situation: To somebody of high respect, about somebody of low respect

PLAY 어머님은 미용실에 가셨습니까? = Did your mother go to the beauty

salon?
Situation: To somebody of high respect, about somebody of high respect

Many more examples:

PLAY 선생님은 우리를 너무 잘 가르치셨어 = Our teacher taught us really

well
PLAY 부장님은 그 집을 나무로만 만드시고 싶었어 = Our boss wanted to
make that house using only wood
PLAY 선생님이 대답을 빨리 하셨어요 = The teacher responded quickly
PLAY 그 선생님은 국립고등학교에서 일하셔요 = That teacher works at a
public school
PLAY 자네 할아버지가 주방에 들어가셨어 = Your grandfather went into the
kitchen
PLAY 종이 칠 때까지 선생님이 수업을 하실 거예요 = The teacher will do the
class until the bell rings
PLAY 할아버지가 아파서 소변을 못 보셔요 = Our grandfather can’t urinate
because he is sick
PLAY 교장선생님이 아직 대답하시지 않았어요 = The principal hasn’t
responded yet
PLAY 내 부장님은 내 나이 또래 사람들을 좋아하시지 않아 = My boss
doesn’t like people my age
PLAY 어떤 할아버지가 저에게 다가오시고 있어요 = Some old man is
approaching me

Now that you’ve got all that under your belt, there are certain words that
change completely when the acting person in the sentence deserves
respect. We will look at those one by one:
 

To give: 드리다 and ~께

You should use the word 드리다 in place of the word 주다 when one gives
something to somebody who deserves high respect. Also, remember the
formal version of ~에게/한테 is ~께. Therefore,~께 should be attached to
the person that you are giving something. Let’s look at an example:

PLAY 할아버지께 선물을 드리고 싶어 = I want to give my grandfather a

present

If you are also saying this sentence to somebody who deserves respect,

you can also end the sentence using honorifics as well:

PLAY 할아버지께 선물을 드리고 싶어요 = I want to give my grandfather a

present

Korean people don’t say “드리시다.” One might think that this would be
used when talking about somebody of high respect giving
something to somebody of high respect. However, it appears that 드리다 is
formal enough to cover both the person acting and the person receiving in
these situations.

More examples:

PLAY 저는 항상 손님들께 봉지를 드려요 = I always gives bags to the

customers
PLAY 저는 스님께 돈을 드렸어요 = I gave money to the monk
PLAY 아버지가 매일 쓰실 수건을 드리고 싶어요 = I want to give dad a
towel that he will use everyday

Want to see how ~드리다 would be used in a Korean street sign? Watch
me breakdown the usage in a YouTube video.

 
To speak: 말씀하다

You should use 말씀하다 in place of 말하다 when the person speaking
deserves high respect. The ~하다 portion of the word is usually connected
with ~(으)시다 to form 말씀하시다. Also, if 말씀 and ~하다 are separated,
말씀 is the honorific form of the noun “말.” For example:

PLAY 모든 사람들은 교수님이 말씀하시기 시작하는 것을 기다렸다

= Everybody was waiting for the professor to start talking

PLAY 부장님이 그 일을 망쳐서 부장님이 말씀하시는 것을 듣는 사람이 별로

없어요
= There aren’t really that many people who listen to the boss because he
ruined that job

PLAY 선생님이 하시는 말씀을 잘 들었어요?

= Did you listen (well/carefully) to what your teacher said?

PLAY 회의가 끝나기 전에 교감선생님이 말씀하실 거예요

= Before the meeting finishes, the vice principal will speak

PLAY 그저께 회의 시간 동안 무슨 말씀을 하셨어요?

= What did you say during the meeting two days ago?

말씀 is also used as the noun when you are speaking to a person who

deserves high respect. I find this strange because in the
examples/explanation above, 말씀 is used when the acting person of the
sentence deserves high respect. However, in cases when you are saying
something (some words) to a person of high respect (and therefore, you are
the acting person) 말씀 is used instead of 말. When used like this, the
formal word “드리다” is commonly used to indicate that “some words” are
given to a person. For example:

PLAY 제가 드리고 싶은 말씀이 있습니다

= I have something that I want to say
You would say this when you will speaking to a person (or people) who
deserves high respect.
 

To eat: 드시다/잡수시다

When a person who deserves high respect is eating, it is common to use

the word 들다 combined with ~(으)시다 to form 드시다. For example:

PLAY 아버지! 다 드셨어요? = Dad! Have you finished eating?

PLAY 점심을 드셨어요? = Did you have lunch?
PLAY 뭐 드시고 싶어요? = What do you want to eat?

Another possible word is 잡수시다. Using 잡수시다 shows

a ridiculous amount of respect, and saying it to anybody other than people
who deserve that amount of respect will most likely just make people laugh.
When I first met my girlfriend’s parents, I used ‘잡수시다’ and they both
thought it was funny. I only reserve that word for the rare times that I have
dinner with my girlfriend’s grandparents – in which case, after the meal, I
ask them:

PLAY 잘 잡수셨어요? = Did you have a good meal?

To be at/in: 계시다

계시다 is the formal equivalent of the word “있다” when it is used to

indicate that a person of high respect is in/at a location, or is staying in a
location. For example:

PLAY 아버지가 집에 계셔요 = Dad is (at) home

계시다 can also replace 있다 in the ~아/어 있다 (Lesson 14) and ~고 있다

(Lesson 18) grammatical forms. For example:
PLAY 아버지가 아직 서 계셔요 = Dad is still standing
PLAY 아버지가 아직 드시고 계셔요 = Dad is still eating

However, when 있다 it is used to indicate that one “has” a noun, the formal
equivalent is 있으시다. For example:

할아버지! 지금 시간이 있으셔요? = Grandpa! Do you have time now?

You will learn more about 계시다 in the following lesson. Until then, let’s
look at some more example sentences with 계시다:

PLAY 할아버지가 여기에 계신지 몰랐어요 = I didn’t know you were here,
grandpa
PLAY 교장선생님이 학교에 안 계셔요 = The principal isn’t in the school
PLAY 거기에 언제까지 계실 거예요? = Until when will you be there?

PLAY 사람들이 대통령이 그 건물에 계시는 것을 알아서 그 건물 입구에

다가갔어요
= People knew that the president was in that building, so they approached
the entrance

PLAY 선생님이 안 계셔서 학생들은 다 자고 있어요

= The teacher isn’t here, so all the students are sleeping

To sleep: 주무시다

주무시다 is the formal equivalent of the word “자다” (to sleep). For
example:

PLAY 잘 주무셨어요? = Did you sleep well?

PLAY 아버지가 지금 주무시고 있어요 = Dad is sleeping now
That’s it!

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. You might not be able to understand all of the grammar within the
example sentences, but most of the grammar used will be introduced by
the end of Unit 2. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each
word can be used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that
you will be learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 오줌 = urine

PLAY 권력 = power, authority

PLAY 수준 = level, standard

PLAY 학력 = level of education

PLAY 직원 = employee, staff member

PLAY 허가 = permission

PLAY 보안 = security

PLAY 시선 = one's eyes, one's eye-line

PLAY 물체 = object

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 수고하다  = to work hard

CONJUGATE PLAY 말다 = to not do

CONJUGATE PLAY 직진하다 = to go straight

CONJUGATE PLAY 올라가다 = to go up

CONJUGATE PLAY 올라오다 = to come up

CONJUGATE PLAY 올려다보다 = to look up

CONJUGATE PLAY 후들거리다 = to shake, to tremble

CONJUGATE PLAY 남용하다 = to abuse

CONJUGATE PLAY 감시하다 = to monitor, to watch

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 부끄러워하다 = to be shy

CONJUGATE PLAY 슬퍼하다 = to be sad

CONJUGATE PLAY 동등하다 = to be equal

CONJUGATE PLAY 유쾌하다 = to be pleasant, to be delightful, to be

enjoyable

CONJUGATE PLAY 온순하다 = to be gentle

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 먼저 = first, in advance

PLAY 오른 = right

PLAY 왼 = left

PLAY 줄곧= continuously/constantly/all the time

PLAY 가만히 = to be still, to be motionless

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn how to tell people to do things. If you are a
grammar buff, you know this as the Imperative Mood. If you’re not so into
grammar, this “mood” is used when giving people commands/telling people
what to do. You will learn how to do this in Korean, often in conjunction
with the word ‘주다,’ which we will talk about in the next lesson.

The Imperative Mood

There are many (many!) ways to end a sentence. Depending on who you
are speaking to (and a whole bunch of other factors) the way you end a
sentence can vary tremendously. If you just wanted to say “I will eat rice,”
some of the ways you can say this are:

나는 밥을 먹겠다
나는 밥을 먹겠어
저는 밥을 먹겠어요
저는 밥을 먹겠습니다
나는 밥을 먹을 것이다
나는 밥을 먹을 거다
나는 밥을 먹을 것이야
나는 밥을 먹을 거야
저는 밥을 먹을 것입니다
저는 밥을 먹을 겁니다
저는 밥을 먹을 것이에요
저는 밥을 먹을 거예요

All of those mean exactly the same thing. In the imperative mood as well,
there are many different ways you can give a command to somebody. Let’s
cover these from the least formal, to the most formal.

 
 Imperative mood: Verb stem + ~아/어(요)

The easiest (and least formal) way to give a command in Korean is simply
by adding ~아/어 to a verb stem. For example:

PLAY 밥을 천천히 먹어 = Eat your food slowly

PLAY 열심히 공부해! = Study hard!

Notice that in both English and Korean, the subject isn’t usually used in a
sentence when giving a command. This is because the person you are
giving the command to is usually the subject, so it is omitted.

You can use this form when you are giving a command to somebody who is
younger than you or the same age as you, or somebody who you are close
with. Saying something like “빨리 가!” to your superior would most likely
warrant a slap in the face.

As you probably guessed, adding “~요” to the ends of the sentences above
make them more formal. For example, more polite versions of the
sentences above would be:

PLAY 밥을 천천히 먹어요 = Eat your food slowly

PLAY 열심히 공부해요! = Study hard!

In that same respect, the formal addition of ~(으)시 could be added to the
construction as well. In these cases, ~아/어(요) is added to ~(으)시다. For
example:

Original Word + ~(으)시다 + ~(으)시 +~아/어요

가다 가시다 가셔요

공부하다 공부하시다 공부하셔요

 알다 아시다 아셔요

찾다 찾으시다 찾으셔요

걷다 걸으시다 걸으셔요

눕다 누우시다 누우셔요

Notice that these imperative conjugations are no different than any regular
present tense conjugation. For example, the following two sentences are
simply conjugated into the present tense, but the addition to the verb is
exactly the same as an imperative conjugation:

PLAY 저는 월요일마다 운동해요 = I exercise every Monday

PLAY 저의 할머니가 여기에 자주 안 오셔요 = My grandmother doesn’t
come here often

In these cases, distinguishing between a regular sentence and an imperative

sentence is done through context. When you first learn this, you think it
would be impossible to do, but trust me; it is easy to distinguish by
considering the situation.

Here are some examples using everything presented so far:

PLAY 이것을 봐 = Look at this

PLAY 이것을 봐요 = Look at this
PLAY 이것을 보셔요 = Look at this
PLAY 빨리 올라와 = Come up quick
PLAY 빨리 올라와요 = Come up quick
PLAY 빨리 올라오셔요 = Come up quick

PLAY 먼저 올라가 = Go up first (you can go up first)

PLAY 먼저 올라가요 = Go up first (you can go up first)
PLAY 먼저 올라가셔요 = Go up first (you can go up first)

PLAY 이 길에서 직진해 = Go straight on this road

PLAY 이 길에서 직진해요 = Go straight on this road
PLAY 이 길에서 직진하셔요 = Go straight on this road

Although they differ in their respective levels of politeness, all of the above
are acceptable ways to make a command. That being said, each of the last
examples (the one using ~(으)셔요) is less common. Instead, the
construction of ~(으)셔요 is often pronounced and written as ~(으)세요,
which we will discuss next.

Imperative Mood: Verb stem + ~(으)세요

If you have been studying Korean for a while (and if you are here on Lesson
40 you probably have been), you are probably already quite familiar with
the ~(으)세요 form. This is one of the first things people learn when they
study Korean, but I waited until Lesson 40 to teach it to you. Trust me, there
is a method to my madness.

In the previous section, you learned how to use ~(으)셔요 as a formal way
to make a command. These days, especially in speech but also in basically
all forms of Korean, it is much more common to pronounce and write ~(으)
셔요 as ~(으)세요. This can only be done when you see ~(으)셔요 and not
with any other form that ~(으)시다 can create. For example, each of the
following are the same:

가셔요 = 가세요
공부하셔요 = 공부하세요
However,

가셨어요 can not be said as “가셨으세요”

가셔 cannot be said as”가세”
가시다 can not be said as “가세다”

I will say it again: Only when you see “~(으)셔요” can you use “~(으)세요.

As you learned previously, one of the reasons why you would add “~(으)
셔요” to a word is if you were making a command. For example:

PLAY 이것을 보셔요 = Look at this

PLAY 빨리 올라오셔요 = Come up quick
PLAY 이 길에서 직진하셔요 = Go straight on this road

This means that ~(으)세요 can replace ~(으)셔요 in each of the examples
above. For example:

PLAY 이것을 보세요 = Look at this

PLAY 빨리 올라오세요 = Come up quick
PLAY 이 길에서 직진하세요 = Go straight on this road

More examples:

PLAY 수고하세요! = Work hard! (A common greeting when people leave a

place of business)
PLAY 열심히 운동하세요! = Work out hard!
PLAY 먼저 가세요! = Go first
PLAY 칠판을 올려다보세요 = Look up to the board
PLAY 시선을 돌리세요 = Turn away your eyes
PLAY 보안을 위해 대통령을 내일까지 감시하세요 = For security,
watch/guard the president until tomorrow

Imperative endings are often added to 있다 to command somebody to

“stay” in a place or in a state. As you know, 있다 is often an adjective, but
there are times when it is considered a verb. When telling somebody to
“stay” like this, 있다 is seen as a verb.  The fact that it is a verb doesn’t really
matter. However, it’s always good to know what types of words you are
dealing with. Below are some examples:

PLAY 집에 있어! = Stay at home (be at home!)

PLAY 잠깐 여기 있어 = Stay here for a second
PLAY 그냥 집에 있어 = Just stay at home

The adverb 가만히 (to stay still or to not move) is often used in sentences
like this to tell somebody to “stay” still. For example:

PLAY 가만히 있어! = Stay still!/Don’t move!

As you learned in the previous lesson, 계시다 is the formal equivalent of

this usage of 있다. When ~아/어요 is added to 계시다 to create a
command, the construction 계셔요 is formed which you now know can be
presented as “계세요.” This is where the expression “안녕히 계세요” (which
translates to “stay in peace”) comes from.

The majority of Korean learners don’t know that ~(으)셔요 and ~(으)세요
are equivalent ways to end a sentence. To be honest, you don’t really need
to know this. The use of ~(으)세요 in Korean is much more common when
making a command so as an early learner of Korean it isn’t immediately
important. For now, I would suggest using the ~(으)세요 form when giving a
command to a person who deserves respect, but at the same time be
aware of the ~(으)셔요 form in case it comes up.

Now… this brings us to another problem.

~(으)셔요 can be added to make a command.

~(으)셔요 is also a regular present tense conjugation. For example, these
sentences are acceptable:

PLAY 나의 엄마는 매일 운동해 = My mother exercises every day

PLAY 저의 엄마는 매일 운동해요 = My mother exercises every day

But by adding ~(으)시다, the following is also acceptable:

PLAY 저의 엄마는 매일 운동하셔요 = My mother exercises every day

I will say it again: when you see “~(으)셔요” can you use “~(으)세요.”

Therefore, the sentence above could also be used as:

PLAY 저의 엄마는 매일 운동하세요 = My mother exercises every day

This can be applied to any situation. For example:

PLAY 네, 가능하셔요 = Yes, that is possible

PLAY 네, 가능하세요 = Yes, that is possible
(The above sentences are often heard when you ask if you can do
something [like use a particular card or combine multiple coupons] at a
store/restaurant)

PLAY 이분은 저의 엄마이셔요 = This person is my mother

PLAY 이분은 저의 엄마이세요 = This person is my mother

PLAY 선생님, 어디 가셔요? = Teacher, where are you going?

PLAY 선생님, 어디 가세요? = Teacher, where are you going?

PLAY 그 사람이 언제 오셔요? = When is that person coming?

PLAY 그 사람이 언제 오세요? = When is that person coming?

Adding ~(으)세요 (or ~(으)시다 for that matter) to a stem can create
irregulars. If it is added to a word that follows the ㄷ irregular, the following
occurs:

걷다 = to walk
걷다 + ~(으)세요 = 걷 + 으 + 세요
걷 + 으 + 세요 = 걸으세요
걸으세요 = walk!

If ~(으)세요 is added to a word that follows the ㅅ irregular, the following

occurs::
짓다 = to build
짓다 + ~(으)세요 = 짓 + 으 + 세요
짓 + 으 + 세요 = 지으세요
지으세요 = build!

Refer back to Lesson 7 on irregulars to review these concepts.

One weird thing is that people rarely (if ever) say ~(으)세요 connected to
먹다 (to eat). Instead, it is much more natural to add ~(으)세요 to 들다
(which is a more formal way to say “eat”). Another change occurs when
adding ~(으)세요 to verbs that follow the ㄹ irregular:

들다 = to eat (formal)
들다 + ~(으)세요 = 들 + 세요
들 + 세요 = 드세요
드세요 = Eat!

I love tables! Let’s look at another table that shows how words change
when ~(으)세요 is added to them. I specifically chose irregular words:

Irregular Verb + ~아/어 +~(으)세요

짓다 (build) 지어 지으세요

걷다 (walk) 걸어 걸으세요

듣다 (listen) 들어 들으세요
 잠그다 (lock) 잠가 잠그세요

고르다 (choose) 골라 고르세요

만들다 (make) 만들어 만드세요

열다 (open) 열어 여세요

팔다 (sell) 팔아 파세요

눕다 (lay down) 누워 누우세요

Let’s look at another ending you can use to make a command.

Imperative mood: Verb stem + ~아/어라

Another way to give a command in Korean is by adding ~아/어라 to a verb

stem. The formality is similar to the ~아/어 form you learned previously.
Some examples:

PLAY 빨리 가라! = Go fast!

PLAY 그렇게 해라! = Do it like that
PLAY 내 말을 들어라 = Listen to what I say
PLAY 밥을 먼저 먹어라 = Eat (rice) first (you can eat first)

However, the ~아/어라 form is generally used by much older people

(parents or grandparents) when they are giving orders to younger people.
As I said, the formality is very similar (if not the same) as using ~아/어, but I
would much prefer to use ~아/어 over ~아/어라.  One time I said something
to my girlfriend like “가라” and she just laughed and said “Who are you? My
grandfather?”

If you want to give a command to somebody in a formal way, check out the
next section.

Imperative Mood: Verb stem + ~(으)십시오

Adding ~(으)십시오 to a verb stem is done in the same manner as when

adding ~(으)세요. That is, the same irregulars come in to play. However,
adding ~(으)십시오 to a verb stem allows you to give a
command very formally. You will most likely only use this form in a few
circumstances, as it is usually reserved for times when speaking to people
who deserve a ridiculous amount of respect. If you were to meet your
girlfriend/boyfriend’s grandparents for the very first time, you might use
this ending. You will also see it sometimes in government
buildings/stores/restaurants on signs telling you to “come again” or stuff like
that.

For example:
PLAY 여기서 내리십시오 = Get off here (I think this is the message that is
broadcasted in the Seoul subway at every stop, telling you to “get off”)

Now that you know how to say “do this,” it is time to learn how to say
“don’t do this”
 

Negative Imperative Mood: ~지 말다

You can also use the imperative mood to make a negative command. In
these sentences, you can tell somebody not do something. These sentences
require the use of the word “말다.” 말다 can be used in other situations as
well, but I will present those to you as they become important (for example,
you will see 말다  used to eliminate a choice in Lesson 73 and used with ~
든지 in Lesson 106).

When used to make a negative command, ~지 말다 should be added to the

stem of a word. For example:

공부하지 말다
가지 말다
먹지 말다

In order to make those constructions a command, you should use one of

the imperative conjugations that I taught you earlier in the lesson.

Let’s look at how this is done with a simple word first. If you want to tell
somebody to “go,” you should add one of the many ‘imperative mood’
conjugations to the word “가다.” For example (in order of formality):

가다 + ~아/어 = 가!
가다 + ~아/어라 = 가라!
가다 + ~아/어요 = 가요!
가다 + ~(으)세요 = 가세요! (가셔요)
가다 + ~(으)십시오 = 가십시오!

The same is done when telling somebody not to do something. If you want

to tell somebody to “not go,” you should add ~지 말다 and conjugate it
using one of the many ‘imperative mood’ conjugations. For example:

1) 가지 말다 + ~아/어 = 가지 말아! 가지 마!
2) 가지 말다 + ~아/어라 = 가지 말아라! 가지 마라
3) 가지 말다 + ~아/어요 = 가지 말요! 가지 마요!
4) 가지 말다 + ~(으)세요 = 가지 마세요!
5) 가지 말다 + ~(으)십시오 = 가지 마십시오!

Notice that numbers 1, 2 and 3 go against the normal grammatical rules of

Korean. 말다 is an irregular verb in this respect and to my knowledge no
other verb follows this pattern.
(These irregular conjugations only apply when specifically attaching the
additions shown above. In all other situations, 말다 follows the 
ㄹ irregular like a normal verb ending in ㄹ.)

All five of those conjugations are possible. However, the two most common
conjugations that you will hear are number 1 and number 4. If you are
speaking to somebody informally, you will most likely hear “가지 마.” If you
are speaking to somebody formally, you will most likely hear “가지 마세요.”

Some examples of this negative imperative mood being used:

PLAY 너무 빨리 먹지 마세요 = Don’t eat your food too fast!

PLAY 부끄러워하지 마세요 = Don’t be shy!
PLAY 그렇게 하지 마! = Don’t do it like that!
PLAY 집에 가지 마! = Don’t go home!
PLAY 앉지 마! = Don’t sit down!
PLAY 여기에 오줌을 싸지 마세요 = Don’t pee here
PLAY 권력을 남용하지 마세요 = Don’t abuse your power/authority
PLAY 오늘이 유쾌한 날이라서 슬퍼하지 마세요 = Today is a delightful day,
so don’t be sad
PLAY 사람들을 학력 수준으로 평가하지 마세요 = Don’t judge people on the
basis of education level
PLAY 그 학생들에게 허가를 해 주지 마세요 = Don’t give those students
permission

You can see ~지 말다 attached to 내려가다 on a Korean sign in this

YouTube video.

Before we finish this lesson, let’s talk about some specific ways these
imperative sentences can be used.

 
 ~지 말고

In Lesson 17, you learned the purpose of adding ~고 to connect two clauses
or ideas. For example:

PLAY 저는 밥을 먹고 갈 거예요 = I will eat then go

PLAY 저는 자고 한국어를 공부했어요 = I slept then studied Korean

You can also add ~고 to 말다 to connect the negative command with

another clause. The clause after ~지 말고 is typically a positive command.
This type of sentence is used when you want to tell somebody what not to
do, and then also tell them what they should do. For example:

PLAY 매일 같은 운동을 하지 말고 많이 쉬세요 = Don’t do the same exercise

every day, and get lots of rest
PLAY 그렇게 하지 말고 내 말을 들어봐 = Don’t do it like that, and listen to
what I have to say
PLAY 한 사람에게 다 주지 말고 사람들과 동등하게 나누세요 = Don’t give
them all to one person, hand/divide them out evenly

Giving Directions

Now that you know how to give people commands, you are able to give
people directions. Check out the following list for commonly used
direction-like sentences:

PLAY 오른 쪽으로 가세요 = Go right

PLAY 왼 쪽으로 가세요 = Go left
PLAY 직진하세요 = Go straight

PLAY 건물을 지나가서 오른 쪽으로 가세요 = Go past the building, then go

right
PLAY 건물을 지나가서 오른 쪽으로 가지 말고 계속 직진하세요 = Go past
the building, then don’t turn right, but keep going straight

 
 

The Imperative Mood with ~아/어 보다

In Lesson 32, you learned how to add ~아/어 보다 to words to create a

meaning that is similar to ““attempt/try.” For example, you learned these
sentences:

PLAY 엄마가 요리한 음식을 먹어 봤어? = Did you try the food mom
cooked?
PLAY 결혼하기 위해 남자들을 만나 봤어 = In order to get married, I tried
meeting a lot of men

Just because of the meaning of “attempt,” it is very common to see an

imperative ending attached to ~아/어 보다. For example:

PLAY 그것을 확인해 봐! = Try checking that

PLAY 이것을 먹어 봐! = Try eating this!

Although the typical translation of “~아/어 보다” in these cases is “try…” it is

often eliminated. For example, this sentence:

PLAY 이것을 먹어 봐! Could be translated as: “Try eating this!” or just “Eat
this!”

Especially when used in the least formal imperative form (~아/어 봐), it is
very common to see this used simply as a command without any meaning
of “try/attempt.” Nonetheless, the meaning of “try/attempt” is often very
subtle and doesn’t really change the meaning of much in the sentence.

Here are some more examples:

PLAY 여기 와 보세요 = Come here (Try coming here)

PLAY 지금 앉아 봐 = Sit down (Try sitting down)
PLAY 문을 열어 봐 = Open the door (Try opening the door)
PLAY 먼저 가 봐 = Go first (Try going first)
PLAY 이거를 봐 봐 = Look at this (Try looking at this)
PLAY 이것을 드셔 보세요 = Eat this (Try eating this)
PLAY 이 차를 마셔 보세요 = Drink this tea (Try drinking this tea)
PLAY 이 제품 수준을 높여 보세요 = Try to raise the level/standard of this
product
PLAY 그 강아지가 온순해 보여서 한 번 만져 보세요 = That dog looks
calm/gentle, so try touching it
PLAY 직원이랑 잠깐 얘기해 봐 = Try talking with a staff member
PLAY 이 물체가 무엇인지 생각해 보세요 = Try thinking about what this
object is

That’s it!

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. You might not be able to understand all of the grammar within the
example sentences, but most of the grammar used will be introduced by
the end of Unit 2. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each
word can be used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that
you will be learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 동료 = colleague, peer

PLAY 사거리 = intersection

PLAY 어린이집 = day care

PLAY 유치원 = kindergarten

PLAY 뿌리 = roots

PLAY 무역 = trade
PLAY 턱 = chin

PLAY 왼발 = left foot

PLAY 왼손 = left hand

PLAY 오른발 = right foot

PLAY 오른손 = right hand

PLAY 손바닥 = palm

PLAY 음성 = voice

PLAY 이마 = forehead

PLAY 발가락 = toe

PLAY 발목 = ankle

PLAY 엉덩이 = butt

PLAY 신체 = body

PLAY 감옥 = prison

PLAY 볼 = cheek

PLAY 제자리 = in the right place

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 상대하다 = to deal with people

CONJUGATE PLAY 미치다 = to go crazy

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 멀리 = far, far away
PLAY 너무나 = extremely

PLAY 최초 = the first time in history something is done or occurs

PLAY 초 = beginning of a time period

PLAY 말 = end of a time period

PLAY 결코 = put with negative sentences to stress

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In the previous lesson, you learned how to give commands using the

imperative voice. In this lesson, you will learn how to use 주다 and how it
can be used with the imperative voice. In addition, you will learn how to
use ~아/어 주다 when an action is done for you. Let’s get started.

주다 = to give

주다 means “to give” and you already know how to use it in a wide variety
of sentences when an object is being given. For example:

저는 저의 친구에게 돈을 줬어요 = I gave my friend money

아빠는 나에게 음식을 줬어 = Dad gave me food

When asking/telling/commanding another person to give something to you,

you can attach an imperative ending that you learned in the previous
lesson. For example, if you want somebody to give you a book, you can
attach any imperative form:

PLAY 그 책을 (나에게) 줘 = Give me that book

PLAY 그 책을 (나에게) 줘라 = Give me that book (usually pronounced as
주라)
PLAY 그 책을 (저에게) 주세요 = Give me that book

Other examples:
PLAY 맥주 한 병을 주세요 = Give me one bottle of beer (please)
PLAY 저 숟가락을 주세요 = Give me that spoon (please)
PLAY 밥을 많이 주세요 = Give me lots of rice
PLAY 왼손만 주세요 = Give me only your left hand
PLAY6 월 말에 돈을 주세요 = Give me the money at the end of June

The sentences above only involve objects being given. It is also possible to

use 주다 when an action is being done for a person. Let’s talk about this
next.

Verb stem + ~아/어 주다

By adding ~아/어 주다 to the stem of a word, you can imply that the action
is somehow beneficial to you (or whoever the action is being done for);
almost as if it were a favor that another person completed. In these cases,
not only is the action completed, but it is completed for you (or whoever).
For example:

그 선생님은 한국어를 저에게 가르쳤어요 = That teacher taught me Korean

PLAY 그 선생님은 한국어를 저에게 가르쳐 줬어요 = That teacher taught me
Korean

Those sentences essentially have the same meaning, but by adding “~아/어
주다” the speaker is emphasizing that the teacher provided some sort of
service/favor by teaching you.

Many more examples:

Notice that ~(으)시 can be added to ~아/어 주다 if the person acting

deserves high respect.
PLAY 엄마가 과자를 내 손바닥에 놓아 주었어
= Mom put some candy into my hands (on my palms) for me

PLAY 내년 초에 오빠가 돈을 보내 줄 거예요

= My brother will send the money early next year

PLAY 동료가 그 일을 저에게 설명해 줬어요

= A colleague explained that work to me

PLAY 할머니가 오늘 멀리에서 와 주셨어요

= Grandma came from far away (for me/us) today

PLAY 경찰관은 밖에 있는 미친 사람과 상대해 줬어요

= The policeman dealt with the crazy person outside (for me)

PLAY 제가 외국 사람이라서 이 회사에서 저를 상대해 주고 싶은 사람이

없어요
= Nobody wants to deal with me at this company because I’m a foreigner

PLAY 선생님은 밤에 우리를 위해 어린이집을 잠깐 열어 줬어요

= The teacher opened the daycare for us at night for a little bit (for us/me)

You learned in the previous lesson how to add imperative endings to

words. If you want a person to do something for you, you can first add ~아/
어 주다 to the stem of the word and add an imperative ending to 주다.

Notice the difference between the following sentences:

PLAY 빨리 오세요 = Come quick

PLAY 빨리 와 주세요 = Come quick (for me)

Notice that both sentences essentially have the same meaning. The first
sentence is simply a command, but the second sentence (because of the
nature of the word “주다”) implies that the desired action is beneficial to the
speaker. Almost as if the action is a favor that the speaker would like to
happen.
Therefore, adding ~아/어 주다 to a stem gives the sentence the meaning of
“do __ for me.” This often translates more simply to “Please, …..” For
example:

PLAY 점심을 요리해 주세요! = Please, make me lunch

PLAY 이것을 만들어 주세요 = Please, make this for me

The two sentences above have essentially the same meaning, but a slightly
different feel than the following sentences:

PLAY 점심을 요리하세요 = Make lunch

PLAY 이것을 만드세요 = Make this

The only difference being that when using ‘주다’ you are specifically asking
for some sort of ‘service.’ When you do not include ‘주다,’ you are just
telling somebody to do something. However, by saying 주다, you are
indicating that the person is doing something for you.

Many more examples:

PLAY 그 책을 제자리에 둬 주세요 = Please put that book back in its place
PLAY 볼에 이 로션을 발라 주세요 = Please put this lotion on my cheeks
PLAY 이것을 이마에 붙여 주세요 = Please stick this on my forehead
PLAY 음성 메시지를 남겨 주세요 = Please leave me a voice message
PLAY 우리 아이를 이 유치원에 받아 주세요 = Please accept our child into
this kindergarten
PLAY 발목이 아파서 잠깐 봐 주세요 = My ankle is sore, so please look at it
for a second
PLAY 이 양말을 오른발에 신겨 주세요 = Please put this sock on my right
foot
PLAY 정답을 모르는 사람은 오른손을 올려 주세요 = The people who don’t
know the answer, please raise your right hand

In Lesson 36 you learned about the word 보이다 and how it can be used to
indicate that one can see something. ~아/어 주다 is often added to 보이다
to ask for something to “be shown” to somebody. 보여주다 and 보여 주다
(with and without the space) are acceptable. For example:
PLAY 얼굴을 보여주세요 = Please show (me) your face
PLAY 발가락을 보여 주세요 = Please show me your toe
PLAY 해외무역건물이 어디 있는지 보여주세요 = Please show me where
the international trade building is

————————–

좀 is an interesting word that is commonly used in Korean – especially in

speech. One way that it is used is as a shortened version of “조금.” As such,
it can replace “조금” in sentences where appropriate, but this is usually
reserved for speaking or dialogue in print. For example:

PLAY 날씨가 좀 추워졌어요 = The weather got a little bit cold

PLAY 저는 좀 더 올라갈 거예요 = I’m going to go a little bit higher
PLAY 이마가 좀 아파요 = My forehead is a little bit sore
PLAY 제가 산 주식은 좀 비쌌어요 = The stocks I bought were a bit
expensive

It is also common to find “좀” used in imperative sentences. When asking

somebody to do something for you, using “좀” makes the request sound a
little bit softer. This is almost impossible to translate to English, as its
addition simply adds a feel to the sentence. For example:

PLAY 밥을 좀 많이 주세요 = Give me lots of rice

PLAY 이것을 좀 만들어 주세요 = Please, make this for me
PLAY 그 책을 제자리에 좀 둬 주세요 = Please put that book back in its place
(for me)

There are other ways to ask for something in Korean that don’t need the
imperative mood. For example, you could also say “Can you do this for
me?” It would also be appropriate to use “좀” in sentences like this as well.
This grammar has not been introduced yet, so I do not want to talk about it
here. It will be talked about in Lesson 45.

————————–

 
 

Using 주다 with Negative Imperative Sentences

Just like you learned in the previous lesson, you can tell a person not to do
something by adding ~지 말다 to the stem of a word. You can also add ~아/
어 주다 after ~지 말다 to have the same effect as described previously. That
is, you are asking for somebody to not do something for you. For example:

그것을 말하지 마세요 = Don’t say that

PLAY 그것을 말하지 말아 주세요 = Please don’t say that

Those sentences essentially have the same meaning, but by adding “주다”
the speaker is emphasizing that the listener provided some sort of
service/favor by not doing the action. Below are many more examples:

PLAY 수업 시간 동안 자지 말아 주세요 = Please don’t sleep in class

PLAY 저를 쳐다보지 말아 주세요 = Please don’t stare at me
PLAY 제 엉덩이를 만지지 말아 주세요 = Please don’t touch my bum
PLAY 저를 감옥에 넣지 말아 주세요! = Please don’t put me in prison!
PLAY 자기의 뿌리를 잊지 말아 주세요 = Please don’t forget your roots

Thank You For…

This is where everything starts to come together. You can use the concepts
you learned in this lesson, the previous lesson, and in Lesson 37 to say
“thank you for….”

If you wanted to say, “thank you for listening,” you would have to use
multiple concepts.

First off, a word: 들어보다 (to listen)

By adding ~아/어 주다 to 들어보다, we get: 들어봐 주다, which can be
used many ways:

PLAY 그는 제 말을 들어봐 줬어요 = He listened to me

PLAY 제 말을 들어봐 주세요 = Listen to me, please

If you add ~아/어서 (because) to 들어봐 주다, you get:

들어봐 줘서…

which means something like “because you listen(ed).”

If you add “감사하다” (thank you) after ~아/어서, you get:

PLAY 들어봐 줘서 감사합니다 = Because you listened, thank you (thank you
for listening)

Okay, one more time.

1) Take a verb: 요리하다 (to cook)

2) Add ~아/어 주다: 요리해 주다
3) Add ~아/어서: 요리해 줘서
4) Add 감사하다 = 요리해 줘서 감사합니다 = thanks for cooking

It seems really confusing because there are so many concepts wrapped in

one sentence. More examples will help you get the hang of it:

PLAY 열심히 공부해 줘서 감사합니다 = Thanks for studying hard

PLAY 이것을 가르쳐 줘서 감사합니다 = Thanks for teaching that to me
PLAY 문을 열어 줘서 감사합니다 = Thanks for opening the door for me

To make it even more confusing, often times ~(으)시 is added to ~아/어

주다 (because, usually when you are thanking somebody, you are trying to
be formal). For example:

PLAY 이것을 가르쳐 주셔서 감사합니다 = Thanks for teaching that to me

(가르치다 + ~아/어 주다 + ~(으)시 + ~아/어서 + 감사합니다)
And that is why I waited until Lesson 41 to teach you about this concept.
There would have been no way that you would have been able to grasp
everything I taught in this lesson if I had taught it earlier. It took us so long to
get to the point where I was comfortable teaching concepts like ~아/어서
and ‘~(으)시,’ and now we are using both of those concepts together in
addition to what you learned in this lesson.

Tough stuff, but hopefully you understood everything correctly.

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. You might not be able to understand all of the grammar within the
example sentences, but most of the grammar used will be introduced by
the end of Unit 2. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each
word can be used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that
you will be learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 레인 = lane

PLAY 뼈 = bone

PLAY 뼈마디 = joint

PLAY 도매 = wholesale

PLAY 소매 = retail

PLAY 사인 = autograph

PLAY 뇌 = brain

PLAY 집안 = inside a house

PLAY 배경 = background
PLAY 복권 = lottery ticket

PLAY 시간표 = timetable

PLAY 사막 = desert

PLAY 곤충 = bug, insect

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 버티다 = to endure, bear

CONJUGATE PLAY 견디다 = to endure, bear

CONJUGATE PLAY 응원하다 = to cheer on, to root for

CONJUGATE PLAY 응시하다= to gaze, to look

CONJUGATE PLAY 짐작하다 = to guess

CONJUGATE PLAY 죽이다 = to kill

CONJUGATE PLAY 감다 = to wash one's hair

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 예의가 바르다 = to be polite

CONJUGATE PLAY 얕다 = to be shallow

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 어쨌든 = at any rate, in any case, anyways

PLAY 깊이 = deeply

PLAY 겨우 = barely, hardly, narrowly

PLAY 가짜 = fake
For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will use the ~는 것 principle to describe a specific time
that an action takes place. This can be done using the special noun “때” to
makes sentences like:

When I study…
When I meet you…
When I was in Korea…

In addition, we will look at other ways “때” can be used. Let’s get started.

Simple Usages of 때

The word “때” typically refers to a “time.” In its most simple form, you can
see it placed after some event or period to refer to the time during that
event/period. For example:

PLAY 저녁 때 = During dinner/evening time

PLAY 방학 때 = During the school vacation
PLAY 회의 때 = During the meeting
PLAY 휴가 때 = During a vacation
PLAY 고등학교 때 = During high school
PLAY 중학교 때 = During middle school
PLAY 초등학교 때 = During elementary school
PLAY 대학교 때 = During University

These constructions can be used in sentences where appropriate. For

example:
PLAY 저는 방학 때 집안에서 공부를 할 거예요 = I’m going to study in my
house during vacation
PLAY 휴가 때 어디로 갈 거예요? = Where are you going to go during
vacation?
PLAY 고등학교 때 저는 친구가 별로 없었어요 = I didn’t have many friends
during high school
PLAY 대학교 때 동시에 여자 친구가 두 명 있었어요 = I had two girlfriends
at the same time during university
PLAY 선생님들은 회의 때 시간표에 대해 얘기했어요 = The teachers talked
about the schedule during the meeting

Let’s look at how 때 can be described by a preceding clause to indicate a

more complex time.

When: … ~ㄹ/을 때

때 can be used as the noun being described in the ~는 것 principle. When

used like this, it indicates a specific moment in which something happens.
The future tense form of ~는 (~ㄹ/을) is usually used to describe 때 in these
cases. For example:

내가 밥을 먹을 때

This construction translates to something like “the time that I eat.”

The use of ~ㄹ/을 theoretically indicates that this is a time in the future.
However, this form could be used to describe a general time (that doesn’t
necessarily happen in the past, present or future), or to describe a time in
the future. Depending on the context and the rest of the sentence, the
construction above could be completed as:

PLAY 내가 밥을 먹을 때 음악을 듣는 것을 좋아해 = When I eat I like to

listen to music
PLAY 내가 밥을 먹을 때 너에게 음식을 조금 줄 거야 = When I eat, I will give
you some food
Also notice that (as you should know) when the subject of both clauses is
the same, you don’t need to write the subject twice.

Below are many other examples:

PLAY 저는 돈을 받을 때 행복할 거예요 = When I receive (the) money, I will

be happy
PLAY 뼈마디가 아플 때 이 약을 드세요 = When your joints hurt, take this
medicine
PLAY 당신의 눈을 응시할 때 가슴이 설레어요 = When I gaze into your eyes,
my heart flutters
PLAY 머리를 감을 때 비누로 해요 = When I wash my hair, I do it with soap
PLAY 오랫동안 공부할 때 뇌가 아파요 = When I study for a long time, my
brain hurts

PLAY 대통령을 만날 때 저는 아주 예의가 바를 거예요

= When I meet the president I will be very polite

PLAY 이 레인에서 운전할 때 앞에 있는 차를 앞지르지 마세요

= When you are driving in this lane, don’t pass the car in front of you

PLAY 선생님이 여기에 계실 때 나는 선생님의 말을 듣기 시작할 거야

= When the teacher is here, I will start listening to him/her

PLAY 뼈가 아플 때 고통을 버티려고 이 약을 먹어요

= When your bones are sore, in order to endure the pain, take this medicine

PLAY 사람들이 곤충을 죽일 때 아무 느낌도 없어요

= People don’t feel anything when they kill insects

PLAY 그 그림을 볼 때 배경이 무슨 의미가 있는지 생각해 보세요

= When you look at the painting, try to think about what meaning the
background has

You can watch me discuss the addition of ~ㄹ/을 때 to 오다 in Korean Sign

Explanation Video 13.

———————-
Notice in the examples above that the main action of the sentence is
occurring precisely at the time indicated by the clause describing “때.” The
main action of the clause is not occurring after the time indicated by “때,” or
as a result of action. Therefore, be careful of the meaning you create when
attaching ~ㄹ/을 때 to 가다 or 오다. For example:

집에 갈 때 아빠를 전화할 거예요

This sentence would not translate to “when I go home, I will call my father.”
Rather, it is indicating that you will call your father during the “going” part of
the sentence. To indicate that you will call your father after arriving at
home, you should use another grammatical principle like:

집에 가서 아빠를 전화할 거예요 = I will go home and call my father

집에 가면 아빠를 전화할 거예요 = When I go home, I will call my father
The use of ~(으)면 is discussed in the next lesson

———————-

In order to indicate that something happened at some time in the past, you
can add ~았/었 to the stem of a word followed by ~ㄹ/을 때. For example:

먹었을 때 = When I ate

갔을 때 = When I went
공부했을 때 = When I studied

Just like when used in the future/general tense, the remaining part of the
clause can indicate the action that occurred at that time. For example:

PLAY 내가 밥을 먹었을 때 말하고 싶지 않았어 = When I ate, I didn’t want to

talk
PLAY 엄마가 갔을 때 저는 울었어요 = When mom left, I cried
PLAY 내가 공부했을 때 문법만 공부했어 = When I studied, I only studied
grammar

PLAY 의사가 뇌에 대한 수업을 가르치셨을 때 아주 깊이 설명하셨어요

= When the doctor taught a class about the brain, he explained it very
deeply
PLAY 이 제품을 소매로 팔았을 때 돈을 많이 못 벌어서 지금부터 도매로 팔
거예요
= When I sold this product through retail, I didn’t make any money so from
now on I’m going to sell it through wholesale

PLAY 그 연예인의 사인을 받았을 때 너무 설레었어요

= When I got that celebrity’s signature, I was really excited

PLAY 가방을 처음 봤을 때 가짜인 것을 알았어요

= When I first saw the bag, I knew that it was fake

PLAY 그 사람이 말을 했을 때 그 사람이 경찰관인 것을 짐작했어요

= When that person spoke, I guessed that he is/was a police officer

Using ~았/었을 때 is the way you can describe what used to happen when
you were younger. For example:

PLAY 제가 어렸을 때 곤충을 먹었어요 = When I was young I used to eat

bugs
PLAY 제가 열 살이었을 때 아주 뚱뚱했어요 = I was really fat when I was 10
years old

The particle ~에 can be added to 때 in all of the sentences above. However,

when used to refer to a time (which it was in all of the examples above), the
~에 can be omitted. Other particles can be attached to 때 if you want to use
“the time in which an action happens” as the subject or object of a
sentence. For example:

PLAY 우리가 지난 번에 만났을 때가 아주 재미있었어요 = The last time we

met was really fun
PLAY 저는 사막에서 살았을 때를 잊어버리고 싶어요 = I want to forget the
time I lived in the desert
PLAY 우리가 처음에 만났을 때를 생각하는 게 좋아요 = I like thinking about
the time we first met

More complicated particles can be attached to 때 as well. For example:

PLAY 키가 클 때까지 얕은 수영장에서만 수영할 거예요

= I’m only going to swim in shallow swimming pools until I am taller
PLAY 저는 그 팀을 어렸을 때부터 응원했어요
= I’ve been cheering for that team since I was young

PLAY 내가 한국에 있을 때마다 한국어로 말하고 싶어

= Every time I am in Korea, I want to speak Korean

PLAY 제가 저의 여자 친구의 부모님을 만날 때마다 저는 너무 긴장돼요

= Every time I meet my girlfriend’s parents, I am very nervous

PLAY 제가 집에 있을 때는 TV 를 봐요
= I watch TV when I’m at home (but not when I’m somewhere else)
(This usage of ~는/은 is discussed more in Lesson 104)

PLAY 저의 여자 친구는 우리가 같이 있지 않을 때에만 저를 좋아해요

= My girlfriend only likes me when we are not together

~나 is also a particle (which isn’t introduced until Lesson 55) that you saw
added to 때 in Lesson 25. For example:

PLAY 아무 때나 좋아요 = Anytime is good

———————-

In all of the examples shown so far, the best translation for “때” would be
“when,” as they indicate the time “when” an action happens. 때 can also be
used to indicate that some sort of “time” or “case” has occurred. This usage
is usually predicated by a word like “있다” or “없다” to indicate that there
is/is not times/cases where some event happens. For example:

PLAY 그 친구를 죽이고 싶을 때가 있어요 = There are times when I want to

kill that friend
PLAY 밤 늦게 배고플 때가 많아요 = There are many cases/times where I am
hungry at night

In this usage, it could be appropriate to attach ~ㄹ/을 때 to 가다 or 오다.

For example:
PLAY 그 학생이 늦게 올 때가 많아요 = There are many times where that
student comes late

That’s it for this lesson!

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. You might not be able to understand all of the grammar within the
example sentences, but most of the grammar used will be introduced by
the end of Unit 2. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each
word can be used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that
you will be learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 장거리 = long distance

PLAY 콜라 = Cola

PLAY 과학자 = scientist

PLAY 신호 = signal

PLAY 날개 = wing

PLAY 가지 = eggplant

PLAY 고추 = hot pepper

PLAY 신부 = bride

PLAY 신랑 = groom

PLAY 교훈 = moral, lesson

PLAY 버릇 = habit

PLAY 햇살 = the rays of the sun

PLAY 빨래 = laundry

PLAY 이슬 = dew

PLAY 비바람 = rainstorm

PLAY 습도 = humidity

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 기초하다 = to be based on

CONJUGATE PLAY 보존하다 = to preserve, to conserve

CONJUGATE PLAY 기도하다 = to pray

CONJUGATE PLAY 대접하다 = to serve, to treat

CONJUGATE PLAY 진정하다 = to calm down

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 부자연스럽다 = to be unnatural

CONJUGATE PLAY 균등하다 = to be even

CONJUGATE PLAY 어색하다 = to be awkward

CONJUGATE PLAY 낯설다 = to be unfamiliar

CONJUGATE PLAY 수상하다 = to be suspicious

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 만약 = put in sentences with 'if'
PLAY 양쪽 = both directions

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In the previous lesson, you learned how to add ~ㄹ/을 때 to words to have

the meaning of “when.” In this lesson, you will learn about adding ~(으)면 to
words to have a similar meaning. Let’s get started.

When/If… ~(으)면

To create the meaning of “when” or “if,” you can add ~(으)면 to the stem of
a verb or adjective. If we look at the meaning of ~(으)면 more deeply, it can
be separated into three main usages.

Usage 1
To indicate that one action occurs “when/if” another action (that hasn’t
happened yet) occurs

For example:
PLAY 집에 도착하면 빨래를 할 거예요 = When I arrive at home, I will do
laundry

Notice in this usage that the action in the second clause is

a supposition/assumption of what would happen when the first clause
occurs. Both actions haven’t happened yet and the speaker is merely
assuming what will take place. Keep this in mind for later because it will
come up again.

Here the event of “arriving at home” hasn’t happened yet. Therefore, the
speaker is indicating that he/she will “do laundry” when this event occurs.
In this example, the event of “arriving at home” seems inevitable and
certain. Because it is certain that this action will occur, the translation of
“when” is often used.

If there is uncertainty in whether the first event will occur or not, the
translation of “if” is often used to express this uncertainty. Notice what
happens if you use “if” in the sentence above:

“If I arrive at home, I will do laundry.”

In most situations, I can’t imagine this being a natural sentence. Of course

you are eventually going to arrive at home sometime – so the event isn’t
really uncertain. Therefore, the translation of “if” is a little bit unnatural.
However, if you changed the sentence a little and added a condition that
would make the event uncertain, the translation of “if” would be more
appropriate. For example:

PLAY 집에 일찍 도착하면 빨래를 할 거예요 = If I arrive home early, I will do

laundry

Either way, I don’t want you to get hung up on the English translation of a
sentence. I would rather you understand the meaning of the Korean
sentence than to worry about whether “when” or “if” is more appropriate.
Often times it isn’t even clear if the sentence is uncertain or not. For
example:

PLAY 학교에 가면 알려 주세요 = When/if you go to school, let me know

Depending on the situation and context, “When you go to school, let me

know” or “If you go to school, let me know” could both be appropriate. In
these cases, you need to use the context to distinguish specifically what
meaning is being implied.

Below are many examples showing this usage:

PLAY 신호를 보면 저에게 말을 바로 해 주세요

= When/if you see the signal, let me know immediately please

PLAY 과학자가 되면 피부에 습도의 영향을 연구하고 싶어요

= When/if I become a scientist, I want to study the effects of humidity on
the skin
PLAY 내일 비바람이 오면 경기가 취소될 거예요
= If it storms tomorrow, the match/game will be cancelled

PLAY 지금 환경을 보존하지 않으면 미래에 더 큰 문제가 생길 것 같아요

= If we don’t preserve the environment, there will probably be bigger
problems in the future

PLAY 오늘 그 사람을 만나면 낯선 사람으로 대할 거예요

= If I meet that person today, I’m going to treat him like a stranger

PLAY 손님이 오면 맛있는 음식을 대접할 거예요

= When the guests come, I will treat them with delicious food

PLAY 진정하지 않으면 콜라를 주지 않을 거예요

= If you don’t calm down, I won’t give you a cola

PLAY 내일 아침에 이슬이 있으면 고추가 다 죽어 버릴 거예요

= If there is dew tomorrow morning, all of the hot pepper (plants) will die

PLAY 내일 분위기가 어색하면 이 게임을 한 번 해 보세요

= If the atmosphere is awkward tomorrow, try playing this game

PLAY 신랑이 신부를 보면 그녀가 얼마나 예쁜지 깨달을 거예요

= The groom will realize how pretty the bride is when he sees her

——————-

In all of the examples so far, the second clause is an assumption of what

will happen if/when some action occurs. It is also possible to conjugate the
clause attached to ~(으)면 to the past tense to assume/suppose
what would have happened if something had occurred. In order to do this,
~았/었 is added to the stem of the word followed by ~으면. For example:

내가 공부했으면… = If I studied…
내가 먹었으면… = If I ate…
내가 갔으면… = If I went…

Much like the present tense, the action in the second clause is

a supposition/assumption of what would have happened if the first clause
had occurred.

Usually when the verb/adjective after “if” is conjugated to the past tense,
the later clause ends in “would have…” For example:

If I studied, I would have passed the test

If I ate, I would have not been hungry
If I met my friend, it would have been fun

Expressing this meaning of “would have” in Korean is done by adding ~았/

었을 것이다 to the final word of the sentence. For example:

PLAY 내가 공부했으면 시험을 합격했을 것이다 = If I studied, I would have

passed the test
PLAY 내가 밥을 먹었으면 배고프지 않았을 것이다 = If I ate, I wouldn’t have
been hungry
PLAY 친구를 만났으면 재미있었을 것이다 = If I met my friend, it would
have been fun

Notice that the translation of “if” is more appropriate when using ~(으)면 in
the past tense. The use of “when” makes it seem like the action actually did
happen – when actually it did not.

Many more examples:

PLAY 돈을 다 쓰지 않았으면 그것을 샀을 거예요

= If I didn’t/hadn’t spent all of my money, I would have bought that

PLAY 내가 사과를 다 안 먹었으면 너에게 한 개를 줬을 거야

= If I didn’t/hadn’t eaten all of my apples, I would have given you one

PLAY 햇살이 그렇게 강하지 않았으면 밖에 나갔을 거예요

= If the sunlight wasn’t so strong, I would have gone outside

PLAY 음식이 충분했으면 사람들에게 균등하게 줬을 거예요

= If there were enough, I would have given the food out to people evenly

PLAY 그 남자가 너무 수상하지 않았으면 그를 믿었을 거예요

= If that man weren’t so suspicious, I would have believed him
PLAY 고추를 안 넣었으면 맵지 않았을 거예요
= If you didn’t put the hot pepper in it, it wouldn’t have been spicy

Using ~(으)면 in the past tense is a common way that you hope or wish for
something. Explaining this is beyond the scope of this lesson, but you will
continue to learn about this usage in Lesson 61.

—————————–

In all of the examples above – in both the present and past tenses – the
second clause is an assumption of what will happen (or would have
happened). When indicating an assumption like this, it is also possible
to conjugate the verb prior to ~면 first. The words need to be conjugated
using the plain/diary form before ~면 can be added on.

Make sure you remember your plain/diary form conjugations, introduced

in Lesson 5.

For example:

For verbs in the present tense:

가다 = 간다면
먹다 = 먹는다면

For adjectives in the present tense:

행복하다 = 행복하다면
길다 = 길다면

For verbs in the past tense:

가다 = 갔다면
먹다 = 먹었다면

For adjectives in the past tense:

행복하다 = 행복했다면
길다 = 길었다면

For 이다 and 아니다

이다 = 이라면 (present tense)
이다 = 이었다면 (past tense)
아니라면 (present tense)
아니었다면 (past tense)

I usually refer to this addition as ~ㄴ/는다면 because it shows that the word
before ~면 must be conjugated.

All of the examples shown to this point could also be expressed using ~ㄴ/
는다면. When used like this, there is a little bit more of an emphasis of the
fact that the action is a supposition/assumption than when ~(으)면 is used.
Therefore, the translation of “if” is more commonly used with ~ㄴ/는다면.
Nonetheless, all of the examples below have the same meaning as their
earlier counterparts – just that there is more of an emphasis that the clause
before ~ㄴ/는다면 might or might not happen:

집에 도착한다면 빨래를 할 거예요

집에 일찍 도착한다면 빨래를 할 거예요
학교에 간다면 알려 주세요
신호를 본다면 저에게 말을 바로 해 주세요
과학자가 된다면 피부에 습도의 영향을 연구하고 싶어요
내일 비바람이 온다면 경기가 취소될 거예요
지금 환경을 보존하지 않는다면 미래에 더 큰 문제가 생길 것 같아요
오늘 그 사람을 만난다면 낯선 사람으로 대할 거예요
손님이 온다면 맛있는 음식을 대접할 거예요
진정하지 않는다면 콜라를 주지 않을 거예요
내일 아침에 이슬이 있는다면 고추가 다 죽어 버릴 거예요
내일 분위기가 어색하다면 이 게임을 한 번 해 보세요
신랑이 신부를 본다면 그녀가 얼마나 예쁜지 깨달을 거예요
내가 공부했다면 시험을 합격했을 것이다
내가 밥을 먹었다면 배고프지 않았을 것이다
친구를 만났다면 재미있었을 것이다
돈을 다 쓰지 않았다면 그것을 샀을 거예요
내가 사과를 다 안 먹었다면 너에게 한 개를 줬을 거야
햇살이 그렇게 강하지 않았다면 밖에 나갔을 거예요
음식이 충분했다면 사람들에게 균등하게 줬을 거예요
그 남자가 너무 수상하지 않았다면 그를 믿었을 거예요
고추를 안 넣었다면 맵지 않았을 거예요

————————–

It is also possible to attach ~았/었더라면 to the tenses above in the past

tense, for example:

내가 공부했더라면 시험을 합격했을 것이다

내가 밥을 먹었더라면 배고프지 않았을 것이다
친구를 만났더라면 재미있었을 것이다
돈을 다 쓰지 않았더라면 그것을 샀을 거예요
내가 사과를 다 안 먹었더라면 너에게 한 개를 줬을 거야
햇살이 그렇게 강하지 않았더라면 밖에 나갔을 거예요
음식이 충분했더라면 사람들에게 균등하게 줬을 거예요
그 남자가 너무 수상하지 않았더라면 그를 믿었을 거예요
고추를 안 넣었더라면 맵지 않았을 거예요

You can think of ~았/었더라면 as one unit, but it might be helpful for you to
see the purpose of adding ~더~ to other constructions. I discuss some of the
usages of ~더~ in Lessons 117, 118 and 119.

————————-

It is common to end these “assumption” sentences with ~ㄹ/을 텐데, which

I discuss in Lesson 100.

Want to see how ~(으)면 would be used in a Korean street sign? Watch me
breakdown the usage in a YouTube video.

I know it is tempting, but I actually hope you didn’t look ahead to those
future lessons. We still have more to discuss in this lesson. Let’s move on
and talk about another usage of ~(으)면.

 
Usage 2
To generally indicate that when one action occurs, another action occurs

In this usage, the first clause indicates the requirement/basis that is needed
to make the event in the second clause occur. This cause-and-effect
between the first and second clause is typically common knowledge that
usually anybody would know. For example:

PLAY 비가 오면 날씨가 추워져요 = When/if it rains, the weather gets colder

Notice in this usage that the events being described are not

assumptions but are general facts.

As these sentences are describing a general cause-and-effect – and not

some event that happened in the past or will happen in the future, the final
clause is typically conjugated in the present tense.

Again, not that I want you to focus on the English translations, but notice
that the usage of “when” or “if” is arbitrary. Both words are appropriate for
this situation. Below are many more examples:

PLAY 잠을 못 자면 다음 날에 몸이 피곤해져요
= When/if you don’t sleep well, the next day you will be tired

PLAY 장거리 운전을 하면 엉덩이가 아파요

= When/if you drive long distances, your bum will be sore

PLAY 콜라를 매일 마시면 건강이 나빠져요

= When/if you drink cola every day, your health deteriorates/drops

PLAY 누구나 캐나다에 가면 좋아해요

= When/if anybody goes to Canada, they like it

PLAY 누구나 자기 전 여자 친구를 만나면 분위기가 어색해요

= When/if anybody meets their ex-girlfriend, the atmosphere is awkward

PLAY 오후가 되면 햇살이 강해져요

= When/if it becomes afternoon (when it gets to be afternoon), the sun gets
stronger
PLAY 날개가 위로 움직이면 비행기가 떨어져요
= = When/if the wings move up, the plane drops

PLAY 학생들이 균등한 기회를 받으면 미래가 밝아져요

= When/if students receive an equal opportunity, the future becomes
brighter

Let’s move on and talk about another usage of ~(으)면.

Usage 3
To indicate that an action occurs whenever another action is repeated

In this usage, every time the first clause occurs, the second clause occurs.
For this usage to work, the actions need to be things that are repeated
frequently. For example:

PLAY 피자를 먹으면 저는 콜라를 마셔요 = When/If I eat pizza, I drink cola

Notice in this usage that the events being described are not

assumptions but are general facts.

Again, as with the previous usage of ~(으)면, these sentences are not
describing some event that happened in the past or will happen in the
future. Rather, the actions are events that are repeated frequently.
Therefore, the final clause of these sentences is typically conjugated in the
present tense.

The typical translation for this usage is “whenever…”. This usage of ~(으)면 is
almost identical to adding ~마다 to “때,” which you learned about in
the previous lesson. In any language, there are often many ways to say the
same thing. For example, “whenever” and “every time” can both be used to
have the same meaning. For example:

PLAY 피자를 먹으면 저는 콜라를 마셔요 = Whenever I eat pizza, I drink cola
PLAY 피자를 먹으면 저는 콜라를 마셔요 = Every time I eat pizza, I drink cola
Below are many more examples of this usage:

PLAY 그 연예인이 방에 들어가면 양쪽에서 사람들이 그에게 다가가요

= Whenever that celebrity goes into a room, people approach him from
both/all directions

PLAY 아버지가 운전하면 습관으로 담배를 피워요

= Whenever my dad drives, he smokes cigarettes out of habit

PLAY 제가 경기를 보면 우리 팀이 이기기를 기도해요

= Whenever I watch a game, I pray for my team to win

PLAY 일요일이면 그 가족이 기도하러 교회에 가요

= Whenever it is Sunday, that family goes to church to pray

PLAY 내가 공부를 하면 엄마는 TV 를 끈다

= Whenever I study, my mother turns off the TV

PLAY 내가 TV 를 보면 엄마는 싫어한다

= Whenever I watch TV, my mother doesn’t like it

PLAY 내가 행복하면 숙제를 잘 해

= Whenever I am happy, I do my homework well

만약

There are a handful of Korean adverbs that have no real translation to

English because they don’t really have any meaning. These words are often
used in sentences for feeling and to help the listener expect what the
speaker will say. Probably the most common of all of these words is “만약.”

만약 is used in sentences when the result of a sentence can’t be certain.

Due to the nature of sentences where the second clause is a supposition or
assumption, it is common to see “만약” used in sentences that follow the
first usage of ~(으)면 described in this lesson. For example:

PLAY 만약 내가 공부했으면 시험을 합격했을 것이다 = If I studied, I would

have passed the test
PLAY 만약 내가 밥을 먹었으면 배고프지 않았을 것이다 = If I ate, I wouldn’t
have been hungry

PLAY 만약 내일 비바람이 오면 경기가 취소될 거예요

= If it storms tomorrow, the match/game will be cancelled

PLAY 만약 지금 환경을 보존하지 않으면 미래에 더 큰 문제가 생길 것

같아요
= If we don’t preserve the environment now, there will probably be bigger
problems in the future

——————-

In Lesson 7, you learned how irregular words change as a result of adding

different additions. This is the first time you have been introduced to adding
~(으)면. Let’s look at how irregulars change as a result of adding this
grammatical principle.

● The ㅅ irregular, ㄷ irregular and ㅂ irregular all follow the same rules
that were introduced in Lesson 7. The addition of the vowel causes a
change (or elimination) of the last letter of the stem.

● The ㅡ and 르 irregular are not affected by this addition. The final letter
in both types of stems is a vowel, so “면” is added instead of “으면.”

● Much like how additions starting with ㄹ can be attached directly to

the stems of words ending in ㄹ, ~면 can be attached directly to the
stems of words ending in ㄹ.

● Adding ~(으)면 causes a change to ㅎ irregular words. The ㅎ is

removed, and ~면 is added to the stem. Anytime you have the option
of adding ~(으) as part of a grammatical addition, the ㅎ will be
 removed from the stem and the grammatical addition without “으” will
be added to the remainder of the stem.
● For example: 그렇다 + ~(으)면 = 그러면 (I discuss the meaning of
그러면 in the next section).
Below is a table showing the changes that result from adding ~(으)면 to a
word.

Irregular Word + ~(으)

ㅅ Irregular PLAY 짓다 (to build) 지으면

ㄷ Irregular PLAY 걷다 (to walk) 걸으면

ㅂ Irregular PLAY 돕다 (to help) 도우면

ㅡ Irregular PLAY 잠그다 (to lock) 잠그면

르 Irregular PLAY 자르다 (to cut) 자르면

ㄹ Irregular PLAY 살다 (to live) 살면

ㅎ Irregular PLAY 그렇다 (to be like that) 그러면

You will see these same changes to irregulars anytime you add something
that begins in ~(으)ㅁ…. For example:

~(으)면서 (Lesson 62)

~(으)며 (Lesson 62)
~(으)므로 (Lesson 103)

————–

그러면/그렇다면

In Lesson 23, you learned that the meaning of the word ‘그렇다’ is close to
the meaning of ‘like that.’

By adding ~(으)면 to 그렇다 you can create “그러면.”

By adding ~ㄴ/는다면 to 그렇다 you can create “그렇다면”
(Remember that 그렇다 is an adjective and therefore 그렇는다면 would
be incorrect)

When some situation is being talked about, you can use “그러면/그렇다면”
to say “If (that situation)…”. The common translation of these two is simply
“if so.” For example:

Person 1: PLAY 내일 비가 올 것 같아요 = It will probably rain tomorrow

Person 2: PLAY 그러면/그렇다면 공원에 안 갈 거예요 = If so, I’m not going
to the park

Person 1: PLAY 나는 오늘 집에 안 갈 거야 = I’m not going home today

Person 2: PLAY 그러면/그렇다면 나도 안 갈 거야 = If so, I’m not going either

If not: 아니면

In Lesson 8 (and applied in Lesson 9), you learned about 아니다 and how it
can be used to mean “to not be.” By combining 아니다 with ~면, we get “
아니면” which literally means “if not.” We can often see 아니면 used at the
beginning of a sentence referring to the previous sentence. For example:

PLAY 저는 밥을 먹고 싶어요. 아니면 죽을 것 같아요 = I want to eat rice. If

not, I will probably die
PLAY 진정하세요! 아니면 제가 교장선생님을 부를 거예요 = Calm down. If
not, I will call the principal

It is also possible to see 아니면 used within a clause, often between two
nouns. When used like this, 아니면 indicates “if not this (noun), then that
(noun).” This is most commonly translated to “or” in English. For example:

PLAY 저는 밥 아니면 사과를 먹고 싶어요 = I want to eat rice, if not, (I want

to eat) apples
(which could be translated as “I want to eat rice or apples.”)

아니면 can be used to have this meaning of “or,” but another way to create
this meaning is to use ~이나 or 거나, which is discussed in Lesson 58.

That’s it for this lesson!

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. You might not be able to understand all of the grammar within the
example sentences, but most of the grammar used will be introduced by
the end of Unit 2. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each
word can be used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that
you will be learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 소망 = hope, desire

PLAY 숙어 = idiom

PLAY 장례식 = funeral
PLAY 연수 = training for work

PLAY 규정 = rules, regulations

PLAY 무대 = (a performing) stage

PLAY 벌 = punishment

PLAY 쪽지 = a little message written on a piece of paper

PLAY 환불 = refund

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 외우다 = to memorize

CONJUGATE PLAY 저버리다 = to back out on something

CONJUGATE PLAY 모집하다 = to recruit

CONJUGATE PLAY 복제하다 = to duplicate, to replicate

CONJUGATE PLAY 울리다 = to be ringing, to be vibrating

CONJUGATE PLAY 희망하다 = to hope, to wish

CONJUGATE PLAY 측정하다 = to measure

CONJUGATE PLAY 틀다 = to turn on

CONJUGATE PLAY 작성하다 = to write up, to fill out

CONJUGATE PLAY 연기하다 = to delay

CONJUGATE PLAY 놀리다 = to tease

CONJUGATE PLAY 시행하다 = to enforce, to conduct, to implement

CONJUGATE PLAY 실시하다= to enforce, to conduct, to implement

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 공평하다 = to be fair

CONJUGATE PLAY 엄격하다 = to be strict

CONJUGATE PLAY 유창하다 = to be fluent

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 요새 = these days

PLAY 알몸 = naked

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn about ~자 and ~ㅂ/읍시다, which are two
common endings that you can use to suggest that you do something with
another person. In addition, you will learn how to use ~ㄹ/을래(요) which
can sometimes be used in similar situations. Let’s get started.

Let’s…: ~자 and ~ㅂ/읍시다

By adding ~자 to the stem of a word at the end of a sentence, you can

suggest that that action be done together. In English, this typically translates
to “Let’s…”

This is a very easy ending to learn because (by the nature of the meaning) it
is always added to words in the present tense and no irregulars are affected
by its usage. Not only that, ~자 gets added to stems ending in consonants
and vowels. For example:
PLAY 밥을 먹자! = Let’s eat!
PLAY 내일 공원에 가자! = Tomorrow, let’s go to the park!

If you want to say “Let’s not do something” you should attach ~자 to ~지

말다, which you learned in Lesson 40. Remember, if you wanted to say
“don’t’ go,” you should say:

가지 말다 = Don’t go

말다 is usually conjugated with an imperative ending. For example:

가지 마
가지 마라
가지 마세요

However, if you wanted to say “let’s not go,” you can add ~자 to 말다. For
example:

PLAY 내일 공원에 가지 말자 = Let’s not go to the park tomorrow

PLAY 우리 애기를 위해 그것을 사지 말자 = Let’s not buy that for our baby

Below are many more examples:

PLAY 무대에 같이 올라가자 = Let’s go onto the stage together

PLAY 쪽지를 서로 보내자 = Let’s send messages to each other
PLAY 물에 알몸으로 들어가자 = Let’s go into the water naked
PLAY 있던 약속을 그냥 저버리자 = Let’s just back out of our plans that we
had

PLAY 요새 벌이 조금 공평하지 않아. 내일 그것을 선생님이랑 얘기하자

= Lately, the punishments have been a little unfair. Let’s talk about that with
the teacher tomorrow

It is important to note that using ~자 is informal, and adding ~요 to ~자 is not

done in Korean. Therefore, the sentences above could only be said to
people who do not deserve high respect, like your friends or people
younger than you.
A slightly more formal way to create this same meaning is to use ~ㅂ/
읍시다 instead of ~자. ~읍시다 gets added to stems ending in a consonant,
and ~ㅂ시다 gets added directly to stems ending in a vowel. For example:

PLAY 밥을 먹읍시다! = Let’s eat!

PLAY 내일 공원에 갑시다! = Tomorrow, let’s go to the park!

Other examples:

PLAY 그 규정을 내일부터 시행합시다 = Let’s enforce that rule starting

tomorrow
PLAY 연수를 받으러 갑시다 = Let’s go to receive the training

This is slightly more formal than ~자, but it isn’t incredibly formal either. You
commonly hear this form being used in offices – when the boss is speaking
to a group of his/her subordinates or when coworkers are speaking to each
other (of course, there are many other situations where this could be used –
“in an office” is just one example). In these cases, some respect should be
given to the listeners so ~ㅂ/읍시다 can be appropriate. However, I would
advise against using ~ㅂ/읍시다 when speaking to somebody who deserve
a high amount of respect – like your boss or your father-in-law. Instead, I
recommend simply asking him a question using the information you learned
in Lesson 21. For example:

PLAY 같이 먹고 싶습니까? = Do you want to eat together?

Want to see how ~ㅂ/읍시다 would be used in a Korean street sign? Watch
me breakdown the usage in a YouTube video.

There is another Korean ending that you can use to say something similar to
“let’s…” that you can add the formal ending ~요 to. We will learn about this
next.

 
 ~ㄹ/을래(요)

I will separate my explanation of ~ㄹ/을래(요) into four usages. Each usage

has a slightly different feel so I think this separation is helpful. Notice that
(unlike ~자 and ~ㅂ/읍시다) ~요 can be added to this ending to make it
more formal. Let’s discuss these four usages.

Usage 1:
To ask if the listener would like to do an action together

In this usage, the speaker is asking if the listener would like to do an action
together. The typical translation for this usage is “Shall we…” For example:

PLAY 내일 공부하러 독서실에 갈래요? = Shall we go to the library

tomorrow to study?
PLAY 서울에 있는 공연을 보러 갈래요? = Shall we go to see the show in
Seoul?

I feel that “Shall we…” is not a very common English expression. Although
this is the most common translation for “ㄹ/을래요,” the following
translation would also be acceptable:

PLAY 내일 공부하러 독서실에 갈래요? = Would you like to go the library

with me tomorrow to study?
PLAY 서울에 있는 공연을 보러 갈래요? = Would you like to go to see the
show with me in Seoul?

More examples:

PLAY 장례식에 같이 갈래요? = Shall we go to the funeral together?

PLAY 영화를 볼래요? = Shall we see a movie together?
PLAY 저녁을 내일 먹을래요? = Shall we eat dinner together tomorrow?
PLAY 회원을 모집해 볼래요? = Shall we try to recruit some members?
PLAY 벌을 엄격하게 시행할래요? = Shall we enforce the punishment
strictly?
PLAY 경기를 내일까지 연기할래요? = Shall we delay the match until
tomorrow?
PLAY 영어숙어를 같이 외워 볼래? = Shall we try to memorize English idioms
together?

It is also possible for this usage to be applied to a sentence that has a

question word in it. The translation of “Shall we…” is usually appropriate in
these sentences as well. For example:

PLAY 언제 할래? = When shall/should we do it?

PLAY 어디 갈래? = Where shall/should we go?
PLAY 뭐 먹을래? = What shall/should we eat?

Usage 2
To ask if the listener would like if something happened

In this usage, the speaker typically threatens the listener with some sort of
pain. The English equivalent of this would be something like:

“Do you want me to smack you?”

The two most common words that are used in this situation are:

PLAY 맞을래? = Do you want to be hit? (Do you want me to hit you?)
PLAY 죽을래? = Do you want to die? (Do you want me to kill you?)

Both of these are (usually) not used literally, and are simply empty threats
from the speaker. These are typically used when the speaker becomes
annoyed at somebody, and he/she can express her annoyance by
threatening the person.

Usage 3

To ask if the listener can do something for the speaker

In this usage, ~ㄹ/을래(요) is typically attached to 주다 (either as a stand

alone verb, or as ~아/어 주다 as you learned in Lesson 41). For example:
PLAY 김치를 더 줄래요? = Can you give me more kimchi?
PLAY 문을 닫아 줄래요? = Can you close the door?

In Lesson 40, you learned how to use ~(으)세요 (and other imperative
endings) to give a command. In effect, using ~ㄹ/을래(요) in this way is
simply another way you can ask a person to do something for you. Because
it is not a direct command, it sounds a little bit softer than telling a person
directly to do something – almost like a request instead of a command.

In practice, the honorific ~(으)시 is often added to 주다 to make the request

softer and more formal. In English, I would normally translate this to
something that conveys this formality – for example, “Could you please…”.
For example:

PLAY 김치를 더 주실래요? = Could you please give me more kimchi?

PLAY 문을 닫아 주실래요? = Could you please close the door?

More examples:

PLAY 환불해 주실래요? = Could you please give me a refund?

PLAY 에어컨을 틀어 주실래요? = Could you please turn on the air
conditioner?
PLAY 울리는 핸드폰을 받아 주실래요? = Could you please pick up the
phone that is ringing?
PLAY 이것을 다 작성해 주실래요? = Could you please write all of this up for
me?
PLAY 그 파일을 이 컴퓨터로 복제해 주실래요? = Could you please copy
that file to this computer?
PLAY 소망이 무엇인지 말씀해 주실래요? = Could you please tell me what
your dream/hope is?
PLAY 이 숙어가 무슨 뜻인지 설명해 주실래요? = Could you please explain
what this idiom means?

Usage 4

To indicate that the speaker wants to do something

In theory, this usage is very similar to ~고 싶다 (which you learned in Lesson
17) or just a simple future tense conjugation. Here, the speaker is indicating
that he/she will do something or wants to do something. For example:

PLAY 나는 집에 갈래 = I’m going home/I want to go home

PLAY 나는 집에 갈 거야 = I’m going home
PLAY 나는 집에 가고 싶어 = I want to go home

As you know, a regular future tense conjugation and ~고 싶다 can be

applied to very complex sentences. Typically, ~ㄹ/을래(요) is only attached
to simple sentences like the one shown above. Other examples:

Also note that ~안 or ~지 않다 can be used to indicate that the speaker
doesn’t want to do something.

PLAY 나는 그거를 먹을래 = I’m going to eat that/I want to eat that
PLAY 나는 안 할래 = I’m not going to do it/I don’t want to do it
PLAY 나는 안 먹을래 = I’m not going to eat/I don’t want to eat that
PLAY 나는 먼저 할래 = I’m going to do it first/I want to do it first

That’s it!

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. You might not be able to understand all of the grammar within the
example sentences, but most of the grammar used will be introduced by
the end of Unit 2. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each
word can be used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that
you will be learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 정장 = a suit

PLAY 기한 = time limit, deadline

PLAY 윤리 = ethics/morals

PLAY 온몸 = entire body

PLAY 독 = poison

PLAY 인권 = human rights

PLAY 교과 과정 = curriculum

PLAY 지점 = a point when it refers to a place

PLAY 선거 = election

PLAY 세탁 = laundry

PLAY 첫눈 = first sight

PLAY 장기 = a long time period

PLAY 단기 = a short time period

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 자습하다 = to teach oneself

CONJUGATE PLAY 생기다= to occur, to come up, to arise

CONJUGATE PLAY 미끄러지다 = to slip

CONJUGATE PLAY 비키다 = to step aside, to step away

CONJUGATE PLAY 참고하다 = to refer to, to consult

CONJUGATE PLAY 바르다 = to apply or spread a liquid

Passive Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 고립되다 = to be isolated
Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 미끄럽다 = to be slippery

CONJUGATE PLAY 시급하다 = to be urgent

CONJUGATE PLAY 동일하다 = to be the same as, to be identical to

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 술술 = smoothly

PLAY 등 = etc…

One can do: ~ㄹ/을 수 있다

By adding ~ㄹ/을 수 있다 to the end of a clause/sentence, you can create

the meaning of “one can….”.

“수” is what I like to call a ‘pseudo-noun.’ You have already learned a few of
these pseudo-nouns in other lessons. For example in Lesson 30 you
learned about “지” and how it can be used in sentences like this:

PLAY 한국에서 산 지 25 년 됐어요 = I have been living in Korea for 25 years

In Lesson 32, you learned about “적” and how it can be used in sentences
like this:

PLAY 김치를 먹은 적이 없어요 = I have never eaten kimchi

In both of the sentences above, the pseudo-noun follows a descriptive

word, and thus, must be a noun. However, these ‘pseudo-nouns’ cannot be
placed anywhere but these specific locations, and therefore, are not true
nouns. ‘수’ in ‘~ㄹ 수 있다’ is also a pseudo-noun. If you look up “수” in the
dictionary, the definition will be something similar to “ability” or “capability”
but it is not used as a stand-alone noun. Like “지” and “적,” it needs to be
described by something.

If we describe “수” with the verb “to study” (공부하다), we can get:
공부할 수: the ability to study

You can now finish the construction by placing “있다” or “없다” after 수 to
indicate that one “has” or “does not have” the ability to study. For example:

공부할 수 있다 = I have the ability to study

공부할 수 없다 = I do not have the ability to study

The translations of “one can” and “one cannot” are usually used in these
types of sentences. For example:

공부할 수 있다 = I can study

공부할 수 없다 = I can’t study

Below are many more examples that express that something “can” be done
using ~ㄹ/을 수 있다:

PLAY 저도 그것을 할 수 있어요 = I can do that too

PLAY 저는 그 지점에서 만날 수 있어요 = I can meet at that point
PLAY 이 로션을 온몸에 바를 수 있어요 = You can apply this lotion all over
your body
PLAY 저는 세탁을 집에서 할 수 있어요 = I can do laundry at home
PLAY 저는 이 수학문제를 술술 풀 수 있어요 = I can solve this math question
without any issue

PLAY 저는 몇몇 한국사람들보다 한국어를 더 잘 말할 수 있어요

= I can speak Korean better than some Korean people

PLAY 선생님이 원하시면 윤리 교과 과정을 바꿀 수 있어요

= If you want, you (the teacher) can change the ethics curriculum

PLAY 그 문제를 기한 안에 해결한다면 우리는 지금부터 선거를 실시할 수

있어요
= If you solve that problem within the time period, the election can run
starting now

PLAY 이번 선거로 인권 문제를 해결할 수 있어요

= We can solve the problem of human rights through this election
PLAY 살이 많이 빠져서 지금 정장을 편히 입을 수 있어요
= I can wear a suit comfortably now because I lost a lot of weight

You can also use this form to ask another person if he/she is “able” or
“capable” of doing something. For example:

PLAY 오늘 밤에 만날 수 있어요? = Can you meet tonight?

PLAY 그것을 빨리 할 수 있어요? = Can you do it quickly?
PLAY 기한 안에 다 할 수 있어요? = Can you do it all within the time limit?
PLAY 여기서 자습할 수 있어요? = Are you able to (self-)study here?

Anytime an action is being done for the speaker, it would also be

appropriate to attach ~아/어 주다 to the verb before ~ㄹ/을 수 있다. For
example:

PLAY 그것을 빨리 해 줄 수 있어요? = Can you do it faster (for me)?

PLAY 문을 열어 줄 수 있어요? = Can you open the door (for me)?
PLAYTV 가 안 보여서 비켜 줄 수 있어요? = Can you move (for me), I can’t
see the TV

As mentioned in Lesson 41, it would also be acceptable to use the word “좀”
in these types of sentences because the speaker is asking for some kind of a
favor. For example:

PLAY 그것을 좀 빨리 해 줄 수 있어요? = Can you do it a little bit faster (for

me)?
PLAY 문을 좀 열어 줄 수 있어요? = Can you open the door (a little bit) (for
me)?
PLAYTV 가 안 보여서 좀 비켜 줄 수 있어요? = Can you move a bit (for me), I
can’t see the TV

Below are many examples that express that something “cannot” be done
using ~ㄹ/을 수 없다:

PLAY 제가 너무 아파서 많이 먹을 수 없어요 = I can’t eat much because I am

very sick
PLAY 저 사람은 한국어를 말할 수 없어요 = That person can’t speak Korean
PLAY 이 독을 마시면 치료할 수 없어요 = If you drink this poison, you cannot
cure/treat it
PLAY 그런 시끄러운 방에서 저는 자습할 수 없어요 = I can’t (self)-study in
such a loud room
PLAY 시급한 일이 생겨서 지금 나갈 수 없어요 = Something urgent came
up, so I can’t go out
PLAY 저는 그 사실을 믿을 수 없어요 = I can’t believe that fact

PLAY 여기가 너무 시끄러워서 저는 집중할 수 없어요

= I can’t concentrate here because it is too loud

PLAY 기한이 이미 지나서 선거를 실시할 수 없어요

= You can’t hold an election because the time limit has already passed

PLAY 그런 일을 하면 장기 휴가를 갈 수 없어요

= If you do that kind of work/job, you can’t go on any long/extended
holidays

Both ~ㄹ/을 수 있다 and ~ㄹ/을 수 없다 can be expressed in the past and

future tenses. When conjugating to the past or future tenses, only 있다 or
없다 should be conjugated. For example:

PLAY 어렸을 때 저는 햄버거 다섯 개를 먹을 수 있었어요 = When I was

younger, I could eat five hamburgers
PLAY 저는 다음 번에 더 잘 할 수 있을 거예요 = I will be able to do better
next time
PLAY 저는 그 여자를 볼 수 없었어요 = I couldn’t see that girl
PLAY 내년에 캐나다에 갈 수 없을 거예요 = I won’t be able to go to Canada
next year

One specific phrase that is difficult to translate directly to English is:

I don’t understand, or
I can’t understand

In English, those two phrases essentially mean the same thing – however,
there is a subtle difference. We would use “I can’t understand” when you
are talking about a general topic – specifically something that you don’t get
at all and will never understand. For example:

I can’t understand Chemistry

I can’t understand Korean

To say those in Korean, you can use the ~ㄹ 수 없다 form. For example:

PLAY 나는 화학을 이해할 수 없어 = I can’t understand Chemistry

PLAY 나는 한국어를 이해할 수 없어 = I can’t understand Korean

However, if we say “I don’t understand”, it could mean that – although you

cannot understand something right now – you will probably be able to
understand it if somebody (depending on the situation) explains it to you
better. This is more likely to be used with specific things that somebody can
teach you over a short period of time – or something that you can grasp if
somebody explains it to you quickly. In order to create this meaning, you
should attach ~지 못하다 to “이해하다.”

For example:

PLAY 이 문제를 이해하지 못하겠어요 = I don’t understand that

question/problem
PLAY 네가 무슨 말을 하고 있는지 이해하지 못하겠어 = I don’t understand
what you are trying to say (like, “I don’t understand the point you are trying
to make”)

Notice that the future tense conjugation of ~겠다 is used when talking
about something you currently don’t understand.

PLAY 이 문제를 이해하지 못했어요 = I didn’t understand this

question/problem

They’re essentially the same thing (이해할 수 없다 vs. 이해하지 못하겠다),

and you don’t really need to worry about distinguishing them too much.
However, it is something that I learned when I was studying, so it might be
something that you should consider as well.

 
 

Adding particles to 수

Because 수 is a noun, particles can be attached to it. The three most

common particles that are attached to “수” are ~가, ~는 and ~도.

I have discussed the purpose of adding ~가 to “수” with Korean teachers

(who teach Korean grammar to Korean people). All of them say that ~가
creates no additional meaning to these types of sentences. For example,
each pair of sentences would be the same:

PLAY 우리는 그것을 정확이 알 수 없어요

PLAY 우리는 그것을 정확이 알 수가 없어요
= We can’t know that for sure

PLAY 이 사진을 보여줄 수 없어요

PLAY 이 사진을 보여줄 수가 없어요
= I can’t show you that picture

PLAY 동생의 눈을 볼 수 없어요

PLAY 동생의 눈을 볼 수가 없어요
= I can’t look at my brother’s eyes

PLAY 그것을 어떻게 할 수 있어요?

PLAY 그것을 어떻게 할 수가 있어요?
= How can you do that?

Even though Korean people say those pairs of sentences are identical, my
experience with Korean makes me feel that using ~가 is more likely to
happen when the situation is being emphasized. Notice the translations
below, which I feel more accurately describe the subtleties of using ~가
with ~ㄹ/을 수 있다:

PLAY 우리는 그것을 정확이 알 수가 없어요 = There’s no way we can even

know that for sure
PLAY 이 사진을 보여줄 수가 없어요 = There’s no way I can even show you
the picture
PLAY 동생의 눈을 볼 수가 없어요 = There’s no way I can even look at my
brother in the eyes
PLAY 그것을 어떻게 할 수가 있어요? = How can you possibly do that?

Your understanding of this nuance can only really develop with exposure to
the language. As you have deeper conversations with Korean people, I hope
you might discover this same nuance that I feel.

Explaining the nuance of using ~는 and ~도 with “수” is complex and will be
discussed in later lessons. For now, I suggest not going ahead and studying
these complex usages. Instead, I suggest sticking to the order of the lessons
that I have them presented. If you are dying to see how these particles can
be used with “수”, you can check out Lesson 104 and Lesson 107.

That’s it for this lesson!

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. You might not be able to understand all of the grammar within the
example sentences, but most of the grammar used will be introduced by
the end of Unit 2. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each
word can be used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that
you will be learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 예외 = exception

PLAY 복사기 = photocopier

PLAY 신입생 = freshman

PLAY 운명 = fate

PLAY 시력 = vision
PLAY 조개 = clam

PLAY 캐릭터 = character

PLAY 영웅 = hero

PLAY 신화 = myth

PLAY 왕비 = queen

PLAY 화면 = screen

PLAY 울타리 = fence

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 동의하다 = to agree

CONJUGATE PLAY 검토하다 = to review, to examine

CONJUGATE PLAY 뺏다 = to take something away

CONJUGATE PLAY 뽑다 = to pull out

CONJUGATE PLAY 성공하다 = to succeed

CONJUGATE PLAY 연결하다 = to connect

CONJUGATE PLAY 협조하다 = to cooperate

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 생생하다 = to be vivid, graphic

CONJUGATE PLAY 성숙하다 = to be mature

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 실제 = actual
PLAY 가까이 = closely

PLAY 운명적으로 = fatefully

PLAY 반말 = casual speaking

PLAY 워낙 = so/very, by nature

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn how to use ~아/어야 하다 to indicate that
something must be done.  In addition, you will learn about the word
필요하다 and how it can be used to create a similar meaning as ~아/어야
하다. Let’s get started.

To have to: ~아/어야 하다 / 되다 / 지 / 겠다

By adding ~아/어야 하다 to the stem of a word at the end of a sentence,

you can create the meaning of “one has to…” or “one must…” For example:

공부하다 = to study
공부해야 한다 = to have to study

먹다 = to eat
먹어야 한다 = to have to eat

가다 = to go
가야 한다 = to have to go
We can see these used in very simple sentences. For example:

PLAY 저는 밥을 먹어야 해요 = I have to eat

PLAY 저는 지금 공부해야 해요 = I have to study now
PLAY 저는 집에 가야 해요 = I have to go home

To English speakers, the words “must/have to” and “should” have different
meanings. For example, while the following two sentences feel the same to
English speakers:

I must go to the park, and

I have to go to the park

Using “should” creates a slightly different nuance to English speakers. For

example:

I should go to the park

However, in Korean, “~아/어야 하다” (and the other similar forms

introduced later in the lesson) can be translated to “one must/have
to” or “one should.” Learners of Korean are often confused at how this one
grammatical principle can represent two seemingly different meanings in
English. In reality, the difference in English between those two words isn’t
very big. Try to step out of your English brain for a minute and realize that
these sentences effectively express the same meaning. Using “must” might
feel stronger to an English speaker, but the end result of all these sentences
is the same:

I must go to the park

I have to go to the park
I should go to the park

Therefore, sentences like this:

대학교에 가고 싶다면 열심히 공부해야 돼요

Could be translated as:

If you want to go to University, you must study hard
If you want to go to University, you have to study hard
If you want to go to University, you should study hard

Below are many examples of ~아/어야 하다 in use:

PLAY 친구를 만나러 지금 가야 해요 = I have to go now to meet my friend

PLAY 제 말에 동의해야 해요 = You need to agree with what I’m saying
PLAY 먹어야 해서 늦게 왔어요 = I was late because I had to eat

PLAY 이 일을 끝내고 싶으면 우리는 협조해야 해요

= If you want to finish this work, we need to cooperate

PLAYTV 를 켜고 싶으면 이것을 TV 에 연결해야 해요

= If you want to turn on the TV, you need to connect this thing to the TV

PLAY 책을 읽은 후에 제자리에 둬야 해요
= After reading the book, you have to put it back in the right place

PLAY 대학교에 가고 싶다면 열심히 공부해야 해요

= If you want to go to university, you have to study hard

PLAY 우리 아들이 핸드폰을 많이 쓰고 있어서 핸드폰을 뺏어야 할 것

같아요
= Our son is using his cell-phone a lot, so we’ll probably have to take it
away from him

Replacing 하다 with 되다 in ~아/어야 하다 can be done with no difference

in meaning. I feel that using 되다 instead of 하다 is much more common in
speech. For example:

PLAY 우리는 빨리 가야 돼 = We have to go fast

PLAY 울타리를 넘어야 돼요 = We need to go over the fence
PLAY 직장에서 성숙하게 행동해야 돼요 = You need to act maturely at work
PLAY 시력이 안 좋아서 안경을 써야 돼요 = My eyesight isn’t good so I have
to wear glasses
PLAY 실제 나이를 말해야 돼요 = You need to say your real/actual age
PLAY 성공하고 싶으면 매일 열심히 해야 돼요
= If you want to succeed, you need to work hard every day

PLAY 모든 사람들이 왕비가 하는 말을 동의해야 돼요

= Everybody has to agree with what the queen says

PLAY 영어문법을 공부할 때 예외를 그냥 다 외워야 돼요

= When you study English grammar, you just need to memorize all of the
exceptions

PLAY 결과를 발표하기 전에 자료를 검토해야 돼요

= Before announcing the results, we need to examine the data

It is also possible to use “~지” (or the formal equivalent ~죠) instead of 하다
or 되다 in ~아/어 야 하다/되다. Using ~아/어지/죠 like this is mostly done in
conversation. You can use 지 to create similar sentences to those above
with 하다 and 되다. For example:

PLAY 우리가 빨리 가야지! = We have to go fast!

PLAY 우리는 빨리 가야죠! = We have to go fast!
Notice here that there are no spaces between ~아/어야 and 지/죠.

Instead of:
PLAY 우리는 빨리 가야 해요 = We have to go fast!
PLAY 우리는 빨리 가야 돼요 = We have to go fast!

Below are more examples:

PLAY 먹어야지! = You have to eat!

PLAY 신입생들에게 반말을 해야지 = You should speak in 반말 to the
freshmen students
PLAY 운명을 믿어야지 = You need to trust (in) fate
PLAY 조개를 넣어야지 = You need to put clams in
PLAY 영웅이 왕비를 살려야지 = The hero should save the queen

Another usage of~지 (or the formal version ~죠) will be introduced
in Lesson 93.
It is possible to conjugate 하다 or 되다 at the end of the clause to reflect
that something “had to have” happened or “will have to” happen. For
example:

PLAY 그때 열심히 일해야 되었어요 = At that time I had to work really hard
PLAY 복사기를 수리해야 되었어요 = We had to repair the photocopier
PLAY 시력이 워낙 안 좋아서 화면에 가까이 있어야 되었어요= My eyesight
isn’t good, so I had to be close to the screen

PLAY10 분 후에 가야 될 거예요 = We will have to go in 10 minutes

PLAY 그 이를 뽑아야 될 것 같아요 = We will probably have to pull out that
tooth
PLAY 신입생들을 위해 선물을 준비해야 할 거예요 = We will have to
prepare a present for the freshmen

When conjugating these types of sentences to the future, it is possible to

attach ~겠다 to the final verb. For example:

밥을 먹어야 하겠다 = I will have to eat (rice)

The construction of “~아/어야 하겠다” is often shortened to ~아/어야겠다

in speech.
For example:

PLAY 밥을 먹어야겠다

When adding ~아/어야겠다 to the end of a sentence like this, the

translation of “I will have to…” doesn’t perfectly reflect the purpose of this
construction. When a speaker uses ~아/어야겠다, he/she has received
some sort of information or signal that is causing him/her to say this
sentence. For example, if you just looked at the time and realized you had to
go, you could say:

PLAY 나는 지금 가야겠다

It is hard to come up with a perfect translation for this in English. Some

translations for the sentence above could be:
I’d better get going now
I guess I better go now
I’ll have to go now

Remember that I always suggest to not focus too much on English

translations but rather to focus on the meaning that the Korean sentence
has. Below are more examples:

PLAY 남자친구랑 내일 헤어져야겠다 = I’ll have to break up with my

boyfriend tomorrow
PLAY 이 사실을 부장님께 알려 줘야겠어요 = I’ll have to tell the boss (about)
that fact
PLAY 그녀를 위해 선물을 사야겠어요 = I’ll have to buy her a present
PLAY 결과를 다시 검토해야겠다 = We’ll have to examine the results again

To need: 필요하다

You can essentially create the same meaning of “I have to” with “I need to”
in Korean by using the word “필요하다.” 필요하다 is one of those words
like 있다 that feels like a verb, but is considered an adjective in Korean. Like
the other adjectives-that-feel-like-verbs, this rarely becomes an issue,
except for when conjugating it using the plain (diary) form. Remember, the
plain form conjugation for an adjective is the same as the dictionary form.
Therefore, the following would be an incorrect conjugation:

필요한다

Instead, the following would be correct:

필요하다

필요하다 can be used to sentences to have the meaning of “to need.” Again,
because this word acts as an adjective, the use of the object particle (~을/
를) would be incorrect:
나는 밥을 필요하다 (This sentence is incorrect)

Instead, if you want to say that you “need” something, you should add the
particle ~이/가 to the noun that you “need.” For example:

PLAY 나는 밥이 필요하다 = I need food/rice

More examples:

PLAY 나는 여자 친구가 필요하다 = I need a girlfriend

PLAY 우리 회사는 새로운 복사기가 필요해요 = Our office needs a new
photocopier
PLAY 그 영화가 영웅 캐릭터가 필요해요 = That movie needs a hero
character

You can use the noun “필요” (meaning “necessity”) with verbs to create a
similar meaning to using ~아/어야 하다. Let’s talk about this next.

To need to: ~ㄹ/을 필요가 있다/없다

If you want to say that you “need to” do a verb, as in:

I need to eat
I need to sleep

You can add ~ㄹ/을 필요가 있다 to the stem of a verb/adjective. For

example:

PLAY 나는 밥을 먹을 필요가 있다
PLAY 나는 잘 필요가 있다

Notice the makeup of this grammatical concept. “필요” acts as a noun that
is being described by a verb. For example:

밥을 먹을 필요 = The necessity to eat

잘 필요 = The necessity to sleep
있다 is then used to indicate that the person “has” that necessity. For
example:

PLAY 나는 밥을 먹을 필요가 있다 = I have the necessity to eat

PLAY 나는 잘 필요가 있다 = I have the necessity to sleep

Those translations are possible, but (especially in speech) I would be much

more likely to use “I need to…” For example:

PLAY 나는 밥을 먹을 필요가 있다 = I need to eat

PLAY 나는 잘 필요가 있다 = I need to sleep

Below are more examples. Also notice that you have use 없다 instead of
있다 to indicate that one does not need to do something:

PLAY 저는 그 여자랑 결혼할 필요가 있어요 = I need to marry that girl

PLAY 시험공부를 곧 할 필요가 있어요 = I need to study soon
PLAY 강한 캐릭터를 만들 필요가 있어요 = We need to make a strong
character
PLAY 예외를 다 설명할 필요가 있어요 = You need to explain all of the
exceptions
PLAY 제자리에 놓을 필요가 없어요 = You don’t need to put it back in its
place
PLAY 그렇게 가까이 앉을 필요가 없어요 = There’s no need to sit that close
PLAY 그렇게 할 필요가 없어요 = You don’t need to do it like that

That’s it for this lesson!

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. You might not be able to understand all of the grammar within the
example sentences, but most of the grammar used will be introduced by
the end of Unit 2. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each
word can be used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that
you will be learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.
Nouns:
PLAY 아파트 = apartment, apartment complex

PLAY 잔디 = grass

PLAY 경비 = security

PLAY 동물 = animal

PLAY 선 = line

PLAY 감각 = sense, feeling

PLAY 한계 = limit

PLAY 고통 = pain

PLAY 태양 = sun

PLAY 상처 = wound

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 내밀다 = to stick out of, to stretch out of

CONJUGATE PLAY 얼다 = to freeze

CONJUGATE PLAY 소리 지르다 = to shout, to scream

CONJUGATE PLAY 마취하다 = to give someone an anesthetic

CONJUGATE PLAY 로그인하다 = to log in

CONJUGATE PLAY 장난하다 = to joke, to play around

CONJUGATE PLAY 나타내다 = to appear, to come in view

CONJUGATE PLAY 참가하다 = to participate

Passive Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 나타나다 = to appear, come in view

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 혹시 = indicates something is unknown

PLAY 우선 = to do something first

PLAY 너머 = beyond, over

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn how to use ~지만 to connect two clauses. You
will also learn about adding this to 그렇다 to make 그렇지만. Let’s get
started.

Even though: ~지만

One of the most common words in Korean is “하지만,” which means “but.”
This word (in English and Korean) is usually used at the beginning of a
sentence. For example:

저는 먹고 싶어요. 하지만 배고프지 않아요 = I want to eat. But, I am not

hungry.

Although both of those sentences are correct, there are a lot of syllables
that you can eliminate from them. You should be aware by now, that
Korean people always want to make their sentences as short as possible.
You can create this meaning of “but” by eliminating “하지만” and
connecting the two clauses with ~지만. For example:

PLAY 저는 먹고 싶지만 배고프지 않아요 = I want to eat but I am not hungry.

This often translates to “even though…” in English. Notice how the following
two sentences in English are exactly the same:

Even though I want to eat, I am not hungry.

I want to eat, but I am not hungry.

Essentially, by adding ~지만 to the stem of a word, that clause gets negated,
and the opposite is usually described in the latter clause. Below are many
examples. Notice that it can be added directly to the stems of verbs,
adjectives and 이다. Also, because the addition starts with the letter “ㅈ”
there are no irregulars that come into play with this addition.

Notice in all of the examples in this lesson that the clauses before ~
지만 are true or have already occurred (or are certain to occur in the
future). This will become important when I distinguish ~지만 from ~아/
어도 in the next lesson.

PLAY 부산에 가고 싶지만 차가 없어서 못 가요

= Even though I want to go to Busan, I can’t go because I don’t have a car

PLAY 물을 마셔야 되지만 물이 아직도 다 얼어 있어요

= I need to drink water, but it is still all frozen

PLAY 요즘에 한국어를 열심히 공부하고 있지만 아직도 잘 말할 수 없어요

= Even though I am studying Korean hard these days, I still can’t speak well

PLAY 그 연예인이 돈이 많지만 왜 그렇게 행복하지 않아 보여요?

= That celebrity has a lot of money, but why doesn’t he look happy

PLAY 그 아파트가 경비 아저씨가 있지만 안전하지 않아요

= Even though that apartment (complex) has a security guard, it isn’t safe

PLAY 잔디를 깎아야 되지만 밖에 나가기 싫어요

= I have to cut/mow the grass/lawn, but I don’t want to go outside

PLAY 우리 어머니가 강아지를 아주 좋아하지만 다른 동물을 싫어해요

= My mother really likes dogs/puppies, but doesn’t like other animals
PLAY 그 경기에 참가하고 싶지만 네가 안 하면 나도 안 할래
= I want to participate in the match, but if you don’t do it, then I won’t

PLAY 모든 사람들이 그를 싫어하지만 그는 파티에 나타났어요

= Even though everybody hates him, he showed up at the party

————————–

You can conjugate the clause before ~지만 to the past tense by adding ~았/
었 to it. For example:

PLAY 밥을 먹었지만 배고파요

= Even though I ate, I am hungry

PLAY 상처를 치료했지만 아직 고통이 있어요

= I treated the wound, but there is still pain

PLAY 로그인을 이미 했지만 그 화면이 안 보여요

= I already logged in, but I don’t see that screen

PLAY 원래 한국에 여행하러 가고 싶었지만 돈이 없어서 못 갔어요

= Originally I wanted to go to Korea to travel, but because I didn’t have any
money, I couldn’t go

PLAY 머리를 창문 너머로 내밀었지만 밖에 있는 친구가 저를 보지 않았어요

= I stuck my head out of the window, but my friend outside didn’t see me

PLAY 마취를 했지만 입에 아직 감각이 있어요

= I received freezing/anesthetic, but there is still feeling in my mouth

PLAY 제가 친구에게 소리를 질렀지만 친구가 제 말을 못 들었어요

= I yelled to my friend, but he didn’t hear what I said

PLAY 그 사람의 얼굴이 기억 안 났지만 갑자기 제 꿈에 나타났어요

= I had forgotten that person’s face, but it suddenly appeared to me in my
dream

————————–
You can conjugate the clause before ~지만 to the future tense by adding the
~ㄹ/을 것이다 (or ~ㄹ/을 거다) or ~겠다 forms. In all cases, ~지만 is
attached to these constructions after “~다” is removed. For example:

PLAY 한국에 안 갈 것이지만 여전히 한국어를 배우고 싶어요

= Even though I will not go to Korea, I still want to learn Korean, or:

PLAY 한국에 안 갈 거지만 여전히 한국어를 배우고 싶어요

= Even though I will not go to Korea, I still want to learn Korean, or:

PLAY 한국에 안 가겠지만 여전히 한국어를 배우고 싶어요

= Even though I will not go to Korea, I still want to learn Korean

PLAY 오늘 선생님이 안 올 거지만 우리는 선생님이 준비하신 내용을

공부해야 돼요
= Even though the teacher won’t come today, we need to study the material
that she prepared

PLAY 오늘 우리가 달에 대한 것을 배울 거지만 우선 태양에 대한 것을

배워야 돼요
= Today, we’ll learn about the moon, but first, we must learn about the sun

그렇지만

You first learned about the word “그렇다” in Lesson 23. Since then, you
have seen other grammatical principles applied to it. For example, in Lesson
37 you saw how it can be used with ~아/어서 to form 그래서. For example:

Person 1: PLAY 비가 왔어요? = Did it rain?

Person 2: PLAY 응, 그래서 나가기 싫어요 = Yeah, that’s why/therefore I
don’t want to go out
It is also common to attach ~지만 to 그렇다. When some situation is being
talked about, you can use “그렇지만” to say “Even though (that situation)…”.
The common translation of 그렇지만 is simply “however.” For example:

Person 1: PLAY 주차를 이 선 안에 해야 되지 않아요? = Don’t you have to

park between these lines?
Person 2: PLAY 그렇지만 차가 너무 커서 그렇게 할 수 없어요 = However,
the car is too big so I can’t do it like that.

Person 1: PLAY 지금 가야 되지 않아요? = Don’t you have to go now?

Person 2: PLAY 네, 그렇지만 할 게 많아서 지금 못 가요 = Yes, however I
can’t go now because I have a lot of things to do

That’s it!

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. You might not be able to understand all of the grammar within the
example sentences, but most of the grammar used will be introduced by
the end of Unit 2. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each
word can be used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that
you will be learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 정원 = garden

PLAY 새끼 = baby animals

PLAY 어미 = mother for animals

PLAY 반값 = half price

PLAY 승패 = the outcome of a game (a win or loss)

PLAY 개별 = individual/ly
PLAY 건축 = architecture

PLAY 건축가 = architect

PLAY 강가 = area around a river, riverfront, riverside

PLAY 막내 = youngest person in the family or group of people

PLAY 마법사 = witch

PLAY 동굴 = cave

PLAY 보석 = jewel

PLAY 수레 = cart

PLAY 태풍 = typhoon

PLAY 박람회 = fair, exhibition

PLAY 호수 = lake

PLAY 호숫가 = area around the lake, lakefront, lakeside, lake-shore

PLAY 매력 = charm

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 구입하다 = to purchase

CONJUGATE PLAY 교환하다 = to exchange

CONJUGATE PLAY 면담하다 = to talk face to face, to interview

CONJUGATE PLAY 미루다 = to delay

CONJUGATE PLAY 안다 = to hug

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 달콤하다 = to be sweet

CONJUGATE PLAY 창피하다 = to be ashamed

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 미리 = in advance/beforehand

PLAY 일대일(로) = one on one

PLAY 정기적으로 = regularly

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn how to use ~아/어도 to connect two clauses.
You will also learn about adding this to 그렇다 to make 그래도 and about
the word 아무리. Let’s get started.

Regardless of… : ~아/어도

By adding ~아/어도 to the stem of a word at the end of one clause, the
second clause is expected to occur regardless of what happens in the first
clause. For example:

PLAY 밥이 있어도 저는 안 먹을 거예요 = Regardless of if there is food/rice, I

am not going to eat

Notice here that the clause with ~아/어도 attached is a supposition. That is,
it is uncertain if that clause will occur or not. The use of ~아/어도 indicates
that the second clause will occur regardless of if the first clause happens or
not.

I would like to take a moment to describe how this sentence differs from
one that uses ~지만, which you learned in the previous lesson. When ~지만
is added to a clause, that clause is already a fact (or already was a fact, or
already will be a fact). The clause that follows ~지만 is a statement that
opposes this already accepted/known fact. For example, in the following
sentence:

PLAY 밥이 있지만 저는 안 먹을 거예요 = Even though there is food/rice, I

am not going to eat

The common translation for ~아/어도 is “Regardless of if…” Below are many
examples:

PLAY 태풍이 와도 내일 박람회에 가야 돼요

= Regardless of whether there is a typhoon, I have to go to the trade show
tomorrow

PLAY 보석을 그 동굴에 숨겨도 사람들이 찾을 거예요

= Regardless of whether you hide the jewels in that cave, people will find
them

PLAY 네가 건축가가 되어도 손으로 건물을 짓지 않을 거야

= Regardless of if you become an architect, you won’t be building buildings
with your hands

PLAY 그랑 일대일로 면담하려고 해 봐도 그는 말을 안 할 거예요

= Regardless of if you try to talk with him (face to face) he won’t say
anything

PLAY 그 제품을 반값으로 줘도 저는 안 살 거예요

= Regardless of if you give me that product at half price, I’m not going to
buy it

PLAY 모두 호수에서 수영해도 저는 안 들어가요

= Regardless of if everyone goes swimming in the lake, I am not going in
PLAY 어미를 찾아도 이미 고양이 새끼가 다 죽었어요
= Regardless of if you find the mother, the baby cats (kittens) all died

PLAY 달콤한 치킨을 안 좋아해도 이것을 한번 먹어 봐야 돼요

= Regardless of if you don’t like sweet chicken, you have to try this

PLAY 그 정원이 아름다워도 내일 그 장소에서 건물을 지을 거예요

= Regardless of if that garden is beautiful, tomorrow we will construct a
building on that location

The fact that the first clause of this sentence is a supposition (i.e. is
uncertain to occur) allows question words to be used in these types of
sentences. For example:

PLAY 네가 어디 가도 나는 가고 싶지 않아 = Regardless of where you are

going, I don’t want to go

Notice the difference in sentences with ~지만 in these cases. Remember,

when using ~지만 the first clause is already some accepted/known fact.
This means that a question word cannot be used in these types of
sentences. Notice how the following is unnatural:

네가 어디 가지만 나는 가고 싶지 않아

Here are other examples of other question words being used with ~아/어도:

PLAY 우리 엄마가 무엇을 사도 산 다음 날에 항상 교환해요

= Regardless of what my mother buys, she always exchanges it the day
after buying it

PLAY 이 제품을 언제 구입해도 그 가격을 내야 돼요

= Regardless of when you purchase this product, you have to pay that price

PLAY 공연을 언제 해도 사람들이 안 올 거예요

= Regardless of when you do the performance, people won’t come

The word 아무리 usually replaces 얼마나 in these types of sentences that
describe “how much” something is done. For example:
PLAY 네가 나를 아무리 사랑해도 우리는 헤어져야 돼
= Regardless of how much you love me, we need to break up

PLAY 애기를 안으려고 아무리 노력해도 애기가 나를 안고 싶지 않은 것

같이 보여요
= Regardless of how much I try to hug the baby, it looks like the baby
doesn’t want to hug me

——————————-

~아/어도 can also be attached to adjectives as well. For example:

PLAY 여자들이 예뻐도 똑똑하지 않으면 매력이 없어요

= Regardless of how pretty girls are, if they are not smart, they have no
charm

PLAY 강가가 멀어도 우리는 거기 내일 가야 돼요

= Regardless of if the (area around) the river is far, we have to go there
tomorrow

PLAY 그 일이 급해도 저는 오늘 그것을 할 수 없어요

= Regardless of if that task is urgent, I can’t do it today

~아/어도 can also be attached to 이다. When added to 이다, it follows the
same pattern that we saw when adding ~아/어서 to 이다 in Lesson 37. ~아/
어도 can be attached directly to the stem of 이다, for example:

남자이어도
사람이어도

Or, the “~어” can be changed to “~라.” For example:

남자이라도
사람이라도

If the noun ends in a vowel, “이” can merge with the addition. For example:
남자여도 (Notice that 이 and 어 merge to 여)
남자라도 (Notice that 이 and 라 merge to 라)

PLAY 그 남자가 마법사라도 그 문을 열 수 없을 거예요

= Regardless of if that man is a magician, he is not going to be able to open
that door

PLAY 그 사람이 네 엄마여도 나는 그녀와 말을 안 할 거야

= Regardless of if that person is your mother, I’m not going to talk to her

PLAY 그 일을 하는 사람이 누구라도 창피할 거예요

= Regardless of who does that job, they will be embarrassed

아무리

The word ‘아무리’ has two usages. Earlier in the lesson, you learned that it
can replace 얼마나 in sentences with ~아/어도.

It is also a word that is put in sentences to allow the listener to expect what
the speaker will say and provide feeling. In Lesson 43, you learned that 만약
is used in sentences where there is a supposition or assumption being
made. Where 만약 is often used in sentences with ~(으)면, 아무리 is often
used in sentences with ~아/어도. In this usage, 아무리 is used in sentences
for feeling to let the listener/reader know that ~아/어도 is coming later in
the sentence. For example:

PLAY 아무리 그 제품을 반값으로 줘도 저는 안 살 거예요

= Regardless of if you give me that product at half price, I’m not going to
buy it

 
 그래도

In Lesson 23, you learned that the meaning of the word ‘그렇다’ is close to
the meaning of ‘like that.’ By adding ~아/어도 to 그렇다 you can create “
그래도.”

When some situation is being talked about, you can use “그래도” to say
“Regardless of if (that situation) occurs…”. The common translation of
그래도 is simply “regardless” or “it doesn’t matter.” For example:

Person 1: PLAY 같이 가자! 사람이 많을 거야! = Let’s go together! There will

be so many people
Person 2: PLAY 그래도 가기 싫어요 = Regardless. I’m not going.

Person 1: PLAY 선생님! 배가 좀 아파요! = Teacher! My stomach is a little

sore
Person 2: PLAY 그래도 수업에 와야 돼 = Regardless, you have to come to
class

That’s it!

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. You might not be able to understand all of the grammar within the
example sentences, but any grammar you can’t understand will eventually
be introduced in later lessons. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel
for how each word can be used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the
grammar that you will be learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 감독관 = supervisor, proctor

PLAY 심장 = heart

PLAY 수염 = facial hair

PLAY 명예 = honor

PLAY 당구 = billiards

PLAY 얼룩말 = zebra

PLAY 탁구 = table tennis

PLAY 시합 = game, match, competition

PLAY 인문 = humanities, liberal arts

PLAY 자격 = qualification

PLAY 자격증 = certificate (something showing qualification)

PLAY 기억력 = memory

PLAY 먹이 = prey, food

PLAY 교도소 = prison

PLAY 죄 = crime

PLAY 죄수 = prisoner

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 파악하다 = to understand, to grasp, to figure out

CONJUGATE PLAY 살아나다 = to revive

CONJUGATE PLAY 동반하다 = to accompany

CONJUGATE PLAY 회복하다 = to restore, to recover

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 편리하다 = to be convenient, to be handy
CONJUGATE PLAY 불쾌하다 = to be unpleasant, to be nasty

CONJUGATE PLAY 단단하다 = to be hard, to be stiff

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will build on your understanding of ~아/어도 to make

sentences using 되다. Using these concepts, you will be able to indicate that
here is no problem if something is or is not done. Let’s get started.

Another meaning of 되다

In previous lessons, you learned some uses of the word “되다.” For
example in Lesson 9 you learned that it can be used as a stand-alone verb
which means “to become:”

PLAY 저는 선생님이 되고 싶어요 = I want to be/become a teacher

In Lesson 14, you learned about its function in passive sentences. For
example:

PLAY 세금은 값에 포함된다 = The tax is included in the price

Another usage of “되다” is to indicate that there is “no problem” with

something. Common translations for this can be “for something to be going
well” or “for something to be working (well).” You can typically place “되다”
after a noun to indicate that there is no problem with that noun. The word
“잘” is often included in these sentences as its nature to mean “well:” For
example:

PLAY 사업이 잘 되고 있어요? = Is your business going well?

PLAY 일이 잘 돼요? = Is your work going well?
PLAY 여기서 Wi-Fi 가 잘 돼요 = The Wi-Fi here works well
PLAY 심장수술이 잘 됐어요? = Did the heart surgery go well?
PLAY 문제 해결이 잘 됐어요? = Did the problem get solved okay?

This same usage is often used to say that something has “finished” doing
whatever it should be doing, for example

PLAY 밥이 됐어요? = Is the rice ready?/Has the rice finished cooking?

You can also use 되다 to tell somebody to stop giving you something. For
example, if somebody is filling up a glass of water for you, and you want to
say “Okay! That’s enough!” you can just say “됐어(요)!”

If you wanted to say the opposite – that is – that something is not going

well, not working or is not finished, you should use the word 안 (even
though the usual opposite of “잘” is “못”). “잘” can also be included in these
sentences along with “안”  (just like how “잘” can be used alongside “못”).
For example:

PLAY 밥이 아직은 안 됐어요 = The rice still isn’t ready

PLAY 여기서 Wi-Fi 가 (잘) 안 돼요 = The Wi-Fi doesn’t work (well) here
PLAY 컴퓨터가 안 돼요 = The computer isn’t working
PLAY 로그인이 안 돼요 = The log-in isn’t working (I can’t log in)

Person 1: PLAY 축구 경기를 내일 보러 갈래요? = Shall we go to see a soccer

game tomorrow?
Person 2: PLAY 저는 가고 싶지만 내일은 안 돼요 = I want to go, but I can’t
go tomorrow (tomorrow doesn’t work for me)

I want to talk about this usage of 되다 and how it can be applied in

sentences with ~아/어도.

To be allowed to do: ~아/어도 되다

In the previous section, you learned how 되다 can be used to indicate that
there is “no problem” with something.

In the previous lesson, you learned how to attach ~아/어도 to the stem of a

clause to create the meaning of “regardless of…” For example:

네가 일찍 가도 … = Regardless of if you leave early…

되다 (in the usage described in this lesson) is commonly used after ~아/
어도 to indicate that there is no problem with the action being done. For
example:

PLAY 네가 일찍 가도 돼 = Regardless of if you leave early, there is no

problem

This typically translates to “one may” or “one is allowed to.” For example:

PLAY 네가 일찍 가도 돼 = “You may go early,” or “You are allowed to go

early”

Below are many examples:

PLAY 아무거나 해도 돼요 = You can do whatever you want

PLAY 지금 문을 열어도 돼요 = You may open the door now
PLAY 제일 편리한 것을 선택해도 돼요 = You may choose the most
convenient one
PLAY 여기 있어도 돼요 = You are allowed to be here
PLAY 당구를 여기서 쳐도 돼요 = You are allowed to play pool here
PLAY 이 직장에서 수염을 길러도 돼요 = You are allowed to have a beard at
this job
PLAY 내일 시합에서 명예를 회복해도 돼요 = You can regain your honor
during tomorrow’s game
PLAY 고기에 그 단단한 부분을 먹어도 돼요 = You can/may even eat that
hard/stiff part of the meat
PLAY 학생들이 들어가도 되지만 부모를 동반해야 돼요 = Students may
enter, but they must be accompanied by a parent
PLAY 문제를 이해하지 못하면 감독관에게 물어봐도 돼요 = You may ask the
supervisor/proctor if you don’t understand the question
These types of sentences can also be used to ask questions. Here, the
speaker is asking if there is any “problem” with an action occurring. For
example:

PLAY 제가 일찍 가도 돼요? = Regardless of if I go early, is there any

problem?

These types of questions typically translation to “May…?” or “Is it alright if…”

For example:

PLAY 제가 일찍 가도 돼요? = May I go early?

Below are many examples:

PLAY 밥을 많이 먹어도 돼요? = May I eat a lot?

PLAY 화장실에 가도 돼요? = May I go to the bathroom?
PLAY 얼룩말에게 먹이를 줘도 돼요? = May I give feed to the zebras?
PLAY 우리가 탁구를 해도 돼요? = May we play table tennis?
PLAY 죄수를 보러 교도소에 들어가도 돼요? = May we go into the prison to
see the prisoners?

PLAY 옆에 있는 사람이 하는 말이 아주 불쾌해서 다른 자리로 가도 돼요?

= What the person beside me is saying is unpleasant, so may I go to another
seat?

PLAY 선생님! 이 문제를 파악할 수 없어요. 나중에 선생님의 교무실에 가도

돼요?
= Teacher! I can’t grasp/understand this problem. May I go to your office
later?

The final clause of all of these example sentences has been in the present
tense. It is possible to conjugate 되다 to the past or future tenses to indicate
that there would have been no problem if an action had been done, or will
be done in the future. For example:

PLAY 그때 나가도 되었어요 = It would have been okay if you left at that
time
PLAY 문을 열어도 되었어요 = It would have been okay if you opened the
door
PLAY 그때 나가도 될 거예요 = It will be okay if you leave at that time
PLAY 문을 열어도 될 거예요 = It will be okay if you open the door

One doesn’t have to: 안 ~아/어도 되다

In the previous section, you learned how to indicate that there will be “no
problem” if some action was completed. In order to indicate that there will
be “no problem” if some action doesn’t occur, you can conjugate the verb
before ~아/어도 negatively using 안 or ~지 않다. For example:

PLAY 네가 빨리 안 가도 돼 = Regardless of if you don’t leave quickly/early,

there is no problem

This typically translates to “it is okay if one does not” or “one doesn’t have
to.” For example:

PLAY 네가 빨리 안 가도 돼 = You don’t have to go quickly/early

Below are many examples:

PLAY 내일까지 다 안 해도 돼요 = You don’t need to do it all by tomorrow

PLAY 저는 밥을 벌써 먹어서 다시 안 먹어도 돼요 = I don’t need to eat
because I already did
PLAY 여기에 사인을 안 해도 돼요 = You don’t need to sign here
PLAY 이 음식에 소금을 안 넣어도 돼요 = You don’t need to put salt on this
food
PLAY 그런 것을 걱정 안 해도 돼요 = You don’t need to worry about that
kind of thing

PLAY 그 시험을 합격하기 위해 공부를 안 해도 돼요

= In order to pass that test, I don’t need to study

PLAY 이 학교가 과학 고등학교라서 인문학을 공부하지 않아도 돼요

= You don’t need to study the humanities at this school because it is a
science high school
PLAY 그 나라에서 선생님이 되고 싶으면 특별한 자격이 있지 않아도 돼요
= If you want to become a teacher in that country, you don’t need any
special qualification

PLAY 핸드폰에 연락처 기능이 있어서 요즘에 사람들은 기억력이 좋지

않아도 돼요
= Cell phones have contact functions in them so these days people don’t
need to have a good memory

You could also generally see this form as the opposite of ~아/어야 하다,
which you learned in Lesson 46. Notice the opposite meanings that these
sentences have:

PLAY 그 시험을 합격하기 위해 공부를 안 해도 돼요 = In order to pass that

test, I don’t need to study
PLAY 그 시험을 합격하기 위해 공부를 해야 돼요 = In order to pass that test,
I need to study

This form can be used to ask questions as well. For example:

PLAY 지금 밥을 안 먹어도 돼요? = You don’t need to eat (rice) now?

PLAY 내일까지 다 안 해도 돼요? = You don’t need to do it all by tomorrow?
PLAY 수염을 안 깎아도 돼요? = You don’t need to shave your beard?
PLAY 자격증을 안 보여줘도 돼요? = I don’t need to show you my
certification?

Using Words like 좋다 and 괜찮다

In all of the sentences in this lesson using ~아/어도 되다, the common
meaning applied to all sentences is “it is okay if…” or “there is no problem if.”
Instead of using 되다, other words that have a similar meaning can be used
as well. The two most common substitutes for 되다 in this usage are 좋다
and 괜찮다. For example:
PLAY 지금 문을 열어도 돼요 = You may open the door now
PLAY 지금 문을 열어도 좋아요 = You may open the door now
PLAY 지금 문을 열어도 괜찮아요 = You may open the door now

PLAY 밥을 많이 먹어도 돼요? = May I eat a lot?

PLAY 밥을 많이 먹어도 좋아요? = May I eat a lot?
PLAY 밥을 많이 먹어도 괜찮아요? = May I eat a lot?

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. You might not be able to understand all of the grammar within the
example sentences, but any grammar you can’t understand will eventually
be introduced in later lessons. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel
for how each word can be used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the
grammar that you will be learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 포도 = grape

PLAY 껍질 = the peel, skin, bark of a fruit, vegetable or plant

PLAY 복숭아 = peach

PLAY 참외 = oriental melon

PLAY 수능 = the Korean SAT

PLAY 참치 = tuna

PLAY 통조림 = can

PLAY 판사 = a judge

PLAY 변호사 = a lawyer

PLAY 권리 = a right

PLAY 채식주의자 = vegetarian

PLAY 증상 = symptom

PLAY 섬 = island

PLAY 규모 = scale, size

PLAY 소규모 = small scale

PLAY 대규모 = large scale

PLAY 눈앞 = in-front of one's eyes

Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 굽다 = to roast, grill

CONJUGATE PLAY 굽히다 = to bend one's body

CONJUGATE PLAY 구부리다 = to bend an object

CONJUGATE PLAY 방어하다 = to defend

CONJUGATE PLAY 그만두다 = to quit a job or task

CONJUGATE PLAY 벗기다 = to undress somebody, to peel a fruit/vegetable

Passive Verbs:
CONJUGATE PLAY 굽다 = to be curved/bent

Adjectives:
CONJUGATE PLAY 불쌍하다 = to be pitiful

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

 

Introduction

In the first few lessons of Unit 2, you learned how you can use ~는 것 to
describe a noun with a verb. Though we haven’t specifically talked about ~
는 것 in the past few lessons, there are still a few more related concepts
that you should know. In this lesson, you will learn three nouns (예정, 계획
and 준비) that are often described by a preceding verb/clause. Let’s get
started.

To be scheduled to… :~ㄹ/을 예정

You should remember the function of adding ~는 것 to verb stems from

previous lessons. If you forget the purpose of ~는 것, I highly suggest that
you review Lesson 26 and the lessons that follow. To review briefly, adding
~는 것 to a verb stem turns the verb into a word that can describe an
upcoming noun.

This can be done using ~ㄴ/은 것 to describe the noun in the past tense:
제가 먹은 것 = The thing I ate

Or using ~는 것 to describe the noun in the present tense:

제가 먹는 것 = The thing I eat

Or using ~ㄹ/을 것 to describe the noun in the future tense:

제가 먹을 것 = The thing I will eat

Other nouns can be used instead of “것” in these types of sentences. For
example:
제가 먹는 음식 = The food I eat

A common noun that is often described by the ~는 것 principle is “예정”

(meaning “schedule”). For example:
제가 할 예정
제가 먹을 예정
Notice that 예정 is being described using the future tense ~ㄹ/을

You should know that “제가 할 예정” and “제가 먹을 예정” are not
complete sentences, as they do not have a predicating verb or adjective at
the end of the sentence. In order to do this, we should add 이다 to 예정. For
example:

제가 할 예정이에요
제가 먹을 예정이에요

By doing this, you create the meaning of “One is scheduled to…” The
sentences above would translate to:

제가 할 예정이에요 = I am scheduled to do it
제가 먹을 예정이에요 = I am scheduled to eat

The two sentences above were used to present the grammar structure of
these types of sentences. However, they are a little unnatural simply
because there isn’t really any context or other information that indicates
what is “scheduled.” The examples below are more natural sounding
sentences using this grammatical structure:

PLAY 우리는 10 시에 만날 예정이에요 = We are scheduled to meet at 10:00

PLAY 수업이 4 시쯤에 시작될 예정이에요 = The class is scheduled to start
at about 4:00pm
PLAY 학생들이 수능을 다음 달에 볼 예정이에요 = The students are
scheduled to write 수능 next month

PLAY 비행기가 9 시에 출발할 예정이지만 눈이 많이 와서 못 출발할 것

같아요
= The plane is scheduled to depart at 9:00, but it probably won’t because it
is snowing a lot

PLAY 그 권리에 대해 얘기하려고 변호사가 판사를 내일 만날 예정이에요

= The lawyer is scheduled to meet the judge tomorrow to talk about that
right
 

To have plans to…: ~ㄹ/을 계획

By using a similar composition that was described in the previous section (~

ㄹ/을 예정이다), you can create the meaning of “I have plans to…” or “I am
planning to…” By replacing “것” with “계획” in the future tense conjugation
of ~는 것, you can create the following meanings::

먹을 계획 = plans to eat
공부할 계획 = plans to study
갈 계획 = plans to go

In English as well as in Korean, we say “I have plans to…” Therefore, in order

to finish these sentences, we should add “있다” to them. For example:

먹을 계획이 있다 = to have plans to eat

공부할 계획이 있다 = to have plans to study
갈 계획이 있다 = to have plans to go

This form can then be used in more complex sentences:

PLAY 참치를 잡으러 그 섬에 갈 계획이 있어요 = I have plans to go to that

island to catch tuna

PLAY 제품을 대규모로 안 팔아서 이 일을 그만둘 계획이 있어요

= They don’t sell their products on a large scale, so I am planning to quit this
job

PLAY 우리 사업규모를 내년에 늘릴 계획이 있어요

= We have plans to increase the scale of our business next year

PLAY 공원에 가서 삼겹살을 다 같이 구울 계획이 있어요

= We are planning to all go to the park and grilling 삼겹살 together
PLAY 제가 친구를 만날 계획이 있었지만 친구는 안 왔어요
= I had plans to meet my friend, but he didn’t come

PLAY 원래 대학교에 갈 계획이 있었지만 수능을 잘 못 봐서 대학교에 갈 수

없었어요
= I had plans to go to university, but I couldn’t get in because I did poorly on
the SAT test

To be ready… ㄹ/을 준비

Another noun that is commonly placed after the future ~는 것 conjugation is

“준비” (preparation, readiness, or the noun form of “to prepare”). The most
common ways you will see 준비 used like this are described below.

To be ready to…: ~ㄹ/을 준비(가) 됐다

In the previous lesson, you learned that one meaning of the word “되다” is
to indicate that something is “going well” or “working well.” For example:

일이 잘 돼요? = Is your work going well?

여기서 Wi-Fi 가 잘 돼요 = The Wi-Fi here works well

By describing “준비” with a preceding clause, you can refer to

the preparation of that clause. For example:

갈 준비 = the preparation of going

먹을 준비 = the preparation of eating
공부할 준비 = the preparation of studying
By using the word “되다” in these sentences, one can indicate whether this
preparation is “going well” or not. For example:

갈 준비가 됐다 = the preparation of going went well

먹을 준비가 됐다 = the preparation of eating went well
공부할 준비가 됐다 = the preparation of studying went well

I like the English translations above because they show how ~ㄹ/을 준비가
되다 takes on this particular meaning. However, the most common
translation for these types of sentences is “one is ready to.” For example:

갈 준비가 됐다 = to be ready to go
먹을 준비가 됐다 = to be ready to eat
공부할 준비가 됐다 = to be ready to study

Notice that 되다 is conjugated to the past tense to indicate that the

“preparation went well” which would also indicate that one “is ready.”

————————————————————————–

In theory you could see 준비가 되다 presented as the passive verb

준비되다, which would mean “to be prepared.” The sentences above could
be written/spoken as:

갈 준비됐다 = to be ready to go
먹을 준비됐다 = to be ready to eat
공부할 준비됐다 = to be ready to study

I tend to think that this use of “~ㄹ/을 준비되다” is incorrect because ~ㄹ/을
is not describing a noun and instead describing a verb which in theory it
cannot do. However, in speech (especially because the use of ~가 on 준비
can be omitted) these two different forms cannot be distinguished from
another. Therefore, it is common to also see this form.

————————————————————————–

We can see this construction used in more complicated sentences. For

example:
PLAY 저는 지금 갈 준비가 됐어요 = I am ready to go now
PLAY 저는 아무 때나 일을 시작할 준비가 됐어요 = I am ready to start
working any time
PLAY 그 병의 증상을 설명할 준비가 되었어요 = I am ready to explain the
symptoms of that disease
PLAY 우리는 소규모 장소에서 시작할 준비가 됐어요 = We are ready to
start in a small (scale) location

You can indicate that one is not ready by adding a negative conjugation. For
example:

PLAY 저는 아직 결혼할 준비가 되지 않았어요 = I’m still not ready to get

married
PLAY 저는 5 분 후에 갈 예정이었지만 아직 갈 준비가 안 됐다 = I was
scheduled to go in 5 minutes, but I’m not ready yet
PLAY 우리는 아직 대규모 공장에서 할 준비가 안 되었어요 = We aren’t
ready to do it in a large (scale) factory yet
PLAY 구부러져 있는 길에서 아직 운전할 준비가 안 됐어요 = I’m not ready
to drive on a curved street yet
PLAY 그런 불쌍한 애기들을 눈앞에 아직 볼 준비가 안 됐어요 = I’m not
ready to see those pitiful/sad babies in-front of my eyes yet

These types of sentences are commonly used in the form of a question to

ask if somebody is (or is not) ready. For example:

PLAY 파티에 갈 준비가 됐어요? = Are you ready to go to the party?

PLAY 비행기가 아직 출발할 준비가 안 됐습니까? = Is the plane not yet
ready to go?
PLAY 참외껍질을 벗길 준비가 됐어요? = Are you ready to cut the skin off of
the melon?
PLAY 우리 나라를 방어할 준비가 됐습니까? = Are you ready to defend our
country?
PLAY1 년 동안 채식주의자가 될 준비가 되었어요? = Are you ready to be a
vegetarian for a year?
PLAY 몸을 뒤로 굽히고 스트레칭을 할 준비가 되었어요? = Are you ready to
bend (your body) over and stretch?

 
 

Using the imperative voice to tell somebody to get ready: ~ㄹ/을 준비(를) 

하세요
In Lesson 40 you learned how to make commands using the imperative
voice. For example:

PLAY 빨리 올라와 = Come up quick

PLAY 빨리 올라와요 = Come up quick
PLAY 빨리 올라오셔요 = Come up quick

You can attach any of these imperative endings to 준비하다 to make a

command telling somebody to “get ready.” For example:

PLAY 밥을 준비하세요! = Get the food ready/prepare the food!

PLAY 모든 것을 준비하세요! = Get everything ready/prepare everything

In order to tell somebody to get ready to do something, you should use the
~는 것 principle. To do this, you can describe the noun “준비” with a
preceding clause connected to the future ~ㄹ/을 addition. For example:

갈 준비 = the preparation of “going”

먹을 준비 = the preparation of “eating”
공부할 준비 = the preparation of “studying”

After this, the object particle ~를 can be attached to 준비 and 하다 can be

used with an imperative conjugation to tell somebody to “do that”
preparation. The common translation of this in English is “get ready to….” For
example:

PLAY 갈 준비를 하세요 = Get ready to go

PLAY 먹을 준비를 하세요 = Get ready to eat
PLAY 공부할 준비를 하세요 = Get ready to study

————————————————————

Just like with the sentences earlier with 준비가 되다, you can also see the
sentences above presented as
PLAY 갈 준비하세요 = Get ready to go
PLAY 먹을 준비하세요 = Get ready to eat
PLAY 공부할 준비하세요 = Get ready to study

I tend to think that this use of “~ㄹ/을 준비하다” is incorrect because ~ㄹ/을
is not describing a noun and instead describing a verb which in theory it
cannot do. However, in speech (especially because the use of ~를 on 준비
can be omitted) these two different forms cannot be distinguished from
another. Therefore, it is common to also see this form.

————————————————————

Below are more examples:

PLAY 몸을 굽힐 준비를 하세요 = Get ready to bend your body

PLAY 수능을 볼 준비를 하세요 = Get ready to write the 수능 test
PLAY 일을 곧 그만둘 준비를 하세요 = Get ready to quit your job soon
PLAY 증상이 계속 나타나면 병원에 올 준비를 하세요 = Get ready to come
to the hospital if symptoms persist

————————————————————

I have had a few readers contact me to ask why the particle ~를 is used in
the sentences above but ~가 is used in the sentences introduced earlier in
the lessons (for example, in “PLAY 저는 지금 갈 준비가 됐어요”). I feel like
this is almost too obvious to talk about, but more than one person has
asked me, so I want to provide an answer in case other learners have the
same problem.

The use of ~를 or ~가 in these cases is due to the nature of the verb that
predicates the sentence. In the sentences above, ~를 is used because 하다
is an active verb and can act on objects with ~를/을. However, 되다 is a
passive verb and cannot act on objects – and thus a sentence predicated by
되다 cannot have an object with ~를/을 attached. It is the same reason why
the following sentences use ~를/을 and ~이/가 respectively:

PLAY 밥을 준비했어요 = I prepared rice

PLAY 밥이 준비되었어요 = The rice was prepared
If you are unsure about passive verbs, I suggest that you read Lesson 14.

————————————————————

That’s it for Unit 2! If you feel comfortable with everything you learned in
Unit 2, why not try moving on to Unit 3!
Not feeling so comfortable, why don’t you review everything that we
covered in Unit 2.

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each word can be
used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that you will be
learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 억양 = accent

PLAY 빚 = debt

PLAY 빗 = comb

PLAY 솔 = brush

PLAY 치약 = toothpaste

PLAY 칫솔 = toothbrush

PLAY 화학 = chemistry

PLAY 철학 = philosophy

PLAY 가죽 = leather, animal skin

PLAY 악어 = alligator, crocodile

PLAY 발명품 = invention

PLAY 스타일 = style

PLAY 향수 = perfume

PLAY 코 = nose

PLAY 콧구멍 = nostril

PLAY 양파 = onion

PLAY 양말 = socks

PLAY 틈 = crack

PLAY 시설 = facilities

PLAY 개수 = the number of things

PLAY 명수 = the number of people

PLAY 대화 = conversation

Verbs:
PLAY 빗다 = to comb ones hair

PLAY 비교하다 = to compare

PLAY 발명하다 = to invent

PLAY 끓이다 = to boil

PLAY 솔질하다 = to brush

PLAY 진학하다 = to enter a school

PLAY 세다 = to count

PLAY 사과하다 = to apologize

PLAY 뿌리다 = to sprinkle

Passive Verbs:
PLAY 끓다 = to be boiling

Adjectives:
PLAY 끝없다 = to be endless

PLAY 미묘하다 = to be subtle

PLAY 불행하다 = to be unhappy

PLAY 밉다 = for somebody to piss you off

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

There are 625 vocabulary entries in Unit 3. All entries are linked to an audio
file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.

Introduction

At the very beginning of Unit 2, you learned about the ~는 것 principle over
the course of many lessons. In these lessons, you learned how to change
verbs, adjectives and entire clauses into nouns by adding ~는 것, ~기 or ~ㅁ
/음. In this lesson, you will learn another practical application of ~기 in
Korean sentences by using ~기도 하고 ~기도 하다. Let’s get started.

 
 Adding ~도 to a Clause: ~기도 하다

Way back in Lesson 4, you learned how to attach ~도 to nouns to add the
meaning of “as well” or “too” to the noun it is attached to. For example:

PLAY 저는 화학도 가르쳐요 = I teach chemistry too (in addition to other

subjects)
PLAY 저도 화학을 가르쳐요 = I teach chemistry too (in addition to other
people that also teach chemistry)

Adding ~도 to a simple noun like this is very easy, and I am sure you are
comfortable doing it by now. It is also possible to add ~도 to other parts of
speech, including verbs and adjectives that have been changed to their
respective noun forms.

To see a long list of other ways ~도 can be used, you might want to also
check out Lesson 107.

In Lesson 29, you learned that you can attach ~기 to verbs or adjectives. In
Lesson 29, you saw some common and specific ways that ~기 can be used
in Korean. For example:

It is often used to say that one doesn’t like, or doesn’t want to do

something:
PLAY 저는 아빠에게 사과하기 싫어요 = I don’t want to apologize to dad

It is often used to say that one starts an action:

PLAY 우리 회사가 내일부터 모든 시설을 대체하기 시작할 거예요
= Our company will start replacing all of the facilities from tomorrow

We can apply the meaning of ~도 to verbs or adjectives that have been

changed to their respective noun-forms using ~기. Let’s look at how we can
do this.

Look at the following sentences/clauses:

그녀가 예쁘다 = She is pretty

내가 밥을 먹는다 = I eat
We can turn those clauses into nouns by attaching ~기 to the predicating
adjective or verb:

그녀가 예쁘기
내가 밥을 먹기

By attaching ~도 to ~기, you are indicating that the clause also occurs in
addition to some other clause. For example:

그녀가 예쁘기도…
내가 밥을 먹기도…

Those constructions are not sentences yet – they’re technically just a clause
in noun-form. In order to turn them into actual sentences, 하다 is typically
used as a predicating verb. For example:

PLAY 그녀가 예쁘기도 해요 = She is pretty too

PLAY 내가 밥을 먹기도 했어 = I ate too

Make sure that you are aware of the function and meaning of ~도 – and the
meaning that it can create depending on the noun it is attached to.
Remember that only the noun that ~도 is attached to is the noun that carries
the meaning. Look at these examples:

PLAY 그녀도 예뻐요 = She too is pretty

(In the sense that other people are pretty, but she is too)

PLAY 그녀가 예쁘기도 해요 = She is pretty too

(In the sense that she may also have other qualities or characteristics, but
she is pretty too)

——————————–

PLAY 나도 밥을 먹었어 = I too ate rice

(In the sense that other people ate rice, but I did too)

PLAY 내가 밥도 먹었어 = I ate rice too

(In the sense that I ate other things, but I also ate rice)
PLAY 내가 밥을 먹기도 했어 = I ate rice too
(In the sense that I did other things, but I also ate rice)

——————————–

Let’s look at the two sentences that we have created so far:

PLAY 그녀가 예쁘기도 해요 = She is pretty too

PLAY 내가 밥을 먹기도 했어 = I ate rice too

These two are perfect sentences, but would probably not be said on their
own with no prior context. In order for these sentences to be appropriate,
they would usually have to be prefaced (by you, or by somebody else) with
some other action or description.

This is the same in English. You would never just walk into a room and
randomly say:

“She is pretty too”

In order for this clause to be appropriate, somebody would have had to be

talking about her other traits. For example:

Person 1: PLAY 그녀가 매우 똑똑하고 친절해요 = She is very smart and kind
Person 2: PLAY 네, 그녀가 예쁘기도 해요 = Yeah, she is pretty too

Here are some other examples. Notice that I am providing examples in the
form of a (short) dialogue so you can see that these types of sentences need
some kind of underlying context:

Person 1: PLAY 우리 학교에서 많은 학생들이 대학교에 진학해요

= Many students from our school enter university
Person 2: PLAY 그리고 몇몇 학생들은 바로 일자리를 구하기도 해요
= And/also, some students get jobs right away

Person 1: PLAY 그 사람은 직업이 없어서 돈이 전혀 없어요

= Because that person doesn’t have a job, he doesn’t have any money
Person 2: PLAY 그리고 빚이 많기도 해요
= And/also, he has a lot of debt
Person 1: PLAY 그 남자가 악어가죽신발을 신고 있어서 못생겨 보이지
않아요?
= That person is wearing alligator skin (leather) shoes, so doesn’t he look
ugly?
Person 2: PLAY 네, 머리스타일이 이상하기도 해요
= Yeah, and his hair style is weird too

In these examples, we see that some prior context is needed to make these
sentences appropriate. It is also possible for one person to talk about
multiple actions or descriptions, which would eliminate the need for prior
context when using ~기도 하다. I will talk about this in the next section.

Stressing Two Actions or Descriptions: ~기도 하고 ~기도 하다

If you wanted to create a sentence with ~기도 without having to preface it

with prior context, you could talk about two things in one sentence. In order
for this to be done, ~기도 하다 is sometimes used twice in the same
sentence. Let’s look at how this can be created.

If I wanted, I could simply say:

PLAY 그녀가 예쁘고 똑똑해요, which would translate to “She is pretty and
smart.”

The speaker could also stress that “she is pretty, and smart too” by
attaching ~기도 하다 to both 예쁘다 and 똑똑하다. The two clauses can be
separated by ~고. For example:

PLAY 그녀가 예쁘기도 하고 똑똑하기도 해요 = She is pretty, and smart too

As an English speaker, you would look at the Korean sentence and think that
the extra ~기도 is unnecessary. In English, we would not say “She is
pretty too, and smart too.” However, in Korean, this is a common way to
make these types of sentences.
It might be good for you if we compare these types of sentences with a
more simple sentence. I’d like to discuss the following two sentences.

PLAY 제가 치약과 칫솔을 샀어요 = I bought toothpaste and a toothbrush

PLAY 제가 치약을 사기도 하고 칫솔을 사기도 했어요 = I bought toothpaste
and a toothbrush too

The idea of both of those sentences is the same. In both examples, the end
result is that the speaker bought toothpaste and a toothbrush. In most
cases, ~기도 하고… ~기도 하다 is used to emphasize that both actions (or
descriptions) happened. Therefore, although both sentences above would
be correct, I can’t really imagine that the second example would be very
common. Only in cases where the speaker wanted to specifically
emphasize that the action of “buying toothpaste” and “buying a toothbrush”
occurred. For example, maybe if somebody asked “Did you go to the store
and only buy a toothbrush?”

Here are some more examples:

PLAY 양파를 썰기도 하고 물을 끓이기도 했어요

= I chopped onions and boiled water too

PLAY 끝없이 일을 하면 제가 불행하기도하고 힘들기도 해요

= When I do work endlessly, I am unhappy and (feel) difficult

PLAY 아르키메데스는 철학을 가르치기도 하고 중요한 발명품을

발명하기도 했어요
= Archimedes taught philosophy and also invented important inventions too

PLAY 유럽 사람들이 쓰는 영어 억양의 개수를 세기도 하고 비교하기도

했어요
= I counted as well as compared the number of English accents used by
European people

PLAY 두 식당의 음식을 비교했지만 맛의 차이가 미묘하기도 하고 가격이

비슷하기도 했어요
= I compared the food of the two restaurants, but the difference in taste
was subtle and the price is was similar too
It’s also possible to conjugate the first 하다 (but not the word immediately
before ~기) to match the tense of the final 하다. For example:

PLAY 양파를 썰기도 했고 물을 끓이기도 했어요 = I chopped onions and

boiled water too

PLAY 유럽 사람들이 쓰는 영어 억양의 개수를 세기도 했고 비교하기도

했어요 = I counted as well as compared the number of English accents used
by European people

I’ve discussed the conjugation of this first 하다 (comparing it to a non-

conjugated 하다) with many Korean people. I’ve never had a Korean
person be able to distinguish these for me. Even when I’ve asked a Korean
person to describe any difference in feeling between the two, I’ve always
been told that they are identical.

———————————

Depending on the situation, sentences with ~기도 하고… ~기도 하다 can be

used to indicate that “sometimes one action is done,
and sometimes another action is done.” For example, if we look at the
following sentence:

PLAY 제가 피자를 먹을 때 콜라랑 먹기도 하고 물이랑 먹기도 해요

= When I eat pizza, sometimes I eat it with cola, and sometimes I eat it with
water

In this sentence, the speaker is probably not saying that he/she eats pizza
with both cola and water, but rather sometimes one option is done, and
sometimes the other option is done.

I always try to make distinctions between usages to make it easier for a

learner to grasp. Originally, I tried distinguishing this usage with the usage I
discussed previously (where ~기도 하고 ~기도 하다 stresses that both
options occur). However, I feel that their usages cannot be distinguished,
and the difference in meaning/feeling can only be done through context.
For example, if we look at this sentence that I showed you earlier:

PLAY 양파를 썰기도 하고 물을 끓이기도 했어요

I was discussing this sentence with my wife, and I incorrectly assumed that
this sentence would only be able to mean that the speaker “chopped
onions and boiled water too.” I incorrectly assumed that this sentence
would never be able to mean “sometimes I chop onions and sometimes I
boil water.” I thought to myself “when would anybody ever need to express
this?” My wife immediately came up with an example, saying “maybe you
were working at a restaurant, and somebody asks if you only poured drinks
– at which point you could say ‘no, I sometimes cut onions and sometimes
boiled water.’”

Therefore, I prefer to not separate these two meanings and consider them

all a part of the same usage. As always in Korean, context can help you
distinguish between subtle differences in meaning. You can see this same
ambiguity in an English sentence as well. For example, if I said the following:

“When we used to meet, we used to watch movies and have dinner too”

In this sentence, is the speaker indicating that he had dinner and watched a
movie on the same date? Or is he indicating that sometimes he had dinner,
and sometimes he watched a movie? This is similar to the ambiguity that
we are creating in our Korean sentences. Context, however, can clear up
any ambiguity.

Here are some other examples that I have translated to have the
“sometimes I… and sometimes I…” meaning:

PLAY 저는 그 친구를 좋아하기도 하고 싫어하기도 해요

= I like that friend sometimes, and I hate him sometimes too

PLAY 저는 아침에 차를 마시기도 하고 커피를 마시기도 해요

= Sometimes I drink tea in the morning, and sometimes I drink coffee

PLAY 제가 나갈 때 가끔 향수를 뿌리기도 하고 가끔 안 뿌리기도 해요

= When I go out, sometimes I put on (spray) perfume, sometimes I don’t

PLAY 남편을 많이 사랑하지만 가끔 밉기도 하고 귀찮기도 해요

= I love my husband a lot, but sometimes he pisses me off, and sometimes
he is annoying

PLAY 저는 화요일에 테니스를 치기도 하고 배드민턴을 하기도 해요

= On Tuesdays, sometimes I play tennis, and sometimes I play badminton
PLAY 우리가 만났을 때 밥을 같이 먹기도 했고 영화를 보기도 했어요
= When we met (used to meet), sometimes we would eat together, and
sometimes we would watch a movie (together)

That’s it!

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each word can be
used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that you will be
learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 식신 = somebody who eats a lot

PLAY 길이 = length

PLAY 밧줄 = rope

PLAY 주인공 = main character, hero

PLAY 소설가 = novelist

PLAY 자동차 = automobile, vehicle

PLAY 시식 = samples that supermarkets give out for tasting

PLAY 입력 = input

PLAY 출력 = output

PLAY 현금인출기 = ATM

PLAY 시위자 = protester
PLAY 불만 = complaint, dissatisfaction

PLAY 정각 = on the hour

Verbs:
PLAY 돌아서다 = to turn around

PLAY 늘이다 = to make longer

PLAY 가리키다 = to point, to indicate

PLAY 상상하다 = to imagine

PLAY 심다 = to plant

PLAY 위로하다 = to console

Adjectives:
PLAY 조그맣다 = to be tiny, to be little

PLAY 월등하다 = to be exceptional

PLAY 불만족스럽다 = to be dissatisfied

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 몹시 = heavily/badly/really bad

PLAY 점차 = gradually/slowly

PLAY 지금껏 = until now

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

There are 625 vocabulary entries in Unit 3. All entries are linked to an audio
file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.

 
 Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn something that hasn’t been presented at all up
to this point. Here, you will learn how to quote people (including yourself)
when making sentences. After learning this, you will understand how
important it is to know how to quote people in speech, as you will realize
how often it comes up. Anyways, here we go, let’s learn how to quote.

Quoting with Verbs: ~ㄴ/는다고

Quoting in Korean is counter-intuitive for an English speaker. With some

Korean knowledge most people would assume that quoting would be done
using the ~는 것 principle. For example, if I were going to say:

I know that he likes you

I could use the ~는 것 principle to create this sentence in Korean:

나는 그가 너를 좋아하는 것을 알아 = I know that he likes you

If I changed the word 알다 (to know) to 말하다 (to say), you would think
that I could write this:

나는 그가 너를 좋아하는 것을 말했어

However, this is not how quoting is done in Korean. The ordering of quoted
sentences is still the same as ~는 것 sentences, but ~는 것 is not used. So,
let’s take out ~는 것 in that sentence:

나는 그가 너를 좋아하?????? 말했어

In quoted sentences, the actual “quoted” part gets conjugated into the plain
(or “diary”) form. If you are unfamiliar with the plain form, I suggest you
read Lesson 5. Let’s look at a quick table showing the plain form for three
common verbs:
 Past Tense Present Tense Futur

하다 (to do) 했다 한다 하겠다

가다 (to go) 갔다 간다 가겠다

먹다 (to eat) 먹었다 먹는다 먹겠다

You actually conjugate the “quoted” part of a sentence as if it were its own
sentence into this form. After the sentence is conjugated to the plain form,
you must place “고” at the end of it. For example:

한다고
간다고
먹는다고

Let’s look at the example we were looking at before. Instead of writing this:

나는 그가 너를 좋아하는 것을 말했어

We should write:

PLAY 나는 그가 너를 좋아한다고 말했어 = I said that he likes you

Notice that 좋아하다 in the quoted portion of the sentence is conjugated to

the present tense. This is because the sentence I created was “I said that
he likes you.” In other situations, the quoted part of the sentence could be
conjugated to the past and future tenses. If we wanted, we could also write:

PLAY 나는 그가 너를 좋아했다고 말했어 = I said that he liked you

PLAY 나는 그가 너를 좋아하겠다고 말했어 = I said that he will like you
You can also change the conjugation of the final verb (in these cases “
말하다”) to indicate when the quote is said. For example:

PLAY 나는 그가 너를 좋아한다고 말하고 있어 = I am saying (telling you) that

he likes you
PLAY 나는 그가 너를 좋아한다고 말할 거야 = I will say that he likes you

If you want to indicate to whom this quote is said to, you can attach ~에게/
한테/께 to the person being spoken to. For example:

PLAY 나는 엄마에게 그가 너를 좋아한다고 말할 거야 = I will tell mom that

he likes you

Let’s look at another example with the different conjugations of the quoted
verb:

PLAY 선생님은 학생들이 늦게 도착했다고 말했다 = The teacher said that

the students arrived late
PLAY 선생님은 학생들이 늦게 도착한다고 말했다 = The teacher said that
the students arrive late
PLAY 선생님은 학생들이 늦게 도착하겠다고 말했다 = The teacher said that
the students will arrive late

Below are many examples of this quoted ending being used with verbs:

PLAY 저는 밥을 안 먹었다고 말했어요 = I said that I didn’t eat (rice)

PLAY 나는 너에게 같이 가야 한다고 했어 = I said (to you) that we have to
go together
PLAY 출력이 아직 안 된다고 말했어요 = I said that the output still doesn’t
work
PLAY 나는 아빠에게 집에 안 가겠다고 말할 거야 = I’m going to tell my dad
that I won’t go home
PLAY 나는 선생님에게 열심히 공부했다고 말했어 = I told the teacher that I
studied hard
PLAY 저는 오늘 1 시 정각에 도착하겠다고 말했어요 = I said that I would
arrive at 1:00 on the hour
PLAY 이 길에 큰 자동차가 운전하면 안 된다고 말했어요
= I said that big vehicles are not allowed to drive on this road

PLAY 저는 그 밧줄의 길이를 늘여야 된다고 이미 말했어요

= I already said that we need to make the length of that rope longer

PLAY 현금인출기에서 현금을 뽑으러 은행에 가야 된다고 말할 거예요

= I’m going to say that I need to go to the bank to take out cash from the
ATM

You should know by now that Korean people love shortening their
sentences. Because ~ㄴ/는다고 already indicates that the sentence is
quoted, you do not necessarily need to say “말하다” and instead, you can
just say “하다.” For example:

PLAY 그는 공부하지 않았다고 했어요 = He said that he didn’t study

PLAY 저는 밥을 안 먹었다고 했어요 = I said that I didn’t eat (rice)

Up to now, you have only learned how to quote a clause when it ends in a
verb. Let’s look at how we can do this with adjectives.

Quoting with Adjectives: ~다고

Quoting a clause that ends in an adjective is done just like with verbs, in that
the predicating adjective is conjugated using the plain form. However,
remember that the plain form conjugation for adjectives in the present
tense is different from verbs. In Lesson 5, you learned that the dictionary
form of an adjective (that is, the word by itself without changing it at all) is
the same as its plain form conjugation. Therefore,

The plain form conjugation of 행복하다 is 행복하다 and not 행복한다

The plain form conjugation of 월등하다 is 월등하다 and not 월등한다

However, remember that the plain form conjugation for adjectives in the
past tense (and also future tense) is the same as verbs. Let’s look at some
examples of clauses that end with adjectives and are used as a quote in a
sentence:

PLAY 밧줄의 길이가 너무 부족하다고 했어요

= I said that the length of this rope is not enough (insufficient)

PLAY 아빠가 오늘 잡은 물고기가 너무 조그맣다고 했어요

= Dad said that the fish he caught today is/was very tiny

PLAY 우리 아빠는 자기가 어렸을 때 너무 행복했다고 했어요

= My dad said that he was very happy when he was young

PLAY 우리가 같이 먹었을 때 저는 배고프지 않다고 했어요

= When we ate together, I said I wasn’t hungry (I said I’m not hungry)

PLAY 대부분 사람들이 이 영화의 주인공이 아주 잘생겼다고 말해요

= Most people say that the main character of this move is very handsome

PLAY 서울 사람들은 서울시 고등학교 교육과정이 불만족스럽다고 말해요

= The people of Seoul say that they are not satisfied with the Seoul high
school curriculum

Also remember that 있다 and 없다 are adjectives when they are used to
indicate that one has, or does not have an object. This means that 있다 and
없다 should be quoted like other adjectives (also remember that ~ㄹ/을 수
있다/없다 falls in this category as well). For example:

PLAY 학생이 이해할 수 없다고 했어요 = The student said he can’t

understand
PLAY 저는 학교에 갈 수 없다고 했어요 = I said I can’t go to school

PLAY 그는 다음 주 목요일에 여행할 수 있다고 했어요

= He said that he will be able to travel next Thursday

PLAY 저는 현금이 없다고 해서 현금인출기에 갔어요

= I said that I don’t have cash, so we went to the ATM
PLAY 저는 여자 친구에게 같이 가고 싶은 데가 있다고 말했어요
= I told my girlfriend that there is a place that I want to go with her
(together)

PLAY 제가 계속 아무 것도 필요가 없다고 했지만 엄마가 선물을 사 줬어요

= I kept saying that I don’t need anything, but my mom bought me a present

PLAY 저는 모든 나라가 민주주의 국가로 변하는 것을 상상할 수 없다고

말했어요
= I said that I can’t imagine all countries changing to democratic nations

Also remember that 싶다 is an adjective as well. Therefore, when quoting

싶다, it should be conjugated as an adjective. For example:

PLAY 나는 새로운 차를 사고 싶다고 했어 = I said that I want to buy a new

car
PLAY 이 장소에서 나무를 심고 싶다고 말했어요 = I said that I want to plant
a tree in this location

Now that we know how to quote verbs and adjectives, let’s look at how we
can quote 이다.

Quoting with 이다: ~(이)라고

Quoting a clause that ends in 이다 is slightly different than quoting verbs

and adjectives.

When quoting 이다 in the past tense, it is done simply by adding ~고 to the

past conjugation of 이다 in the plain form. For example:

그가 선생님이었다 = He was a teacher

PLAY 그가 선생님이었다고 했어요 = He said he was a teacher
거리에 있었던 사람들이 시위자들이었다 = The people who were on the
street were protesters
PLAY 경찰관은 거리에 있었던 사람들이 시위자들이었다고 했어요 = The
police officer said that the people who were on the street were protesters

When quoting 이다 in the present tense, 라 replaces 다 when writing “

이다.” For example:

그가 의사이다고 했어요 (this is incorrect)

PLAY 그가 의사이라고 했어요 = He said he is a doctor

When the noun before 이다 (the noun 이다 is attached to) ends in a vowel
(as in the example above), “이” can be omitted. For example, both of these
are correct:

PLAY 그가 의사이라고 했어요 = He said he is a doctor

그가 의사라고 했어요 = He said he is a doctor

When the noun before 이다 (the noun 이다 is attached to) ends in a

consonant, 이다 cannot be omitted. For example:

우리 선생님은 제가 나쁜 학생이다고 했어요 (this is incorrect)

우리 선생님은 제가 나쁜 학생라고 했어요 (this is also incorrect)
PLAY 우리 선생님은 제가 나쁜 학생이라고 했어요 = Our teacher said I am a
bad student

An immediate practical application for this is when you want to quote a

verb or adjective to the future tense. In Lesson 9, you learned how to use ~
ㄹ 것이다 to create a future tense meaning. For example:

PLAY 나는 내일 친구를 만날 거야 = I will meet my friend tomorrow

PLAY 저는 내일 학교에 갈 것입니다 = I will go to school tomorrow
PLAY 저는 영어를 공부할 거예요 = I will study English

When using this form “것” (which is often shortened to “거”) is simply a
noun and the conjugating word is 이다. Therefore, you can quote a future
tense clause by using this future tense conjugation, and applying the
quoting rules of 이다. For example, look at the following sentence:

나는 밥을 먹을 것이다

That clause/sentence can be quoted by adding the appropriate ending to

이다. For example, any of these would be correct:

PLAY 나는 밥을 먹을 것이라고 했어 = I said that I will eat

PLAY 나는 밥을 먹을 거이라고 했어 = I said that I will eat
PLAY 나는 밥을 먹을 거라고 했다 = I said that I will eat

Here are many more examples:

PLAY 저는 밖에 갈 수 없을 거라고 했어요 = I said I can’t go outside/won’t
be able to go outside

PLAY 저는 우리 가족에게 이 사람이 저의 여자 친구라고 했어요

= I told my family that this person is my girlfriend

PLAY 나는 너에게 그것이 해야 하는 일이라고 벌써 말했어

= I already told you that that is something you have to do

PLAY 제가 제일 하고 싶은 것은 밥을 먹는 거라고 했어요

= I said that the thing I want to do most is eat (rice)

PLAY 제가 제일 좋아하는 여자를 가리킬 거라고 했어요

= I said that I will point to the girl that I like the most

————————————

I would like to take a moment to explain the ambiguity of when “이” in 이다

can be removed when attaching a grammatical principle.

First of all, whenever 이다 is attached to a noun that ends in a consonant,

“이” should be included when attaching another grammatical principle to
이다. For example, here are some grammatical principles being added to
이다, when added to a noun that ends in a consonant.
You have learned these before:

선생님이고
선생님이면

You haven’t learned these grammatical principles yet, but the concept is still
the same:

선생님이거든 (~거든 is introduced in Lesson 91)

선생님이잖아 (~잖아 is introduced in Lesson 90)

When adding any of these grammatical principles to 이다 when it is

attached to a noun ending in a vowel, the “이” can be omitted. For example:

의사이고 or 의사고 are both acceptable

의사이면 or 의사면 are both acceptable

의사이거든 or 의사거든 are both acceptable

의사이잖아 or 의사잖아 are both acceptable

In these examples “이” is being omitted because it is blending with the

pronunciation of the noun and grammatical principle. When the noun ends
in a vowel, your tongue can flow immediately from the noun to the
upcoming grammatical principle, and the pronunciation isn’t altered if “이”
is included or not. Because of this, including 이 and not including 이 are
both seen as correct.

However, if we did the same thing with nouns ending in a consonant, not
only can your tongue not flow properly from the noun to the grammatical
principle, the pronunciation is significantly different. Therefore, omitting 이
in cases where the noun ends in a consonant would be incorrect.

Try pronouncing “의사이고” and “의사고” and listen to how small the
difference is
Try pronouncing “선생님이고” “선생님고” and listen to how large the
difference is (and also realize that it is hard to say)
I touched on this way back in Lesson 9 when I first introduced 이다 and its
conjugations, as this same idea can be applied to the past tense conjugation
of 이다 as well.

When conjugating 이다 to the past tense and then attaching an additional

grammatical principle, the pronunciation of “이” can merge with the
pronunciation of the grammatical principle if the noun ends in a vowel. For
example:

의사였고 (or 의사이었고)

의사였으면 (or 의사이었으면)

의사였거든 (or 의사이었거든)

의사였잖아 (or 의사이었잖아)

However, “이” cannot merge with the pronunciation of an upcoming

grammatical principle if the noun ends in a consonant. For example:

선생님이었고 (not 선생님였고 or 선생님었고)

선생님이었으면 (not 선생님였으면 or 선생님었으면)

The same phenomenon happens when we are quoting with 이다. When
adding ~(이)라고 to 이다, if the noun ends in a vowel, it can be either:

의사라고 or 의사이라고.

However, if adding ~(이)라고 to 이다 and the noun ends in a consonant, it

can only be

선생님이라고 (and not 선생님라고)

Here are tables that I made that break it down depending on if the word
ends in a vowel or consonant.

의사 conjugation as Examples
 Informal low 의사이야 or 의사야

Informal high 의사이에요 or 의사예요

Plain form 의사이다 or 의사다

Formal high 의사입니다 or 의삽니다

+~고 의사이고 or 의사고

+ ~(으)면 의사이면 or 의사면

Quoted 의사이라고 or 의사라고

Past quoted 의사이었다고 or 의사였다고

Past + ~(으)면 의사이었으면 or 의사였으면

 
학생 conjugation as Examples

Informal low 학생이야

Informal high 학생이에요

Plain form 학생이다

Formal high 학생입니다

+~고 학생이고

+ ~(으)면 학생이면

Quoted 학생이라고

Past quoted 학생이었다고

Past + ~(으)면 학생이었으면

 ————————————————————

Other Uses of ~ㄴ/는다고

In addition to 말하다, there are many verbs in Korean that prefer to be used
with a quoted clause. I’d like to show you a few of them.

1) To think: 생각하다
If one “thinks” something, quoted sentences are used. For example:

PLAY 저는 그 여자가 별로 안 예쁘다고 생각해요 = I think that girl isn’t that

pretty
PLAY 캐나다와 미국이 비슷하지 않다고 생각합니다 = I think Canada and
the US aren’t similar
PLAY 저는 이 소설가가 다른 소설가들보다 월등히 낫다고 생각합니다 = I
think this novelist is much better than other novelists

2) To believe: 믿다
If one “believes” something, quoted can be used. For example:

PLAY 저는 우리 팀이 이길 거라고 믿어요 = I believe that our team will win

PLAY 저는 착하게 산다고 믿어요 = I believe I live my life being kind

3) To call something: 부르다
When talking about what an object is “called,” ~을/를 can be attached to
the object, and ~(이)라고 can be attached to the word that it is referred to.
For example:
PLAY 사람들은 그 건물을 한국타워라고 불러요
= People call that building “Korea tower”

PLAY 밥을 많이 먹을 수 있는 사람들을 식신이라고 불러요

= People who can eat a lot are called “식신”

PLAY 캐나다에서 사람들은 이런 종류의 음식을 푸틴이라고 불러요

= In Canada, people call this type of food “Poutine”

Using this type of sentence is a more natural way to tell somebody what
your name is. The common way for foreigners to introduce themselves in
Korean would be:

“제 이름은 김의지입니다”

Although correct, it is kind of a direct translation of “my name is…” in

English. In Korean, it is more common/natural to introduce yourself using
~(이)라고. In most cases, you add something before your name to describe
yourself even more. For example:

PLAY 안녕하세요, 저는 캐나다에서 온 김의지라고 합니다

= Hi, my name is 김의지, and I come from Canada (I am 김의지, from
Canada)

Here is another example. This would be a common way for a high school
student to introduce himself/herself:

PLAY 안녕하세요, 저는 강남고등학교 2 학년 3 반 김의지라고 합니다

= Hi, my name is 김의지, and I am in class 3, in the second grade of 강남
high school.

4) To promise: 약속하다
When “promising” to do an action, it is common to add a future tense
quoted construction to the action you promise to do. For example:
PLAY 현금을 내일 주겠다고 약속했다 = I promised to give you (the) cash
tomorrow
PLAY 지금부터 열심히 하겠다고 약속했다 = I promised to work hard from
now on
PLAY 제가 아빠에게 숙제를 다 할 거라고 약속했어요 = I promised dad that
I would do all my homework
PLAY 이 정보를 내일까지 다 입력해 줄 거라고 약속했어요 = I promised that
I would input all of this information by tomorrow

5) Finishing a sentence with 그렇다

In Lesson 23, you learned about 그렇다 and how it can be applied to many
situations. Often times you will hear the final word of a sentence with a
quote (instead of being 말하다, 하다 or any of the other words specified
above) as 그렇다. For example:

PLAY 오빠가 이거를 안 한다고 말했어

PLAY 오빠가 이거를 안 한다고 했어
PLAY 오빠가 이거를 안 한다고 그랬어
= My older brother said he wasn’t going to do this

The three sentences above don’t really need to be distinguished. The use of
그렇다 as the final word is something that I hear often in speech, but I can’t
really detect any difference in meaning.

Asking Questions with Quoted Sentences

It is also possible to use these quoted conjugations to ask what a person
says. For example, if you want to ask what somebody said, you can attach
~(이)라고 to 뭐 (뭐 is introduced in Lesson 22). For example:

PLAY 뭐라고? = What did you say?

This can be said more formally by putting ~요 at the end of the construction.
For example:

PLAY 뭐라고요? = What did you say?

If you want, you can add 하다 or 말하다 to these as well. For example:

PLAY 뭐라고 했어요? = What did you say?

PLAY 뭐라고 말했어요? = What did you say?

These can also be used to ask a person what somebody else said. For
example:

PLAY 아빠가 뭐라고 말했어요? = What did dad say?

PLAY 의사가 뭐라고 말했어요? = What did the doctor say?

If you are talking to somebody, and you are not sure if you heard them
perfectly, you can ask for clarification about what they said. To do this
(assuming you heard most of what they said), you can take their sentence
and turn it into a quote. The final 말하다 or 하다 is usually not used, and the
quoted conjugation ends in the form of a question. For example:

Person 1: PLAY 밥을 먹기 싫어 = I don’t want to eat (rice)

Person 2: PLAY 밥을 먹기 싫다고? = (You said that) you don’t want to eat
(rice)?

Person 1: PLAY 저는 내일 캐나다에 갈 거예요 = I’m going to Canada

tomorrow
Person 2: PLAY 내일 캐나다에 갈 거라고요? = (You said that) you’re going to
Canada tomorrow?
You don’t necessarily need to repeat their whole sentence. Depending on
the situation (or what you already knew, or what you hear), it might be
appropriate to just repeat one or some of the words. For example:

Person 1: PLAY 저의 몸이 몹시 피곤해요 = My body is really tired

Person 2: PLAY 피곤하다고요? = (You said) tired?

Person 1: PLAY 이 상황이 점차 나빠지고 있어요 = This situation is gradually

getting worse
Person 2: PLAY 나빠지고 있다고요? = (You said) getting worse?

If you were the first person in either of those situations, you could respond
to the miss-communication by the second person by just stressing the
quoted verb or adjective as a response. For example:

Person 1: PLAY 그는 돈이 없다고 했어요 = He said that he doesn’t have

money
Person 2: PLAY 돈이 있다고? = (Did you say) he has money?
Person 1: PLAY 아니요, 없다고요 = No, (I said that) he doesn’t have money

One last thing before we finish. I want to talk about a quoted sentence
within ~는 것.

Using Quoted Sentences with ~는 것

Most of the first part of Unit 2 (Lessons 26 – 33) focused on the purposes of
~는 것. In those lessons, you started to see things like this:

내가 가는 것
내가 먹는 것

You may have noticed by now (not on our website, but I’m sure you are
supplementing your studies with various resources) that these are
sometimes written/said like this:
내가 간다는 것
내가 먹는다는 것

Before we get into what it means – notice how it is written.

The verb that ~는 것 is being added to has been conjugated into the plain
form. To refresh your memory, the present tense (for verbs) of this
conjugation would be:

가다 = 간다
먹다 = 먹는다

Past tense would be:

가다 = 갔다
먹다 = 먹었다

Future tense would be:

가다 = 가겠다
먹다 = 먹겠다

Adding ~는 것 after any of these plain form conjugations is an abbreviation

of a quoted clause.

간다는 것 is abbreviation of 간다고 하는 것

갔다는 것 is an abbreviation of 갔다고 하는 것
가겠다는 것 is an abbreviation of 가겠다고 하는 것

By describing an upcoming noun with a verb that is conjugated (and

abbreviated) this way, the clause describing the noun is a quotation, which
means that it was once said. It’s better to explain with examples in this
case, so let’s look at one:

그가 나를 싫어하는 것을 알아 = I know that he doesn’t like me

PLAY 그가 나를 싫어한다는 것을 알아 = I know that (it is said that) he
doesn’t like me
While the two examples above have a very similar meaning (in both
examples, the end result is that the speaker knows that the person does not
like him), in the second example, the speaker is pointing out that
somebody said “he doesn’t like me”. Specifically who said that clause is
ambiguous, and would have to be understood by context. In this case it
could be the person himself who said that quote (the person who doesn’t
like him) or some other third party. I would never translate that sentence
above to the following, but just to show you what I mean:

그가 나를 싫어한다는 것을 알아 = I know that he said that he doesn’t like

me
그가 나를 싫어한다는 것을 알아 = I know that somebody said that he
doesn’t like me

Nonetheless, as I mentioned earlier, the translation and result of these

sentences and the sentence above without a quoted clause is the same, and
a separate translation doesn’t necessarily need to be made in English
because it is often very hard to accurately describe the situation.

그가 나를 싫어하는 것을 알아 = I know that he doesn’t like me

PLAY 그가 나를 싫어한다는 것을 알아 = I know that he doesn’t like me

In place of “것” in these cases, it is quite common to find the words “사실”
(fact) and“소문” (rumor). These are often used because these are nouns
whose meaning inherently implies that something was said. For example:

PLAY 그 여자가 다른 남자랑 애기가 있다는 소문이 있습니다

= There is a rumor that that woman has a baby with another man

PLAY 그 여자의 남편이 비서랑 바람을 피운다는 소문이 있어요

= There is a rumor that that woman’s husband is having an affair with his
secretary

Instead of:

그 여자의 남편이 비서랑 바람을 피우는 것이 있어요

= There is a rumor that that woman’s husband is having an affair with his
secretary
This same principle can be used in the past tense as well (remember to use
the plain form):

PLAY 그녀가 시험에 떨어졌다는 소문을 들었어요 = I heard a rumor that she
failed the test
PLAY 그녀는 아이가 죽었다는 사실을 숨겼어요 = She hid (the fact that) her
child died
PLAY 부장님이 작년에 미국에 갔다는 것을 잊어버렸어요 = I forgot (the
fact) that the boss went to America last year

You can actually use this principle in this future tense as well, but fasten
your seat belts – because it gets tricky. Remember the best way to
conjugate to the future tense. Instead of saying “먹겠다” it is more common
to say “먹을 것이다.” Well, in these cases, notice that the final word is “
이다”. This means that you need to added the quoted conjugation onto 이다
(which you learned how to do in this lesson).

It would break down like this:

먹을 것 + 이다 + ~라고 하는 것 = 먹을 것이라는 것
or
먹을 거 + 이다 + ~라고 하는 것 = 먹을 거라는 것

For example:

PLAY 그녀가 곧 결혼할 거라는 사실을 잊어버렸어요 = I forgot (the fact

that) that she will be getting married soon
PLAY 대통령이 한국에서 떠날 거라는 소문이 있다 = There is a rumor that
the president will leave Korea soon.

Also remember how to conjugate adjectives using this plain form (in the
present tense). Remember once again that, for example, when conjugating
verbs, you need to do:

가다 = 간다
먹다 = 먹는다

But with adjectives in the plain form, you just leave them as they are:
행복하다 = 행복하다
예쁘다 = 예쁘다

So, using an adjective before ~ㄴ/는다는 것 would look like this:

PLAY 너의 여자 친구가 예쁘다는 것을 잊어버렸어 = I forgot (the fact that)
that your girlfriend was pretty

That’s it for this lesson!

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each word can be
used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that you will be
learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 냉동실 = freezer

PLAY 반팔 = short-sleeve t-shirt

PLAY 며느리 = daughter in law

PLAY 사위 = son in law

PLAY 턱받이 = bib

PLAY 침 = spit, saliva

PLAY 남 = other people, stranger

PLAY 신사 = gentleman

PLAY 숙녀 = lady
PLAY 지진 = earthquake

PLAY 열 = heat

PLAY 곳곳 = here and there, everywhere

PLAY 앞날 = future

Verbs:
PLAY 흘리다 = for a liquid to leak out from somewhere

PLAY 뱉다 = to spit out

PLAY 대하다 = to treat

PLAY 불평하다 = to complain

PLAY 조르다 = to pester

PLAY 파괴하다 = to destroy

Adjectives:
PLAY 편안하다 = to be comfortable, to be peaceful

PLAY 쾌적하다 = to be pleasant, to be nice

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 함부로 = disrespectfully/carelessly

PLAY 우연히 = by chance

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

There are 625 vocabulary entries in Unit 3. All entries are linked to an audio
file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.

 
 Introduction

In this lesson, you will add to your knowledge of what you learned in the
previous lesson by learning more about making quoted sentences. In this
lesson, we will look at how to quote sentences of suggestion (~자고) and
sentences of question ((~으/느)냐고/). In addition, you will learn how to
form direct quotes. Let’s get started.

I said “Lets…”: ~자고

In Lesson 44, you learned how to add ~자 to the stems of verbs to make a
suggestion. For example:

밥을 먹자 = Let’s eat (rice)

내일 공원에 가자 = Tomorrow, let’s go to the park

PLAY 애기가 침을 흘려서 애기에게 턱받이를 해 주자

= Let’s put a bib on the baby because he is drooling

PLAY 사람들이 여기 맛이 없다고 불평해서 다른 식당에 가자

= People complain that (the food in) this place isn’t delicious, so let’s go to
another restaurant

By attaching ~고 to ~자, you can quote these types of sentences. For

example:

PLAY 아빠가 밥을 먹자고 했어

= Dad said “Let’s eat”

PLAY 여자 친구가 공원에 가자고 했어

= My girlfriend said “let’s go to the park”

PLAY 선생님이 수업 시간 동안 열심히 공부하자고 했어요

= The teacher said “let’s study hardduring class time”

PLAY 우리가 서울에 가면 서울 곳곳을 구경하자고 했어요

= When we go to Seoul, I said “let’s sight-see everywhere in Seoul”
PLAY 우리 아들은 나한테 자꾸 부산에 가자고 졸랐어
= My son kept pestering me and said “let’s go to Busan”

PLAY 여자친구가 산책하자고 했지만 저는 너무 피곤해서 안 갔어요

= My girlfriend said “let’s go for a walk,” but I was too tired, so I didn’t go

Quoting Questions: ~(느)냐고 (Verbs)

When quoting a clause/sentence that is a question, a different quoting

addition should be used. For example, if you want to say:

“I asked him what he likes”

You cannot use the regular quoting addition here. For example, this is not
correct:

그가 무엇을 좋아한다고 물어봤어요

When a quoted clause/sentence ends with a verb, the addition of ~느냐고

should be used to indicate that the quote is a question. For example, if we
were to correct the example from before:

PLAY 그가 무엇을 좋아하느냐고 물어봤어요 = I asked him what he likes

(another translation could be:)
PLAY 그가 무엇을 좋아하느냐고 물어봤어요 = I asked him “what do you
like?”

It is also possible to quote a question that was asking about the past or
future. For example:

PLAY 우리 아빠는 나에게 어디 가느냐고 물어봤어 = My dad asked me

where I am going
PLAY 우리 아빠는 나에게 어디 갔느냐고 물어봤어 = My dad asked me
where I went
PLAY 우리 아빠는 나에게 어디 가겠느냐고 물어봤어 = My dad asked me
where I will go
Of course, it is also possible to change the tense of 물어보다 (or 묻다) to
indicate that you will ask in the past, present or future. For example:

PLAY 나는 여자 친구에게 뭐 먹었느냐고 물어봤어 = I asked my girlfriend

what she ate
PLAY 나는 여자 친구에게 뭐 먹었느냐고 물어보고 있어 = I am asking my
girlfriend what she ate
PLAY 나는 여자 친구에게 뭐 먹었느냐고 물어볼 거야 = I will ask my
girlfriend what she ate

Below are many more examples:

PLAY 지진이 어떻게 생기느냐고 물어봤다 = I asked how earthquakes

happen/occur
PLAY 이 반팔을 입어야 되느냐고 물어봤어요 = I asked if I have to wear this
t-shirt
PLAY 사위가 어디 갔느냐고 물어봤어요 = I asked where my son-in-law
went

PLAY 저는 부장님에게 우리가 그렇게 해야 하느냐고 물어봤어요

= I asked our boss if we had to do it like that

PLAY 냉동실에서 왜 열이 나오느냐고 물어봤어요

= I asked why there is heat coming out of the freezer

PLAY 학생에게 학교 안에서 침을 왜 뱉었느냐고 물어봤어요

= I asked the student why he spat inside the school

PLAY 우리가 남들을 왜 잘 대해야 하느냐고 물어봤어요

= I asked why we need to treat others/strangers well

All of the examples above show ~느냐고 attached to the final verb in the
quoted portion of the sentence – sometimes following the past tense ~았/
었, and sometimes following the future tense ~겠. Korean dictionaries
indicate that ~느냐고 is the correct addition when quoting a question that
ends in a verb. That being said, Korean people will be more inclined to say
that ~냐고 (without ~느) looks and sounds more natural (well, they sound
quite similar). For example, all of the sentences above could also be written
or said as:

PLAY 지진이 어떻게 생기냐고 물어봤다

PLAY 저는 부장님에게 우리가 그렇게 해야 하냐고 물어봤어요
PLAY 냉동실에서 왜 열이 나오냐고 물어봤어요
PLAY 이 반팔을 입어야 되냐고 물어봤어요
PLAY 사위가 어디 갔냐고 물어봤어요
PLAY 학생에게 학교 안에서 침을 왜 뱉었냐고 물어봤어요
PLAY 우리가 남들을 왜 잘 대해야 하냐고 물어봤어요

I asked a Korean grammar teacher about this. She said that both would be
correct, even though I showed her that the correct usage for a verb is ~
느냐고. I asked her if a student uses ~냐고 (without ~느) on her Korean
language exam, would she mark it as incorrect. She said “No, because that’s
the way we use it all the time.”

I’m not sure what to make of this, and it is difficult for me to suggest which
one you should use. Personally, I suggest that you use the simple ~냐고
which is the form that is more commonly said by Korean speakers. ~냐고 is
also the form that I have always used whenever I quote a question.
However, you should keep in the back of your mind that the official usage is
~느냐고.

Okay, let’s move on to adjectives.

Quoting Questions: ~(으)냐고 (Adjectives)

When a quotation ends with an adjective, the addition of ~(으)냐고 should

be used to indicate that it is a quoted question. ~으냐고 is added to
adjectives ending in a consonant (except ㄹ) and ~냐고 is added to
adjectives ending in a vowel (or if the final consonant is ㄹ). For example:
PLAY 저는 친구에게 그 여자가 예쁘냐고 물어봤어요 = I asked my friend if
that girl was pretty
PLAY 아빠에게 지금 편안하냐고 물어봤어 = I asked my dad if he is/was
comfortable/relaxed
PLAY 너의 며느리가 아름다우냐고 물어보고 싶어 = I want to ask if your
daughter-in-law is beautiful
PLAY 냉동실이 왜 이렇게 추우냐고 물어봤어 = I asked why the freezer
is/was so cold
PLAY 이런 반팔이 집에 많으냐고 물어봤어 = I asked if there were many of
these types of t-shirts at home

As with verbs, the usage that you will hear in everyday speech/writing and
the official usage is sometimes different. In speech, Korean people often
eliminate the “으” that should be included if the adjective ends in a vowel.
For example:

1. PLAY 이런 반팔이 집에 많으냐고 물어봤어

2. PLAY 이런 반팔이 집에 많냐고 물어봤어
Officially a) is the correct form, but you will often see and hear b) used.
Most Korean people wouldn’t be able to tell you which one is correct – or
they would assume that both are correct.

싶다 was first introduced in Lesson 17 but was also discussed in the

previous lesson. 싶다 is also an adjective and therefore the above rules
apply here as well. For example:

PLAY 그는 뭐 먹고 싶으냐고 물어봤어 = He asked what do you want to eat

PLAY 그 사람이 나한테 앞날에 뭐 하고 싶으냐고 물어봤어 = That person
asked me what I want to do in the future

있다 and 없다 are very confusing in this usage. As you know, depending on

the usage of 있다 and 없다, they can be adjectives or verbs. Typically,
adjective conjugations are applied when they are adjectives, and verb
conjugations are applied when they are verbs (makes sense). However,
regardless of if they are being used as a verb or adjective, the verb-addition
of ~느냐고 should be attached when quoting a question with 있다 or 없다.
You can treat this as an irregular to this rule. I tried to get clarification from
Korean grammar teachers as to why this happens, and they all told me “it’s
just an irregular.”

Just like with other verbs, 있느냐 and 없느냐 are often spoken/written as 

있냐 and 없냐 and would be seen as correct by Korean people.

Here are some examples:

PLAY 저는 그에게 수영할 수 있느냐고 물어봤어요

= I asked him if he could swim

PLAY 아빠에게 엄마를 왜 함부로 대하고 있느냐고 물어봤어요

= I asked dad why he is treating mom disrespectfully

PLAY 동생에게 환경을 왜 파괴하고 있느냐고 물어봤어요

= I asked my brother why he is/was destroying the environment

PLAY 그 숙녀가 남의 눈을 피하고 싶어서 우연히 호텔을 찾아서 혹시 잠깐

들어갈 수 있느냐고 물어봤어요
= The lady wanted to avoid other people(‘s eyes), so she fatefully found a
hotel and asked if she could go inside

Quoting Questions with 이다

As with adjectives, when a quotation ends with 이다, the addition of ~(으)
냐고 is added to 이다. Because the stem of 이다 is always “이” (i.e. always
ends in a vowel) the addition of “~냐고 is always added and we never need
to worry about the “~(으). For example

PLAY 나는 그 사람이 의사이냐고 물어봤어 = I asked if that person is a

doctor
As usual, if the noun that 이다 is attached to ends in a vowel (as above), the
이 can be eliminated:

PLAY 나는 그 사람이 의사냐고 물어봤어 = I asked if that person is a doctor

If the noun ends in a consonant, 이 must be included. For example:

PLAY 나는 그 사람이 우리 선생님이냐고 물어봤어 = I asked if that person is

our teacher
You might want to read my discussion about why 이 is included in these
cases. I discussed this in the previous Lesson.

In Lessons 21 and 22 you learned about various question words. In those

lessons, you learned how 이다 can be used with 누구, 뭐, 어디 and 언제.
For example:

PLAY 방학은 언제야? = When is vacation?

PLAY 그곳이 어디야? = Where is that place?
PLAY 이것이 뭐야? = What is this?
그 사람은 누구야? = Who is that person?

~냐고 can also be attached to these words when used with 이다. For
example:

PLAY 방학이 언제(이)냐고 물어봤어 = I asked when vacation is

PLAY 그곳이 어디(이)냐고 물어봤어 = I asked where that place is
PLAY 그것이 뭐(이)냐고 물어봤어 = I asked what that thing is
PLAY 그 사람이 누구(이)냐고 물어봤어 = I asked who that person is

Below are more examples of ~냐고 being used with 이다:

PLAY 이 신사가 누구냐고 물어봤습니다

= I asked who this gentlemen is/was

PLAY 저는 제 친구에게 한국으로 이사하고 싶은 이유가 뭐냐고 물어봤어요

= I asked my friend ‘what is the reason you want to move to Korea?’
PLAY 제가 점원에게 그 핸드폰이 좋은 핸드폰이냐고 물어봤지만 그는
모른다고 했어요
= I asked the salesperson if that cellphone is good, but he said that he didn’t
know

PLAY 저 학교를 다니는 학생들이 똑똑한 학생들이냐고 물어봤어요

= He asked if the students who attend that school are smart students

Also notice that by adding ~(이)냐고 to 이다, you can ask questions in
sentences that use the ~ㄹ 것이다 future tense conjugation. For example:

PLAY 나는 그들에게 결혼식에 갈 거냐고 물어봤어 = I asked if they were

going to go to the wedding
PLAY 나는 그에게 어디 갈 거냐고 물어봤어 = I asked where he is going to
go
PLAY 저는 그에게 앞날에 뭐 할 거냐고 물어보고 싶어요 = I want to ask
what he will do in the future
PLAY 그는 저한테 여자친구랑 언제 결혼할 거냐고 물어봤어요 = He asked
me when I will marry my girlfriend

Direct Quotes

Direct quotes are fairly easy now that you have the knowledge that was
presented in the past two lessons. If you want to say something as a direct
quote, the only difference is that the quoted sentence is conjugated the way
it was originally said. For example, if I wanted to quote:

제가 하고 싶지 않습니다 = I don’t want to do it

An indirect quote would be:

그는 하고 싶지 않다고 했다 = He said he doesn’t want to do it

But a direct quote would be:

PLAY 그는 “제가 하고 싶지 않습니다” 라고 했어요 = He said “I don’t want to
do it”
If you were to write the sentence above, you would need to include the use
of quotations, but in speech (obviously), that is not necessary. Other
example:

Indirect quote: 그는 너를 사랑한다고 했어 = He said I love you

Direct quote: PLAY 그는 “너를 사랑해”라고 했어 = He said “I love you”

To me this type of sentence always made sense to me. I always imagined

that the directly quoted clause was acting as a noun, and therefore would
require ~라고/이라고 being attached to it (usually ~라고 because most
completed sentences end in a vowel).

That’s it for this lesson!

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each word can be
used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that you will be
learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 의사소통 = communication

PLAY 조각 = piece, slice

PLAY 지도교사 = guidance counselor

PLAY 원어민 = native speaker

PLAY 자막 = subtitles

PLAY 식중독 = food poisoning

PLAY 존댓말 = honorific speaking

PLAY 오랜만 = a long time period since something has happened

Verbs:
PLAY 먹이다 = to feed

PLAY 뛰다 = to run

PLAY 운영하다 = to manage, to operate

PLAY 갱신하다 = to renew

PLAY 토하다 = to throw up

PLAY 과장하다 = to exaggerate

PLAY 분석하다 = to analyze

PLAY 올라타다 = to get on

PLAY 참석하다 = to attend

Adjectives:
PLAY 자유롭다 = to be free

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 와중 = meanwhile

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

There are 625 vocabulary entries in Unit 3. All entries are linked to an audio
file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.

Introduction
You learned a lot about quoted sentences in the previous two lessons, but
there is still more for you to learn. In this lesson, you will learn how to quote
a command. Let’s get started.

Quoted Imperative Sentences: ~(으)라고

In Lesson 40, you learned how to make a command with the imperative
mood. You learned that there are many ways to end a sentence when
giving somebody a command. Aside from their respective differences in
politeness, any of these could be added to a verb to make a command:

~아/어
~아/어라
~(으)세요
~(으)십시오

I could apply these different formalities to any verb. For example:

수고해! = work hard!

수고해라! = work hard!
수고하세요! = work hard!
수고하십시오! = work hard!

However, when quoting a clause that ends as a command, none of these

additions are attached to the final verb in the clause. When quoting a
command, you use an ending that is similar to the second one presented (~
아/어라). Here is a list of verbs with that addition added to it:
가라
먹어라
뛰어라
읽어라
올라타라

When quoting these words as commands, you must attach ~(으)라고 to

the stem of the verb. ~으라고 is added to the stem of a verb ending in a
consonant (except ㄹ), and ~라고 is added to the stem of a verb ending in a
vowel (and where the final consonant is ㄹ). Notice that the first part of the
addition is ~(으) and not ~아/어. The difference can be significant
depending on the word. For example, here is a table showing how a verb
will change depending on if ~(으)라 or ~아/어라 is added:

In addition to some basic words, I specifically chose a bunch of irregular

verbs. It is a good exercise to look at this type of table. If you don’t know
why these changes are being made, you might want to brush up on your
irregulars from Lesson 7.

Verb (translation) + ~(으)라 + ~아/어라

가다 (to go) 가라 가라

먹다 (to eat) 먹으라 먹어라

뛰다 (to run) 뛰라 뛰어라

읽다 (to read) 읽으라 읽어라

올라타다 (to get on) 올라타라 올라타라

하다 (to do) 하라 해라

먹이다 (to feed) 먹이라 먹여라

짓다 (to build) 지으라 지어라

걷다 (to walk) 걸으라 걸어라

잠그다 (to lock) 잠그라 잠가라

돕다 (to help) 도우라 도와라

자르다 (to cut) 자르라 잘라

듣다 (to hear) 들으라 들어라

만들다 (to make) 만들라 만들어라

Notice from the table that in some cases (가다, for example), there is no
difference between how the two additions are added to a verb. However,
in most cases, there is a difference.

Anyways, the addition we are looking at in this lesson is ~(으)라고. This

addition can be added to a command that you want to quote. Below are
many, many examples:

PLAY 우리 아빠는 저에게 밥을 빨리 먹으라고 했어요 = My dad told me to

eat fast
PLAY 선생님은 학생들에게 열심히 공부하라고 했어요 = The teacher told
the students to study hard
PLAY 나는 애기에게 우유를 마시라고 했어 = I told the baby to drink his milk
PLAY 버스 아저씨가 나한테 올라타라고 했어요 = The bus driver told me to
get on (the bus)

PLAY 식중독에 걸리면 물을 많이 마시라고 했어요

= I told him to drink a lot of water if he gets food poisoning

PLAY 애기가 배가 고파서 남편에게 밥을 먹이라고 했어요

= I told my husband to feed the baby because he is/was hungry

PLAY 어머니는 아들한테 밥을 먹으러 빨리 오라고 했어요

= The mother told her son to quickly come to eat

PLAY 회사를 자유롭게 운영하고 싶으면 혼자 하라고 했어요

= I told him that if he wants to run his business freely, to do it himself

PLAY 엄마가 한 조각 더 먹으라고 했지만 제가 배불러서 더 못 먹었어요

= Mom told me to eat one more piece, but I was full so I couldn’t eat
anymore

PLAY 저는 직원들에게 불만이 있으면 저에게 아무 때나 말을 하라고 했어요

= I told the workers that if they have a complaint (are dissatisfied), to talk to
me anytime

PLAY 우리가 오랜만에 만날 거라서 저는 친구에게 우리 집에 오라고 했어요

= It will be a long time since we last met, so I told him to come to our house
PLAY 저의 한국어 선생님이 모든 한국 사람들이랑 존댓말을 하라고
말씀하셨어요
= My Korean teacher told me to use honorific speaking with all Korean
people

PLAY 대학교 때 자유롭게 공부하고 싶으면 지도교사가 전공을 나중에

선택하라고 말했어요
= If you want to study freely in university, my guidance counselor told me to
choose my major later

PLAY 한국어실력을 늘리고 싶으면 선생님이 한국 사람들이랑 의사소통을

많이 하라고 그랬어요
= If I want to expand my Korean language ability, my teacher told me to
communicate a lot with Korean people

Now that we know all of this, we can look at how to

quote negative imperative sentences.

Negative Quoted Imperative Sentences: ~지 말라고

In the previous section, you learned how to add ~(으)라고 to a command

that you want quote. In Lesson 40, you learned how to make negative
commands by using ~지 말다. For example:

가지 말아
가지 마세요
가지 마십시오

By attaching ~(으)라고 to ~지 말다, you can create a negative quoted

command. For example:

가지 말라고
먹지 말라고
하지 말라고
마시지 말라고
읽지 말라고
It is essentially the same principle from the previous section, but I figured it
was worth introducing separately. Below are many examples of this in use:

PLAY 그렇게 하지 말라고 했어 = I told you not to do it like that

PLAY 불을 만지지 말라고 했어 = I told you not to touch the fire
PLAY 밥을 그렇게 빨리 먹지 말라고 했어요 = I told you not to eat food that
fast
PLAY 선생님은 수업에 늦게 오지 말라고 했어요 = The teacher told us not to
come late to class
PLAY 선생님이 복도에서 뛰지 말라고 했어요 = The teacher said not to run
in the hallway
PLAY 차에 제발 토하지 말라고 했어요 = I said ‘please don’t throw up’ in the
car

PLAY 여자친구는 다른 여자와 대화를 하지 말라고 했어요

= My girlfriend told me not to talk to (have a conversation with) other girls

PLAY 제가 공부하는 동안 저에게 얘기하지 말라고 그랬어요

= I told him not to speak to me while I’m studying

PLAY 중요한 내용이 없어서 회의를 참석하지 말라고 했어요

= He told me to not attend the meeting because there is nothing important
(no important content)

PLAY 남자 친구에게 계속 과장하지 말라고 했지만 그는 한 달에 거의 500

만 원을 번다고 했어요
= I told my boyfriend to not exaggerate, but he said that he almost makes
500 만 원 per month

There are 1200 example sentences in Unit 3.

All entries are linked to an audio file. You can download all of these files in
one package here.

Okay, I got it! Take me to the next lesson! Or,

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each word can be
used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that you will be
learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 세대 = generation

PLAY 공무원 = government worker, civil servant

PLAY 창고 = warehouse

PLAY 조사 = investigation, research

PLAY 설문조사 = survey

PLAY 고급 = high quality, advanced

PLAY 주택 = a house, housing

PLAY 희망자 = somebody hoping for something, somebody wanting to do

something

PLAY 매출 = sales

PLAY 성적 = school grades

PLAY 사원 = member of staff, employee

PLAY 신입사원 = new employee

PLAY 편 = counter for movies and TV shows

PLAY 부탁 = favor

PLAY 끈 = string, wire, lace

Verbs:
PLAY 내버려두다 = to leave alone

PLAY 꼬다 = to twist

PLAY 가르다 = to divide and pass through

PLAY 애쓰다 = to struggle, to try to, to put effort into doing something

PLAY 개최하다 = to host an event

PLAY 입주하다 = to move into a new house

PLAY 묶다 = to tie

Passive Verbs:
PLAY 풀리다 = to be untied

Adjectives:
PLAY 지치다 = to be exhausted, to be tired, to be worn out

PLAY 풍부하다 = to be plentiful, to be abundant

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 뜻밖에 = unexpectedly

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

There are 625 vocabulary entries in Unit 3. All entries are linked to an audio
file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will continue to learn about quoted sentences. You will
learn how to say that one asks for something, or requests for something to
be done. Let’s get started.
 

Quoted Imperative Sentences with 주다: ~달라고

In Lesson 40, you learned how to create imperative sentences. For

example:

PLAY 신입사원을 만나러 나가 = Go out to meet the new employee

PLAY 매출이 왜 떨어졌는지 설명해라 = Explain to me why the sales
dropped

In Lesson 52, you learned how to make quoted sentences. For example:

PLAY 우리가 지난 주에 영화를 네 편 봤다고 했어요 = I said that we saw

four movies last week
PLAY 설문조사를 벌써 작성했다고 했어요 = I said that I already filled out
the survey

In Lesson 54, you learned how to make quoted imperative sentences, for
example:

PLAY 신발끈이 풀려 있어서 묶으라고 했어요 = I told him to tie his shoes
because they were untied
PLAY 고급시험을 봐 보라고 했어요 = I told him to try to write the advanced
exam

Finally, in Lesson 41, you learned how to use 주다 to ask for an object, or ~
아/어 주다 to ask for an action to be completed. For example:

PLAY 그 펜을 주세요 = Please give me that pen

PLAY 나를 내버려둬 주세요 = Please leave me alone

When quoting a sentence like this (a sentence that ends with 주다 in the
imperative mood), the sentence changes differently compared to what you
learned in Lesson 54. If ~(으)라고 were added to 주다, the acting agent
within the quoted sentence would be telling the listener to give/do
something to another person. For example, if I said:
성경에게 학생에게 펜을 주라고 했어요

I used the term “acting agent” in the explanation above to refer to the
person who is acting within the quote. In the example sentence above, I am
talking to my friend 성경, and I am telling her to give the pen to the student.
In the underlined section of the sentence, 성경 would be the person giving
the pen – and I refer to this as the “acting agent.” It’s a little bit confusing
because there are three people: Me, who is speaking to 성경 and telling her
what to do; 성경, who is listening to me and acting within the quote; and
the student who is neither speaking nor listening, but receives the pen from
성경.

I could take out the “student” whom 성경 gives the pen to and the sentence
would still work – it just wouldn’t specifically indicate who is receiving the
pen. For example:

성경에게 펜을 주라고 했어요 =I told 성경 to give (you) the pen

(or to somebody who we can’t know in this sentence)

As you can see, 주다 can be used in quoted imperative sentences, but only
to quote that one tells a person to give something to another person. This
can create some confusion.

When the original speaker of the quoted sentence asks for an object to be

given to him/her (or for an action to be done for him/her) using ~주다 (or ~
아/어 주다), 주다 should be replaced by the verb 달다.

달다 is a verb, but you don’t really need to memorize it as a word in your
vocabulary studies. It’s typically only used in these situations – as a
substitute for “주다” in quoted imperative sentences. As a standalone verb,
it technically means “to request.”

Let’s look at a very simple example:

A. Person 1: PLAY 밥(을) 주세요 = Give me rice

B. Person 2: PLAY 뭐라고? = What did you say?
C. Person 1: PLAY 밥(을) 달라고 했어요 = I said “give me rice”
Here, the original speaker of the quoted sentence (seen at A) is asking for
rice. Therefore, when I quote that sentence (the final quoted sentence can
be seen at C), I use 달다 instead of 주다 because the original speaker is
asking for an object to be given to him.

Notice that I underlined the words “original speaker of the quoted sentence”
above. I did this to emphasize that – in order to use 달다 in these sentences,
the speaker of the final sentence doesn’t need to be “I/me.” Regardless of
who says the final sentence, if somebody requests something be given (or
be done) to him/her, and that sentence is quoted, 달다 should be used
instead of 주다.

These explanations are making my head spin because there are so many
people we are talking about. Let’s look at another simple conversation that I
think will help you understand what I’m trying to say.

A. Person 1: PLAY 밥(을) 주세요 = Give me rice

B. Person 2: PLAY 뭐라고? = What did you say?
C. Person 3: PLAY 밥(을) 달라고 했어요 = He said “give me rice”

Here, the original speaker of the quoted sentence (seen at A) is asking for
rice. The speaker of the final sentence (seen at C) is not the same person
who originally asked for the rice. Regardless, when Person 3 quotes that
sentence (the final quoted sentence can be seen at C), 달다 should be used
instead of 주다 because the original speaker is asking for an object to be
given to him.

달다 is sometimes translated to “request” in these situations. For example:

A. Person 1: Give me rice

B. Person 2: What did you say?
C. Person 3: He requested rice

I can see why this translation is often used, but I prefer to use “give” as a
translation. Remember, we’re dealing with quoted sentences here and in
my mind saying “request” doesn’t fully take in the meaning that we’ve
created.
To go back to what we looked at before, ~(으)라고 can be added to 주다 if
the original speaker of the quoted sentence asks for an object to be given to
somebody else. For example:

A. Person 1: PLAY 애기에게 밥을 줘 = Give the baby rice

B. Person 2: PLAY 뭐라고? = What did you say?
C. Person 3: PLAY 애기에게 밥을 주라고 했어 = I said “give the baby rice”

Let’s look at many examples of ~(으)라고 being used with 달다:

PLAY 휴지를 달라고 했어요 = I said “please give me a tissue”

PLAY 맥주 한 병을 달라고 했어요 = I said “please give me one bottle of
beer”
PLAY 엄마가 숟가락과 칼을 달라고 했어 = Mom said “please give me a
spoon and a knife”
PLAY 우리 아들은 계속 용돈을 달라고 졸라요 = Our son keeps pestering for
pocket money
PLAY 부장은 사원에게 창고에 있는 자전거를 달라고 했어요 = The boss said
to his employee “give me a bike from the warehouse.”

As I mentioned, it is also possible to use 달다 when the original speaker of a

quoted sentence asks for an action to be done for him/her. In essence, 달다
replaces 주다 in ~아/어 주다 in these cases. For example:

PLAY 저의 머리카락을 꼬지 말아 달라고 했어요

= I told her to please stop twisting my hair

PLAY 학생은 선생님에게 성적을 올려 달라고 했어요

= The student said to the teacher “raise my grades”

PLAY 다음 주에 입주할 거라서 그때 와 달라고 했어요

= We will be moving into the new house next week, so I told them to come
then

PLAY 비타민이 풍부하게 들어가 있는 과일만 사 달라고 했어요

= I requested to only buy fruit that is abundant with vitamins (fruits rich in
vitamins)
PLAY 어떤 공무원이 우리 집에 와서 설문조사를 답해 달라고 했어요
= Some government worker came to our house and requested that we
answer a survey

PLAY 그들에게 조용히 해 달라고 했지만 그들은 아직 너무 시끄러워요

= I told them to “please be quiet,” but they are still very loud

PLAY 부장님은 우리회사가 행사를 개최할 때 끝까지 애써 달라고 했어요

= When we host this event, the boss requested that we try our best

PLAY 할아버지가 이 컴퓨터를 어떻게 쓰는지를 설명해 달라고 했지만 세대

차이 때문에 아주 힘들었어요 = Grandpa asked me to explain how to use
this computer, but it was difficult because of the generation gap

Favor: 부탁

부탁 often translates to “favor” and can be used as a noun in sentences. For

example:

PLAY 저는 부탁이 하나 있어요 = I have one favor

Another common translation for 부탁 is “a request.” For example:

PLAY 저는 부탁이 하나 있어요 = I have one request

In English, we often use the word “favor” to ask if somebody can do

something for you. For example:

Can I ask you for a favor? or,

Can you do me a favor?
In Korean, you can create similar sentences using the word 부탁 by
attaching~하다 to 부탁. 부탁하다 is a verb that you can translate to “to ask
for a favor” or “to request a favor.” For example:

PLAY 저는 더 자세한 설명을 부탁했어요 = I asked for a clearer explanation.

I translated the sentence above as “I asked for a clearer explanation” but it

could just as easily be “I asked a favor for the explanation to be clearer” or “I
requested a clearer explanation.”

부탁하다 is often used with a noun that refers to some sort of task or work.
부탁하다 is then used to ask the listener to “take care of” that task. For
example:

It’s really hard to translate these sentences directly. Don’t look at the
English translations below as direct translations of the Korean sentences.
Rather, try to understand that their meanings are equivalent:

PLAY 남편에게 청소를 부탁했어요 = I asked my husband to take care of the

cleaning (for me)
PLAY 저는 신입사원에게 그 일을 부탁했어요 = I asked the new employee
to take care of that work (for me)
PLAY 빨래를 아들에게 부탁하고 집에서 나왔어요 = I asked my son to take
care of the laundry for me and left the house

In the example sentences so far, 부탁하다 has come after a noun. If the
favor (or what you are requesting) is an action, you can attach ~아/어
달라고 to the verb, followed by 부탁하다. For example:

PLAY 밥을 빨리 만들어 달라고 부탁했어요 = I asked him to make (the rice)

quickly
PLAY 저는 그에게 더 자세히 설명해 달라고 부탁했어요 = I asked him to
explain it more clearly

One more peculiar thing about the word “부탁하다” is that it is often said as
“부탁(을) 드리다.” You learned in Lesson 39 that “드리다” is the honorific
form of “주다” and is used when the receiving person deserves high
respect. When using “부탁,” the person receiving the favor is you, and you
should never use 드리다 when talking about yourself receiving something.
The way I think about it is that I am giving a request to somebody, which
would allow me to use 드리다. For example:

PLAY 밥을 빨리 만들어 달라고 부탁 드렸어요 = I asked him to make (the

rice) quickly
PLAY 엄마에게 그것을 사 달라고 부탁 드렸어요 = I asked my mother to buy
that for me

That’s it for this lesson!

There are 1200 example sentences in Unit 3.

All entries are linked to an audio file. You can download all of these files in
one package here.

Okay, I got it! Take me to the next lesson! Or,

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each word can be
used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that you will be
learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 부전공 = minor (in university)

PLAY 형식 = form, formality, format

PLAY 진로 = one's career path

PLAY 과정 = process

PLAY 축제 = festival

PLAY 목록 = list, inventory

PLAY 상점 = store

PLAY 시야 = one’s field of vision

PLAY 도구 = tools

PLAY 햇빛 = sun light

Verbs:
PLAY 도달하다 = to arrive, to reach

PLAY 싣다 = to load

PLAY 둘러보다 = to look around

PLAY 들여다보다 = to look into

PLAY 내다보다 = to look out of

PLAY 노크하다 = to knock

PLAY 성취하다 = to accomplish

PLAY 싸다 = to wrap up

PLAY 맞히다 = to guess correctly

PLAY 끼다 = to put on (a ring, gloves, sunglasses, etc…)

PLAY 깨다 = to wake up

Passive Verbs:
PLAY 싸이다 = to be wrapped up

Adjectives:
PLAY 날씬하다 = to be slim/slender
Adverbs and Other Words:
PLAY 더욱 = more and more

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

There are 625 vocabulary entries in Unit 3. All entries are linked to an audio
file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn how to say “one makes” or “one lets” a person
to do an action. Just like with a lot of other Korean grammatical principles,
this one doesn’t make sense at first to English speakers, simply because the
construction is so different from English grammar. As always, I will break it
down for you step by step. Let’s get started.

To make/To let…: ~게 하다

Before we begin, note that the word “to make” has many meanings in
English. In this lesson, we are not talking about the definition of “to make” as
it refers to “building” something. Instead, we are talking about the definition
of the word “make” in the following sentence:

I make my mom happy

Note here that this definition of “make” has nothing to do with actually
building/making an object. Rather, it is about influencing/telling somebody
what to do. Here are more examples of this usage in English:

I made him study

I want to make my friend leave
I will make him sleep

Korean people don’t distinguish between “making” a person doing

something, and “letting” a person doing something. It sounds weird to an
English speaker, but the Korean translations for the above sentences would
be the same as the Korean translations for the following sentences:

I let him study

I want to let my friend leave
I will let him sleep

English learners see this grammatical principle (which I haven’t even

introduced to you yet) and get hung up on the fact it can mean “to make” or
“to let.” How can one thing in Korean translate to two seemingly different
things in English?

Just a quick note. We see this same phenomenon many times when we
compare English and Korean. You saw something similar when you
learned about ~아/어야 하다 (Lesson 46) and how it can be translated to
“one must” or “one should.” Remember, these languages are vastly
different, and just because something is done in English, doesn’t mean the
same principle will apply in Korean.

Let me introduce this grammatical principle to you with one simple

example. To create this meaning of “to make” or “to let,” you can attach ~게
하다 to the stem of a word. The subject of the sentence “makes/lets” the
object do that action. For example:

PLAY 나는 그를 공부하게 했다

Two common English translations for this Korean sentence would be:

I made him study

I let him study

I’d like to discuss why the translations of “to make” and/or “to let” are used
in this situation. In English, the word “to make” is more related to forcing a
person to do an action; whereas “to let” is more related to allowing a
person to do an action. In both cases, the subject is doing something (either
forcing or allowing) that, in the end, influences/causes the person to do the
action.

The Korean usage does not distinguish between “forcing” or “allowing.” It

simply indicates that the subject does something (regardless of it was by
“forcing” or “allowing”) that causes/influences the rest of the clause to
occur. Therefore, a more accurate translation might be:

PLAY 나는 그를 공부하게 했다 = I did something that caused/influenced

him to study

Therefore, it’s not that “~게 하다” can have two translations – but rather that
the meanings of “make” and “let” are very specific – and both of these
meanings can be encompassed in the idea that “one causes/influences the
action to occur.”

Let’s look at many more examples. I’ll use the word “make” or “let” often
depending on the context, but try to remember that the usage of these
words is more of an English phenomenon that isn’t distinguished in these
Korean sentences.

PLAY 저는 그를 자게 할 거예요 = I will let him sleep

PLAY 학생들은 선생님을 화나게 했어요 = The students made the teacher
mad
PLAY 저는 학생들을 바로 준비하게 했어요 = I made the students get ready
right away
PLAY 저는 아들을 오늘 아침에 일찍 일어나게 했어요 = I made our son
wake up early today
PLAY 저는 딸을 상점에서 조금 더 둘러보게 했어요 = I’m going to let my
daughter look around the store a little bit more

PLAY 제가 축제에 가게 해 주세요 = Please let me go to the festival

PLAY 저는 학생들을 공부하게 해 주었어요 = I let the students study

In the previous two examples, I attached ~아/어 주다 to ~게 하다. In Lesson

41, you learned the purpose and meaning of using ~아/어 주다. Assuming
that the action is somehow positive or beneficial for the person being
influenced, it is acceptable to attach ~아/어 주다 to the end of ~게 하다. To
a relative beginner of Korean grammar (at Lesson 56, you could call yourself
that), this might look complicated, but it’s just the meaning of ~아/어 주다
added on top of ~게 하다.

~게 하다 can also be added to adjectives. When used like this, the subject
causes/influences the object to “be” the adjective used. For example:
PLAY 저는 저의 여자 친구를 행복하게 했어요 = I made my girlfriend happy,
or
PLAY 저는 저의 여자 친구를 행복하게 해 주었어요 = I made my girlfriend
happy

A common adjective that this is used with is 놀라다, which translates to “to
be surprised.” By attaching ~게 하다 to 놀라다, you can indicate that “one
did something to cause/influence somebody to be surprised.” This can
more simply be translated to “one surprised somebody.” For example:

PLAY 제가 한국말을 할 수 있어서 저는 한국 사람들을 항상 놀라게 해요

= Because I can speak Korean, I always surprise Korean people

PLAY 엄마가 저에게 선물을 줘서 저를 놀라게 했어요

= Because my mother gave me a present, she surprised me

Here are more examples of ~게 하다 used with adjectives:

PLAY 저는 우리 엄마를 슬프게 했어요 = I made our mom sad

PLAY 애기를 무섭게 하지 마세요! = Don’t make the baby scared (don’t
scare the baby)
PLAY 아빠는 저를 피곤하게 했어요 = Dad made me tired

PLAY 저의 남자 친구가 저의 기분을 상하게 했어요

= My boyfriend made me feel bad (made me ruin my feelings)

PLAY 네가 그렇게 말하면 나를 창피하게 할 거야

= If you say it like that, you’re going to make me ashamed

PLAY 손님들이 우리 집에 오면 저는 항상 손님들을 편하게 하려고 노력해요

= When guests come to our house, I always try to make them comfortable

PLAY 저는 잘생긴 친구를 데려가서 저의 남자 친구를 질투하게 했어요

= I brought a handsome man with me, so it made my boyfriend jealous

In the sentences so far, you have seen examples where the subject
causes/influences another person to do an action (or be an adjective). Often
times you might want to create a sentence where the subject
“causes/influences” another person to act on another object.
For example, instead of just saying:
I made him study

You might want to say:

I made him study Korean

In these situations, ~이/가 can be attached to the person you are

influencing, and ~을/를 can be attached to the object that the person is
acting on. For example:

PLAY 나는 그를 공부하게 했다 = I made him study

PLAY 나는 그가 한국어를 공부하게 했다 = I made him study Korean

PLAY 나는 그를 이해하게 했다 = I made him understand

PLAY 나는 그가 한국어 문법을 이해하게 했다 = I made him understand
Korean grammar

Below are many more examples:

PLAY 나는 학생들이 내 말을 듣게 했어 = I made the students listen to me
PLAY 저는 남편이 결혼반지를 끼게 했어요 = I made my husband wear
our/the wedding ring
PLAY 그 날씬한 여자가 저를 좋아하게 하고 싶어요 = I want to make that
thin girl like me
PLAY 저는 학생이 더 좋은 부전공을 선택하게 했어요 = I made the student
select a better minor
PLAY 저는 엄마가 저를 위해 도시락을 싸게 했어요 = I made my mom
pack/wrap up a lunch box for me
PLAY 노동자들이 박스를 트럭에 싣게 했어요 = I made the workers load the
boxes onto the truck
PLAY 저는 학생들이 이 형식을 따르게 했어요 = I made the students follow
this format
PLAY 저는 햇빛이 안 들어오게 했어요 = I made it so the sunlight won’t
come in
PLAY 저는 친구가 그 이상한 집을 들여다보게 했어요 = I made my friend
look into that weird house

PLAY 저는 우리 아들이 다른 진로를 고르게 할 거예요

= I’m going to make our son choose a different (career) path
PLAY 저는 학생들이 정답을 맞힐 때까지 계속 해 보게 했어요
= I let the students keep trying until they guessed correctly

PLAY 저는 선수가 자기 한계에 도달할 때까지 계속 운동하게 했어요

= I made the athlete keep going until he reached his limit

In all of the examples you have seen so far, 하다 is used immediately after ~
게. Let’s look at how we use something else other than 하다 after ~게.

So that, In Order to, To allow for: ~게

Earlier in the lesson, I introduced the purpose and meaning of using ~게

하다 in a sentence. I explained that ~게 하다 is used when the subject does
an action (regardless of it was by “forcing” or “allowing”) that
causes/influences the action/adjective to occur.

In the all of the examples you have seen so far, you don’t know specifically
what the “action” was that causes/influences the action/adjective to occur.
You have seen that 하다 is used in these sentences – but this is because it
isn’t implied what is done to cause/influence the action/adjective to occur.

It is possible to place another verb – or better yet, an entire clause after ~게

to indicate what causes/influences the action to occur. Let’s look at a simple
example:

PLAY 선생님은 제가 칠판을 보게 했어요

This could be translated to:

The teacher made me look at the board, or

The teacher let me look at the board, or more generally
The teacher did something that caused/influenced me to look at the board

In this example, it isn’t implied what was done to cause/influence/make/let

me look at the board. All we know is the teacher did some action.
However, I can specify what the teacher did by replacing 하다 with another
verb/clause that provides more information. For example:
PLAY 선생님은 제가 칠판을 보게 불을 켰어요 = The teacher turned on the
light so that I could see the board

Just like when 하다 is used after ~게, the clause after ~게 (불을 켰어요)
causes or influences the clause before ~게 to occur.

A common translation for “~게” in this type of sentence is “… so that…”.

Below are many examples:

PLAY 제가 잘 들을 수 있게 크게 말해 주세요 = Please speak loudly so that I

can hear you well
PLAY 음식을 좀 만들게 재료를 사 와 = Buy some ingredients so that I can
make some food
PLAY 애기가 깨지 않게 조용히 노크해 주세요 = Knock quietly so that the
baby doesn’t wake up
PLAY 도구를 찾을 수 있게 불을 켰어요 = I turned on the light so that I could
find my tools

PLAY 저는 학생들이 다 이해할 수 있게 설명했어요

= I explained it so that all the students could understand it

PLAY 햇빛이 안 들어오게 커튼을 내려 주세요

= Pull the curtains down so that the sunlight doesn’t come in

PLAY 뒤에 있는 차가 저의 시야에 있게 거울을 조금 움직였어요

= I moved the mirror a little bit so that the cars behind me would be in my
field of vision

PLAY 저는 학생들이 과정을 더 잘 이해할 수 있게 저는 다시 설명해

주었어요
= I explained it again to the students so that they could understand the
process better

PLAY 무엇을 사야 되는지를 깜빡하지 않게 목록을 작성하세요

= Make a list so that you don’t forget what you have to buy

PLAY 선생님들은 학생들이 목표를 성취하게 하기 위해 열심히 일해요

= Teachers work hard so that students can achieve their goals
The following is from the Intermediate TOPIK Test (Number 27):

PLAY 사람들이 모두 보게 안내문을 벽에 붙였다

= (I) posted (attached) an information sign on the wall so that all the people
(can) see it

The question was asking if the following two sentences have the same
meaning:

PLAY 사람들이 모두 보게 안내문을 벽에 붙였다, and

사람들이 모두 보도록 안내문을 벽에 붙였다

At this point, you have yet to learn about ~도록, but when you learn about it
in Lesson 92 you will see that the two sentences above have the same
meaning.

I talk about this usage of ~게 in a YouTube video. Check it out!

That’s it for this lesson! We will continue to talk about this meaning of “to
make/to let” in the next lesson.

There are 1200 example sentences in Unit 3.

All entries are linked to an audio file. You can download all of these files in
one package here

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each word can be
used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that you will be
learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 우리 = cage for animals

PLAY 다람쥐 = squirrel
PLAY 뱀 = snake

PLAY 실업 = unemployment

PLAY 실업자 = unemployed person

PLAY 초인종 = doorbell

PLAY 포대기 = baby blanket

PLAY 음주 = the consumption of alcohol

PLAY 금주 = the restriction of alcohol

PLAY 곁 = one’s side

PLAY 심부름 = errand

Verbs:
PLAY 시키다 = to order

PLAY 화해하다 = to reconcile/make up with somebody

PLAY 흥분하다 = to arouse

PLAY 자극하다 = to stimulate

PLAY 안정하다 = to stabilize

PLAY 응용하다 = to apply (to a situation)

PLAY 차리다 = to prepare food, to recover one’s spirit

PLAY 상기시키다 = to remind

PLAY 옮다 = to catch some sort of infectious disease

PLAY 옮기다 = to move, to shift, to transfer, to transmit

Adjectives:
PLAY 불확실하다 = to be unclear, uncertain

PLAY 간지럽다 = to be ticklish

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 방과후 = after school

PLAY 대체로 = generally/overall

PLAY 당장 = right now, for the time being

PLAY 마음껏 = as much as one likes

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

There are 625 vocabulary entries in Unit 3. All entries are linked to an audio
file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.

Introduction

In the previous lesson, you learned how to attach ~게 to words followed by

~하다 or other verbs/clauses to indicate that one
influences/causes/makes/lets an action happen. In this lesson, we will look
at another way you can express this meaning. Let’s get started.

To Make: Attaching ~시키다

In the previous lesson, you learned how to attach ~게 to words, and often

followed it with 하다. For example:
공부하다 = to study
공부하게 하다 = to make/let/cause (one to) study

~시키다 can be used to create the same meaning. ~시키다 can be attached
to the noun-form of ~하다 verbs and adjectives in replace of ~하게 하다.
For example:

공부하다 = to study
공부시키다 = to make (one) study

Here are some other examples of words that ~시키다 is commonly

attached to:

이해하다 = to understand
이해시키다 = to make (one) understand

연습하다 = to practice
연습시키다 = to make (one) practice

실망하다 = to be disappointed
실망시키다 = to make (one) disappointed (to disappoint)

만족하다 = to be satisfied
만족시키다 = to make (one) satisfied (to satisfy)

목욕하다 = to take a bath/to bathe

목욕시키다 = to make (one) take a bath

These constructions with ~시키다 are typically used when a subject

“makes” a person do the action specified before ~시키다. For example:

공부시키다
PLAY 선생님은 학생들을 방과후 수업 시간 동안 공부시켰어요
= The teacher made the students study during the after school class

이해시키다
PLAY 경찰관은 남자에게 음주운전이 왜 위험한지를 이해시켰어요
= The police officer made the man understand why drunk driving is
dangerous

연습시키다
PLAY 그 할아버지가 저에게 뱀을 어떻게 잡는지를 많이 연습시켰어요
= That old man (grandfather) made me practice how to hold snakes a lot

실망시키다
PLAY 제가 실업자라는 것이 저의 어머니를 실망시켰어요
= The fact that I am unemployed disappointed my mother

만족시키다
PLAY 저는 열심히 일해서 부장님을 만족시켰어요
= I worked very hard, so I satisfied my boss

목욕시키다
PLAY 저는 다람쥐를 잡고 목욕시켰어요
= I got the squirrel and gave it a bath (made it have a bath)

The main difference we can see with the words being used with ~시키다
(compared to if the word just ended in ~하다) is that the acting agent is
causing/ordering/making another person (or thing) to do the action. When
the word just ends in ~하다, the subject is typically the acting agent who
performs the action specified. For example, compare the usage of each
verb in the sentences above (using ~시키다) with the sentence below (using
~하다):

공부하다
PLAY 저는 방과후 수업 시간 동안 한국어를 공부했어요 = I studied Korean
during the after school class
“I” am the subject, and “I” am the one who studied

이해하다
PLAY 제가 음주운전이 왜 위험한지를 이해해요 = I understand why drunk
driving is dangerous
“I” am the subject, and “I” am the one who understands
연습하다
PLAY 저는 뱀을 어떻게 잡는지를 많이 연습했어요 = I practiced how to hold
snakes a lot
“I” am the subject, and “I” am the one who practiced a lot

실망하다
PLAY 저는 실망했어요 = I was disappointed
“I” am the subject, and “I” am the one who was disappointed

만족하다
PLAY 저는 만족해요 = I am satisfied
“I” am the subject, and “I” am the one who is satisfied

목욕하다
PLAY 저는 집에 가서 목욕했어요 = I went home and took a bath
“I” am the subject, and “I” am the one who took a bath

There are many times where the translation of the original verb (containing
~하다) is similar to the meaning that is created when ~시키다 is added. For
example:

감동하다 = to (be) impress(ed)

감동하다 usually translates to “to impress.” However, “to impress” in
English is used when one person impresses another (ex. She impressed
me). When a subject impresses another person like this, 
감동시키다 should be used. When a subject is impressed, 감동하다 or 
감동받다 can be used. In a way, 감동하다 feels like a passive verb when
it’s translated. For example:
나는 감동했어 | 나는 감동받았어 = I was impressed

감동시키다 = to impress
The addition of ~시키다 indicates that you are “making” one impressed

As you can see above, it is difficult to come up with an accurate translation

that would allow for an easy distinction between 감동하다 and 감동시키다.
You can see this same phenomenon with many other words that ~시키다 is
attached to. Below is a list of words (that I chose because you already know
them) that ~시키다 is commonly attached to.
Just like I did earlier in the lesson, I have provided an example sentence for
both the ~하다 and ~시키다 usage of each word. When looking at each
example sentence, notice how the acting agent in the sentences using ~
하다 is performing the action, but the acting agent in the sentences using ~
시키다 is commanding the action.

감동하다 = to impress (to be impressed)

PLAY 저는 엄마의 말을 듣고 아주 감동했어요
= I listened to my mom’s words and was very impressed

감동시키다 = to impress
PLAY 저는 하루 종일 열심히 일해서 엄마를 감동시켰어요
= I impressed mom because I worked hard all day

—————————-

소개하다 = to introduce
PLAY 우리가 오늘 무엇에 대해 배울지 잠깐 소개해 주겠습니다
= I will briefly introduce what we will be learning about today

소개시키다 = to introduce
PLAY 저는 저의 여자 친구를 저의 부장님께 소개시켰어요
= I introduced my girlfriend to my boss

—————————-

진정하다 = to relax
PLAY 말을 그만하고 진정하세요
= Stop talking and calm down

진정시키다 = to relax
PLAY 저는 시험 전에 긴장하는 학생을 진정시켰어요
= Before the exam, I relaxed a nervous student (I made him relaxed)

—————————-
훈련하다 = to train
PLAY 그런 것을 하고 싶으면 특별한 훈련을 해야 돼요
= If you want to do that sort of thing, you need to do special training

훈련시키다 = to train
PLAY 저의 이웃사람이 제 강아지를 잘 훈련시켰어요
= My neighbor trained my dog very well

—————————-

흥분하다 = to arouse
PLAY 새로운 스타워즈 영화가 곧 나올 거라는 것을 듣고 아주 흥분했어요
= I heard that the near Star Wars movie is coming out soon and got very
excited

흥분시키다 = to arouse
PLAY 그 뉴스는 시민들을 흥분시켰어요
= That news excited the public/citizens

—————————-

화해하다 = to reconcile
PLAY 우리는 지난 10 년 동안 서로 싫어했지만 드디어 화해했어요
= We didn’t like each other for the last 10 years, but we finally reconciled

화해시키다 = to reconcile
PLAY 저는 우리 아버지와 우리 어머니를 화해시켰어요
= I made my mother and father reconcile

—————————-

I’ve also noticed that it is difficult to pinpoint a difference between the ~

하다 and ~시키다 forms of some verbs. For example:

PLAY 저는 신입사원들을 주말에 교육했어요 = I educated the new workers

on the weekend
PLAY 저는 신입사원들을 주말에 교육시켰어요 = I educated the new
workers on the weekend
PLAY 저의 남자 친구가 저를 자꾸 자극했어요 = My boyfriend kept irritating
me
PLAY 저의 남자 친구가 저를 자꾸 자극시켰어요 = My boyfriend kept
irritating me

The only difference I can feel (and I’ve discussed this with Korean people) is
that the usage of ~시키다 makes the sentences sound stronger – almost as
if the subject is “forcing” the people to do something.

—————————-

Another peculiar word is 안정하다. 안정하다 has two meanings, and it is

hard to come up with a translation for either word when written as “
안정하다.” In general, their translations are:

안정하다 = to be calm (to calm down)

안정하다 = to be stable (to stabilize)

These verbs remind me of 감동하다, where they look like active verbs but
their translations make you think they’re a passive verb. The active form of
these verbs (“to calm down” and “to stabilize”) can be created by replacing
~하다 with ~시키다. For example:

PLAY 그 의사는 고통으로 울고 있는 환자를 안정시켰어요

= The doctor calmed down the patient who was crying from pain

PLAY 노동자들이 무너질 것 같은 벽을 안정시켰어요

= The workers stabilized the wall that was probably going to collapse

—————————-

Another good example of ~시키다 being used is 상기시키다. “상기하다”

means “to recall/to remember” – therefore, by saying “상기시키다,” the
meaning changes to “to make somebody recall.” This is usually more
naturally translated to “to remind.”

상기하다 is a difficult word in Korean and isn’t used very often.

Nonetheless, it can be used to have this meaning of “recalling” or
“remembering,” even if it may be an uncommon way to express this
meaning:

PLAY 다시 한번 작년 사고를 상기하고 철저히 준비해 주세요

= Recall/remember the accident from last year again, and prepare
thoroughly

~시키다 can be used instead of ~하다 in 상기하다 to indicate that one

“reminds” somebody else of something. For example:

PLAY 저는 매일 저의 여자친구에게 제가 그녀를 사랑하는 것을 상기시켜요

= I remind my girlfriend that I love her every day

PLAY 선생님은 학생들에게 숙제를 해야 하는 것을 상기시켰어요

= The teacher reminded the students that they have to do their homework

In the examples so far, you have seen ~시키다 used only when attached to
a noun. It is possible to use it as a standalone verb. I would like to talk about
this next.

To Make, to Order: 시키다 as a Verb

So far, you have only seen ~시키다 used when attached to a noun that
would otherwise have ~하다 attached to it. 시키다 can also exist as a verb
by itself, acting on a noun that it is not attached to. For example:

PLAY 저는 회사원들에게 일을 시켰어요

The meaning of the verb “시키다” in this example is essentially the same as
the meaning of ~시키다 when it was attached to a noun. In addition, it is
also essentially the same as the meaning of ~게 하다, which you learned in
the previous lesson.

When used like this, the acting agent orders/makes a person do some kind
of task or work. Therefore, the sentence above would translate to:
PLAY 저는 회사원들에게 일을 시켰어요 = I made/ordered the workers to
do the job

Notice that 시키다 is separate from the noun “일.” It is usually unnatural to
change an action into a noun by using ~는 것 and placing 시키다 after it. For
example, this would be unnatural:

저는 학생들이 교실을 청소하는 것을 시켰어요

Instead, it would be more natural to simply use the noun form of the verb:
PLAY 저는 학생들에게 교실 청소를 시켰어요 = I made the students clean
the classroom

Or, to use the imperative quoted addition ~(으)라고 (introduced in Lesson

54) to indicate that the order was spoken:
PLAY 저는 학생들에게 교실을 청소하라고 시켰어요 = I made the students
clean the classroom

Or, to use ~게 (introduced in the previous lesson) on the action that should

be completed:
PLAY 저는 학생들이 교실을 청소하게 시켰어요 = I made the students clean
the classroom

Below are many other examples:

PLAY 그 정보가 불확실해서 직원에게 확인을 시켰어요

PLAY 그 정보가 불확실해서 직원에게 확인하라고 시켰어요
PLAY 그 정보가 불확실해서 직원이 확인하게 시켰어요
= That information isn’t certain, so I made the worker check

PLAY 저는 아들과 아들 친구들이 소파를 저 방으로 옮기라고 시켰어요

PLAY 저는 아들과 아들 친구들이 소파를 저 방으로 옮기게 시켰어요
= I made my son and my son’s friend move the sofa to that room

PLAY 지금 안 하면 내가 너에게 당장 노래를 시킬 거야

PLAY 지금 안 하면 내가 너에게 당장 노래하라고 시킬 거야
PLAY 지금 안 하면 내가 너에게 당장 노래하게 시킬 거야
= If you don’t do it now, I will make you sing now/right away
PLAY 저는 학생들에게 영어 공부를 시킬 거예요
PLAY 저는 학생들에게 영어를 공부하라고 시킬 거예요
PLAY 저는 학생들에게 영어를 공부하게 시킬 거예요
= I’m going to make the students study English

Here are a couple of other examples using ~(으)라고:

PLAY 저는 남편에게 쌀을 사라고 심부름을 시켰어요

= I made my husband do an errand of buying rice

PLAY 다람쥐를 우리에 넣으라고 시켰어요

= I made him put the squirrel in the cage

PLAY 애기를 포대기로 싸라고 시켰어요

= I made him wrap the baby in a blanket

Finally, 시키다 can also be used when “ordering” food or drinks when at a
restaurant or other places that serve food. For example:

PLAY 밥을 시켰어요? = Did you order food?

PLAY 뭐 시키고 싶어요? = What do you want to order?
PLAY 저는 삼겹살을 시켰어요 = I ordered 삼겹살

———————————–

Just one quick thing that I want to point out. I have introduced different
ways 시키다 can be used. Look at the following three sentences:

1) 공부시켰다
2) 공부 시켰다
3) 공부를 시켰다

If you showed those three constructions to Korean people, it would be hard

for most people to tell you which usage(s) is/are correct. In the first
example, we see ~시키다 not used as a verb, but attached to 공부. This was
the first usage I taught you in this lesson. In the third example, you see
시키다 used as a verb acting on the noun “공부.” In the second example,
시키다 is not attached to 공부, and ~를/을 is not used on 공부. This usage is
technically incorrect, although most people (especially in speech) might
omit the object particle.

As a foreign learner of Korean, you will probably never need to make the
distinction of which one is correct and which one is incorrect. However, this
is something that Korean high school students study in their Korean
language classes, and I thought it would be good to mention here. A
significant amount of time in Korean language classes in Korean high
schools goes into the correct spacing of words (and the grammatical
principles surrounding words). This spacing is called “띄어쓰기” and has
now gotten me off on a tangent in this lesson. Time to wrap it up!

———————————–

That’s it!

There are 1200 example sentences in Unit 3.

All entries are linked to an audio file. You can download all of these files in
one package here.

Okay, I got it! Take me to the next lesson! Or,

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn some difficult words that don’t fit into one
particular lesson or another. There have been a few lessons like this up to
this point, and the goal is to introduce you to difficult words that you
wouldn’t otherwise understand if you just saw them in a vocabulary list. Just
like I do when I teach you grammatical principles, I will explain each word
and how it can be used in every day Korean conversation. Let’s get started
with the list of words.

Vocabulary

PLAY 어쩌면 = maybe, perhaps

PLAY 아무래도 = probably

PLAY 가꾸다 = to grow/cultivate crops

PLAY 가꾸다 = to make oneself look nice

PLAY 연세 = age

PLAY 뵈다 = to see (high respect)

PLAY 차림 = what one is wearing

–PLAY 옷차림 = outfit

– PLAY 잠옷 = pajamas

– PLAY 운동복 = exercise clothes

PLAY 즉 = i.e./in other words…

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

There are 625 vocabulary entries in Unit 3. All entries are linked to an audio
file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.

Perhaps: 어쩌면

In earlier lessons, you have learned about some words that can be placed in
sentences that don’t have any real meaning. These types of words are often
used in sentences for feeling and to help the listener expect what the
speaker will say. Two specific examples that you have already learned are
“만약” and “아무리.”

In Lesson 43, you learned about “만약” and how it is often used in
sentences when the result of a sentence can’t be certain. For example:

PLAY 만약 내가 공부했으면 시험을 합격했을 것이다 = If I studied, I would

have passed the test
PLAY 만약 내가 밥을 먹었으면 배고프지 않았을 것이다 = If I ate, I wouldn’t
have been hungry

Furthermore, in Lesson 48 you learned about the word “아무리” and how it
can be added to sentences that have “아/어도” in them. For example:

PLAY 아무리 그 제품을 반값으로 줘도 저는 안 살 거예요

= Regardless of if you give me that product at half price, I’m not going to
buy it

어쩌면 is another one of these words. If you look “어쩌면” up in the

dictionary, you will probably see a definition of “maybe” or “perhaps” (just
like you would see the definition “if” if you looked up the word “만약”).
However, 어쩌면 can be taken out of sentences without any real change of
meaning.

어쩌면 is often placed in sentences where the speaker is not sure about
something, but is making a guess about a situation. Because of the nature of
this usage, 어쩌면 is often used in sentences that end in ~ㄹ/을지(도)
모르다, which you learned about in Lesson 30. For example:

PLAY 어쩌면 그녀가 올지도 몰라요

= She might come
= I don’t know if she will come
= Perhaps she will come

PLAY 어쩌면 그녀의 남자 친구가 그녀를 위해 선물을 살지 몰라요

= Her boyfriend might buy her a present
= I don’t know if her boyfriend will buy her a present
= Perhaps her boyfriend will buy her a present

PLAY 어쩌면 우리가 내일 갈 수 있을지도 몰라요

= We might be able to go (or might not be able to go) tomorrow
= I don’t know if we will be able to go tomorrow
= Perhaps we will be able to go tomorrow

어쩌면 can also be used to stress one’s amazement at some fact, almost as
if the speaker is saying “Wow! Look at that!” In Lesson 23, you learned how
이렇게, 그렇게 and 저렇게 are often used in sentences to stress why
something occurs. For example:

PLAY 왜 일찍 가요? = Why are you going early?

왜 이렇게 일찍 가요? = Why are you going so early (like this)?

어쩌면 is often added to sentences to stress “how” something is possible –

often in combination with 이렇게, 그렇게 and 저렇게. For example:

PLAY 어쩌면 이렇게 일찍 왔어요? = How is it possible that you came this
early?
PLAY 어쩌면 비가 저렇게 많이 왔어요? = How is it possible that it rained
that much?
PLAY 어쩌면 밥을 그렇게 많이 먹을 수 있어요? = How is it possible that you
can eat that much?
PLAY 어쩌면 시험을 그렇게 잘 봤어요? = How is it possible that you did that
well on the exam?

It is possible to use 어쩌면 in these situations, but you’d be more likely to

hear “어떻게” placed in that situation to have the same meaning. For
example:

PLAY 어떻게 이렇게 일찍 왔어요? = How is it possible that you came this
early?
PLAY 어떻게 비가 저렇게 많이 왔어요? = How is it possible that it rained
that much?
PLAY 어떻게 밥을 그렇게 많이 먹을 수 있어요? = How is it possible that you
can eat that much?
PLAY 어떻게 시험을 그렇게 잘 봤어요? = How is it possible that you did that
well on the exam?

Let’s move on to a similar word in 아무래도.

Perhaps: 아무래도
아무래도 is often used in sentences where the speaker “thinks” something
will occur. Because of the nature of this usage, 아무래도 is often used in
sentences that end in 것 같다. You learned all about “것 같다” in Lesson 35.
For example:

PLAY 아무래도 그녀가 우리를 만나러 안 올 것 같아요 = She probably won’t

come to meet us
PLAY 아무래도 그가 벌써 떠났을 것 같아요 = He probably already left

There are technically two types of usages for 아무래도. One of them is an
adverb, which is shown in the examples above. Another usage of 아무래도
comes from bending the word 아무러하다. While we are on the subject of
아무래도, I would like to discuss the word 아무러하다 with you, and how it
can bend into 아무래도.

The lengthy explanation that follows is fairly complex. In Lesson 25, you
learned about 아무 and how it can be placed before nouns and followed by
a negative ending. For example:

저는 아무 것도 먹고 싶지 않아요 = I don’t want to eat anything/I want to

eat nothing
아기는 아무 데도 가지 않았어 = The baby didn’t go anywhere/The baby
went nowhere
저는 아무 말도 하지 않았어요 = I didn’t say anything/I said nothing

The adjective 아무러하다 acts similar to 아무, but more broadly indicates
that “no form” of that particular noun occurs. For example:

PLAY 우리가 일어났을 때 아무러한 소리도 안 냈어요

= When we woke up, we didn’t make any (form of) sound

PLAY 일을 할 때 아무러한 문제가 안 생기게 조심하게 하세요

= When you work, be careful to make sure that no (form of) problem comes
up

PLAY 남자가 자기 엄마가 죽은 것을 봤을 때 아무러한 느낌이 없었어요

= When the man saw his mother die, he didn’t have any (form of) feeling
아무러하다 is often contracted to 아무렇다, and can replace 아무러하다 in
these types of sentences. In fact, some Korean people said that the above
sentences looked unnatural because of the use of “아무러하다.” They said
that it would be more natural to use “아무렇다” instead. Take what you
want from that, but officially 아무러하다 and 아무렇다 have the same
meaning – as 아무렇다 is just a contraction of 아무러하다. For example:

아무렇다 follows the ㅎ irregular from Lesson 23.

PLAY 우리가 일어났을 때 아무런 소리도 안 냈어요

= When we woke up, we didn’t make any (form of) sound

PLAY 일을 할 때 아무런 문제가 안 생기게 조심하게 하세요

= When you work, be careful to make sure that no (form of) problem comes
up

PLAY 남자가 자기 엄마가 죽은 것을 봤을 때 아무런 느낌이 없었어요

= When the man saw his mother die, he didn’t have any (form of) feeling

~아/어도 (Lesson 48) can be added to 아무러하다. The resulting

construction (아무러해도) is often added to sentences where the speaker
indicates that – “regardless of what sort of thing happens, everything will be
okay or there will no problem.” For example:

PLAY 늦게 해도 일이 아무러해도 문제가 없을 거예요

= It doesn’t matter if you do it late, the work/task won’t have a problem

When ~아/어도 is added to 아무렇다 it changes to 아무래도 because of the

ㅎ irregular (Lesson 23). Therefore, in addition to being placed in sentences
where the speaker “thinks” something will occur (as shown at the very
beginning of this section using 것 같다), it is also possible to use 아무래도 in
these types of sentences. For example:

PLAY 늦게 해도 일이 아무래도 문제가 없을 것 같아요

= It doesn’t matter if you do it late, the work/task won’t have a problem

—————————
Because 아무러하다 and 아무렇다 are adjectives, ~게 can be attached to it
to change it into an adverb. When ~게 is added to these words, ~나 (Lesson
58) is often attached on top of ~게. For example:

아무러하게나
아무렇게나

It is difficult to come up with a translation for these constructions when

used in a sentence. A speaker would put these constructions in a sentence
to describe that an action is done “hastily, without much thought.” For
example, if I said:

PLAY 일을 아무렇게나 하지 마!

I would, in effect, be telling somebody to do something properly, and

to not do it “hastily without much thought.” For example:

PLAY4 시까지 다 하려고 학생이 숙제를 아무렇게나 하고 선생님께

드렸어요
= In order to do it all by 4 o’clock, the student did the homework hastily
without much thought and gave it to the teacher

PLAY4 시까지 다 하려고 학생이 숙제를 아무러하게나 하고 선생님께

드렸어요
= In order to do it all by 4 o’clock, the student did the homework hastily
without much thought and gave it to the teacher

PLAY 집에 들어가서 들고 있었던 물건을 바닥에 아무렇게나 놓았어요

= I went into the house, and hastily, without much thought, just threw the
items I was carrying on the floor

PLAY 집에 들어가서 들고 있었던 물건을 바닥에 아무러하게나 놓았어요

= I went into the house, and hastily, without much thought, just threw the
items I was carrying on the floor

 
 To grow/To make look pretty: 가꾸다

가꾸다 has a few different usages that are hard to connect to each other.
Generally, 가꾸다 can be used to indicate that:

● One grows or cultivates some sort of crops

● One dresses up to make themselves look pretty
When used as the first usage above, it usually acts on the word “정원”
(garden) or some sort of fruit or vegetable. For example:

PLAY 나이가 먹으면 정원을 가꾸는 것은 좋은 운동이에요

= When you get older, gardening is good exercise

PLAY 우리는 옛날에 우리 집에서 채소를 가꿨어요

= A long time ago we grew/raised vegetables at our house

When used as the second usage above, it usually acts on the word “외모”
or some similar word meaning “body” or “appearance.” For example:

PLAY 여자들이 파티에 가기 전에 예쁘게 가꿨어요

= Before the girls went to the party, they dolled themselves up all pretty

PLAY 일주일 후에 데이트를 할 거라서 지금부터 외모를 가꿔야 돼요

= Because I have a date in a week, I have to make myself look nice

Age: 연세

연세 is the formal equivalent of the word “나이.” When talking to older

people (much older people), you should use the word “연세” to refer to
their age. Using this word is a delicate science, because if you use the word
“나이” on a very old person, he/she might be offended. However, if you use
the word 연세 on somebody who isn’t very old, he/she might be offended
as well.
My wife says that up until about 65 years old, you would be safe to use the
word “나이.” Anything after that and you should be safe using the word “
연세.” The difficulty here is also how old the person looks. If the person
looks really really old (like 80 or above), you should definitely use 연세
instead. Haha, this is why Korean is crazy.

연세 is a noun, and is commonly placed with 많다 or 들다 (or the formal

드시다) to describe that one is old. For example:

PLAY 할아버지가 연세가 많아서 걷기가 힘들어요

PLAY 할아버지가 연세가 드셔서 걷기가 힘들어요
= Grandpa is old, so it is difficult (for him) to walk

When asking about someone’s age using 연세 it is common to use 되다. For
example:

PLAY 연세가 어떻게 되세요? = How old are you?

Notice that ~세요 is being used to ask a question. To review the grammar
within this, check Lesson 40.

To see: 뵈다

“뵈다” is the honorific equivalent of “보다” (to see). 뵈다 is used when the
person being looked at deserves a high amount of respect. For example:

PLAY 저는 어제 선생님의 할아버지를 뵈었어요 = I saw your (the teacher’s)

grandpa yesterday
(This sentence would be spoken to a teacher, about seeing the teacher’s
grandfather).

Remember with these honorifics, the sentence can still be conjugated with
low-form honorifics depending on who you are speaking to. For example:
PLAY 나는 어제 너의 할아버지를 뵈었어 = I saw your grandpa yesterday
(This sentence could be spoken to a friend about seeing the friend’s
grandfather).

The conjugation of 뵈다 is the same as 되다. Below are the official ways of
conjugating 뵈다:

Addition Conjugation

뵈다 + ~아/어 뵈어

뵈다 + ~았/었어 뵈었어

뵈다 + ~ㄹ/을 뵐

뵈다 + ~는 뵈는

뵈다 + ~ㄴ/는다 뵌다

Like 되다, when ~아/어 (or a derivative of it like ~았/었) is added to 뵈다,
the ~아/어 can merge with the stem. The following conjugations are seen as
acceptable:

Addition Conjugation
 뵈다 + ~아/어 봬

뵈다 + ~았/었어 뵀어

뵈다 + ~ㄹ/을 뵐

뵈다 + ~는 뵈는

뵈다 + ~ㄴ/는다 뵌다

Korean people often make the following mistakes when conjugating 뵈다:

They often write 뵈어 or 봬 as “뵈.” This is an incorrect conjugation

They often write 뵈었어 or 뵀어 as “뵜어.” This is an incorrect conjugation

Another similar word is “뵙다.” 뵙다 and 뵈다 have the same meaning and
function, but 뵙다 is slightly more formal (whatever that means). 뵙다 is a
completely different word than 뵈다, and therefore does not follow any of
the acceptable “merging” conjugations seen with 뵈다. In fact, 뵙다 can
only be used when the conjugation or grammatical principle added to it
begins in a consonant.

Because of this, “뵙어” or “뵙었어” are incorrect

Korean people might also write “봽어” or “봽었어” which are incorrect for
two reasons

Again, only additions that begin with a consonant can be added to 뵙다. For
example:
뵙겠다
뵙는
뵙고

뵙다 is a common way to politely say “see you (sometime in the future)”

using 겠다. For example:

PLAY 내일 뵙겠습니다 = See you tomorrow

PLAY 나중에 뵙겠습니다 = See you later

Wearing…: 차림으로

차림 as a noun technically refers to one’s clothes. It is often used as “

옷차림” to generally refer to one’s outfit. For example:

PLAY 그 여자의 옷차림이 아주 예뻐요 = That girl’s clothes/outfit is very

pretty

차림 is often placed after an indication of a type or article of clothing, for

example:

잠옷 차림 (pajamas)
교복 차림 (school uniform)
정장 차림 (a suit)
운동복 차림 (exercise clothes)

~(으)로 is often added to these constructions to indicate that one does an

action while “wearing” the specified article of clothing. For example:

PLAY 그는 잠옷 차림으로 밖에 나갔어요

= He went outside wearing his pajamas
PLAY 저는 매일 교복 차림으로 학교에 갔어요
= I went to school every day wearing my uniform

PLAY 면접을 보러 정장 차림으로 들어오는 사람이 많아요

= There are many people coming in wearing suits to do the interview

PLAY 운동복 차림으로 교회에 들어가서는 안 됩니다

= You shouldn’t go into church wearing exercise clothes

In other words/i.e.: 즉

This one is a pretty easy word and concept, but one that most people
wouldn’t understand just by looking at it. Knowing this one is good to know,
but it really isn’t very common (especially in speaking). You may come
across this time to time when reading books or newspapers.

By placing the word “즉” between two sentences (either separated by a

comma or a period), you can create the meaning of “in other words.” The
first sentence generally describes some situation, and the second sentence
usually clarifies any ambiguity being presented. For example:

PLAY 그녀는 자기 남자 친구에게 그녀의 집에서 나가라고 했어요. 즉

그들은 헤어졌어요.
= She told her boyfriend to get out of her house. In other words, they broke
up

PLAY 날씨가 매우 추웠을 때, 즉 지난 겨울에 나무가 다 죽어버렸어요

= When the weather was very cold, by that I mean last winter, all the trees
died

PLAY 엄마가 전화를 갑자기 끊었어요. 즉 저랑 통화하기 싫어하는 것

같아요
= Mom suddenly hung up the phone. In other words, it seems that she
doesn’t want to talk with me (on the phone)
That’s it!

There are 1200 example sentences in Unit 3.

All entries are linked to an audio file. You can download all of these files in
one package here.

Introduction

Just like in the previous lesson, this lesson will teach you some difficult
words that you would not otherwise understand. These are all words that
you wouldn’t otherwise understand if you just saw them in a vocabulary
list. I’ll break each word down step by step as I always do. Let’s get started
with the list of words.

Vocabulary

PLAY 차다 = to be full

PLAY 가득 = filled (adverb)

– PLAY 자신감 = confidence

– PLAY 표정 = facial expression

PLAY 왠지 = for some reason

PLAY 설마 = don’t tell me that…

PLAY 찍다 = to take a picture, to stamp, to dot, to dip, to scan

– PLAY 도장 = a seal/stamp that Korean people have to replace a signature

PLAY 다행(하다) = to be thankful

~PLAY 달 = at some point in a month

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

There are 625 vocabulary entries in Unit 3. All entries are linked to an audio
file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.

To be full: 가득 차다

채우다 is an active verb that means “to fill.” For example:

PLAY 병에 끝까지 물을 채워 주세요 = Please fill the bottle to the top (to the
finish) with water
PLAY 그들은 집을 이상한 가구로 채웠어요 = They filled their house with
weird furniture

The passive equivalent, 차다 can be used to indicate that some area is

full/filled. For example:

교실이 완전히 찼어요 = The classroom is completely full

식당이 완전히 찼어요 = The restaurant is completely full

The two sentences above are slightly unnatural in Korean because of their
ambiguity. You can indicate what the area is filled with by using the particle
‘(으)로’ after a noun. For example:

PLAY 교실이 학생들로 완전히 찼어요 = The classroom is completely filled

with students
PLAY 식당이 손님들로 완전히 찼어요 = The restaurant is completely filled
with customers

Despite being in the past tense, “찼다” is describing that an area is currently
full in the present. Much like how in English the past tense “filled” can be
used to indicate that something is “full” in the present tense. It is also
common to add ~아/어 있다 to 차다 to create the meaning that something
is full/filled in the present. For example:

PLAY 교실이 학생들로 완전히 차 있어요 = The classroom is completely full

with students
PLAY 식당이 손님들로 완전히 차 있어요 = The restaurant is completely full
with customers

A common adverb that is often included in sentences with 채우다 or 차다 is

가득. 가득 is an adverb that carries the feeling that something is completely
“filled/full.” It doesn’t translate to anything special (other than “completely”),
and it is more of a word that is included for feeling. For example:

PLAY 교실은 학생들로 가득 찼어요 = The classroom is (completely) filled

with students
PLAY 식당은 손님들로 가득 찼어요 = The restaurant is (completely) filled
with customers

Most people will tell you that 가득 it means “filled/full,” simply because it is
very commonly used in combination with 차다. There might be some times
where you see 가득하다 as an adjective describing that something is full,
but it is generally more natural to use “가득 차다” instead.

This same usage of 차다 is also used to indicate that one is “full” with some
sort of emotion or feeling. For example:

PLAY 자신감에 찬 표정으로 새로운 직장에 들어갔어요

= He went into a new workplace with a face “full of” confidence

PLAY 시험결과를 보고 저는 기쁨으로 가득 찼어요

= After looking at the exam results, I was “full of” joy

PLAY 손님이 불행에 찬 눈으로 주인을 봤어요

= The customer looked at the owner with eyes “full of” unhappiness

차다 has other meanings, but they are unrelated to this usage and thus will
be presented in the vocabulary lists of other lessons as separate words. You
will see these words in other lessons, but it might be good to familiarize
yourself with the different possible usages:

차다 = to kick (Lesson 55)

차다 = to wear a watch (Lesson 101)
차다 = to be cold
 

For some reason: 왠지

In Lesson 30, you learned how to use ~ㄴ/은/는/ㄹ/을지 in sentences

when something is unknown. For example:

PLAY 제가 준 것이 괜찮은지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know if the thing that I

gave is good
PLAY 이 빛이 충분히 밝은지 모르겠어요 = I don’t know if this light is bright
enough

In that lesson, you saw how question words could go in these types of
sentences. For example:

PLAY 그 사람을 왜 데려오는지 물어봤어요 = I asked him why he is bringing

that person
PLAY 비상출입구가 어디 있는지 찾았어요 = We found where the
emergency exit is

In Lesson 23, you learned about 그렇다 and how it can be used as 그런 to
mean “in that way.” For example:

PLAY 저는 그런 사람을 믿지 않아요 = I don’t trust that type of person/those

types of people
PLAY 저는 그런 것을 좋아하지 않아요 = I don’t like that type of thing

Using 그렇다 and the grammar taught in Lesson 30, you can make the
following sentence:

PLAY 왜 그런지 몰라요 = I don’t know why it is like that

The word “왠지” is an adverb that has the meaning of the sentence above. It
is used in sentences when the speaker doesn’t know why something occurs
– or when something occurs for no clear reason.
A typical translation for “왠지” could be “I don’t know why…” or “for some
reason…”. However, as always, I suggest that you worry less about the
English translations and focus more on the meaning that 왠지 has based on
your knowledge from Lesson 23 with 그렇다 and how ~ㄴ/은지 can be
applied to it:

PLAY 그녀는 왠지 한국어를 배우고 싶었어요

= She wanted to learn Korean for some reason
= I don’t know why, but she wanted to learn Korean

PLAY 나는 왠지 오늘 학교에 가기 싫어
= I don’t want to go to school today for some reason
= I don’t know why, but I don’t want to go to school today

PLAY 오늘이 일요일이지만 버스가 승객들로 왠지 가득 찼어요

= Even though today is Sunday, the bus is packed/filled with passengers for
some reason
= I don’t know why, but even though today is Sunday, the bus is
packed/filled with passengers

Expressing Astonishment with 설마

설마 is an adverb that is used in sentences to indicate a feeling that the

speaker is amazed or astonished that something occurs. Much like other
adverbs that have a “feeling,” it is difficult to translate 설마 perfectly, so let’s
start with a simple example:

PLAY 설마 밥을 다 먹었어요?

When looking at a sentence like this, look at the sentence without 설마:

PLAY 밥을 다 먹었어요? = Did you eat all of the rice?

If we include “설마” in this sentence, the speaker is describing his
amazement/astonishment that the action occurs (i.e. the sentence without
설마).

Common translations of “설마” are “don’t tell me that…” or “I can’t believe

that…”. For example:

PLAY 설마 밥을 다 먹었어요?
= Don’t tell me you ate all the rice?!
= I can’t believe you ate all the rice!

설마 can be used in negative sentences too. For example:

PLAY 설마 밥을 아직 안 먹었어요?
= Don’t tell me that you haven’t eaten (rice) yet?
= I can’t believe that you haven’t eaten (rice) yet!

Below are many more examples:

PLAY 설마 아직도 아파요? = Don’t tell me you are still sick?

PLAY 설마 그곳에 혼자 가요? = Don’t tell me you are going there by
yourself?
PLAY 설마 학생이 그렇게 답장을 했어요? = Don’t tell me the student
responded like that?
PLAY 설마 우리가 내일 학교에 가야 돼요? = Don’t tell me that we have to
go to school tomorrow?
PLAY 설마 그들이 아버지와 어머니가 모르게 결혼을 할 거야? = Don’t tell
me they will get married without their parents knowing?

설마 is often used by itself to express one’s disbelief in a situation. Kind of

like saying “no way, that’s ridiculous” in English.

I was traveling in Hong Kong with my father-in-law in 2015, and we were

sitting down having dinner. In most restaurants in Korea, the servers will
usually give you a big bottle of water for the whole table to use. This was
my father-in-law’s first trip abroad, and he had never experienced buying
water at a restaurant. I was unsure of the customs in Hong Kong, but we
had the following conversation;
Father-in-Law: PLAY 왜 이렇게 물을 안 줘? = Why aren’t they giving us any
water?
Me: PLAY 돈을 내야 될 것 같아요 = We’ll probably need to pay for it
Father-in-Law: PLAY 설마! = No way! That’s ridiculous!

I think we ended up getting free water in the end, but that story always
sticks in my head.

To take a picture and other usages: 찍다

“찍다” has many usages that all center around a general idea. As a general
umbrella usage, 찍다 is used when touching two objects together. I want to
describe this “touching two objects together” with an example.

Imagine you have a piece of meat, and want to “dip” the meat into sauce.
How would you create this sentence? You know most of the words by this
point:

저는 고기를 소스에 ….

… But what verb should you use? 찍다 is used in this situation. For example:

PLAY 고기를 소스에 찍어야 돼요 = You need to dip the meat in the sauce

There are many other times when “찍다” is the appropriate verb for a
situation like this. Below are some examples of when “찍다” is used:

When taking a picture:
PLAY 저는 사진을 찍었어요 = I took a picture

When “stamping” something:

PLAY 저는 계약서에 도장을 찍었어요 = I stamped/sealed the contract
도장 in Korean refers to a little stamp that is dipped in ink and pressed
against a document – usually acting as an alternative to a signature.
When putting a dot or period on paper:
PLAY 문장이 끝날 때마다 점을 찍어야 돼요 = When a sentence is finished,
you need to put a period

When scanning your transportation card on a bus or subway:

PLAY 카드를 거기에 찍어야 돼요 = You need to scan your card there

찍다 can be used in many situations, but they all center around this sort of
theme.

Thankfully: 다행(이다)

The adjective “다행하다” is used to describe a “fortunate” or “lucky” event.

For example:

PLAY 아무도 안 죽은 것은 다행한 일이에요 = Nobody dyeing is (a) fortunate

(event)

It can also be used as an adverb to mean “fortunately.” For example:

PLAY 제가 유럽을 여행했을 때 다행히 문제가 생기지 않았어요 = When I

travelled Europe, fortunately no problems came up

The noun “다행” often translates to “fortune” or “luck.” Korean people often
usually put “다행” after a clause ending in ~아/어서 (Lesson 37) to express
that they are “thankful” that something happened. For example:

제가 와서 다행

Of course, the construction above is not a sentence. 이다 can be placed

after 다행 and be conjugated. For example:

PLAY 제가 와서 다행이에요 = Thankfully, I came

다행 and 다행하다 aren’t overly difficult, but I wanted to present them
separately from other vocabulary because I remember wanting to know
how to say “thankfully, ….” when I was studying Korean. Below are many
more examples:

PLAY 비가 안 와서 다행이에요 = Thankfully it didn’t rain

PLAY 물이 별로 안 뜨거워서 다행이에요 = Thankfully the water isn’t too hot
PLAY 별로 안 비싸서 다행이에요 = Thankfully it’s not too expensive
PLAY 사진을 많이 찍어서 다행이에요 = Thankfully you took many pictures
PLAY 아직 사람이 별로 없어서 다행이에요 = Thankfully there aren’t that
many people yet
PLAY 돈을 안 줘서 다행이에요 = Thankfully I didn’t give (him) any money

At some point in a month: ~달

In Lesson 11, you learned how to say that an action occurs on a specific day
of a month. For example:

PLAY 저는 8 월 15 일에 도착할 거예요 = I will arrive on August 15th

PLAY 저는 이 여권을 1 월 2 일에 받았어요 = I received my passport on
January 2 nd

If you don’t know the exact day in a month that an action occurs, you can
attach ‘~달’ to the name of the month to have the meaning of “some time in
____.” For example:

PLAY 저는 5 월달에 한국에 갈 거예요 = I’m going to Korea sometime in May

PLAY 저는 6 월달에 시험을 볼 거예요 = I’m going to write an exam
sometime in June

That’s it for this lesson!

There are 1200 example sentences in Unit 3.

All entries are linked to an audio file. You can download all of these files in
one package here.
 Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each word can be
used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that you will be
learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 쌍둥이 = twin

PLAY 보충 = supplement

PLAY 백조 = swan

PLAY 실내 = interior

PLAY 정책 = policy

PLAY 통화 = currency

PLAY 단백질 = protein

PLAY 지방 = fat

PLAY 탄수화물 = carbohydrate

PLAY 양 = amount

PLAY 야간 = night

PLAY 최선 = one’s best

PLAY 사전 = prior/beforehand/ahead of time

PLAY 쌍 = a pair

PLAY 의도적 = intentional

Verbs:
PLAY 헤엄치다 = to swim, to move through water

PLAY 해고하다 = to fire a person from a job

PLAY 건네다 = to hand-over, to pass on

PLAY 해설하다 = to explain

PLAY 다하다 = to do all of something, to leave nothing behind

PLAY 데리러 오다 = to have one come and pick you up

PLAY 데리러 가다 = to go and pick somebody up

PLAY 추가하다 = to add to, to supplement

PLAY 의도하다 = to intend

Adjectives:
PLAY 청결하다 = to be clean

PLAY 꾸준하다 = to be unrelenting, to be tireless

PLAY 한가롭다 = to be leisurely

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 딱 = exactly, perfectly, precisely

PLAY 무조건 = unconditionally

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

There are 625 vocabulary entries in Unit 3. All entries are linked to an audio
file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.
 

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn about adding ~았/었으면 좋겠다 to the end of
sentences to have the meaning of “hope.” In addition to this, you will learn
about the word “바라다” and how this could also mean “hope” in Korean as
well. Let’s get started.

To hope: 바라다

Let’s start off with the peculiar word “바라다.” 바라다 is used to indicate
that one “hopes” that something happens or occurs. In its most simple form,
it can be placed after a noun to indicate that one “hopes” for that noun to
occur. For example:

행복을 바랍니다
건강을 바랍니다
성공을 바랍니다
행운을 바랍니다

It is very difficult to translate these constructions. First, I want to point out

that it would be rare to speak these sentences with 바라다. Unless it was in
some sort of fabricated, formal speech, you would most likely see these
types of constructions used as a type of greeting in writing. For example,
when writing to somebody and wanting to “wish them the best of luck” you
could say “행운을 바랍니다.” Or when buying a greeting card, the card
might want to say “I wish you happiness” you could say “행복을 바랍니다.”

That being said, it can be used in full sentences to indicate that one wants to
“possess” or “gain.” For example:
PLAY 그 회사가 일본통화만 바라요 = That company only wants Japanese
currency

Notice that the recording pronounces “바라요” as “바래요.”

I don’t want to provide a lot of examples of 바라다 being used like this. It is
more commonly used in a different way, which is shown later. It also looks
strange to Korean people because they often pronounce “바라요” a
different way.

When ~아/어 (or its derivatives) is added to 바라다, it is often pronounced

(and spelt) as 바래. For example:

바래
바래요
바랬어
바랬어요

The governing body for the Korean language states that when the stem of a
verb ends in ㅏ (as 바라다 does), then 아 should be added to it (and usually
merged to it) in these cases. It does not make any exception for the word
바라다. Therefore, despite “바래” or “바래요” being common in speech,
writing, and even in Korean songs, 바라 and 바라요 are correct.

When one hopes for an entire clause to occur (i.e. something ending in a
verb or adjective) it is very common to attach ~기(를) to the predicating
verb or adjective in the clause to turn it into a noun. For example:

PLAY 아버님이 항상 행복하시기 바랍니다 = I hope you (father) are always

happy
PLAY 저는 그 일을 잘 하기를 바라요 = I hope I do that job well
PLAY 숙제가 많지 않기를 바라요 = I hope there isn’t a lot of homework
PLAY 많은 사람들이 오시기를 바랍니다 = I hope many people (many of
you) come
PLAY 제가 야간을 안 하기를 바라요 = I hope I don’t work nights
PLAY 정부가 그 정책을 수정하기를 바라요 = I hope the government
amends that policy
PLAY 실내에서 신발을 안 신기를 바라요 = I hope you don’t wear your
shoes indoors (inside)
PLAY 그 백조가 다시 헤엄치기를 바라요 = I hope that swan can swim again
PLAY 지금 만날 여자가 예쁘기를 바라요 = I hope the girl I am meeting now
is pretty
PLAY 아빠가 곧 오기를 바라요 = I hope dad comes home soon
PLAY 그가 나에게 돈을 많이 주기를 바라 = I hope he gives me a lot of
money
PLAY 지방을 많이 먹지 말고 단백질을 많이 먹기를 바랍니다 = I hope you
don’t eat a lot of fat, and (instead) eat a lot of protein

Funny, the sentences above using “바라요” and “바라” look unnatural to

Korean people because they would prefer to pronounce these as “
바래요” and “바래.” Because of this, when pronouncing these words in
speech I recommend that you say “바래” or “바래요.” My wife recorded
everything as “바래” and “바래요” because she couldn’t force her tongue
to say “바라” and “바라요.”

The word “hope” is used in the English translations above, but that is really
just because there is no good way to translate 바라다 to English. As I’ve
already alluded to, using 바라다 allows the speaker to indicate that he/or
she wants that clause to occur. The word “hope” doesn’t need to be
included. Instead, depending on the situation, you could translate the
sentences above to a request that the speaker is giving to the listener. For
example:

PLAY 많은 사람들이 오시기를 바랍니다 = I hope many people (many of

you) come

Imagine you are having a party, and you are announcing this to the group of
people that work at your office. Of course, you want a lot of people to
come, so at the end of your announcement, you could say “PLAY 많은
사람들이 오시기를 바랍니다.” You could translate this to “(Lots of people),
please come (to my party).”

In Lesson 40, you learned how to ask for something by adding ~아/어
주세요 to the end of a verb. For example:
PLAY 그 일을 해 주세요 = Please do that for me
PLAY 그 종이를 저한테 건네 주세요 = Please hand that paper over to me

You can use ~기 바라다 to essentially create this same meaning. For
example:

PLAY 그 일을 하기 바랍니다 = Please do that for me

PLAY 그 종이를 저한테 건네기를 바랍니다 = Please hand that paper over to
me

Again, don’t be married to the translation of “hope” for 바라다. The word
“hope” could be used in the sentences above (for example “I hope that you
do this for me”), but I used the same translations as when ~아/어 주세요
was added to show that ~기 바라다 can be used to ask for something to be
done.

When adding just ~기 바랍니다 to “commands” or “requests” like this, it

sounds as though the person who is speaking has authority. For example, if
a boss was telling his workers to get their work done, he would say “PLAY
그 일을 하기 바랍니다.” Implied in this meaning is that the work technically
should/ought to be done, and that the boss is ordering them to do it.

You can remove that “authoritative” feel by adding 아/어 주다 after the verb
that you are hoping is done. For example:

그 일을 해 주기 바랍니다
그 종이를 저한테 건네 주기를 바랍니다

To make those sentences more formal, the honorific “시” (Lesson 39) is
often added to 주다:

PLAY 그 일을 해 주시기 바랍니다 = Please do that/I hope that you do that

PLAY 그 종이를 저한테 건네 주시기 바랍니다 = Please hand that paper over
to me/I hope that you hand that paper over to me

Giving a command this way is very formal, and is most often heard in

overhead announcements made to large crowds of people instructing them
to do something. For example, if you take the subway in Seoul, the
announcement might say:

PLAY 지금은 서울 역. 서울역입니다. 공항철도나 KTX 를 타시고 싶은

승객은 이 역에서 갈아타시기 바랍니다 = This is Seoul Station. Riders
wanting to take the Airport Railroad or the KTX, please transfer at this
station.

If you need to tell somebody what to do, and you were to climb the
figurative ladder of politeness, it would look something like this:

지금 나가
지금 나가라
지금 나가세요
지금 나가기 바랍니다
지금 나가 주기 바랍니다
지금 나가십시오
지금 나가 주시기 바랍니다

Heh, you could translate all of the above to “Please go now”

Want to see how ~기 바랍니다 would be used in a Korean street sign?

Watch me breakdown the usage in a YouTube video.

Here are more examples:

PLAY 실내에서 운동을 하지 말아 주시기 바랍니다 = Please don’t exercise

indoors
PLAY 이번 시험에 최선을 다해 주시기를 바랍니다 = Please try your best on
this exam
PLAY 모든 학생들이 딱 12 시에 도착해 주시기 바랍니다 = All students
please arrive at exactly 12:00
PLAY 새로운 정책을 설명할 때 모두 다 잘 들어 주시기 바랍니다 = When
I’m explaining the new policy, everybody please listen well

—————————-
Another good example that illustrates how “바라다” is difficult to translate is
from the Star Wars movies. Remember, using “바라다” allows the speaker
to indicate that he/or she wants that clause to occur. Even if you’re not a fan
of the Star Wars movies, I am sure that you are aware of the famous line
“May the force be with you.” If you ever happen to watch the Star Wars
movies with Korean subtitles, you’ll notice that this is translated to:

PLAY 포스가 함께 하기를 바랍니다

Here, the word “hope” isn’t directly in the English translation. However,
Obi-Wan can use this phrase to say that he “wants” the force to be with
Luke.

A little side-note here for my readers who are also Star Wars fans. In
preparation for the new Star Wars movie “The Force Awakens,” I made
my (Korean) wife watch all six original Star Wars movies (4, 5, 6, 1, 2, 3 – if
you’re wondering). My wife went into the movies knowing nothing.
Absolutely nothing. Something that is essentially impossible in western
countries because even if somebody isn’t a Star Wars fan, they typically
know about “Darth Vader” and the famous line that comes at the end of
Empire Strikes Back. She absolutely loved them and now we’re both
waiting in anticipation for the next slew of movies to come out.

—————————-

There is another way that you can say “I hope” in Korean, which we will talk
about next.

I hope/I wish: ~았/었으면 좋겠다

By adding “~았/었으면 좋겠다” to the end of a verb/adjective, you can

create the meaning of “I hope” or “I wish.” This is one of the grammatical
principles where I suggest looking at the whole thing as one and not trying
to break it up into separate pieces. Let’s look at one simple example and
then talk about it:
PLAY 비가 안 왔으면 좋겠어요 = I hope it doesn’t rain

Notice that the past tense conjugation is used before “~면” and the future
tense conjugation is used on “좋다.” Despite the use of these past and
future conjugations within it, the speaker is indicating that he/she is
currently hoping for that situation to occur – whether that situation be in the
present or in the future. Below are many other examples:

PLAY 양이 많았으면 좋겠어요 = I hope there is a lot (I hope the amount is a

lot)
PLAY 내일 일이 없었으면 좋겠어요 = I wish I didn’t have work tomorrow
PLAY 그 말을 사전에 했으면 좋겠어요 = I wish you had told me that
beforehand
PLAY 나를 무조건 사랑했으면 좋겠어 = I wish you loved me unconditionally
(no matter what)
PLAY 삶을 한가롭게 살았으면 좋겠어 = I wish I could live life
freely/leisurely
PLAY 집에 가서 집이 청결했으면 좋겠어요 = I hope the house will be clean
when I go home
PLAY 엄마가 저를 데리러 왔으면 좋겠어요 = I wish mom would come to
pick me up
PLAY 우리는 그 여자랑 같이 갔으면 좋겠어요 = I hope we go together with
that girl
PLAY 그것 때문에 나를 해고하지 않았으면 좋겠다 = I wish/hope you don’t
fire me because of that
PLAY 저를 의도적으로 피하려고 안 했으면 좋겠어요 = I wish you didn’t
deliberately try to avoid me
PLAY 내일 경기에서 우리 팀 모두가 최선을 다하면 좋겠어 = Tomorrow, I
hope everybody on our team tries their best

You also may see other words (usually 하다 or 바라다) used instead of 좋다.
For example:

PLAY 우리가 곧 만났으면 해

PLAY 우리가 곧 만났으면 바래요
= I wish we could meet soon, it would be nice if we could meet soon
It is also possible for ~(으)면 to be attached to a word without being
conjugated to the past tense. For example:

PLAY 비가 안 왔으면 좋겠어요

PLAY 비가 안 오면 좋겠어요
= I hope it doesn’t rain

If you ask a Korean person, they will say that the two examples above have
the same meaning. Both of them are indicating “hope” or a “wish” in the
present tense. I’ve never read a concrete explanation as to why the two
examples above have the same meaning. Korean people just tend to use
the first example (using “~았/었으면”) when indicating one’s hope or wish.

———————–

That being said, I would like to provide my own take on this topic. This is
based on nothing but my own feelings. I’ve tried to discuss this with Korean
grammar teachers, and I’ve tried to research it, but they all say that both
examples are identical, and that they would be more likely to say “ ~았/
었으면”)

I like to think that using “~았/었으면 좋겠다” is a grammatical principle

itself, and something that can’t be separated into pieces. The whole
construction indicates one’s “wish.” For example:

PLAY 비가 안 왔으면 좋겠어요 = I hope it doesn’t rain

However, I like to think that using ~(으)면 좋겠다 is something that can be

separated into individual grammatical pieces. The use of ~(으)면, meaning
“if” or “when” (from Lesson 43) followed by “좋겠다” indicating that “it will
be good.” We can look at these examples as sentences that are made up of
its individual parts. For example:

PLAY 비가 안 오면 좋겠어요 = It would be good if it doesn’t rain

The thing is, both sentences (in English and Korean) – whether you think of
“~았/었으면” as a single unit or see “~(으)면 좋겠다” as individual pieces –
express the same meaning.
Anyways, that is just my observation.

———————–

That’s it for this lesson!

There are 1200 example sentences in Unit 3.

All entries are linked to an audio file. You can download all of these files in
one package here.

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each word can be
used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that you will be
learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 쌍둥이 = twin

PLAY 보충 = supplement

PLAY 백조 = swan

PLAY 실내 = interior

PLAY 정책 = policy

PLAY 통화 = currency

PLAY 단백질 = protein

PLAY 지방 = fat

PLAY 탄수화물 = carbohydrate
PLAY 양 = amount

PLAY 야간 = night

PLAY 최선 = one’s best

PLAY 사전 = prior/beforehand/ahead of time

PLAY 쌍 = a pair

PLAY 의도적 = intentional

Verbs:
PLAY 헤엄치다 = to swim, to move through water

PLAY 해고하다 = to fire a person from a job

PLAY 건네다 = to hand-over, to pass on

PLAY 해설하다 = to explain

PLAY 다하다 = to do all of something, to leave nothing behind

PLAY 데리러 오다 = to have one come and pick you up

PLAY 데리러 가다 = to go and pick somebody up

PLAY 추가하다 = to add to, to supplement

PLAY 의도하다 = to intend

Adjectives:
PLAY 청결하다 = to be clean

PLAY 꾸준하다 = to be unrelenting, to be tireless

PLAY 한가롭다 = to be leisurely

Adverbs and Other Words:
PLAY 딱 = exactly, perfectly, precisely

PLAY 무조건 = unconditionally

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

There are 625 vocabulary entries in Unit 3. All entries are linked to an audio
file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn about adding ~았/었으면 좋겠다 to the end of
sentences to have the meaning of “hope.” In addition to this, you will learn
about the word “바라다” and how this could also mean “hope” in Korean as
well. Let’s get started.

To hope: 바라다

Let’s start off with the peculiar word “바라다.” 바라다 is used to indicate
that one “hopes” that something happens or occurs. In its most simple form,
it can be placed after a noun to indicate that one “hopes” for that noun to
occur. For example:

행복을 바랍니다
건강을 바랍니다
성공을 바랍니다
행운을 바랍니다
It is very difficult to translate these constructions. First, I want to point out
that it would be rare to speak these sentences with 바라다. Unless it was in
some sort of fabricated, formal speech, you would most likely see these
types of constructions used as a type of greeting in writing. For example,
when writing to somebody and wanting to “wish them the best of luck” you
could say “행운을 바랍니다.” Or when buying a greeting card, the card
might want to say “I wish you happiness” you could say “행복을 바랍니다.”

That being said, it can be used in full sentences to indicate that one wants to
“possess” or “gain.” For example:

PLAY 그 회사가 일본통화만 바라요 = That company only wants Japanese

currency

Notice that the recording pronounces “바라요” as “바래요.”

I don’t want to provide a lot of examples of 바라다 being used like this. It is
more commonly used in a different way, which is shown later. It also looks
strange to Korean people because they often pronounce “바라요” a
different way.

When ~아/어 (or its derivatives) is added to 바라다, it is often pronounced

(and spelt) as 바래. For example:

바래
바래요
바랬어
바랬어요

The governing body for the Korean language states that when the stem of a
verb ends in ㅏ (as 바라다 does), then 아 should be added to it (and usually
merged to it) in these cases. It does not make any exception for the word
바라다. Therefore, despite “바래” or “바래요” being common in speech,
writing, and even in Korean songs, 바라 and 바라요 are correct.

When one hopes for an entire clause to occur (i.e. something ending in a
verb or adjective) it is very common to attach ~기(를) to the predicating
verb or adjective in the clause to turn it into a noun. For example:
PLAY 아버님이 항상 행복하시기 바랍니다 = I hope you (father) are always
happy
PLAY 저는 그 일을 잘 하기를 바라요 = I hope I do that job well
PLAY 숙제가 많지 않기를 바라요 = I hope there isn’t a lot of homework
PLAY 많은 사람들이 오시기를 바랍니다 = I hope many people (many of
you) come
PLAY 제가 야간을 안 하기를 바라요 = I hope I don’t work nights
PLAY 정부가 그 정책을 수정하기를 바라요 = I hope the government
amends that policy
PLAY 실내에서 신발을 안 신기를 바라요 = I hope you don’t wear your
shoes indoors (inside)
PLAY 그 백조가 다시 헤엄치기를 바라요 = I hope that swan can swim again
PLAY 지금 만날 여자가 예쁘기를 바라요 = I hope the girl I am meeting now
is pretty
PLAY 아빠가 곧 오기를 바라요 = I hope dad comes home soon
PLAY 그가 나에게 돈을 많이 주기를 바라 = I hope he gives me a lot of
money
PLAY 지방을 많이 먹지 말고 단백질을 많이 먹기를 바랍니다 = I hope you
don’t eat a lot of fat, and (instead) eat a lot of protein

Funny, the sentences above using “바라요” and “바라” look unnatural to

Korean people because they would prefer to pronounce these as “
바래요” and “바래.” Because of this, when pronouncing these words in
speech I recommend that you say “바래” or “바래요.” My wife recorded
everything as “바래” and “바래요” because she couldn’t force her tongue
to say “바라” and “바라요.”

The word “hope” is used in the English translations above, but that is really
just because there is no good way to translate 바라다 to English. As I’ve
already alluded to, using 바라다 allows the speaker to indicate that he/or
she wants that clause to occur. The word “hope” doesn’t need to be
included. Instead, depending on the situation, you could translate the
sentences above to a request that the speaker is giving to the listener. For
example:

PLAY 많은 사람들이 오시기를 바랍니다 = I hope many people (many of

you) come
Imagine you are having a party, and you are announcing this to the group of
people that work at your office. Of course, you want a lot of people to
come, so at the end of your announcement, you could say “PLAY 많은
사람들이 오시기를 바랍니다.” You could translate this to “(Lots of people),
please come (to my party).”

In Lesson 40, you learned how to ask for something by adding ~아/어
주세요 to the end of a verb. For example:

PLAY 그 일을 해 주세요 = Please do that for me

PLAY 그 종이를 저한테 건네 주세요 = Please hand that paper over to me

You can use ~기 바라다 to essentially create this same meaning. For
example:

PLAY 그 일을 하기 바랍니다 = Please do that for me

PLAY 그 종이를 저한테 건네기를 바랍니다 = Please hand that paper over to
me

Again, don’t be married to the translation of “hope” for 바라다. The word
“hope” could be used in the sentences above (for example “I hope that you
do this for me”), but I used the same translations as when ~아/어 주세요
was added to show that ~기 바라다 can be used to ask for something to be
done.

When adding just ~기 바랍니다 to “commands” or “requests” like this, it

sounds as though the person who is speaking has authority. For example, if
a boss was telling his workers to get their work done, he would say “PLAY
그 일을 하기 바랍니다.” Implied in this meaning is that the work technically
should/ought to be done, and that the boss is ordering them to do it.

You can remove that “authoritative” feel by adding 아/어 주다 after the verb
that you are hoping is done. For example:

그 일을 해 주기 바랍니다
그 종이를 저한테 건네 주기를 바랍니다
To make those sentences more formal, the honorific “시” (Lesson 39) is
often added to 주다:

PLAY 그 일을 해 주시기 바랍니다 = Please do that/I hope that you do that

PLAY 그 종이를 저한테 건네 주시기 바랍니다 = Please hand that paper over
to me/I hope that you hand that paper over to me

Giving a command this way is very formal, and is most often heard in

overhead announcements made to large crowds of people instructing them
to do something. For example, if you take the subway in Seoul, the
announcement might say:

PLAY 지금은 서울 역. 서울역입니다. 공항철도나 KTX 를 타시고 싶은

승객은 이 역에서 갈아타시기 바랍니다 = This is Seoul Station. Riders
wanting to take the Airport Railroad or the KTX, please transfer at this
station.

If you need to tell somebody what to do, and you were to climb the
figurative ladder of politeness, it would look something like this:

지금 나가
지금 나가라
지금 나가세요
지금 나가기 바랍니다
지금 나가 주기 바랍니다
지금 나가십시오
지금 나가 주시기 바랍니다

Heh, you could translate all of the above to “Please go now”

Want to see how ~기 바랍니다 would be used in a Korean street sign?

Watch me breakdown the usage in a YouTube video.

Here are more examples:

PLAY 실내에서 운동을 하지 말아 주시기 바랍니다 = Please don’t exercise

indoors
PLAY 이번 시험에 최선을 다해 주시기를 바랍니다 = Please try your best on
this exam
PLAY 모든 학생들이 딱 12 시에 도착해 주시기 바랍니다 = All students
please arrive at exactly 12:00
PLAY 새로운 정책을 설명할 때 모두 다 잘 들어 주시기 바랍니다 = When
I’m explaining the new policy, everybody please listen well

—————————-

Another good example that illustrates how “바라다” is difficult to translate is

from the Star Wars movies. Remember, using “바라다” allows the speaker
to indicate that he/or she wants that clause to occur. Even if you’re not a fan
of the Star Wars movies, I am sure that you are aware of the famous line
“May the force be with you.” If you ever happen to watch the Star Wars
movies with Korean subtitles, you’ll notice that this is translated to:

PLAY 포스가 함께 하기를 바랍니다

Here, the word “hope” isn’t directly in the English translation. However,
Obi-Wan can use this phrase to say that he “wants” the force to be with
Luke.

A little side-note here for my readers who are also Star Wars fans. In
preparation for the new Star Wars movie “The Force Awakens,” I made
my (Korean) wife watch all six original Star Wars movies (4, 5, 6, 1, 2, 3 – if
you’re wondering). My wife went into the movies knowing nothing.
Absolutely nothing. Something that is essentially impossible in western
countries because even if somebody isn’t a Star Wars fan, they typically
know about “Darth Vader” and the famous line that comes at the end of
Empire Strikes Back. She absolutely loved them and now we’re both
waiting in anticipation for the next slew of movies to come out.

—————————-

There is another way that you can say “I hope” in Korean, which we will talk
about next.

 
 I hope/I wish: ~았/었으면 좋겠다

By adding “~았/었으면 좋겠다” to the end of a verb/adjective, you can

create the meaning of “I hope” or “I wish.” This is one of the grammatical
principles where I suggest looking at the whole thing as one and not trying
to break it up into separate pieces. Let’s look at one simple example and
then talk about it:

PLAY 비가 안 왔으면 좋겠어요 = I hope it doesn’t rain

Notice that the past tense conjugation is used before “~면” and the future
tense conjugation is used on “좋다.” Despite the use of these past and
future conjugations within it, the speaker is indicating that he/she is
currently hoping for that situation to occur – whether that situation be in the
present or in the future. Below are many other examples:

PLAY 양이 많았으면 좋겠어요 = I hope there is a lot (I hope the amount is a

lot)
PLAY 내일 일이 없었으면 좋겠어요 = I wish I didn’t have work tomorrow
PLAY 그 말을 사전에 했으면 좋겠어요 = I wish you had told me that
beforehand
PLAY 나를 무조건 사랑했으면 좋겠어 = I wish you loved me unconditionally
(no matter what)
PLAY 삶을 한가롭게 살았으면 좋겠어 = I wish I could live life
freely/leisurely
PLAY 집에 가서 집이 청결했으면 좋겠어요 = I hope the house will be clean
when I go home
PLAY 엄마가 저를 데리러 왔으면 좋겠어요 = I wish mom would come to
pick me up
PLAY 우리는 그 여자랑 같이 갔으면 좋겠어요 = I hope we go together with
that girl
PLAY 그것 때문에 나를 해고하지 않았으면 좋겠다 = I wish/hope you don’t
fire me because of that
PLAY 저를 의도적으로 피하려고 안 했으면 좋겠어요 = I wish you didn’t
deliberately try to avoid me
PLAY 내일 경기에서 우리 팀 모두가 최선을 다하면 좋겠어 = Tomorrow, I
hope everybody on our team tries their best
You also may see other words (usually 하다 or 바라다) used instead of 좋다.
For example:

PLAY 우리가 곧 만났으면 해

PLAY 우리가 곧 만났으면 바래요
= I wish we could meet soon, it would be nice if we could meet soon

It is also possible for ~(으)면 to be attached to a word without being

conjugated to the past tense. For example:

PLAY 비가 안 왔으면 좋겠어요

PLAY 비가 안 오면 좋겠어요
= I hope it doesn’t rain

If you ask a Korean person, they will say that the two examples above have
the same meaning. Both of them are indicating “hope” or a “wish” in the
present tense. I’ve never read a concrete explanation as to why the two
examples above have the same meaning. Korean people just tend to use
the first example (using “~았/었으면”) when indicating one’s hope or wish.

———————–

That being said, I would like to provide my own take on this topic. This is
based on nothing but my own feelings. I’ve tried to discuss this with Korean
grammar teachers, and I’ve tried to research it, but they all say that both
examples are identical, and that they would be more likely to say “ ~았/
었으면”)

I like to think that using “~았/었으면 좋겠다” is a grammatical principle

itself, and something that can’t be separated into pieces. The whole
construction indicates one’s “wish.” For example:

PLAY 비가 안 왔으면 좋겠어요 = I hope it doesn’t rain

However, I like to think that using ~(으)면 좋겠다 is something that can be

separated into individual grammatical pieces. The use of ~(으)면, meaning
“if” or “when” (from Lesson 43) followed by “좋겠다” indicating that “it will
be good.” We can look at these examples as sentences that are made up of
its individual parts. For example:
PLAY 비가 안 오면 좋겠어요 = It would be good if it doesn’t rain

The thing is, both sentences (in English and Korean) – whether you think of
“~았/었으면” as a single unit or see “~(으)면 좋겠다” as individual pieces –
express the same meaning.

Anyways, that is just my observation.

———————–

That’s it for this lesson!

There are 1200 example sentences in Unit 3.

All entries are linked to an audio file. You can download all of these files in
one package here.

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each word can be
used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that you will be
learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 일정 = schedule

PLAY 앞문 = front door

PLAY 뒷문 = back door

PLAY 기념품 = souvenir

PLAY 기념비 = monument

PLAY 학업 = studies
PLAY 사안 = issue/matter

PLAY 무단 = doing something without permission

PLAY 상반기 = the first half of the year

PLAY 하반기 = the second half of the year

PLAY 사계절 = four seasons

PLAY 관광객 = tourists

PLAY 영상 = picture, image

PLAY 동영상 = video

Verbs:
PLAY 갈다 = to change, to replace

PLAY 갈다 = to grind, to sharpen

PLAY 꼬집다 = to pinch

PLAY 쌓다 = to build up, to stack up

PLAY 기념하다 = to commemorate

PLAY 뒤따르다 = to follow, to go after

PLAY 진행하다 = to progress

PLAY 누르다 = to press, to oppress, to defeat

PLAY 자라다 = to grow up

PLAY 횡단하다 = to cross

PLAY 판매하다 = to sell

Passive Verbs:
PLAY 쌓이다 = to be stacked/build up

Adjectives:
PLAY 흐리다 = to be cloudy, hazy

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 적발 시 = if caught

PLAY 문득 = suddenly

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

There are 625 vocabulary entries in Unit 3. All entries are linked to an audio
file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn how to say that one does two (or more) actions
at the same time. You will learn about ~면서 and ~며 can be similar, but also
how they can be different. Let’s get started.

To do two actions at the same time: ~(으)면서

When two actions occur simultaneously, you can place the two clauses in
the same sentence connected by ~(으)면서. ~면서 is added to words where
the stem ends in a vowel (or if the last letter is ㄹ), and ~으면서 is added to
words where the stem ends in a consonant (except where the last latter is
ㄹ). Let’s look at a very simple example:

PLAY 저는 밥을 먹으면서 공부했어요 = I ate (rice) while studying

As you can see, the meaning of ~(으)면서 is to indicate that “eating rice” and
“studying” occurred at the same time. Common translations for ~(으)면서
when used with verbs like this is “as…” or “while…” Below are many other
examples:

PLAY 저는 영화를 보면서 콜라를 마셨어요 = I drank cola while watching a

movie
PLAY 학업을 진행하면서 직장도 다녀요 = As I progress/continue my
studies, I also go to work
PLAY 이 기계를 돌리면서 땅콩을 갈아요 = As you turn this machine, the
peanuts get/are ground

PLAY 도움이 필요하면 이 벨을 누르면서 말씀하세요

= If you need help, speak out while pressing this button

PLAY 눈이 길에 계속 쌓이면서 길이 점점 미끄러워져요

= As snow piles up (gradually) on the road, it gets more and more slippery

PLAY 우리가 거기에 가는 길을 몰라서 지도를 보면서 앞에 있는 차를

뒤따라가고 있어요
= We don’t know how to get there, so we are looking at a map while
following the car in-front of us

PLAY 이 행사에서 지난 10 년의 성공을 기념하면서 이 동영상을 보겠습니다

= At this event, we will commemorate the success of the last 10 years and
watch this video

PLAY 저의 여자친구는 운동하면서 운동하고 있는 다른 남자들을 항상

쳐다봐요
= My girlfriend always stares at other guys when she is exercising

PLAY 다음 주에 부산에 가서 좋은 추억을 쌓으면서 재미있는 시간을 보내자

= Next week let’s go to Busan and spend some fun time while piling up
good memories

PLAY 음악을 들으면서 다음 주 일정을 세웠어요

= While listening to music, I set up the schedule for next week
Earlier, I said that ~으면서 is added to a word where the stem ends in a
consonant, except where the last letter is  ㄹ. You might be wondering why
~으면서 is added to “들” above. The original word is “듣다” (to hear/to
listen). The addition of ~으면서 causes ㄷ to change to ㄹ. You might want
to revisit the irregulars in Lesson 7.

It is possible to attach ~(으)면서 to adjectives as well. The meaning of ~(으)

면서 in Korean is still the same, but adjectives inherently do not “occur” as a
verb does. As such, the translations of “as…” or “while…” are sometimes
inappropriate when ~(으)면서 is used with adjectives. Instead, the speaker
is indicating that something has the properties of both adjectives described.
For example:

PLAY 이 음식은 매우면서 짜요 = This food is spicy and salty

PLAY 오늘 날씨가 흐리면서 쌀쌀해요 = The weather today is cloudy and
chilly
PLAY 그 기념비가 아름다우면서 흥미로워요 = That monument is beautiful
and interesting

You might be wondering about the differences in the sentences above, and
the following sentences using ~고:

이 음식은 맵고 짜요 = This food is spicy and salty

오늘 날씨가 흐리고 쌀쌀해요 = The weather today is cloudy and chilly
그 기념비가 아름답고 흥미로워요 = That monument is beautiful and
interesting

Their meanings are quite similar, and you don’t really need to distinguish
them (I haven’t distinguished them in my English translations). However, the
use of ~(으)면서 gives the feeling that the two descriptions are more
interrelated and connected, whereas the use of ~고 just simply provides
two descriptions. Again, I don’t feel like you need to distinguish these, much
like how you wouldn’t need to distinguish the following two sentences in
English:

● The food, while being spicy, is also salty

● The food is spicy and salty
It is also possible to attach ~면서 to 이다. Just like with adjectives, “이다” is
inherently something that does not “occur” as a verb does. Instead, the
speaker can indicate that something “is” one thing, while also being another
thing. For example:

PLAY 그 사람은 저의 부장이면서 친구예요

= That person is my boss and (while also being) my friend

PLAY 그 사람은 의사이면서 교수입니다

= That person is a doctor and (while also being a) professor

PLAY 요즘 핸드폰은 전화기이면서 컴퓨터예요

= Cell phones these days are phones and (while also being) computers

When a person does something for the majority of his/her childhood, we

often use the phrase “I grew up doing” in English. For example:

I grew up playing hockey

I grew up listening to that type of music

Or simply, to indicate the location that you grew up, we would say:
I grew up in Canada

To create these phrases in Korean, you can use the word “자라다” (to grow
up) in combination with ~(으)면서. For example:

PLAY 저는 하키를 하면서 자랐어요 = I grew up playing hockey

PLAY 저는 아빠랑 같이 하키를 하면서 자랐어요 = I grew up playing hockey
with my dad
PLAY 저는 그런 음악을 들으면서 자랐어요 = I grew up listening to that type
of music

——————————

Often times we want to express that a person does an action while in some
sort of “state” or “position.” In other words, to create these types of
sentences:
I studied while laying down
I watched a movie while sitting
I ate while standing up

Remember, you learned how to create these types of sentences in Lesson

17 by attaching ~아/어서 to these types of verbs. For example:

저는 누워서 책을 읽었어요 = I lied down and read a book

나는 앉아서 쉴 거야 = I’m going to sit down and relax
PLAY 저는 줄에 서서 순서를 기다렸어요 = I stood in line and waited for my
turn

If you attach ~(으)면서 to these types of words, the meaning is different,

and probably not what you want to create. For example, if you said:

저는 앉으면서 공부했어요

Remember, “앉다” means “to sit;” as in, going from a standing position to a
sitting position. Therefore, the sentence above indicates that you studied
while going from a standing position to a sitting position. Technically you
could do (and say) that, but 99.9% of the time, that would not be the
meaning that you are going for.

——————————

~(으)면서 has another usage that is different from the usage described thus
far. In this usage, the acting agent of the sentence does both clauses, but the
clauses oppose each other directly. It’s typically used when the speaker is
talking about another person – saying “Ugh, he does this, but then does
that!” For example:

PLAY 그 여자가 식당을 열고 싶다고 하면서 요리를 못해요

= That girl says she wants to open up a restaurant, but she doesn’t know
how to cook

PLAY 저의 와이프가 외국 브랜드를 좋아하면서 한국에서 만들어진 제품만

사요
= My wife likes foreign brands, but only buys products made in Korea
PLAY 그 사람이 한국에서 살면서 한국어를 할 수 없어요
= That person lives in Korea, but he can’t speak Korean

PLAY 그가 저에게 기념품을 사 준다고 하면서 아무 것도 안 샀어요

= He said he would buy (and give) me a souvenir, but didn’t buy anything

PLAY 그 사안이 급하다고 하면서 그냥 앉아 있어요

= He said the matter is urgent, but is just sitting there

~도 can be added to ~(으)면서 in these cases to provide more emphasis or

stress to the situation. I will discuss ~도 and how it can be added to more
difficult grammatical principles like ~(으)면서 in Lesson 107.

That’s it for ~(으)면서, but I would like to talk about ~(으)며 and how it can
be compared to ~(으)면서 before we finish.

You can see ~(으)면서 (and ~(으)며 which I introduce next) in this Korean
sign.

While: ~(으)며

~(으)며 is a shortened form of ~(으)면서. In theory, ~(으)며 can replace all of

the example sentences above that show two actions occurring at the same
time. For example:

저는 영화를 보며 콜라를 마셨어요 = I drank cola while watching a movie

학업을 진행하며 직장도 다녀요 = As I progress/continue my studies, I also
go to work

That being said, it is much, much more common to use ~(으)면서 in these

types of sentences – especially when two actions literally occur
continuously at the same time. For example, the following sentence – which
indicates that peanuts are ground continuously at the same time that the
machine turns – would be much better said using ~(으)면서:
PLAY 이 기계를 돌리면서 땅콩을 갈아요 = As you turn this machine, the
peanuts get/are ground

Therefore, I recommend you to use ~(으)면서 when indicating that two

actions (or descriptions) occur simultaneously, but be aware that
technically ~(으)며 can also be used to have this function as well.

~(으)며 has another meaning that is not included in the usage of ~(으)면서.
Often times, ~(으)며 is used to simply list or connect two clauses that have
a similar idea. For example:

PLAY 한국이 사계절이 있으며 겨울이 너무 추워요

= In Korea, there is four seasons, so/and winters are very cold

PLAY 이 제품은 가장 빠른 컴퓨터이며 한국에서 만들어졌어요

= This product is the fastest computer, and it was made it Korea

PLAY 저쪽으로 가면 앞문이 나오며 이쪽으로 가면 뒷문이 나와요

= If you go that way, you will see the front door, and if you go that way, you
will see the back door

PLAY 주식이 더 많이 떨어질 수 있으며 이는 한국경제에 안 좋은 영향을

미칠 거예요
= The stocks could drop more, and this could have a bad effect on the
Korean economy

PLAY 이 제품은 한국에서 매우 유명하며 이 제품을 사러 관광객들이 한국을

방문해요
= This product is very popular in Korea, and many tourists visit Korea to buy
it

PLAY 우리 회사가 상반기에는 그 제품의 개발을 진행하며 하반기에는

판매를 시작할 거예요
= In the first half of the year, our company will proceed with the
development with that product, and in the second half of the year, we will
start selling it

In these examples, the meaning of ~(으)며 is quite similar to ~고, which you
learned in Lesson 17. All we are doing is connecting two clauses that are
related to each other. I find that using ~(으)며 is common in formal
situations where instructions are given to a large group of people through
overhead broadcasts or signs. For example, you might see the following on
a sign telling you not to jaywalk:

PLAY 무단횡단이 불법이며 적발 시 벌금을 내야 돼요

= Jaywalking is illegal, and/so if you are caught, you will have to pay a fine

If ~(으)며 replaced ~(으)면서 in the examples shown earlier that show two
clauses opposing each other, the feeling is more closely associated with this
function of “connecting two clauses that have a similar idea.” For example, if
we look at this sentence:

PLAY 그 사람이 한국에서 살면서 한국어를 할 수 없어요

= That person lives in Korea, but he can’t speak Korean

The use of ~(으)면서, as shown earlier, is to describe that the two clauses
oppose each other. However, if ~(으)며 were used to replace ~(으)면서
here, it would be more likely be describing that the two clauses are simply
connected. For example:

PLAY 그 사람이 한국에서 살며 한국어를 할 수 없어요

= That person lives in Korea, and he can’t speak Korean

Notice the difference between my use of “but” in the first example (using
~(으)면서) and the second example (using ~(으)며). In the second example,
the speaker is just connecting two ideas that are related to each other.
However, in the first example, the speaker is specifically indicating that
these two clauses oppose each other. In the end, the result would normally
be the same, but you should be aware of this feeling.

Therefore, because ~(으)며 has another meaning that is not included in the
usage of ~(으)면서 (to list or connect two clauses); and ~(으)면서 is more
commonly used to indicate that two actions occur at the same time, it is
difficult for me to say that ~(으)면서 and ~(으)며 are identical.

That’s it for this lesson!

There are 1200 example sentences in Unit 3.
All entries are linked to an audio file. You can download all of these files in
one package here.

Okay, got it! Take me to the next lesson! Or,

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each word can be
used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that you will be
learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 책자 = booklet, leaflet, pamphlet, brochure

PLAY 바퀴 = wheel

PLAY 기운 = energy, vitality, vigor

PLAY 무리 = group

PLAY 정체 = identity

PLAY 교원 = teacher

PLAY 살인 = murder

PLAY 살인자 = murderer

PLAY 선착순 = first come first served

Verbs:
PLAY 초과하다 = to exceed

PLAY 울리다 = to make somebody cry

PLAY 결재하다 = to approve

PLAY 퇴근하다 = to leave work

PLAY 흘러나오다 = to trickle out of

PLAY 주고받다 = to exchange

PLAY 고용하다 = to hire

PLAY 공고하다 = to announce

PLAY 연기하다 = to act

PLAY 이루다 = to achieve or accomplish what one hoped for, to make, to

merge

PLAY 이루어지다 = to be comprised of

PLAY 부서지다 = to be smashed into pieces

PLAY 부러지다 = to be broken in half

Adjectives:
PLAY 위태롭다 = to be risky, to be critical

PLAY 부유하다 = to be rich

PLAY 번거롭다 = to be cumbersome

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 모금 = a counter for a “sip,” “breath,” or “drag”

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

There are 625 vocabulary entries in Unit 3. All entries are linked to an audio
file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.
 

Introduction

This lesson, along with Lesson 64 and Lesson 65 will focus on the use of  ~

ㄹ/을까. Originally, I wanted to introduce all of the usages of ~ㄹ/을까 in
one lesson, but there is simply too much content. Therefore, I have
separated the general usages and will introduce them to you over the next
three lessons. The usages will be generally divided into the following:

Lesson 63: ~ㄹ/을까 used to ask a question

Lesson 64: ~ㄹ/을까 used to express intent
Lesson 65: ~ㄹ/을까 used to express worry

~ㄹ/을까 can have a variety of meanings depending on the context, and my

goal for the upcoming lessons is to explain the context in which they are
typically used.

In this lesson, you will learn about how ~ㄹ/을까 can be used to ask a
question. The topics in this lesson will further be divided into separate
sections:

● ~ㄹ/을까 being used to ask a question to oneself

● ~ㄹ/을까 being used to ask a question to a listener
● Shall we/Should we…
● Shall I…

● ~ㄹ/을까(요) vs. ~ㄹ/을게(요)

● Asking about possibility
● Adding ~ㄹ/을까 to 어떻다
 

Asking a Question to Oneself

The first (and simplest) way you will hear ~ㄹ/을까 being used is at the end
of a sentence where the speaker is directing a question towards himself.
This would happen when somebody is wondering something and just
expressing their thoughts out loud and not directing their speech at any
person in particular.

When ~ㄹ/을까 is added to a verb or adjective where the subject of the

sentence is the speaker, this type of question has a nuance that does not
exist in the “regular form” of that question. For example:

(내가) 밥을 먹을 거야? = Will I eat rice? (This is illogical if directed to

yourself)
PLAY(내가) 밥을 먹을까? = Should I eat rice?

Because the speaker is directing the question to himself, the translation of

“Will I eat rice?” is illogical and would not describe the subtle nuance of this
sentence. It is illogical because the speaker is asking himself about his own
free will – something that nobody knows except for himself.  Rather, the
speaker is asking himself if he should go (or not). Therefore, a better
translation would be “Should I eat rice?”

Another example:

(내가) 이렇게 할 거야? = Will I do it like this? (This is illogical if directed to

yourself)
PLAY(내가) 이렇게 할까? = Should I do it like this?

Again, because the speaker is directing the question to himself, the

translation of “Will I do it like this?” is illogical because the speaker is asking
himself about his own free will.  Rather, the speaker is asking himself if
he should do it like that (or not). Therefore, a better translation would be
“Should I do it like this?”

You can see this same nuance when a question word is used as well. For
example:

(내가) 뭐 먹을 거야? = What will I eat? (This is illogical if directed to

yourself)
PLAY(내가) 뭐 먹을까? = What should I eat?
(내가) 언제 갈 거야? = When will I go? (This is illogical if directed to
yourself)
PLAY(내가) 언제 갈까? = When should I go?

Here are many more examples of ~ㄹ/을까 being used by the speaker to
ask a question to himself:

PLAY 친구를 만날까? = Should I meet my friend?

PLAY 공연을 보러 갈까? = Should I go to see the performance?
PLAY 어디 갈까? = Where should I go?
PLAY 책자를 그냥 두고 갈까? = Should I just put the pamphlet down and
leave?
PLAY 지금 퇴근할까? = Should I leave work now?
PLAY 바퀴를 어떻게 갈까? = How should/can I change the wheel?

When you look at these sentences by themselves, there is really no way to

know if the speaker is talking to himself or speaking to another person.
However, real-life conversation has context and only through this context
can the specific usage of these sentences be clear.

In all of the examples above, you can see that the speaker is not only asking
a question to himself, but also about himself. In all of the examples above,
the speaker is the acting agent of the sentence. It is possible to ask a
question to oneself about another person, but I will talk about that
usage later in the lesson when I talk about ~ㄹ/을까 being used to ask about
possibility.

In Lesson 93, you will learn another common ending that can be used to
ask questions to yourself.

Asking a Question to a Listener

Shall we/Should we…

In the previous section, you learned that ~ㄹ/을까 can be added to ask a
question to oneself, about oneself. For example:

PLAY(내가) 밥을 먹을까? = Should I eat rice?

PLAY(내가) 뭐 먹을까? = What should I eat?

This same idea and structure can be used to ask a question to another
person about you and the listener. Here, both the speaker (you) and the
listener (the person you are talking to) are the acting agents of the
sentences.

We see a very similar translation as the sentences above, for example:

PLAY(우리가) 밥을 먹을까? = Should we eat rice?

PLAY(우리가) 뭐 먹을까? = What should we eat?

The typical English translation for sentences like this is “Shall…” For example:

PLAY(우리가) 밥을 먹을까? = Shall we eat rice?

PLAY(우리가) 뭐 먹을까? = What shall we eat?

In Lesson 44, you learned about ~ㄹ/을래(요) and how it can be used to
have this meaning as well. For example:

PLAY 밥을 먹을래? = Shall we eat rice?

PLAY 뭐 먹을래요? = What shall we eat?

Below are many more examples of ~ㄹ/을까 being used to have this
meaning.

Note that ~요 can be added to ~ㄹ/을까 in these cases and anytime a

sentence ends with ~까 to make it more formal. I didn’t introduce this at
the beginning of the lesson because ~요 would not be added if the
question is directed at the speaker himself: 

PLAY 지금 갈까요? = Shall we go now?

PLAY 영화를 볼까요? = Shall we watch a movie?
PLAY 지금 주문할까? = Shall we order now?
PLAY 버스를 탈까요? = Shall we take the bus?
PLAY 부서진 집을 같이 지을까요? = Shall we build the shattered house
again?
PLAY 어디 갈까요? = Where shall we go?
PLAY 전화번호를 주고받을까요? = Shall we exchange phone numbers?
PLAY 그 사람을 고용할까요? = Shall we hire that person?
PLAY 한 모금 더 마실까요? = Shall we drink one more sip?
PLAY 너무 번거로워서 지금 그만할까요? = It’s so cumbersome, so shall we
stop now?
PLAY 기회를 사람들에게 선착순으로 줄까요? = Shall we give the
opportunity to people on a first-come first-served basis?

In Lesson 23, you learned that the meaning of the word ‘그렇다’ is close to
the meaning of ‘like that.’ By attaching this usage of ~ㄹ/을까 to 그렇다 you
can create “그럴까?” It is commonly said after another person suggests
something to do – at which point, the listener in effect agrees and repeats
the question back to the original speaker. As with most grammatical
principles that attach to 그렇다, a perfect translation is hard to create. Look
at the following example:

Person 1: PLAY 집에 늦게 갈래요? = Shall we go home late?

Person 2: PLAY 그럴까? = Sure, shall we do (it like) that?

Shall I…

In the above example sentences, the speaker is asking for the listener’s
opinion about something they (the speaker and the listener) will both do.
This same idea and structure can be used to ask a question to another
person about what you (the speaker) will do. Here, only the speaker (you) is
the acting agent of the sentence, and the speaker is asking for the listener’s
opinion.

This form is most commonly used immediately before giving/offering

something to somebody. In a way, the speaker is asking “if it is okay” if
he/she gives/offers something to the listener. For example:

PLAY 밥을 줄까? = Shall I give you rice?

Though this often translates in English to “Shall…” it is more a statement of

what you will be doing in the very near future, and you are slightly asking
for permission to do that action. For example, both of these could be
acceptable:

PLAY 밥을 줄까? = Shall I give you rice?

PLAY 밥을 줄까? = I’m going to give you rice, if that is okay with you?

It is also possible to use the honorific 드리다 or combine a verb with 주다

(which you learned about in Lesson 41). Below are many examples:

PLAY 문을 열어 줄까? = Shall I open the door for you?

PLAY 불을 켜 드릴까요? = Shall I turn on the light for you?
PLAY 내 상황을 자세히 설명해 줄까? = Shall I explain my situation in detail?
PLAY 공고를 붙여 줄까? = Shall I post the announcement for you?
PLAY 흘러나오는 물을 막아 줄까? = Shall I block the water that is flowing
out for you?
PLAY 책을 읽어 줄까요? = Shall I read you a book?

~ㄹ/을까(요) vs. ~ㄹ/을게(요)

By using ~ㄹ/을까 as introduced in the section immediately above, you can

create sentences where the speaker is asking permission to help/service
the listener. If you use ~ㄹ/을까 as in the examples above, the sentence is in
the form of a question.

A very similar grammatical principle is ~ㄹ/을게(요). Despite having a very

similar meaning and usage, sentences ending in ~ㄹ/을게(요) are not
questions. Rather, they are statements of what the speaker will be doing
unless the listener objects/interjects in some way. Aside from one being a
question and the other one not being a question, their translations and
meanings are essentially the same. For example:

PLAY 문을 열어 줄까? = Shall I open the door for you? (Is it okay if I open the
door for you?)
PLAY 문을 열어 줄게 = I’m going to open the door for you (if that is okay
with you)

In a way, using ~ㄹ/을게(요) is very similar to a regular future tense

conjugation. The difference is that a regular future tense conjugation (for
example, ~ㄹ/을 것이다) is more blunt and direct but using ~ㄹ/을게(요)
softens the sentence a little bit. When using ~ㄹ/을게(요), you are checking
with the listener before you perform the action. For example:

PLAY 문을 열 거야 = I will open the door

문을 열게 = I will open the door (if that is okay with you)

The usage of ~ㄹ/을까(요) to ask for “permission” (as described earlier) is

typically used when giving something or doing something for the listener.
As such, it is more common to find ~ㄹ/을까(요) used with 주다, 드리다 or
in other situations where the speaker is servicing or giving something to the
listener.

On the other hand, the usage of ~ㄹ/을게(요) is more broad and the
speaker does not need to be directly giving something to (or doing
something for) the listener. Rather, any action can be used as long as the
speaker is the acting agent of the sentence.

Below are many examples:

PLAY 지금 밥을 먹을게요 = I will eat now (if that is okay with you)
PLAY 에어컨을 틀게 = I will turn on the air conditioner (if that is okay with
you)
PLAY 먼저 갈게요 = I will go now (if that is okay with you)
PLAY 밥을 줄게요 = I will give you rice/food (if that is okay with you)
PLAY 지금 주문할게요 = I will order now (if that is okay with you)
PLAY 교원 모두에게 메시지를 보낼게요 = I will send a message to all of the
teachers (if that is okay with you)

~ㄹ/을게(요) is also often added to 그렇다. By attaching ~ㄹ/을게(요) to

그렇다 you can create “그럴게(요).” It is commonly used when somebody
tells you what to do – at which point you can use “그렇게(요)” to say “okay,
I will do it (that way) if that is what you want.” For example:

Person 1: PLAY 지금 빨리 퇴근하세요 = Leave work (go home) now

Person 2: PLAY 네, 그럴게요 = Okay, I will do that if that’s what you want

Asking about possibility

When speaking to a listener, you can also use ~ㄹ/을까(요) to ask about the
possibility of something. Below are some simple examples:

PLAY 내일 비가 올까? = It is possible that it will rain tomorrow?

PLAY 시험이 어려울까? = It is possible that the exam will be difficult?
PLAY 선생님도 갈까? = Is it possible that the teacher will go too?

Notice in the examples above that the acting agent in each sentence
is not the speaker. The sentences above could be said either to oneself (as I
mentioned earlier) or said to a listener. The context makes it clear if the
speaker is speaking to himself or to a listener. If these types of sentences
are said to a listener, I often prefer the following translations:

PLAY 내일 비가 올까? = Do you think that it will rain tomorrow?

PLAY 시험이 어려울까? = Do you think that the exam will be difficult?
PLAY 선생님도 갈까? = Do you think that the teacher will go too?

Here are some more examples:

I wrote these sentences and their translations to be appropriate for the
context of a dialogue between a speaker and a listener. The following
questions could be asked to oneself if the context allowed for it. Note that
this would result in a slightly different English translation.

PLAY 그 여자가 예쁠까? = Do you think that girl will be pretty?

PLAY 이 셔츠가 비쌀까? = Do you think this shirt will be expensive?
PLAY 결재를 받을까요? = Do you think it will get approval?
PLAY 그 사람이 연기를 잘 할까요? = Do you think that person will be able to
act well?
PLAY 그 사람이 정체를 드러낼까요? = Do you think that person will reveal
his/her identity?
PLAY 술을 마시면 기운이 날까? = If I drink alcohol, do you think I will get
energy?
PLAY 살인범이 그 장소에 돌아올까요? = Do you think that the murderer will
return to that place?
PLAY 그 꿈이 이루어질 수 있을까요? = Do you think that dream will come
true?

——————————————————————–

I would like to take a moment to describe the difference in meaning

between two similar sounding (English) sentences:

Look at the following two sentences:

PLAY 그 여자가 예쁘다고 생각해요? = Do you think that girl is pretty?

PLAY 그 여자가 예쁠까? = Do you think that girl will be pretty?

There is a subtle difference between the two sentences, even though they
appear similar in Korean and English.

When you say the first sentence, the feeling is that the girl is there, and you
can see what she looks like. However, in the second sentence, the speaker
and listener have probably never met the girl – and the speaker is
wondering if the listener thinks it is possible that the girl is pretty. Therefore,
when you say the second sentence, you are not asking about whether or
not the girl is pretty. Rather, you are asking if it is possible that she will be
pretty whenever you meet her, or see her for the first time, or whatever.
 ——————————————————————–

Questions words are often used in this form as well. When using a question
word, the meaning is quite similar to the example sentences above, but
notice how the translation changes slightly:

Again, I wrote these sentences and their translations to be appropriate for

the context of a dialogue between a speaker and a listener. The following
questions could be asked to oneself if the context allowed for it. Note that
this would result in a slightly different English translation.

PLAY 그 사람이 누구일까? = Who do you think that person could be? (Who
could he be?)
PLAY 이게 무엇일까? = What do you think this could be? (What could it
be?)
PLAY 아빠가 언제 올까?  = When do you think dad will come? (When could
dad be coming?)
PLAY 아빠가 어디 가고 있을까? = Where do you think dad is going? (Where
could dad be going?)

You can ask about possibility in past situations by conjugating the

verb/adjective into the past before attaching ~을까요. For example:

PLAY 그 친구가 늦게 왔을까요? = Do you think our friend came late?

PLAY 아빠가 돈을 냈을까요? = Do you think dad paid?
PLAY 그 학생이 숙제를 벌써 다 했을까요? = Do you think the student
finished all his homework already?
PLAY 그 학생은 시험을 잘 볼 수 있을까요? = Do you think that student will
do well on the exam?

The speaker could also be asking about possibility about himself or the

listener (instead of a third person), but these types of sentences usually
reference one’s ability (or some other variable) to do something. For
example:

PLAY 내가 할 수 있을까?
If asked to oneself: Would I be able to do it?
If asked to a listener: Do you think I could do it?
PLAY 내가 해도 될까?
If asked to oneself: Would I be allowed to do it?
If asked to a listener: Do you think I would be allowed to do it?

PLAY 네가 할 수 있을까? = Do you think you will be able to do it?

PLAY 네가 해도 될까? = Do you think you will be allowed to do it?

Adding ~ㄹ/을까 to 어떻다

In Lesson 22, you learned that 어떻다 can change to 어때(요) and is used to
ask about somebody’s opinion about something. For example:

남자친구 어때? = How is your boyfriend?

PLAY 이 사진(이) 어때? = How about this picture? (is this picture okay)?

어때(요) can also be used to ask about somebody’s opinion about an event
that hasn’t happened yet. In order to do this, you can describe some event
in the future and then turn the clause into a noun. The word “어때(요)” can
then be placed after the clause. For example:

PLAY 지금 가는 것이 어때요? = How about going now?

PLAY 영화를 보는 것이 어때요? = How about watching a movie?

Those are perfect. However, “것이” can (and often is) shortened to “게.”
Those two sentences above would be more likely heard/seen as:

PLAY 지금 가는 게 어때요? = How about going now?

PLAY 영화를 보는 게 어때요? = How about watching a movie?

In these situations, it is acceptable to replace 어때(요) with 어떻다 + ㄹ/

을까(요). For example:
PLAY 지금 가는 게 어떨까요? = How about going now?
PLAY 영화를 보는 게 어떨까요? = How about watching a movie?

More examples:

PLAY 다시 만나는 게 어떨까요? = How about meeting again?

PLAY 다음 번에 삼겹살을 먹는 게 어떨까요? = Next time, how about eating
삼겹살?
PLAY 내일 가는 게 어떨까요? = How about going tomorrow?

As you can see, the meaning that is created is very similar (if not identical)
to simply using ~ㄹ/을까(요) at the end of a sentence to mean “shall.” For
example:

PLAY 다시 만나는 게 어떨까요? = How about meeting again?

PLAY 다시 만날까요? = Shall we meet again?

That’s it for this lesson!

Although you have learned a lot about how ~ㄹ/을까(요) can be used, there
are still more usages that you need to study. We will continue this
discussion in the next two lessons.

There are 1200 example sentences in Unit 3.

All entries are linked to an audio file. You can download all of these files in
one package here.

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each word can be
used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that you will be
learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 물리 = physics
PLAY 분수 = fountain

PLAY 암 = cancer

PLAY 기상예보 = weather forecast

PLAY 이슬비 = drizzle

PLAY 상표 = trademark

PLAY 단풍 = fall foliage, autumn colors

PLAY 재해 = disaster

PLAY 범죄 = crime

PLAY 범죄자 = criminal

PLAY 대책 = measures, steps

PLAY 횟수 = the number of times something is done

PLAY 당일 = the day of

PLAY 영화관 = movie theater

PLAY 동부 = eastern part

PLAY 남부 = southern part

PLAY 서부 = western part

PLAY 북부 = northern part

Verbs:
PLAY 방지하다 = to prevent
PLAY 들이마시다 = to inhale

PLAY 완료하다 = to complete

PLAY 개명하다 = to change one’s name

PLAY 지명하다 = to nominate, to designate

Passive Verbs:
PLAY 중복되다 = to be duplicated/overlapped

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 수십 = dozens of/scores of

PLAY 박 = counter for nights

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

There are 625 vocabulary entries in Unit 3. All entries are linked to an audio
file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.

Introduction

In the previous lesson, you learned how to use the Korean ending “~ㄹ/을까
(요)” to ask a question. In this lesson, you will learn about how ~ㄹ/을까 can
be used to indicate the intention of the speaker. Let’s get started.

I intend to/I am thinking of… ~ㄹ/을까 하다

In the previous lesson, you only saw how ~ㄹ/을까(요) can used at the end
of sentences. However, by placing 하다 after ~ㄹ/을까, a speaker can
indicate his or her intention of doing something. For example:
PLAY 그 영화를 볼까 해요 = I intend to watch that movie

I usually prefer the translation of “I am thinking of” simply because I rarely

say “I intend to” in English. Regardless, the meaning and effect is the same:

PLAY 그 영화를 볼까 해요 = I am thinking about watching that movie

~ㄹ/을까 하다 is often connected to the grammatical principle ~아/어서

(introduced in Lesson 37) or other similar grammatical principles to create
the meaning “I am/was thinking of… so…” For example:

PLAY 그 영화를 볼까 해서 영화관에 갔어요

= I was thinking of watching that movie, so I went to the theater

Below are many more examples:

PLAY 대학교에서 물리학을 공부할까 해요

= I am thinking about studying physics in University

PLAY 그 선생님을 국제부장으로 지명할까 해요

= I am thinking of nominating that teacher as the boss for the international
department

PLAY 내일 서울 동부에 갈까 해요
= I am thinking about going to the eastern part of Seoul tomorrow

PLAY 양파가 아주 싸서 수십 개를 살까 해요
= I am thinking about buying dozens of onions because they are very cheap

PLAY 또 이런 재해를 피할 수 있는 대책을 세울까 해요

= I am thinking about setting up measures to avoid this kind of disaster again

PLAY 중복된 정보를 지울까 해요

= I am thinking about removing/erasing the duplicated/overlapped
information

PLAY 새로 만들어진 분수를 보러 나갈까 해요

= I am thinking about going out to see the newly made fountain
PLAY 경찰관들에게 제가 범죄자가 누구인지 안다고 할까 해요
= I am thinking about telling the police officers that I know who the criminal
is

PLAY 이 동영상을 학생들에게 보여줄까 해요

= I am thinking of showing this video to the students

PLAY 학생들에게 암을 어떻게 방지하는지에 대한 동영상을 보여줄까 해요

= I am thinking about showing the students a video about how to prevent
cancer

PLAY 대구 서부에 1 박 2 일로 여행할까 해요

= I am thinking about traveling in the west part of Daegu for 1 night and two
days

PLAY 이 제품에 상표를 등록할까 해요

= I’m thinking about registering a trademark for this item

PLAY1 년에 재해방지훈련을 하는 횟수를 두 번에서 네 번으로 늘릴까 해요

= I am thinking about raising the number of times we do disaster prevention
training per year from 2 times to 4 times

PLAY 단풍을 보러 밖에 나갈까 해서 기상예보를 확인할 거예요

= I am thinking of going outside to see the autumn leaves, so I’m going to
check the weather forecast

PLAY 우리가 부산에 도착하는 당일에 바다에서 수영할까 해서 아침 일찍

출발해야 돼요
= I am thinking about swimming in the ocean on the day we arrive in Busan,
so we should leave early

PLAY 그 여자와 함께 밥을 먹을까 해서 점심을 안 먹었어요

= I was thinking about asking that girl to go eat dinner together with me so I
didn’t eat lunch

Instead of using 하다 after ~ㄹ/을까 in these examples, it is also possible to

use 보다. The conjugations of 봐 and 봐요 are very commonly used in these
situations, and you will rarely see other conjugations like 본다 or 봅니다
here. For example:
~ㄹ/을까 봐(요) can be used to replace ~ㄹ/을까 하다 to show intent as it
is described in this lesson. The reverse, however is not always true (that
is, ~ㄹ/을까 하다 replacing ~ㄹ/을까 봐(요)). In the next lesson, you will
see another usage of ~ㄹ/을까 봐(요) (to show fear or worrying), and ~ㄹ/
을까 해요 can typically not be used to create this meaning. Anyways, for
now, let’s stick to this lesson.

대학교에서 물리학을 공부할까 봐요

= I am thinking about studying physics in University

그 선생님을 국제부장으로 지명할까 봐요

= I am thinking of nominating that teacher as the boss for the international
department

내일 서울 동부에 갈까 봐요
= I am thinking about going to the eastern part of Seoul tomorrow

양파가 아주 싸서 수십 개를 살까 봐요
= I am thinking about buying dozens of onions because they are very cheap

또 이런 재해를 피할 수 있는 대책을 세울까 봐요

= I am thinking about setting up measures to avoid this kind of disaster again

중복된 정보를 지울까 봐요

= I am thinking about removing/erasing the duplicated/overlapped
information

새로 만들어진 분수를 보러 나갈까 봐요

= I am thinking about going out to see the newly made fountain

경찰관들에게 제가 범죄자가 누구인지 안다고 할까 봐요

= I am thinking about telling the police officers that I know who the criminal
is

이 동영상을 학생들에게 보여줄까 봐요

= I am thinking of showing this video to the students
학생들에게 암을 어떻게 방지하는지에 대한 동영상을 보여줄까 봐요
= I am thinking about showing the students a video about how to prevent
cancer

대구 서부에 1 박 2 일로 여행할까 봐요
= I am thinking about traveling in the west part of Daegu for 1 night and two
days

이 제품에 상표를 등록할까 봐요

= I’m thinking about registering a trademark for this item

1 년에 재해방지훈련을 하는 횟수를 두 번에서 네 번으로 늘릴까 봐요

= I am thinking about raising the number of times we do disaster prevention
training per year from 2 times to 4 times

Using ~ㄹ/을까 보다 is okay at the end of a sentence, but it would be

unnatural to attach ~아/어서 to it and use it in the middle of a sentence. For
example, 해서 should replace 봐서 in all of the following:

단풍을 보러 밖에 나갈까 봐서 기상예보를 확인할 거예요

우리가 부산에 도착하는 당일에 바다에서 수영할까 봐서 아침 일찍
출발해야 돼요
그 여자와 함께 밥을 먹을까 봐서 점심을 안 먹었어요

It is also possible to conjugate 하다 when it is used at the end of a sentence

to indicate that you “were thinking” about doing something. For example:

PLAY 영화를 볼까 했어요 = I was thinking about watching the movie

When 하다 is conjugated like this, although the speaker intended/thought

about doing the action, the action did not occur (it was only thought about).
Therefore, I usually add more to the English translation to describe the
meaning more precisely:

PLAY 영화를 볼까 했어요 = I was thinking about watching the movie, (but I
didn’t see it)
PLAY 친구를 만날까 했어요 = I was thinking about meeting a friend (but I
didn’t meet him)
PLAY 딸의 이름을 민지로 개명할까 했어요 = I was thinking about changing
the name of my daughter to 민지
PLAY 시험 당일에 술을 마시러 갈까 했어요 = I was thinking about going to
drink alcohol on the day of the exam (but didn’t)

That’s it for this lesson! I know the amount of content in this lesson was
vastly different compared to the previous lesson. I wish I could have
divided the content more evenly, but I felt that the lessons would be more
understandable (and organized) if I divided it by usage instead of just
randomly dividing it into thirds.

In the next lesson, you will learn another usage of ~ㄹ/을까 봐.

That’s it!

There are 1200 example sentences in Unit 3.

All entries are linked to an audio file. You can download all of these files in
one package here.

That’s it!

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each word can be
used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that you will be
learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 호랑이 = tiger

PLAY 역사가 = historian

PLAY 집주인 = landlord

PLAY 다과 = refreshments
PLAY 작업 = job, work, operations

PLAY 예산 = budget

PLAY 소독약 = disinfectant

PLAY 기구 = apparatus, appliance, utensils

PLAY 지붕 = roof

PLAY 한구석 = corner, nook

PLAY 가로 = width

PLAY 세로 = length

PLAY 논문 = thesis

PLAY 파도 = waves

PLAY 총 = gun

Verbs:
PLAY 찾아내다 = to find out, to discover

PLAY 쏘다 = to shoot, to sting

PLAY 방해하다 = to distract

PLAY 소독하다 = to disinfect

Adjectives:
PLAY 대단하다 = to be great, huge, tremendous

PLAY 화려하다 = to be colorful, fancy, splendid

PLAY 엷다 = to be light (in shade)

PLAY 무례하다 = to be rude

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 오래 전 = a long time before

PLAY 글쎄 = well…/let me see…

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

There are 625 vocabulary entries in Unit 3. All entries are linked to an audio
file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.

Introduction

In the previous two lessons, you learned about a variety of situations where
you can use “~ㄹ/을까(요).” In this lesson, you will learn another way that
you can use this grammatical form. In this lesson, you will learn about
adding ~ㄹ/을까 봐 to sentence to indicate that the speaker is worried
about something. Let’s get started.

I am worried about/that…: ~ㄹ/을까 봐

Before we get into anything, let’s talk about the word “걱정하다.” This is
actually a weird verb because there doesn’t seem to be any meaningful
difference between ‘걱정하다’ and ‘걱정되다.’ Because ‘걱정하다’ ends in
‘하다,’ you would think that it would have the active meaning of “to worry”
(as in, I am worrying my brother). Conversely, because ‘걱정되다’ ends in
‘되다,’ you would think that it would have the meaning of “to be worried”
(as in, I am worried about my brother). The weird thing about this word, is
that it appears that both 하다 and 되다 forms have the passive meaning of
“to be worried” and not “to (make) worry.”
Though it appears you can use ‘걱정되다’ and ‘걱정하다’ to mean
essentially the same thing, personally, whenever I talk about myself being
worried, or somebody else being worried, I always say “걱정되다.”

The most common time you will see 걱정하다 being used is when telling
somebody not to be worried.

For example:

PLAY 걱정하지 마! = Don’t worry!

Using 되다 in this case is awkward:

걱정되지 마!

Anyways, now that we know that, let’s talk about the grammatical form ~ㄹ
/을까 봐. When putting this at the end of a sentence, the speaker is
indicating that he or she is worried about the clause before ~ㄹ/을까 봐
occurring.

걱정되다 is usually placed after ~ㄹ/을까 봐 in this usage. For example:

PLAY 시험을 잘 못 볼까 봐 걱정돼요 = I’m worried that I won’t do well on

the exam
PLAY 비가 올까 봐 걱정돼요 = I’m worried that it will rain
PLAY 그녀가 나를 좋아하지 않을까 봐 걱정돼 = I’m worried that she won’t
like me
PLAY 논문을 여름까지 끝낼 수 없을까 봐 걱정돼요 = I’m worried that I
won’t finish my thesis by summer

If you want to say that you are worried about something in the past, you
can conjugate the verb/adjective before  “~ㄹ/을까 봐.” For example:

PLAY 시험을 잘 못 봤을까 봐 걱정돼요 = I am worried that I didn’t do well

on the exam
PLAY 비가 왔을까 봐 걱정돼요 = I am worried that it rained
You can also conjugate 걱정되다 into the past tense to indicate that
you were worried:

PLAY 시험을 잘 못 봤을까 봐 걱정되었어요 = I was worried that I didn’t do

well on the exam
PLAY 비가 왔을까 봐 걱정되었어요 = I was worried that it rained
PLAY 그녀가 나를 좋아하지 않을까 봐 걱정되었어 = I was worried that she
didn’t like me

Often you will see 걱정되다 omitted in these types of sentences, and the
sentence just ends with ~ㄹ/을까 봐. Usually when 걱정되다 is omitted, the
meaning of it being there is implied in the sentence. For example:

PLAY 시험을 잘 못 볼까 봐 = I’m worried that I won’t do well on the exam
PLAY 비가 올까 봐 = I’m worried that it will rain
PLAY 그녀가 나를 좋아하지 않을까 봐 = I’m worried that she won’t like me
PLAY 논문을 여름까지 끝낼 수 없을까 봐 = I’m worried that I won’t finish
my thesis by summer

In the previous lesson, you saw how ~ㄹ/을까 봐 can be added to the end
of a sentence to indicate intention. You can see how one might be confused
between these meanings because the grammar within these sentences is
identical. For example:

PLAY 그 영화를 볼까 봐 = I intend to watch that movie

PLAY 시험을 잘 못 볼까 봐 = I’m worried that I won’t do well on the exam

Just like many other things in Korean, the context can clarify the specific
meaning. For example, what would happen if you heard the sentences
above and confused their meanings

PLAY 그 영화를 볼까 봐 = I am worried that I will watch that movie

PLAY 시험을 잘 못 볼까 봐 = I am thinking about doing bad on the exam

As you can see, the sentences above (with their meanings changed) are
illogical when used like that. Of course, you could find a context where they
might be appropriate, but I’d be hard pressed to find a situation where you
would want to say “I am thinking about doing bad on the exam.” By paying
attention to the context and the information within the sentence, it is usually
clear what meaning is being implied.

Below are many more examples:

PLAY 예산이 없을까 봐 걱정돼요 = I’m worried that there isn’t enough
budget
PLAY 다과가 부족할까 봐 걱정돼요 = I’m worried that there won’t be
enough refreshments
PLAY 작업을 완료할 수 없을까 봐 걱정돼요 = I’m worried that we won’t be
able to finish the job
PLAY 그 소리가 학생들을 방해할까 봐 걱정돼요 = I’m worried that the
sound will distract the students
PLAY 경찰관이 저에게 총을 쏠까 봐 걱정됐어요 = I was worried that the
police officer would shoot me
PLAY 집주인이 부서진 거울을 찾아낼까 봐 걱정돼요 = I’m worried that the
landlord will find the shattered mirror

In each of the examples above, the word 걱정되다 can be removed with no
real difference in meaning. These types of constructions are more likely to
be used in the middle of a conversation. For example, if somebody asks you
“Why are you worried?” you can eliminate 걱정되다 from the sentence
because it can be assumed. However, when walking into a room and
starting a conversation, you will be more likely to hear “걱정되다” used in
these sentences.

예산이 없을까 봐
다과가 부족할까 봐
작업을 완료할 수 없을까 봐
그 소리가 학생들을 방해할까 봐
경찰관이 저에게 총을 쏠까 봐
집주인이 부서진 거울을 찾아낼까 봐

So far, you have only ~ㄹ/을까 봐 can also be used as a connector between
two clauses. We will talk about how to do this in the next section.

 
 I am worried that/about, so…: ~ㄹ/을까 봐

In the previous section, you learned about adding ~ㄹ/을까 봐 to the end of
sentences. You learned that these sentences can end with the word
걱정되다 or simply end with ~ㄹ/을까 봐. By placing another clause after ~
ㄹ/을까 봐, you can create the meaning of “I am worried about/that, so….”
For example:

PLAY 비가 올까 봐 우산을 가져왔어요

= I was worried that it would rain, so I brought an umbrella

PLAY 비가 올까 봐 우산을 가져올 거예요

= I am worried that it will rain, so I will bring an umbrella

Notice that the tense of the sentence is determined by the final verb and not
the verb that ~ㄹ/을까 봐 is added to. Below are many more examples:

PLAY 저의 여자 친구가 슬플까 봐 그녀를 위해 꽃을 샀어요

= I am worried that my girlfriend will be sad so I bought her flowers

PLAY 그것이 너무 비쌀까 봐 돈을 많이 가져왔어요

= I’m worried that it will be too expensive, so I brought more money

PLAY 집주인이 물이 흘러나올까 봐 지붕을 수리했어요

= The landlord was worried that water would flow out, so he fixed up
(repaired) the roof

PLAY 손이 더러울까 봐 소독했어요

= I was worried that my hands were dirty, so I disinfected them

PLAY 그 사람이 내가 무례하다고 생각할까 봐 그에게 사과했어요

= I was worried that that person would think I am rude, so I apologized to
him

PLAY 파도가 너무 높을까 봐 바다에 안 들어갔어요

= I was worried that the waves would be too big, so I didn’t go into the
water
PLAY 누가 저를 찾아낼까 봐 저는 방 한구석에 몸을 숨겼어요
= I was worried that somebody would find me, so I hid in the/a corner of
the room

PLAY 애기를 만지기 전에 손이 더러울까 봐 손을 소독약으로 씻었어요

= Before touching the baby, I was worried that my hands were dirty, so I
washed them with disinfectant

PLAY 나이가 많을 때 돈이 없을까 봐 오래전부터 돈을 모으기 시작했어요

= I’m worried that I won’t have a lot of money when I’m older, so I started
saving money from a long time ago

PLAY 결혼식에서 이 셔츠가 너무 이상해 보일까 봐 화려한 것을 입었어요

= I was worried that this shirt would look too weird at the wedding, so I put
on a more colorful/fancy one

PLAY 주방 기구가 주방에 들어갈 수 없을까 봐 가로와 세로를 측정했어요

= I was worried that the kitchen appliance couldn’t go (fit) into the kitchen,
so I measured (its) width and length

PLAY 제가 수업 시간 동안 가르칠 내용이 틀릴까 봐 역사가에게 맞는지 안

맞는지 물어봤어요
= I was worried that the contents that I will teach during class would be
wrong, so I asked a historian if it is correct or not

Hopefully by now you are comfortable with the various usages of  ~ㄹ/을까
(요) in Korean. If you are confused about anything, feel free to review or ask
us questions!

That’s it for this lesson!

There are 1200 example sentences in Unit 3.

All entries are linked to an audio file. You can download all of these files in
one package here.

Okay, got it! Take me to the next lesson! Or,

Vocabulary
Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each word can be
used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that you will be
learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 상식 = common sense

PLAY 마감일 = deadline

PLAY 구멍 = hole, pit

PLAY 경력 = career/work experience

PLAY 체력 = physical strength

PLAY 검진 = physical checkup/health screening

PLAY 자녀 = children/sons and daughters

PLAY 자동 = automatic

PLAY 크기 = size

PLAY 폭포 = waterfall

PLAY 바보 = an idiot (often used as a cute way to say a silly person)

PLAY 시련 = some kind of hardship

PLAY 머릿속 = the inside of one’s head

Verbs:
PLAY 담당하다 = to take responsibility, to be in charge of
PLAY 삭제하다 = to delete (files, names, etc…)

PLAY 겪다 = to experience, to undergo

PLAY 잔소리하다 = to nag

PLAY 생산하다 = to produce

PLAY 협의하다 = to discuss, to consult

PLAY 퇴장하다 = to leave

PLAY 당기다 = to pull

PLAY 밀다 = to push

PLAY 비비다 = to mix

PLAY 파다 = to dig

PLAY 소지하다 = to possess

PLAY 가입하다 = to become a member/join a club

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

There are 625 vocabulary entries in Unit 3. All entries are linked to an audio
file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn the meanings of ~처럼 and ~듯(이). These are
often used to indicate that an action is done “like” something else. We will
go over the meanings of both of them, and describe the differences in this
lesson. Let’s get started.
 

Like (a noun): (명사)처럼

When ~처럼 is attached to a noun, it often indicates that an action is done

“like” the way the specified noun does it. Let’s look at a simple example:

아빠가 밥을 먹고 있어요 = Dad is eating (rice)

By using ~처럼, I can indicate that my father is eating rice “like” the way a
pig eats. For example:

돼지처럼 = like a pig

PLAY 아빠가 돼지처럼 먹고 있어요 = Dad is eating (rice) like a pig

Here are some other examples of ~처럼 being attached to nouns:

나처럼 = like me
예전처럼 = like old times
평소처럼 = like (as) usual
원숭이처럼 = like a monkey
그 전처럼 = like before

These constructions can then be placed in sentences similar to adverbs to

say that something is done “like” something. For example:

PLAY 저는 그 전처럼 하고 싶어요 = I want to do it like before

PLAY 재료를 비빔밥처럼 비벼야 돼요 = Mix the ingredients like 비빔밥
PLAY 강아지처럼 구멍을 파고 있어요 = I am digging a hole like a
dog/puppy
PLAY 그 사람은 나처럼 돈이 별로 없어 = That person, like me, doesn’t have
much money
PLAY 저는 오늘 평소처럼 공부해야 돼요 = I have to study today, as usual
PLAY 바보처럼 왜 이렇게 상식이 없어요? = Why, like an idiot, do you not
have any common sense?
PLAY 우리 아들은 밥을 원숭이처럼 먹어요 = Our son eats (rice) like a
monkey
PLAY 저의 형처럼 그 동아리에 가입하고 싶어요 = Like my brother, I want to
enter that club
PLAY 우리는 예전처럼 그냥 집에서 영화를 봤어요 = We watched movies at
our house like old times

PLAY 부장님처럼 그렇게 일찍 나가도 되었으면 좋겠어요

= I wish I was able to leave (go out) early (like that) like the boss

PLAY 체육선생님이 되고 싶으면 체력은 경력처럼 중요해요

= If you want to become a P.E. teacher, your physical strength, like your
experience, is important

PLAY 우리 아버지처럼 돈을 자동적으로 벌 수 있었으면 좋겠어요

= I wish I could earn money automatically like my dad

PLAY 제가 보안을 담당하는 사람이라서 다른 직원처럼 일찍 못 나가요

= I am the person in charge of security, so I can’t leave early like most other
workers

If you are indicating that something happens in a place, and you want to
describe the similarities with that action happening in another place, ~처럼
can be attached to ~에서. For example:

PLAY 유럽에서처럼 매일 아침에 빵을 먹고 싶어요

= Like in Europe, I want to eat bread every morning

PLAY 그 극장에서 공연을 보고 싶으면 영화관에서처럼 표를 사야 돼요

= If you want to see a performance at that theatre, like (at) a movie, you
need to buy a ticket

~처럼 can also be attached to nouns described by phrases using the ~는 것

construction. By describing a noun with an entire clause, you are able to
make more complicated and descriptive sentences. For example, the
following two sentences are similar, but included in the meaning of the
second example is the context that comes along with ~았/었던 (you might
want to check out Lesson 27 to see my discussion about this meaning):
PLAY 우리가 예전처럼 이것을 하고 싶어요 = I want to do it like old times
PLAY 우리가 예전에 자주 했던 것처럼 이것을 하고 싶어요 = I want to do it
like we used to do it a long time ago

In Lesson 36 you learned how to say a person looks like something else. For
example:

PLAY 저의 여자친구는 연예인 같이 보여요 = My girlfriend looks like a

celebrity

You can use ~처럼 to describe that a particular scenario “looks like”
something. In these sentences as well, you can see how the noun that ~처럼
is attached to is being described by a clause. For example:

PLAY 네가 넘어질 것처럼 보였어 = It looked like you were going to fall
PLAY 그렇게 하면 문제가 생길 것처럼 보여요 = It looks like a problem will
come up if we do it like that

~듯(이) is similar to ~처럼. I will cover this in the next section.

As if…: ~듯(이)

By describing ~듯(이) with a clause using ~는 것, you can create the

meaning of “as if…” For example:

그를 알아보지 못하는 듯이… = As if he didn’t recognize him…

그가 이해하지 못하는 듯이… = As if he didn’t understand…
그는 떠나기 싫다는 듯이… = As if he didn’t want to leave…
그가 죽은 듯이… = As if he were dead
가고 싶지 않은 듯이… = As if one doesn’t want to go…

These constructions can then be put in sentences similar to adverbs:

PLAY 그는 떠나기 싫다는 듯이 울었어요 = He cried as if he didn’t want to

leave
PLAY 그는 이해하지 못하는 듯이 행동했어요 = He acted as if he didn’t
understand
PLAY 그는 죽은 듯이 바닥에 누워 있었어요 = He lay on the ground as if he
were dead

PLAY 마감일까지 숙제를 다 하려고 미친 듯이 공부를 했다

= In order to finish all of my homework by the deadline, he studied as if he
was crazy

PLAY 그 사람이 무기를 소지한 듯이 움직이기 시작했어요

= That person started moving as if he possessed a weapon

PLAY‘미세요’라는 스티커를 못 보는 듯이 문을 당겨 봤어요

= He tried pulling on the door as if he didn’t see the “push” sticker

PLAY 제가 무슨 잘못을 한 듯이 우리 엄마가 저에게 잔소리를 했어요

= My mom scolded/nagged at me as if I had done some sort of mistake

PLAY 아버지는 자녀를 보고 그들을 알아보지 못하는 듯이 그냥 지나갔어요

= The father looked at his children and just walked past them as if he didn’t
recognize them

PLAY 건강검진결과를 모르는 듯이 오빠가 아직 건강에 나쁘게 먹고 있어요

= My brother keeps eating unhealthy food as if he doesn’t know about his
health check results

PLAY 제가 가자고 했지만 애기는 가고 싶지 않은 듯이 계속 자고 일어나지

않았어요
= I said “let’s go,” but the baby kept sleeping as if he didn’t want to go

PLAY 그 아이가 어려운 시련을 겪고 있는 듯이 수업 시간 동안 집중을 안

하고 울기만 해요
= During class, that boy doesn’t concentrate and only cries as if he is
undergoing a difficult hardship

~듯이 can also be placed directly to the stem of a verb/adjective to have

a very similar meaning to the sentences above. However, there is a
difference between using 듯이 after a descriptive word (as shown above)
and adding ~듯이 directly to a verb/adjective. Assuming the verb is “하다”
the different forms would look like this:
~하는 듯이
~하듯이

In general, the translation of both is “as if…” which makes distinguishing the
two very difficult for foreigners.

In the sentences above (where 듯이 is not attached directly to the stem),

the nuance is that the clause before 듯이 is somewhat of a guess. For
example:

PLAY 그는 이해하지 못하는 듯이 행동했어요

= He acted as if he didn’t understand
(I guess/it looked like he didn’t understand)

PLAY 그는 떠나기 싫다는 듯이 울었어요

= He cried as if he didn’t want to leave
(I guess/it looked like he didn’t want to leave)

PLAY‘미세요’라는 스티커를 못 보는 듯이 문을 당겨 봤어요

= He tried pulling on the door as if he didn’t see the “push” sticker
(I guess he didn’t see the “push” sticker”)

PLAY 아버지는 자녀를 보고 그들을 알아보지 못하는 듯이 그냥 지나갔어요

= The father looked at his children and just walked past them as if he didn’t
recognize them
(I guess/it looks he didn’t recognize his children)

PLAY 제가 가자고 했지만 애기는 가고 싶지 않은 듯이 계속 자고 일어나지

않았어요
= I said “let’s go,” but the baby kept sleeping as if he didn’t want to go
(I guess/it looked like the baby didn’t want to go)

PLAY 그 아이가 어려운 시련을 겪고 있는 듯이 수업 시간 동안 집중을 안

하고 울기만 해요
= During class, that boy doesn’t concentrate and only cries as if he is
undergoing a difficult hardship
(He doesn’t concentrate in class, and just cries. I guess he is undergoing a
difficult hardship)
When used like this, the two clauses (the clause before 듯이, and the clause
after) have a direct relationship with each other. For example, in the first
example above, the way that the person acted was a result of him not
understanding.

However, when adding ~듯이 directly to a stem of a verb or adjective, one

is indicating that the two clauses (the one before ~듯이, and the one after)
are exactly the same (there is no guessing involved). However, the clause
before ~듯이 is usually some ridiculous metaphor that (although “describing
the situation”) is completely unrelated to the situation in the second clause.
For example:

PLAY 그는 물을 쓰듯이 돈을 썼다
= He used money as if it was water

PLAY 말이 날뛰듯이 그의 심장이 뛰었다

= His heart was racing, as if a horse were bucking

PLAY 폭포가 떨어지듯이 그는 눈물을 흘렸다

= He cried (water flowed from his eyes) as if it was a waterfall

PLAY 누가 나의 심장에 구멍을 내듯이 아주 아파

= I am sore as if somebody is digging a hole in my heart

PLAY 시간이 지나면서 머릿속에서 어린 시절의 기억이 삭제되듯이 하나도

없다
= As time goes by, as if is (being) deleted, I don’t have any memory of my
childhood days

(Notice that adding something that starts with “ㄷ” causes no irregulars to
come into play, so it is very easy to add this to stems).

(Also notice that I deliberately used the plain form conjugation in these five
examples because the most common place you would find these
sentences would be in novels. In novels (in Korean and in English), authors
often create these metaphors to create imagery for the reader. Very rarely
would one use these ridiculous metaphors in everyday conversation).
As you can see from the five examples above – there is no real connection
between the first and second clauses. Their only relation is that they are
linked by the feeling of the metaphor being described in the first clause. For
example, in the first example above, the waterfall has no relation to the
actual situation, and is only used to create a feeling inside the
listener/reader.

However, in the examples discussed previously:

PLAY 아버지는 자녀를 보고 그들을 알아보지 못하는 듯이 그냥 지나갔어요 

= The father looked at his children and just walked past them as if he didn’t
recognize them

(I guess/it looks he didn’t recognize him)

… there is no metaphor that is being described. The speaker is simply saying

that the ‘person looked at his father and walked past him’ and it
appeared/seemed like ‘he didn’t recognize him.’

In all cases above, the “이” can be removed from “듯이” and the sentence
will have the same meaning. However, I personally always say it as “듯이,”
so I presented it that way in this lesson. I feel that it is hard to end the clause
with “ㅅ” and it flows off my tongue better when I say“ 듯이.”

There is also a word “듯하다” which can be placed at the end of a sentence
to mean “it seems like.” 듯하다 is usually placed immediately after a
descriptive clause that is describing “듯하다.” For example:

PLAY 선생님은 이것을 잘 모르는 듯해요 = The teacher seems if he doesn’t

understand this
PLAY 그가 안 간 듯해요 = It seems as though he didn’t go

마치
The word “마치” is another one of those words that is put in sentences to
allow the listener to expect what the speaker will say and provide feeling.
In Lesson 43, you learned that 만약 is used in sentences where there is a
supposition or assumption being made. For example:

PLAY 만약 네가 안 가면 나도 안 가 = If you are not going, I am not going

In Lesson 48, you learned that 아무리 is used in sentences with ~아/어도.
For example:

PLAY 아무리 그 여자가 예뻐도 저는 그녀가 싫어요 = Regardless of how

pretty that girl is, I don’t like her

In similar function of 만약 and 아무리, 마치 is often used in sentences to

give the listener the expectation or feeling that one situation will be likened
to another. Therefore, it is common to see 마치 used in sentences with ~
처럼 or ~듯이. For example:

PLAY 마치 말처럼 달렸어요 = He ran like a horse

PLAY 마치 그는 죽은 듯이 바닥에 누워 있었어요 = He lay on the floor as if
he were dead

That’s it for this lesson!

There are 1200 example sentences in Unit 3.

All entries are linked to an audio file. You can download all of these files in
one package here.

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each word can be
used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that you will be
learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.
Nouns:
PLAY 단골 = regular costumer

PLAY 동물원 = zoo

PLAY 토끼 = rabbit

PLAY 장갑 = gloves

PLAY 당나귀 = donkey

PLAY 독수리 = eagle

PLAY 도마뱀 = lizard

PLAY 코끼리 = elephant

PLAY 기린 = giraffe

PLAY 사자 = lion

PLAY 개구리 = frog

PLAY 염소 = goat

PLAY 상어 = shark

PLAY 몫 = share, portion

PLAY 빗방울 = raindrop

PLAY 복장 = clothes

PLAY 물가 = the prices of an area

PLAY 이기적 = selfish
Verbs:
PLAY 바람을 피우다 = to cheat on (one's husband or wife)

PLAY 전송하다 = to transmit, to send over computer

PLAY 합하다 = to combine, to join together, to unite

PLAY 반성하다 = to self-reflect, to remorse

PLAY 유지하다 = to maintain, to retain

PLAY 모자라다 = to be short of, to be insufficient

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

There are 625 vocabulary entries in Unit 3. All entries are linked to an audio
file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn about the word 유일하다 which can be used to
create the meaning of “only.” In Lesson 12 you learned about the particle ~
만 which can also be used to create the meaning of “only.” However, the
usages of 유일하다 and ~만 are different, and I will spend this lesson
teaching you how to use 유일하다. Let’s get started.

Only: 유일하다

First and foremost, the word “유일하다” is an adjective. Adjectives (in

English and Korean) are commonly placed before nouns to describe them.
For example:
코끼리 = elephant
큰 코끼리 = big elephant

토끼 = rabbit
귀여운 토끼 = cute rabbit

Just like other adjectives, 유일하다 can be placed before nouns to describe
them. 유일하다 is used to describe that a particular noun is the
only/unique/sole noun that will be acted on. This is a little confusing, but
let’s break it down.

The particle “~만” is attached to nouns. When ~만 is used, there is no

indication that the noun is unique (or sticks out) from any other noun. For
example, I could say:

나는 사과만 샀어 = I only bought apples

This sentence is saying that you only bought apples. Implied in the meaning
of this sentence is that you didn’t purchase anything else. For example,
maybe you bought apples, but you didn’t buy bananas or strawberries.

유일하다 describes nouns. It describes a noun in a way that causes that

noun to be unique (or stand out) in some way. “Unique” doesn’t mean that
the noun is “strange.” Rather, it means that it is the only noun that possesses
some particular quality. For example, I could say:

나는 유일한 사과를 샀어 = I bought the only apple

Implied in the meaning of this sentence is the feeling that this apple is/was
the “only” apple there. In a sense, it is “unique” from all other fruits at the
store because it was the “only” apple. A common translation for “유일하다”
could also be “sole.” For example:

나는 유일한 사과를 샀어 = I bought the sole apple

To make it more clear, it would probably be more natural to indicate that it

was the “only” or “sole” apple to be in a place. For example:
PLAY 나는 그 가게에서 유일한 사과를 샀어 = I bought the sole apple at that
store

In practice, 유일하다 is often used in much more complicated sentences.

Often times, the noun being described by 유일하다 is also described by
another verb using ~는 것.

Let’s review the ~는 것 principle (from Lesson 26). Remember that you can
describe a noun using verbs with ~는 것. For example:

저는 먹는 사람이에요 = I am the person who is eating

저는 공부하는 사람이에요 = I am the person who is studying

You also learned that you can add an adjective to these sentences to
describe the noun even further. Remember, these adjectives are usually
placed after the describing verb. For example:

저는 먹는 행복한 사람이에요 = I am the happy person who is eating

저는 공부하는 똑똑한 사람이에요 = I am the smart person who is studying

I don’t know exactly when you would use those specific sentences, but the
grammar within them is important to understanding to how 유일하다 can
be used. It is common to use 유일하다 in this same structure – as an
adjective to describe a noun that is also being described by a verb.

If we break it down:

먹는 사람 = the person who is eating

먹는 행복한 사람 = the happy person who is eating
먹는 유일한 사람 = the only person who is eating

공부하는 사람 = the person who is studying

공부하는 똑똑한 사람 = the smart person who is studying
공부하는 유일한 사람 = the only person who is studying

These nouns can then be placed in sentences just like any other noun. For
example:
PLAY 저는 아직 먹고 있는 유일한 사람이라서 부끄러워요
= I am shy because I am the only/sole person who is still eating

PLAY 오늘이 휴일이라서 제가 학교에서 공부하는 유일한 사람이에요

= Today is a holiday, so I am the only/sole person who is studying at school
today

Notice how the two people being described by 유일하다 in the above
sentences are unique compared to other individuals. The other individuals
aren’t explicitly in the sentences, but by context we know that the people
are “sole” individuals doing a particular action.

Because of this, it can be common to attach ~만 to a word that would rarely

be described by 유일하다. For example:

PLAY 저는 돈만 가져왔어요 = I only brought money

However, I can’t think of a situation where “유일한 돈” would be

appropriate unless you are describing one country’s money as unique
compared to another county’s money.

Likewise,

PLAY 저는 저의 몫만 먹었어요  = I only ate my portion

However, I can’t think of a situation where “유일한 몫” would be

appropriate.

Below are many more examples. In the two examples that we discussed
previously, the noun being described by 유일하다 (and the other preceding
verb) were attached to 이다 in the sentence. However, this noun can be
used just like any other noun – and can therefore have other functions in a
sentence (like the subject, object or location). For example:

PLAY 저는 그 가게에서 파는 유일한 장갑을 샀어요

= I bought the only gloves that are sold at that store
PLAY 제가 먹고 싶은 유일한 음식은 삼겹살입니다
= The only thing I want to eat is 삼겹살

PLAY 제가 하고 싶은 유일한 것은 밥을 먹는 것이에요

= The only thing I want to do right now is eat

PLAY 선생님의 말씀을 듣고 있는 유일한 사람은 저에요

= I am the only person who is listening to the teacher

PLAY 저는 동물원에서 자지 않은 유일한 당나귀를 탔어요

= At the zoo, I rode the only donkey that wasn’t sleeping

PLAY 제가 결혼하고 싶은 유일한 사람은 저의 여자 친구입니다

= The only person I want to marry is my girlfriend

PLAY 저는 그 식당에서 먹는 사람 중에 유일한 단골고객이에요

= Of all people who eat at that restaurant, I am the only regular customer

PLAY 제가 운동하는 유일한 이유는 몸무게를 유지하는 것이에요

= The only reason I exercise is to maintain/keep my weight

PLAY 저는 이메일을 그 회사에게 기한 안에 전송하는 유일한 사람이에요

= I am the only person who sent the email to that company within/by the
deadline

PLAY 저는 서울에서 있는 유일한 동물원에 가서 기린과 사자를 봤어요

= I went to the only zoo in Seoul and saw the giraffes and lions

PLAY 미국 물가가 아주 비싸서 당신을 위해 산 유일한 기념품은 이

목걸이예요
= The price of goods in America is very expensive, so the only souvenir I
bought for you is this necklace

It is also possible to attach ~게 to 유일하다 and use it as an adverb. In these

cases, it is often placed before the describing verb in the sentence. For
example:
PLAY 제가 유일하게 먹고 싶은 음식은 삼겹살입니다
= The only food I want to eat is 삼겹살

PLAY 제가 유일하게 하고 싶은 것은 밥을 먹는 것이에요

= The only thing I want to do is eat (rice)

PLAY 제가 유일하게 결혼하고 싶은 사람은 저의 여자 친구입니다

= The only person I want to marry is my girlfriend

So far, you have seen nouns being described by verbs – and using 유일한
(or 유일하게) to add the additional meaning of “only” or “sole” to the
sentences. It is also possible to describe a noun with an adjective and to
also use 유일하다 to describe it as well. When this is done, it usually
sounds strange in Korean to describe the noun using “유일한” and another
adjective. For example:

저는 유일한 행복한 사람이에요

It is weird to have two adjectives in that form describing a noun like this.
Therefore, it is better to change “유일한” to “유일하게” – which you saw
earlier can also be done with verbs. For example:

행복한 사람 = happy person

유일하게 행복한 사람 = the only happy person

예쁜 여자 = pretty girl
유일하게 예쁜 여자 = the only pretty girl

These nouns can be used in sentences just like any other noun. For
example:

PLAY 이 방에서 유일하게 예쁜 여자는 저 여자예요

= The only pretty girl in this room is that girl

PLAY 제가 바다에서 유일하게 무서운 것은 상어예요

= The only thing I am afraid of in the ocean is sharks
PLAY 염소가 거기서 유일하게 살 수 있는 동물이에요
= Goats are the only animals that can live there

PLAY 나는 우리 가족들 중에 유일하게 행복한 사람이야

= I am the only happy person in my family

PLAY 회사에서 유일하게 입을 수 있는 복장은 정장이에요

= The only thing/clothing that you can wear at work is a suit

PLAY 그 아이가 우리 반에서 유일하게 이기적인 학생이에요

= That kid is the only selfish student in our class

PLAY 제가 동물원에서 유일하게 보고 싶은 것은 도마뱀과 개구리예요

= The only things I want to see at the zoo are lizards and frogs

PLAY 우리가 유일하게 할 수 있는 것은 우리 힘을 다 합하고 해 보는 거예요

= The only thing that we can do is combine our strength/efforts/power
together and try

It took me a while to fully grasp this word, but once you understand it, you
will realize that it is a very powerful word that you can use to increase the
complexity of your sentences.

That’s it for this lesson!

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each word can be
used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that you will be
learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 배추 = Korean cabbage (the vegetable used to make kimchi)

PLAY 유행 = trend, fashion trend

PLAY 분야 = field, area of interest, branch, realm

PLAY 북 = Korean drum

PLAY 연극 = a play

PLAY 답안지 = answer sheet

PLAY 겨드랑이 = armpit

PLAY 사유 = reason, cause

PLAY 청중 = audience

PLAY 충고 = advice

PLAY 소모품 = supplies

PLAY 해변 = beach

PLAY 연속 = in a row/consecutively

Verbs:
PLAY 참관하다 = to visit, to observe

PLAY 예방하다 = to prevent

PLAY 연출하다 = to direct

PLAY 소모하다 = to consume, to use up

PLAY 밟다 = to step on

Passive Verbs:
PLAY 해당되다 = to be applicable, to correspond to
Adverbs and Other Words:
PLAY 싹 = an adverb that describes that something is completely cleaned or
emptied

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

There are 625 vocabulary entries in Unit 3. All entries are linked to an audio
file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.

Introduction

In the previous lesson, you learned how to use the word “유일하다,” which
has the meaning of “only” or “unique/sole.” In this lesson, you will learn
another grammatical principle that can be translated to “only.” In this
lesson, you will learn how to use the particle ~밖에. Let’s get started.

Nothing but/only: ~밖에

In Lesson 26, you learned the word “밖,” which has the meaning “outside.”
It is often used as a place in a sentence to refer to the outdoors. For
example:

PLAY 나는 9 시에 밖에 나갈 거야 = I’m going outside at 9 o’clock

PLAY 혹시 밖에 비가 와요? = Is it raining outside?
PLAY 북을 밖에서 치면 안 돼요? = Can you (please) play the drum outside?
PLAY 배추를 밖에 다 놓았어요 = I put all the (Korean) cabbage outside

It can also be used to describe that something is “outside” of a specific area

– much like how “안” can refer to the inside of an area. For example:

PLAY 우리는 집 안에 있어요 = We are inside the house

PLAY 우리는 집 밖에 있어요 = We are outside the house
PLAY 답안지에 답을 쓰면 그 문제에 해당되는 박스 밖에 아무 글도 쓰지
마세요 = When you write your answer on the answer sheet, don’t write any
(writing) outside of the applicable box for that question

It is also possible to attach ~밖에 to nouns as a particle. This new

construction may translate to something different, but the meaning when
used as a particle like this is actually quite similar to the meaning when used
as a noun.

By attaching the particle ~밖에 to a noun, the speaker indicates

that only that noun – and nothing but that noun – is acted on. The common
translation for “~밖에” is “nothing but.” For example:

친구밖에… = nothing but friend(s)

밥밖에… = nothing but rice
청소년들밖에… = nothing but young people (youth)
만 원밖에… = nothing but 10,000 won

This meaning is similar to the particle ~만, which simply means “only.” For
example:

친구만 = only friend(s)

밥만 = only rice
청소년들밖에… = only young people (youth)
만 원만 = only 10,000 won

However, when ~밖에 is used, the speaker is emphasizing that “nothing but”
a particular noun is acted on.

When ~밖에 is attached to a noun to have this meaning, the final verb
should be a negative word. It is common for these types of sentences to
end in 없다 to indicate that one has “nothing but” something. For example:

PLAY 저는 친구밖에 없어요

= I have nothing but friends

PLAY 우리가 먹을 것은 밥밖에 없어요

= We have nothing but rice to eat
PLAY 유행을 따라가는 사람들이 청소년들밖에 없어요
= The only people who follow trends are young people

PLAY 그거를 사고 싶지만 만 원밖에 없어서 못 사요

= I want to buy that, but I only have 10,000 won, so I can’t buy it

You can see the similarity with the meaning of “outside” if you translate
those sentences slightly differently. For example:

PLAY 저는 친구밖에 없어요

= Outside of friends, I have nothing

PLAY 우리가 먹을 것은 밥밖에 없어요

= Outside of rice, we have nothing to eat

PLAY 유행을 따라가는 사람들이 청소년들밖에 없어요

= Outside of young people, nobody follows trends

그거를 사고 싶지만 만원밖에 없어서 못 사요

= I want to buy that, but outside of 10,000 won I have nothing, so I can’t
buy it

~밖에 is also commonly attached to counters or to the word “하나.” For

example:

PLAY 저는 친구가 세 명밖에 없어요 = I have nothing but three friends

PLAY 저는 신용카드가 하나밖에 없어요 = I have nothing but one credit card
PLAY 저는 핸드폰이 한 개밖에 없어요 = I only have nothing but one cell-
phone

The examples above all show sentences ending in 없다, but it is possible to
end a sentence with other verbs. Even though the (noun)밖에 construction
translates to “nothing but (noun),” the sentence should end with a negative
conjugation. This often makes it look like there is a double negative in the
sentence for English speakers. For example:

PLAY 코치가 우리 팀에게 충고를 하나밖에 안 했었어요

= The coach gave us nothing by one piece of advice
Notice how this would be awkward in English if it translated to “The coach
didn’t give us nothing but one piece of advice.”

Below are many more examples:

PLAY 남자 친구가 너한테 돈밖에 안 줬다고?

= (You say that…) Your boyfriend gave you nothing but money?

Also, notice that this sentence is an indirect quote. You learned in Lesson
52 that it is possible to omit the word 하다 or 말하다 after these types of
sentences. It is common to finish a sentence like this when somebody says
something, and you can’t believe (or hear) what they say. Before the
sentence above was uttered, another person would probably have
said “나의 남자친구가 나한테 돈밖에 안 줬어”

PLAY 아빠가 배추를 하나밖에 주문하지 않았어요 = Dad ordered nothing

but one (head of) cabbage

Also, you might be thinking that this is probably a sentence that would
never be uttered. However, Korean people make kimchi every year (out of 
배추) and store it in their houses all winter. This means that they have to
make a ton of kimchi and order a ton of 배추. Ordering 100 heads of it
isn’t uncommon.

In all of the examples so far, I tried to translate ~밖에 to “nothing but.” I

usually find those sentences unnatural in English. I find it much natural to
simply use “only.” As always, pay more attention to the Korean sentence
than the English translation.

PLAY 제가 아는 공연 종류는 연극밖에 없어요

= The only type of performance I know about is plays
((Of) the types of performances I know about, I know about nothing but
plays)

PLAY 선생님! 저에게 답안지밖에 안 주셨어요

= Teacher! You only gave me an answer sheet
(Teacher, you gave me nothing but an answer sheet)
PLAY 그 선생님의 수업을 한번밖에 참관하지 않았어요
= I only attended that teacher’s class once
(Outside of one time, I didn’t attend that teacher’s class)

PLAY 저는 평생 동안 오렌지를 세 번밖에 안 먹어 봤어요

= I have only eaten oranges three times in my life
(I have eaten oranges nothing but three times in my life)

PLAY 그 사람이 지금까지 영화를 하나밖에 연출을 안 했어요

= That person has only directed one movie until now
(Outside of one movie, that person hasn’t directed a movie until now)

~밖에 is also commonly used to emphasize that an action will take a short
amount of time. For example:

PLAY30 분밖에 안 걸려요! = It only takes 30 minutes (It takes nothing but
30 minutes)
PLAY 한 시간밖에 안 걸려요 = It only takes 1 hour (It takes nothing but 1
hour)

In order to create more complicated sentences that describe “It only takes
30 minutes to get from Seoul to Incheon,” you need to learn how to use ~는
데, which will be introduced in Lesson 76 and Lesson 77.

Before you move on, let’s look at another practical usage of ~밖에.

There is nothing I can do but…: ~ㄹ/을 수밖에 없다

In Lesson 45 you learned about the endings ~ㄹ/을 수 있다 and ~ㄹ/을 수

없다. In that lesson, I explained that “수” is a noun. This means that
particles, including ~밖에, can be attached to 수. By attaching ~밖에 to 수 in
“~할 수 없다” you describe that the best/only option is to do the specified
action. For example:

PLAY 우리가 밥을 먹을 수밖에 없어요 = We have nothing to do but eat

This commonly translates to “to have no choice but to…” For example

PLAY 우리가 밥을 먹을 수밖에 없어요 = We have no choice but to eat

Below are many more examples:

PLAY 우리가 연극을 다른 데에서 할 수밖에 없어요

= We have no choice but to do the play in a different place

PLAY 죄송하지만 저는 당신을 해고할 수밖에 없어요

= I’m sorry, but I can’t do anything but fire you

PLAY 쓰레기가 많아서 방을 싹 청소할 수밖에 없어요

= I have no choice but to completely clean the room because it is so dirty

PLAY 일이 너무 심심해서 다른 분야로 옮길 수밖에 없어요

= I have no choice but to move/switch fields because my work is so boring

PLAY 시험을 네 번 연속으로 못 봐서 포기할 수밖에 없어요

= I have no choice but to give up because I didn’t write the exam well four
times in a row

PLAY 내일도 비가 올 거라서 연극을 또 취소할 수밖에 없어요

= It will rain again tomorrow, so we have no choice but to cancel the play

PLAY 친구가 늦게 올 거라고 해서 우리는 기다릴 수밖에 없어요

= Our friend said he will come late, so we have nothing to do but wait for
him

PLAY 내일 해변에 갈 거라서 겨드랑이 털을 면도할 수밖에 없어요

= I am going to the beach tomorrow, so I have no choice but to shave my
armpits

PLAY 오늘도 수업을 못 해서 내일부터 3 일 연속으로 할 수밖에 없어요

= We couldn’t do class again today, so we have no choice but to do class
for three days in a row starting from tomorrow

PLAY 오랫동안 운동해서 에너지를 다 소모해서 밥을 많이 먹을 수밖에

없어요
= I exercised for a long time and used up all of my energy, so I have no
choice but to eat a lot of food

PLAY 그 커플이 매일 싸워서 사람들이 그 커플의 이혼사유를 알 수밖에

없어요
= That couple fights every day, so there is no way for people to not know
the reason why they got a divorce

PLAY 소모품이 사무실에 아직 오지 않아서 올 때까지 기다릴 수밖에 없어요

= The supplies still haven’t arrived/come to the office yet, so we have no
choice but to wait until they come

PLAY 그 문제를 예방할 수 없어서 또 문제가 생기면 그때 해결할 수밖에

없을 거예요
= We can’t prevent that problem, so if it comes up again, we have no choice
but to deal with it/fix it then

That’s it for this lesson!

There are 1200 example sentences in Unit 3.

All entries are linked to an audio file. You can download all of these files in
one package here.

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each word can be
used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that you will be
learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 정성 = effort, devotion

PLAY 배낭 = backpack

PLAY 서랍 = drawer
PLAY 실종자 = missing person

PLAY 지구본 = globe

PLAY 구호 = relief, aid

PLAY 연설 = speech

PLAY 소매 = sleeve

Verbs:
PLAY 뛰어다니다 = to run around an area

PLAY 알려주다 = to let somebody know

PLAY 지켜보다 = to protect by watching (to watch over)

PLAY 비켜서다 = to stand/step aside

PLAY 올려놓다 = to place something on something

PLAY 뛰어가다 = to run to (to go by running)

PLAY 달려가다 = to run to (to go by running)

PLAY 뛰어오다 = to come running

PLAY 달려오다 = to come running

PLAY 매혹하다 = to captivate

PLAY 통하다 = to flow through, to move through

PLAY 쭈그리다 = to crouch, to squat

PLAY 맡다 = to smell

PLAY 배신하다 = to betray

PLAY 종합하다 = to put together, to synthesize

PLAY 사로잡다 = to captivate

PLAY 전력하다 = to try one’s best

PLAY 마무리하다 = to finish off, to wrap up

Passive Verbs:
PLAY 실종되다 = for a person to go missing

Adjectives:
PLAY 평범하다 = to be ordinary, to be plain

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 스승의 날 = teachers day

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

There are 625 vocabulary entries in Unit 3. All entries are linked to an audio
file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn how to apply ~아/어(서) to sentences.

Explaining this concept is probably the most difficult of all grammatical
forms, simply because the meaning is so subtle. Nonetheless, this concept
is very common, and needs to be explained. Let’s get started.

Clause Connector: ~아/어(서)
In Lesson 17, you learned about the grammatical principle ~고 and how it
can be used to indicate that one clause (or action) happens after another.
For example:

PLAY 저는 밥을 먹고 갈 거예요 = I will eat then go

You also learned how it can be compared to ~아/어(서), which can also be
added to sentences where one clause (or action) happens after another. For
example, in Lesson 17 you saw the following simple example:

PLAY 저는 당근을 칼로 잘라서 냉장고에 넣었어요

= I cut the carrots with the knife then put them in the fridge

PLAY 저는 당근을 칼로 자르고 냉장고에 넣었어요

= I cut the carrots with the knife then put (them) in the fridge

In addition to its cause-and-effect meaning (which you learned about

in Lesson 37), connecting two clauses with ~아/어(서) can have different
meanings. Let’s look at each meaning individually:

An Intrinsic Temporal Relationship: ~아/어(서)

When ~아/어(서) is used to connect two clauses, the action in the first
clause and the action in the second clause occur in the order in which they
are said. This is the same as when ~고 is used, but there doesn’t need to be
a direct connection between the actions in the two clauses when ~고 is
used. For example:

PLAY 저는 밥을 먹고 갈 거예요 = I will eat then go

PLAY 저는 자고 한국어를 공부했어요 = I slept then studied Korean

In the above examples, aside from the fact that the first action and the
second action occurred one after another, there is no direct relationship
between the two actions. When you use ~아/어(서), however, there is
more likely to be an intrinsic relationship between the two clauses. That is –
not only did the second action happen after the first action, but the second
action happened because the first action allowed it to.
In its simplest form, this is why (as you learned in Lesson 17) ~아/어(서) is
often added to 가다 and 오다. The second action of the clause occurred
only after/because the first clause allowed it to happen.

For example:

저는 학교에 가서 공부할 거예요 = I will go to school and then study

(“Studying” could not have happened if I didn’t go to the school, right?)

우리는 집에 와서 바로 잤어요 = We came home and went to sleep

immediately
(“Sleeping” could not have happened if we didn’t come home, right?)

Below are some examples where you can see ~아/어(서) being used to
connect two clauses:

The meaning of ~아/어 and ~아/어서 is identical in the following

examples:

PLAY 새로운 컴퓨터를 사 작업을 했어요

PLAY 새로운 컴퓨터를 사서 작업을 했어요
= I bought a new computer, and then did my work (using that computer)

PLAY 케이크를 만들어 친구들에게 나눠 줬어요

PLAY 케이크를 만들어서 친구들에게 나눠 줬어요
= I made a cake, and then gave it (that cake) out to my friends

PLAY 서랍을 열어 돈을 찾았어요

PLAY 서랍을 열어서 돈을 찾았어요
= I opened the drawer and then found the money (in the drawer)

PLAY 경찰관이 실종자를 찾아 집에 연락했어요

PLAY 경찰관이 실종자를 찾아서 집에 연락했어요
= The police officer found the missing person and then contacted the house
(of the missing person)
PLAY 그는 고개를 들어 그녀를 바라봤어요
PLAY 그는 고개를 들어서 그녀를 바라봤어요
= He lifted his head and stared at her

PLAY 그는 자신의 아름다움에 매혹되어 결국 호수에 빠져 죽었다

PLAY 그는 자신의 아름다움에 매혹되어서 결국 호수에 빠져 죽었다
= He was captivated by his own beauty, and then eventually drowned in the
lake

Here is a sentence that appeared on the cover of a Korean Cosmopolitan

magazine:

“원하는 일이 있다면 많은 사람들을 만나 관계를 형성하고 멘토를 찾으세요.

또 다른 기회가 열릴 겁니다.” = If you have something (a job) that you want
to do, meet lots of people, and develop relationships, and search for a
mentor. Another opportunity will be open.

In all of the cases above, ~고 can replace ~아/어(서). As I mentioned, you

are more likely to find ~아/어(서) being used if you feel there is an intrinsic
connection between the two clauses.

Want to see how ~아/어(서) would be used in a Korean street sign? Watch
me breakdown the usage in a YouTube video.
At this point, I would like to introduce you to a usage of ~아/어서 that you
haven’t learned about yet.

An Action Happens Through the Means of Another Action: ~ 아/어서

~아/어서 can be attached to a verb to indicate “how” or “through what
means” a second action takes place. The simplest example you will find
would be:

PLAY 저는 걸어서 집에 갔어요 = I went home by walking (I walked home)

Here, ~아/어서 is added to 걷다 to indicate that the second action (going

home) occurred by walking. In these types of sentences, where ~아/어서 is
being used to indicate a “method” or “means,” “서” is not optional. The
sentence above is not the same as this sentence:

저는 걸어 집에 갔어요

Here are two examples that are similar to examples introduced in the
previous section, but modified to fit the usage of “through” instead of “and
then:”

PLAY 새로운 컴퓨터를 써서 문제를 풀었어요

= I solved the problem through/using a new computer

PLAY 경찰관이 모여서 실종자를 찾았어요

= The police found the missing person through/by gathering (and looking for
him/her together)

Below are many other examples. Notice how the first action is the method
in which the second action occurs through.
PLAY 슬기가 몸을 쭈그려서 예쁜 꽃의 향기를 맡아봤어요
= Seulgi crouched over and smelled the (fragrance of) the beautiful flowers

PLAY 제가 당신을 위해 정성 들여서 만든 음식입니다

= This is a food that I made for you by putting all of my love/effort into it

PLAY 대통령이 연설을 해서 청중을 사로잡았다

= The president captivated the audience through/with a speech

PLAY 저는 전력을 다해서 이 일을 내일까지 마무리해 볼 거예요

= I will use all of my power and try to finish this work by tomorrow

PLAY 몇 가지 예를 사용해서 설명했어요

= I explained it through many types of examples

PLAY 지구본을 사용해서 지도를 그렸어요

= He used the globe to draw a map

PLAY 우리는 힘을 다 합해서 일을 마무리했어요

= We put together all of our efforts and finished/wrapped up that job/task

Although I mentioned that “서” is not optional, you could also see sentences
like this:

새로운 컴퓨터를 써 문제를 풀었어요

경찰관이 모여 실종자를 찾았어요
슬기가 몸을 쭈그려 예쁜 꽃의 향기를 맡아봤어요
제가 당신을 위해 정성 들여 만든 음식입니다
대통령이 연설을 해 청중을 사로잡았다
저는 전력을 다해 이 일을 내일까지 마무리해 볼 거예요
몇 가지 예를 사용해 설명했어요
지구본을 사용해 지도를 그렸어요
우리는 힘을 다 합해 일을 마무리했어요

What’s going on? I thought you said that the “서” was not optional? If it has
to be included, why has it been omitted from the examples above?
There is a lot of overlap between the usages of ~아/어서 and ~아/어(서).
The first one (where 서 is not optional) is used to indicate a method in
which an action occurred. The second one (where 서 is optional) is used to
indicate a direct temporal relationship.

The problem here is that the examples immediately above (which show a
temporal relationship between two clauses) can also include 서 with no
difference in meaning. For example:

PLAY 새로운 컴퓨터를 써서 문제를 풀었어요

PLAY 경찰관이 모여서 실종자를 찾았어요
PLAY 슬기가 몸을 쭈그려서 예쁜 꽃의 향기를 맡아봤어요
PLAY 제가 당신을 위해 정성 들여서 만든 음식입니다
PLAY 대통령이 연설을 해서 청중을 사로잡았다
PLAY 저는 전력을 다해서 이 일을 내일까지 마무리해 볼 거예요
PLAY 몇 가지 예를 사용해서 설명했어요
PLAY 지구본을 사용해서 지도를 그렸어요
PLAY 우리는 힘을 다 합해서 일을 마무리했어요

Here, we have an incredibly ambiguous situation. What meaning is the

speaker intending to make? I have had many discussions with Korean
people about these types of sentences. For example, I would ask them
about the specific meaning and feel of this sentence:

PLAY 경찰관이 모여서 실종자를 찾았어요

I asked:

● Did the police find the person through working/gathering

together? Or
● Did the police meet/gather together and then find the missing
person?
The answer: The specific meaning is up to the speaker to make clear or for
the listener to interpret. It may be unclear in the situation, or the context
might be able to indicate the specific meaning. Either way, the result is
usually the same.
There is a lot of overlap between these two usages. However, in some
situations you will find that a meaning expressed by ~아/어서 cannot be
expressed by ~아/어(서). This is an example that was presented above:

PLAY 저는 걸어서 집에 갔어요 = I went home by walking (I walked home)

This sentence can only mean that the person went home by walking. It

cannot mean that the person walked, and then went home. As such, the
following sentence is incorrect:

저는 걸어 집에 갔어요

Now that we know all of that, let’s look at specific ways ~아/어(서) is often
used.

Used to combine the meanings of two words: ~아/어

You will often see two words combined with ~아/어 to combine their
meanings. This compound word (or whatever you want to call it) can then
be used anywhere in a sentence that a normal verb could be used. When
used like this, “서” is not attached to ~아/어.

You first learned about these types of words in Lesson 15 with words like 
들어가다 and 들어오다. However, in that lesson I wasn’t able to discuss
how the words (like 들다 and 가다) are connected via ~아/어.

An example of a word where this is done is “뛰어다니다”

The word “다니다” means to go/walk around a place, and the word “뛰다”
means to run. By combining these words with the use of “~아/어”, we
create a word that combines the meanings of the two. Below are some
examples of words where this is done:

걸어가다 = to go by walking (걷다 + 가다)

걸어오다 = to come by walking (걷다 + 오다)
다녀오다 = to go and then come back (다니다  + 오다)
뛰어다니다 = to run around an area (뛰다 + 다니다)
돌아보다 = to turn and look (돌다 + 보다)
알려주다 = to let somebody know (알리다 + 주다)
지켜보다 = to protect by watching (to watch over) (지키다 + 보다)
비켜서다 = to stand/step aside (비키다 + 서다)
올려놓다 = to place something on something (올리다 + 놓다)
뛰어가다 = to run to (to go by running) (뛰다 + 가다)
달려가다 = to run to (to go by running) (달리다 + 가다)
뛰어오다 = to come by running (뛰다 + 오다)
달려오다 = to come by running (달리다 + 오다)

The words above are all stand-alone verbs (albeit, created by connecting
their meanings via ~아/어). The first three words in that list have already
been introduced in the vocabulary lists of previous lessons. For example,
걸어가다 and 걸어오다 are introduced in Lesson 17. The remaining verbs in
the list above have not been introduced in the vocabulary list of any lesson
yet, so they are included in the vocabulary list of this lesson. Here are some
examples of these verbs in sentences:

PLAY 아이들이 놀이터에서 뛰어다녔어요 = The kids were running around

the playground
PLAY 제가 옷을 갈아입는 동안 돌아보지 마세요 = While I’m changing, don’t
turn around
PLAY 그 도시를 지구본에서 찾으면 저한테 알려주세요 = When you find
that city on the globe, let me know
PLAY 제가 잠깐 나갈 거라서 애기를 지켜봐 주세요 = I’m going to go out for
a moment, so please watch the baby
PLAY 사람이 갑자기 많이 와서 저는 그냥 비켜섰어요 = All of a sudden
many people came, so I just stepped aside
PLAY 방에 들어가서 책을 책상에 올려놓았어요 = I went into the room and
put my book on the desk
PLAY 너무 늦어서 학교에 뛰어갔어요 = I was very late, so I ran to school
PLAY 너무 늦어서 학교에 달려갔어요 = I was very late, so I ran to school
PLAY 어떤 사람이 저한테 뛰어왔어요 = Some person was (came) running
towards me
PLAY 어떤 사람이 저한테 달려왔어요 = Some person was (came) running
towards me

Sometimes you will notice two verbs connected with ~아/어 with a space
between the first and second verb. You don’t really need to distinguish
between the two, but when there is a space it means that you are looking at
two separate verbs that are being connected by ~아/어 to combine their
meanings. If you do not see the space, you are looking at one word. Again,
you don’t really need to worry about this, because Korean people often
don’t know when to use the space or not. Nonetheless, here are some
examples of two separate verbs being combined by ~아/어. Technically,
these are not seen as standalone verbs and are therefore not included in
any vocabulary lists.

걸어 다니다 = to walk around an area

돌려 보내다 = to send something back
주워 모으다 = to pick up and collect
뛰어 넘다 = to run/jump over something
꺼내 놓다 = to take out and put down
걸어 놓다 = to place something hanging/to hang up
결합해 만들어지다 = to be made through combining something
아껴 쓰다 = to save something (to use, but to save while using)
걷어 올리다 = to tuck up one’s sleeves/pants

Despite being two words, the fact that their meanings/usages combine
often confuses Korean people and makes them think that they are one
word. Either way, they can be used in sentences where the meaning of the
whole construction wants to be expressed. For example:

PLAY 우리는 서울에서 그냥 걸어 다녔어요 = We just walked around Seoul

PLAY 너무 많으면 나머지를 돌려 보내도 돼요 = If it is too much, you can
send the rest back
PLAY 방에 있는 장난감을 다 주워 모으세요 = Pick up and collect all of the
toys in your room
PLAY 강아지가 울타리를 뛰어 넘었어요 = The dog ran/jumped over the
fence
PLAY 돈을 지갑에서 다 꺼내 놓았어요 = I took out all of the money from my
wallet and put it (somewhere)
PLAY 셔츠를 옷걸이에 걸어 놓았어요 = I hung/placed my shirt on the
hanger
PLAY 물은 산소와 수소로 결합돼 만들어진다 = Water is made from
combining oxygen and hydrogen
PLAY 이제부터 돈을 아껴 써야 돼요 = From now on, we need to save
money (not use much money)
PLAY 설거지를 하기 전에 소매를 걷어 올렸어요 = Before I did the dishes, I
rolled up my sleeves

Before we finish, there are two specific words that often get connected to ~
아/어(서), which I want to talk about.

The many meanings of 통하다

The word “통하다” has many meanings depending on the situation. Most of
these meanings somehow relate to two things being connected, and there
being a passageway or flow between those two things. When I first studied
the meanings of 통하다, I always envisioned some sort of tube connecting
the objects in question. Although kind of ridiculous, I always found it helpful
to think about it like this.

Here are some of the many meanings 통하다 can have:

For something to be flowing (i.e. not blocked)

PLAY 이 방은 공기가 잘 안 통해요 = Air doesn’t flow well in this room

For two places to be connected:

PLAY 이 식당에 옆 식당과 통하는 길이 있어요 = There is a road/passage
that connects this restaurant with the restaurant next door

To be able to understand what one is saying (usually  말이 통하다)

PLAY 그 사람과 말이 안 통해서 그 사람을 이해할 수 없어요 = I couldn’t
understand that person because I didn’t know what he was trying to say
(couldn’t communicate with him)

To be known as some sort of position

PLAY 한국에서 그 여자가 제일 예쁜 가수로 통한다 = That girl is known as
the pretties singer in Korea

To have nothing to talk about/not talk very often:

PLAY 우리 아빠가 죽은 후에 엄마랑 말이 잘 안 통해요 = Since our dad died,
I haven’t had much to talk about with my mother (haven’t talked with my
mother)

Okay… so why am I introducing 통하다 in this lesson?

통하다 has some usages where it is common to see it being used attached
with ~아/어(서) to form 통해(서). In these cases, 통하다 usually translates
to “through.” The following are some of these usages.

When you go “through” a place:

PLAY 불이 나고 문이 막혀 있어서 창문을 통해 빠져나갔어요 = A fire
started, and because the door was blocked, I escaped through the window

When you obtain (learn) something through some object:

PLAY 교과서를 통해서 그 사실을 배웠다 = I learned that fact through (from)
that book

When you obtain (learn) something through some process:

PLAY 직접 해 본 실험을 통해서 과학에 관심이 생기기 시작했다 = I started
to be interested in science through (from) doing experiments in person

Notice that each of these sentences could be expressed using other

particles instead of using 통해(서). For example:

PLAY 불이 나고 문이 막혀 있어서 창문으로 빠져나갔어요

= A fire started, and because the door was blocked, I escaped through the
window

PLAY 교과서로 그 사실을 배웠다

= I learned that fact through (from) that book

PLAY 직접 해본 실험으로부터 과학에 관심이 생기기 시작했다

= I started to be interested in science through (from) doing experiments in
person

One of the most common ways “통해(서)” is used is to indicate that one
learns/receives/hears something “through/from” a person. Here are many
examples:
PLAY 친구를 통해 소문을 들었어요 = I heard a rumor from (through) my
friend
PLAY 저는 저의 여자 친구를 통해 한국말을 배웠습니다 = I learned Korean
from (through) my girlfriend
PLAY 저는 저의 교감선생님을 통해 한국말을 배웠습니다 = I learned Korean
from (through) my Vice Principal
PLAY 저는 친구를 통해 그 남자의 전화번호를 받았어요 = I got that man’s
phone number from (through) a friend

As with above, each of those sentences could also be expressed using

other particles:

PLAY 친구에게서 소문을 들었어요 = I heard a rumor from my friend

PLAY 저는 저의 여자 친구한테서 한국말을 배웠어요 = I learned Korean
from my girlfriend
PLAY 저는 저의 교감선생님에게서 한국말을 배웠습니다 = I learned Korean
from my Vice Principal
PLAY 저는 친구에게서 그 남자의 전화번호를 받았어요 = I got that man’s
phone number from a friend

Let’s move on and talk about another word that is commonly used with ~아
/어(서).

To hurry: 서두러

The verb “서두르다” means “to hurry” and can be used as a stand-alone
verb. For example:

PLAY 왜 이렇게 서둘러요? = Why are you rushing like this?

PLAY 우리가 안 서둘렀더라면 늦었을 거예요 = If we didn’t rush, we would
have been late

서두르다 is more commonly used before another verb connected with ~아/
어(서). Here, the meaning of “rushing” is combined with the upcoming verb.
For example:
PLAY 우리는 서둘러 나갔어요 = We hurried (and went) outside
PLAY 선생님은 서둘러 학생들에게 수업을 가르쳤어요 = The teacher
hurried to teach his students the class
PLAY 비가 와서 밖으로 나가서 서둘러 차로 뛰었어요 = I went outside and
hurried to my car because it was raining

As you can see, the word 서둘러 doesn’t necessarily need to be in those
sentences. All of those previous sentences would have essentially the same
meaning if I were to write them as:

우리는 빨리 나갔어요
선생님은 학생들에게 수업을 빨리 가르쳤어요
비가 와서 밖으로 나가서 빨리 차로 뛰었어요

The usage of ~아/어(서) in Korean sentences is very ambiguous and takes a

long time to fully grasp. With many Korean grammatical principles, the
best/only way to completely understand a grammatical principle is to be
exposed to it enough. The goal of this lesson was to explain ~아/어(서) so
that when you are exposed to it, you will be able to extrapolate its
meaning. After continuous exposure, your understanding of ~아/어(서) will
become more and more natural.

That’s it for this lesson!

There are 1200 example sentences in Unit 3.

All entries are linked to an audio file. You can download all of these files in
one package here

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each word can be
used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that you will be
learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.
Nouns:
PLAY 문신 = tattoo

PLAY 나비 = butterfly

PLAY 낙타 = camel

PLAY 사슴 = deer

PLAY 돌고래 = dolphin

PLAY 흙 = dirt/mud

PLAY 하체 = lower body

PLAY 상체 = upper body

PLAY 조명 = lighting

PLAY 포도주 = wine

PLAY 양주 = hard liquor

PLAY 회원권 = membership

PLAY 마약 = drug

PLAY 구급차 =ambulance

PLAY 월세 = monthly rent

PLAY 가스비 = gas bill (at one’s home)

PLAY 비용 = fee, charge

PLAY 외 = outside of, in addition to

Verbs:
PLAY 제외하다 = to exclude (except)

PLAY 때리다 = to hit, to beat

PLAY 양보하다 = to yield

Adjectives:
PLAY 평평하다 = to be flat

PLAY 이르다 = to be early, to be premature

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

There are 625 vocabulary entries in Unit 3. All entries are linked to an audio
file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn about two opposite words that are very
common in Korean. You will learn how to use 포함하다 to include
something, and how to use 제외하다 to exclude something. Let’s get
started.

To Include: 포함하다

Just like most verbs, “포함하다” can be placed at the end of a sentence.
When used like this, 포함하다 indicates that something “includes”
something. For example:

PLAY 이 뷔페가격은 포도주를 포함해요 = This buffet price includes wine

This sentence is understandable in Korean, but it usually sounds more
natural to use 포함되다 to indicate that something “is included.” Of course,
if you use 포함되다, it cannot act on an object because it is a passive verb.
Therefore, ~이/가 should be included on the noun that is “included.” For
example:

PLAY 이 뷔페가격은 포도주가 포함돼요 = This buffet price includes wine

PLAY 나의 월세는 가스비가 포함된다 = My rent includes the gas (bill)
PLAY 이 조명 가격은 세금이 포함돼요 = The price of these lights includes
tax
PLAY 이 회원권 가격은 일대일 트레이닝이 포함돼요 = This membership
price includes one-on-one training

It would also be natural to attach ~아/어 있다 (introduced in Lesson 14) to

these passive sentences. For example:

PLAY 이 뷔페가격은 포도주가 포함되어 있어요

PLAY 나의 월세는 가스비가 포함되어 있어
PLAY 이 조명 가격은 세금이 포함되어 있어요
PLAY 이 회원권 가격은 일대일 트레이닝이 포함되어 있어요

Although 포함하다 and 포함되다 can be used at the end of a sentence like
this, it is often used in the middle of a sentence (at the end of a clause) to
indicate what is included in a situation. You learned about the ~아/어(서) in
the previous lesson and how they can be used to connect two clauses. You
can attach ~아/어 to 포함하다 in sentences where you want to indicate
what is included. For example:

저를 포함해(서)… = including me…

저의 친구를 포함해(서)…  = including my friend…
세금을 포함해(서)… = including tax

These constructions can then be placed in sentences where you want to

include these nouns in a situation. For example:

PLAY 저를 포함해 여기에 네 명이 있어요

= Including me, there are four people here
PLAY 세금을 포함해 이 집은 20 만 원입니다
= Including taxes, this house is 20 만원

PLAY 저의 친구를 포함해 열 명이 같이 여행할 거예요

= Including my friend, ten people will go travel together

PLAY 구급차 비용을 포함해 치료비가 100 만 원이었어요

= Including the ambulance fee, the treatment (fee) was 100 만원

PLAY 다리에 있는 문신을 포함해서 저는 문신 네 개가 있어요

= Including the tattoo on my leg, I have four tattoos

In Lesson 43, you learned about ~(으)면. Instead of using ~아/어(서), it is

possible to attach ~(으)면 to 포함하다. This would more appropriately
translate to “if …,” but the result of the sentences would be the same. For
example:

PLAY 저를 포함하면 여기에 네 명이 있어요

= If you include me, there are four people here

PLAY 세금을 포함하면 이 집은 20 만 원입니다

= If you include taxes, this house is 20 만원

PLAY 저의 친구를 포함하면 열 명이 같이 여행할 거예요

= If you include my friend, ten people will go travel together

PLAY 구급차 비용을 포함하면 치료비가 100 만 원이었어요

= If you include the ambulance fee, the treatment (fee) was 100 만원

PLAY 다리에 있는 문신을 포함하면 저는 문신 네 개가 있어요

= If you include the tattoo on my leg, I have four tattoos

Now that you know how to include something in sentences, let’s learn how
to exclude something.

To exclude: 제외하다
Just like “포함하다,” and many other verbs, the verb “제외하다” can be
placed at the end of a sentence. For example:

PLAY 나쁜 성적 때문에 선생님은 그 학생을 여행에서 제외했어요

= The teacher excluded the student from the trip because of his bad grades

It can also be used in the passive voice as well:

PLAY 나쁜 성적 때문에 학생은 여행에서 제외되었어요

= The student was excluded from the trip because of his bad grades

Like the word “포함하다,” 제외하다 is often used in the middle of a

sentence (at the end of a clause) to indicate what is (or isn’t) excluded in a
situation. To create this meaning, you can place “제외하고 OR 제외한” after
the noun you want to exclude. For example:

저의 어머니를 포함해(서)… = Including my mother

저의 어머니를 제외한… = Excluding/except for my mother
저의 어머니를 제외하고… = Excluding/except for my mother

Note that while ~아/어(서) is used with 포함하다 (to make 포함해(서)) to

indicate what is included, it is not added to 제외하다 to indicate what is
excluded. If this was done, it would be understandable, but strange.

Conversely, while adding ~ㄴ, or ~고 to 제외하다 (to make 제외한 or 

제외하고) is natural, it would sound slightly unnatural to attach either of
these to 포함하다.

These constructions can then go in sentences where appropriate, for

example:

PLAY 나비를 제외한 모든 동물이 싫어요

PLAY 나비를 제외하고 모든 동물이 싫어요
= Except for butterflies, I don’t like any/all animals

PLAY 하체를 제외한 온몸을 운동했어요

PLAY 하체를 제외하고 온몸을 운동했어요
= Except for my lower body (legs), I exercised my whole body
PLAY 열 명을 제외한 사람들이 다 죽었어요
PLAY 열 명을 제외하고 사람들이 다 죽었어요
= Except for ten people, everybody died

PLAY 저는 축구를 제외한 모든 스포츠가 좋아요

PLAY 저는 축구를 제외하고 모든 스포츠가 좋아요
= I like all sports except for soccer

Notice the grammatical principles that are being used in the sentences
above with 제외한 and 제외하고. When using “제외하고” the sentences are
essentially split into two clauses – and you could see them as two separate
sentences. For example:

열 명을 제외하고 = Except for 10 people

사람들이 다 죽었어요 = Everybody died

However, when “제외한” is used, it is (through the use of the ~는 것

principle) describing the upcoming noun. Just like any other noun being
described by a preceding clause using ~는 것, we can dissect the
descriptive clause. For example, here is a regular sentence with the noun
“학생” not being described by anything special:

학생들은 수업을 듣고 싶지 않아 = The students don’t want to come to class

As you learned in Lesson 26, you can describe “학생” with verbs. For
example:

내가 가르치는 학생들 = Students that I teach

And now this can be put in the sentence. For example:

내가 가르치는 학생들은 수업을 듣고 싶지 않아

= The students that I teach don’t want to come to class

In this same way, 제외하다 describes a noun. For example, here is a regular
sentence with the noun “사람” not being described by anything special:

사람들이 다 죽었어요 = Everybody died

With the same grammar that you learned in Lesson 26, you can describe
“사람” with 제외하다. For example:

열 명을 제외한 사람들

This is difficult to translate to English because it isn’t a full sentence.

However, just like our example from above (내가 가르치는 학생들 = the
students that I teach) we have a noun being described by a preceding
clause. This is hard for an English speaker to wrap their head around, but try
to understand that the underlined section of the sentence below is
describing the noun “사람.”

PLAY 열 명을 제외한 사람들이 다 죽었어요 = Except for ten people,

everybody died

You don’t really need to worry about this. However, it’s good practice to

connect the dots with the grammatical principles in your head.

Now, if the noun that is being described by “제외한” is also being described

by another verb, it is better to use “제외하고.” For example, if the sentence
above said:

열 명을 제외한 그 공장에서 일한 사람들이 다 죽었어요

Notice how far the descriptive word (제외한) and the noun (사람들) are
from each other. Because there is another clause that is also describing the
noun in the sentence (“그 공장에서 일한”), we essentially have two verbs
describing the same noun – and this sounds weird in Korean. In these cases,
although both sentences would be understood, it would be more natural to
connect 제외하다 with the other descriptive clause using ~고 instead of
using “제외한.” For example:

PLAY 열 명을 제외하고 그 공장에서 일한 사람들이 다 죽었어요

= Except for ten people, everybody working at that factory died

In essence, what you are doing is changing the noun so it is only being
described by one (longer) clause. In this case, our noun is being described
by the underlined portion in the following example:
PLAY 열 명을 제외하고 그 공장에서 일한 사람들이 다 죽었어요
= Except for ten people, everybody working at that factory died

When you want to exclude an adverb (in these cases, usually a place, time,
day, month, etc…) it is usually more natural to use 제외하고 and not 제외한.
For example:

PLAY 일요일을 제외하고 저는 매일 일해요

= Except for Sunday, I work every day

PLAY 다음 달을 제외하고 저는 올해 내내 한국에서 있을 거예요

= Except for next month, I will be in Korea for the entire year

Below are other examples of 제외하다 in use.

PLAY 포도주를 제외하고 저는 이제부터 술을 안 마실 거예요

= Except for wine, I will not drink alcohol starting from now

PLAY 저는 저의 어머니를 제외하고 모든 여자들을 싫어합니다

= Except for my mother, I don’t like all women

PLAY 구급차를 제외하고 차가 이 길에서 운전하는 것이 불법이에요

= Except for ambulances/emergency cars, it is illegal for a car to drive on
this road

PLAY 시간이 너무 일러서 경비아저씨를 제외하고 밖에 아무도 없어요

= It is too early, so except for the security guard there is nobody outside

PLAY 어린이를 제외하고 저는 버스에서 자리를 아무에게도 양보하지

않아요
= Except for children, I don’t yield (give) my seat to anybody on the bus

PLAY 돌고래를 보러 가는 이유를 제외하고 동물원에 가고 싶은 이유가

없어요
= Except for (the reason of) going to see the dolphins, I don’t have a reason
to go to the zoo
“빼다” (which literally translates to “to take out”) is often used instead of
제외하다 in these types of sentences. For example:

PLAY 나비를 빼고 모든 동물이 싫어요

PLAY 하체를 빼고 온몸을 운동했어요
PLAY 열 명을 빼고 사람들이 다 죽었어요
PLAY 저는 축구를 빼고 모든 스포츠가 좋아요
PLAY 일요일을 빼고 저는 매일 일해요
PLAY 열 명 빼고 그 공장에서 일한 사람들이 다 죽었어요
PLAY 포도주를 빼고 저는 이제부터 술을 안 마실 거예요
PLAY 저는 저의 어머니를 빼고 모든 여자들을 싫어합니다
PLAY 구급차를 빼고 차가 이 길에서 운전하는 것이 불법이에요
PLAY 시간이 너무 일러서 경비아저씨를 빼고 밖에 아무도 없어요
PLAY 어린이를 빼고 저는 버스에서 자리를 아무에게도 양보하지 않아요
PLAY 돌고래를 보러 가는 이유를 빼고 동물원에 가고 싶은 이유가 없어요

Using 빼다 is a common way to order something and request that

something not be included. For example, if you ordered 김밥 in Korea and
didn’t want any ham in it, you could say:

PLAY 햄을 빼고 주세요 = Please hold the ham

The particle ~을/를 is often omitted in speech in these types of sentences.

For example:

PLAY 햄 빼고 주세요 = Please hold the ham

These types of requests are often shorted even further by removing “

주세요” and by just telling the person what they don’t want using “빼고.”
For example:

PLAY 햄 빼고요! = No ham (please)

Other examples:

PLAY 설탕 빼고요 = Please hold the sugar

PLAY 커피에 우유 빼고요 = Please don’t put milk in my coffee
PLAY 음료수에 얼음 빼고 주세요 = Please don’t put ice in my drink
PLAY 햄버거 한 개 주세요. 양파 빼고요 = One hamburger please. And hold
the onions.

As with 포함하다, it is also possible to attach ~(으)면 (Lesson 43) to

제외하다. This literally just translates the sentence into “if you exclude.” For
example:

PLAY 저를 제외한다면 모든 사람들이 갈 거예요 = If you exclude me,

everybody is going

Though I have covered everything I would like to cover regarding 제외하다

and 포함하다, there is one more word I would like to talk about before
finishing this lesson.

Outside of: 외에

The word “외” could be talked about in another lesson, but I felt this lesson
would be fitting because of the similarities with how the words 제외하다
and 포함하다 are used. I’m not sure if you have been brushing up on your
Hanja (Chinese characters), but the character 외 in Hanja is 外. This
character means “outside” and is used in a lot of Korean words.

Early in a sentence (or referred from another sentence) some noun will be
mentioned. Placing 외에 after that noun creates the meaning of “outside of
(that noun)” or “other than (that noun).” For example:

그 선생님 외에… = outside of that teacher (other than that teacher)…

그 여자 외에… = outside of that girl (other than that girl)…

When something is being referred to from another sentence, it is very

common to use “그” before 외에. For example:

그 외에… = outside of that (other than that)

I spent a few minutes trying to figure out if the meaning of this was more
similar to 제외하다 or 포함하다. Are we excluding something here? Or are
we including something here?

The answer in my mind is; neither. We’re not including or excluding

anything. 외에 allows the speaker to talk about all other things outside of
what was mentioned before, regardless of if it was included or excluded (as
per the rest of the sentence). You could find a natural way to translate “
외에” to “in addition to” or “except for” depending on the situation. For
example:

PLAY 저는 음식 외에 홍삼도 샀어요 = I bought food in addition to Ginseng

This would be better translated to:

PLAY 저는 음식 외에 홍삼도 샀어요 = Other than food, I also bought

Ginseng

Below are more examples:

PLAY 그 외에 다른 것이 필요해요?
= Outside of that, do you need something else?

PLAY 조명 외에 또 고쳐야 되는 것이 있나요?

= Other than the lighting, is there anything else that needs to be fixed?

PLAY 그 선생님 외에 이 일을 할 수 있는 사람이 없어요

= Outside of that teacher, there is nobody who can do this job

PLAY 한국 사람들과 얘기하는 것 외에 저는 다른 공부를 하지 않았어요

= Outside of speaking with Korean people, I didn’t do any other studying

PLAY 때리는 것 외에 남편이 다른 이상한 행동을 했어요?

= Outside of hitting you, did your husband do anything else strange?

That’s it for this lesson!

There are 1200 example sentences in Unit 3.
All entries are linked to an audio file. You can download all of these files in
one package here.

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each word can be
used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that you will be
learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 편의점 = convenience store

PLAY 학생회 = student council

PLAY 여배우 = actress

PLAY 간 = liver

PLAY 옆구리 = the side of one’s body

PLAY 배꼽 = belly button

PLAY 영양 = nutrition

PLAY 영양소 = nutrients

PLAY 영양사 = nutritionist

PLAY 식료품 = groceries

PLAY 반찬 = side dish

PLAY 눈곱 = sleep (little things in your eyes)

PLAY 연 = kite

PLAY 풍선= balloon

Verbs:
PLAY 저리다 = for a body part to go numb

PLAY 날리다 = to make fly

PLAY 탑승하다 = to board, to embark

PLAY 이식하다 = to transplant

PLAY 투표하다 = to vote

PLAY 닿다 = to brush against, to touch

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 깜짝 = an adverb used to show surprise

PLAY 대충 = roughly, “half-assed”

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

There are 625 vocabulary entries in Unit 3. All entries are linked to an audio
file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn how to use 만큼 and 정도, which can be used
to create the translation “as much as…” Let’s get started.

As much as: ~만큼

First and foremost, ~만큼 can be attached directly to a noun to describe that
something is done to the extent as that noun. The typical translation for
만큼 in these cases is “as much as (that noun).” For example:

나만큼 = as much as me
밥만큼 = as much as rice
남자 배우만큼 = as much as actors
한국 사람만큼 = as much as a Korean person
너만큼 = as much as you

In Lesson 67, you learned how ~처럼 can be attached to nouns to indicate
that something is done “like” a noun. ~만큼 is similar, but it more describes
that something is done to a certain level – that is, the level of the noun that
it is attached to.

The constructions we made earlier can now go in sentences where

appropriate, for example:

PLAY 그는 나만큼 축구를 잘해 = He plays soccer as well as me

PLAY 과일은 밥만큼 건강에 좋아요 = Fruit is as healthy as rice is
PLAY 여배우들은 남자 배우만큼 돈을 못 벌어요 = Actresses don’t make as
much as actors do
PLAY 저는 한국 사람만큼 한국말을 할 수 있어요 = I can speak Korean as
much as a Korean person can
PLAY 내 키가 너만큼 컸으면 그것에 손이 닿았을 거야 = If my height were
as big as yours, I could have reached (touched) that

Of course, because ~만큼 can be attached directly to nouns, it can also be

attached directly to nouns being described by a verb or adjective. The same
translation of “as much as” can usually be used in these situations as well.
For example:

PLAY 고기를 먹는 것만큼 야채를 먹어야 한다

= One should eat vegetables as much as they eat meat

PLAY 게임을 하는 것만큼 일을 열심히 하면 성공할 수 있다

= If you work as much as you play games, you can succeed
PLAY 저는 한국 사람들이 한국어를 말하는 것만큼 한국어를 말하고 싶어요
= I want to speak Korean as (much/) well as a Korean person speaks

PLAY 바람이 많이 부는 날에 연을 날리는 것만큼 재미있는 게 없어요

= On really windy days, there is nothing (as fun as) flying a kite

PLAY 대학생들이 나이가 많은 사람들이 하는 것만큼 투표를 했으면

좋겠어요
= I wish/hope that university students vote as much as older people

PLAY 저 비행기에 탑승하는 사람만큼 우리 비행기에 탑승하면 우리

비행기가 못 떠요
= If the amount of people who boarded that plane got on our plane, we
wouldn’t be able to take off

만큼 can also act as the noun being described by a clause conjugated using
~는 것 (that is, as ~는 만큼 and not necessarily as ~는 것만큼). The clause
before 만큼 can be conjugated to the past, present and future tenses. For
example here are examples of this being done in the past or present tenses:

PLAY 우리가 이 파티를 즐긴 만큼 너도 즐겼으면 좋겠어

PLAY 우리가 이 파티를 즐긴 것만큼 너도 즐겼으면 좋겠어
= I hope you enjoyed the party to the extent that we enjoyed it

PLAY 저는 어제 돈을 번 만큼 오늘 쓸 거예요
PLAY 저는 어제 돈을 번 것만큼 오늘 쓸 거예요
= I am going to use money to the extent that I earned yesterday

(A very common way to see 만큼 described by a clause in the present

tense is when the previous clause ends with “원하다” to make
constructions like “as much as one wants.”)

PLAY 네가 원하는 만큼 먹어
PLAY 네가 원하는 것만큼 먹어
= Eat to the extent that you want

Korean people can’t notice a difference between the two sets usages above
– that is, using 것 or not. For example, below are examples showing 만큼
used as a noun (as shown directly above), and as a particle attached to a
noun (as shown earlier). Korean people can’t distinguish the difference
between the two:

PLAY 고기를 먹는 만큼 야채를 먹어야 한다

PLAY 고기를 먹는 것만큼 야채를 먹어야 한다
= One should eat vegetables as much as they eat meat

PLAY 게임을 하는 만큼 일을 열심히 하면 성공할 수 있다

PLAY 게임을 하는 것만큼 일을 열심히 하면 성공할 수 있다
= If you work as much as you play games, you can succeed

PLAY 저는 한국 사람들이 한국어를 말하는 만큼 한국어를 말하고 싶어요

PLAY 저는 한국 사람들이 한국어를 말하는 것만큼 한국어를 말하고 싶어요
= I want to speak Korean as (much/) well as a Korean person speaks

PLAY 바람이 많이 부는 날에 연을 날리는 만큼 재미있는 게 없어요

PLAY 바람이 많이 부는 날에 연을 날리는 것만큼 재미있는 게 없어요
= On really windy days, there is nothing (as fun as) flying a kite

PLAY 대학생들이 나이가 많은 사람들이 하는 만큼 투표를 했으면 좋겠어요

PLAY 대학생들이 나이가 많은 사람들이 하는 것만큼 투표를 했으면
좋겠어요
= I wish/hope that university students vote as much as older people

However, ~는 만큼 cannot be exchanged with  ~는 것만큼 when the

describing clause is conjugated into the future tense. For example, while
these are natural:

PLAY 그는 학교에 갈 수 없을 만큼 아파요 = He is sick to the point that he

won’t go to school
PLAY 그것은 제가 볼 수 없을 만큼 무서워요 = That thing is scary to the
point that I can’t look
PLAY 우리가 차에 다 들어갈 만큼 공간이 있어요? = Is there space for all of
us to go into the car?

The following would all sound unnatural in Korean:

그는 학교에 갈 수 없을 것만큼 아파요
그것은 제가 볼 수 없을 것만큼 무서워요
우리가 차에 다 들어갈 것만큼 공간이 있어요?

만큼 is also often described by a clause that is ridiculous that will not

actually happen. The speaker often uses these types of sentences as a
metaphor to describe to what extent something is happening. Here is a
simple example of this:

PLAY 나는 죽을 만큼 너를 사랑해 = I love you to the point that I am going to

die

In this case, obviously the speaker won’t die from loving the person too
much. However, the speaker wants to express a hyperbole in describing
“how much” something is being done. In these cases, the clause describing
“만큼” is often in the future tense. Below are some more examples:

PLAY 밥도 못 살 만큼 가난해요
= He is so poor he can’t even buy rice

PLAY 길에서 넘어질 만큼 깜짝 놀랐어요

= I was so surprised that I could have fallen

PLAY 배꼽이 빠질 만큼 웃었어요

= I laughed so much my belly button could have exploded

PLAY 죽을 때까지 믿을 수 없을 만큼 저를 배신했어요

= He betrayed me to the point that I can’t trust him for the rest of my life

PLAY 오늘 밤에 간 이식을 받아야 될 만큼 술을 마실 거예요

= Tonight, I’m going to drink so much alcohol that I’m going to need a liver
transplant

PLAY 제가 표현할 수 없을 만큼 학생들에게 감동을 받았어요

= I can’t express how much I was impressed from the students

PLAY 이 케이크는 제가 매일매일 먹을 수 있을 만큼 맛있어요

= This cake is delicious to the point that I could eat it everyday
Before I go any further, I want to introduce two common idiomatic ways
that 만큼 is used.

First, the word “눈곱” is a noun that refers to the bits of crust that people get
in their eyes. I guess the common word for them is “sleep,” but I’ve also
heard people call them “eye boogers.” In addition to this, 눈곱 is often used
to describe something very small. The particle ~만큼 is often attached to
눈곱, and is used in sentences to mean “not in the slightest bit.” For
example:

PLAY 나는 너를 눈곱만큼도 좋아하지 않아

= I don’t like you in the slightest bit

PLAY 그런 식료품에 영양소가 눈곱만큼도 없어요

= There isn’t the slightest bit of nutrients/nutrition in that type of food
product

Another idiom that you will hear is “하늘만큼 땅만큼.” The words 하늘 and
땅 mean “sky” and “land” respectively, but when you want to express how
much you love somebody, it is a cute way of saying that you love
somebody “thiiiiiiiiiiiiis much.” The literal meaning is something like “I love
you from the earth to the sky” or something like that. If you happen to have
a Korean significant other, he or she would be very impressed (and happy!)
if you told him/her something like “나는 너를 하늘만큼 땅만큼 사랑해.”

Let’s move on and about the word “정도,” which can sometimes be similar
to 만큼.

Degree: 정도

In its most literal sense, “정도” means “degree”; and can be used in a variety
of situations. One common way it can be used is by replacing “만큼” in the
cases where it is not attached directly to a noun. That is, it can replace 만큼
in sentences where it is being described by a preceding verb or adjective. In
the following examples, 정도 is incorrectly attached to the nouns:
나정도 = doesn’t make sense
밥정도 = doesn’t make sense

However, when described by a verb or adjective (like 만큼), it can be

appropriate. For example:

죽을 정도 = to the degree/level/point that one will die

학교에 안 갈 정도 = to the degree/level/point that one won’t go to school

~로 is often added to 정도 so that the whole construction can act as an

adverb indicating “to what degree” or “extent” something occurs. In
practice, these can be seen as the same as examples using 만큼 For
example:

PLAY 나는 죽을 정도로 너를 사랑해 = I love you to the degree that I will die
PLAY 그는 학교에 못 갈 정도로 아파요 = He is sick to the degree that he
won’t go to school

When used like this, 정도 is most often used (like 만큼) to indicate some
sort of hyperbole. Therefore, (aside from the examples that I will discuss
later), you will most commonly see 정도(로) being described by a clause
conjugated in the future tense. Below are more examples:

PLAY 밥도 못 살 정도로 가난해요

= He is so poor to the degree that he can’t even buy rice

PLAY 길에서 넘어질 정도로 깜짝 놀랐어요

= I was so surprised that I could have fallen on the street

PLAY 배꼽이 빠질 정도로 웃었어요

= I laughed so much my belly button could have exploded

PLAY 죽을 때까지 믿을 수 없을 정도로 저를 배신했어요

= He betrayed me to the degree that I can’t trust him for the rest of my life

PLAY 오늘 밤에 간 이식을 받아야 될 정도로 술을 마실 거예요

= Tonight, I’m going to drink so much alcohol that I’m going to need a liver
transplant
PLAY 제가 표현할 수 없을 정도로 학생들에게 감동을 받았어요
= I can’t express how much I was impressed from the students

PLAY 이 케이크는 제가 매일매일 먹을 수 있을 정도로 맛있어요

= This cake is delicious to the degree that I could eat it everyday

It is common to attach ~로 to 정도 in these types of sentences where it is

described by a preceding verb or adjective, but other particles can be
attached as well. Once the noun “정도” is described, that noun can have
other functions within a sentence. For example:

Using ~의 to describe another noun (you might want to check out Lesson

23)
PLAY 돈이 부족해서 밥도 못 살 정도의 사람들이 불쌍해요
= People who don’t even have enough money to buy rice are pathetic

Using ~까지 to indicate until which point something occurred

PLAY 지금 월세도 못 낼 정도까지 돈이 없어요
= I don’t have any money to the point that I can’t even pay my rent

Using 이다 or 아니다 to indicate that something “is” or “is not” a particular

level or degree:
PLAY 우리가 이 일이 이미 끝났다고 할 수 있는 정도가 아니에요
= This work isn’t at the point (degree) that we can call it finished already

PLAY 이 병이 나빠지는 것에 대해 많이 걱정해야 하는 정도가 아니지만

오늘부터 치료를 시작해야 됩니다
= The disease/sickness getting worse isn’t (to the extent that it is) something
you need to worry about it, but we need to start treatment (from) today

정도 is also often placed after some sort of number or counter to give a

rough estimate of a number. For example:

PLAY 우리는 아직 40 분 정도 가야 돼요 = We still have to go about 40

minutes
PLAY 사람 열 명 정도가 수업을 들을 거예요 = About 10 people will take the
class
PLAY 그 책은 만 원 정도입니다 = That book is about 10,000 won
PLAY 하늘에 풍선 천 개 정도가 있었어요 = There were about a thousand
balloons in the sky

어느 정도/만큼

In Lesson 22, Lesson 25 and Lesson 33 you learned about the word 어느.

어느 can also be used in sentences with 정도 and 만큼.

When used with 정도 or 만큼 to form a question, the speaker is asking “to

what extent” something happened. For example:

PLAY 옆구리가 어느 정도 아파요? = How sore (to what extent) is your side?
PLAY 옆구리가 어느 만큼 아파요? = How sore (to what extent) is your side?

Note that “얼마만큼” is often used instead of “어느 만큼” For example:
PLAY 옆구리가 얼마만큼 아파요? = How sore (to what extent) is your side?

PLAY 영양사를 어느 정도 믿어요? = How much (to what extent) do you

believe the nutritionist?
PLAY 영양사를 어느 만큼 믿어요? = How much (to what extent) do you
believe the nutritionist?
PLAY 영양사를 얼마만큼 믿어요? = How much (to what extent) do you
believe the nutritionist?

When used as a statement, the speaker is indicating that something is done

“to some extent.” For example:

In the examples below, “얼마만큼” and “어느 만큼” are possible, but they
would be more likely to be used when asking a question as in the
examples above. In the examples below, my wife prefers to say the
sentences with “어느 정도,” but submits to the fact that the sentences with
“얼마만큰” and “어느 만큼” are understandable.

PLAY 반찬을 어느 정도 만들 수 있어요 = I can make 반찬 to some extent

PLAY 반찬을 어느 만큼 만들 수 있어요 = I can make 반찬 to some extent
PLAY 반찬을 얼마만큼 만들 수 있어요 = I can make 반찬 to some extent

PLAY 그 사람이 무슨 말을 하고 있는지 어느 정도 이해해요 = I understand

what he is trying to say to some extent
PLAY 그 사람이 무슨 말을 하고 있는지 어느 만큼 이해해요 = I understand
what he is trying to say to some extent
PLAY 그 사람이 무슨 말을 하고 있는지 얼마만큼 이해해요 = I understand
what he is trying to say to some extent

PLAY 그 학생은 영어를 어느 정도 잘 할 수 있어요 = That student can speak

English to a certain degree
PLAY 그 학생은 영어를 어느 만큼 잘 할 수 있어요 = That student can speak
English to a certain degree
PLAY 그 학생은 영어를 얼마만큼 잘 할 수 있어요 = That student can speak
English to a certain degree

That’s it for this lesson!

There are 1200 example sentences in Unit 3.

All entries are linked to an audio file. You can download all of these files in
one package here.

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each word can be
used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that you will be
learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 오락실 = arcade
PLAY 식은땀 = cold sweat

PLAY 집사람 = wife

PLAY 상태 = condition/state

PLAY 머리띠 = hairband

PLAY 머리핀 = hairpin

PLAY 친척 = relatives

PLAY 재능 = talent

PLAY 부피 = volume, girth, width

PLAY 주부 = housewife

PLAY 먼지 = dust

PLAY 거품 = bubble

PLAY 증거 = evidence

PLAY 하절(기) = summer

PLAY 동절(기) = winter

PLAY 자정 = midnight

Verbs:
PLAY 납치하다 = to kidnap

PLAY 협박하다 = to threaten

PLAY 쏟다 = to pour, to spill

PLAY 재다 = to measure, to weigh, to time

PLAY 쥐다 = to hold with one’s hands

Adjectives:
PLAY 굉장하다 = to be wonderful, to be marvelous

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 굉장히 = very

PLAY 무렵 = around that time

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

There are 625 vocabulary entries in Unit 3. All entries are linked to an audio
file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn how about the word “대신,” which can be used
in a few different ways to have the meaning of “instead.” In addition to this,
you will learn a few other concepts and words that have the same or similar
meaning to 대신. Let’s get started.

Instead: 대신(에)

If you look up the word “대신” in the dictionary, you will see “instead” as
the English translation. Though there are times when no particle needs to be
attached to it (I will get to those later), ~에 is usually attached to 대신 when
it is used. The simplest way to use this word is immediately after a noun
with no additional grammar. For example:

밥 대신에 = instead of rice

연필 대신에 = instead of a pencil
우유 대신에 = instead of milk
머리핀 대신에 = instead of a hairpin
부피 대신에 = instead of the volume

Each of these can then go into a sentence conveying that meaning. For
example:

PLAY 저는 밥 대신에 빵을 먹었어요 = Instead of eating rice, I ate bread

PLAY 저는 연필 대신에 펜을 쓸 거예요 = Instead of using a pencil, I will use
a pen
PLAY 애기는 우유 대신에 물만 마시고 싶어요 = Instead of milk, the baby
wants to drink only water
PLAY 머리핀 대신에 머리띠를 주세요 = Give me the hairband instead of
the/a hairpin
PLAY 부피 대신에 가로만 재 보세요 = Instead of the volume, just measure
the width

This is pretty simple when you are just talking about nouns, but if you want
to express that one does an action instead of another action, there are two
ways you can do this. Both ways involve using the ~는 것 principle.

If you want to say “instead of eating rice…” you could do either of the
following:

1) 밥을 먹는 것 대신에
2) 밥을 먹는 대신에

In the first example, you are using ~는 것 to change 밥을 먹다 into a clause

that describes a noun. “것” then acts as the noun and 대신에 can be used
after it. For example:

밥 대신에 = instead of rice

밥을 먹는 것 대신에 = instead of eating rice

In the second example, 대신 replaces 것 and acts as the noun.

Regardless of what word acts as the noun, and regardless of the slightly
different appearances between the two sentences – they have exactly the
same meaning, and Korean people cannot distinguish them.

The only difference between using the ~는 것 principle and not using it
would be the same as expressed in English. Notice the slightly difference
nuisance between the first sentence and the second and third:

밥 대신에 = instead of rice

밥을 먹는 것 대신에 = instead of eating rice
밥을 먹는 대신에 = instead of eating rice

Any of these grammatical forms could then go into sentences. Below are
many examples:

PLAY 지금 가는 것 대신에 자정 후에 나가자

= Instead of going now, let’s go out after midnight

PLAY 먼지 때문에 밖에 나가는 것 대신에 집에 있자

= Because of the dust, instead of going outside, let’s stay in the house

PLAY 안산에서 사는 것 대신에 의정부에서 살고 싶어요

= Instead of living in Ansan, I want to live in Uijeongbu

PLAY 그냥 앉아 있는 것 대신에 헬스장에 가서 운동하자!

= Instead of just sitting here, let’s go to the gym and exercise!

PLAY 고등학교에서 일하는 대신에 초등학교에서 일하고 싶어요

= Instead of working in a high school, I want to work in an elementary
school

PLAY 몸 상태가 안 좋아서 친척을 보러 가는 것 대신에 집에 있을 거예요

= My body (condition) is not good, so instead of going to see my relatives, I
will stay home

PLAY 그 부모를 협박하기 위해 돈을 가져가는 대신에 아이들을 납치했어요

= In order to threaten the parents, instead of taking money, they kidnapped
the kids
PLAY 와이프를 집사람이라고 부르는 것 대신에 주부라서 아내라고 부를
거예요
= Instead of calling my wife “house person,” I will call her “wife” because
she is a housewife

PLAY 아플 때 식은땀을 흘리면 뜨거운 샤워를 하는 것 대신에 차가운

샤워를 해야 돼요
= When you are sick, if you have “cold sweats,” instead of having a hot
shower, you should have a cold shower

Notice that in all examples, the present tense of ~는 것 is always used. Even
if you are talking about something in the past or future, you should always
use ~는 것 대신에 (or ~는 대신에) and neither of the following:

밥을 먹은 대신에 빵을 먹었어요 = incorrect

연필을 쓸 대신에 펜을 쓸 거예요 = incorrect

차라리

The word “차라리” is another one of those words that has very little
meaning on its own, but intensifies a feeling within particular sentences. “
차라리” is used in sentences when one is talking about doing one action
over another. Because of this usage, it is often used in sentences with “
대신에.” For example:

PLAY 학교에 가는 것 대신에 차라리 오락실에 가자! = Instead of going to

school, let’s go to the arcade

The beauty of using “차라리” is that you don’t always need to waste your
time saying “instead of.” Let’s look at the following example:

Person 1: PLAY 학교에 갈래요? = Shall we go to school?

Person 2: PLAY 학교에 가는 것 대신에 오락실 가자! = Instead of going to
school, let’s go to the arcade!
That second sentence could be shortened to:
Person 1: PLAY 학교에 갈래요? = Shall we go to school?
Person 2: PLAY 오락실 가자! = Let’s go to the arcade!

But that sentence is missing something when written like that. When
written like that, the two sentences don’t have any logical connection
between them. However, by using “차라리” a feeling is given to the
sentence that the stated action is preferred over some other action.
Therefore, by using “차라리” in the response above, the speaker can
indicate that he/she “doesn’t “want to go to school” without explicitly
stating it. For example:

Person 1: PLAY 학교에 갈래요? = Shall we go to school?

Person 2: PLAY 차라리 오락실 가자! = Instead of doing that, let’s go to the
arcade!

대신 can serve this same purpose as well. In that example, by using 대신

(without 에), instead of 차라리, you can create the same meaning. For
example:

Person 1: PLAY 학교에 갈래요? = Shall we go to school?

Person 2: PLAY 대신 오락실 가자! = Instead, let’s go to the arcade!

Let’s look at another example. If your friend suggested the following:

PLAY 밖에 나갈래요? = Shall we go outside?

There are many ways that you could respond. For example:

PLAY 밖에 나가는 것 대신에 여기서 있자 = Instead of going outside, let’s

stay here
PLAY 밖에 나가는 대신에 여기서 있자 = Instead of going outside, let’s stay
here
PLAY 밖에 나가는 것 대신에 차라리 여기서 있자 = Instead of going outside,
let’s stay here
PLAY 밖에 나가는 대신에 차라리 여기서 있자 = Instead of going outside,
let’s stay here
PLAY 차라리 여기서 있자 = I’d rather stay here
PLAY 대신 여기서 있자 = I’d rather stay here
Pretty simple once you hear the word 차라리 said in conversation a couple
of times. It is actually a very common word, but not one that foreign people
learn very early.

There is one more concept that can have a similar meaning to all this that I
would like to talk about before I finish.

Instead: ~말고

In Lesson 40 you learned about the negative imperative mood. At the end
of that lesson, you learned that you could make sentences like this:

PLAY 매일 운동을 하지 말고 많이 쉬세요 = Don’t exercise every day, and

get lots of rest
PLAY 그렇게 하지 말고 내 말을 들어봐 = Don’t do it like that, and listen to
what I have to say

I guess you could also translate those sentences using “instead.” For
example:

PLAY 매일 운동을 하지 말고 많이 쉬세요 = Instead of exercising every day,

get lots of rest
PLAY 그렇게 하지 말고 내 말을 들어봐 = Instead of doing it like that, listen
to what I have to say

It is also possible to just use “말고” (instead of using ~지 말고 with a verb) to

have a similar meaning to just using 대신 with a noun. For example:

PLAY 밥 말고 빵 먹을래요?

The English translation could use the word “instead,” or it could be

expressed using other words in English. For example:
PLAY 밥 말고 빵 먹을래요?
= Instead of rice, shall we eat bread?
= Shall we eat bread, and not rice?

Below are more examples:

PLAY 소문 말고 확실한 증거가 필요해요 = We need evidence, not a rumor

PLAY 지금 말고 자정 무렵에 가는 게 어때요? = Not now, how about going
around midnight?
PLAY 우유 거품 말고 진짜 우유를 많이 주세요 = Please give me real milk,
not milk bubbles/foam
PLAY 이 수영장은 동절기 말고 하절기에만 열어요 = This swimming pool is
open only in the summer (season), not the winter (season)

Some accents in Korea (usually older people who grew up in the

countryside somewhere) change the pronunciation of “말고” to “말구.” I’ve
also noticed that younger people are saying “말구” these days in an attempt
to sound cute. Give it a try sometime!

That’s it for this lesson!

There are 1200 example sentences in Unit 3.

All entries are linked to an audio file. You can download all of these files in
one package here.

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each word can be
used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that you will be
learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 운 = luck

PLAY 짐 = luggage, load, baggage

PLAY 부상 = injury

PLAY 부상자 = an injured person, a person who suffers a loss

PLAY 통증 = pain, ache

PLAY 소화 = digestion

PLAY 소화기관 = digestive organs

PLAY 담요 = blanket

PLAY 식물 = plants

PLAY 할인 = discount

PLAY 맨발 = bare foot

PLAY 광야 = wild-open wilderness

PLAY 시골 = countryside

PLAY 학점 = school credit

PLAY 운전면허 = driver’s license

PLAY 원산지 = the place where a product comes from

PLAY 국적 = nationality

Verbs:
PLAY 뒤집다 = to turn over, to turn inside out

PLAY 열광하다 = to act enthusiastic about

PLAY 반응하다= to react

PLAY 가출하다 = to run away from home

PLAY 표기하다 = to write, to mark

PLAY 차이다 = to be broken up with, to get kicked

PLAY 붓다 = to be swollen

Adjectives:
PLAY 상관없다 = to be irrelevant

PLAY 불량하다 = to be faulty, to be poor

Adverbs and other words:

PLAY 상관없이 = regardless

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

There are 625 vocabulary entries in Unit 3. All entries are linked to an audio
file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.

 Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn how to use the word “상관없다” in sentences,
both as a word that can be placed at the end of a sentence (like any other
verb/adjective) and as an adverb than can be placed in the middle of a
sentence. In order to use this word, you will draw from previous
grammatical principles that you have learned in previous lessons (~는지, 아
/어도), and learn a new one as well (~든). Let’s get started.

It doesn’t matter if…: 상관없다

The word “상관” literally translates to “relation,” and by saying “상관없다,”
you are in a way indicating that there is no relation between two things. The
most common way you will see/hear this being used is by itself to indicate
that something “doesn’t matter” or “is irrelevant.” For example:

Person 1:PLAY 내일 언제 가고 싶어요? = When do you want to go

tomorrow?
Person 2: PLAY 상관없어요 = It doesn’t matter/I don’t care

Person 1: PLAY 짐을 어디에 둬야 돼요? = Where should I put the/my

luggage?
Person 2: PLAY 상관없어요 = It doesn’t matter/I don’t care

상관없다 can be used to predicate a sentence to say things like:

It doesn’t matter if you are hungry (it is irrelevant if you are hungry)
It doesn’t matter if we go there (it is irrelevant if we go there)
It doesn’t matter if it is expensive (it is irrelevant if it is expensive)

When predicating a sentence with 상관없다, it is common to attach “~아/

어도” (which you learned about in Lesson 49) to the clause that is
“irrelevant.” For example:

PLAY 네가 배고파도 상관없어 = It doesn’t matter if you are hungry

PLAY 우리는 거기에 가도 상관없어 = It doesn’t matter if we go there
PLAY 그게 비싸도 상관없어 = It doesn’t matter if it is expensive

Some more examples:

PLAY 그것을 먹어도 상관없어요 = It doesn’t matter if you eat that

PLAY 발이 부어 있어도 상관없어요 = It doesn’t matter if your foot is swollen
PLAY 선물을 안 사도 상관없어요 = It doesn’t matter if you don’t buy a
present
PLAY 할인을 안 받아도 상관없어요 = It doesn’t matter if I don’t get a
discount
PLAY 시골에서 살아도 상관없어요 = It doesn’t matter if I live in the
countryside
PLAY 맨발로 들어와도 상관없어요 = It doesn’t matter if you come in
barefoot
PLAY 그 셔츠를 뒤집어 입어도 상관없어요 = It doesn’t matter if you wear
that shirt inside-out
PLAY 고기 원산지를 표기하지 않아도 상관없어요 = It doesn’t matter if you
don’t mark where the meat comes from

There might be situations where you might want to include a question word
to make the sentence a little bit more complex. For example, to say:

It doesn’t matter when we go
It doesn’t matter where we go
It doesn’t matter who I go with

If you want to use question words like this in your sentence, it is unnatural
to attach ~아/어도 to the clause prior to 상관없다. One way you can do this
is to use ~는지, which you learned about in Lesson 30. For example:

PLAY 우리가 언제 갈지 상관없어요 = It doesn’t matter when we go

PLAY 우리가 어디 갈지 상관없어요 = It doesn’t matter where we go
PLAY 제가 누구랑 갈지 상관없어요 = It doesn’t matter who I go with

Another option is to attach ~든지, which isn’t introduced as a grammatical

principle until Lesson 106. There is no need to jump ahead to Lesson 106 at
this point. I will mention ~든지 briefly here, but you will dive deep into the
specific meaning of ~든지 in Lesson 106. When used to separate two
clauses (as you will see in Lesson 106), it generally translates to “whether.”
Forget about that for now, and just see how it can be used in this lesson
with 상관없다.

The three sentences above can also be written like this:

PLAY 우리가 언제 가든지 상관없어요 = It doesn’t matter when we go

PLAY 우리가 어디 가든지 상관없어요 = It doesn’t matter where we go
PLAY 제가 누구랑 가든지 상관없어요 = It doesn’t matter who I go with

Other examples:
PLAY 운전면허를 언제 받을지 상관없어요
PLAY 운전면허를 언제 받든지 상관없어요
= It doesn’t matter when you get your driver’s license

PLAY 학생들이 어떻게 반응할지 상관없어요

PLAY 학생들이 어떻게 반응하든지 상관없어요
= It doesn’t matter how the students react

PLAY 가출하면 광야를 빼고 제가 어디 갈지 상관없어요

PLAY 가출하면 광야를 빼고 제가 어디 가든지 상관없어요
= When I run away from home, other than the wilderness, it doesn’t matter
where I go

In Lesson 58 you learned about ~거나 and how it typically translates to “or.”
That being said, I made a distinction between using ~거나 once in a
sentence, and using it twice (I encourage you to go back and read this
observation I made). It is common to add ~거나 to two options within a
sentence and then followed by “상관없다.” The whole sentence can mean
that it doesn’t matter if “one or the other” occurs. For example:

PLAY 우리가 먹거나 안 먹거나 나는 상관없어

= It doesn’t matter to me if we eat or don’t eat

PLAY 돈을 벌거나 잃거나 나는 상관없어

= It doesn’t matter to me if I earn money or lose it

PLAY 내일 주식이 떨어지거나 오르거나 상관없어요

= It doesn’t matter if the stocks drop or go up tomorrow

PLAY 담요를 주거나 따뜻한 잠옷을 주거나 상관없어요

= It doesn’t matter if you give me a blanket or warm pajamas

Regardless of….: 상관없이

You can use 상관없이 as an adverb to create the meaning of “regardless

of…” The easiest and most common way this is done is by saying
“regardless of (noun).” In order to do this, you should attach ~와/과/하고/랑
/이랑 to the noun 상관없이 is placed before. For example:

추위와 상관없이 = regardless of the cold

날씨와 상관없이 = regardless of the weather
통증과 상관없이 = regardless of the pain
저의 건강과 상관없이 = regardless of my health
운과 상관없이 = regardless of luck
국적과 상관없이 = regardless of nationality

These compositions can then go into sentences. For example:

PLAY 추위와 상관없이 저는 밖에 나갈 거예요

= Regardless of the cold, I am going outside

PLAY 날씨와 상관없이 우리는 지금 가야 돼요

= Regardless of the weather, we need to go now

PLAY 통증과 상관없이 곧 일어나야 될 거예요

= Regardless of the pain, you will have to get up soon

PLAY 저의 건강과 상관없이 저의 여자 친구를 만나고 싶어요

= Regardless of my health, I want to meet my girlfriend

PLAY 운과 상관없이 모든 것이 열심히 하면 잘 될 거에요

= Regardless of luck, everything will be fine if you try (do it) hard

PLAY 국적과 상관없이 부상자들은 모두 동등하게 치료를 받아야 돼요

= Regardless of nationality, all injured people need to receive fair treatment

PLAY 학생들의 불량한 태도와 상관없이 제가 선생님이라 수업을 계속 해야

돼요
= Regardless of the students’ bad attitude, I am a teacher, so I need to keep
doing class

Whenever I learned a new grammatical principle or word, I always tried to

apply it to complicated sentences. When I first learned about 상관없이, I
tried to apply it to sentences like this:
– Regardless of how much money I have, I need to buy an expensive
present for my girlfriend
– Regardless of how much you love me, I have to break up with you

Here, an entire clauses precedes 상관없이 – not just a noun. To translate

this, it is possible to use ~는지 like the sentences with 상관없다. For
example:

PLAY 제가 돈을 얼마나 많이 가지고 있는지 상관없이 여자 친구를 위해

비싼 선물을 사야 돼요
= Regardless of how much money I have, I need to buy an expensive
present for my girlfriend

PLAY 네가 나를 얼마나 많이 사랑하는지 상관없이 나는 너랑 헤어져야 돼

= Regardless of how much you love me, I have to break up with you

You might be thinking here “what about if I use ~아/어도” or ~든지. The
thing is, when you use ~아/어도 or ~든지 in the middle of two clauses, they
themselves have the meaning of “regardless of” or “whether.” Therefore,
including the adverb “상관없이” in a clause that is already separated by ~아
/어도 or ~든지 is redundant. For example, the following sentences don’t
need “상관없이” because this meaning is already implied:

PLAY 네가 나를 얼마나 많이 사랑해도 나는 너랑 헤어져야 돼

= Regardless of how much you love me, I need to break up with you

PLAY 네가 나를 사랑하든지 안 하든지 나는 너랑 헤어져야 돼

= Whether you love me a lot (or not), I need to break up with you

PLAY 제가 음식을 많이 먹어도 살이 절대 안 쪄요

= Regardless of how much food I eat I never gain weight

PLAY 제가 음식을 많이 먹든지 많이 안 먹든지 살이 절대 안 쪄요

= Whether I eat a lot of food (or not) I never gain weight

At this point, I would like to introduce you to another grammatical principle

that is commonly (and naturally) used to have a similar meaning.

 
 

Despite: ~ㅁ/음에 불구하고

Another word that functions to have a similar meaning in sentences as

상관없다 is 불구하다. You will rarely see it by itself as it is almost
exclusively used in the middle of sentences.

Just like 상관없다, it can be used after a simple noun. When it is used like
this ~에도 is typically attached to the noun that precedes it. The typical
translation for this in English is “despite” which can essentially be seen as
the same as “regardless of.” The only distinction I can make (in meaning) is
that ~에도 불구하고 is more likely to be used with some sort of difficult
hardship – whereas 상관없다 is more likely to be used in any general
situation. For example:

날씨와 상관없이 = Regardless of the weather

날씨에도 불구하고 = Despite the weather

통증과 상관없이 = Regardless of the pain

통증에도 불구하고 = Despite the pain

PLAY 날씨에도 불구하고 경기를 직접 보는 팬들이 열광했어요

= The fans watching the game live were enthusiastic despite the weather

PLAY 통증에도 불구하고 마취 없이 소화기관에 수술을 받았어요

= Despite the pain, he had surgery on his digestive organs without
anesthesia

PLAY 시련에도 불구하고 저는 그 일을 해냈어요

= I finished that work despite the hardship/problems

When used after a verb or adjective ~ㅁ/음 (which you learned about in
Lesson 29) is used to change the verb or adjective into a noun. Following
this, ~에도 is usually attached to the newly created noun. Also notice that
the verb or adjective can be conjugated to the past tense before ~에도 is
attached to it. For example:

PLAY 그럼에도 불구하고 점수가 너무 낮아서 학점을 못 받아요

= In spite of that, you can’t get credit because your scores were too low

PLAY 어제 여자 친구에게 차였음에도 불구하고 오늘 자신감이 있어요

= In spite of being broken up with (dumped) yesterday, I have a lot of
confidence today

PLAY 사고가 났음에도 불구하고 경기가 계속되었어요

= The game/match continued despite the accident that arose

Although common and useful, 불구하다 (and ~ㅁ/음에도 불구하다) is most

commonly used in written Korean. It is not completely unreasonable to hear
this or to say this, but you are more likely to see this in some form of
writing.

That’s it for this lesson!

There are 1200 example sentences in Unit 3.

All entries are linked to an audio file. You can download all of these files in
one package here.

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in
use. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each word can be
used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that you will be
learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be
found here.

Nouns:
PLAY 신경 = nerve, care, concern

PLAY 문서 = document
PLAY 씨앗 = seed

PLAY 입시 = entrance exam

PLAY 지옥 = hell

PLAY 벌 = bee

PLAY 과외 = private tutoring

PLAY 법원 = court of law

PLAY 물집 = blister

PLAY 엄지 = thumb

PLAY 본능 = instinct

PLAY 단점 = flaw, weak point

PLAY 장점 = pro, strong point

PLAY 우측 = right

PLAY 좌측 = left

PLAY 저번 = the last (like 지난)

PLAY 맞은편 = opposite side

PLAY 건너편 = opposite side

PLAY 본능적 = instinctively

Verbs:
PLAY 삼키다 = to swallow
PLAY 접다 = to fold, to collapse

PLAY 이발하다 = to get a haircut

PLAY 포장하다 = to pack up

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

There are 625 vocabulary entries in Unit 3. All entries are linked to an audio
file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn how to use “신경 (안) 쓰다” to say “I care” or “I
don’t care.” In order to create this meaning, the process is similar to what
you learned in the previous lesson, where you learned how to say “It is
irrelevant…” Let’s get started.

The meaning of 신경

The first thing you need to know is the meaning of “신경.” 신경 can be used
to refer to nerves, or something related to the nervous system. When used
to have this meaning, it is usually used in medical or scientific
conversations. Therefore, as a learner of Korean you don’t really need to
worry too much about this usage yet. Nonetheless, it is good to get familiar
with it a little bit. Here are some words that contain “신경” within them and
refer to the medical/scientific usage of “nerves:”

신경계 = nervous system

반사신경 = reflex, reflexes
감각신경 = sensory nerves (감각 means “sense”)
척수신경 = spinal nerves (척수 means “spinal cord”)
Etc…

신경 can also be used to refer to one’s thoughts or feelings towards a

subject. In English, it is similar to the meaning of “caring” about something,
as in the examples below:

I don’t care if you go

I don’t care about money
I don’t care how much you eat

The word “care” would translate to “신경” in these cases. In this lesson, I
want to talk about how we can use the word “신경” to create sentences like
three you see above.

To (not) care: 신경 (안) 쓰다

You learned already that “신경” is used to mean “care” in sentences.

However, while “to care” is a verb in English and can predicate sentences,
신경 is a noun in Korean. The verb that commonly acts on 신경 to indicate
that “one cares” about something is 쓰다. For example:

신경을 쓰다 = to care
신경을 안 쓰다 = to not care

The negative “신경을 안 쓰다” is much more common than its positive
counterpart, so I will introduce this first.

When you are just talking about not caring about a noun, you can attach “에
대해” to the noun that you do not care about. For example:

PLAY 저는 돈에 대해 신경을 안 써요 = I don’t care about money

PLAY 저는 그에 대해 별로 신경을 안 써요 = I don’t really care about him
PLAY 그는 자기 아버지에 대해 신경을 안 써 = He doesn’t care about his
father
PLAY 입시 시험 점수에 대해 신경을 안 써요 = I don’t care about my score
on the entrance exam
PLAY 저는 천국과 지옥에 대해 신경을 안 써요 = I don’t care about heaven
or hell

PLAY 그 후보자의 장점과 단점에 대해 신경을 안 써요

= I don’t care about that candidate’s strong points or weak points

PLAY 남자들은 본능적으로 자기 패션에 대해 신경을 안 써요

= Men instinctively don’t care about their fashion

In sentences like these, it is also possible to simply attach ~에 to the noun
instead of ~에 대해. I’ve asked many Korean people, and they say that
both are understandable. However, more people said that using ~에
대해 is more natural.

Particles are often omitted from sentences in speech. ~을 is very

commonly omitted from 신경.

You can use ~는 것 to change a clause into a noun, and then state that one
does not care about that clause (for example: I don’t care if you listen to
me). For example:

PLAY 나는 네가 공부를 안 하는 것에 대해 신경을 안 써

= I don’t care if you don’t study

PLAY 내일 법원에 가야 되는 것에 대해 신경을 안 써요

= I don’t care if I have to go to the court tomorrow

PLAY 나는 나의 여자 친구가 많이 먹는 것에 대해 신경을 안 써

= I don’t care if my girlfriend eats a lot

PLAY 저의 엄지손가락에 물집이 있는 것에 대해 신경을 안 써요

= I don’t care if I have a blister on my thumb

PLAY 대부분 사람들은 벌이 계속 없어지는 것에 대해 신경을 안 써요

= Most people don’t care about/if bees continue to disappear
PLAY 우리 가게 맞은편에 다른 가게가 생기는 것에 대해 신경을 안 써요
= I don’t care if another store opens (pops up) across the street from our
store

Instead of ~에 대해, I have also heard Korean people place ~을/를 after

the thing that they don’t care about. For example:

나는 네가 공부를 안 하는 것을 신경을 안 써

Korean people say this sounds okay, but I don’t like how the word “쓰다”
acts on two objects. I recommend that you use ~에 대해 or ~에 as is
shown in this lesson.

If the clause that you do not care about contains a question word, you can
attach ~는지 (which was introduced in Lesson 30) to the clause. For
example:

PLAY 그 문서를 언제 낼지 신경을 안 써요 = I don’t care when you submit

that document
PLAY 나는 네가 어디 가는지 신경을 안 써 = I don’t care where you go
PLAY 나는 이게 얼마나 비싼지 신경을 안 써 = I don’t care how expensive it
is
PLAY 네가 저번 주에 뭐 했는지 신경을 안 써 = I don’t care what you did last
week
PLAY 그 씨앗을 어디에 심는지 신경을 안 써요 = I don’t care where you
plant those seeds
PLAY 그 선물을 어떻게 포장하는지 신경을 안 써요 = I don’t care how you
package/wrap that present
PLAY 제가 이발을 할 때 아주머니가 저의 머리를 어떻게 자르는지 신경을
안 써요 = When I get my hair cut, I don’t care how the woman cuts my hair

Notice that these examples are very similar in meaning (and construction)
to using 상관없다, which you learned in the previous lesson.

PLAY 그 문서를 언제 낼지 상관없다 = It doesn’t matter when you submit

that document
PLAY 나는 네가 어디 가는지 상관없다 = It doesn’t matter where you go
PLAY 나는 이게 얼마나 비싼지 상관없다 = It doesn’t matter how expensive
it is
PLAY 네가 저번 주에 뭐 했는지 상관없다 = It doesn’t matter what you did
last week
PLAY 그 씨앗을 어디에 심는지 상관없다 = It doesn’t matter where you
plant those seeds
PLAY 그 선물을 어떻게 포장하는지 상관없다 = It doesn’t matter how you
wrap that present
PLAY 제가 이발을 할 때 아주머니가 저의 머리를 어떻게 자르는지
상관없다 = When I get my haircut, it doesn’t matter how the woman cuts
my hair

Just like in sentences with “상관없다,” you can also use the grammatical
principle ~아/어도 on the clause that you do not care about. For example:

PLAY 그 문서를 언제 내도 신경을 안 써요

PLAY 나는 네가 어디 가도 신경을 안 써
PLAY 나는 이게 얼마나 비싸도* 신경을 안 써
PLAY 네가 저번 주에 뭐 했어도 신경을 안 써
PLAY 그 씨앗을 어디에 심어도 신경을 안 써요
PLAY 그 선물을 어떻게 포장해도 신경을 안 써요
PLAY 제가 이발을 할 때 아주머니가 저의 머리를 어떻게 잘라도 신경을 안
써요

*This sounds slightly more natural as “PLAY 나는 이게 많이 비싸도 신경을

안 써.” This will be explained in a moment.

The meaning that is created when ~아/어도 is used instead of ~는지 is

subtly different. Allow me to explain by comparing these two sentences:

PLAY 나는 네가 어디 가는지 신경을 안 써

PLAY 나는 네가 어디 가도 신경을 안 써

In Lesson 25, I discussed the idea of using a question word to refer to

ambiguous things. For example, the following sentence – depending on the
intonation – could mean two different things:
PLAY 뭐 먹었어요? = What did you eat?
PLAY 뭐 먹었어요? = Did you eat something?

In the first example, it is known that the person ate, and the question is
about what was eaten. However, in the second example, the question is
about whether or not the person ate.

When ~아/어도 is used in sentences with 신경을 쓰다 as shown above, the

speaker is indicating that he/she doesn’t care if the action was done or not.
For example:

PLAY 나는 네가 어디 가는지 신경을 안 써

In this sentence, I am indicating that I don’t care where you go. I know you
will go somewhere, but I don’t care where that is. This could be translated
to “I don’t care where you go.”

PLAY 나는 네가 어디 가도 신경을 안 써
In this sentence, I am indicating that I don’t care if you go somewhere. Here,
“어디” acts as an “ambiguous place” (as I like to call it). At the point when I
say this sentence, I’m not even sure if you will go or not. This could be
translated to “I don’t care if you go somewhere.”

Look at the other translations to try to make this distinction more clear in
your brain:

PLAY 그 문서를 언제 낼지 신경을 안 써요 = I don’t care when you submit

that document
PLAY 그 문서를 언제 내도 신경을 안 써요 = I don’t care if you submit that
document any time

PLAY 나는 이게 얼마나 비싼지 신경을 안 써 = I don’t care how expensive it

is
PLAY 나는 이게 얼마나 비싸도 신경을 안 써 = I don’t care if it is very
expensive
In this case, the word “많이” could be used to state this meaning more
clearly:
PLAY 나는 이게 많이 비싸도 신경을 안 써 = I don’t care if it is very
expensive
PLAY 네가 저번 주에 뭐 했는지 신경을 안 써 = I don’t care what you did last
week
PLAY 네가 저번 주에 뭐 했어도 신경을 안 써 = I don’t care if you did
anything last week

PLAY 그 씨앗을 어디에 심는지 신경을 안 써요 = I don’t care where you
plant those seeds
PLAY 그 씨앗을 어디에 심어도 신경을 안 써요 = I don’t care if you plant
those seeds somewhere

PLAY 그 선물을 어떻게 포장하는지 신경을 안 써요

PLAY 그 선물을 어떻게 포장해도 신경을 안 써요
= I don’t care how you package/wrap that present

PLAY 제가 이발을 할 때 아주머니가 저의 머리를 어떻게 자르는지 신경을

안 써요
PLAY 제가 이발을 할 때 아주머니가 저의 머리를 어떻게 잘라도 신경을 안
써요
= When I get my hair cut, I don’t care how the woman cuts my hair

(I find it very difficult to distinguish the final two examples because 

어떻게 doesn’t really refer to something ambiguous)

~아/어도 …신경(을) 안 써 can also be used in sentences without question

words. For example:

PLAY 나는 네가 공부를 안 해도 신경을 안 써

= I don’t care if you don’t study

PLAY 내일 법원에 가야 되어도 신경을 안 써요

= I don’t care if I have to go to the court tomorrow

PLAY 나는 나의 여자 친구가 많이 먹어도 신경을 안 써

= I don’t care if my girlfriend eats a lot

PLAY 저의 엄지손가락에 물집이 있어도 신경을 안 써요

= I don’t care if I have a blister on my hand
PLAY 대부분 사람들은 벌이 계속 없어져도 신경을 안 써요
= Most people don’t care about/if bees continue to disappear

PLAY 우리 가게 맞은편에 다른 가게가 생겨도 신경(을) 안 써요

= I don’t care if another store opens (pops up) across the street from our
store

In Lesson 58, you learned about ~거나 and how it typically translates to
“or.” I made a distinction between using ~거나 once in a sentence, and
using it twice (I encourage you to go back and read this observation I
made). It is common to add ~거나 to two options within a sentence and
then followed by “신경 안 쓰다.” The whole sentence can mean that one
does not care if “one or the other” occurs. For example:

PLAY 돈을 벌거나 잃거나 나는 신경을 안 써

= I don’t care if I earn money or lose it

PLAY 우리가 먹거나 안 먹거나 나는 신경을 안 써

= I don’t care if we eat or don’t eat

PLAY 네가 우측으로 가거나 좌측으로 가거나 나는 신경을 안 써

= I don’t care if you go right or left

PLAY 과외를 하거나 스스로 공부하거나 저는 신경을 안 써요

= I don’t care if I get tutored or study by myself

PLAY 내일 주식이 떨어지거나 오르거나 신경을 안 써요

= I don’t care if the stocks go down or up tomorrow

Let me talk about how to say “one cares” (instead of “one does not care”) in
the next section.

To care:  신경을 쓰다

It is very common in Korean to use “신경 안 쓰다” to indicate that one “does
not care” about something. However, it is not as common to indicate that
one “cares” about something by creating a positive version of this sentence.
For example, this is a sentence that we learned earlier using “신경을 안
쓰다:”

PLAY 그는 자기 아버지에 대해 신경(을) 안 써 = He doesn’t care about his

father

However, eliminating the “안” to create the positive version of this sentence
is slightly unnatural. For example:

그는 자기 아버지에 대해 신경 써

Korean people don’t usually express this type of sentence using “신경
쓰다.” Instead, it would be more natural to create this meaning using
another type of sentence. For example, I could simply say:

PLAY 그는 자기 아버지를 좋아해 = He likes his father

Likewise, while this sentence is natural:

나는 나의 여자 친구가 많이 먹는 것에 대해 신경 안 써 = I don’t care if my

girlfriend eats a lot

Eliminating the “안” to create the positive version of this sentence is slightly
unnatural. For example:

나는 나의 여자 친구가 많이 먹는 것을 신경 써

It would be unnatural to express this type of sentence using “신경 쓰다.”

Instead, it would be more natural to simply say something like:

PLAY 나는 나의 여자 친구가 많이 먹는 것이 싫어
= I don’t like my girlfriend eating a lot
= I don’t want my girlfriend to eat a lot

Although it is uncommon to indicate that one “cares” about something by

using “신경을 쓰다,” I have noticed that Korean people often use this when
giving a command. For example, if you want to tell somebody to “care”
about something or a situation:
PLAY 남동생에게 신경을 좀 쓰세요! = Show some care towards your
younger brother!

That’s it for this lesson!

That’s it for Unit 3!

Still confused about what you learned? Why not review everything that we
covered in Unit 3?

If you are confident in what you learned from Lessons 67 – 75, try taking
our Mini-Test where you can test your knowledge on everything you
learned in those lessons. If you have done that, you can also try taking
our Unit 3 Test to test yourself on everything you learned in Unit 3.

Vocabulary

Nouns:
PLAY 손자 = grandson

PLAY 손녀 = granddaughter

PLAY 외아들 = only son

PLAY 장모님 = mother in law

PLAY 장인 = father in law

PLAY 부인 = wife

PLAY 성인 = adult

PLAY 연어 = salmon

PLAY 산소 = grave

PLAY 그늘 = shade

PLAY 그림자 = shadow
PLAY 팔꿈치 = elbow

PLAY 버섯 = mushroom

PLAY 천국 = heaven

PLAY 주민 = resident

Verbs:
PLAY 묻다 = to bury

PLAY 칭찬하다 = to praise

PLAY 출석하다 = to attend

PLAY 훈제하다 = to smoke a food

PLAY 묻히다 = to be buried

PLAY 피부가 타다 = to get a sun burn

Adjectives:
PLAY 무덥다 = to be hot and humid

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn about a grammatical principle that you
probably hear all the time in Korean. Probably one of the most common
grammatical forms in Korean is the usage of ~는데. Why did it take me until
Lesson 76 to finally introduce to this principle? Its meaning is complex and
difficult to understand, especially when a learner hasn’t quite mastered the
basics of Korean grammar. If you do completely understand the usage of ~
는데 after my two lessons describing it, you either owe it to yourself for
having a good grasp of the Korean language, or you owe it to me for being a
good teacher! Let’s get started.

The Difference Between 데 and 때

First things first, I need to simply describe the difference between the
words “때” and “데.” In Lesson 42, you learned how 때 is used to refer to a
time. For example:

PLAY 저녁 때 = During dinner/evening time

PLAY 방학 때 = During the school vacation

As it refers to a time, it can also be used to indicate the time in which

something happens. For example:

PLAY 저는 돈을 받을 때 행복할 거예요 = When I receive (the) money, I will

be happy
PLAY 뼈마디가 아플 때 이 약을 드세요 = When your joints hurt, take this
medicine

때 is a noun – a noun that refers to a “time.”

데 is another noun – but a noun that refers to a “place.” Synonyms of this

word are “장소” and “곳” which you should be familiar with by now. While
곳 and 장소 can be used in many parts of a sentence, 데 is usually only
used when being described by some verb or adjective using the ~는 것
principle.

For example:

PLAY 성인이 없는 데로 가자 = Let’s go to a place where there is no adults

PLAY 주민들이 살 데가 없어요 = There is no place for the residents to live
PLAY 혹시 가고 싶은 데가 있어요? = Do you have a place that you want to
go to?
PLAY 우리가 장인이 계시는 데에 갔어요 = We went to the place where my
father-in-law is
PLAY 우리가 처음에 만났던 데에 갔어요 = We went to the place that we
met for the first time
PLAY 돈이 없어서 갈 수 있는 데가 없었어요 = He had nowhere to go
because he had no money

In Lesson 25, you learned how to create the meaning of anybody, nobody,
anytime, anywhere, nowhere, etc. You learned that you can create the
meaning of “anywhere” or “nowhere” using “데” for example:

아무 데나 = anywhere
아무 데도 = nowhere

The meaning of 데 to mean “place” is easy to understand in the examples

that have been presented so far. However, this becomes more complicated
when you start learning about other grammatical principles that can be
easily confused with the sentences we made earlier. Let’s dive right into this
confusion.

~는데 vs. ~는 데

As you just learned, 데 can be placed as the noun in the ~는 것 principle to

mean “place.” This means that you will often see sentences that have the
construction “~는 데.” For example:

PLAY 성인이 없는 데로 가자 = Let’s go to a place where there is no adults

PLAY 우리가 장인이 계시는 데에 갔어요 = We went to the place where my
father-in-law is
PLAY 돈이 없어서 갈 수 있는 데가 없었어요 = He had nowhere to go
because he had no money

Notice the space between ~는 and 데. The space signifies that 데 is a noun
(meaning “place”) and the clause before “는” is describing the noun.
However, “~는데” (without the space) is a completely different grammatical
principle and can create many different meanings – all of which are very
hard to grasp.
I will describe one of these meanings in the remainder of this lesson.

The Most Common Meaning of ~는데

The most common meaning of ~는데 when placed between two clauses is
very similar (but subtly different) than the English equivalent of “even
though.” In English we use “even though” to negate an upcoming clause. For
example:

Even though I don’t like meat, I will try some.

In that sentence, you are negating the fact that you don’t like meat, and the
second clause (“I will try some”) indicates something opposing the first
clause.

In Korean, you would use the grammatical principle ~지만 to create this
meaning. For example:

제가 고기를 안 좋아하지만 먹어볼 거예요

You could ask 100 Korean people and look in 100 Korean dictionaries for a
concrete definition of “~는데” and never get a straight answer.  After
constantly hearing it, using it, and reflecting on it, my personal definition of
this principle is:

A meaning that is slightly less strong than “even though,” and/or often
times setting up the situation for an upcoming clause.

Let’s work on the first part of that definition – a meaning that is slightly less
strong than “even though.” You can use this grammatical principle to mean
“even though.” For example, this sentence would be very similar to the
sentence above:
PLAY 제가 고기를 안 좋아하는데 먹어볼 거예요 = Even though I don’t like
meat, I will try some

The second part of the definition provided above – “often times setting up
the situation for the upcoming clause” is the key to using the principle. ~
는데 is often used in sentences to connects two thoughts or ideas. Instead
of separating them into two sentences you can use “~는데” to join them
together. For example, instead of saying:

제가 밥을 먹고 있어요. 사실 밥을 별로 좋아하지 않아요

You could more naturally say:

PLAY 제가 밥을 먹고 있는데 사실 밥을 별로 좋아하지 않아요

In these cases, the first clause sets up the scenario for the second clause.
The meaning within this sentence also has a slight meaning of “even
though.” For example, the meaning of that sentence is somewhere
between:

I am eating, and I don’t really like it

Even though I am eating, I don’t really like it

But even those translations are debatable and could change depending on
the situation. Translating ~는데 directly into English is very hard because not
only is there no direct translation, the meaning is very variable.

While sometimes the meaning it takes on might have this slight “even
though” feeling (as you have seen in the examples above), depending on
the situation, it might not have that feeling at all. The key to understanding
this grammatical principle is understanding the context of the conversation.

For example, if you wanted to ask a question to your teacher, you could do
it like this:

질문이 있어요. 이 일을 언제까지 해야 되나요?

= I have a question. Until when do we have to finish this work?
(When does this work need to be finished?)
However, while perfectly correct, that sentence could sound awkward in a
lot of situations. I’ve had the opportunity to speak to many foreigners who
are studying Korean, and the number one “mistake” that they often make is
not connecting their sentences with ~는데. Using ~는데 really makes
sentences flow off your tongue, and the more comfortable you are with it,
the more natural your Korean will sound. The sentence above could very
naturally be connected to look like this:

PLAY 질문이 있는데 이 일을 언제까지 해야 되나요?

= I have a question…until when do we have to finish this work?

I think that the best way to understand how this principle can be used is to
see it in a lot of examples. Let’s get you on the right path right now with a
bunch of examples right here:

PLAY 저는 아들 한 명밖에 없는데 손자 세 명이 있어요

= I only have one son, but I have three grandsons

PLAY 저는 참석을 못 하는데 저 대신에 저의 부인이 갈 거예요

= I can’t attend, but instead of me, my wife will go

PLAY 제가 지금 가야 되는데 혹시 그것을 내일 저한테 줄 수 있어요?

= I have to go now; can you give that to me tomorrow?

PLAY 우리는 이 일을 원래 해야 되는데 너무 복잡해서 하기 싫어요

= Even though we are/were supposed to do this (work), I don’t want to do it
because it is too complicated

PLAY 어린이들을 많이 칭찬해 줘야 되는데 안 해 주면 성인이 돼서 문제가

생길 수 있어요
= You need to praise children a lot, and if you don’t, when they become an
adult, there could be problems

If the first clause occurred in the past, you can conjugate the first clause into
the past tense, just like with other grammatical principles like ~기 때문에.
For example:

PLAY 가게에 갔는데 버섯은 없었어요

= I went to the store, but there wasn’t any mushrooms
PLAY 일찍 일어났는데 아직 안 피곤해요
= I woke up early, but I’m not tired yet (even though I woke up early, I’m not
tired)

PLAY 그림자를 봤는데 누구인지도 몰랐어요

= I saw the shadow, but I didn’t know who it was

PLAY 손녀를 보러 가고 있었는데 사고가 나서 못 갔어요

= I went to go see my granddaughter, but I got into an accident, so I couldn’t
go

PLAY 어제 해변에 가서 로션을 많이 발랐는데 피부가 탔어요

= I went to the beach yesterday, and even though I put on a lot of lotion, I
got a sun burn

PLAY 우리가 20 분 전에 밥을 시켰는데 아직 도착하지 않았어요

= Even though we ordered our food 20 minutes ago, it still hasn’t arrived

PLAY 선생님께 물어봤는데 문제를 이렇게 풀어야 된다고 했어요

= I asked the professor, and he said that we have to solve the problem this
way

PLAY 저는 원래 캐나다에서 왔는데 이제 한국에서 산 지 5 년 됐어요

= I’m originally from Canada, but I’ve been living in Korea for 5 years now

PLAY 그 금이 원래 묻혀 있었는데 사람들이 이 지역에서 그 금을 자꾸

찾으려고 해서 드디어 어떤 사람이 찾았어요
= That gold was originally buried, but people kept trying to look for it in this
area, so eventually some person found it

This grammatical principle can be applied to adjectives as well. However,

instead of attaching ~는데, you must attach ~ㄴ/은데, where ~은데 comes
after an adjective that ends in a consonant, and ~ㄴ데 attaches directly to
an adjective that ends in a vowel (or with the consonant ㄹ). This applies to
이다 as well (and also remember that 싶다 is an adjective).

You have learned many times that 있다 (usually) and 없다 (always) are

adjectives. Although this is true, ~은 is rarely added to these words.
Therefore, I included 있다 and 없다 in the section above with verbs, where
~는데 is attached.   I first introduced 있다 and 없다 acting differently than
most adjectives in Lesson 28. You also see 있다 and 없다 act differently
than other adjectives when applying other grammatical principles – like
when quoting questions (Lesson 53).

PLAY 팔꿈치가 아픈데 언제 나을지 몰라요

= My elbow is sore, and I don’t know when it will get better

PLAY 그 여자가 예쁜데 내 스타일이 아니야

= That girl is pretty, but she is not my style

PLAY 저의 와이프가 예쁜데 장모님과 안 닮았어요

= My wife is pretty, but she doesn’t look like/resemble my mother-in-law

PLAY 토론토는 되게 큰 도시인데 진짜 할 것이 없어요

= Toronto is a big city, but there is nothing to do there

PLAY 여기가 너무 더운데 그늘이 있는 데로 가도 돼요?

= It is too hot here, can we go to a place where there is shade?

PLAY 나는 그렇게 하고 싶은데 같이 할 수 있는 사람이 없어

= I want to do it like that, but I don’t have anybody to do it with

PLAY 연어를 먹고 싶은데 훈제하는 기계가 없어서 못 먹겠어요

= I want to eat salmon, but I don’t have the machine to smoke it, so I can’t
eat it

PLAY 문제가 별로 없을 것 같은데 혹시 문제가 생기면 나에게 전화해 줘

= There probably won’t be a problem, but if one comes up, call me

PLAY 지금 날씨가 아주 무더운데 비가 곧 올 거라서 시원해질 것 같아요

= The weather is very hot and humid now, but it will rain soon, so it will
probably get cooler

PLAY 그 사진에 있는 사람은 저의 아버지인데 7 년 동안 한 번도 안

만났어요
= The person in that picture is my dad, but I haven’t seen him in 7 years
 ———————————————-

The following is an example of a sentence that a person said to me at

school. The person is in charge of preparing the science lab for us whenever
we do experiments. She said it like this:

PLAY 선생님이 내일부터 실험을 할 건데 재료가 뭐 필요하세요?

= You (teacher) are going to be doing an experiment starting from tomorrow
(as in, in your classes this week), what (ingredients) do you need?

You might be confused with the use of “건데” in that sentence. Remember,
것 can be shorted to 거. When this happens, 이다 is now attached to “거” to
make “거이다.” When 이다 attaches to a noun that ends in a vowel, the “이”
can merge to the noun. Now, when I add ~ㄴ데 to this construction I come
out with 건데. The above example could also be written in either of the
following ways:

선생님이 내일부터 실험을 할 것인데 재료가 뭐 필요하세요?

선생님이 내일부터 실험을 할 거인데 재료가 뭐 필요하세요?

———————————————-

~는데 is very versatile and using it makes your Korean sound very natural.
The usage is a little bit hard to get used to, but by adding ~는데 into your
repertoire of Korean you will very quickly discover its specific usage. I
suggest using this principle very often, especially (as I mentioned earlier) to
join two clauses together where the first can give the background scenario
for the upcoming clause.

There are a few other ways that ~는데 can be used, but I will describe these
in the next lesson. For now… that’s it for this lesson!

Vocabulary

Nouns:
PLAY 물품 = articles, goods

PLAY 무지개 = rainbow
PLAY 상업 = commerce, business

PLAY 걸레 = rag

PLAY 빗자루 = broom

PLAY 자물쇠 = a lock

PLAY 허리띠 = belt

PLAY 근로자 = ordinary workers

PLAY 창의 = originality

PLAY 최악 = the worst

PLAY 실용적 = practical

PLAY 창의적 = creative

Verbs:
PLAY 훈육하다 = to discipline

PLAY 털다 = to dust off, to shake off

PLAY 설득하다 = to convince, to persuade

PLAY 꽂다 = to stick into

PLAY 짚다 = to put one’s hands on something

PLAY 염려하다 = to worry

PLAY 맞이하다 = to welcome, to greet, to receive guests

PLAY 줍다 = to pick up

PLAY 감다 = to wind, to coil, to wrap around

PLAY 선발하다 = to select, to pick out

PLAY 검사하다 = to examine

PLAY 인정하다 = to acknowledge, to admit, to concede

PLAY 앓다 = to be in pain because of an illness

PLAY 닦다 = to wipe

PLAY 쓸다 = to sweep

Adjectives:
PLAY 섭섭하다 = to be upset

PLAY 긴급하다 = to be very urgent

PLAY 간편하다 = to be simple, to be convenient

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In the previous lesson, you learned the meaning of 데 as a noun, and also

learned how to apply ~는데 to sentences. In this lesson, you will continue to
learn about ~는데, and will also learn about the meaning that is created if
you put a space between ~는 and 데. Let’s get started!

The Meaning of 그런데

In the previous lesson, you learned that you can use ~는데 between two
clauses. When used like this, “~는데” has a meaning that is slightly less
strong than the expression “even though,” where the first clause will often
prepare the scenario for the second clause.

In Lesson 23, you learned about the word “그렇다” and how many
grammatical principles can combine with it. As you know, 그렇다 is an
adjective. Therefore, ~ㄴ데 attaches to 그렇다 to create “그런데”
(remember the ㅎ irregular, also introduced in Lesson 23). The most
common English translation of 그런데 is “by the way.” In my opinion, this
translation is not perfect.

In English, we would use “by the way” introduce a new topic that wasn’t
previous being discussed. I picture “by the way” being used in the following
scenario:

Imagine you are talking with a friend about learning Korean. A few minutes
go by, and you both eventually run out of things to say about that topic.
Things start getting a little awkward, and then you remember that you
bumped into your friend’s mother yesterday. You might say:

“Oh, by the way, I bumped into your mother the other day.”

That is not really how 그런데 is used in Korean.

In order understand its meaning, we need to remember the purpose of

그렇다. 그렇다 is used to refer to a situation. Grammatical principles are
often attached to 그렇다 to add their respective meanings to 그렇다.

A simple example of this is when ~아/어서 (Lesson 37) is added to 그렇다.

When some situation is being talked about, you can refer to that situation
using 그렇다, and then attach ~아/어서 to it to indicate “because of that
situation…” For example:

Person 1: PLAY 비가 왔어요? = Did it rain?

Person 2: PLAY 응, 그래서 나가기 싫어요 = Yeah, that’s why/therefore I
don’t want to go out
When we use 그렇다, we are referring to a situation that was previously
known or discussed.

When we use 그런데, the speaker acknowledges the situation (through

그렇다) and the use of ~는데 sets up the next clause by indicating it will go
in another direction. 그런데 is therefore used in sentences where a prior
situation is slightly negated, and the speaker will bring up other information.

It is difficult to give a simple English definition because we do not have the

same type of thing. Let’s look at some examples to help you grasp its usage.
그런데 would typically be used in response to some previously stated
sentence. Therefore, in the examples below, I have included a sentence
before “그런데” to give the usage some context.

Person 1: PLAY 집을 다 청소했어요 = I cleaned the whole house

Person 2: PLAY 그런데 바닥을 언제 닦았어요? = (But….) when did you wipe
the floors?

Person 1: PLAY 지금 엄마를 보러 가려고 집에 가고 있어요 = I am going

home to see mom now
Person 2: PLAY 그런데 제가 집에 갔을 때 엄마가 없었어요 = (But…) when I
went home, mom wasn’t there

You will often hear the word “근데” being used instead of 그런데. 근데 is a
contraction of 그런데, and therefore has the same usage. I specifically
presented the meaning of “그런데” first because I wanted to show you how
it is created – and then now I can introduce you to “근데” which is an
evolved contraction. However, I feel that “근데” is much more common in
speech. Below are many examples. You could replace 근데 with 그런데 in
all cases, but I prefer to use 근데.

Person 1: PLAY 좋은 결과가 드디어 나왔어요

= Finally, we got a good result (a good result came out)
Person 2: PLAY 근데 다른 사람들이 결과가 왜 최악이라고 해요?
= (But…) then why do other people say that the result is the worst?

Person 1: PLAY 우리가 검사를 해서 문제가 있다는 것을 깨달았어요

= We did an inspection, and we realized that there are many problems
Person 2: PLAY 근데 검사를 언제 했어요?
= (But…) when did you do the inspection?

Person 1: PLAY 다음 달부터 모든 학생들이 창의적인 물품을 만들 거예요

= From next month, all students will make a creative product/good
Person 2: PLAY 근데 이런 것이 중요하다고 교장선생님을 어떻게 설득해요?
= (But…) how do we convince the principal that this type of thing is
important?

Person 1: PLAY 지난 주에 제가 경기를 잘해서 코치가 이번 경기에 저를

선발했어요
= I did well in the match last week, so the coach selected me for this game
Person 2: PLAY 근데 왜 이렇게 섭섭해 보여요?
= (But…) then why do you look so sad?

Person 1: PLAY 우리 회사에서 모든 근로자들이 경민이 제일 중요한

사람이라고 인정했어요
= All workers at our company agreed/admitted that Gyeong-min is the
most important person
Person 2: PLAY 근데 그녀를 왜 아무도 안 좋아해요?
= (But…) then why does nobody like her?

Person 1: PLAY 우리 과학 수업에 학생들이 이해할 수 있게 항상 아주

간편하고 실용적인 내용만 해요
= During science classes, I try to always only do/teach simple and practical
content so students can understand it well
Person 2: PLAY 근데 학생들이 과학을 왜 싫어해요?
= (But…) then why do students not like science?

Before we move on to another grammatical principle, I would like to

discuss another way that ~는데 is commonly used.

Finishing a Sentence with ~는데

“~는데” is often added to the end of a sentence. The meaning isn’t entirely
different than what has already been described in the previous lesson and
in this lesson with 그런데 but its usage is slightly different so I am
presenting separately.
We have seen how other grammatical principles can be added to the end
of sentences. For example, in Lesson 37 you saw how ~아/어서 can be used
at the end of a sentence in the following dialogue:

Person 1: 한국에 왜 가고 싶어?

Person 2: 너무 좋아서…

In that example, “~아서” ends the sentence, but only because the remainder
of the sentence can be assumed from context. Similar to how “Because I
like it” is not really a perfect sentence in English “너무 좋아서” is not really a
perfect sentence in Korean.

In that same way, ~는데 can end a sentence – where the remainder of the
sentence can be assumed. Imagine this dialogue between two people:

Person 1: PLAY 내가 너무 더워서 창문을 열 거야 = I’m going to open the

window because I’m so hot
Person 2: PLAY 나는 추운데…. = … But… I’m cold

This usage of ~는데 (when used at the end of a clause followed by nothing)
creates a similar meaning to “But….”. For example:

PLAY 가기 싫은데… = But I don’t want to go…

PLAY 맛없는데… = But it’s not delicious…

Using “But…” to translate these constructions into English works in a pinch

(pun intended), but it doesn’t fully describe how and when these types of
constructions would be used. These types of constructions are most
commonly used when you are disagreeing with what somebody says – and
your response is indicating your feelings towards what was said (directly or
indirectly). For example, you can see in the example “나는 추운데,” Person
2 wasn’t directly telling Person 1 “Hey, don’t open the window, I’m cold!”
Instead, Person 2 was trying to point out that he/she is cold – and therefore,
doesn’t want Person 1 to open the window.

The same could be said for the other two examples above. For example:

Person 1: PLAY 빨리 가자! = Let’s go!

Person 2: PLAY 가기 싫은데… = (But…) I don’t want to go…
Person 1: PLAY 야채를 다 먹어라 = Eat all your vegetables
Person 2: PLAY 맛없는데… = (But…) it’s not delicious…

I should point out, if you haven’t already guessed, that responding this way
might be a little bit rude. Responding this way feels like you are talking back
to the listener – as if you are thrusting your opinion towards him/her.
However, this would depend on the context and the tone in which it is said.
It is possible to make ~는데 formal at the end of a sentence by attaching ~요.

Let’s look at many examples:

Person 1: PLAY 그 플러그를 여기에 꽂아 봐요 = Try plugging that plug in

here
Person 2: PLAY 너무 큰데 = (But…) it’s too big

Person 1: PLAY 빨리 와요! 우리 지금 바로 해야 돼요! = Come quick! We

need to do it right away!
Person 2: PLAY 그렇게 긴급하지 않은데 = (But…) it’s not that urgent

Person 1: PLAY 와! 저 무지개를 봐 봐요! = Wow! Look at that rainbow!

Person 2: PLAY 별로 안 예쁜데 = (But…) it’s not that pretty

Person 1: PLAY 이 선을 여기에 감아 줘 = Wrap that line/cord around here,

please
Person 2: PLAY 귀찮은데 = (But…) it’s annoying/I don’t want to

Person 1: PLAY 이 교무실을 쓸어 주세요 = Sweep this (teacher’s) office for

me please
Person 2: PLAY 빗자루가 없는데요 = (But…) there is no broom

Person 1: PLAY 담요에 왜 이렇게 먼지가 많아요? = Why is there so much

dust on the blanket?
Person 2: PLAY 아까 털었는데 = (But…) I shook it off earlier

Person 1: PLAY 그 선생님이랑 지금 바로 얘기해야 돼요

= I need to talk with that teacher right now
Person 2: PLAY 공항에서 손님을 맞이하러 나갔는데요
= (But…) the teacher went out to meet/greet the guests at the airport
Person 1: PLAY 저는 미래에 아직 무슨 일을 할지 몰라요
= I still don’t know what (job) I will do in the future
Person 2: PLAY 네가 아직 어려서 미래를 염려하지 않아도 되는데
= (But…) you are still young, so you don’t need to worry about the future

Person 1: PLAY 선생님이 오시기 전에 바닥에 있는 종이를 다 주워야 돼요

= Before the teacher comes, we need to pick up the papers on the floor
Person 2: PLAY 시간이 없을 것 같은데
= (But…) there probably won’t be enough time…

Different regions in Korea have different accents and dialects. My wife’s

family all comes from the province “전라남도,” which is in the southern part
of the Korean peninsula. People from this region usually pronounce the “데”
in ~는데 as “디.” This is not specific to just using ~는데 at the end of a
sentence as you just learned, but also in the middle of a sentence
(separating two clauses) as you learned in the previous lesson.

I live in Seoul and on numerous occasions I have been able to correctly

identify that the person I am talking to is from 전라남도 just from hearing
this different pronunciation. A foreigner speaking Korean is usually shocking
enough to Korean people, but imagine how they might feel if you can
identify their accent!

Sometimes I like to use “~는디” when I speak in Korean as well. “는디”

comes out of my mouth naturally sometimes because I have been exposed
to it for so long.

Pronouncing ~는데 as “는디” in Seoul as a foreigner would be the

equivalent to a Korean person living in America learning English, but
randomly busting out a thick British Cockney accent. It will definitely make
people laugh if you do it sometimes. For example, the next time your
Korean friend tells you to do something, you can say something like:

PLAY 이미 했는디 = But, I’ve already done it, or

PLAY 하기 싫은디 = But, I don’t want to do it

In the previous lesson, you learned about “데” as a noun meaning “place.”

Also in the previous lesson, and continuing to this lesson, you learned the
meaning that ~는데 can create if it used to connect clauses, used at the end
of a sentence, or used with 그렇다. For the remainder of this lesson, I would
like to introduce you to a similar looking (and sounding) grammatical
principle.

~는 데: To Take an Amount of Time or Resources

So far, you have learned the meanings that ~는데 can have. Notice that
there is no space between “는” and “데.” You also learned that ~는 (or any
other ~는 것 derivative) can describe “데” to refer to a place.

When described by a previous clause using ~는, “데” can have another
meaning. When describing “데” this way, the speaker can indicate that it
takes a certain amount of time (or resources) to complete an action. The
action that is being done is placed before ~는 데, and the time (or
resources) it requires is placed after ~는 데. Let’s look at a simple example:

PLAY 밥을 다 먹는 데 한 시간 걸렸어요

Here, the speaker is indicating how long it took to “eat all of the food” (밥을
다 먹는다). This is placed before “~는 데” and the indication of how much
time – one hour (한 시간) describes how long it took. The translation for this
sentence would be:

PLAY 밥을 다 먹는 데 한 시간 걸렸어요 = It took an hour to eat all the food

The clause describing “데” always describes it using ~는, and not any other
derivative of ~는 것. Below are many more examples:

PLAY 여기까지 오는 데 시간이 많이 걸렸어요

= It took a long time for me to come here
PLAY 자물쇠를 여는 데 시간이 왜 이렇게 오래 걸려요?
= Why is it taking so long to open the lock?

PLAY 제가 우리 집에서 친구의 집까지 가는 데 5 분 걸렸어요

= It took 5 minutes for me to get from my house to my friend’s house

PLAY 이 작은 걸레로 바닥을 다 닦는 데 시간이 많이 걸릴 거예요

= It will take a long time to wipe the floor with this small rag

Notice that the verb 걸리다 is often used when indicating that an action
takes a certain amount of time. You can also use this same style of sentence
to indicate that doing an action takes a certain amount of money, energy, or
some other resource. For example:

PLAY 그렇게 큰 박스를 드는 데 사람 두 명이 필요해요

= You need two people to lift that kind of a big box

PLAY 집을 짓는 데 돈이 많이 들었어요
= It cost a lot to have this house built (literally: I put a lot of money into
making this house)

Alright! I think that is enough about ~는데 and ~는 데.

————————————-

The usages and meanings of ~는데 are very confusing at first. To make the
problem more complex, ~는 데 sounds identical to ~는데 in speech. This
often makes it very confusing for Korean learners – who not only have a
hard time understanding the subtle nuance of ~는데, but also have to
distinguish between ~는데 and ~는 데 – both of which have more than one
meaning.

The context can always help distinguish these sentences for you, but this
will only become easy if you expose yourself to Korean as much as possible
(and of course, use Korean as much as possible). ~는데 and ~는 데 are two
grammatical principles that take a lot of practice (using and hearing) to fully
understand. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and start practicing!

That’s it for this lesson!

 Vocabulary

Nouns:
PLAY 인상 = impression

PLAY 첫인상 = first impression

PLAY 거리 = distance

PLAY 잇몸 = the gums of teeth

PLAY 밭 = field

PLAY 옥수수 = corn

PLAY 나물 = herbs

PLAY 오이 = cucumber

PLAY 호박 = pumpkin

PLAY 석양 = sunset

PLAY 일출 = sunrise

PLAY 차별 = discrimination

PLAY 성차별 = sexual discrimination

PLAY 인종 = race

PLAY 호우 = torrential downpour

PLAY 사망 = death

PLAY 사망자 = dead people (death toll)

PLAY 사망률 = death rate

PLAY 악기 = instrument

야외 = outdoor

Verbs:
PLAY 심판하다 = to judge

PLAY 자퇴하다 = to drop out of school

PLAY 뒷정리하다 = to clean up after one is done

PLAY 연주하다 = to perform an instrument

PLAY 어기다 = to violate, to break a rule

PLAY 승진하다 = to promote (a position at work)

PLAY 오해하다 = to misunderstand

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 나란히 = side by side

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In the previous two lessons, you were subject to the confusing explanations
of ~는데 and ~는 데. Now that those two difficult/confusing lessons are
finished, I can go easy on you and describe some grammatical principles
that aren’t as difficult to understand. In this lesson, you will learn about ~에
의하다 and ~(으)로 인하다 which look similar but sometimes create
different meanings. Let’s get started.

 
 According to/Due to: ~에 의하다

Attaching ~에 의하다 to a noun in a sentence is usually done in one of two

ways.

The first usage requires you to attach ~(으)면 to ~에 의하다 to create ~에

의하면. The whole construction attaches to a noun and creates the meaning
of “according to (that noun).” For example:

신문에 의하면… = according to the newspaper…

소문에 의하면… = according to rumors…
그 사람의 말에 의하면… = according to what that person says…

These constructions can now be placed in sentences where appropriate:

PLAY 신문에 의하면 심장병 사망률은 아주 높아요

= According to the newspaper, the death rate for heart disease is very high

PLAY 소문에 의하면 그 학생은 학교에서 자퇴했어요

= According to rumors, that student dropped out of school

PLAY 그 사람의 말에 의하면 옥수수 밭은 저 쪽이에요

= According to what that person says, the corn field is that way

More examples:

PLAY 심판에 의하면 저는 규칙을 어겼어요

= According to the referee, I broke the rules

PLAY 치과 의사에 의하면 입에 잇몸 병이 생겼어요

= According to the dentist, a gum-diseased sprung up in my mouth

PLAY 한국 사람에 의하면 이 나물을 먹으면 힘이 생겨요

= According to Korean people, if you eat this plant/herb, you will get energy

PLAY 면접을 자주 하는 사람들에 의하면 면접을 볼 때 첫인상은 제일

중요하다 했어요
= According to people who do (give) interviews, when you get interviews,
they say the most important thing is the first impression

—————————————

The second usage of ~에 의하다 is a little bit more complicated, but still
nothing to worry about.

By attaching ~아/어 to ~에 의하다, you can create “~에 의해.” This is

attached to nouns to create the meaning of “due to…” You were first
introduced to  “~에 의해” way back in Lesson 14.

As you learned in that lesson, you can attach ~에 or ~에 의해 to nouns in

passive sentences.
Remember that a passive verb cannot act on an object. This means that you
can never attach the particle ~을/를 to a noun that is predicted by a passive
verb. For example:

밥은 제공된다 = Food is provided

집은 청소되었다 = The house was cleaned
음식은 요리됐다 = The food was cooked

Though there can never be an object in a passive sentence, other nouns can
be in the sentence to provide more information. In English we use words
like “by” in passive sentences to provide additional information. For
example:

Food is provided by the school

The house was cleaned by my father
The food was cooked by the chef

In Korean, when something is done by a non-person, you can attach ~에

의해 to that word. For example:

밥은 제공된다 = Food is provided

밥은 학교에 의해 제공된다 = Food is provided by the school
Also remember that ~에게 is the particle that has the same role of ~에 의해
in these cases, but is used when the passive act is done by a person. For
example:

집은 청소되었다 = the house was cleaned

집은 아버지에게 청소되었다 = The house was cleaned by my dad
집은 청소기에 의해 청소되었다 = The house was cleaned by the vacuum
cleaner

Although acceptable and understandable, remember that Korean sentences

are usually not natural when said in the passive voice. However, it is
important to know because you will come across it from time to time.

—————————————

~에 의해 can also be used in active sentences. When used in active

sentences, the most common translation for “에 의해” is “due to.” For
example:

사고에 의해 = Due to the accident

PLAY 고속도로에서 발생한 사고에 의해 사람들이 지나가지 못했어요

= Due to the accident (that occurred) on the highway, people couldn’t pass

Because of the translation, the use of ~에 의해 in active sentences appears

to be completely different than its use in passive sentences. When you
think about it, however, they essentially have the same role in their
respective sentences. In English, we might use different words, so it sounds
like they are different, but Korean people would use “~에 의해” in both of
these situations:

Passive – The door was opened _____ the wind

Active – People couldn’t pass ______ the accident

If I told you to fill in the blanks in those two sentences, what would you
write? Assume I also told you to not use the word “because of” – because
we have already talked about how to say that in Korean.

The most natural way to say those two (in my mind) would be:
Passive – The door was opened by the wind
Active – People couldn’t pass due to the accident

In both sentences the words “by” and “due to” have the same role. In both
situations, we have a noun that is causing the predicating verb to occur;
regardless of if it is active or passive.

Even more so, in some situations the words “by” or “due to” could be
interchanged in the English translation without sounding awkward. For
example:

PLAY 공사에 의해 이 길은 막혔습니다 = Due to the construction, this road is

blocked
PLAY 공사에 의해 이 길은 막혔습니다 = This road is blocked by the
construction

PLAY 문이 바람에 의해 열렸어요 = The door was opened by the wind

PLAY 문이 바람에 의해 열렸어요 = The door was opened due to the wind

Below are many more examples of ~에 의해 being used in active sentences:

PLAY 안개에 의해 비행기가 못 떴어요 = The plane couldn’t take off due to
the fog
PLAY 안개에 의해 오이가 다 상했어요 = All of the cucumbers spoiled due to
the fog
PLAY 핼러윈에 의해 호박 가격이 올랐어요 = The price of pumpkins rose
due to Halloween
PLAY 구름에 의해 저는 석양을 잘 못 봤어요 = I couldn’t see the sunset due
to the clouds
PLAY 알람 소리에 의해 저는 뒷정리를 못했어요 = I couldn’t clean up due to
the alarm going off

PLAY 먼 거리에 의해 저는 저의 여자 친구를 자주 못 만나요

= I can’t meet my girlfriend often due to the long distance

PLAY 성차별에 의해 여자들이 회사에서 승진하는 게 힘들어요

= It is difficult for women to be promoted in the workplace due to sexual
discrimination
As I mentioned earlier in my description, in each situation what we have is a
noun that is causing the predicating verb to occur. You might be wondering
what difference would be created if “때문에” were used in these situations
instead?

For example, look at the following two sentences:

안개 때문에 비행기가 못 떴어요 = The plane couldn’t take off because of

the fog
공사 때문에 이 길은 막혔습니다 = The road is blocked because of the
construction

Which one would sound more natural?

The plane couldn’t take off due to the fog, or

The plane couldn’t take off because of the fog

And,

The road is blocked due to the construction, or

The road is blocked because of the construction

In my mind, their differences don’t need to be distinguished. In English, and

in Korean, there can be more than one way to express the same idea. In
speech, (both in English and in Korean), I would be more inclined to use
“because” and “때문에.” That doesn’t mean that using “due to” and “~에
의해” never happens, though. Specifically, in print (newspapers or signs on
the road, for example), you might see “due to” or “~에 의해” more often.

Also note that ~ㄴ can be added to ~에 의하다 to allow it to describe an

upcoming noun. We saw this being done with words of similar function like
대하다, 관하다 and 관련하다 in Lesson 34. For example:

환경에 대해 = About the environment

환경에 대한 것 = A thing about the environment

환경에 관해 = About/regarding the environment

환경에 관한 것 = A thing about/regarding the environment
환경에 관련해 = About/regarding the environment
환경에 관련한 것 = A thing about/regarding the environment

~에 의하다 can also be used in this same way. That is, you can use ~에
의하다 to describe an upcoming noun. For example:

PLAY 담배에 의한 사망은 증가하고 있어요

= Deaths due to smoking are increasing

PLAY 매년 인종차별에 의한 사망자가 늘고 있어요

= Every year, the number of deaths due to racism (racial discrimination) is
increasing

PLAY 날씨에 의한 피해는 예방할 수 없는 문제예요

= Damage due to weather is a problem that we can’t prevent

PLAY 모르는 사람과 같은 집에서 살면 오해에 의한 싸움이 자주 생겨요

= If you live with a person you don’t know, fights due to misunderstandings
often occur

That is all you need to know about ~에 의하다, but I would like to also
introduce you to another similar grammatical principle before this lesson
finishes.

Due to: ~(으)로 인하다

As you learned in the previous section, ~에 의해 can be used to indicate the

noun that is causing a predicating verb to occur. When used like this, it can
be replaced by ~(으)로 인해 with little (or no) difference in meaning. Korean
people say that the following sentences are identical to the sentences in the
previous section where ~에 의해 is used:

안개로 인해 비행기가 못 떴어요

안개로 인해 오이가 다 상했어요
핼러윈으로 인해 호박 가격이 올랐어요
구름으로 인해 저는 석양을 잘 못 봤어요
알람 소리로 인해 저는 뒷정리를 못했어요
먼 거리로 인해 저는 저의 여자 친구를 자주 못 만나요
성차별로 인해 여자들이 회사에서 승진하는 게 힘들어요

However, you can’t replace ~에 의하다 with ~(으)로 인하다 when ~(으)면 is
attached to create the meaning “according to.” For example, the following
wouldn’t be used in Korean:

신문으로 인하면 심장병 사망률은 아주 높아요

Like “~에 의하다,” the typical translation for “~(으)로 인하다” is “due to.” If
you are pressed to find a different English translation to distinguish them,
you could use “as a result of.” Below are some new examples:

PLAY 그 사람은 사고로 인해 목숨을 잃었어요

= That person died from (due to/as a result of) a car accident

PLAY 야외결혼식이 비로 인해 취소되었어요

= The outdoor wedding was cancelled due to/as a result of the rain

PLAY 날씨로 인해 콘서트가 취소되었습니다

= The concert was cancelled due to/as a result of the weather

Like ~에 의하다, ~(으)로 인하다 can also be used to describe an upcoming

noun. For example:

담배로 인한 사망 = deaths due to smoking

호우로 인한 홍수 = a flood due to heavy rain
지진으로 인한 피해 = damage due to an earthquake

These described nouns can then go into sentences where appropriate. For
example:

PLAY 담배로 인한 사망은 증가하고 있어요

= Deaths due to smoking are increasing
PLAY 그 지역에서 호우로 인한 홍수가 많이 생겨요
= In this region/area, there are a lot of floods that are caused by heavy rain

PLAY 이번에 다행히 지진으로 인한 피해가 없었어요

= Thankfully, there was no damage due to the earthquake this time

That’s it for this lesson!

It’s time for another difficult word lesson! In this lesson, instead of learning
about some Korean grammatical principles, the vocabulary is the lesson. As
with previous “difficult word” lessons, I will teach you some words that
cannot be understood by simply looking up the translation in a dictionary.
Rather, these words need a detailed description to be fully understood. You
will learn about the following words in this lesson:

PLAY 대로   = to be done the same as another action

– PLAY 그대로 = for something to be done as it once was

– PLAY 마음대로 = to do something as one’s heart desires

PLAY 인기 = popularity

– PLAY 끌다 = to pull, to drag

PLAY 당연하다 = to be obvious

PLAY 알맞다 = to go well with

– PLAY 액자 = picture frame

PLAY 전체 = the whole of something

– PLAY 행성 = planet

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

And the construction: ~바로 그 때문이다

Let’s get started.

As Experienced: 대로

“대로” is the type of noun that must be described by a preceding clause.

You have learned many other nouns like this, some of them being; 지
(Lesson 30), 적 (Lesson 32), 수 (Lesson 45) and 데 (Lesson 77). 대로 is
described by a clause to indicate that some action is done in the same way
or form as one “experiences” an event.

Events often happen in the past, and people often refer to these
experiences when speaking. As such, words that inherently refer to one’s
experience – like seeing, hearing, feeling, expecting or guessing are often
used to describe 대로 in the past tense. For example:

제가 봤던 대로 / 제가 본 대로 = As I saw
제가 들었던 대로 / 제가 들은 대로 = As I heard
제가 느꼈던 대로 / 제가 느낀 대로 = As I felt
제가 예상했던 대로 / 제가 예상한 대로 = As I expected
제가 기대했던 대로 / 제가 기대한 대로 = As I expected
제가 짐작했던 대로 / 제가 짐작한 대로 = As I guessed
제가 생각했던 대로 / 제가 생각한 대로 = As I thought

I don’t want to get into the difference between ~ㄴ/은 and ~았/었던 in this

lesson. If you would like to see a discussion about this, I encourage you to
check out Lesson 27.

The constructions above can be placed in sentences as appropriate, for

example:

PLAY 그 영화는 제가 예상한 대로 재미있었어요

= As I expected, that movie was funny

PLAY 제가 들은 대로 이 지역 호박은 진짜 맛있어요

= As I heard, the pumpkins in this area are very delicious
PLAY 제가 본 대로 인종차별은 그 나라에서 큰 문제예요
= As I saw, racism (discrimination based on race) is a big problem in that
country

PLAY 제가 생각했던 대로 악기를 연주하는 것은 어려워요

= As I thought, playing an instrument is very difficult

PLAY 제가 느꼈던 대로 그 사람의 첫인상은 제 예상과 맞아요

= As I felt, the (my) first impression of that person met my expectations

PLAY 제가 기대했던 대로 그 나쁜 학생이 학교에서 자퇴했어요

= As I expected, that bad student dropped out of school

PLAY 제가 짐작했던 대로 우리 회사는 저를 승진시키지 않을 거예요

= As I guessed, my company will not promote me

대로 can also be described by clauses in the present tense. In these cases,

the nature of the sentence implies that one’s is still experiencing the
situation. For example:

PLAY 그 영화는 제가 예상하는 대로 흘러가고 있어요 = The movie is

progressing (along) as I expect

Two common verbs that are often used to describe 대로 in the present
tense are 알다 (to know) and 시키다 (to order). For example:

PLAY 내가 시키는 대로 해 줘 = Please do it as I ask (as I order)

PLAY 문제를 아는 대로 풀어 봐 = Solve the problem as you know it

—————————————

The meaning of 대로 is included in these two common adverbs:

마음대로 = to do something as one’s heart desires

그대로 = for something to be done as it once was
Remember what the purpose of “그” is when used by itself. It is used to
refer to a previous/known situation. “그대로” is used when one indicates
that something is done as that previous/known situation.

For example:

PLAY 이 상황을 그대로 그냥 인정하세요 = Just accept the situation as it is

PLAY 아무것도 만지지 말고 그냥 그대로 두세요 = Don’t touch anything –
just leave it the way it is
PLAY 먹고 싶은 것을 마음대로 고르세요 = Choose the food that you want
to eat (whatever you want)
PLAY 저는 유럽에 갈 건데 어디 갈지 정하지 않았어요. 제가 그냥 거기 가서
마음대로 여행할 거예요 = I’m going to Europe, but I haven’t set where I will
go. I will just go there, and travel wherever I want (wherever my heart
desires)

Popular: 인기

인기 isn’t that hard of a word – its meaning (popularity) is usually the same

in all situations. However, a variety of verbs are used to act on 인기 that
you would not expect. The easiest (and most intuitive) word you can use
with 인기 is “많다” to indicate that somebody/something has a lot of
popularity. For example:

PLAY 그 만화책은 성인들에게 인기가 많아요

= That comic book is popular among adults

PLAY 그 선생님은 키가 커서 학생들한테 인기가 많아요

= That teacher is popular (has a lot of popularity) among students because
he is tall

PLAY 그 식당은 이 지역 주민들에게 인기가 제일 많아요

= That restaurant is the most popular among residents of this area

Notice that the group that something is popular with should be attached to
~한테/에게/께.
A common word that is used with 인기 is “끌다,” which means “to pull.”
Like 많다, 끌다 is used to indicate that one is popular (or has a lot of
popularity). When 끌다 is used in the present tense, some form of the
present progressive (~고 있다, ~끄는 중이다) is usually used with 끌다. For
example:

PLAY 그 모자는 색깔이 예뻐서 인기를 끌고 있어요

PLAY 그 모자는 색깔이 예뻐서 인기를 끄는 중이에요
= That hat is getting popular because the color is pretty

PLAY 그 가수가 새로운 노래를 만들어서 이제 인기를 끌고 있어요

PLAY 그 가수가 새로운 노래를 만들어서 이제 인기를 끄는 중이에요
= That singer made a new song, and now he/she is getting popular

PLAY 그 선수가 세계에서 하키를 제일 잘해서 인기를 많이 끌고 있어요

PLAY 그 선수가 세계에서 하키를 제일 잘해서 인기를 많이 끄는 중이에요
= That athlete/player is the best hockey player in the world, so he/she is
getting popular

Notice that the particle ~를/을 is used instead of ~이/가 because 끌다 is a

verb.

If something increases in popularity, you can use the verb 얻다 (to gain). For
example:

PLAY 그 물품이 영화에 나와서 인기를 얻었어요

= That product was in a movie, so it got popular

PLAY 그 회사원이 승진을 해서 동료들한테 인기를 얻었어요

= That worker was promoted and gained popularity with his coworkers

PLAY 우리 사업은 자연 재료만 사용하기 시작한 후에 인기를 얻었어요

= After our company started only using natural ingredients, we became
popular

If something decreases in popularity, you can use the verb 떨어지다 (to
drop). For example:
PLAY 그 노래의 인기는 떨어졌어요 = That song’s popularity dropped
PLAY 아이폰 인기는 이제 떨어지고 있어요 = The iPhone’s popularity is
dropping now
PLAY 그 소문으로 인해 대통령 인기가 떨어졌어요 = The president’s
popularity dropped due to that rumor

In addition to all of this, you could also use 있다/없다 to say that something
is/isn’t popular:

PLAY 그 영화는 인기가 있어요 = That movie is popular

PLAY 그 영화는 인기가 없어요 = That movie isn’t popular

PLAY 미국 대통령은 인기가 있어요 = The American president is popular

PLAY 미국 대통령은 인기가 없어요 = The American president isn’t popular

To be Obvious, Correct, Natural: 당연하다

It is difficult to translate 당연하다 perfectly to English. A common definition

of 당연하다 is “natural” or “correct.” However, I prefer “obvious” as a more
accurate definition.

Let me introduce this word to you first by using its adverb form “당연히.”
By showing you examples of this, I think you will better understand the
meaning of 당연하다.

Look at the following examples:

PLAY 그는 당연히 왔어요 = He obviously came…(Of course he came! Why

wouldn’t he come?)

PLAY 저는 내일 당연히 갈 거예요 = I am obviously going tomorrow(Of

course I am going tomorrow! Why wouldn’t I go?)
The translation for 당연하다 in a dictionary is usually “natural,” which I
guess could be used as well. Notice the similarities in the following English
translations:

PLAY 그는 당연히 왔어요 = Naturally, he came yesterday

PLAY 저는 내일 당연히 갈 거예요 = Naturally, I will go tomorrow

If somebody asks you a question and you want to respond by saying “Of
course!” or “Obviously!” you can use 당연하다. For example:

Person 1: PLAY 내일 갈 거예요? = Are you going tomorrow?

Person 2: PLAY 당연해요! = Of course!

You have yet to learn the meaning of attaching ~지 (informal) or ~죠

(formal) to the end of a word (they will be introduced in Lesson 93). I don’t
want you to worry about the meaning of ~지/죠 yet. In cases where you are
answering a question to say “Of course!” or “Obviously!” you can attach ~지
/죠 to 당연하다. The meaning doesn’t change in this example – it is just
done for effect. For example:

Person 1: PLAY 내일 갈 거야? = Are you going tomorrow?

Person 2: PLAY 당연하지!! = Of course!!

Kids these days often replace 당연하다 with “당근” which actually means
“carrot” as a joke. For example:

Person 1: PLAY 내일 갈 거야? = Are you going tomorrow?

Person 2: PLAY 당근! = Of course!

It is also common to attach 이다 to 당근, which allows for ~지/죠 to be

attached. For example:

Person 1: PLAY 내일 갈 거야? = Are you going tomorrow?

Person 2: PLAY 당근이지! = Of course!

I guarantee that if you use “당근” in this situation while talking to a Korean
person, you will make them laugh.
당연하다 can also be used as an adjective. Now that you know the meaning
of 당연하다 through its use as an adverb, you should have no problem
figuring out its meaning as an adjective.

As an adjective, 당연하다 describes situations that are obvious. For

example:

PLAY 당연한 거예요 = (That is) an obvious thing

PLAY 그가 그 여자를 사랑하는 것은 당연해요 = It is obvious that he loves
that girl

PLAY 그 사람이 지난 1 년 동안 아주 열심히 일해서 그가 승진되는 게 당연한

거예요
= That person worked very hard during the last year, so it is obvious that he
is getting promoted

PLAY 그 가수가 다른 여자와 바람을 피운 후에 가수의 인기가 떨어진 게

당연한 거예요
= After that singer cheated on his wife (with another girl), it is obvious that
his popularity dropped

The four statements above indicate that something is obvious. In English, it

is common to describe that something is obvious by asking “isn’t it
obvious?” For example:

It’s it obvious that he loves that girl?

In Korean, you can describe an “obvious situation” by using “당연한 게

아니에요?” at end of a sentence. For example:

PLAY 그가 그 여자를 사랑하는 것은 당연한 게 아니에요? = Isn’t it obvious

that he loves that girl?

PLAY 그 사람이 지난 1 년 동안 아주 열심히 일해서 그가 승진되는 게 당연한

게 아니에요?
= That person worked very hard during the last year, so isn’t it obvious that
he is getting promoted?
PLAY 그 가수가 다른 여자와 바람을 피운 후에 가수의 인기가 떨어진 게
당연한 게 아니에요?
= After that singer cheated on his wife (with another girl), isn’t it obvious
that his popularity dropped?

알맞다: Appropriate/Suitable

I first learned the words 알맞다 and 당연하다 at the same time, and I found
them very difficult to distinguish. Now that you have a good base of what
“당연하다” means, you should have no problem distinguishing the two.

알맞다 is typically used when two (or more) things go well with each other
– usually in appearance, taste or smell. For example:

PLAY 저 책상은 이 방에 알맞아요 = That desk looks good in this room

PLAY 저 사진은 저 액자에 알맞아요 = That picture looks good in that frame

A similar word is “어울리다,” which can also be used in these situations. For
example:

PLAY 저 책상은 이 방에 어울려요 = That desk looks good in this room

PLAY 저 사진은 저 액자에 어울려요 = That picture looks good in that frame

어울리다 is also used to indicate that two (or more) people get along. For
example:

PLAY 그 사람은 친구와 잘 어울려요 = That person gets along well with
his/her friend
PLAY 저는 우리 장모님과 잘 어울려요 = I get along well with my mother-
in-law

The whole __: 전체

전체 is a noun that refers to “the whole” of something. It is typically placed
after another noun to indicate that one is referring to that entire noun.

If you have been keeping up with your Hanja studies, you can probably
understand how this meaning is created by seeing its Hanja characters. 전
(全) refers to “all” and 체 (體) refers to a body or thing.

Here are some examples of 전체 placed after a noun to refer to the whole
noun:

학교 전체 = the whole school

도시 전체 = the whole city
행성 전체 = the whole planet
회사 전체 = the whole company

These constructions can then go in sentences where appropriate:

PLAY 학교 전체가 닫혀 있어요 = The whole school is closed

PLAY 그 행성 전체에 물이 있어요 = There is water on that whole planet
PLAY 우리는 도시 전체를 걸어 다녔어요 = We walked around the whole
city

PLAY 부장님이 회사원 몇 명을 해고할 거라고 해서 회사 전체가 긴장했어요

= The whole company was nervous because the boss said he will fire some
workers

That is why … : 바로 그때문이다

When I was at this stage of my Korean studies, I really wanted to know

how to create the following types of sentences:
That is why I want to go!
That is why I like her!
That is why I am learning Korean!

I wanted to know how to say “That’s why…” in Korean. At that time, I asked
people and the best answer I could get was:

… 바로 그 때문이다

First of all, let’s think about when (in English) we would use this type of
sentence. I would say this when some situation is being talked about – and I
want to say that the reason for me doing something is because of this
situation. I’m not going to explicitly state this situation, because I can just
refer to it by using “that.” For example, imagine I heard that my best friend is
going to a party tonight. I can say “That is the reason I want to go.”

I don’t need to say “Because my best friend is going, I want to go.” Because
“my friend going” is something that was already discussed, I can just say
“That is the reason I want to go.”

The construction “바로 그 때문이다” has the function of meaning “That is

the reason.” “그” refers to the situation that is already known, and  “때문에”
refers to the reason. The purpose of “바로” in this construction is to mean
something like “precisely” – to stress that that is the reason. For example:

That is precisely the reason…

Now, we need to state the action that occurs as a result of this known
situation. In order to do this, we can turn the result into a noun using ~는 것.
For example:

제가 가고 싶은 것 = (the noun of “I want to go”)

제가 그녀를 좋아하는 것 = (the noun of “I like her”)
제가 한국어를 배우고 있는 것 = (the noun of “I am learning Korean”)

Now we can place “바로 그 때문이다” after each noun to indicate the
referred reason why these actions will occur. For example:
PLAY 제가 가고 싶은 것은 바로 그 때문이에요 = That is why I want to go
PLAY 제가 그녀를 좋아하는 것은 바로 그 때문이에요 = That is why I like her
PLAY 제가 한국어를 배우고 있는 것은 바로 그 때문이에요 = That is why I
am learning Korean

It is also possible to simply place “그래서” before the action to indicate

what will result of a referred situation. As you learned in Lesson 37, 그래서
can be used to refer to a reason discussed in a previous clause. For
example:

PLAY 그래서 가고 싶어요 = That is why I want to go (therefore, I want to go)

PLAY 그래서 그녀를 좋아해요 = That is why I like her (therefore, I like her)
PLAY 그래서 한국어를 배우고 있어요 = That is why I am learning Korean
(therefore, I am learning Korean)

That’s it for this lesson!

Vocabulary

Nouns:
PLAY 선풍기 = electric fan

PLAY 도전 = challenge

PLAY 도전자 = challenger

PLAY 코피 = nosebleed

PLAY 주어 = a subject in a sentence

PLAY 장애 = obstacle/barrier

PLAY 장애인 = disabled person

PLAY 유아 = small/little child/toddler

PLAY 유아기 = early childhood period

PLAY 오염 = pollution

PLAY 고무 = rubber

PLAY 대회 = big meeting, competition

Verbs:
PLAY 참여하다 = to participate, to take part in

PLAY 업다 = to carry on one’s back

PLAY 탓하다 = to blame

PLAY 저장하다 = to save (a file on a computer)

PLAY 누락하다 = to omit

PLAY 거절하다 = to refuse

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 수백 = hundreds of

PLAY 수천 = thousands of

PLAY 수만 = tens-of thousands of

PLAY 기타 = and other, and so on

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn about two similar grammatical principles and
their (similar) respective meanings. In this lesson, you will learn how to use
~아/어서는 안 되다 to mean “one should not” and ~(으)면 안 되다 to mean
“one must not.” We will also look at the positive meaning of using ~(으)면
되다, which is a very natural expression but usually one that foreign
learners of Korean don’t use right away. Let’s get started.

One should not: ~아/어서는 안 되다

In Lesson 49, you learned how to apply 되다 to many different types of

sentences. In addition to the meanings introduced in Lesson 9 and Lesson
14, you learned that 되다 can be used to indicate that there is “no problem”
with something. For example:

PLAY 사업이 잘 되고 있어요? = Is your business going well?

PLAY 여기서 Wi-Fi 가 잘 돼요 = The Wi-Fi here works well
PLAY 어제부터 선풍기가 안 됐어요 = The fan hasn’t worked since yesterday

You also saw that this can be applied to sentences with ~아/어도 to indicate
that there is “no problem” with an action being done. You might remember,
the most common translation for these types of sentences was “one may”
or “one can.” For example:

PLAY 지금 문을 열어도 돼요 = You may open the door now

PLAY 제일 편리한 것을 선택해도 돼요 = You may choose the most
convenient one
PLAY 그 파일을 저의 컴퓨터에 저장해도 돼요 = You can store/save that file
on my computer

Attaching ~아/어서는 안 되다 to the end of a clause indicates that

there will be a problem if the action is completed. This type of sentence is
essentially the opposite of the type of sentence above. Now, instead of
indicating that there will not be a problem, (by just using 되다) we are
indicating that there will be a problem (by using 안 되다). The typical
English translation of this is usually “one should not.” For example:

PLAY 밥을 많이 먹어서는 안 돼요 = You shouldn’t eat a lot

PLAY 선생님을 무시해서는 안 돼요 = You shouldn’t ignore your teacher
PLAY 장애인들을 놀려서는 안 돼요 = You shouldn’t make fun of disabled
people
PLAY 고무를 입에 넣어서는 안 돼요 = You shouldn’t put rubber in your
mouth
PLAY 그렇게 빨리 뛰어서는 안 돼요 = You shouldn’t run that fast
PLAY 사람을 겉모습으로 평가해선 안 돼요 = You shouldn’t judge somebody
on their looks

PLAY 네 친구를 네 잘못에 대해 탓해서는 안 돼

= You shouldn’t blame your friends for your own mistakes

PLAY 유아기에 애기들에게 우유를 줘서는 안 돼요

= During the early childhood period, you shouldn’t give milk to babies

PLAY 새로운 도전을 그렇게 빨리 거절해서는 안 돼요

= You shouldn’t refuse new challenges that quickly

PLAY 인터넷으로 동시에 수백 개의 물품을 사서는 안 돼요

= You shouldn’t buy hundreds of items from the internet at the same time

PLAY 처음 만나는 사람을 첫인상으로 평가해서는 안 됩니다

= You shouldn’t judge somebody you meet for the first time on their first
impression

PLAY 아무 움직임 없이 한 시간 동안 앉아서 컴퓨터를 해서는 안 돼요

= You shouldn’t sit at a computer for an hour without any movement

Even though these sentences are used in the present tense, they are usually
referring to actions that occurred in the past (unless somebody is just
making a general statement that “one should not” do some action). For
example, in the first example above:

PLAY 그렇게 빨리 뛰어서는 안 돼요 = You shouldn’t run that fast

Immediately before that sentence was said, somebody was probably

running too fast – which caused somebody to say the sentence “그렇게
빨리 뛰어서는 안 돼요.”

This one is fairly straightforward. Let’s move on to the next one.

.
.

One must not: ~(으)면 안 되다

In Lesson 43 you learned about ~(으)면 and how it can be used to mean “if”
or “when.” For example:

PLAY 내일 비바람이 오면 경기가 취소될 거예요

= If it storms tomorrow, the match/game will be cancelled

PLAY 지금 환경을 보존하지 않으면 미래에 더 큰 문제가 생길 것 같아요

= If we don’t preserve the environment, there will probably be bigger
problems in the future

PLAY 오늘 그 사람을 만나면 낯선 사람으로 대할 거예요

= If I meet that person today, I’m going to treat him like a stranger

You can use “안 되다” after “~(으)면 to indicate that there will be a problem
when/if a something occurs. For example:

PLAY 그렇게 하면 안 돼요 = You must not do it like that

This meaning is very similar to the meaning learned above (~아/어서는 안

되다), but I like to think that the meaning is slightly stronger when you
use ~(으)면 안 되다. Below are more examples:

PLAY 그 정보를 누락하면 안 돼요 = You must not omit that information
PLAY 그 말을 영어로 하면 안 돼요 = You must not say that in English
PLAY 이 차에 디젤을 넣으면 안 됩니다 = You must not put diesel fuel in this
car
PLAY 그런 말을 유아에게 하면 안 돼요 = You must not say that type of thing
to a child
PLAY 현재 오염 문제를 무시하면 안 돼요 = You must not ignore the current
pollution problem
PLAY 정서장애가 있는 친구들을 놀리면 안 돼요 = You must not pick on
friends with emotional disabilities
PLAY 주어를 그 문장에서 그 위치에 쓰면 안 돼요 = You must not use the
subject in that place in a that sentence

~(으)면 안 되다 is often used in the form of a question. When used as a

question, one is asking if there will be a “problem” if the action before ~(으)
면 occurs. It is possible to translate these types of sentences to English in
many ways, which I have provided. For example:

PLAY 이렇게 하면 안 돼요?

= Can’t you do it like this?
= Are you able to do it like this?
= Is it okay if you do is like this?
= Will there be any problem if you do it like this?

PLAY 더 빨리 하면 안 돼요?
= Can’t you do it faster?
= Are you able to do it faster?
= Is it okay if you do it faster?
= Will there be any problem if you do it faster?

PLAY 조금 더 주면 안 돼요?
= Can’t you give me a little bit more?
= Are you able to give me a little bit more?
= Is it okay if you give me a little bit more?
= Will there be any problem if you give me a little bit more?

————————————

It is also possible to create a double negative with this type of question. For
example, if you wanted to ask if you could eat now, you could say:

PLAY 밥을 지금 먹으면 안 돼요?

= Can’t we eat now?
= Are we able to eat now?
= Is it okay if we eat now?
= Will there be any problem if we eat now?
However, by making the original action negative, the speaker can ask if it is
alright if something is not done. For example:

PLAY 밥을 지금 안 먹으면 안 돼요?

= Can we not eat now?
= Are we able to not eat now?
= Is it okay if we don’t eat now?
= Will there be any problem if we don’t eat now?

Other examples:

PLAY 그 대회를 참여하지 않으면 안 돼요?

= Can we not participate in that event?
= Are we able to not participate in that event?
= Is it okay if we don’t participate in that event?
= Will there be any problems if we don’t participate in that event?

PLAY 이번에 여행할 때 수천 장의 사진을 찍지 않으면 안 돼요?

= Can you not take thousands of pictures this time when we travel?
= Are you able to not take thousands of pictures this time when we travel?
= Is it okay if you don’t take thousands of pictures this time when we travel?
= Will there be any problem if you don’t take thousands of pictures this time
when we travel?

———————————–

This form is actually a very polite way to ask for something to be done. As
such, it is common for ~아/어 주다 (Lesson 41) to be used with the question
version of ~(으)면 안 되다. For example:

PLAY 밥을 사 주시면 안 돼요?

= Are you able to buy me rice?
= Is it okay if you buy me rice?

PLAY 교통카드를 충전해 주면 안 돼요?

= Are you able to charge my subway card?
= Is it okay if you charge my subway card?
If you ask somebody a question like this (or any other question asking if
something can be done), the answer that is typically given when it cannot
be done is “안 돼요.” For example:

PLAY 교통카드를 충전해 주면 안 돼요? = Are you able to charge my

subway card?
PLAY 안 돼요 = No/I can’t do it here/It won’t work here

You can also use the form ~(으)면 안 되다 without “안” to create a different
meaning. I will talk about this next.

Suggesting that one should: ~(으)면 되다

By adding ~(으)면 되다 to the end of a sentence or clause, you create a

meaning that is very similar to ~아/어야 하다, which you learned in Lesson
46. This form has the meaning of “you must” or “you should” depending on
the situation. For example:

PLAY 서울역에서 내려야 돼요 = You must/should get off at Seoul station

Using ~(으)면 되다 creates a similar meaning. For example:

PLAY 서울역에서 내리면 됩니다 = You should get off at Seoul station

Here, the speaker is basically indicating “it/everything will be okay if you get
off at Seoul station.” Although the meaning is similar to ~아/어야 되다, using
~(으)면 되다 is more of a suggestion. Because this is more of a suggestion,
its meaning is very soft and is often used by people when they are asked for
advice. For example, one time a woman asked my wife how to get to 사당
station, to which my wife replied:
PLAY 다음 역에서 내리면 돼요
= You can/should get off at the next station
= There will be no problem (it will be okay) if you get off at Seoul Station

A more natural translation could sometimes be “one can.” For example:

PLAY 조금만 넣으면 돼요 = Just put a little bit in

PLAY 조금 더 올라가면 돼요 = Just keep going up a little bit further
PLAY 코피를 휴지로 막으면 돼요 = You can block the nosebleed with a
tissue
PLAY 소금을 얼마나 더 넣어야 돼요? = How much more salt should I put in?
PLAY 애기가 피곤하면 업어 주면 돼요 = If the baby is tired, you can carry
him on your back

That’s it for this lesson!

Vocabulary

Nouns:
PLAY 비율 = ratio, percentage

PLAY 강사 = instructor, lecturer

PLAY 총리 = prime minister

PLAY 반도 = peninsula

PLAY 반딧불이 = firefly

PLAY 옆방 = the room next door

PLAY 고속버스 = bus that goes on the freeway

PLAY 형제 = brothers

PLAY 치아 = teeth

PLAY 충치 = tooth decay, cavity

PLAY 빛깔 = color

PLAY 매듭 = knot

Verbs:
PLAY 보조하다 = to help, to aid

PLAY 꺾다 = to break something in half

PLAY 의지하다 = to lean on, to rely on

PLAY 내기하다 = to bet

PLAY 수다를 떨다 = to chat

Adjectives:
PLAY 연하다 = to be tender, to be soft, to be light

PLAY 느슨하다 = to be loose, to be slack

PLAY 억울하다 = to be unfair

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 일회용 = one time use (disposable)

PLAY 맨날 = every day

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn how to use ~(으)니까 and ~(으)니 between two
clauses to create a meaning that is similar to ~아/어서. Of course, just like
every other grammatical principle, there are some subtle nuances that you
should know about. Let’s get started.
 

Because of: ~(으)니까

In Lesson 37 you learned that you can place ~아/어서 between two clauses
to create the meaning of “because,” “so” or “therefore.” For example:

PLAY 제가 배가 안 고파서 더 먹기 싫어요 = I don’t want to eat anymore

because I am full
PLAY 시험을 못 봐서 울고 싶어요 = I want to cry because I did poorly on
the exam

You can also place ~(으)니까 between clauses to create a very similar
meaning. For example:

PLAY 제가 배가 안 고프니까 더 먹기 싫어요 = I don’t want to eat anymore

because I am full

The subtle difference between these two grammatical principles is

that ~(으)니까 is commonly used when the first clause is an excuse as to
why the second clause occurs (usually an excuse as to why something can’t
be done). As such, sometimes there is the slight feeling that the speaker is
annoyed at the cause for something not happening. For example:

PLAY 학교에 가야 되니까 지금 못 만나요

= I need to go to school, so I won’t be able to meet

PLAY 옆방이 아주 시끄러우니까 저는 잠을 못 잤어요

= The room next to us is very loud, so I couldn’t sleep

PLAY 그 셔츠를 사고 싶은데 돈이 없으니까 살 수 없어요

= Although I want to buy that, I have no money, so I cannot

Unlike ~ 아/어서, the clause preceding ~(으)니까 can be conjugated into the

past tense. For example:
PLAY 어제 너무 바빴으니까 못 갔어요
= I couldn’t go yesterday because I was so busy

PLAY 너를 좋아하지 않았으니까 헤어졌어

= I broke up with you because I didn’t like you

PLAY 경기에서 진 것이 저의 자신감을 꺾었으니까 저는 더 이상 경기하고

싶지 않아요
= Losing in the game broke my confidence, so I don’t want to play (do it)
anymore

It is also common to end a sentence with ~(으)니까. This is similar to ending

a sentence with “~아/어서,” in that the speaker is actually creating an
incomplete sentence where the end of the sentence can be assumed from
context. In practice, this is typically used to answer a question, where the
answer starts with “because…” For example:

Person 1: PLAY 지금 만날 수 있어요? = Can you meet now?

Person 2: PLAY 아니요~ 못 만나요. 학교에 가야 되니까요 = No, because I
have to go to school

Person 1: PLAY 그것을 살 거야? = Are you going to buy that?

Person 2: PLAY 아니요~ 못 사요. 돈이 없으니까요 = … No, because I have no
money

Person 1: PLAY 나랑 왜 헤어졌어? = Why did you break up with me?

Person 2: PLAY 너를 좋아하지 않았으니까 = … Because I didn’t like you

Person 1: PLAY 신발이 왜 벗겨졌어요? = Why did your shoe come off?
Person 2: PLAY 매듭이 너무 느슨하니까 = … Because the knot was too loose

Notice here that you can add “~요” to end of “~(으)니까.” Similar to when ~
는데 is used at the end of a sentence (as you learned in Lesson 77), using
~(으)니까 like this can be seen as a little bit rude – even if you attach ~요 to
the end of it. Like ~는데, there is the feeling that the person is talking back.
Of course, this all depends on the situation and the atmosphere of the
conversation.
I said earlier that “~(으)니까” is commonly used instead of using “~아/어서”
when the first clause is an excuse to why the second clause can’t happen. I
feel that this is true most of the time, although it doesn’t always have to be
an excuse. For example:

PLAY 제가 숙제를 다 했으니까 이제 영화를 볼 수 있어요

= I am finished my homework, therefore, I can see a movie now

PLAY 반딧불이 지금 날고 있지 않으니까 빛깔이 안 나와요

= The firefly is not flying now, so the color/light isn’t coming out (not
shining)

PLAY 누가 더 잘하는지 내기를 했으니까 저는 이번에 집중해야 돼요

= We made a bet of who is better, so I need to concentrate this time

PLAY 총리를 보조하는 사람이 없으니까 두 명 정도 고용해야 될 것 같아요

= There are no people to help the prime minister, so we probably need to
hire about two people

PLAY 맨날 일회용 물병을 사서 물을 마시니까 방에 병이 많이 쌓여 있어요

= I buy disposable water bottles (and drink water through them every day),
so there are a lot of bottles piled up in my room

PLAY 시험을 50 점 이상을 받는 학생의 비율이 아주 낮으니까 강사가

학생들이 시험을 다시 봐야 된다고 했어요
= The ratio/percentage of students who got a score of over 50 on the exam
was very slow, so the professor/teacher said that we would have to write
the exam again

It is also common to use ~(으)니까 when one is making a suggestion. The

same translation of “because” can still be used in these sentences as well.
For example:

PLAY 버스가 복잡하니까 택시를 타자! = Let’s take a taxi because the bus is
so crowded!
PLAY 너무 더우니까 시원한 것을 먹을래요? = Let’s eat something cool
because it is so hot
PLAY 밥이 없으니까 라면 먹자! = Let’s eat Ramen because there is no rice
 —————-

You can see in some of the example sentences that adding ~(으)니까 causes
irregular words to change. In Lesson 7, you learned how irregular words
change as a result of adding different additions. This is the first time you
have been introduced to adding ~(으)니까. Let’s look at how irregulars
change as a result of adding this grammatical principle.

● The ㅅ irregular, ㄷ irregular and ㅂ irregular all follow the same rules
that were introduced in Lesson 7. The addition of the vowel causes a
change (or elimination) of the last letter of the stem.

● The ㅡ and 르 irregular are not affected by this addition. The final letter
in both types of stems is a vowel, so “니” is added instead of “으니까.”

● Adding ~(으)니까 causes a change to stems ending in ㄹ. The ㄹ is

removed, and ~니까 is added to the remaining portion of the stem.
● For example: 떨다 + ~(으)니까 = 떠니까

● Adding ~(으)니까 causes a change to ㅎ irregular words. The ㅎ is

removed, and ~니까 is added to the remaining portion of the stem. For
this addition, the ㅎ irregular and ㄹ irregular follow the same rule.
Anytime you have the option of adding ~(으) as part of a grammatical
addition, the ㅎ will be removed from the stem and the grammatical
addition without “으” will be added to the remainder of the stem.
● For example:그렇다 + ~(으)니까 = 그러니까
I talk about the meaning of 그러니까 as a common thing to say
in conversation. You can see this discussion in Lesson 101.
Below is a table showing the changes that result from adding ~(으)니까 to a
word.

Irregular Word + ~(으)니

ㅅ Irregular PLAY 짓다 (to build) 지으니까

 ㄷ Irregular PLAY 걷다 (to walk) 걸으니까

ㅂ Irregular PLAY 돕다 (to help) 도우니까

ㅡ Irregular PLAY 잠그다 (to lock) 잠그니까

르 Irregular PLAY 자르다 (to cut) 자르니까

ㄹ Irregular PLAY 살다 (to live) 사니까

ㅎ Irregular PLAY 그렇다 (to be like that) 그러니까

You will see these same changes to irregulars anytime you add something
that begins in ~(으)ㄴ…. For example:

~(으)니 (later in this lesson)

—————

You can actually drop the “~까” from “~(으)니까” to create ~(으)니. We
need to talk about this in a separate section.

 
 Because or Giving Background Information: ~(으)니

Remember first that you have already learned about adding “~니” to words
in Lesson 21. In that Lesson, you learned many ways that you can change
your Korean sentences to ask questions; one of which was by adding “~니”
to the end of a sentence. For example:

몇 살이야? = How old are you?

몇 살이니? = How old are you?

집에 도착했어? = Have you arrived at home?

집에 도착했니? = Have you arrived at home?

In addition to this meaning, “~(으)니” can have the same meaning of “~(으)
니까” as described earlier in this lesson. That is; to create the meaning of
“because” or “therefore” just like the many other grammatical forms that
have the same function. Although ~(으)니 typically isn’t used at the end of a
sentence, it can be used instead of “~(으)니까” in all the other cases, for
example:

PLAY 밥이 없으니 라면 먹자! = Let’s eat Ramen because there is no rice

PLAY 어제 너무 바빴으니 못 갔어요 = I couldn’t go yesterday because I was
so busy
PLAY 학교에 가야 되니 지금 못 만나요 = I need to go to school, so I won’t
be able to meet
PLAY 너를 좋아하지 않았으니 헤어졌어 = I broke up with you because I
didn’t like you
PLAY 제가 배가 안 고프니 더 먹기 싫어요 = I don’t want to eat anymore
because I am full
PLAY 벌써 5 시이니 우리가 빨리 가야 돼요 = We have to go quickly
because it is already 5:00

PLAY 그 셔츠를 사고 싶은데 돈이 없으니 살 수 없어요

= Although I want to buy that, I have no money, so I cannot

PLAY 제가 숙제를 다 했으니 이제 영화를 볼 수 있어요

= I am finished my homework, therefore, I can see a movie now
There is no need to distinguish the meanings of ~(으)니 and ~(으)니까.
Officially, ~(으)니까 is simply a stressed/emphasized version of ~(으)니.
What we can do, however, is distinguish their usages – as I feel that
(although their usages overlap), there are some situations that are more
likely to use ~(으)니 and vice-versa.

First, I feel that ~(으)니 is used much more frequently in writing, whereas
~(으)니까 is much more common in speech.

“~(으)니” is also commonly used to provide information for the upcoming

clause. This is similar to the function of ~는데 that I introduced in Lesson
76 and Lesson 77. In those lessons, I explained that ~는데 has a function of
setting up a scenario for an upcoming clause. The meaning within this
sentence also has a slight meaning of “even though.”

I would say that “~(으)니” has this same function, except for that there is a
slight meaning of “because” instead of “even though.” I know that sounds
confusing, let’s put an example sentence with two clauses and separate
them with ~는데 or ~(으)니 to compare them.

PLAY 제가 고기를 안 좋아하는데 먹어볼 거예요 = Even though I don’t like

meat, I will try some
(Where the meaning of “even though” is very slight, and the first clause “I
don’t like meat” is setting up the second clause).

PLAY 제가 고기를 안 좋아하니 안 먹을 거예요 = Because I don’t like meat,

I’m not going to eat it
(Where the meaning of “because” is very slight, and the first clause “I don’t
like meat” is setting up the second clause).

The confusing thing here is that I have presented you with two meanings of
“~(으)니” in this lesson:

● To express the meaning of “because” or “therefore” like “~(으)니까,

and
● The provide information for an upcoming clause, with a slight meaning
of “because”
The question I am sure you want to ask is: How can I tell the two usages
apart if they almost have the same meaning (one meaning “because,” the
other one “slightly meaning because”)?

My answer: Does it really matter?

In real conversations with people, you don’t dissect sentences like this. In
both situations, the second clause happens after the first clause. If a direct
causal link between the two clauses can be assumed, then assume that the
meaning of “~(으)니” is “because.” However, if that causal link is less
obvious, assume that the clause before “~(으)니” is simply providing
information for the upcoming clause.

When specifically used in the past tense, it is often more convenient to

change the translation of “~았/었으니” to “now that one has…” For example:

PLAY 밥이 다 됐으니 많이 드세요! = Now that the rice is ready, eat a lot!
PLAY 빨래를 다 했으니 지금 자도 돼요 = Now that I have finished the
laundry, I can go to bed
PLAY 충치를 치료했으니 치아가 이제 안 아파요 = Now that I treated my
cavity, my teeth don’t hurt
PLAY 연한 고기를 다 먹었으니 이제 기분이 좋아요 = Now that I ate soft
meat, I feel great (happy)

PLAY 제가 숙제를 다 했으니 이제 영화를 볼 수 있어요

= Now that I am finished my homework, I can see a movie

PLAY 형제들이 다 죽었으니 저는 종교를 빼고 의지할 게 없어요

= Now that all of my brothers have died, I have nothing to lean on except
religion

PLAY 나는 요즘에 맨날 한식만 먹었는데, 친구를 만났으니 이탈리안 음식

먹자!
= These days, I only eat Korean food every day, so now that I have met a
friend (you), let’s eat Italian food!

Our website offers Short Stories for intermediate learners to practice their
Korean reading. ~(으)니 shows up a lot in those short stories, so I can
provide a bunch of examples:
PLAY 어제부터 오랜만에 쉴 생각을 하니 설레었다
= I am excited because, from now on, I realized that I can rest

PLAY 오랜만에 친구와 수다를 떠니 잠시 있고 있었던 옛 날 생각이 많이

났다
= (Because) I am chatting with an old friend, a lot of thoughts of the old days
have come up

PLAY 하지만 펭귄이 있는 곳은 동물원 입구에서 멀다고 하니 아빠와 나는

우선 다른 동물들을 먼저 봤다
= But (because) the place the penguins are was said to be far from the zoo
entrance, so Dad and I saw other animals first.

PLAY 내일은 또 다시 바쁜 하루가 시작되겠지만 오늘 하루 열심히 충전을

했으니 내일이 두렵지 않다
= Tomorrow, another busy day will start, however, now that I have
recharged for a day, I am not afraid of tomorrow!

PLAY 직장도 집에서 멀고 새로운 사람들이랑 새로운 직업으로 다시 일을

하려고 하니 적응이 잘 안 된다
= (Because) I am trying to work with new people, and my workplace is far
from my house, I am not adapting well

PLAY 처음에는 서른 살이 되면 나이가 많은 거라고 생각했는데 제가 서른

살이 되었으니 그렇게 생각하지 않아요
= At first I thought thirty years old was old, but (because) I am now thirty, I
don’t think that way

You will find this grammatical principle in the TOPIK tests as well. I glanced
at the 27th Intermediate Test for a second and I found this sentence:

PLAY 어려운 일을 끝내고 나니 기분이 매우 좋았다

= Now that I am finished the difficult work, I am/was very happy

The question was asking which sentence (amongst the sentence above and
three others) was incorrect. The sentence above was one of the sentences
that was correct.
That’s it for this lesson! Hopefully that’s enough examples to get you
accustomed to “~(으)니.”

That’s it for this lesson!

Vocabulary

Nouns:
PLAY 낚싯줄 = fishing line

PLAY 둥지 = bird’s nest

PLAY 암호 = secret code

PLAY 비만 = obesity

PLAY 식욕 = appetite

PLAY 정상 = normal

PLAY 장마 = rainy season

PLAY 지필 = pen and paper

PLAY 생명 = life

PLAY 생명보험 = life insurance

PLAY 해군 = navy

PLAY 대령 = colonel

PLAY 면 = side/face

PLAY 표면 = surface

PLAY 보도 = sidewalk
PLAY 선반 = shelf

PLAY 불안감 = anxiety

Verbs:
PLAY 가속하다 = to accelerate

PLAY 감속하다 = to decelerate

PLAY 칠하다 = to paint

PLAY 쓰다듬다 = to pet, to caress

Adjectives:
PLAY 당황스럽다 = to be embarrassed

PLAY 불안하다 = to be anxious, to be uneasy

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 맨 = at the very extreme of some place or time

PLAY 얼른 = adverb placed in sentences when speaker wants listener to do

something quickly

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In this lesson you will learn how to add ~구나, ~군 or ~군요 to the end of a
sentence.  This grammatical form is often said when one realizes a new fact
or piece of information. Allow me to break it down more than that. Let’s get
started.

Oh! I didn’t realize that…: ~구나, ~군 or ~군요

Just like many of the other grammatical principles that you have learned
recently, creating a direct English translation for ~구나, ~군 or ~군요 is
difficult. Instead, it is better to understand its usage and the subsequent
meaning and feeling that it can create.

Regardless of if it attaches to a verb, adjective or 이다, these endings are

added to the end of a sentence that speaker just came to realize.

When adding this to an adjective or 이다, ~구나, ~군 or ~군요 are attached

directly to the stem of the adjective (or attached to 이 in the case of 이다).
For example:

과학 선생님이구나

Let me explain when and why this phrase would be used.

As I stated earlier, ~구나, ~군 or ~군요 are added to the end of a sentence

that the speaker just came to realize. In effect, the speaker is showing
surprise of this newly discovered information. A speaker would use one of
these endings at the end of a sentence that he/she did not know before. In
this situation, the speaker would have just discovered that this person is a
Science teacher. For example:

Person 1: PLAY 그 사람은 그냥 영어 회화 선생님이 아니야?

= That person isn’t an English teacher?

Person 2: PLAY 응. 원래 영어 회화 선생님인데 지금 과학선생님이야

= No, originally he was an English teacher, but now he is a Science teacher

Person 1: PLAY 아 진짜? 과학 선생님이구나

= Ah really? I didn’t know/realize he is a science teacher

Let’s look at another example, this time using an adjective.

Imagine you are going to go fishing for the first time. You go to the store to
buy supplies, and you see the price of fishing line. You are surprised
because you didn’t realize that fishing line is that expensive. In this case, you
can say the following:
PLAY 낚싯줄이 이렇게 비싸구나 = I didn’t know/realize that fishing line is
this expensive

Below are more examples. As you may have guessed, ~구나 and ~군 are
used in informal situations and ~군요 is used in formal situations. Also, ~
구나 is very common in conversation – much more common than ~군.
However, younger people commonly use ~군 when chatting on the internet
or on their phones.

PLAY 해군에 대령이군요 = I didn’t realize that you were a general in the
navy
PLAY 네가 매우 똑똑하구나 = I didn’t realize that you are so smart
PLAY 이 시험이 지필시험이구나 = I didn’t realize that this exam is a pen-
and-paper exam
PLAY 지구 표면은 거의 다 물이구나 = I didn’t realize that most of the earth’s
surface is water
PLAY 생명보험이 그렇게 중요하구나 = I didn’t realize that life insurance was
that important
PLAY 이 돌의 표면이 아주 부드럽구나  = I didn’t realize that the surface of
this rock was so soft

PLAY 보도로 맨 끝까지 걸어갈 수 있구나

= I didn’t realize that you could walk to the very end on this path

PLAY 미국에서 비만이 아주 큰 문제이구나

= I didn’t realize that obesity was such a big problem in America

PLAY 햇빛으로 지면이 이렇게 뜨거울 수 있구나

= I didn’t realize that the earth’s surface could get so hot from sunlight

PLAY 이 전철에 가방을 올려놓을 수 있는 선반이 없군

= I didn’t realize that there was no shelf to put your bag onto on the subway

You have learned many examples where 있다 and 없다 – although

adjectives – are treated like verbs when adding some grammatical
principle. Notice that when adding ~구나, ~군 or ~군요, you treat 
있다 and 없다 like adjectives.
Also notice that ~이/가 is used on the subject of these sentences. In Lesson
17, I indicated that one of the purposes of ~이/가 is to denote the subject of
a sentence that the speaker just realizes or is experiencing. The nature of
the sentences using ~구나, ~군 or ~군요 make it more natural to use ~이/가.

In Lesson 23, you learned about 그렇다 (which is an adjective) and the
many ways it can adapt to grammatical principles. ~구나, ~군 or ~군요 are
commonly added to 그렇다. This construction is often used when the
speaker wants to refer to the previous situation and say “Oh! I didn’t realize
that.” For example:

Person 1: PLAY 그 친구가 어디 갔어?

= Where did that friend go?

Person 2: PLAY 여기가 좀 불안해서 집에 갔어

= He was a little uncomfortable here, so he went home

Person 3: PLAY 그렇구나

= Oh… (I didn’t realize that fact)

——————————————–

When adding ~구나, ~군 or ~군요 to a verb, ~는 should be placed between

it and the verb. For example:

PLAY 너도 암호를 모르는구나

= Oh, I didn’t realize that you didn’t know the password either

PLAY 아들이 수영을 잘 하는군요

= Oh, I didn’t realize that your son is good at swimming

PLAY 장마에 비가 이렇게 많이 오는구나

= Oh, I didn’t realize that it rains this much during the rainy season

PLAY 강아지가 쓰다듬는 것을 싫어하는구나

= Oh, I didn’t realize that the dog doesn’t like to be pet
PLAY 오늘 우리가 그냥 정상 수업을 하는구나
= Oh, I didn’t realize that we are just doing normal classes today

——————————————–

When adding this to a verb, adjective or 이다 in the past tense, you can
attach ~구나, ~군 or ~군요 to ~았/었. For example:

PLAY 벌써 먹었구나
= Oh, I didn’t realize that you already ate

PLAY 어제 생일이었구나
= Oh, I didn’t realize that yesterday was your birthday

PLAY 둥지가 나무에서 떨어졌구나

= Oh, I didn’t realize that the nest fell from the tree

PLAY 수술을 받은 후에 식욕을 잃었구나

= Oh, I didn’t realize that you lost your appetite after the surgery

PLAY 선생님도 그때 아주 당황스러웠군요

= Oh, I didn’t realize that you were very embarrassed at that time too

PLAY 학교 앞 표면을 다 초록색으로 칠했구나

= Oh, I didn’t realize that you painted the front surface of the school green

——————————————–

~구나, ~군 or ~군요 are used when one realizes something. Inherently, one
usually realizes something about a fact that has already happened or is
currently happening. However, it is also possible to add ~구나, ~군 or ~군요
to a sentence conjugated to the future tense. This would most commonly
be done if one realizes that something will be the case. The realization still
happens in the present tense, but the event will happen in the future. These
realizations of future events are typically guesses, and therefore you would
most commonly see ~겠다 used instead of ~ㄹ/을 것이다. For example:
PLAY 돈이 없겠구나 = Oh, we will probably not have money
PLAY 당황스럽겠구나 = Oh, you will probably be embarrassed

——————————————–

Sentences using ~구나, ~군 or ~군요 have a feeling that the speaker is

speaking to himself/herself. This “self-talking” isn’t really part of the
conversation – the speaker is just kind of mumbling to “Ah, I didn’t realize
_______.”

The question is, then, if that were the case, why would we need to use “
군요?” Why would we need to use polite speech if this form is used to talk
to oneself? Well, you won’t see this is any other grammar book (I don’t
think), because this is my personal opinion. I have been exposed to this
form (in conversation, books, Korean tests, other writings, etc…) and I have
the feeling that sentences before “~구나/~군/~군요” are mostly said to
oneself.

I would say that, within one sentence, 90% of the feeling is that the speaker
is speaking to himself/herself. The remaining 10% is the speaker wanting to
show the listener that he/she is surprised about the fact. Therefore, while
technically “self-speech,” a part of the function of the sentence is to show
the listener that the speaker is surprised. This is the reason why we should
use honorifics if the situation calls for it (if you are speaking to somebody
who deserves high respect).

Anyways, that’s just my observation.

That’s it for this lesson!

Vocabulary

Nouns:
PLAY 서류 = documents, papers

PLAY 외과 = the medical field of surgery

PLAY 욕실 = bathroom

PLAY 점검 = inspection, checkup

PLAY 선배 = one’s senior

PLAY 금액 = an amount of money

PLAY 잔돈 = small change

PLAY 진통제 = painkiller

PLAY 계좌 = account

Verbs:
PLAY 수출하다 = to export

PLAY 수입하다 = to import

PLAY 귀가하다 = to return home

PLAY 갚다 = to pay back

PLAY 분실하다  = to lose an object

PLAY 신고하다 = to report to the police, government, some body

PLAY 돌보다 = to take care of

Adjectives:
PLAY 불친절하다 = to not be kind

PLAY 비다 = to be empty

PLAY 심각하다 = to be serious, to be critical

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 한동안 = for a while, for some time

PLAY 수시로 = frequently
For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn the meaning of adding “~네(요)” to sentences.
This grammatical form has a very similar meaning and usage to ~구나/군/
군요, which you learned in the previous lesson. Let’s get started.

Expressing Surprise or Admiration: ~네(요)

In the previous lesson, you learned how to add ~구나/군/군요 to the end of

a sentence. You learned that a speaker can use this grammatical principle to
indicate that one is surprised about a certain fact. For example:

PLAY 이 상황이 아주 심각하구나

= Ah, I didn’t realize that this situation is very serious

PLAY 그 사람이 조금 불친절하구나

= Ah, I didn’t realize that person is a little bit unkind

PLAY 한국어를 배우는 최선의 방법이 이 웹사이트로 배우는 것이구나

= Ah, I didn’t realize that the best way/method to learn Korean is through
this website

Just like with ~구나/군/군요, a speaker can use “~네(요)” to express surprise
to the information he/she just received. The question all Korean learners
have then, is: What is the difference between “~구나/군/군요” and “~네
(요)”?

The difference is so slight and in almost every situation, they do not need to
be distinguished. Nowhere on any test will you ever see a question asking
you to differentiate the two – and nobody would ever ask you to
differentiate between the two. However, that is not what this website is
about – and I pride myself on being able to distinguish things that have no
business being distinguished.
Before we get to distinguishing seemingly identical things, let’s look at some
examples of “~네(요)” in use first. ~네(요) is added directly to the stems of
verbs, adjectives and 이다 when the speaker expresses surprise about an
event in the present tense. For example:

PLAY 아들이 귀엽네요 = Oh, I didn’t realize that your son is so cute
PLAY 욕실이 아주 깨끗하네요 = Wow, the bathroom is so clean
PLAY 이 음식점은 음식이 정말 맛있네요 = Wow, this restaurant’s food is
really delicious
PLAY 선생님! 영어를 너무 잘하시네요! = Teacher! I didn’t know you were
so good at English

Now, how can we distinguish “~구나/군/군요” with “~네(요)?”

Remember what I said about “~구나/군/군요” in the previous lesson – that

most of the feeling within this grammatical principle is “self-speech.”

While “~네(요)” could also be seen as a form of “self-speech,” I feel that it is

less so compared to “~구나/군/군요.” That is, when you say “~네(요),”
although part of the feeling of the sentence is spoken to oneself (about
60%), a lot of it (about, 40%) is directed at the other person in the
conversation. Compare this with the 90% to 10% ratio that I estimated with
“~구나/~군/~군요” in the previous lesson.

I’d like to share with you a dialogue that brought me to these ridiculous
estimations.

One of my students in my (Korean) school came into my office, where one

of my (Korean) coworkers was speaking to me in English. The student
immediately said to the teacher:

“PLAY 선생님! 영어를 너무 잘하시네요!” = Teacher! I didn’t know you were

so good at English!

The teacher, in response, said “아니야~ 너무 못해!” = No! I’m so bad!

Notice here that the teacher responded to the student, which emphasizes
that what the student said was not only directed to himself, but also
towards the teacher.
If, however, the student came into the room and said:

PLAY 선생님! 영어를 너무 잘 하시군요 = Teacher! I didn’t know you were

so good at English!

The chance of the teacher responding would be less, because most of the
sentence was directed at the person speaking and not to the other person.

In addition to this, while “~구나/군/군요” and “~네(요)” could be mutually

exchangeable in essentially any situation, “~네(요)” would be more likely to
be used when the speaker is impressed from a fact that he/she just
realized. On the other hand, “~구나/군/군요” would be more likely to be
used when the speaker simply realizes some mundane fact that he/she
didn’t know before. Again I specifically say “would be more likely” because
neither of those are set in stone, and you could technically use “~구나/군/
군요” or “~네(요)” in either situation.

In the Korean novel I am reading right now, a father asks his daughter what
the last thing she said to her mother was (the mother is in a coma). The
daughter thinks the last thing she said was:

엄마 어린이 집 다녀왔습니다 = Mom! I’m home/came back from pre-

school

However, the father thinks the last thing she said was:

엄마 학교 다녀왔습니다 = Mom! I’m home/came back from school

The daughter eventually convinces the father that she is right. At which
point, the father says:

PLAY 그랬어? 그랬구나. 어린이집이었구나. 아빠가 깜빡했네.

= Was it like that? Oh, I didn’t realize it was like that. I didn’t realize it was a
daycare. I guess/I didn’t realize that I forgot

In this example, within the same sentence the father uses both “네(요)” and 
“~구나/군/군요” to signify that he just realized that new fact.
Alright, that is enough splitting hairs for one lesson. Let’s look at many
examples. Try not to pay attention to the English translations because it is
hard to translate “impressions” or “realizations” directly:

First, in the present tense:

PLAY 아! 잔돈이 없네 = Oh, I didn’t realize that I don’t have any change
PLAY 선배가 춤을 잘 추네요 = Oh, I didn’t realize that our senior dances
really well
PLAY 금액이 많이 나오네요 = Oh, I didn’t realize that the amount of money
is a lot (it’s expensive)
PLAY 계좌가 완전히 비어 있네 = Oh, I didn’t realize that my account is
completely empty
PLAY 이 진통제가 진짜 잘 드네 = Wow, this painkiller really works
PLAY 너의 남편이 애기를 잘 돌보네 = Wow, your husband looks after the
baby well
PLAY 그 회사가 그 제품도 수입하네 = Oh, that company also imports that
product
PLAY 외과 의사가 되는 것이 제일 어렵네요 = Wow, becoming a surgeon is
really the most difficult

In the past tense, ~네(요) can attach directly to ~았/었. For example:

PLAY 밥을 빨리 먹었네 = Oh, you ate really fast

PLAY 점검을 벌써 받았네 = Oh, I you already got the inspection
PLAY 분실한 돈을 찾았네 = Oh, you found the money that you lost
PLAY 서류를 빨리 정리했네 = Oh, you organized the papers quickly
PLAY 우리 계좌로 돈을 이미 보냈네 = Oh, you already sent the money to
our account
PLAY 아! 그래서 그 제품을 수출을 못 했네 = Oh, so that’s why you couldn’t
export that product

——————————————–

In Lesson 35, you learned about adding ~겠다 to express possibility. In that
lesson, I described that this is commonly used when the speaker sees
something or hears some fact, and is stating that something “must be the
case” based on that evidence. It is common to attach ~네(요) to ~겠다 in
these cases to express one’s realization (and/or impression) of this
evidence. For example:

PLAY 아프겠네 = Oh, that must hurt

PLAY 힘들겠네! = Oh, that must be so hard!
PLAY 돈이 부족하겠네 = Oh, we probably won’t have enough money
PLAY 빚을 빨리 갚아야 되겠네 = Oh, I should probably pay off this debt
quickly
PLAY 오늘 일찍 귀가해야 되겠네 = Oh, I should probably go home early
today
PLAY 안전 점검을 수시로 해야 되겠네 = Oh, I should probably do a safety
check frequently
PLAY 이것을 정부에 신고를 안 해도 되겠네 = Oh, I probably don’t have to
report this to the government

——————————————–

In the previous lesson, you learned how “~구나/군/군요” can be added to

그렇다. It is also common to attach ~네(요) to 그렇다.

“그렇네(요)” is commonly used when another person states a fact for the
first time (usually something that the listener didn’t know or recognize up to
that point). As the fact is being stated, the listener is witnessing the fact for
the first time. For example, look how I describe the following exchange:

Person 1: PLAY 비가 많이 와요! = It’s raining really hard!

Person 1 could have known this fact all along, he or she doesn’t necessarily
need to witness that it is raining hard for the first time. He/she is just telling
this fact to another person who probably doesn’t know that it is raining
hard.

Person 2: PLAY 그렇네! = Oh, it’s like that! (Oh! It really is raining hard!)
Person 2 probably didn’t know or recognize that it is raining hard, and he is
probably witnessing the heavy rainfall for the first time today. As he
witnesses the heavy rainfall, Person 1 tells him “It’s really raining hard!” At
this point, Person 2 can express his surprise by saying “그렇네!”

Here’s another example:

Person 1: PLAY 오늘 점심은 피자야! = Today’s lunch is pizza
Person 2: PLAY 그렇네! = Oh, it’s like that! (Oh! It really is Pizza for lunch
today)
Person 2 probably didn’t know that the lunch today is pizza, and he is
probably looking at the menu for the first time. As he looks at the menu,
Person 1 tells him “Today’s lunch is pizza.” At this point, Person 2 can
express his surprise by saying “그렇네!”

That’s it for this lesson!

Vocabulary

Nouns:
PLAY 특허 = patent
PLAY 신제품 = new product
PLAY 폭탄 = bomb
PLAY 폐기물 = waste materials
PLAY 급행 = express (train)
PLAY 붕대 = bandage, Band-Aid
PLAY 연봉 = annual income, one’s yearly salary

Verbs:
PLAY 기소하다 = to prosecute
PLAY 강연하다 = to give a lecture
PLAY 전달하다 = to convey, to deliver information
PLAY 인쇄하다 = to print
PLAY 제하다 = to subtract, to deduct
PLAY 더하다 = to add
PLAY 환호하다 = to cheer
PLAY 기다 = to crawl
PLAY 요구하다 = to demand
PLAY 쓰러뜨리다 = to knock down
PLAY 연장하다 = to extend, to renew
PLAY 처리하다 = to handle, to dispose of, to process
PLAY 폐기하다 = to destroy
Passive Verbs:
PLAY 쓰러지다 = to collapse, to be knocked down

Adjectives:
PLAY 푸짐하다 = plentiful, abundant, generous
PLAY 깔끔하다 = clean, neat and tidy
PLAY 무리하다 = too much

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 한참 = a long time

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn about the grammatical principle ~자마자 and
it’s less common counterpart, ~자. Both have similar meanings, but as
always I will dissect each one so you can understand them more clearly by
the end of this lesson. Let’s get started.

As soon as: ~자마자

This is actually one of the easiest grammatical principles to learn and

understand, especially because you have had tons of practice with learning
new grammar by now. By attaching ~자마자 to a verb at the end of a
clause, the speaker indicates that an action occurs “as soon as” another
action does. For example:

PLAY 집에 도착하자마자 밥을 먹어야 돼요 = As soon as we arrive at home,

I need to eat

Just like many other Korean grammatical principles, the clause before ~
자마자 is not conjugated to the past or future tenses. Rather, ~자마자 is
attached directly to the verb and the tense can be assumed from the
conjugation of the second clause. Below are many examples:
PLAY 버스가 출발하자마자 사람들은 움직였어요
= As soon as the bus moved, people started moving

PLAY 경찰관들은 범죄자를 찾자마자 기소할 거예요

= As soon as the police find the criminal, they will prosecute him/her

PLAY 제가 가르치기 시작하자마자 학생들이 조용해졌어요

= As soon as I started teaching, the students got quiet

PLAY 비행기 바퀴가 땅에 닿자마자 승객들이 자리에서 일어났어요

= As soon as the plane’s wheels hit the ground, the passengers got out of
their seats

PLAY 선생님이 조용히 하라고 하자마자 애들이 웃음을 멈추었어요

= As soon as the teacher said “be quiet,” the students stopped laughing

PLAY 내가 친구들한테 쇼핑을 하자고 하자마자 친구들이 다 바쁘다고 했어

= As soon as I asked my friends if they want to go shopping, they all said
that they are busy

PLAY 급행 열차가 도착하자마자 사람들이 무리하게 탔어요

= As soon as the express train arrived, people got on excessively

PLAY 선수들이 나오자마자 저는 소리를 질러 환호할 거예요

= As soon as the athletes/players come out, I am going to scream and cheer

PLAY 이 신제품이 나오자마자 우리가 특허를 신청해야 돼요

= As soon as this new product comes out, we have to apply for a patent

PLAY 이 붕대를 풀자마자 애기가 기어 다니기 시작해도 돼요

= As soon as you unravel this bandage, the baby can start crawling around

PLAY 공항에서 폭탄을 찾자마자 경찰관들은 그 폭탄을 처리해야 돼요

= As soon as the police find the bomb at the airport, they need to deal with
it right away

PLAY 인쇄가 다 되자마자 종이에 무엇이 쓰여 있는지 내용을 전달해 주세요

= As soon as the printing is all done, please tell me the contents that are
written on the paper
PLAY 이 정보를 이용하자마자 개인정보 보호를 위해 바로 폐기해야 돼요
= As soon as you use this information, in order to protect your personal
information, you should discard it right away

PLAY 부장님을 만나자마자 제가 저의 계약을 어떻게 연장할 수 있냐고

물어볼 거예요
= As soon as I meet the boss, I will ask how I can renew/extend my
contract

지금 버는 돈이 많지 않아서 내일 회사에 도착하자마자 연봉 인상을 요구할

거예요
= The money I make isn’t a lot, so as soon as I arrive at the office, I am going
to request/demand a raise in my salary

This grammatical principle is pretty straightforward, but there are ways we

can create a similar meaning using other grammatical principles. I would
like to discuss these in the next sections.

As soon as: ~는 대로

In Lesson 79, you learned about the noun “대로” and how it can be used to
indicate that one action is the same as some experience. For example:

예상한 대로 그 영화가 재미있었어요 = As I expected, that movie was funny

대로 can also be used to have a similar meaning as ~자마자. You can do this
by describing 대로 with a verb in the present tense by using ~는 것. For
example:

PLAY 집에 도착하는 대로 밥을 먹어야 돼요

= As soon as we arrive at home, I need to eat

PLAY 제가 가르치기 시작하는 대로 학생들이 조용해졌어요

= As soon as I started teaching, the students got quiet
PLAY 비행기바퀴가 땅에 닿는 대로 승객들이 자리에서 일어났어요
= as soon as the plane’s wheels hit the ground, the passengers got out of
their seats

Notice that only present tense conjugations are used in the first clauses here
as well.

Using this grammatical principle to mean “as soon as” is perfectly

acceptable, and Korean people say that the sentences with ~자마자 and
대로 have the same meaning. That being said, I feel that ~자마자 is much
more common than ~는 대로 – and I would advise against using ~는 대로 in
conversation. If you write a Korean test (TOPIK, for example), you might see
some questions asking for a similar form of “~자마자,” where the answer
will inevitably be “~는 대로.” But aside from that, I rarely see this form being
used.

Also notice that this is another grammatical principle that could easily be
confused with “~는데,” which you learned in Lesson 76 and Lesson 77.
Below are the different grammatical principles that could all be easily
confused because they all have identical pronunciations. The only way to
tell them apart is by context and understanding the situation of a sentence:

~는 데 – describing a place as “데” refers to a location

~는데 – setting up an upcoming clause while slightly negating the first one
~는 데 – indicating the amount of time or resources that were required to
complete an action
~는 대로 – indicating that one action is the same as some experience
~는 대로 – indicating that one action happens as soon as another action
happens

Now that you know about ~자마자 and ~는 대로, let me discuss how ~자 is
used.

Three meanings of ~자
In Lesson 44, you learned how to use ~자 at the end of a sentence to
suggest that a group of people do something together. When ~자 is used to
connect two clauses, it can have various meanings – one of which overlaps
with the meaning of ~자마자. I would like to separate these meanings into
three usages:

To indicate that one action occurs “as soon as’ another action does
~자 can be used to create essentially the same meaning that ~자마자
creates. Again, the speaker indicates that an action occurs “as soon as”
another action does.

When ~자마자 is used, it is possible that the actions have already

happened, or it is possible that they haven’t happened yet. For example,
look at these three sentences:

집에 도착하자마자 밥을 먹어야 돼요
= As soon as we arrive at home, I need to eat
In this sentence, “arriving home” hasn’t happened yet.

경찰관들은 범죄자를 찾자마자 기소할 거예요

= As soon as the police find the criminal, they will prosecute him/her
In this sentence “finding the criminal” hasn’t happened yet.

제가 가르치기 시작하자마자 학생들이 조용해졌어요

= As soon as I started teaching, the students got quiet
In this sentence, “starting teaching” has already happened.

~자 can replace ~자마자 to have a similar meaning when the actions have
already happened. Therefore, some of the sentences we created earlier
would work if ~자 were used instead of ~자마자. For example, all of these
sentences would be acceptable:

버스가 출발하자 사람들은 움직였어요

제가 가르치기 시작하자 학생들이 조용해졌어요
비행기 바퀴가 땅에 닿자 승객들이 자리에서 일어났어요
선생님이 조용히 하라고 하자 애들이 웃음을 멈추었어요
내가 친구들한테 쇼핑을 하자고 하자 친구들이 바쁘다고 했어
급행 열차가 도착하자 사람들이 무리하게 탔어요
However, in sentences where the actions have not already occurred, ~자
cannot replace ~자마자. For example, these sentences that we made earlier
would not be natural if ~자 replaced ~자마자:

경찰관들은 범죄자를 찾자마자 기소할 거예요

선수들이 나오자마자 저는 소리를 질러 환호할 거예요
이 신제품이 나오자마자 우리가 특허를 신청해야 돼요
이 붕대를 풀자마자 애기가 기어 다니기 시작해도 돼요
공항에서 폭탄을 찾자마자 경찰관들은 그 폭탄을 처리해야 돼요
인쇄가 다 되자마자 종이에 무엇이 쓰여 있는지 내용을 전달해 주세요
이 정보를 이용하자마자 개인정보 보호를 위해 바로 폐기해야 돼요
부장님을 만나자마자 제가 저의 계약을 어떻게 연장할 수 있냐고 물어볼
거예요
지금 버는 돈이 많지 않아서 내일 회사에 도착하자마자 연봉 인상을 요구할
거예요

To show a cause-and-effect
It is also possible that ~자 could be used to show a cause-and-effect
relationship between the two clauses. For example:

PLAY 바람이 불자 그 집이 쓰러질 것 같아요

= The house might fall down because of the wind blowing

PLAY 엄마가 소리를 지르자 아기가 깜작 놀랐어요

= The baby was surprised because the mother raised her voice

PLAY 물가가 비싸지자 사람들이 그 도시에 안 가요

= People don’t go to that city because the price of goods is getting
expensive

~자 is not as common as other ways to show cause-and-effect that you

have already learned. For example, in Lesson 37 and 38 you learned how to
use ~아/어서 and 때문에 to create this type of meaning. The sentences
above would more likely be said as:

물가가 비싸져서 사람들이 그 도시에 안 가요

물가가 비싸지기 때문에 사람들이 그 도시에 안 가요
 ——————————-

Let me just step in to provide my personal insight on this ambiguous

situation.

This is one of the reasons why learning a language can be so difficult. There
are always many, many ways that you can state the same thing.  Not only
that, but one thing can be used to have many meanings. For example, any
of the following could be ways to translate “because” into Korean:

~아/어서
~기 때문에
~(으)니
~(으)니까
~자
(and others…)

Not only that, but each of those could have different translations/usages
than “because.” For example, ~자 could be used to create any of the
following meanings:

– As soon as..
– Because…
– Let’s…
– And…
(and others…)

This is not related to the explanation of this lesson, but instead related to
the study of Korean (or any language) in general. I am including this here to
attempt to describe the ambiguity of languages. As a beginner of Korean (or
maybe any language), learners try to get definite, black-and-white answers
for what something means. They want to hear that “A means B, and C
means D.” However, languages don’t work like that. Instead, “A means B,
but it could also mean X and Y. And C means D, but it can also mean X and
Y.”

As you progress into more difficult (and real) Korean, the key to
understanding any sentence is context. When we see ~자 being used, it
might be very ambiguous if it is used to indicate a cause-and-effect
relationship or to indicate “as soon as.” For example:
엄마가 소리를 지르자 아기가 깜작 놀랐어요

What is the meaning of the sentence? Could it be:

1) The baby was surprised because the mother raised her voice, or
2) As soon as the mother raised her voice, the baby was surprised

I discussed a similar problem in my discussion with ~(으)니 (Lesson 81) and

the ambiguously similar meanings it can have. Is the Korean sentence above
best translated to the first English translation, or the second? The answer
isn’t as important as you would think. In both situations, the end result is the
same. If you heard that Korean sentence in a real conversation, you
wouldn’t stop the speaker and say “Hold on a minute – did the baby wake
up because the mother raised her voice? Or as soon as she raised her
voice?” In most situations, you wouldn’t need the clarification, and if you
did, the context would probably make it clear.

——————————-

To indicate that one thing is inherently two things

When ~자 is attached to 이다, the speaker can indicate that one noun is
inherently two nouns. For example, if somebody is a teacher and also a
student as well, they could say:

PLAY 저는 선생님이자 학생이에요 = I am a teacher and a student

Here are more examples:

PLAY 이 식사는 우리 점심이자 저녁이에요 = This meal is our lunch and

dinner
PLAY 요즘 핸드폰은 전화기이자 컴퓨터예요 = Cell phones these days are
phones and computers
PLAY 저의 남편은 저의 제일 친한 친구이자 제가 제일 사랑하는
사람이에요 = My husband is my best friend and the person who I love the
most

One common way that ~자 is used with 이다 like this is when the speaker
indicates that this is the “first and last” of something. For example:
PLAY 이것은 처음이자 마지막 기회예요 = This is the first and last chance
PLAY 그 사람은 우리 나라의 처음이자 마지막 왕이었어요 = That person
was our country’s first and last king

That’s it for this lesson!

Vocabulary

Nouns:
PLAY 풀 = grass
PLAY 단식 = a singles match (in sports)
PLAY 주거 = place of living, dwelling, residence
PLAY 야심 = ambitions, aspirations
PLAY 각도 = angle
PLAY 수납 = storage
PLAY 수납장 = closet
PLAY 청년 = young people
PLAY 징역 = prison
PLAY 실권 = power
PLAY 겉보기 = outward appearance

Verbs:
PLAY 베다 = to cut
PLAY 데우다 = to heat up
PLAY 욕하다 = to swear, to insult
PLAY 단식하다 = to fast
PLAY 남모르다 = for something to be secret or unknown to people

Passive verbs:
PLAY 베이다 = to be cut

Adjectives:
PLAY 과하다 = to be excessive
PLAY 분명하다 = to be clear, to be for definite
PLAY 미지근하다 = to be lukewarm
Adverbs and Other Words:
PLAY 아마 = probably
PLAY 한층 = much more
PLAY 남몰래 = secretly
PLAY 온종일 = all day

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn two grammatical principles that can are
commonly used with the verb 알다 (to know). First, you will learn about ~ㄹ
/을 줄 알다, and second you will learn about ~다시피. Let’s get started.

To know (how to): ~ㄹ/을 줄 알다

By placing ~ㄹ/을 줄 알다 after a verb, you can indicate that one “knows
how” to do that action. For example:

각도를 잴 줄 알아요 = I know how to measure the angle

김밥을 만들 줄 알아요 = I know how to make 김밥
한국말로 욕을 할 줄 알아요 = I know how to swear in Korean
저는 그것을 할 줄 알아요 = I know how to do that

It is common to use this type of sentence as a question to ask if one “knows

how” to do an action. For example:

각도를 잴 줄 알아요? = Do you know how to measure the angle?

김밥을 만들 줄 알아요? = Do you know how to make 김밥?
한국말로 욕을 할 줄 알아요? = Do you know how to swear in Korean?
그것을 할 줄 알아요? = Do you know how to do that?

“줄” is one of these special nouns like “수” in ~ㄹ/을 수 있다 and “적” in ~ㄴ/
은 적이 있다 that can only be described by something in the ~는 것 form.
You can also use the word “모르다” (to not know) instead of “알다” to state
that one “does not know how” to do an action. For example:

각도를 잴 줄 몰라요 = I don’t know how to measure the angle

김밥을 만들 줄 몰라요 = I don’t know how to make 김밥
한국말로 욕을 할 줄 몰라요 = I don’t know how to swear in Korean
저는 그것을 할 줄 몰라요 = I don’t know how to do that

It is also possible to use “모르다” to create a question. For example:

각도를 잴 줄 몰라요? = You don’t know how to measure the angle

김밥을 만들 줄 몰라요? = You don’t know how to make 김밥?
한국말로 욕을 할 줄 몰라요? = You don’t know how to swear in Korean?
그것을 할 줄 몰라요? = You don’t know how to do that?

————————————

There is another meaning that can be created by describing 줄. When

creating this meaning, it is possible for the word describing 줄 to be in the
past, present, or future tense.

When used this way, the speaker is stating that that he/she just realized
something is not true – but because of some lapse in judgment, originally
thought that it was true. It is hard to describe with words, so I will describe
an example from my real life.

One day, I went to buy some 김밥 worth 2,000 won. When I paid the lady,
she gave me a weird look. She looked at me and said something like “aren’t
you going to give me more money?” After a minute of confusion, she looked
down and said:

아~ 미안해요~ 천원만 준 줄 알았어요 = Oh, sorry, I thought you only gave

me 1,000 won
(Notice that 주다 is describing 줄 in the past tense using ~ㄴ/은)

Another example would be if I was talking to somebody in my school using

the low respect form of speech. Afterwards, I realize that the person that I
am speaking to is not a student but is actually a teacher (which could
actually happen in Korea because some people look really young). In this
scenario, I could say:

미안해요~ 학생인 줄 알았어요 = Sorry, I thought you were a student

(Notice that 이다 is describing 줄 in the present tense using ~ㄴ/은)
(Also remember that the rules of describing a noun are different for verbs
and adjectives/이다.)

Notice that the English translation for the sentence above could be the same
as a quoted sentence using 생각하다. For example:

학생이라고 생각했어요 = I thought you were a student

In order for you to understand the purpose of “줄,” let’s talk about the
difference between:

학생인 줄 알았어요 = I thought you were a student

학생이라고 생각했어요 = I thought you were a student

The difference between the two is that ~ㄹ/을 줄 알다 implies that there
was a lapse in judgment that caused the speaker to make a mistake.
Whereas “~ㄴ/다고” just expresses that the speaker thought something. For
example:

그녀가 예쁘다고 생각했어요 = I thought she was pretty

This would be used if your opinion was that the girl is actually pretty.

그녀가 예쁜 줄 알았어요 = (Oh,) I thought she was pretty

This would be used if you originally thought the girl was pretty, but
because of some lapse in judgment (maybe you saw her from far away
and couldn’t see her very well). However, when you get new information
(maybe you saw her close up, or your friends told you that she is not
pretty), you now realize that she actually isn’t pretty.

Depending on when the action that was mistaken occurs, it is possible to

describe “줄” in the past, present or future tense. For example:

아버지가 저에게 돈을 준 줄 알았어요 = I thought that dad gave me money

The speaker, for some reason, had a lapse in judgment and mistakenly
thought that his dad gave him money

아빠가 저에게 돈을 주는 줄 알았어요 = I thought that dad is/was giving me

money
The speaker, for some reason, had a lapse in judgment and mistakenly
thought that his dad is giving him money

아빠가 저에게 돈을 줄 줄 알았어요 = I thought that dad will give me money

The speaker, for some reason, had a lapse in judgment and mistakenly
thought that his dad will give him money

Below are many examples where 줄 is being described in the past tense:

저한테 욕한 줄 알았어요  = I thought you swore at me

아빠가 풀을 이미 벤 줄 알았어요 = I thought dad already cut the grass
저의 손가락이 그 칼에 베인 줄 알았어요 = I thought my finger got cut by
the knife
물이 미지근해서 아빠가 물을 데운 줄 알았어요 = I thought dad heated up
the water cause it was lukewarm
그 남자가 남몰래 바람을 피우고 와이프와 이혼한 줄 알았어요 = I thought
that man got a divorce with his wife because he had an affair without
anybody knowing

Below are many examples where 줄 is being described in the present tense:

그 사람들이 온종일 단식하는 줄 알았어요

= I thought those people fasted all day

그 선수가 단식 테니스만 잘하는 줄 알았어요

= I thought that player was only good at singles tennis

캐나다에서 영국 왕비가 실권을 쥐는 줄 알았어요

= I thought the Queen of England held all the power in Canada

그 선물을 겉보기로만 봐서 나쁜 선물인 줄 알았어요

= By only looking at the outside appearance, I thought you got me a bad
present
그 청년이 야심이 많은 줄 알았는데 어떻게 5 년 동안 징역을 살았어요?
= I thought that boy had lots of aspirations, how could he have been in
prison for five years?

The English translations of the verb seem to be more natural when

translated into the past tense. However, in the above examples, realize
that 줄 is being described by something in the present tense.

Below are many examples where 줄 is being described in the future tense:

내가 죽을 줄 알았어 = I thought I was going to die

우리가 내일 갈 줄 알았어 = I thought we were going tomorrow
나한테 돈을 줄 줄 알았어 = I thought you were going to give me money
옷을 수납장에 넣을 줄 알았어요 = I thought you would put the clothes in
the closet

민지가 미국 대학교에 갈 줄 알았어

= I thought 민지 would be going to an American university

우리에게 남모르는 비밀을 말할 줄 알았어요

= I thought you were going to tell us some secret that nobody knows

여자 친구에게 과하게 욕을 해서 분명히 헤어질 줄 알았어요

= I thought for sure that your girlfriend would break up with you for
swearing at her too much

저번 훈련을 통해 그 선수의 실력이 한층 더 좋아질 줄 알았어요

= I thought that athlete’s ability would be much better because of the
training last time

The speaker can use 모르다 in place of 알다 to indicate that

something is true – but because of some lapse in judgment, he/she
originally thought that it wasn’t true. For example, look at the difference
between using 모르다 and 알다 in the following examples:

그녀가 예쁜 줄 알았어요 = I thought she was pretty

This would be used if you originally thought the girl was pretty, but
because of some lapse in judgment (maybe you saw her from far away
and couldn’t see her very well). However, when you get new information
(maybe you saw her close up, or your friends told you that she is not
pretty), you now realize that she actually isn’t pretty.

그녀가 예쁜 줄 몰랐어요 = I didn’t know she was pretty

This would be used if you originally thought the girl wasn’t pretty, but
because of some lapse in judgment (maybe you saw her from far away
and couldn’t see her very well). However, when you get new information
(maybe you saw her close up, or your friends told you that she is pretty),
you now realize that she actually is pretty.

Other examples:

거기가 비싼 줄 몰랐어요 = I didn’t know it was expensive there

Originally you didn’t know it was expensive there, but you realized that
you were wrong – and it is actually expensive there

그 핸드폰이 좋은 줄 몰랐어요 = I didn’t know that cell-phone was good

Originally you didn’t know that cell phone was good, but you realized that
you were wrong – and it actually is good

네가 가고 싶지 않다고 한 줄 몰랐어 = I didn’t know you said you didn’t

wanted to go This is a confusing example, but it could still be used.
Originally you didn’t know that he/she said she didn’t want to go – but
now you realize that she said she didn’t want to go])

Referring to a Listener’s Perception: ~다시피

~다시피 can be used to refer to a listener’s perceptions. Technically the

thing that connects to the word is “~다시피.” The “다” is not part of the stem
of the word, but actually part of the grammatical principle itself.

~다시피 is most commonly added to 알다 to refer to what the listener

knows. For example:

너도 알다시피… = As you know…

선생님도 알다시피… = As you (teacher) know…
As you can see, ~도 is commonly added to the person. In addition to the
speaker, the listener “also” knows.

In times when the listener deserves a high amount of respect, it is common

to also include the formal ~(으)시, which you learned in Lesson 39. For
example:

선생님도 아시다시피… = As you (teacher) know…

부장님도 아시다시피… = As you (boss) know…

~다시피 is often added to 보다 to refer to what the listener sees. For

example:

너도 보다시피… = As you (can) see…

선생님도 보시다시피… = As you (teacher) (can) see…
부장님도 보시다시피… = As you (boss) (can) see…

You can use these constructions to refer to what the listener knows or is
looking at in sentences. For example:

부장님도 아시다시피 저는 내일 출장을 가야 돼요

= As you know, I have to go on a business trip tomorrow

너도 알다시피 나는 돈이 없어서 그것을 못 사

= As you know, I have no money, so I can’t buy that

너도 보다시피 우리 집 상황이 매우 안 좋아
= As you can see, the situation of our house is really not good

선생님도 보시다시피 제 가방에 아무것도 없어요

= As you can see, there is nothing in my bag

That’s it for this lesson!

Vocabulary

Nouns:
PLAY 핵심 = main point, key point
PLAY 농약 = pesticides
PLAY 소음 = noise from something, racket
PLAY 영역 = territory
PLAY 파업 = a (workers) strike
PLAY 교포 = a foreign-born Korean
PLAY 절벽 = cliff
PLAY 영수증 = receipt
PLAY 주전자 = kettle
PLAY 농산물 = crops, agriculture products
PLAY 눈사람 = snowman
PLAY 관광지 = tourist attraction
PLAY 고춧가루 = red pepper powder

Verbs:
PLAY 중단하다 = to halt, to stop in the middle of
PLAY 부양하다 = to support financially
PLAY 교대하다 = to take turns, take over
PLAY 구별하다 = to distinguish

Adjectives:
PLAY 인색하다 = to be cheap (with money)
PLAY 울퉁불퉁하다 = to be bumpy (road/ground/etc)

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 금년 = this year, the present year

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn how to use the word 아니라 (from the word
아니다) to negate a preceding noun. In doing so, you will also see how you
can negate an entire clause by applying ~는 것 to a verb, adjective or 이다.
Let’s get started.
 

Something is, while something isn’t: 이/가 아니라

You learned way back in Lesson 8 that you can use the word “아니다” to
indicate that something is not something. For example:

PLAY 저는 선생님이 아니에요 = I am not a teacher

PLAY 나는 너의 친구가 아니야 = I am not your friend
PLAY 여기는 관광지가 아니에요 = Here (this place) is not a tourist attraction

Remember that ~이/가 should be attached to the noun before 아니다.

By replacing “다” with “~라,” you can create “아니라,” which can be placed
between two clauses. The speaker uses “아니라” to contrast the two
clauses – indicating that the first thing is not something, and the
second is something. For example, if we look at a very simple sentence:

PLAY 그 사람은 학생이 아니라 선생님이에요

In this sentence, the speaker is indicating that the person is not a student,
and is a teacher. For example:

PLAY 그 사람은 학생이 아니라 선생님이에요 = That person is not a student,

he is a teacher

아니라 cannot be conjugated into the past or future – rather, the final clause
will indicate the tense. For example:

PLAY 제가 선생님이 아니라 학생을 도와주는 사람이에요

= I am not a teacher, I’m a student helper

PLAY 제가 선생님이 아니라 학생을 도와주는 사람이었어요

= I wasn’t a teacher, I was a student helper

Below are many more examples:

PLAY 저것은 사람이 아니라 눈사람이에요
= That is not a person, it is a snowman

PLAY 그게 쓰레기가 아니라 저의 영수증이에요

= That is not garbage, it is my receipt

PLAY 지금 뿌리는 것이 농약이 아니라 그냥 물이에요

= The thing that I am spraying now is not pesticide, it is just water

PLAY 가장 맛있는 한식은 김치가 아니라 삼겹살이에요

= The most delicious Korean food isn’t Kimchi, it is 삼겹살

PLAY 지금 냄비에 넣는 게 소금이 아니라 고춧가루예요

= The thing I am putting in the pot now is not salt, it is red pepper powder

PLAY 집이 바다에서 가깝지만 집 근처가 해변이 아니라 절벽이에요

= The house is close to the ocean, but near our house isn’t a beach, it is a
cliff

PLAY 여기는 캐나다 영역이 아니라 미국 대사관이라서 미국 영역이에요

= This place (here) is not Canadian territory, because it is the American
embassy, it is American territory

PLAY 여기서 사는 것에 있어서 문제가 공장에서 나는 소음이 아니라

공장에서 나는 냄새요
= The problem about living here is not the noise coming from the factory, it
is the smell coming from the factory

Notice that these types of sentences could easily be confused with adding ~
라(서) to 아니다 to indicate the cause of something. You saw sentences like
this created in Lesson 37. For example:

저는 선생님이 아니라(서) 그것을 잘 몰라요 = I don’t know that because I’m

not a teacher

In the next section, I will introduce how 아니라 can be used not just after a
simple noun, but how it can also be used after a noun described using ~는
것.
 

A clause is, while another clause isn’t: ~는 게 아니라

In Lesson 26, you learned how to describe a noun using a verb or adjective
using ~는 것. It is common to create one of these nouns and use it
immediately before 아니라. This allows the speaker to contrast the two
clauses before and after 아니라 – indicating that one clause
is not something, while the other clause is. For example:

PLAY 저는 밥을 먹는 것이 아니라 공부하고 있어요  = I’m not eating, I’m

studying
PLAY 그 여자는 예쁜 것이 아니라 못생겼어요 = That girl isn’t pretty, she is
ugly

In practice (not just with this grammatical principle, but all the time in
Korean) 것이 can be condensed to 게. When using 아니라 to negate a prior
clause, this is almost always done. For example, the sentences above would
sound more natural if 것이 were replaced with 게:

PLAY 저는 밥을 먹는 게 아니라 공부하고 있어요 = I’m not eating, I’m

studying
PLAY 그 여자는 예쁜 게 아니라 못생겼어요 = That girl isn’t pretty, she is
ugly

Below are many more examples:

PLAY 저는 인색한 게 아니라 그냥 돈이 없어요

= I’m not cheap, I just don’t have any money

PLAY 파업을 금년에 하는 게 아니라 내년에 할 거예요

= We don’t go on strike this year, we will do it next year

PLAY 길이 울퉁불퉁한 게 아니라 네가 운전을 못하는 거야

= It is not that the road is bumpy, it is that you can’t drive well
PLAY 주전자가 망가진 게 아니라 버튼을 안 눌러서 안된 거예요
= It is not that the kettle is broken, it doesn’t work because you didn’t press
the button

PLAY 우리 둘 다 같은 시간이 일하는 게 아니라 교대하는 거에요

= We don’t both work at the same time, we take turns doing it

PLAY 여기는 농산물을 파는 곳이 아니라 핸드폰을 파는 곳이에요

= This place isn’t a place for selling crops, it is a place for selling cell-phones

PLAY 저는 한국에서 태어난 게 아니라 캐나다에서 태어난 교포예요

= I wasn’t born is Korea, I am a foreign-born Korean born in Canada

PLAY 제가 그 사람을 싫어하는 게 아니라 우리는 그냥 잘 어울리지 못해요

= It’s not that I don’t like that person, we just don’t get along well

PLAY 이 숙제 핵심은 이 두 개를 구별하는 게 아니라 두 개를 설명하는

거예요
= The main point of this homework is not to distinguish these two things, it
is two explain them both

PLAY 제품 생산을 중단하는 게 아니라 그 문제를 해결해서 곧 다시 생산할

거예요
= It is not that we are halting production of this product, it is just that we are
fixing the problem and we will soon produce it again

PLAY 제가 한국에 가고 싶은 이유는 일하고 싶은 게 아니라 한국말을

배우고 싶기 때문이에요
= The reason I want to go to Korea is not to work, but to learn Korean

PLAY 이 문제를 해결하는 최선의 방법은 파업을 하는 게 아니라 우리가

만나서 문제를 어떻게 해결하는지에 대해 얘기해야 하는 것이에요
= The best way to solve this problem is not to go on strike, it is for us to
meet and talk about how we can solve the problem

————————————–

The first time I knew that my understanding of Korean grammar was getting
really good was when I was trying to make the following sentence:
“The reason I am learning Korean is not for my girlfriend, but for her
parents”

I wanted to say this sentence to a friend of mine, and I had never made a
sentence like it before. I would like to walk you through my thought process
when I first had to create a sentence like this.

As you know, you can use ~를/을 위해 to create the meaning of “for.” For
example:

저는 한국말을 저의 여자 친구를 위해 배우고 있어요 = I am learning Korean

for my girlfriend

You should also know by now that “위해” is actually an adjective (the fact
that it is an adjective instead of a verb is irrelevant aside from the fact that it
has to be conjugated as an adjective) with a “dictionary” form of “위하다.”
Because it is an adjective, even though it is commonly used as “위해,” it can
also be used as “위한” to describe an upcoming noun – much like 대하다,
관하다, 관련하다 (Lesson 34), 의하다 and 인하다 (Lesson 78). For example:

이것은 저의 여자 친구를 위한 것이에요 = This thing is (a thing) for my

girlfriend

In order to make the sentence that I wanted to say, I used my knowledge of

위하다, ~는 것 and ~는 게 아니라 and came up with:

제가 한국말을 배우고 있는 이유는 저의 여자 친구를 위한 게 아니라 그녀의

부모님을 위한 것이에요 = The reason I am learning Korean is not for my
girlfriend, but for her parents

Note that you could just as easily say:

저는 저의 여자 친구를 위해 한국말을 배우고 있는 게 아니라 그녀의

부모님을 위해 배우고 있어요 = I am not learning Korean for my girlfriend,
but I am learning it (Korean) for her parents

Though those two sentences essentially have the same meaning, there is a
slight difference in emphasis in the two – the first sentence emphasizing the
reason why I am learning the language.
Anyways, I thought I would share that story of how awesome I am.

————————————–

The word “그것이” is often contracted to “그게” and is often placed before
아니라 to refer to a prior situation and indicate “it is not that.” For example:

PLAY 그게 아니라 나는 너를 그냥 보고 싶어 = It’s not that, I just want to see

you
PLAY 그게 아니라 저는 돈을 벌어야 돼요 = It’s not that, I just need to earn
money

But in these situations, there would always need to be some sort of context
that would create a situation where these sentences could be used.

Finally, the construction “다름이 아니라” is often used in some specific

formal situations. If one is talking to a co-worker/client/boss (etc…), people
usually start off by making small talk about some other (non-work related)
topic. If you want to stop the personal chit-chat and start talking about
some real facts/business/whatever, saying the phrase “다름이 아니라” is
similar to the English expression “alright, let’s get to business here.”

That’s it for this lesson!

Click here for a Workbook to go along with this lesson.

Click here for Korean Short Stories specifically tailored to learners at this
level

Vocabulary

Nouns:
PLAY 하품 = yawn
PLAY 부품 = mechanical part
PLAY 음악회 = concert
PLAY 보관소 = storage center
PLAY 분실물 = a lost item
PLAY 수리비 = repair cost
PLAY 짝사랑 = one sided love
PLAY 우등상 = the prize given to the winner or best of something
PLAY 중소기업 = small and medium enterprises

Verbs:
PLAY 대다 = to press against
PLAY 알아듣다 = to understand what one hears
PLAY 맡기다 = to entrust with somebody
PLAY 해내다 = to finish a job or task
PLAY 적용하다 = to apply rule, law, discount
PLAY 매매하다 = to buy and sell
PLAY 신용하다 = to trust
PLAY 우등하다 = to win, to be the best at
PLAY 임대하다 = to lease, to rent

Adjectives:
PLAY 싱겁다 = for something to be tasteless, flat or dull
PLAY 정숙하다 = to be quiet, mature and virtuous
PLAY 애매하다 = to be ambiguous

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn how to add ~기로 하다 to the end of a sentence
or clause to indicate that one “decides to do” an action. The usage and
translation are fairly straightforward, to the point that the construction can
almost be thought of as an idiom. However, I do feel that this is a
grammatical principle that deserves its own lesson. Let’s get started.

To decide to do: ~기로 하다

In Lesson 29, you learned how to add ~기 to words to change a verb or its
entire phrase into a noun. For example, look at the following sentence:
내가 친구를 공원에서 만난다 (to meet a friend in a park),

We can change this phrase into a noun by attaching ~기. For example:

내가 친구를 공원에서 만나기…

Now that this is a noun, there are various things that we can do with it. One
thing we can do is attach ~(으)로 to ~기 and finish the phrase with 하다. For
example:

내가 친구를 공원에서 만나기로 한다

When ~기로 하다 is added to the end of a clause like this, the speaker
indicates that he/she has “decided” to do that action. For example:

PLAY 제가 친구를 공원에서 만나기로 했어요 = I decided to meet my friend

in the park

The verb before ~기로 is always conjugated in the present tense, even
though the sentence usually describes an action that was decided to be
done in either the past or the future. For example:

PLAY 우리가 내일 만나기로 했어요 = We decided to meet tomorrow

PLAY 우리가 어제 만나기로 했어요 = We decided to meet yesterday

Also notice that the “하다” at the end of the clause is in the past tense, as
this form typically describes an action that was decided to be done. In other
words, the decision occurred in the past.

This is a straightforward principle that has a simple and accurate translation.

All I can do to help you now is show you a ton of example sentences:

PLAY 저는 선생님이 되기로 했어요

= I decided to become a teacher

PLAY 내일 친구랑 음악회에 같이 가기로 했어요

= I decided to go to the concert with my friend tomorrow
PLAY 지금부터 그 친구를 신용하지 않기로 했어요
= From now on I decided to not trust that friend

PLAY 애기가 이제 하품을 많이 해서 집에 곧 가기로 했어요

= I decided to go home soon because the baby is yawning a lot now

PLAY 이제 그 일을 다 해내서 한 달 동안 쉬기로 했어요

= Now that I have finished all of that work, I decided that I will rest for a
month

PLAY 우수상을 주는 역할을 교장선생님이 하시기로 했어요

= We decided that the principal will have/take/do the role of giving out the
top award

PLAY 정부가 그 규칙을 땅을 매매하는 중소기업에 적용하기로 했어요

= The government decided to apply that rule to small and medium
businesses that buy and sell land

PLAY 그 부품이 고장이 나서 수리비가 얼마인지 알아보러 가기로 했어요

= That part is broken, so I decided to go to the store tomorrow to see how
much the repair cost will be

PLAY 핸드폰을 아직 못 찾아서 내일 학교 분실물 보관소에 가기로 했어요

= I still haven’t been able to find my phone, so tomorrow I am going to go to
the school’s lost-item storage place (the lost-and-found)

PLAY 우리 집에 안 쓰는 방이 있어서 그 방을 학생들에게 임대하기로

했어요
= There is a room in our house that we don’t use, so we decided to rent it
out to students

PLAY 저는 그 여자를 아주 좋아하지만 짝사랑이라서 얘기를 안 하기로

했어요
= I really like that girl, but it is a one-sided love (she doesn’t like me), so I
decided to not talk with her

Notice in the sentence above that you can also apply this grammatical
principle to a situation that one decides not to do.
PLAY 저는 한국에서 태어났지만 태어나고 바로 미국으로 이사해서
한국어를 알아들을 수 없어요. 그래서 한국어를 이제 배우기로 했어요.
= I was born in Korea but moved to America right after I was born, so I can’t
understand Korean. Therefore, I decided to learn Korean now.

You will also find times where the word “결정하다” (to decide) is
substituted for “하다.” For example:

PLAY 서울에 지하철로 가기로 결정했어요

= We decided that we would take the subway to Seoul

I find myself using ~는데 (Lesson 76 and 77) to give information or context

as to why the action was decided. For example:

PLAY 어제 먹어 봤는데 너무 싱거워서 소금을 조금 넣기로 했어요

= I tried (eating) it yesterday, and it was too bland so I decided to put a bit
of salt into it

PLAY 저는 어제 학생들에게 설명했는데 내용이 조금 애매해서 다시 하기로

했어요
= I explained it to the students yesterday, but the content is a little
ambiguous so I decided to explain it again

PLAY 우리가 원래 내일 만나기로 했는데 우리 둘 다 너무 바빠서 다음 주로

연기했어요
= We originally decided to meet tomorrow, but we delayed it to next week
because we were both so busy

PLAY 원래 떡볶이를 먹기로 했는데 친구 한 명이 매운 것을 못 먹어서 다른

것을 먹었어요
= We originally decided to eat 떡볶이, but we ate something different
because one friend can’t eat spicy things

When an action placed before ~기로 하다 was originally supposed to

happen but doesn’t, the construction is often translated to “supposed to
do.” For example:
PLAY 원래 떡볶이를 먹기로 했는데 친구 한 명이 매운 것을 못 먹어서 다른
것을 먹었어요
= We originally were supposed to eat 떡볶이, but we ate something
different because one of my friends can’t eat spicy things

Pretty cool grammatical principle that will make your Korean sound really
good!

That’s it for this Lesson!

Vocabulary

Nouns:
PLAY 천재 = genius
PLAY 박쥐 = bat (the animal)
PLAY 유리 = glass
PLAY 침실 = bedroom
PLAY 형태 = the shape of something
PLAY 회장 = boss, chairman
PLAY 눈길 = a snowy road
PLAY 해물 = seafood
PLAY 해산물 = seafood
PLAY 재시험 = retest
PLAY 임산부 = pregnant woman
PLAY 보수적 = conservative

Verbs:
PLAY 섞다 = to mix
PLAY 지급하다 = to give somebody money, to pay
PLAY 폭발하다 = to explode

Passive Verbs:
PLAY 섞이다 = to be mixed

Adverbs and Other Words

PLAY 도 = temperature, degrees
PLAY 살짝 = slightly
PLAY 영하 = below zero (temperature)
PLAY 영상 = above zero (temperature)
PLAY 한가운데 = in the very middle

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn about the various usages of ~다가, which is
often placed between two clauses. There are many meanings that ~다가
can have, and it is often confused with other grammatical principles that
have similar meanings. Because of this confusion, this grammatical principle
has plagued learners of Korean for years. Let’s get started.

For one action to halt, and for another action to begin: ~ 다가

If you have come across ~다가 in some form before this lesson (I’m sure
you have if you are on lesson 88!) then you probably had some trouble
trying to understand exactly when this principle should be used. The
difficulty lies not only in its seemingly identical usages to other grammatical
principles but also in the different meanings ~다가 can create.

Understanding how and when ~다가 is used was probably the first time
that I understood a grammatical principle from deciphering its usage in
conversation/books rather than reading descriptions from dictionaries or
having people tell me what it means. The good thing about ~다가 is that it is
usually fairly easy to understand when heard/seen, which allows for
learners to grasp its meaning before starting to use it on their own. After
enough exposure, it is much easier to understand how it can be used – at
least that is the way it was for me. Because of this, instead of trying to use ~
다가 in sentences right away, I suggest listening for it in your Korean
conversations and looking for it in your Korean readings before immediately
trying to make your own sentences.
Nonetheless, I never had good explanations of the specific meaning(s) of ~
다가 when I was studying. Therefore, in order to help every other learner of
Korean, I am going to do my absolute best to explain the meanings in this
lesson.

~다가 is used to expresses that one action occurs after another. On the
surface, this sounds like many other grammatical principles (for example: ~
고, ~아/어서 or ~는데). However, let me start distinguishing ~다가 from
other grammatical principles by showing you two simple examples:

PLAY 학생은 열심히 공부하다가 잠이 들었어요

= The student studied hard and then fell asleep

PLAY 요리를 하다가 주방에서 불이 나서 급하게 가스레인지를 껐어요

= I was cooking, and then a fire started in the kitchen so I urgently turned off
the stove

When the verb before ~다가 is in the present tense (as in the above two
examples), the sentence implies that this action was halted (or cut short) –
and the subject performs the following clause. For example, if we look at
those two sentences again:

PLAY 학생은 열심히 공부하다가 잠이 들었어요

Here, the student was studying. However, this studying was halted/cut
short because he fell asleep

PLAY 요리를 하다가 주방에서 불이 나서 급하게 가스레인지를 껐어요

Here, I was cooking. However, this cooking was halted/cut short because
a fire started in the kitchen and I turned off the stove.

The examples above show ~다가 being attached to verbs, but it can also be
attached to adjectives as well. For example:

PLAY 날씨가 춥다가 갑자기 더워졌어요

= The weather was cold, and then suddenly became hot

When the first clause in conjugated in the present tense (as in the above
examples), the first action is halted, and therefore didn’t finish. Therefore,
the result of completing that action is often not stated in the upcoming
clause. Rather, the action that caused the first action to halt is often stated
in the upcoming clause.

A common English translation for these types of sentences is “while.” Note

that “while” can have many meanings in English, one of them indicating that
two actions progress along together (as is the meaning of ~(으)면서
from Lesson 62). When using ~다가, “while” one action is occurring,
something else happens which causes the first action to halt. Let’s look at
many more examples:

PLAY 침실에서 자다가 갑자기 돌아가셨어요

= While sleeping in the bedroom, he suddenly passed away
돌아가시다 is a formal way to say somebody dies. It is similar to “passed
away” in English.

PLAY 열심히 운동하다가 갑자기 쓰러졌어요

= While exercising hard, suddenly I collapsed

PLAY 제가 집을 청소하다가 잃어버린 열쇠를 찾았어요

= While I was cleaning the house, I found the key that I lost

PLAY 과학 천재가 실험을 하다가 실수로 집을 폭발시켰어요

= While the science genius was doing an experiment, he accidently blew up
his house

PLAY 재시험을 준비하다가 몸이 안 좋아져서 시험을 포기했어요

= While studying for the retest, my body/health became bad so I gave up
(studying for) the exam

PLAY 학생은 열심히 공부하다가 친구가 놀러 와서 친구랑 수다를 떨었어요

= While the student was studying hard, his friend came (to play) so (he
stopped studying and) they started chatting

PLAY 회장이 직원들을 월급을 지급하다가 시스템이 고장이 나서 다 못

했어요
= While the chairman was paying the employees, the system broke so he
couldn’t do it all
PLAY 사무실에서 일하다가 회장님이 들어와서 모든 직원들이 인사하려고
일어났어요
= While working at the office, the chairman/boss came in so all of the
workers (stopped working and) got up to greet him

It is possible to add ~았/었 to the word that is attached to ~다가. When this
is done, the action before ~았/었다가 completed before the action in the
next clause started. In these sentences, the end result of completing that
action is often stated in the upcoming clause. Let’s look at four actions that
we saw in sentences above with ~다가 and see how we can make
sentences using ~았/었다가 with those same actions:

PLAY 학생이 열심히 공부하다가 잠이 들었어요

= The student studied hard and then fell asleep
Here, the student was studying. However, this studying was halted/cut
short because he fell asleep

PLAY 학생이 열심히 공부했다가 친구를 잘 못 만나서 나쁜 학생이 되었어요

= The student studied hard, and then met bad friends and then became a
bad student
Here, the student completed studying before the next action of “becoming
a bad student” takes place. The act of “the student studying hard” was
completed – and him “becoming a bad student” is the end result of this
action completing.

————————

PLAY 요리를 하다가 주방에서 불이 나서 급하게 가스레인지를 껐어요

= I was cooking, and then a fire started in the kitchen, so I urgently turned
off the stove
Here, I was cooking. However, this cooking was halted/cut short because
a fire started in the kitchen and I turned off the stove.

PLAY 요리를 했다가 먹을 사람이 없어서 다 버렸어요

= I cooked, and because there was nobody to eat the food, I threw it all
away
Here, I completed cooking before the next action of “throwing it
away” takes place. The act of “cooking” was completed – and
me “throwing away the food” is the end result of this action completing.
 ————————

PLAY 침실에서 자다가 갑자기 돌아가셨어요

= Suddenly, while sleeping in the bedroom, he passed away
Here, he was sleeping. However, the sleeping was halted/cut short
because he passed away.

PLAY 그 침실에서 잤다가 그 다음 날에 아팠어요

= I slept in that bedroom, and then the next day I was sore
Here, I completed sleeping before the next action of “being sore” takes
place. The act of “sleeping” was completed – and me “being sore” is the
end result of this action completing.

————————

PLAY 열심히 운동하다가 갑자기 쓰러졌어요

= While exercising hard, suddenly I collapsed
Here, I was exercising. However, the exercising was halted/cut short
because I collapsed.

PLAY 열심히 운동했다가 운동을 그만둬서 살이 다시 쪘어요

Here, I completed exercising before the next action of “gaining
weight” takes place. The act of “exercising” was completed – and
me “gaining weight” is the end result of this action completing.

————————

Below are more examples:

PLAY 해물을 먹었다가 토했어요

= I ate seafood and then threw up

PLAY 박쥐가 날아갔다가 또 나타났어요

= The bat flew away and then came back (showed up) again

PLAY 저는 공무원 시험을 준비했다가 포기했어요

= I prepared to write the exam to become a government worker, and/but
then I gave up
PLAY 저는 그녀한테 데이트를 하자고 했다가 거절당했어요
= I asked her if she wanted to go on a date, and then I was rejected

PLAY 임산부가 전철을 탔다가 자리가 없어서 전철에서 내렸어요

= The pregnant woman got on the subway, and because there was no seat,
she got off

PLAY 날씨가 영하 10 도까지 떨어졌다가 다시 영상으로 올랐어요

= The weather fell to 10 degrees below zero, and then went back up above
zero again

PLAY 장모님이 한때 보수적이었다가 나이가 들면서 성격이 변했어요

= At one time my mother in law was very conservative, but as she got older,
her personality changed

————————

Let’s look at how ~다가 and ~았/었다가 can be different by studying their
usages with 가다 and 오다. Look at the following two sentences:

1) PLAY 저는 학교에 가다가 친구 집에 갔어요

2) PLAY 저는 학교에 갔다가 친구 집에 갔어요

In only one of the sentences above did I go to school.

1) In the first sentence, the action of “going to school” did not finish.
Here, while I was going to school, the action was interrupted/halted/cut
short and I went to a friend’s house.

2) In the second sentence, the action of “going to school” finished. Here, I

went to school, and then after that went to my friend’s house.

We can do the same with 오다. Notice how the endings of the following
sentences are different because of the context that 오다가 or 왔다가
creates:

PLAY 그 사람들이 가게에 오다가 버스가 고장 나서 돌아갔어요

= While those people were coming to the store (while they were on their
way), their bus broke down so they went back
PLAY 그 사람들이 가게에 아침에 왔다가 급히 떠났어요
= Those people came to the store in the morning and left quickly

————————

~다가 is commonly attached to 있다. “있다가” is almost synonymous with

“later,” as its construction literally implies “after we are here” or “after this.”
It can be used by itself, or in sentences. 조금 is often used before 있다가 to
indicate “just a little bit later.” For example:

Person 1: PLAY 언제 가고 싶어요? = When do you want to go?

Person 2: PLAY 있다가 = Later

PLAY 저는 조금 있다가 해산물을 먹으러 갈 거예요

A time frame can also be put before “있다가” to indicate how much later.
For example:

10 분 있다가 = 10 minutes later

1 년 있다가 = 1 year later

These constructions can be used in sentences. For example:

PLAY10 분 있다가 나가자! = Let’s leave in 10 minutes!

PLAY 우리는 아마 1 년 있다가 결혼할 것 같아요 = We will probably get
married in a year

———————————-

In order for you to get a better understanding of ~다가, let’s look at some
ways that ~다가 is commonly used incorrectly.

When we saw ~다가 attached to a verb in the present tense, that action
was halted (and not finished) because of some unanticipated event “coming
up.” It would not be correct to use ~다가 if that action finishes as planned in
the sentence. For example, the following would be incorrect:
재료를 다 섞다가 드세요
재료를 다 섞다가 10 분 동안 비비세요

In these sentences, the speaker gives the command to do something after

“the appropriate completion of mixing the ingredients.” In both examples, it
would be more appropriate to use ~고 or ~아/어서. For example:

재료를 다 섞고 드세요
재료를 다 섞어서 드세요
재료를 다 섞고 10 분 동안 비비세요
재료를 다 섞어서 10 분 동안 비비세요

If we want to use the first clause “재료를 다 섞다가” in a correct sentence,

we should insert some action that causes the first action to halt or be
interrupted. For example:

PLAY 재료를 다 섞다가 거품이 생겼어요

= While mixing all the ingredients, bubbles formed

PLAY 재료를 다 섞다가 떡의 형태가 변했어요

= While mixing all the ingredients, the shape/form of the rice cakes changed

The two sentences above could be correct, but they would probably be
used if somebody asked the speaker “why did you stop mixing the
ingredients?” When you use ~다가, the final clause usually indicates what
the subject does that interrupts the first action. In the two sentences above,
it could be assumed from context that the speaker “halted” the mixing of
the ingredients, but it doesn’t need to be specifically implied.

However, if I was just telling a story with no prior context, it would be

better for me to indicate what the subject does that interrupts the first
action. For example:

PLAY 재료를 다 섞다가 거품이 생겨서 멈췄어요

= While mixing all the ingredients, bubbles formed so I stopped

PLAY 재료를 다 섞다가 떡의 형태가 변하면 드시면 됩니다

= While mixing all the ingredients, if the shape/form of the rice cakes
changes, you can eat it
Notice that the underlined actions are performed by the same person who
is performing the action attached to ~다가. Again, usually sentences with ~
다가 indicate what the subject does that interrupts the first action. In
context, it is possible to not include this information, but without context, it
is usually included.

———————————-

Wow, that can be confusing. Let’s move on to another usage of ~다가.

The second action is caused by the first action: ~다가

This usage of ~다가 is very similar to grammatical principles that mean

“because,” like ~아/어서, ~기 때문에 or ~(으)니까.

The difference between ~다가 and the other grammatical principles learned
previously to mean “because” is that there often isn’t a direct connection as
to why the first clause causes the second clause. Instead, it is usually
implied that while one is doing the first action, something about that action
caused the action in the second clause to occur.

For example:

PLAY 제가 빨리 걷다가 발가락을 부딪혔어요

= I was walking fast and then (because I was walking fast) stubbed my toe

Notice the incredibly subtle difference between that sentence and the
following:

PLAY 제가 빨리 걸어서 발가락을 부딪혔어요

= Because I was walking fast I stubbed my toe

In the second example, you are indicating that the sole reason that you
stubbed your toe was because you were walking too fast – and there is a
direct connection between the two behaviors. However, in the first
example, you are indicating that you were walking fast – and while you
were walking fast, something about that action caused you to stub your toe.
I’ll talk about this ambiguity below, but first let me show you some more
examples:

PLAY 눈길을 걷다가 넘어졌어요

= I was walking on a snowy road, and then – something about walking on a
snowy road caused me to fall

PLAY 친구만 믿다가 결국 가족을 잃었어요

= I only trusted my friend, and then – something about only trusting my
friend caused me to eventually lose my family

PLAY 해물만 먹다가 식중독에 걸려서 병원에 갔어요

= I only ate seafood, and then – something about only eating seafood
caused me to get food poisoning and go to the hospital

PLAY 우리가 계속 얘기하다가 선생님의 말씀을 못 들었어요

= We were talking, and then – something about us continually talking
caused us to not hear what the teacher said

——————————

Here is my take on ~다가 and the trickiness of understanding its meaning.

Notice that it can be difficult to understand what meaning is being
expressed. For example, in the example we saw at the beginning of the
lesson:

PLAY 학생은 열심히 공부하다가 잠이 들었어요

This could actually have two meanings. The two meanings you have

learned would be:

PLAY 학생은 열심히 공부하다가 잠이 들었어요

= The student studied hard and then – something about him studying hard
caused him to fall asleep

Or
PLAY 학생은 열심히 공부하다가 잠이 들었어요
= While the student was studying hard, he fell asleep

How can we distinguish between the two? Well… look at both of the
sentences (in English). Despite there being a slightly different translation – is
the meaning that is being expressed all that different? In the first sentence;
the student studies hard, and then after that falls asleep. In the second
sentence; the student studies hard… and then while studying, he falls
asleep…

So… ask yourself… Are they really that different? Korean learners try to
distinguish these types of things, but really, they don’t need to be
distinguished. You are hearing this more and more in your Korean studies
these days. The meaning a sentence is heavily dependent on the context. As
always, use the context of a sentence to help you clarify the meaning. I
hope this has been an enlightening experience for you.

Adding ~다가 to ~에

In addition to the two meanings described above, you will often hear “~
다가” attached to “~에” when referring to a place. For example:

밥을 냉장고에 넣어 = Put the rice in the fridge

PLAY 밥을 냉장고에다가 넣어 = Put the rice in the fridge

유리에 붙여 주세요 = Please stick it on the glass

PLAY 유리에다가 붙여 주세요 = Please stick it on the glass

재료를 그릇에 섞어 = Mix the ingredients in the bowl

PLAY 재료를 그릇에다가 섞어 = Mix the ingredients in the bowl

돈을 탁자에 놓았어요 = I put the money on the table

PLAY 돈을 탁자에다가 놓았어요 = I put the money on the table
펜을 어디에 두었어요? = Where did you put/leave the pen?
PLAY 펜을 어디에다가 두었어요? = Where did you put/leave the pen?

이불을 다 침실에 넣었어요 = I put the blankets in the bedroom

PLAY 이불을 다 침실에다가 넣었어요 = I put the blankets in the bedroom

팔에 로션을 살짝 발랐어요 = I applied a little bit of lotion (slightly) to my

arm
PLAY 팔에다가 로션을 살짝 발랐어요 = I applied a little bit of lotion
(slightly) to my arm

의자를 방 한가운데에 두고 와요 = Put the chair in the middle of the room

and come (back)
PLAY 의자를 방 한가운데에다가 두고 와요 = Put the chair in the middle of
the room and come (back)

Korean people would say that the sentences above with ~에 and ~에다가
sound identical and have identical meanings.

———————————-

As ~에 is often omitted in words like “여기,” “저기,” 거기,” and “어디”, ~다가
is often added directly to those words. Here we can see these constructions
in sentences:

PLAY 밥을 여기다가 넣어 = Put the rice here

PLAY 거기다가 붙여 주세요 = Please stick it there
PLAY 이불을 다 저기다가 넣었어요 = I put the blankets there
PLAY 펜을 어디다가 두었어요? = Where did you put/leave the pen?

———————————-

~에다가 isn’t used when somebody goes to a place, for example:

While “나는 집에 갔어요” would be natural, “나는 집에다가 갔어요” would

be unnatural.

———————————-
Although I expressed that ~에 and ~에다가 can have the same meaning, ~
에다가 is more likely to be used when one thing is being added to
something else. For example:

PLAY 저는 샌드위치에다가 김치를 넣었어요 = I put kimchi in the sandwich

(~에다가 implies here that there is already some other stuff in the sandwich,
and you are adding even more stuff to it)

PLAY 커피에다가 설탕을 넣었어요 = I put sugar in my coffee

(~에다가 implies that there was already something there [essentially, the
coffee was already there], and that you are putting more stuff [the sugar]
into what is already there.)

An example that I used today actually, was when I was getting my lunch at
my school’s cafeteria. I had my tray out, and an 아주머니 always puts the
fruit on our tray for us. By the time I got to her, my tray was full, so I asked
her if she should put the fruit next to my rice (where there was a small
place left over). So, I said:

여기에다가 두세요 = Please, put it here

(implying that she is putting the fruit in a place where there is already
something there)

That’s it for this lesson!

Vocabulary

Nouns:
PLAY 화가 = painter
PLAY 밤중 = the middle of the night
PLAY 모음 = vowel
PLAY 자음 = consonant
PLAY 인삼 = ginseng
PLAY 성함 = a high respect way to refer to somebody’s name
PLAY 필통 = pencil case
PLAY 베개 = pillow
PLAY 강당 = lecture hall, auditorium
PLAY 일종 = one type of…
PLAY 성분 = ingredients, components
PLAY 앞니 = front teeth
PLAY 어금니 = molars
PLAY 자판기 = vending machine
PLAY 이민자 = immigrant
PLAY 연락처 = one’s contact information
PLAY 시아버지 = a woman’s father in law
PLAY 시어머니 = a woman’s mother in law

Verbs:
PLAY 비하다 = to compare to
PLAY 끼어들다 = to cut in-front of, to bud-in
PLAY 이민하다 = to immigrate

Adjectives:
PLAY 특이하다 = to be unusual, to be unique

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 생전 = in one’s whole life
PLAY 재작년 = two years ago, the year before last

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn a variety of new words and grammatical
principles that you can use in comparative sentences. Previously, way back
in Lesson 19, you learned how to make comparisons in sentences by using ~
보다. In this lesson, you will learn how 비교하다 and ~에 비해 can also be
used to make comparisons. In addition, you will learn how to compare
situations using orders of magnitude and fractions. Let’s get started!

To compare: 비교하다

Before we get into anything too complicated, I want to talk about the word
“비교하다” briefly. 비교하다 is an actual verb that means “to compare,”
which makes it different than ~보다. Where ~보다 is a particle that is
attached directly to a noun that is being compared, 비교하다 is a verb that
is conjugated at the end of a clause or sentence. 비교하다 can be used
simply in sentences to mean “to compare.” For example:

PLAY 저를 그 사람과 비교하지 마세요

= Don’t compare me with that person

PLAY 저의 시어머니가 저를 자기 딸과 항상 비교해요

= My mother-in-law always compares me to her daughter

PLAY 우리는 수업 시간에 이 화가를 옛날 화가하고 비교했어요

= During class, we compared this painter with painters from a long time ago

Notice that ~와, ~과, ~랑, ~이랑 or ~하고 should be attached to the noun
that the object is being compared with.

You can use the grammatical principles that you learned in Lesson 43 to
create sentences that say “if/when one compares.” For example:

PLAY 저는 그 사람과 비교하면 더 똑똑해 보여요

= If you compare me to that person, I look smarter

PLAY 이 차를 BMW 와 비교하면 이 차는 훨씬 싸요

= If you compare this car with a BMW, this car is much cheaper

PLAY 이 베개를 저것과 비교하면 이 베개가 훨씬 부드러워요

= If you compare this pillow with that one, this pillow is much softer

PLAY 다른 건강 식품과 비교하면 인삼이 몸에 더 좋아요

= If you compare ginseng to other health products, ginseng is better for your
body

You could use ~보다 (from Lesson 19) to create essentially the same
meaning as these sentences. For example:

PLAY 저는 그 사람보다 더 똑똑해 보여요 = I look smarter than that person

PLAY 이 차는 BMW 보다 훨씬 싸요 = This car is much cheaper than a BMW
The “비” in “비교하다” originates from the Chinese (Hanja) character 比
which refers to a comparison. Another Korean word where you can find
this character is 비하다 (比하다), which can be used to create sentences
similar in meaning (and structure) to those with ~보다. I will talk about this
in the following section.

Comparing with 비하다

비하다 is a verb that is similar in function to verbs like 대하다 (Lesson 13),
위하다 (Lesson 13) and 관하다 (Lesson 34). Let’s look at how these words
are used:

PLAY 그 회계사는 정부에 대해 나쁜 말을 했어요

= That accountant said bad things about the government

PLAY 저는 친구를 위해 빵을 만들었어요

= I made bread for my friend

PLAY 이 문제에 관해 회의가 있을 것이다

= There will be a meeting relating to this problem

비하다 is often used like these words. If you attach ~에 to a noun and place
비해(서) after it, you can compare that noun to something else. For
example:

PLAY 우리 아들은 또래에 비해 훨씬 똑똑해요

= Our son is much smarter compared to his peers

PLAY 한국어는 영어에 비해 모음이 더 많아요

= There are more vowels in the Korean language compared to English

PLAY 동물의 어금니가 앞니에 비해 더 강해요

= The molars of animals are stronger compared to their front teeth
PLAY 한국 인구는 캐나다 인구에 비해 조금 많아요
= The population of Korea is a little bit higher compared to the population of
Canada

PLAY 우리 학교는 다른 학교에 비해 영어 선생님이 많아요

= Our school has more English teachers compared to other schools

Orders of Magnitude: 배

Now that you know how to use ~보다, ~에 비해 and 비교하다 to make
comparisons, I want to teach you how to compare things by orders of
magnitude. For example, you already know how to create a sentence like
this:

I am stronger than you

But you haven’t been able to state that you are stronger by a certain order
of magnitude. For example, to create these types of sentences:

I am twice as strong as you, or

I am three times stronger than you

To create these types of sentences, “배” acts a counter of orders of

magnitude. Note that because we are counting things (we are counting
orders of magnitudes), the number before “배” should be a pure Korean
number – just like any other counter.

For example:

두 배 = twice (two times)

세 배 = three times
네 배 = four times

You can use these constructions in sentences to compare things by a

certain order of magnitude. For example:
두 배 더 강하다 = two times stronger (twice as strong)
다섯 배 더 똑똑하다 = five times smarter

These constructions can then go into sentences where appropriate. For

example:

PLAY 저는 저의 남동생보다 두 배 더 강해요

= I am twice as strong as my younger brother

PLAY 저는 재작년에 비해 돈을 두 배 더 벌고 있어요

= I am earning twice as much as I did the year before last

PLAY 이 자판기가 편의점보다 식품을 세 배 더 비싸게 팔아요

= This vending machine sells food products for three times the price (three
times more expensively) of a convenience store

PLAY 우리 학교 강당은 제가 다녔던 중학교 강당에 비해 두 배 더 넓어요

= Our school’s auditorium is twice as big/wide as the auditorium of the
middle school I used to attend

PLAY 캐나다 사람들은 그 나라 사람들보다 생전에 돈을 두 배 더 벌 수

있어요
= Canadians can earn twice as much money in their lives as people of that
country

PLAY 우리 학교 학생들은 같은 나이에 다른 학교 학생들보다 다섯 배 더

똑똑해요
= The students at our school are five times smarter than students of the
same age at different schools

PLAY 이 줄이 다른 줄보다 두 배 더 빨리 움직여서 사람들이 자꾸 이 줄에

끼어들어요
= This line is moving twice as fast as other lines, so people keep budding
into this line

In practice (in English and Korean), you don’t need to state what you are
comparing to – as often times constructions like “twice as much” or “ten
times as much” are compared to the implied present or original situation.
For example:
PLAY 그 동안 집값은 열 배 비싸졌어요
= During that time the price of went up ten fold

PLAY 우리는 두 배 더 빨리 가고 싶어요

= We want to go twice as fast

PLAY 밤중에 택시를 타면 가격은 세 배 더 비싸요

= If you take a taxi in the middle of the night, the price is three times more
expensive

PLAY 지난 10 년 동안 한국 생활 수준은 두 배 높아졌어요

= Over the past ten years, the standard of living in Korea doubled

Sometimes you will see ~(으)로 added to 배. My wife feels that the example
sentences above (without ~(으)로) are equivalent in meaning to the
sentences below (with ~(으)로). If anything, she says that the sentences
above would be more common. Nonetheless, these are grammatically
possible:

저는 재작년에 비해 돈을 두 배로 더 벌고 있어요
이 자판기가 편의점보다 식품을 세 배로 더 비싸게 팔아요
우리 학교 강당은 제가 다녔던 중학교 강당에 비해 두 배로 더 넓어요
우리 학교 학생들은 같은 나이에 다른 학교 학생들보다 다섯 배로 더
똑똑해요
캐나다 사람들은 그 나라 사람들보다 생전에 돈을 두 배로 더 벌 수 있어요
이 줄이 다른 줄보다 두 배로 더 빨리 움직여서 사람들이 자꾸 이 줄에
끼어들어요
우리는 두 배로 더 빨리 가고 싶어요
그 동안 집값은 열 배로 비싸졌어요
밤중에 택시를 타면 가격은 세 배로 더 비싸요
지난 10 년 동안 한국 생활수준은 두 배로 높아졌어요

————————–

If you want to use a number with a decimal, you can use the word “점” in
Korean which literally translates to a “point” or “spot.” Take note of how the
numbers below would be pronounced:
2.5 = “이 점 오”
3.6 = “삼 점 육”
10.4 = “십 점 사”

We can compare things by orders of magnitude using numbers with

decimals. The numeral is typically written instead of the words (for
example, writing 2.5 instead of 이 점 오) when writing numbers containing a
decimal. For example:

PLAY 그 주식 가격은 2.5 배로 올랐어요

= That stock’s price went up 2.5 fold

————————–

Now that you know how to compare things by orders of magnitude of

whole numbers, it would be good to learn how to do this with fractions. I
will talk about this in the next section.

Korean Fractions

Using fractions to say “one half,” “one third” or “one quarter” in Korean is
counter-intuitive as an English speaker. When creating a fraction in Korean,
the denominator (the number on the bottom) is said first, and the
numerator (the number on the top) is said last. Between the two, “분의”
should be said. For example:

2 분의 1 = one half
4 분의 1 = one quarter
5 분의 2 = two fifths
3 분의 1 = one third

“분” comes from the Chinese character 分 which (if you have been keeping
up with your Hanja studies, you should know) refers to a part or division.
Essentially, when you say something like “4 분의 1,” you are literally saying
“one part of four.”
A few things to note before we move on:

1) The Chinese numbers (일, 이, 삼, 사, etc..) are used when speaking these
numbers. For example:

1/4 is read as “사 분의 일”
2/5 is read as “오 분의 이”
1/3 is read as “삼 분의 일”

2) “의” is typically pronounced as “에” in these constructions. You might

want to check out our pronunciation notes of 의 to learn more about this
phenomenon. Korean people get confused about this as well, and often
think that “~에” should be attached to 분 when they write it because that’s
the way they pronounce it.

3) The constructions above show how those fractions would be spoken in

Korean. When writing those fractions, it could also be possible to write the
fraction.

4) When referring to a portion of some noun as a fraction, the fraction is

most commonly placed after the noun with ~의 attached to the noun to
describe the fraction. I talk about this function of ~의 as a way to describe
things in Lesson 23. For example:

“사람의 2 분의 1” = one half of people

“저의 친구의 3 분의 1” = one third of (my) friends
“이민자의 10 분의 1” = one tenth of immigrants

Grammatically, it is also possible to place the fraction before the noun. In

these cases, ~의 is typically added to the fraction so that it can describe the
noun. For example:

“2 분의 1 의 사람” = one half of people

“3 분의 1 의 친구” = one third of (my) friends
“10 분의 1 의 이민자” = one tenth of immigrants

Now that we know this, let’s look at ways that fractions can be used in
sentences.
 ————————–

Imagine your friend gives you a massive plate of food, and you know that
you won’t be able to eat it all. You want to ask him to only give you a
portion of the original amount of food. You could say that you will only eat a
fraction of that amount by saying the following:

PLAY 나는 그것의 3 분의 1 만 먹을 건데
= (but…) I’m only going to eat one-third of that

Notice here that the fraction we created is actually the object of the
sentence. Below are more examples where the fraction is the object of a
sentence – where the verb acts on the fraction:

PLAY 저는 그 영화의 3 분의 1 을 봤어요

= I watched one third of that movie

PLAY 화가가 전체 그림의 4 분의 1 을 벽에 그렸어요

= The painter painted one quarter of the whole painting on the wall

PLAY 저의 친구 연락처의 10 분의 1 을 잃어버렸어요

= I lost one-tenth of my friends’ contact information

————————–

Imagine you want to state that a certain fraction of something is made up of

one thing in particular. For example, if you want to state that there are a lot
of immigrants in Canada, you can indicate the amount of people specifically
using a fraction. For example:

PLAY 캐나다가 특이한 게 인구의 1/4 은 이민자예요

= The unique thing about Canada is that the population is one-quarter
immigrants

Notice here that the fraction we created is actually the subject of the
sentence. Below are more examples where the fraction is the subject of a
sentence:

PLAY 우유의 성분의 1/5 은 물이에요

= One fifth of the components/ingredients of milk is water
PLAY 요즘에 학생의 3 분의 1 은 그 필통을 가지고 있어요
= These days, one third of students have that pencil case

PLAY 아이폰이 일종의 컴퓨터인데 사람의 3 분의 1 이 핸드폰으로만 써요

= The iPhone is a (one) type of computer, but one third of people use it only
as a phone

PLAY 많은 사람들이 이 수업에 등록했는데 등록한 사람의 성함의 5 분의

일은 목록에 없어요
= A lot of people registered for this class, but one fifth of the names of the
people who registered aren’t on the list

————————–

If you want to compare something by a fraction of an order of magnitude,

you can describe the fraction with the thing that is being compared with ~의.
Following that construction, you can attach ~만큼 (which you learned
about in Lesson 72) to the fraction. For example:

PLAY 저는 제 친구 용돈의 1/2 만큼 받아요

= I get half the amount of allowance as my friend

When saying “1/2,” it would be more natural to simply use the word “반”
meaning “half.” However, in this lesson I am focusing on fractions.

It would also be acceptable to change the style of the sentence and use one
of the types of sentences that you have learned previously. For example:

PLAY 제가 받는 용돈은 제 친구가 받는 용돈의 2 분의 1 이에요

= The allowance that I receive is half of that of what my friend receives

It would also be natural to simply create the opposite of this sentence and
change the fraction to “two times” using 배. For example:

PLAY 저의 친구는 저보다 용돈을 두 배 더 받아요

= My friend gets twice the (amount of) allowance that I get

Below are more examples:

PLAY 우리 집은 강남에 있는 집의 4 분의 1 만큼 싸요
= Our house is a quarter cheaper than the houses in 강남

PLAY 우리 집값은 강남에 있는 집값의 4 분의 3 이에요

= The price of our house is three-quarters that of the price of houses in
Gangnam

This is math-related, and is confusing. Notice that I had to use different

fractions to refer to the same thing in the two examples above. In the first
example, I am using the adjective 싸다, which means I am indicating that
our house is 25% cheaper than houses in Gangnam. In the second
example, if I used the fraction “4 분의 1” that would translate to “the price
of our house is one quarter the price of houses in Gangnam” – meaning
our house is 75% cheaper than houses in Gangnam. However, by using
the fraction “4 분의 3” in the second example, I am indicating that it is 75%
of the price, but 25% cheaper – which is the same meaning as the
sentence above. Confusing, I know.–

제가 외국 사람이라서 친구들이 낸 돈의 1/3 만큼 냈어요

= Because I am a foreigner, I paid one third (of the amount of) the money
that my friends paid

제가 외국 사람이라서 제가 낸 돈은 친구들이 낸 돈의 1/3 이에요

= Because I am a foreigner, the amount (money) that I paid is one third the
amount (money) of that of my friends

————————–

Korean people would usually not use a fraction when talking about
distance. If referring to a distance in kilometers and the measurement was
smaller than one kilometer, instead of using a fraction they would refer to it
in meters. For example:

Half a kilometer = 500 미터 (“오백 미터”)

For distances between whole numbers of kilometers, they would use a

decimal. For example:

1.5 kilometers = 1.5 킬로미터 (“일 점 오 킬로미터”)

For example:

PLAY 우리는 어제 가게까지 1.5 킬로미터를 걸었어요

= We walked 1.5km to the store yesterday

————————–

That’s it for this lesson!

Vocabulary

Nouns:
PLAY 야당 = opposition party (in politics)
PLAY 여당 = ruling party (in politics)
PLAY 이익 = benefit/profit/gain
PLAY 수도꼭지 = tap/faucet
PLAY 식후 = after a meal
PLAY 식전 = before a meal
PLAY 한숨 = short sleep
PLAY 전용 = for use only by the noun before it
PLAY 수료증 = a certification for completing a class
PLAY 말대답 = talk back

Verbs:
PLAY 새다 = to leak
PLAY 맞서다 = to stand up against, to oppose
PLAY 도입하다 = to introduce an item
PLAY 반영하다 = to reflect
PLAY 재활용하다 = to recycle
PLAY 수강하다 = to take a course
PLAY 수료하다 = to finish a course

Passive Verbs:
PLAY 종료되다 = to be finished, completed, off

Adjectives:
PLAY 곱다 = to be beautiful
PLAY 촌스럽다 = for a style to look awkward
PLAY 꼼꼼하다 = to be meticulous

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 꼼꼼히 = meticulously/precisely

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In this lesson you will learn how to end sentences with ~잖아 or ~잖아요.
Though this is a very common ending in conversational Korean, English
speakers often cannot figure out exactly what it means. The main reason for
this is simply because it is hard to translate directly into English. In this
lesson, there will be many examples that describe specifically the situation
where this grammatical form can be used. Let’s get started.

The meaning of ~잖아(요)

As I already mentioned, adding ~잖아 or ~잖아요 to a word at the end of a

sentence is very common in Korean. The meaning that the construction
creates is very difficult to translate, but easier to describe. Therefore, when
reading the example sentences in this lesson, pay more attention to the
descriptions after the sentences that I provide than the actual translations.

~잖아 or ~잖아요 can be attached to verbs, adjectives or 이다 at the end of

a sentence. It creates a meaning that loosely translates to “as you know/you
know/don’t forget that…” In practice, this is used when you are talking to
somebody who already knows (or should already know) the fact that you
are stating, and you are asserting to this person that he/she knows (or
should know) this fact. A common word that you will find ~잖아 or ~잖아요
attached to is 맞다. For example:

PLAY 맞잖아요! = I told you it was correct! You should have known that this
was correct!
Description of when this would be used:

Imagine yourself with a friend, and somebody asks the two of you what the
capital of Canada is. You say that the capital of Canada is Ottawa, and your
friend says the capital is Vancouver. After debating for a bit, the person who
asked you the question says that the capital of Canada is in fact Ottawa. In
this case, you could say to your friend: 오타와가 맞잖아! = I told you
Ottawa was correct/You should have known that Ottawa was correct!

Similarly, if you know that the capital city of Canada isn’t Vancouver – and
your friend should have known that too, you could say:

PLAY 밴쿠버 아니잖아! = It’s not Vancouver! You should know that it is not
Vancouver!

————————-

Let’s look at other examples of ~잖아(요) being used. In order for you to get
the hang of the usage, I will provide detailed descriptions of the situation
where each sentence would be used:

PLAY 내일은 토요일이잖아요! 그래서 우리가 일찍 가야 될 것 같아요 = You

should know that tomorrow is Saturday, so we should probably go early!

Description of when this would be used:

Imagine yourself with a friend discussing what time you should go to the
park tomorrow. Because tomorrow is Saturday, you know that there will
probably be a lot of people at the park on Saturday. Your friend should also
know this, so you can use ~잖아(요) to indicate that this should be
information that is already know. Therefore, you can say to your friend:
“don’t forget/you should know that tomorrow is Saturday! So we should go
early because of that!”

 ————————-

PLAY 나는 돈이 없잖아! = Don’t forget that I don’t have any money/you

should know that I don’t have any money

Description of when this would be used:

Imagine yourself with your girlfriend but with no money (which I don’t
recommend, but it could happen if you forget your wallet or something).
You tell her that you forgot your wallet and therefore have no money on
you. Your girlfriend later asks you to buy her a cup of coffee, to which you
can respond “Don’t forget that I don’t have any money/you should know
that I don’t have any money!” Since you have already told your girlfriend
that you don’t have your wallet she should already know this information.

————————-

PLAY 윌리가 배고프잖아! = Willy is hungry!/You should know that Willy is

hungry/Don’t forget that Willy is hungry!

Description of when this would be used:

Okay, so my name is actually “Willy” and I heard this sentence this morning.
I will explain the situation of why it was used. I was at my wife’s house and
we were talking about what we were going to make for lunch. My mother-
in-law suggested that we make something small, to which father-in-law
responded “윌리가 배고프잖아!”

As I mentioned in the previous example – the important thing to remember

with this meaning is that the listener should already know the fact that is
being said. In this case, I am (actually) always hungry, and my father-in-law
was making an assertion to his wife that “don’t forget, Willy eats a lot and is
going to be hungry if we cook something small!”

 ————————-

~잖아(요) is also commonly used when one is describing some long

situation (like a story). When this happens (in any language) it is common to
provide some sort of back-story that is often common knowledge before
getting to the actual story. For example:

Description of when this would be used:

Imagine yourself at work the day after you were sick. You are at work, and a
co-worker heard from somebody that you went to the hospital last night.
He asks why you went to the hospital, and in your response you say
“remember/don’t forget/as you know I was sick at work yesterday… Then, I
went home and ate, and suddenly threw up, so I went to the hospital.”
Notice that in this example as well, the listener should know about the fact
that you were sick yesterday.

————————-

PLAY 선생님이 왜 화가 났냐고? 선생님에게 말대답을 했잖아! 선생님에게

그렇게 맞서면 당연히 선생님이 화가 나실 거예요 = Did you just ask why
the teacher was mad? You should know that (it is because) you talked back
to him! If you oppose the teacher like that, obviously he is going to get mad

Description of when this would be used:

Imagine you are talking to your friend, and he is telling you that he is in
detention at school. Your friend says to you that he doesn’t understand why
he ended up getting a detention. In response to this, you can tell him “you
talked back to the teacher!” Here, your friend should know that he talked
back to the teacher (of course, he was the one who did it). You can assert to
him that he knows this by saying “선생님에게 말대답을 했잖아.”

————————-

PLAY 수료증을 받고 싶으면 수료를 해야 돼요. 근데 당신이 수료를 아직 안

했잖아요 = If you want to get the class certification, you need to finish the
class. But, you should know that you didn’t finish the class yet

Description of when this would be used:

Imagine you are asking for a certification for taking a class. You are talking
with somebody in the administration office, who is trying to tell you that
you need to finish the class in order to get the certification. In this situation,
the person in the office can say “you should know that you didn’t finish the
class.”

————————-

PLAY 그거를 거기다가 버리지 마! 플라스틱을 재활용해야 되잖아 = Don’t

throw that (out) there! You should know that we have to recycle plastics.
Description of when this would be used:

Imagine you are with your son, and he throws his plastic bottle in the
regular garbage can. You taught him many times that recycling is important,
so he should know to throw the plastic bottle in the recycle bin. At which
point, you could say “you should know that we/you should recycle plastic.”

————————-

Below are many more examples without the long-winded description.

Notice that I use “you should know” to translate the feeling of ~잖아(요).
This isn’t a perfectly accurate way to describe the nuance of ~잖아(요), but
it is the best I can do.

PLAY 너무 촌스러워 보이잖아 = You should know that you look so

awkward!
PLAY 수도꼭지를 안 잠갔잖아! = You should know that you didn’t turn off
the water faucet!
PLAY 이 서비스는 이미 종료됐잖아 = You should know that this service is
already finished
PLAY 이 길은 자전거 전용 길이잖아요 = You should know that this road is a
road only for bicycles

PLAY 그렇게 하면 우리에게 이익이 없잖아요

= You should know that if we do it that way we will have no profit/benefit

PLAY 여당이 야당보다 권력이 훨씬 크잖아요

= You should know that the ruling party has more power than the
opposition party

PLAY 내일 우리가 그 제품을 도입할 거잖아

= You should know that we have to introduce that product tomorrow

PLAY 그 약을 식전 말고 식후에 먹어야 되잖아요

= You should know that you should take that medicine after a meal, not
before

PLAY 오늘 운동하자고? 나는 어제 한숨도 못 잤잖아!

= Did you say “let’s exercise today?” You should know that I didn’t sleep a
wink last night!

PLAY 선생님이 이 시험이 성적에 반영되지 않는다고 그랬잖아요

= You should know that the teacher said that this exam won’t show up on
our grade

PLAY 그 사원이 항상 꼼꼼하잖아! 이 일도 잘할 수 있을 것 같아

= You should know that that employee always works very meticulously. I
think he will be able to do this job well too.

PLAY 여기 물이 새잖아요. 그래서 우리가 테이프로 구멍을 막아야 돼요

= You should know that the water is leaking here. Therefore, we should
cover the hole up with tape

PLAY 제가 한 달 동안 꼼꼼히 수강을 했잖아요. 그래서 제가 환경 문제에

대해 많이 배웠어요
= You should know that I meticulously took the class for the past month. So,
I learned a lot about environmental problems,

————-

A few more things to be aware about before we finish:

Additional grammatical principles are never attached to the end of 잖아(요).

Therefore, you will always find it at the end of a sentence.

My wife always tells me that adding ~잖아(요) to the end of a sentence

makes it sound like you are being rude or mean. Almost as if you are saying
“I TOLD you it was like that!” Though she says this, I constantly hear people
using ~잖아(요) all the time without sounding or looking angry. Nonetheless,
she is telling me that you should be cautious if using this form to an elder or
to somebody who deserves high respect.

In a recent lesson, you learned about ~알다시피 and how it can be used to
mean “as you know.” Though ~알다시피 and ~잖아(요) have different
usages, their meanings are quite similar. Therefore, I suggest that if you
want to use “~잖아(요)” to an elder – consider using ~알다시피 first. For
example, if your boss asked you why you were late for work yesterday, you
could say:
PLAY 제가 어제 아팠잖아요! = Don’t forget/You should know that I was sick
yesterday

But if you say that sentence, you are (in a way) asserting to your boss that
he/she should know that you were sick, which might sound very rude.
Instead, you could say:

PLAY 부장님도 아시다시피 저는 어제 아파서 회사에 늦게 왔어요 = As you

know, I was sick yesterday, so I was late

If you said this sentence instead, it would sound much more polite and
probably wouldn’t get you in trouble.

————————

In addition to all of this, ~잖아(요) is commonly attached to 있다. This

construction should not be seen as the meanings of “있다” and “잖아(요)”
put together. Instead, “있잖아” or “있잖아요” can be thought of as one unit.
“있잖아” or “ 있잖아요” are commonly used at the beginning of sentences
when somebody is trying to think of what they want to say or if they are
indicating that they have something to say. For example:

PLAY 있잖아… 오늘은 재활용을 해야 되는 날이야 = So, you know,… Today

is the day to do recycling

That’s it for this lesson!

Vocabulary

Nouns:
PLAY 후계자 = heir/successor
PLAY 영리 = profit
PLAY 비영리 = non-profit
PLAY 의료 = medical treatment
PLAY 재단 = foundation
PLAY 품질 = the quality of a product
PLAY 물속 = inside water
PLAY 얼룩 = stain/smear/smudge
PLAY 국경 = border
PLAY 국경선 = border line
PLAY 이두근 = biceps
PLAY 삼두근 = triceps
PLAY 실내화 = slippers/house shoes
PLAY 냉방 = air conditioning

Verbs:
PLAY 숙이다 = to hang one’s body/head forward
PLAY 표시하다 = to express, show, indicate

Passive Verbs:
PLAY 중독되다 = to be addicted

Adjectives:
PLAY 끊임없다 = to be constant
PLAY 겸손하다 = to be modest
PLAY 화창하다 = for weather to be bright, clear, nice

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 끊임없이 = constantly

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn how to add ~거든(요) to the end of a sentence
or to connect two clauses. Like many grammatical principles in Korean, the
meaning of ~거든 depends on the situation and context of when it is used.
In this lesson, I will break down all the possible meanings of ~거든(요) and
explain their usages. Let’s get started.

 
 Teaching the listener what he or she doesn’t know ~거든(요)

In Lesson 37 you first learned how a speaker can indicate a reason using ~아
/어서. ~아/어서 usually connects two clauses to have the meaning
“so/therefore/because.” For example:

PLAY 저는 밥을 먹고 있어서 지금 가고 싶지 않아요

= I don’t want to go now because I am eating

PLAY 바닥이 추워서 실내화를 신었어요

= I put on slippers (indoor shoes) because the floor is/was cold

PLAY 우리는 비영리재단이라서 돈을 안 받아요

= We don’t accept money because we are a non-profit organization

Assuming the appropriate context, it would be possible to eliminate the

clause after ~아/어서. These sentences would normally be used in response
to a question asking “why” something is or is not occurring. For example:

Why don’t you want to go now?

저는 밥을 먹고 있어서… = Because I am eating…

Why are you wearing slippers?

바닥이 추워서…= … Because the floor is cold…

Why don’t you accept money?

우리는 비영리재단이라서… = Because we are a non-profit organization…

The examples above aren’t really full sentences in English or Korean, but
you will commonly hear them uttered given the correct context leading up
to them.

It is also possible to place ~거든(요) after a clause to provide reason. For

example, the three examples from above could be written as:

Why don’t you want to go now?

PLAY 저는 밥을 먹고 있거든요 = Because I am eating
Why are you wearing slippers?
PLAY 바닥이 춥거든 = … Because the floor is cold

Why don’t you accept money?

PLAY 우리는 비영리재단이거든 = Because we are a non-profit organization

Here’s an example from my own life. I was at hotel enjoying their breakfast
buffet one morning, and I noticed that my wife took about 10 macadamia
nuts from the buffet. I asked her “마카다미아를 왜 이렇게 많이 가져왔어?”
(Why did you take so many macadamia nuts?) To which she responded:

PLAY 마카다미아를 좋아하거든!

= Because I like macadamia (nuts)

Notice that those technically are not full sentences in English even though
they could be naturally spoken. Again, you would use sentences like this is
when somebody is asking a question, and you only need to provide a
reason. In other words, the speaker is providing information (or teaching)
that the listener doesn’t know. The context for giving the reason doesn’t
have to come from another person asking a question. It is also possible for
the speaker to provide his or her own context to later provide a reason for.
For example:

PLAY 저는 요즘에 너무 늦게 자요. 일이 많거든요

= These days I am going to bed too late. Because I have so much work.

In both situations, you can see that ~거든(요) is used to provide information
to the listener that the listener doesn’t know yet. In a sense, this is the
opposite function of ~잖아(요), which was discussed in the previous lesson.

~거든(요) is very easy to attach to verbs, adjectives and 이다 because no

irregulars occur when ~ㄱ is added to any stem. Below are many examples:

In the example sentences below, I made it so the speaker provides the

prior context that warrants him/her to say a sentence with ~거든(요).
 Again, it’s also possible that this information could be provided by another
person. This was done just for simplicity, and so that you can specifically
see that ~거든(요) is used to provide some sort of new information that
wasn’t previously known to the listener.
PLAY 문을 닫았어요. 이제 냉방 주이거든요.
= I closed the door. Because the air conditioner is running.

PLAY 셔츠를 입어야 될 것 같아요. 이두근이 너무 크거든요.

= Looks like I’d better put on a shirt. Because my biceps are too big.

PLAY 이 제품이 인기가 많아요. 품질이 아주 좋거든요.

= This product is popular. Because the quality (of it) is very good.

PLAY 컴퓨터를 쓸 때 고개를 그렇게 숙이지 마. 목이 아프거든

= When you use a computer, don’t bend your head forward like that. Your
neck will be sore(Korean people commonly use “

아프다” in the present tense to suggest that one does not do something
because he or she will get/be hurt. For example, if you were going to pick
up a heavy box, I could say “하지 마! 허리 아파!”

PLAY 오늘 우리가 밖에 나가야 돼요. 날씨가 아주 화창하거든요

= We need to go outside today. The weather is very bright and clear.

PLAY 트럼프 대통령이 미국과 멕시코 국경에 벽을 못 세워요. 국경이 너무

길거든요.
= Trump can’t build a wall on the border between America and Mexico. The
border is too big.

All of the examples so far have shown ~거든(요) attached to a word in the
present tense. You can also give the listener information about something
that occurred in the past by attaching it to ~았/었. For example:

PLAY 물속에 안 들어갔어. 너무 무서웠거든.

= I didn’t go into the water. Because it was too scary

PLAY 그 셔츠를 벗었어요. 얼룩이 셔츠에 생겼거든요.

= I took that shirt off. Because the shirt got stained (a stain came up)

PLAY 내가 멕시코 경찰에 잡혔어. 국경선을 넘었거든.

= I was caught by the Mexican police. Because I crossed the border
PLAY 이 화창한 날씨를 보니 기분이 아주 좋아요. 2 주일 동안 비가
끊임없이 왔거든요.
= I’m so happy to see this clear weather. Because it rained constantly for
two weeks.

PLAY 이제 직원들이 부장님을 아주 잘 하고 있어요. 부장님이 아직 자기

후계자를 지명하지 않았거든요.
= Everybody is being nice to the boss now. Because he hasn’t
chosen/designated his successor yet.

It is also possible to give the listener information about something that will
occur in the future by attaching ~거든(요) to ~ㄹ/을 것이다. For example:

PLAY 내일 못 가겠어. 친구를 만나러 서울에 갈 거거든

= Tomorrow I won’t be able to go. Because I’m meeting a friend in Seoul

PLAY 건강보험을 들어야 돼요. 거기서 의료를 못 받을 것이거든요

= We need to get insurance. Because we won’t be able to get medical
treatment there.

PLAY 담배를 피워 보지 마세요. 한번만 해 보면 바로 중독될 것이거든요

= Don’t try cigarettes (smoking). If you try it just once, you’ll get addicted.

Remember that 것 can be shortened to 거, in which case “이” in 이다 can

be omitted. In the example above, it looks like “~거든요” is attached
directly to “거.” In effect this is true, but this is a contraction of “갈
것이거든요.”

——————–

The examples so far have all ended with ~거든(요). As the addition of ~거든

(요) inherently implies that the listener isn’t aware of the information before
it, it is common for a sentence ending in ~거든(요) to set up for an
upcoming sentence. In other words, the sentence spoken after ~거든(요) is
usually something that now makes sense because the listener heard the
new information attached to ~거든(요). Let’s look at an example:

Imagine I just said this sentence:

제가 프랑스어도 할 수 있어요
= I can speak French as well

If you were to just say this sentence, the listener wouldn’t know how you
are able to speak French. However, by prefacing this with a sentence
ending in ~거든(요), you can provide information as to how/why you are
able to speak French. For example:

제가 캐나다 사람이거든요. 그래서 프랑스어도 할 수 있어요

= I’m Canadian. So, I can speak French as well.

In a way, the first sentence (the one ending in ~거든요) provides new
information to the listener that he/she can use to make sense of some
upcoming information. Below are more examples:

PLAY 일을 아직 안 했거든요. 그래서 오늘 회사에 가서 해야 될 것 같아요

I haven’t done that work yet. So, I’ll probably have to go to the office and do
it.

PLAY 어제 일을 다 했거든요. 그래서 오늘 할 일이 없어요

= I finished all of my work yesterday. Therefore, I have nothing to do today.

PLAY 오늘 친구를 만나러 서울 갈 거거든요. 혹시 같이 갈래요?

= I’m going to Seoul to meet a friend tonight. Would you like to go together?

PLAY 우리가 언제 할지 달력에 표시했거든요. 깜빡하지 말고 그 날에 꼭

와야 돼요
= I marked it on the calendar. Don’t forget, and make sure you come that
day.

It looks weird sometimes when you translate these sentences into English
simply because there is no perfect definition for certain grammatical
principles. The meaning of “providing information for the upcoming
sentence while implying a slight meaning of ‘because’” is the best I can do in
this case.

————–
In addition to this meaning, ~거든 can be placed between two clauses to
have the meaning of “if” or “when” similar to ~(으)면 or ~ㄴ/는다면 that you
learned about in Lesson 43. The difference is that ~거든 is more usually
used when the second clause ends with an imperative conjugation (when
somebody tells somebody to do something) or some other form of
suggestive ending.

However, this usage is not very common, but it does come up every once
and a while. For example:

바지가 너무 크면 교환해! = If the pants are too big, change them!

PLAY 바지가 너무 크거든 교환해! = If the pants are too big, change them!

숙제를 다 하면 알려 줘! = Let me know when you are done your

homework!
PLAY 숙제를 다 하거든 알려줘! = Let me know when you are done your
homework!

If you are studying for the intermediate TOPIK test, be prepared to answer a
question like the following:

Choose the grammatical principle that can replace the underlined section in
the following sentence:

길이 미끄러우면 버스를 타!

a) 미끄러운데
b) 미끄럽잖아
c) 미끄럽다가
d) 미끄럽거든

————–

Finally, it’s quite common for people to attach ~거든(요) to 아니다 to

express their disagreement with some fact. This is often done by the
younger generation and usually used when they are trying to thrust their
disagreement into the conversation. For example:
Person 1: PLAY 그 남자가 너무 잘생겼어 = That man is so handsome
Person 2: PLAY 아니거든! = No! (He’s not!)

Person 1: PLAY 그 사람이 아주 겸손했어 = That person is so modest

Person 2: PLAY 아니거든! = No! (He’s not!)

That’s it for this lesson!

Click here for a Workbook to go along with this lesson.

Click here for Korean Short Stories specifically tailored to learners at this
level.

All good with what you have learned in Lessons 84 – 91? Why not take
our Mini-Test where you can test yourself on what you learned in those
lessons!

Vocabulary

Nouns:
PLAY 댁 = one’s residence/home

PLAY 뇌물 = bribe

PLAY 상금 = prize money

PLAY 학과 = a department in school

PLAY 소득세 = income tax

PLAY 피로감 = fatigue

PLAY 피해자 = victim

PLAY 금메달 = gold medal

PLAY 삼각형 = triangle

PLAY 직사각형 = rectangle
PLAY 정사각형 = square

PLAY 동그라미 = circle

PLAY 미세먼지 = microdust

Verbs:
PLAY 따다 = to get, to obtain, to win

PLAY 닳다 = to be worn down

PLAY 갖추다 = to prepare, make preparations for

PLAY 비기다 = to tie in a match, game

PLAY 부과하다 = to impose, to levy

PLAY 강요하다 = to force, to impose

PLAY 이주하다 = to immigrate

PLAY 저지르다 = to commit a crime

PLAY 양치질하다 = to brush one’s teeth

Adjectives:
PLAY 피로하다 = to be tired, to be fatigued

PLAY 삭막하다 = to be dreary, desolate

PLAY 미세하다 = to be minute

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 깨끗이 = cleanly

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

 

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn about the Korean grammatical principle ~도록,
which has confused foreign learners of Korean for ages. I think the
confusion with this grammatical principal stems from the fact that there are
so many translations for the same Korean usage. I will break it all down for
you step by step, so you have no reason to worry. Let’s get started.

~도록: To cause a situation to occur

There are many ways that ~도록 can be translated to English. As is typical
with Korean, knowing what translation to use in English depends on the
situation in which ~도록 is used. Although the English translation might
differ, the Korean usage of ~도록 is actually the same in all cases. You might
be tempted to separate the uses of ~도록 based on their English
translations, but one of the goals of this lesson is to show that all of the
sentences with ~도록 have a common theme: ~도록 causes some situation
to occur.

Depending on who is causing what, or what is causing whom, or who is

causing whom, or what is causing what, the translation to English might be
different. Here we go.

Translation 1: So that, in order to…

~도록 can be attached to adjectives or verbs to have the meaning of “so
that” or “in order to.” For example:

PLAY 아침에 일찍 일어나도록 어젯밤에 일찍 잤어요

= I went to bed early last night in order to get up early in the morning
One way to look at this is to think that the clause before ~도록 (getting up
early) “occurs” because of the main action in the sentence (going to bed
early). This fits with my description above where I state that ~도록 causes
some situation to occur. This is also true for the sentences below:

PLAY 버스를 놓치지 않도록 정류장으로 뛰어 갔어요

= I ran to the bus stop so that I would not miss the bus

PLAY 학생들이 알아들을 수 있도록 천천히 말했어요

= I spoke slowly so that the students could understand me

PLAY 입 냄새가 나지 않도록 매일 양치질을 열심히 해요

= I brush my teeth well everyday so that my mouth/breath doesn’t smell

PLAY 내일 할머니 댁에 일찍 갈 수 있도록 짐을 미리 다 쌌어요

= I packed all of my bags so that I can go to grandma’s house early
tomorrow

PLAY 엄마 아빠에게 칭찬을 받을 수 있도록 방을 깨끗이 청소했어요

= I cleaned my room (cleanly) so that I could receive praise from mom and
dad

PLAY 미세먼지가 심한 날에 목이 아프지 않도록 꼭 마스크를 써야 돼요

= On days that the micro-dust is severe, you should definitely wear a mask
so that your throat doesn’t get sore

PLAY 그 범죄자는 범죄를 저지를 때 피해자가 자기를 알아볼 수 없도록

마스크를 써요
= The criminal wears a mask so that the victims can’t recognize him when
he commits a  crime

This meaning of ~도록 is very commonly seen in signs around Korea. For
example, you may see signs that say:

PLAY 다른 승객들이 불편하지 않도록 신문을 읽지 마세요

= Please don’t read a newspaper on the train so that other passengers are
not uncomfortable

There is a sign at the gym that I work out at that has the following message:
PLAY 모든 회원님들이 사용할 수 있도록 긴 시간 동안 기구를 사용하지
마세요
= Don’t use a machine for a long time so that all members can use them

—————

Recall that one of the usages of ~게 (from Lesson 56) is to create this same
meaning. ~도록 can be replaced with ~게 in all of the above sentences. For
example:

버스를 놓치지 않게 정류장으로 뛰어 갔어요

학생들이 알아들을 수 있게 천천히 말했어요
입 냄새가 나지 않게 매일 양치질을 열심히 해요
내일 할머니 댁에 일찍 갈 수 있게 짐을 미리 다 쌌어요
미세먼지가 심한 날에 목이 아프지 않게 꼭 마스크를 써야 돼요
그 범죄자는 범죄를 저지를 때 피해자가 자기를 알아볼 수 없게 마스크를
써요

Although ~도록 and ~게 can be used interchangeably in these types of

sentences, you are more likely to see ~도록 on signs and in formal writing. I
would much rather say “~게” in my sentences over “~도록.” If you plan on
taking a TOPIK test, you’ll find that there are commonly questions asking
you to replace ~도록 with a grammatical principle that has the same
meaning. For example, the question might ask what can replace the
underlined section below to have the same meaning:

버스를 놓치지 않도록 정류장으로 뛰어 갔어요

Possible choices might be:

a) 는데
b) 고
c) 게
d) 아도

Easy peasy.
 

Translation 2: I will, I will be sure to…

In the sentences above, some situation “causes” the clause before ~도록 to
occur. That same idea allows ~도록 to be attached to verbs and then
followed by a verb (usually 하다) in the future tense. For example:

PLAY 내일까지 하도록 하겠습니다 = I will do it by tomorrow

Despite the differences in translation, try to notice the similarities with the
sentences introduced in Translation 1 in the way that ~도록 is used. Again,
the clause before ~도록 is being made to occur. How will it occur? Well, we
don’t know that specifically, but we know that the speaker of the sentence
will be taking care of it.

In essence, this is simply a way for a speaker to indicate that he will do

something in the future. It is typically used in formal settings (like in a work
environment) as it contains the feeling that the speaker will “be sure to” to
do the action. Below are more examples:

PLAY 제가 지금부터 열심히 일하도록 할게요

= I will (be sure to) work hard from now on

PLAY 서류를 준비해서 오후에 주도록 하겠습니다

= I will (be sure to) prepare the documents and give them to you in the
afternoon

PLAY 지난 경기를 안타깝게 비겨서 이번에 꼭 이기도록 할 거예요

= We unfortunately tied the previous match, so this time I will (be sure to)
win

PLAY 이 대회의 상금이 크기 때문에 대회를 이길 수 있도록 열심히 노력할

거에요
= The prize money for this contest is big, so I will (be sure to) try hard to win

PLAY 이 삭막한 공간을 리모델링해서 새로운 공간으로 만들어 내도록

하겠습니다
= We will renovate this dreary space and turn it into a new one
In these sentences, the speaker is indicating that he will be sure to do the
action attached to ~도록. It is also possible to apply this same idea to a
command.

Translation 3: Be sure to…

This is the same idea that I’ve been referring to since the beginning of the
lesson. A speaker can use ~도록 attached to an action that he would like to
be done. This could be directed at a listener, or directed at a general
audience (like the general public). Again, the clause before ~도록 is being
made to occur. For example:

PLAY 쿠키를 사각형 모양이 되도록 만들어 주세요

= Be sure to make the cookies into a triangle shape

PLAY 기한 내에 서류를 갖춰서 학과에 내도록 하세요

= Be sure to prepare the documents within the timeframe and submit them
to the department

PLAY 중요한 선거가 곧 있으니 뇌물을 받지 않도록 주의하세요

= There is an important election soon, so be careful to not accept any bribes

PLAY 소득세를 기한 안에 내지 않으면 벌금이 부과되기 때문에 꼭 3 월 31

일까지 내도록 하세요
= If you don’t pay your taxes in the timeframe, a fine will be imposed, so be
sure to pay by March 31 st

Those commands are directed at somebody. However, it is also possible to

refer to the fact that someone gave a command to someone else. This could
be seen as another translation.

Translation 4: To make, to force

It is possible to use ~도록 to refer to a command that was given. For
example:
PLAY 부장님은 모든 직원들이 회의에 참석하도록 했어요
= The boss made all of the workers come to the meeting

PLAY 부모님은 제가 대학교에 진학하도록 강요하셨어요

= My parents forced me to go to University

PLAY 선생님이 학생들을 동그라미 모양으로 서도록 했어요

= The teacher made the students stand in a circle

As I’ve been saying this whole lesson – all of these different uses of ~도록
are the same. We just give them different translations in English, which
makes us think that they should be different in Korean. Because we’re
technically always talking about the same usage, it is sometimes possible
for there to be more than one translation for ~도록 in a sentence. For
example, the following two sentences (from “Translation 1”) would also be
appropriate using the current translation:

PLAY 엄마 아빠에게 칭찬을 받을 수 있도록 방을 깨끗이 청소했어요

= I cleaned my room (cleanly) to make mom and dad praise me

PLAY 그 범죄자는 범죄를 저지를 때 피해자가 자기를 알아볼 수 없도록

마스크를 써요
= The criminal wears a mask to make his victims not recognize him when he
commits a crime

Although there are no commands in these two sentences, you could see
how the translation of “make” would work. Again, it doesn’t matter how we
translate it to English. The clause attached to ~도록 is being made to
happen.

Translation 5: To the point of, to the extent of…

~도록 can be used to indicate that one does an action to a certain extent.
For example:
PLAY 선수는 숨을 못 쉬도록 빨리 뛰었어요 = The athlete ran fast to the
extent that he couldn’t breathe

By looking at this sentence, we can see immediately how this usage fits the
general usage of ~도록 that we have been referring to the entire lesson. The
athlete made the action of “not being able to breathe” occur because he ran
so much. Again, this action was made to occur.

Below are more examples:

PLAY 제가 김치를 질리도록 먹었어요  = I ate kimchi to the extent that I was
sick of it
PLAY 우리는 발이 아프도록 걸어 다녔어요 = We walked around to the
point that our feet hurt
PLAY 자전거를 피로감이 느껴지도록 빨리 탔어요 = I rode my bike to the
point that I felt fatigued
PLAY 군인들은 눈을 감고 총을 쏠 수 있도록 훈련을 받았다 = The soldiers
trained to the extent that they could shoot guns with their eyes closed.

This style of sentence is often used as a metaphor (most commonly with

죽다) to indicate that one does something to some metaphoric extreme. For
example:

PLAY 제가 죽도록 당신을 사랑할 거예요 = I will love to the point that I will
die
PLAY 금메달을 따기 위해 맨날 죽도록 운동했어요 = In order to win the
gold medal, I exercised every day to the point that I would die

—————

This usage is used in the Korean national anthem. The first verse of the
anthem is:

동해 물과 백두산이 마르고 닳도록…

“동해 물” refers to the water in the East Sea, and “백두산” is a mountain in
Korea (it’s actually on the border of North Korea and China, but has cultural
significance for all Korean people). I don’t want to write the next line,
because it gets confusing. However, it refers to Korea living “long and
forever.”

The line above provides the metaphor that Korea will live forever, until “the
East Sea is dry, and 백두산 is completely worn down” – both of which
would never really happen.

—————

A common word that ~도록 is used with is “지나다.” By using “지나도록,”

you can indicate that a certain amount of time has passed since something
happened. For example:

PLAY 우리는 3 년이 지나도록 못 만났어요 = We haven’t met in three years

PLAY 이틀이 지나도록 밥을 안 먹었어요 = I haven’t eaten in two days

My brain likes to compartmentalize things. I feel these types of sentences fit

mostly with the “extent” translation above. Although you probably wouldn’t
normally say it like this, you could write those sentences as:

우리는 3 년이 지나도록 못 만났어요

= We haven’t met in so long (to the extent that) three years have passed
since we last met!

이틀이 지나도록 밥을 안 먹었어요

= I haven’t eaten in so long (to the extent that) two days have past

—————

That’s it for this lesson!

Vocabulary

Nouns:
PLAY 새 = bird

PLAY 똥 = poo

PLAY 향기 = good smell/fragrance

PLAY 재산 = wealth/fortune

PLAY 남녀 = men and women/couple

PLAY 사장 = boss of company

PLAY 부사장 = vice president

PLAY 동사 = verb

PLAY 명사 = noun

PLAY 부사 = adverb

PLAY 형용사 = adjective

PLAY 위원회 = committee

PLAY 일반적 = usual

PLAY 단계적 = in phases, step-by-step

Verbs:
PLAY 태우다 = to pick up (in a vehicle)

PLAY 태우다 = to burn something

PLAY 안내하다 = to guide

PLAY 교정하다 = to correct/emend a mistake

PLAY 다녀가다 = to stop in (come then go back)

PLAY 결심하다 = to decide

Adjectives:
PLAY 허전하다 = to be missing something
PLAY 합당하다 = to be reasonable

Adverbs and Other words:

PLAY 정시= a set time

PLAY 간신히 = barely

PLAY 때마침 = just in time

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn how to add ~지 or its formal equivalent ~죠 to
the end of a sentence. The meaning that this grammatical form has is
usually tricky for foreign learners of Korean to pick up on – but don’t worry,
I am here to explain everything to you! Let’s get started!

Turn a Statement into a question using ~지/~죠

By adding ~지/~죠 to the end of a sentence (i.e. attached to a verb or

adjective) you can turn a statement into a question. What do I mean by
that? Well, I can give you a perfect example.

First off: I am from Canada, and in Canada (much to the humor of

Americans) we say “eh” at the end of a sentence to create this same
meaning. For example, if I just wanted to say that ‘it is cold,’ I would say:

It is cold

However, by placing ‘eh’ at the end of that sentence, I can turn that
sentence into a question. For example:

It is cold, eh? = It is cold, isn’t it?

~지/죠 can be used to have this function in Korean sentences. For example:

PLAY 날씨가 추워요 = It is cold

PLAY 날씨가 춥죠? = It is cold, isn’t it?
PLAY 날씨가 춥지? = It is cold, isn’t it?
Note that ~지 is used in informal situations and ~죠 is used in formal
situations.

More examples:

PLAY 선생님! 바쁘죠? = Teacher! You are busy, aren’t you?

PLAY 가기 싫지? = You don’t want to go, don’t you?
PLAY 네가 지금 한국말을 잘하지? = You speak Korean well now, don’t you?
PLAY 이 향기가 좋지? = This smell/fragrance is nice, isn’t it?
PLAY 그 사람의 가족이 재산이 많죠? = That person’s family has a lot of
wealth/assets, right?

Notice that ~지 and ~죠 get attached directly to the stem of a verb or

adjective in every case. No irregulars come into play when attaching ~ㅈ to
the stem of words, so it is always easy to use..

You can add ~지/~죠 to sentences in the past tense as well. In these cases,
~지/~죠 gets attached directly to ~았/~었. For example:

PLAY 어제 학교에 안 갔죠? = You didn’t go to school yesterday, did you?

PLAY 어제 월급을 받았죠? = You got paid yesterday, didn’t you?
PLAY 결심을 아직 안 했죠? = You still haven’t decided yet, have you?
PLAY 똥을 쌌지? = You went poo, didn’t you?
PLAY 그때 마음이 조금 허전했죠? = You were a little bit sad/empty at that
time, weren’t you?

It can also be used in the future tense. For example:

PLAY 선생님도 갈 거죠? = Teacher, you are going too, right?

PLAY 밥을 안 먹을 거죠? = You aren’t going to eat, right?
PLAY 사장님! 내일 손님을 안내할 거죠? = Boss! You will guide the guests
around tomorrow, right?
PLAY 위원회가 내일 모일 거죠? = The committee will meet tomorrow,
right?

In all of the examples provided above, the speaker is asking the listener a
question. Notice that in all cases (just from the style/feel of the sentence)
that the speaker sort of knows the answer to the question, and is almost just
re-affirming what he/she thinks of the situation. Again, notice the difference
in feel between these two:

날씨가 추워요? = Is it cold?

날씨가 춥죠? = It is cold, isn’t it?

The speaker in the first example probably does not know the answer to the
question (hence, the reason why he/she is asking the question). However,
in the second example, the speaker might know the answer to the question
– but is re-affirming his/her beliefs of the situation.

This same principle can be applied to questions in which the sentence has a
question word in it as well. For example:

PLAY 카드를 어디에 두었죠? = Where did you place/put the card?
PLAY 그 사람이 어디서 살고 있죠? = Where does that person live?
PLAY 청구서를 언제 냈죠? = When did you pay the bill?
PLAY 점심으로 뭐 먹었죠? = What did you eat for lunch?

This is the same phenomenon we saw when ~지/죠 was added to

sentences without a question word, but in these cases the addition of “eh?”
or “isn’t it?” to the English translation is illogical. For example:

점심으로 뭐 먹었죠? = What did you eat for lunch, didn’t you?
This English translation is illogical

Instead, the four sentences above using “~지/죠” have the same translation
of those sentences not using “~지/죠.” Notice the following sentences have
the same translation as the four sentences shown above:

PLAY 카드를 어디에 두었어요? = Where did you place/put the card?
PLAY 그 사람이 어디서 살고 있어요? = Where does that person live?
PLAY 청구서를 언제 냈어요? = When did you pay the bill?
PLAY 점심으로 뭐 먹었어요? = What did you eat for lunch?

While those sentences have the same translation, their meaning is slightly
different. As with the sentences without a question word, adding ~지/죠
gives the sentence the subtle difference that the speaker is reconfirming
his/her beliefs.

Even though the speaker is asking a question (and therefore, inherently

doesn’t know the answer to the question), one would use those examples
to ask a question when he/she sort of knows the answer to the question
(and by “sort of” I mean that maybe the speaker forgot the answer or
something similar).

The only way you could translate those sentences to accurately show this
meaning is to add a lot of additional words. For example:

PLAY 카드를 어디에 두었어요? = Where did you place/put the card? Or
“Ah, where did you put that card, again? I could have sworn I saw you put it
down somewhere, but I can’t remember where you put it.”

In practice, this same form is often used when people are asking questions
to themselves. For example, if somebody lost their card, you might hear
them say:

PLAY“아~ 카드를 어디 두었지?” = Ah, where did I put my card again?… I just
had it and now I can’t remember where I put it.

In Lesson 63, you learned about ~ㄹ/을까 and how it can be used to ask
questions to oneself In Lesson 63, you were shown the following sentences:

(내가) 밥을 먹을까? = Should I eat rice?

(내가) 뭐 먹을까? = What should I eat?

Regardless of tense, it is unnatural to use ~지 to ask yourself a question

when there is not a question word being used in the sentence. For example:

밥을 먹지? = I am eating, right? – (This is illogical if directed to yourself)

밥을 먹었지? = I ate, right? – (This is illogical if directed to yourself)
밥을 먹을 거지? = I will eat, right? – (This is illogical if directed to yourself)
All of those sentences are logical if directed at somebody else.

Those sentences are illogical because the speaker is asking himself what he
is doing.

This is also illogical if the acting agent (the subject) of the sentence is
another person. For example:

선생님이 밥을 먹었지? = The teacher ate, right?

(This sentence is perfectly logical if you ask it to another person, but not
when asked to yourself)

However, it is very natural to use ~지 to ask yourself a question when

there is a question word being used in the sentence. The acting agent of the
sentence can either be you or some other person/thing. For example:

PLAY 내가 뭐 먹었지? = What did I eat again?

PLAY 선생님이 어디 갔지? = Where did the teacher go?
PLAY 그 사람이 누구지? = Who is that teacher?
PLAY 그 사람이 누구였지? = Who was that person?
PLAY 이 명사를 어떻게 쓰지? = How do I use this noun?
PLAY 동사와 형용사의 차이가 뭐지? = What is the difference between a
verb and adjective?

When asking yourself about what you should do, who you should meet,

when you should go, where you should go, or how you should do
something, you will commonly see the following forms:

PLAY 뭐 하지? = What should I do?

PLAY 누구를 만나지? = Who should I meet?
PLAY 언제 가지? = When should I go?
PLAY 어디 가지? = Where should I go?
PLAY 어떻게 하지? = How should I do it?
PLAY 밥을 뭐 먹지? = What should I eat?
PLAY 바퀴를 어떻게 갈지? = How should/can I change the wheel?
The last thing I want to say about this usage is that you should notice that
using “~지/죠” like this effectively softens the question somebody asks. 
Because the usage sort of implies that the speaker also knows (or should
know) the answer as well, asking a question with “~지/죠” makes the
question less direct and a little bit softer. There may be some situations
where you might find “~지/죠” being used, where there no way the speaker
could/should know the answer to the question. In these cases, the use of “~
지/죠” simply softens the question, and there really isn’t any additional
subtle meaning.

Of Course!

Though ~지/~죠 usually takes on the meaning described above, it is also

commonly used as an ending that is placed on the end of a verb or
adjective as a response to a question. When you respond to a question with
the use of ~지/~죠, it gives the response a feeling that one is also saying “of
course” or something like that. For example:

PLAY 내일 갈 거야!? = Are you going tomorrow

PLAY 갈 거지 = Yeah, I am going (of course I am going tomorrow)
(also notice in this example how ~지/~죠 is added to 이다, or the future
conjugation of ~ㄹ/을 것이다)

Other examples:

Person 1: PLAY 배고파? = Are you hungry?

Person 2: PLAY 배고프지! = Of course I’m hungry!

Person 1: PLAY 소득세를 안 내? = You don’t pay income tax?

Person 2: PLAY 내지! = Of course I pay (it/income tax)!

Person 1: PLAY 내년에 내가 인터넷고등학교로 갈 거야 = I’m moving/going

to (an) Internet High School next year
Person 2: PLAY 거기서 직접 수업을 안 해요? = Do you not do lessons in
person there?
Person 1: PLAY 하지! = I do (of course I do!)

In Lesson 79 you learned about the word 당연하다 and how it is often used
as ‘당연하지’ to mean ‘of course!’ Instead of responding with the verb that
was in the question (as in above with “가다” and “배고프다”), you can
simply respond with “당연하다” with the addition of “~지/죠”. For example:

PLAY 배고파요? = Are you hungry?

PLAY 당연하지!! = Of course!!

When used like this ~지 is much more commonly used than ~죠. The reason
behind this is that it is generally informal to use this conjugation in this way,
and it doesn’t make sense to use a formal conjugation in an informal way.

In these cases, the only way to distinguish whether the speaker is asking a
question or simply using ~지/~죠 to and a sentence in a normal way is by
the context and by the tone of the person’s voice. In most cases, it is clear
that the speaker is asking a question because (as in any language) their tone
gets higher as they end a sentence.

Using ~지/~죠 with ~아/어야하다/되다

In Lesson 46 you learned that you can add ~아/어야 하다/되다 to words to
indicate that one “must” do something. For example:

저는 지금 가야 돼요 = I must go now

~지 (and less commonly ~죠) can actually replace 하다/되다 and the
respective conjugation that would be added to that word. For example:

PLAY 나는 지금 가야지! = I must go now

PLAY 열심히 공부를 해야지! = You need to study hard!
PLAY 사람들이 크리스마스에 크리스마스트리를 만들어야지! = People need
to put up a Christmas tree for Christmas!
Replacing 하다/되다 with ~지 or ~죠 is fairly colloquial. Therefore, while ~지
is commonly used in this form ~죠 is slightly less common, and only really
used if you are in a situation where you are very close to a person, but
he/she is older than you so you want to be slightly more formal than just
using ~지.
I’m not sure if a textbook would say the same thing, but that is what I have
noticed with my experience with the language.

However, the usage that I described earlier in this lesson (where ~지/죠)
can be used to change a statement into a question is used very frequently in
informal (~지) and formal (~죠) situations.

That’s it for this lesson!

Vocabulary

Nouns:
PLAY 찌개 = stew

PLAY 에어컨 = air conditioning

PLAY 인구 = population

PLAY 인간 = human/human being

PLAY 대중교통 = public transportation

PLAY 막차 = last bus/last train

PLAY 장 = chapter (of a book)

PLAY 사투리 = dialect

PLAY 우울증 = depression

PLAY 장학금 = scholarship

PLAY 양초 = candle
PLAY 중앙 = middle, center

PLAY 요일 = a specific day of the week

PLAY 밤새 = overnight

PLAY 부서 = department

PLAY 의학 = medicine (as a field of study)

Verbs:
PLAY 간호하다 = to nurse, to care for

PLAY 증가하다 = to increase

PLAY 이르다 = to arrive, to reach

PLAY 발전하다 = to improve/develop/progress

PLAY 망가지다 = to be broken

Adjectives:
PLAY 튼튼하다 = to be robust, strong

Adverbs and Other words:

PLAY 서서히 = gradually/slowly

PLAY 순전히 = purely, completely, solely

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

We have discussed the usage of 되다 in many earlier lessons,

including Lesson 9, Lesson 14, Lesson 49 and Lesson 80. Using 되다
combined with ~게 (from Lesson 56) will be discussed in this lesson. Let’s
get started!

To end up: ~게 되다

In Lesson 56, you learned that ~게 can be attached to the stem of a verb to
indicate that something is “made” to happen. In other earlier lessons, you
learned that 되다 can be used to indicate that something “becomes”
something. Therefore, you can use ~게 되다 to indicate a situation was
“made to become” a certain way. For example:

PLAY 저는 그 여자랑 사랑에 빠지게 되었어요 = I was made to become

falling in love with her

Although you could consider it a direct translation from the Korean

sentence, it doesn’t sound natural in English. In English, we usually use the
phrase “to end up” to describe this type of meaning. For example:

PLAY 저는 그 여자랑 사랑에 빠지게 되었어요 = I ended up falling in love

with her

Using this form indicates that the events that occurred happened out of
one’s control, almost by chance or fate. I first came across this grammatical
form while reading a book, where the main character said something like:

PLAY 저는 그 회사에 취직하게 되었어요 = I ended up getting a job at that

company

When I first saw that sentence, I wondered how it differed from this
sentence:

PLAY 저는 그 회사에 취직했어요 = I got a job at that company.

As I mentioned earlier, the result of the first sentence happens without the
subject having much influence on the outcome. In this sense, using ~게 되다
can make the sentence sound humble. For example:
PLAY 저는 그 회사에 취직했어요 = I got a job at that company
Here, it is almost as if that person is boasting about the fact that he got a
job, maybe because of how awesome he is.

PLAY 저는 그 회사에 취직하게 되었어요 = I ended up getting a job at that

company
Here, the feeling is more humble because the speaker had no influence on
the outcome, thus not flaunting his awesomeness.

Below are many examples:

PLAY 막차를 타게 되었어요

= I ended up taking the last train

PLAY 우리가 목적지에 이르게 되었어요

= We ended up arriving at our destination

PLAY 그 일을 끝내야 해서 밤새 일하게 되었어요

= We had to finish that work, so we ended up staying up all night

PLAY 동생이 죽은 후에 제가 우울증을 겪게 되었어요

= After my brother died I ended up suffering from depression

PLAY 그 학생이 아주 똑똑해서 장학금을 받게 되었어요

= That student is so smart that he ended up receiving a scholarship

PLAY 한국 사람들이 끝까지 싸워서 결국 독립하게 되었어요

= Korean people fought to the end and eventually ended up getting
independence

PLAY 무슨 요일에 갈지 결정을 못해서 그냥 토요일에 가게 됐어요

= We couldn’t decide what day to go on, so we just ended up going on
Saturday

PLAY 다리를 튼튼하게 만들었지만 바람 때문에 망가지게 되었어요

= We made the bridge really strongly/rigidly, but it ended up breaking
because of the wind
PLAY 날씨가 갑자기 매우 더워져서 에어컨을 급하게 사게 되었어요
= The weather suddenly got very hot, so I ended up urgently buying an air
conditioner

PLAY 우연히 산 복권이 당첨이 돼서 하루 아침에 부자가 되게 됐어요

= Luckily, the lottery ticket I bought won, so in a morning I ended up
becoming rich

PLAY 무엇을 먹을지 결정을 못해서 그냥 집에 있던 찌개를 먹게 되었어요

= We couldn’t decide what to eat, so we ended up just eating the stew that
had at home

PLAY 저는 중앙 정부에서 가장 중요한 일을 하는 부서에서 일을 하게

되었어요
= I ended up working at the central government working on a task in the
most important department

PLAY 새로 생긴 대중교통으로 인해 그 도시의 인구가 갑자기 증가하게

되었어요
= Due to the newly built mass transportation (system), that city’s population
ended up suddenly increasing

PLAY 이 책의 첫 장은 단어가 아주 어려워서 모두들 사전을 가지고 읽게

되었어요
= The words in the first chapter of that book are very hard, so everybody
ended up reading it with a dictionary

PLAY 서서히 발전하는 의학기술로 전 세계적으로 인구가 계속 증가하게

되었어요
= Due to gradually developing medical techniques, the population of the
world ended up continually increasing

PLAY 제가 만든 양초를 친구들이 좋아해서 친구들을 위해 양초를 많이

만들게 되었어요
= My friends like the candles I make, so I ended up making a lot of candles
for them

PLAY 저의 남편의 사고로 인한 부상으로 죽을 때까지 제가 남편을 계속

간호하게 되었어요
= Due to my husband’s injury from his accident, I ended up having to take
care of (be a nurse for) him until he died

PLAY 제주도에서 오래 살아서 이제 말을 할 때 저도 모르게 제주도사투리로

말을 하게 돼요
= I lived in Jeju for a long time, so when I speak, I don’t even know it but I
end up speaking with a Jeju accent

~게 되다 can also be used with adjectives, but I would advise against doing

this. You may come across people doing, or you may see it from time to
time in books, but using ~아/어지다 (which you learned in Lesson 18) has
essentially the same meaning, and is much more natural than using ~게
되다 with adjectives. For example:

날씨가 춥게 되었어요 = The weather ended up getting cold (unnatural)

날씨가 추워졌어요 = The weather got cold (natural)

그 여자가 뚱뚱하게 되었어요 = That girl ended up getting fat (unnatural)

그 여자가 뚱뚱해졌어요 = That girl got fat (natural)

In previous lessons, you have learned about words like 만약 (Lesson 43)
and 어쩌면 (Lesson 59). You learned that these words have very little
meaning and are placed in sentences specifically for feeling.

The word 어쩌다 is another one of these words, and it is used in sentences
that end in ~게 되다 (or other situations where something happens by
chance and one has little impact on the outcome). Look-up “어쩌다” in the
dictionary and you will see something like “accidentally” or “by chance.”
However, just like 만약 and 어쩌면 – 어쩌다 has very little meaning unless
used in a specific sentence where its feeling can come out. You will often
see 어쩌다 in sentences that end in ~게 되다. For example:

PLAY 어쩌다 그녀를 버스에서 보게 되었어요 = I ended up seeing her on the

bus
PLAY 어쩌다 시험을 합격하게 되었어요 = I ended up passing the exam

That’s it for this lesson!

 Vocabulary

Nouns:
PLAY 술자리 = drinking party

PLAY 무늬 = pattern/design

PLAY 줄무늬 = stripes

PLAY 체크무늬 = plaid

PLAY 얼룩무늬 = zebra pattern

PLAY 꿈속 = in a dream

PLAY 신혼여행 = honeymoon

PLAY 노예 = slave

PLAY 후유증 = aftereffects, aftermath

PLAY 부작용 = side effect

PLAY 짝퉁 = a knock off item

PLAY 곰팡이 = mold

PLAY 생리 = menstruation

PLAY 현상 = phenomenon

PLAY 나무뿌리 = root of a tree

PLAY 숙소 = lodging/accommodations

PLAY 원주민 = aboriginal/native
PLAY 겉 = exterior

PLAY 벌레 = bugs, insects

Verbs:
PLAY 물다 = to bite

PLAY 뜯다 = to pick at, to pluck

PLAY 물어뜯다 = to bite and pull on

PLAY 도망가다 = to run away, to leave quickly

PLAY 괴롭히다 = to harass, to torment

PLAY 파내다 = to dig out, pick out

PLAY 패하다 = to be defeated, to lose

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn how to use 뿐 in a variety of situations. First,
you will learn how to use 뿐 after a noun. Then, you will learn how to use 뿐
after a verb/adjective – both at the end of a sentence and in the middle of a
sentence. Finally, you will learn how to use ~뿐만 아니라 to have the
meaning of “not only A, but B.” Let’s get started.

Attaching 뿐 to a noun
뿐 can be attached directly to a noun to indicate that there is nothing other
than the noun it is attached to. For example:

PLAY 이제 걱정할 것은 부작용뿐이다 = There is nothing other than the side

effects to worry about now

You could also translate 뿐 simply to “only” or “just.” For example:

PLAY 이제 걱정할 것은 부작용뿐이다 = The only thing to worry about now

is the side effects

Below are many more examples:

PLAY 내가 원하는 유일한 것은 너뿐이야

= The only thing I want is you

PLAY 그 창고에 있는 것은 짝퉁뿐이에요

= The only thing in that warehouse is fakes

PLAY 그 지역에서 살아 남은 사람들은 원주민뿐이에요

= The only people left in that area are the natives

PLAY 사람들이 나무뿌리를 다 파내서 여기 있는 게 풀뿐이야

= People dug up all of the roots of trees, so the only thing left here is grass

PLAY 제가 하고 싶은 것은 와이프랑 신혼여행을 가는 것뿐이에요

= The only thing I want to do is go on a honeymoon with my wife

It is common to attach ~만 to 뿐 followed by 아니라 to indicate that there is

some other noun involved to. For example:

PLAY 너뿐만 아니라 나도 경기에서 패했어

This usually translates to “not only… but…” For example:

PLAY 너뿐만 아니라 나도 경기에서 패했어= Not only you, but I also lost the
match
Below are many more examples:

PLAY 커피뿐만 아니라 간식도 샀어요

= Not only did I buy coffee, but I also bought snacks

PLAY 곰팡이뿐만 아니라 벌레도 있어요

= Not only is there mold, but there are bugs as well

PLAY 가족뿐만 아니라 친구들도 사랑해야 돼요

= Not only family, but you also need to love your friends too

PLAY 그 셔츠에 무늬가 너무 신기해요. 줄무늬뿐만 아니라 얼룩무늬도

있네요
= That shirt’s pattern is cool. Not only is there striped, but there is
camouflage pattern as well

So far you have only seen 뿐 attached to nouns. In this usage, 뿐 is a

particle and is not a word on its own.

It is also possible to describe 뿐 with verbs, adjectives and 이다, making it a

pseudo-noun like 수, 적, 데 and others. Let’s look at that next.

Describing 뿐 with a verb, adjective or 이다

By attaching ~ㄹ/을 to a verb, adjective or 이다, you can describe 뿐. Its

translation is often similar to a situation you could have created in the
previous section. I would like to illustrate this for you by providing you the
ends of two possible sentences:

… 라면뿐이에요
… 라면일 뿐이에요

The ends of those sentences might both translate to “just ramen” or “only
ramen.” However, the context given before each one would likely be
different. When you use the first one, you are indicating (as I described in
the previous section) that there is literally nothing but ramen remaining. So,
for example, we could create the beginning of the sentence to be:
PLAY 집에 있는 음식을 다 먹어서 이제 먹을 수 있는 게 라면뿐이에요
= I ate everything in the house, so the only thing left is just ramen

The second one has a different meaning and purpose. When you use the
second one, you are indicating that there is nothing particular or special
about the thing describing 뿐. So, for example, we could create the
beginning of the sentence to be:

PLAY 물을 조금 넣었다고 화를 이렇게 많이 내? 그냥 라면일 뿐이야.

= I just put a little bit of water in it, why are you so mad? It’s just ramen.

Here, there is nothing special about ramen. It’s just ramen. The listener

should relax and realize that there is nothing particularly special about this,
and therefore shouldn’t be so upset.

This can be confusing because both sentences essentially end with “just
ramen.” It is important to recognize that 뿐 attached to a noun and 뿐 being
described by a verb/adjective/이다 create a different meaning and nuance.
Here are more examples of 뿐 being described by something:

PLAY 그냥 돈일 뿐이에요 = It’s nothing… it’s just/only money

PLAY 그것은 농담일 뿐이에요 = It’s just a joke
PLAY 사고의 후유증일 뿐이에요 = It’s just the after effects of the accident
PLAY 제가 배우가 되는 것은 꿈일 뿐이에요 = Becoming an actor is just a
dream
PLAY 그것을 사는 것은 돈 낭비일 뿐이에요 = Buying that is just a waste of
money

PLAY 꿈속에서 생기는 일은 그냥 꿈일 뿐이에요

= Things that happen in one’s dream are just dreams

PLAY 저는 그냥 모든 일에 최선을 다 할 뿐이에요

= I just do my best in everything I do

PLAY 청소를 그렇게 하면 겉에만 깨끗해질 뿐이야

= If you clean it like that, it’s just the outside that will be clean

PLAY 생리를 하는 것은 그냥 자연스러운 현상일 뿐이에요

= Menstruating is just a natural phenomenon
PLAY 그 친구를 술자리에 초대하고 싶지 않을 뿐이에요
= That friend just won’t want to invite you to the drinking party

PLAY 네가 여기서 있는 것은 이 문제를 더욱 어렵게 할 뿐이야

= You being here just makes the problem worse

———————

~ㄹ/을 것 gets added even if the action is in the past tense. In these cases
the ~ㄹ/을 뿐 gets attached to 았/었. For example:

PLAY 저는 하늘을 봤을 뿐이에요 = I was just looking at the sky

PLAY 네가 시키는 대로 했을 뿐이야 = I was just doing as you ordered

In this sense, it is possible to use 뿐 not just at the end of a sentence, but in
the middle of a sentence. If you do this, 뿐 does not get conjugated in any
way, and the whole construction is used to describe a state in which
something is done.

PLAY 그녀는 저를 쳐다봤을 뿐 그냥 앉아 있었어요

= She just sat there staring at me

PLAY 강아지가 저를 쳐다봤을 뿐 도망가지 않았어요

= The dog just sat there staring at me, not running away

PLAY 그 노예가 창문 밖을 봤을 뿐 아무 말도 하지 않았어요

= That slave just looked outside and didn’t say anything

PLAY 그 남자는 손톱을 물어뜯을 뿐 전화를 받지 않았어요

= The man didn’t answer his phone, and was just biting his fingernails

Not only …, but B: ~ㄹ/을 뿐만 아니라

Earlier we saw that ~뿐 can be attached to nouns and followed by ~만

아니라 to say “Not only a noun but another noun.” By using ~ㄹ/을 뿐만
아니라, you can create this same meaning, but applied to verbs or
adjectives. For example:

PLAY 그는 가난할 뿐만 아니라 못생겼어요

= He is not only poor, but ugly

Below are more examples;

PLAY 그 학생이 친구를 괴롭힐 뿐만 아니라 돈도 뺏어요

= That student doesn’t just harass his friend, but he also takes his money

PLAY 이 회사는 집을 제공할 뿐만 아니라 차도 제공해요

= Not only does this company provide housing, but it also provides a car

PLAY 음식이 없을 뿐만 아니라 음식을 살 수 있는 돈도 없어요

= Not only do we not have any food, but we also don’t have any money to
buy food either

That’s it for this lesson!

Vocabulary

Nouns:
PLAY 연기 = smoke

PLAY 뒷맛 = aftertaste

PLAY 경기장 = sports stadium

PLAY 현관 = entrance room

PLAY 인내 = patience/endurance

PLAY 인내심 = patience

PLAY 정치 = politics

PLAY 식탁 = dinner table

PLAY 소풍 = outing/picnic/excursion

PLAY 서점 = bookstore

PLAY 경치 = view/scenery

PLAY 자기개발 = self improvement, self development

Verbs:
PLAY 개발하다 = to develop

PLAY 저축하다 = to save money

PLAY 낭비하다 = to waste

PLAY 찾아오다 = to visit, to come looking for

PLAY 찾아가다 = to visit, to go looking for

PLAY 취직하다 = to find a job

PLAY 무시하다 = to ignore

PLAY 반대하다 = to oppose

PLAY 없애다 = to get rid of, to remove

PLAY 힘쓰다 = to do something with a lot of effort

Adjectives:
PLAY 새콤하다 = to be sour

Adverbs and Other Words

PLAY 참 = really/very/extremely

PLAY 새해 = new years

PLAY 활짝 = widely (open), fully (in bloom)

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn how to combine two previous grammatical
principles to come up with ~(으)려면. Let’s get started.

If one intends to: ~(으)려면

In Lesson 32 you learned how to connect two clauses with ~(으)려고 to

indicate that one does an action for the intent or purpose of doing another.
For example:

PLAY 소풍을 가려고 도시락을 쌌어요

= I packed a lunch box with the intent of going on a picnic

PLAY 이제 취직을 하려고 이력서를 쓰고 있어요

= Now I am writing a resume with the intent of finding a job

In Lesson 43 you learned how to connect two clauses with ~(으)면 to create
the meaning of “if” or “when.” For example:

PLAY 식탁이 없으면 식사를 할 때 불편해요

= If there is no dinner table, having a meal is uncomfortable

PLAY 그 사람이 저를 찾아오면 저한테 말해 주세요

= If that person comes looking for me, please tell me

~(으)려고 and ~(으)면 can combine to form ~(으)려면. Its meaning is a

combination of the two put together, as if one were to say ~하려고 하면… .
Korean grammatical principles can often combine and contract with each
other like this. Now that you have a good base of many of the simple ones,
you will see this type of thing often as you progress to later lessons. For
example, ~한다고 해 often combines and contracts to ~하대 which you will
learn in Lesson 102.

The combined grammatical principle ~(으)려면 creates the meaning of “if

one intends to,” or sometimes more simply “if one wants to.”

Sentences with ~(으)려면 by their nature often end with ~아/어야 하다, ~이
/가 필요하다 (Lesson 46) or imperative ending like ~세요 or 아/어라
(Lesson 40). Below are many examples:

PLAY 그렇게 비싼 것을 사려면 돈이 많이 필요해요

= If you intend to buy something that expensive, you need a lot of money

PLAY 서울에 가려면 지하철을 타세요!

= If you intend to go to Seoul, then take the subway!

PLAY 주소를 바꾸려면 직접 와야 돼요

= If you intend to change your address, you should come in person

PLAY 이 일을 끝내려면 인내심이 많이 필요해요

= If you intend to complete this task, you need a lot of patience

PLAY 뒷맛을 없애려면 새콤한 것을 먹어야 돼요

= If you want to get rid of that aftertaste, you need to eat something sour

PLAY 책을 반품하려면 서점에 직접 오셔야 됩니다

= If you want to return that book, you need to come to the bookstore in
person

PLAY 예쁜 경치를 보려면 아침 일찍 일어나야 돼요

= If you intend to see the beautiful scenery, you need to wake up early in
the morning

PLAY 문을 열려면 현관에서 직접 열쇠로 열어 주세요

= If you want to open the door, you need to come to the entrance in person
with a key
PLAY 새해를 맞이하려면 우선 새해 계획부터 짜야 해요
= If you want to bring in the new year, you need to first make plans for the
new year

PLAY 땅을 개발하려면 땅 주변 환경을 먼저 정리해야 돼요

= If you intend to develop the land, you must first organize/clear up the
environment around it

PLAY 그 경기를 재미있게 보려면 직접 경기장에서 봐야 해요

= If you want to watch that match in a fun way, you need to go watch it in
person at the stadium

PLAY 방 안에 있는 연기를 없애려면 창문을 활짝 열어 주세요

= If you want to get rid of the smoke in the room, open the window wide

PLAY 자기개발에 힘쓰려면 돈을 낭비하지 말고 매달 저축하는 게 중요해요

= If you intend to work on improving yourself, don’t waste any money, and
putting away money every month is important

PLAY 이 일을 4 시까지 끝내려면 중요하지 않은 부분은 무시해야 될 것

같아요
= If you intend to finish that job by 4:00, you should probably ignore the
parts that aren’t important

That’s it for this lesson!

Click here for a Workbook to go along with this lesson.

Click here for Korean Short Stories specifically tailored to learners at this
level.

Vocabulary

Nouns:
PLAY 국민 = people of a country/citizen

PLAY 독학 = self-study

PLAY 옆집 = next door

PLAY 변화 = change

PLAY 중심 = center/heart/middle of something

PLAY 진실 = truth

PLAY 정상 = top

PLAY 용기 = courage, guts, bravery

PLAY 시기 = time

PLAY 최종적 = final, last

Verbs:
PLAY 힘내다 = to cheer up, to get cheered up

PLAY 알려지다 = to become known

PLAY 추측하다 = to guess

PLAY 도박하다 = to gamble

PLAY 내려다보다 = to look down

PLAY 머물다 = abbreviated form of 머무르다

PLAY 서두르다 = to rush

PLAY 서둘다 = abbreviated form of 서두르다

PLAY 서투르다 = to not be good at something

PLAY 서툴다 = abbreviated form of 서투르다

Adjectives:
PLAY 끔찍하다 = to be terrible
PLAY 난처하다 = to be embarrassed

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 년대 = referring to the period of years within a decade, century or
millennium

PLAY 마침내 = finally, at last

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn about the word 갖다, which is an abbreviation
of the word 가지다. The Korean language has evolved in such a way that
갖다 can now be thought of as a word, but due to the fact that it is actually
an abbreviation, it has atypical grammatical rules. I will break these rules
open for you. Let’s get started!

An abbreviation of 가지다: 갖다

First things first – let’s remember what the word 가지다 means and how it
is used. Though it can be used in a variety of situations, it always has a
translation of “to have,” “to possess” or something similar. It is most
commonly used with 있다 to indicate that one “has” an object. For example:

PLAY 그 나라의 국민들은 다 여권을 가지고 있어야 돼요

= That country’s people all need to have a passport

PLAY 옆집에 사는 할아버지는 우리 열쇠를 가지고 있어요

= The grandpa living next door has our keys

PLAY 그 변호사가 진실이 쓰여 있는 서류를 가지고 있어요

= That lawyer has the document with the truth written on it
In practice, the word “있다” can change to another verb to indicate that one
does something while possessing an object. For example:

PLAY 술을 가지고 영화관에 입장해도 돼요?

= Am I allowed to enter the cinema with alcohol?

PLAY 교과서를 가지고 도서관에서 독학했어요

= I studied alone at the library with my textbook

PLAY 저는 카메라를 가지고 산 정상에 올라갔어요

= I went to the top of the mountain with my camera

갖다 can replace 가지다 in all of these cases. For example:

PLAY 그 나라의 국민들은 다 여권을 갖고 있어야 돼요

PLAY 옆집에 사는 할아버지는 우리 열쇠를 갖고 있어요
PLAY 그 변호사가 진실이 쓰여 있는 서류를 갖고 있어요

PLAY 술을 갖고 영화관에 입장해도 돼요?

PLAY 교과서를 갖고 도서관에서 독학했어요
PLAY 저는 카메라를 갖고 산 정상에 올라갔어요

갖다 is an abbreviated form of 가지다. Because of this, it actually follows

some strange rules that aren’t followed by other words, aside from a few
other abbreviated words.

Notice how the last vowel in the stem of 가지다 is ㅣ, which means that
when adding ~아/어 to it, one must add ~어 because the last vowel in the
stem is not ㅏ or ㅗ. This is consistent with the rules taught all the way back
in Lesson 5.

Notice that in the abbreviated form 갖다, the last vowel in the stem is ㅏ.
So… when adding ~아/어, what should we add to it? ~아 or ~어?

갖아 makes sense, because the final vowel in the stem is ㅏ, and

갖어 makes sense, because the final vowel in the stem of the actual word
가지다 is ㅣ
We’ve got a bit of a conundrum here.

To add to the confusion, the stem of 가지다 ends in a vowel, whereas the
stem of 갖다 ends in a consonant. Therefore, when adding grammatical
principles that change based on whether the stem of a word ends in a
vowel or consonant – what should we do?

For example, if we were to add ~(으)면 to 갖다:

갖으면 makes sense, because the final letter in the stem is ㅈ, and
갖면 makes sense, because the final letter in the stem of the actual word
가지다 is a vowel

This conundrum has led to a fairly strange rule.

It is incorrect to add any grammatical principle starting with a vowel, or

with the option of adding a vowel, to 갖다.

For example, while any of these would be correct:

가지다 + ~아/어 = 가져
가지다 + ~았다/었다 = 가졌다
가지다 + ~(으)면 = 가지면
가지다 + ~ㄴ/은 = 가진

None of the above could be added to 갖다.

Notice that the reason this rule is in place is because people wouldn’t know
which form to add – one that corresponds to rules of 가지다 or one that
corresponds to rules 갖다.

However, it is acceptable to add grammatical principles that apply to both

가지다 and 갖다 in the same way.

For example, any of these would be correct:

가지다 + ~고 = 가지고
가지다 + ~는 = 가지는
가지다 + ~지~ = 가지지~

And any of these would also be correct:

갖다 + ~고 = 갖고
갖다 + ~는~ = 갖는
갖다 + ~지~ = 갖지~

As you can see, adding grammatical principles to 갖다 is only acceptable if

there would be no change to the grammatical principle if it were attached
to 가지다. I actually find this rule quite interesting, and if you do too, it is
safe to say that you are now a Korean grammar nerd! Let’s see some of this
nerdiness in actual sentences:

PLAY 용기를 갖고 힘내세요!

PLAY 용기를 가지고 힘내세요!
= Get some courage, and good luck!

It is very hard to translate 힘내다 to English. It is usually combined with an

imperative ending, and used essentially to say “Cheer up!” or “Good Luck!”
or something similar.

PLAY 이 문법 현상에 관심을 갖는 사람이 없어요

PLAY 이 문법 현상에 관심을 가지는 사람이 없어요
= There is nobody interested in this grammatical phenomenon

PLAY 저는 지난 주에 읽던 책을 마침내 갖고 왔어요

PLAY 저는 지난 주에 읽던 책을 마침내 가지고 왔어요
= I finally brought the book that I was reading last week

PLAY 최종적으로 아무도 그녀에게 관심을 갖지 않았어요

PLAY 최종적으로 아무도 그녀에게 관심을 가지지 않았어요
= In the end, nobody had any interest in her

PLAY 옆집에 사는 이웃사람이 엄마에게 준 컴퓨터를 제가 갖는다고 했어요

PLAY 옆집에 사는 이웃사람이 엄마에게 준 컴퓨터를 제가 가진다고 했어요
= I said that I am going to keep the computer that the neighbor living next
door gave to mom
PLAY 지금까지 아주 끔찍한 시간인 것을 알고 있지만 조금 더 힘내고
자신감을 갖고 다시 나가 보세요
PLAY 지금까지 아주 끔찍한 시간인 것을 알고 있지만 조금 더 힘내고
자신감을 가지고 다시 나가 보세요
= I know it has been a very terrible time so far, but try to cheer up a bit, get
some confidence and go outside again

————-

In Lesson 88, you learned how to use ~다(가). This is commonly added to
갖다 to indicate that one possesses an object and then does something with
it. For example:

PLAY 휴지를 갖다 주세요

= Give me a tissue, please (Please get a tissue, and then give it to me)

PLAY 펜을 갖다 주세요
= Give me a pen, please (Please get a pen, and then give it to me)

PLAY 쓰레기를 갖다 버리세요

= Throw out the garbage (Please take the garbage, and then throw is out)

PLAY 커피를 갖다 드릴까요?

= Would you like some coffee? (Would you like it if I got a coffee and gave
it to you?)

PLAY 영수증을 갖다 줄게요

= I am going to go and get your receipt (Would you like it if I got a receipt
and gave it to you?)

The pronunciation of 갖다 can often be confused with 갔다, where ~았 + ~

다(가) is attached to 가다 (also taught in Lesson 88). You should use 갔다 to
indicate that one goes somewhere and comes back. You should use 갖다 to
indicate that one possesses something and does an action with it. For
example:

PLAY 지금 갔다 올게요 = I will go and come back (if that is okay with you)
PLAY 지금 갖다 줄게요 = I will get it and give it to you (if that is okay with
you)

Because: ~아/어 가지고

As we are already discussing 갖다 and 가지다, I would like to take this time
to introduce you to another meaning of 가지다. 가지다 can also be used as
a grammatical principle to mean “because”. In order to do this, ~아/어
가지다 is added to the end of one clause that indicates the reason for the
next clause. The word in the first clause can be a verb, adjective or 이다.
For example:

PLAY 어제 늦게 끝나 가지고 집에 못 갔어요

= Because I finished late yesterday, I couldn’t go home

PLAY 우리가 너무 일찍 와 가지고 오랫동안 기다렸어요

= Because we came so early, we had to wait for a long time

PLAY 오늘 날씨가 너무 더워 가지고 약속을 취소했어요

= Because the weather is so hot today, I cancelled my plans

PLAY 공기가 좋지 않은 도심 중심에 살고 있어 가지고 항상 목이 아파요

= Because I live in the middle of a city with bad air, my throat is always sore

PLAY 너무 높은 곳에 올라가 있어 가지고 무서워서 밑을 내려다보지

못했어요
= Because I went up to a really high place and was scared I couldn’t look
down

PLAY 제일 일이 바쁜 시기에 엄마가 가게 일을 도와 달라 해 가지고

난처했어요
= In the time that I am the busiest with work, mom asked me to help her
with some of her store work, so I was a little taken aback
PLAY 그 사람이 저녁식사를 같이 했을 때 고기를 먹지 않아 가지고
채식주의자라고 추측했어요
= When I had dinner with that person, he didn’t eat meat, so I guessed that
he is a vegetarian

PLAY 그 소문이 마을 전체에 점점 알려져 가지고 결국 그 소문의 주인공은

마을을 떠났어요
= That rumor slowly got more and more known around the whole town, so
in the end the person left town

Using ~아/어 가지고 is very colloquial, and therefore, quite common in

speech. However, it is not common in written Korean.

It is common for Korean people to pronounce “가지고” as “가주고” or even

“가주구.” This is technically an accent that you would here in the south (of
South Korea), but I hear 가주구 very commonly, even in Seoul. For
example:

PLAY 오늘 날씨가 너무 더워 가주구 약속을 취소했어요

= Because the weather is so hot today, I cancelled my plans

머무르다 (머물다), 서두르다 (서둘다) and 서투르다 (서툴다)

So far in this lesson, you have learned about the strange rules that apply to
가지다 and 갖다 when grammatical principles are attached to them.
Another word that follows a similar rule is 머무르다. Just like 가지다, there
is a shortened version of 머무르다 which is 머물다.

머무르다 can be used in any way and with any grammatical principle, but
must be used in accordance with the 르 irregular. For example:

PLAY 우리는 부산 중심에 있는 호텔에서 머물렀어요

= We stayed in a hotel in the center of Busan

PLAY 부산에서 3 일 동안 머무르고 서울로 가는 게 어때요?

= What do you think about staying in Busan for three days and then going to
Seoul?
PLAY 그 나라의 국민들이 한국에서 1900 년대에 머물렀어요
= That country’s people stayed in Korean during the 1900’s

PLAY 한국에서 온 교환학생이 우리 집에서 1 년 동안 머물렀어요

= A Korean exchange student stayed at our house for a year

While 머무르다 can be used with any grammatical principle, 머물다

cannot.

Any grammatical principle that starts with a consonant (and there is no

option other than that one consonant), can be added to 머물다. For
example:

머물다 + ~자 = 머물자 = okay

머물다 + ~고 = 머물고 = okay
머물다 + 겠다 = 머물겠다 = okay
머물다 + ~지 않다 = 머물지 않다 = okay

Any grammatical principle where there is a choice of whether a vowel or

consonant needs to be added, then it is also acceptable:

머물다 + ~(으)면 = 머물면 = okay

머물다 + ~(으)면서 = 머물면서 = okay

머물다 acts just like any other verb/adjective where the final consonant is
“ㄹ”. All of the grammatical principles above are added to 팔다 (to sell) in
the exact same way that they are added to 머물다. For example:

팔자
팔고
팔겠다
팔면
팔면서

Because the last letter in the stem of 머물다 (and 팔다) is ㄹ, a lot of these
additions require the application of the ㄹ irregular. For example:
머물다 + ~ㄹ/을 = 머물
머물다 + ~ㄹ/을래 = 머물래
머물다 + ~(으)시다 = 머무시다
머물다 + ~(으)세요 = 머무세요

Again, all of the above are the same as they would be when adding them to
팔다 or any other verb with ㄹ as the final consonant. For example:

팔
팔래
파시다
파세요

Everything so far seems normal about 머물다, but it differs from most verbs
in the following way: if a grammatical principle that is added to 머물다 is a
vowel – and there is no other option other than a vowel – then that
grammatical principle cannot be added to 머물다. The two most common
grammatical principles where this occurs is when conjugating in the past or
present tenses. For examples:

머물다 + ~아/어(요) = 머물어(요) – this is incorrect

머물다 + ~았/었어(요) = 머물었어(요) – this is incorrect

This same rule also applies to:

서둘다 (a shortened version of 서두르다 – to rush ), and

서툴다 (a shortened version of 서투르다 – to not be good at something)

Okay, I think that’s it for this lesson!

Vocabulary

Nouns:
PLAY 설거지 = dish washing

PLAY 사생활 = personal life, privacy

PLAY 헛소문 = groundless rumor

PLAY 단체 = organization/corporation

PLAY 긴장감 = tension

PLAY 사건 = events

PLAY 놀이터 = playground

PLAY 불교 = Buddhism

PLAY 문단 = paragraph

PLAY 야생 = wild

Verbs:
PLAY 주장하다 = to argue

PLAY 노동하다 = to work, to do labor

PLAY 탈출하다 = to escape

PLAY 퍼지다 = to diffuse/spread out/spread

PLAY 정돈하다 = to arrange

PLAY 흐르다 = to flow

PLAY 강조하다 = to stress/emphasize

PLAY 맡다 = to undertake/take on/handle/manage

PLAY 외식하다 = to eat out somewhere

PLAY 구하다 = to rescue

PLAY 데다 = to burn (part of a body)

PLAY 유출하다 = to leak

PLAY 잘나다 = to be good, to do well, to be smart

For help memorizing these words, try using our Memrise tool.

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn a 보조동사 that allows you to indicate that
one pretends to do something. Let’s get started.

To pretend to: ~은/ㄴ/는 척하다

Some verbs can only be used when combined with some other
grammatical principle to support another verb. Examples of these from
previous lessons are:

있다 in ~고 있다 (Lesson 18). 있다 must come after ~고 For example:

PLAY 지금 학교에서 시험 때문에 긴장감이 퍼지고 있어요
= The tension is spreading in the school now because of the exam

보다 in ~아/어 보다 (Lesson 32). 보다 must come after ~아/어. For example:

PLAY 우리는 피해자들을 구하려고 노력해 볼 거예요
= We will try to save the victims

주다 in ~아/어 주다 (Lesson 42). 주다 must come after ~아/어. For example:

PLAY 제가 지금 급한 일이 생겨서 저 대신 학생들을 맡아 주세요
= Something urgent came up, so take the students for me

These are all examples of 보조동사 in Korean. Essentially, verbs that assist
another verb by adding meaning to them. In the three examples above, you
can see how, depending on the 보조동사 used, you can indicate that one
is doing, trying or asking for something.

Another 보조동사 is 척하다. 척하다 comes after ~는 when used with a verb
in the present tense. For example:

PLAY 엄마가 오자 저는 설거지하는 척했어요 = As soon as my mom came I

pretended to do the dishes

척하다 can come after ~ㄴ/은 when the verb is being used in the past
tense. For example:

PLAY 아이는 엄마 말을 들은 척했어요 = The child pretended he listened to

his mother

Below are many more examples:

PLAY 선생님이 그를 보자 공부하는 척했어요

= He pretended to study when the teacher looked at him

PLAY 고양이가 야생 개를 보고 누워서 죽은 척했어요

= The cat saw the wild dog and then lay down and pretended to be dead

PLAY 물이 흐르는 소리를 못 들은 척하고 그냥 잤어요

= I pretended that I couldn’t hear the water flowing and just slept

PLAY 그 친구가 팔에 덴 자국을 못 본 척하고 얘기했어요

= I pretended that I didn’t see the the burn mark on my friend’s arm and
talked with him

PLAY 그 이벤트가 마음에 들지 않았지만 감동한 척했어요

= I didn’t like that event, but I pretended that it impressed me

PLAY 우리 아들은 TV 를 보면서 침대를 정돈하는 척했어요

= Our son pretended to clean up his bed while watching TV

PLAY 그 남자는 쉬운 일을 하면서 힘든 노동을 한 척했어요

= That man pretended to have done some hard work while doing something
easy
PLAY 학생이 그 문단을 읽는 척하고 수업 시간 동안 그냥 앉아 있었어요
= That student pretended to read the paragraph and just sat there during the
class

PLAY 그 단체가 우리 사생활을 보호하는 척하고 개인 정보를 유출했어요

= That organization pretends to protect our privacy, and leaked out our
personal information

PLAY 그 여자는 사랑하는 남자의 마음을 얻기 위해 불교를 믿는 척했어요

= That girl pretended to believe in Buddhism in order to get the heart of the
man she loves

척하다 comes after ~ㄴ/은 when used after an adjective or 이다. For
example:

PLAY 여자는 자기 남자 친구한테 귀여운 척했어요

= The girl pretended to be cute to her boyfriend

PLAY 원하는 것을 받으려고 남자는 슬픈 척했어요

= The man pretended to be sad to get what she wanted

PLAY 그 사람이 부자인 척하고 항상 돈의 중요성을 강조했어요

= That person pretended to be rich and always emphasized the importance
of money

PLAY 저는 파티에서 행복한 척했는데 사실 요즘에 진짜 슬퍼요

= I pretended to be happy at the party, but I am actually really sad these
days

PLAY 아이들이 놀이터에서 자기가 경찰관인 척하면서 놀았어요

= The kids pretended that they were police officers at the playground

PLAY 죄수가 감옥을 지키는 경비원인 척하고 감옥에서 탈출했어요

= The prisoners pretended that they were guards protecting the prison and
then escaped (from the prison)

PLAY 그 사람이 다른 사람들을 위하는 척하며 자기 의견만 주장해요

= That person pretends to be for other people, but just asserts his own
opinion
 ——————-

Two common verbs used with 척하다 are 알다 and 모르다, which can be
used to indicates that one pretends to know or not know. For example:

PLAY 그는 정답을 아는 척했어요

= He pretended that he knew the answer

PLAY 어제 외식했을 때 식당에서 아는 친구를 봤지만 모르는 척했어요

= Yesterday when I went out to eat, I saw a friend I know at the restaurant,
but I pretended I don’t know him

——————

The word 잘나다 is commonly used with 척하다 to indicate that one
pretends to do something well. For example:

PLAY 그녀는 시험을 잘 보고 친구들한테 잘난 척했어요

= She bragged to her friends after doing well on the exam

PLAY 그 선생님이 서울대를 졸업하셔서 항상 잘난 척하셔요

= That teacher always brags because he graduated from Seoul National
University

—————–

There are also some words that can be used instead of “척하다.” The most
common alternative is “체하다,” which has a very similar, if not identical,
meaning:

PLAY 식당에서 교수님은 저를 모른 체했어요

= The professor pretended to not know me in the restaurant

That’s it for this lesson!

Vocabulary

Nouns:
PLAY 도둑 = thief
PLAY 상품 = products, goods
PLAY 조건 = conditions/stipulations
PLAY 기자 = journalist
PLAY 기준 = standard criteria
PLAY 술집 = bar
PLAY 연료 = fuel
PLAY 작가 = writer/author
PLAY 통일 = unification
PLAY 공공 = public
PLAY 질서 = public order
PLAY 전기 = electricity
PLAY 입학 = admission to a school
PLAY 국내 = inside the country
PLAY 공간 = space, room
PLAY 일부 = part/portion
PLAY 영화표 = movie ticket
PLAY 졸업생 = graduate from a school

Verbs:
PLAY 튀다 = to bounce
PLAY 마치다 = to finish
PLAY 바라보다 = to look at
PLAY 기여하다 = to contribute
PLAY 악수하다 = to shake hands

Adverbs and Other Words:

PLAY 반드시 = surely/definitely
PLAY 제대로 = properly

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn how to use ~더라도 as a connector between
two clauses to mean “even if.” Let’s get started!
 

Even if: ~더라도

In Lesson 48, you learned how to add ~아/어도 to a sentence to create the
meaning of “regardless of…”. For example:

PLAY 한국과 북한이 통일을 해도 경제적인 문제가 많을 거예요

= Regardless of if Korea and North Korea reunify, there will be many
economical problems

PLAY 상품이 지금 창고에 도착해도 우리가 놓을 데가 없어요

= Regardless of if the products arrive at the warehouse now, we don’t have
a place to put them

Attaching ~더라도 instead of ~아/어도 is more stressed. Specifically, it

stresses that absolutely, regardless of what happens in the first clause, the
second clause occurs. This often translates to “even if” in English. For
example:

PLAY 날씨가 춥더라도 꼭 오세요

= Even if it is cold, make sure that you come

PLAY 시험을 잘 보더라도 입학하지 못할 것 같아요

= Even if I do well on the exam, I won’t be able to get into University

PLAY 그 여자가 오더라도 그녀랑 얘기를 안 할 거예요

= Even if that girl comes, I’m not going to talk to her

PLAY 그 소파를 방에서 옮기더라도 공간이 없을 거예요

= Even if you move the sofa from the room, there won’t be any space

PLAY 이 시험을 잘 보더라도 국내 대학교에 입학하지 못할 거예요

= Even if you do well on this exam, you won’t be admitted to a university in
the country

PLAY 이 술집은 인기가 많아서 일찍 가더라도 입장할 수 없을지도 몰라요

= That bar is really popular, so even if we go early, I don’t know if we will
get in
PLAY 제대로 운동을 하더라도 스트레칭을 하지 않으면 효과가 별로 없어요
= Even if you exercise properly, if you don’t stretch, there isn’t much effect

PLAY 그 작가를 만날 기회가 있더라도 부끄러워서 눈을 바라보고 악수하지

못할 거예요
= Even if I have the chance to meet that writer, because I’m shy I won’t be
able to look at him in the eyes or shake his hands

PLAY 조건과 기준을 제대로 맞추더라도 면접을 잘 못 보면 시험에서 떨어질

수도 있어요
= Even if you meet the requirements and standards, if you don’t do well in
the interview, you could do poorly on the exam

PLAY 이 학교에 많은 기여를 했더라도 이 학교 졸업생이 아니라서 아무도

신경 안 썼을 거예요
= Even if I made a lot of contributions to the school, because I’m not a
graduate of the school, nobody will care

PLAY 그 도둑을 잡더라도 이미 그 도둑이 훔친 돈을 다 썼기 때문에 돈을

돌려받을 수 없을 거예요
= Even if you catch that thief, he already spent all the money he stole, so
you won’t be able to receive the money

PLAY 옆에서 공연을 하고 있어서 질서를 지켜 달라고 방송이 나오더라도

아무도 들리지 않을 거예요
= Because of the performance going on next to us, even if there is a
broadcast asking to keep the order, nobody will hear it

PLAY 그 영화에 일부만 보고 나오더라도 이미 영화관에 들어간거기 때문에

영화표 값이 환불이 되지 않아요
= Even if you just watch a part of the movie and come out, because you
already went into the theater, you will not be refunded the price of the
movie ticket

PLAY 그 기자가 호텔에 전기가 나가더라도 반드시 일을 오늘까지 마칠 수

있도록 보조 배터리를 준비해 왔어요
= That journalist brought/prepared a spare battery to make sure he finishes
his work, even if the electricity goes out in the hotel
~더라도 can be attached to ~았/었 to indicate that even if something had
occurred in the past, it doesn’t mean some event would occur. As was
discussed in Lesson 48, sentenced used this way are often hypothetical and
therefore use the ~았/었을 것이다 ending. For example:

PLAY 열심히 공부를 했더라도 시험에 떨어졌을 거예요

= Even if I studied really hard for the exam, I would have failed

PLAY 돈이 있었더라도 그 컴퓨터를 사지 않았을 거예요

= Even if I had money, I wouldn’t have bought that computer

That’s it for this lesson!

Vocabulary

Nouns:
PLAY 터 = lot, ground
PLAY 주사 = injection
PLAY 연고 = ointment
PLAY 큰길 = main road
PLAY 품목 = items
PLAY 특징 = specific physical characteristic
PLAY 인생 = life
PLAY 모임 = gathering, get together
PLAY 식품 = food products
PLAY 자식 = one’s child, children
PLAY 하룻밤 = one night
PLAY 시절 = a time in the past one remembers
PLAY 최고 = the best/first
PLAY 오늘날 = these days

Verbs:
PLAY 반복하다 = to repeat
PLAY 늘어나다 = to stretch
PLAY 대출하다 = to loan
PLAY 받아들이다 = to accept, to embrace
Adjectives:
PLAY 가렵다 = to be itchy
PLAY 커다랗다 = to be huge
PLAY 다양하다 = to be various

Introduction

Okay, get ready for another lesson filled with grammar explanations. What
else would you expect? With this being our 100th lesson, I wanted to make
sure it was a good one. Before I say anything else, I want to take just a
moment to thank anyone who has actually followed these lessons to this
point. It initially took me two years to get to Lesson 100. I’ve since gone
back and edited this lesson many times (just like all the others) to improve
it. I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t enjoy it. One of the best parts about
creating this resource is hearing from people who have used my website to
help them with their studies. Hearing from you really motivates me to keep
going.

I am incredibly happy with what I have created. As you have probably seen,
there are still many more lessons after this one. I still have plans for so
much more. The only thing holding me back is time. Keep an eye out for
bigger and better things that I hope to install over the upcoming months and
years. I’m just one person, so sometimes it takes a while to get everything
finished – but I promise to continue to work on it.

In this lesson, you will learn about the grammatical principle ~ㄹ/을 텐데
(요), and to a lesser extent ~ㄹ/을 테니까. Let’s get started.

Would: ~ㄹ/을 텐데(요)

텐데 is created by merging the noun 터 with 이다, followed by ~ㄴ/은데. 터

is another example of a “pseudo-noun” which is a noun that can only be
used after a describing verb or adjective; like 수, 지, 적, etc. For the meaning
described in this lesson, 터 is always described by ~ㄹ/을. For example:
~ㄹ/을 + 터 + 이다 + ㄴ데 = ~ㄹ/을 텐데

You can find the noun 터 in the vocabulary list of this lesson. This is not the
same word as is being used in the grammatical principle we are describing
here. The words are spelled the same, but they do not have the same
meaning and are considered different words.

The meaning of 터 used in the grammatical principle is hard to define, but it

is used to provide the connotation of some expectation or guess. For
example:

터 = lot, ground
터 = pseudo-noun used to provide connotation of an expectation or guess

This lesson will focus on the use of the pseudo-noun.

~텐데(요) is commonly used to indicate that if some hypothetical situation

happened in the past, something would have happened. These sentences
usually have ~았/었더라면 or ~았/었더라도 seperating the two clauses. For
example:

날씨가 좋았더라면…
날씨가 좋았더라도…

제가 돈이 있었더라면…
제가 돈이 있었더라도…

In Lesson 43 and Lesson 99, you learned that sentences that start like this
usually end with ~았/었을 것이다. For example:

PLAY 날씨가 좋았더라면 저는 공원에 갔을 거예요 = If it were nice out, I

would have gone
PLAY 날씨가 좋았더라도 저는 공원에 안 갔을 거예요 = Even if it were nice
out, I still wouldn’t have gone

PLAY 제가 돈이 있었더라면 그것을 샀을 거예요 = If I had money, I would

have bought that
PLAY 제가 돈이 있었더라도 그것을 안 샀을 거예요 = Even if I had money, I
wouldn’t have bought that

In each of these cases, it would be natural to replace 거예요 with 텐데요.

For example:

PLAY 날씨가 좋았더라면 저는 공원에 갔을 텐데요 = If it were nice out, I

would have gone
PLAY 날씨가 좋았더라도 저는 공원에 안 갔을 텐데요 = Even if it were nice
out, I still wouldn’t have gone

PLAY 제가 돈이 있었더라면 그것을 샀을 텐데요 = If I had money, I would

have bought that
PLAY 제가 돈이 있었더라도 그것을 안 샀을 텐데요 = Even if I had money, I
wouldn’t have bought that

This can also be done in the present tense situations as well, but only if the
second clause is a supposition that would only happen if the first clause
were true. For example:

PLAY 내가 돈이 있으면 그것을 살 텐데 = I would buy that if I had money

PLAY 음식이 더 있으면 좋을 텐데 = It would be good if there was more
food

So why use 턴데(요) when you could just use 것이다?

When 텐데 is used, there is a certain feeling that is trying to be expressed. It

is very hard to describe a feeling in words, especially one that is elicited
from the use of a word in a foreign language, but I will try my best to
explain this feeling to you.

It makes sense to me to split up this feeling and describe them in different

sections. The thing is, the feeling“텐데” has is actually a combination of all of
these descriptions, but I feel that different situations elicit a slightly different
feeling. Therefore, after reading all of my descriptions below, realize that
텐데 is actually a combination of all of those feelings

————————————————————————-
For sentences that have “if…” in the past tense, the reason for using 텐데 (vs.
not using it) is very subtle. For example, in these two sentences:

PLAY 날씨가 좋았더라면 저는 공원에 갔을 거예요 = If it was nice out, I

would have gone
PLAY 날씨가 좋았더라면 저는 공원에 갔을 텐데요 = If it was nice out, I
would have gone

Their meanings are virtually the same. However, in the sentence with “텐데”,
there is a slight nuance/feeling of regret. It is difficult to translate this into
words. A sentence with a similar structure but no feeling of regret would
typically not use 텐데(요). For example:

뛰다가 조심하지 않았다면 넘어졌을 거예요 = If I wasn’t careful when I was

running, I would have fallen

Here, under most situations, it would be strange to write that sentence like
this:

뛰다가 조심하지 않았다면 넘어졌을 텐데요

————————————————————————-

For sentences that have “even if…” in the past or present tense, the reason
for using 텐데 (vs. not using it) is also very subtle. For example, in these two
sentences:

PLAY 날씨가 좋았더라도 저는 공원에 안 갔을 거예요 = Even if it were nice

out, I still wouldn’t have gone
PLAY 날씨가 좋았더라도 저는 공원에 안 갔을 텐데요 = Even if it were nice
out, I still wouldn’t have gone

Their meanings are virtually the same. However, in the sentence with “텐데”,
there is a slight nuance/feeling of being annoyed. This is technically the
same as the feeling of “regret” in my description above, but it feels closer to
an annoying feeling when used with ~더라도. For example:

PLAY 날씨가 좋았더라도 저는 공원에 안 갔을 텐데요 = Even if it were nice

out, I still wouldn’t have gone
PLAY 제가 돈이 있었더라도 그것을 안 샀을 텐데요 = Even if I had money, I
wouldn’t have bought that

Again, it is very hard to translate this specific feeling of “텐데”, but its
addition brings the translation closer to something like:

Ugh, even if it was nice out, I still wouldn’t have gone, and
Ugh, even if I had money, I wouldn’t have bought that

————————————————————————-

For sentences that have “if” in the present tense, the reason for using 텐데
(vs. not using it) is also very subtle. For example, in these two sentences:

PLAY 음식이 더 있으면 좋을 거야 = It would be good if there was more

food
PLAY 음식이 더 있으면 좋을 텐데 = It would be good if there was more
food

Their meanings are virtually the same. However, in the sentence with “텐데”,
there is a slight nuance/feeling of  “oh, that’s too bad.” This is technically
the same as the feeling of “regret” and “being annoyed” in my descriptions
above, but it feels closer to a “that’s too bad” feeling when used with “if” in
the present tense like this. Again, it is very hard to translate the specific use
of “텐데”, but its addition adds this feeling to the sentence:

음식이 더 있으면 좋을 텐데 = Oh, it’s too bad there isn’t more food,
because if there were, I would eat it

————————————————————————-

Remember what I said at the beginning of these descriptions – the feeling

that I’m trying to describe is actually a combination of all of these… all taken
on by one word. I’m trying to compartmentalize them, but try to realize that
they’re actually all the same feeling. Because of that, any sentence using
텐데 could have any of these feelings, it’s really up to the mood and context
of the sentence. For example, in this sentence:
PLAY 날씨가 좋더라도 나는 갈 수 없어 = Even if the weather is nice, I can’t
go
PLAY 날씨가 좋더라도 나는 갈 수 없을 텐데 = Even if the weather is nice, I
can’t go

The purpose of using “텐데” in the second example is to express this

nuance/feeling. What is the feeling? Well, it’s a combination of regret
(maybe less so), and being annoyed and saying “oh, that’s too bad.”

Here are many examples that try to show this nuance:

PLAY 지금 안 가면 그 품목이 없을 텐데
= If we don’t go now there won’t be any items/products

PLAY 연고를 지금 바르더라도 팔이 가려울 텐데

= Even if I apply the ointment, my arm will be itchy

PLAY 주사를 안 맞았더라면 팔이 가렵지 않았을 텐데

= If I didn’t get a needle/vaccination, my arm wouldn’t be itchy

PLAY 바지를 그렇게 안 입었더라면 안 늘어났을 텐데

= If you didn’t put the pants on like that, they wouldn’t have gotten
stretched

PLAY 큰길로 갔더라면 모임에 늦게 도착하지 않았을 텐데

= If we went via the main road, we wouldn’t have arrived late to the
meeting/party

PLAY 그런 행동을 요즘에 했으면 사람들이 받아들이지 않았을 텐데

= If he did that type of thing/action these days people wouldn’t have
accepted it

PLAY 그 사람의 인생이 조금 더 잘 풀렸다면 그런 결정을 하지 않았을 텐데

= If that person had looked after his life a little bit better, he wouldn’t have
made that kind of decision

You’ll see this same feeling talked about in the next section, but in that
section I talk about it being used as a “worry” feeling.
 

It is probable that, I suppose that…: ~ㄹ/을 텐데(요)

By placing ~ㄹ/을 텐데 at the end of a sentence, one can indicate that he

supposes or expects something to be the case. This is typically done when
the speaker is not the acting agent (the subject/topic) in the sentence. For
example:

PLAY 비가 올 텐데 = It will probably rain (I suppose that it will rain)

PLAY 날씨가 추울 텐데 = The weather will probably be cold
PLAY 그가 집에 없을 텐데 = He probably won’t be home

When I first learned about this usage, my first question was “what is the
difference between those sentences, and the following sentences?:”

비가 올 것 같아 = It will probably rain

추울 것 같아 = The weather will probably be cold
그가 집에 없을 것 같아 = He probably won’t be home

There are actually two slight nuances that ~ㄹ/을 텐데 can add to the
meaning of a sentence compared to ~ㄹ/을 것 같다.

When you use ~ㄹ/을 텐데, you are slightly more sure of something
happening (sort of like the difference between (“I might go,” and “I will
probably go.”)
When you use ~ㄹ/을 텐데, you are indicating a very slight feeling of being
worried, annoyed, thinking “too bad” (where appropriate depending on the
context).
For example, in the sentence:

PLAY 날씨가 추울 텐데 = The weather will probably be cold…

You are indicating that the weather will probably be cold – and, as a result
of that – you are a little bit worried or irritated (depending on the context). It
is hard to translate this nuance into words, and this is sort of the feeling I
was trying to describe earlier in the lesson. You could almost translate the
sentence above to:

PLAY 날씨가 추울 텐데 = Oh… the weather will probably be cold.., or, “I’m a
little worried that it might be cold.” (Oh, it’s too bad that it’s going to be
cold, it’s annoying that it is going to be cold, etc…)

More examples:

PLAY 그 식당이 이미 닫았을 텐데 = The restaurant is probably already

closed (Ugh, it’s too bad because the restaurant will probably already be
closed/I’m irritated/worried because the restaurant will probably already
be closed)

PLAY 퇴근시간이라서 길이 막힐 텐데 = The roads will probably be jammed

because it is rush hour (Ugh, it’s too bad because the road will probably be
jammed because it’s rush hour/I’m irritated/worried because the roads will
probably be jammed)

PLAY 이게 최고일 텐데
= This will probably be the most

PLAY 식품을 안 팔 텐데
= They probably don’t sell food products

PLAY 대출을 못 받을 텐데
= We probably won’t be able to receive a loan

PLAY 품목이 다양하지 않을 텐데

= There probably won’t be a wide variety of products

PLAY 그 남자가 특징이 없을 텐데

= That man probably doesn’t have any special traits/characteristics

PLAY 계속 반복해서 잔소리하면 싫어할 텐데

= If you repeatedly nag him, he probably won’t like it

 
 

Using ~ㄹ/을 텐데 (or ~ㄹ/을 테니까) in the middle of a sentence

In all the examples in this lesson so far, you have seen ~ㄹ/을 텐데 being
used at the end of sentences. However, you can use ~ㄹ/을 텐데 to connect
two clauses as well. The meaning it takes when used like this is “it is
probable that… so.” For example:

PLAY 그 식당이 이미 닫았을 텐데 가지 말자

= The restaurant will probably already be closed, so let’s not go

PLAY 길이 막힐 텐데 지하철로 가자
= The roads will probably be jammed, so let’s take the subway

PLAY 우유가 없을 텐데 하나만 사세요

= We probably don’t have any milk, so buy one

Just by the nature of the first clause, the second clause is usually some sort
of a suggestion. However, not always:

PLAY 부장님이 없었을 텐데 그래도 부장님을 만나러 회사에 갔어요?

= The boss probably wasn’t there, regardless, did you go to work to meet
him?

Also notice that these constructions are essentially the same as those using
~ㄹ/을 것 같다 (Lesson 35) and ~아/어서 (Lesson 36). For example:

PLAY 길이 막힐 텐데 지하철로 가자
= The roads will probably be jammed, so let’s take the subway

길이 막힐 것 같아서 지하철로 가자
= The roads will probably be jammed, so let’s take the subway

You can substitute ~(으)니까 (Lesson 81) for ~ㄴ/은/는데 to end up with ㄹ/
을 테니까. This creates a very similar meaning. For example:
PLAY 그 사람이 집을 자식한테 줄 텐데 그 집을 우리에게 안 팔거야
PLAY 그 사람이 집을 자식한테 줄 테니까 그 집을 우리에게 안 팔거야
= That person will probably give his house to his kids, so he won’t sell it to
us

PLAY 학생들이 이 내용을 이해하지 못할 텐데 이 내용까지만 하세요

PLAY 학생들이 이 내용을 이해하지 못할 테니까 이 내용까지만 하세요
= The students probably won’t understand this content, so just teach them
only up until this point

PLAY 지도에 표시된 커다란 나무가 곧 보일 텐데 조금만 더 빨리 걷자

PLAY 지도에 표시된 커다란 나무가 곧 보일 테니까 조금만 더 빨리 걷자
= We will soon be able to see the big tree that is marked on the map, so
let’s walk just a bit faster

These are the examples from the start of this section, but now with ~테니까
in replace of 텐데:

PLAY 길이 막힐 테니까 지하철로 가자

= The roads will probably be jammed, so let’s take the subway

PLAY 우유가 없을 테니까 하나만 사세요

= We probably don’t have any milk, so buy one

PLAY 그 식당이 이미 닫았을 테니까 가지 말자

= The restaurant will probably already be closed, so let’s not go

You can also use~ㄹ/을 텐데 and ~ㄹ/을 테니까 to indicate that you are
going to (or intend to) do something – and the second clause reflects that. I
emphasize “you” because typically the action agent in the sentence with
either of these constructions is the speaker.

You will often see sources indicating that it is acceptable to use either ~ㄹ/
을 텐데 or ~ㄹ/을 테니까 to express this usage of “intention.” It is my
personal opinion that it is more common and more natural to use ~ㄹ/을
테니까 and not ~ㄹ/을 텐데 when indicating intention. For example:
PLAY 지금 갈 테니까 조금 더 기다려 주세요
= I’m going to leave now, so wait just a little bit longer

PLAY 제가 돈을 많이 벌 테니까 걱정하지 마세요

= I am going to earn a lot of money, so don’t worry

PLAY 우리가 거기서 하룻밤만 있을 텐데 좀 더 싼 데에서 머물자

= We will spend just one night there, so let’s stay at a place that is a little
cheaper

PLAY 내가 다양한 야채를 살 테니까 야채로  맛있는 것을 만들어 먹자

= I will buy a variety of vegetables, so let’s make something delicious with
them

PLAY 그 나라에서 터를 잡고 살 테니까 이제부터 그 나라 언어를 배워야

돼요
= I intend to settle down in that country, so starting now I need to learn that
country’s language

You could also, in theory, end a sentence with this usage. However, you
should treat these as incomplete sentences, and they can only really be
used when the second clause can be assumed from context. This is similar
to ending a sentence with “~아/어서.” For example:

PLAY 걱정 마. 내가 돈을 많이 벌 거라서… = Don’t worry. Because I’m going

to earn a lot of money.
PLAY 걱정 마. 내가 돈을 많이 벌 테니까… = Don’t worry. Because I’m going
to earn a lot of money.

Wow! That’s the first real long lesson in a while. It’s a good thing, too,
because this is the last lesson of Unit 4! Congratulate yourself on making it
all the way up to Lesson 100!
… but don’t think that you are done yet. I don’t ever plan to stop writing
lessons or adding to the existing lessons.

Still confused about what you learned? Why not review everything that we
covered in Unit 4?

If you are confident in what you learned from Lessons 92 – 100, try taking
our Mini-Test where you can test your knowledge on everything you
learned in tho