KChamp Podcast 12: Korean Hat Slang!   If you’re living in Korea, you’ve probably noticed the hats with clever bits of Korean written on them that started showing up in the major party districts about two years ago.  Since it’s never a good idea to wear a hat emblazoned with a phrase you can’t understand, I thought I’d take this opportunity to translate the witticisms found on this headwear.  All of the phrases here are in common usage and important to know.Row 1  달인: Master (as in “master of a certain field” etc.  Similar to hats that say, “Boss” or “Ace” etc.) 내일 입대: I enlist tomorrow (Means — jokingly — that the wearer is joining the army tomorrow.) 오늘 생일: Today’s my birthday (This would probably be written, “Birthday Boy,” on similar hats in the US) 곧미남: Future hottie.  Lit. “Soon-to-be beautiful man.”  This phrase is likely a play on the phrase in row 3, “꽃미남,” which is similar to “pretty boy.” 싸가지: Bitch or jerk, depending on the gender of the wearer.    Row 2  서민: Common folk (“Everyday guy” would probably also work.) 품절남: A taken man (Lit. “sold-out man.”  Read: a guy that’s married or in a serious relationship.  Similar to “I’m called for.” etc.) 품절녀: A taken woman 꽃미녀: Beauty (Lit. a flower-like beauty) 지존: Tops (as in the best or greatest)    Row 3  숫총각: Virgin 꽃미남: Pretty boy (Lit. flower-like male beauty)

<a href="http://koreanchamp.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/KChamp-Podcast-12-Korean-Hat-Slang.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">KChamp Podcast 12: Korean Hat Slang!</a> <a href="http://koreanchamp.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/photo.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> </a> If you’re living in Korea, you’ve probably noticed the hats with clever bits of Korean written on them that started showing up in the major party districts about two years ago.  Since it’s never a good idea to wear a hat emblazoned with a phrase you can’t understand, I thought I’d take this opportunity to translate the witticisms found on this headwear.  All of the phrases here are in common usage and important to know.Row 1 <ul> <li>달인: Master (as in “master of a certain field” etc.  Similar to hats that say, “Boss” or “Ace” etc.)</li> <li>내일 입대: I enlist tomorrow (Means — jokingly — that the wearer is joining the army tomorrow.)</li> <li>오늘 생일: Today’s my birthday (This would probably be written, “Birthday Boy,” on similar hats in the US)</li> <li>곧미남: Future hottie.  Lit. “Soon-to-be beautiful man.”  This phrase is likely a play on the phrase in row 3, “꽃미남,” which is similar to “pretty boy.”</li> <li>싸가지: Bitch or jerk, depending on the gender of the wearer.</li> </ul> Row 2 <ul> <li>서민: Common folk (“Everyday guy” would probably also work.)</li> <li>품절남: A taken man (Lit. “sold-out man.”  Read: a guy that’s married or in a serious relationship.  Similar to “I’m called for.” etc.)</li> <li>품절녀: A taken woman</li> <li>꽃미녀: Beauty (Lit. a flower-like beauty)</li> <li>지존: Tops (as in the best or greatest)</li> </ul> Row 3 <ul> <li>숫총각: Virgin</li> <li>꽃미남: Pretty boy (Lit. flower-like male beauty)</li></ul>

Korean Hat Slang!

KChamp Podcast 11: ‘I’m an Extrovert!’ in Korean When describing oneself in English, the traditional fallback terms are “extrovert” and “introvert” or their cousins, “sociable” and “antisocial.” Today we are going to take a look at how you can express those ideas in Korean. 1. Extrovert: 외향적인 사람 Extroverted: 외향적 예문  A: 새 직원을 뽑는다고 들었어요. 어떤 사람을 구하세요? B: 사람을 많이 상대하는 일이니까 외향적인 사람이면 좋겠어요.  2. I would seem like the antonym of “외향적” would be “내향적,” but alas, the much more commonly used word is “내성적.” “내향적” is however used in more clinical contexts. Introvert: 내성적인 사람 Introverted: 내성적 Personality: 성격  A: 이수진 씨는 마음에 드는 사람에게 먼저 다가가는 편이에요? B: 제가 좀 내성적인 성격이어서 다른 사람에게 먼저 적극적으로 다가가지 못하는 편이에요.  3. Another good word to know is “사교적” or “sociable.” It’s the perfect way to describe a person who makes friends easily and is a polished social butterfly. 예문  A: 주희가 전학한 학교에서 친구들하고 잘 지낼 수 있을까요? B: 걱정 말아요. 주희는 사교적인 성격이니까 금방 잘 적응할 거예요.  4. And last but not least is the category for the rest of us, “antisocial.” This too, if translated directly would be “반사회적,” but that is used to describe actual political movements and policies. The word you need here is “비사교적.” 예문  A: 민수 씨는 처음 보는 사람하고도 참 잘 어울리는 것 같아요. B: 제가 원래는 비사교적인 성격이었는데 직장에 다니면서 성격이 많이 바뀌었어요. 

<a href="http://koreanchamp.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/KChamp-Podcast-11-Im-an-Extrovert-in-Korean.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">KChamp Podcast 11: ‘I’m an Extrovert!’ in Korean</a> When describing oneself in English, the traditional fallback terms are “extrovert” and “introvert” or their cousins, “sociable” and “antisocial.” Today we are going to take a look at how you can express those ideas in Korean. 1. Extrovert: 외향적인 사람 Extroverted: 외향적 예문 <ul> <li>A: 새 직원을 뽑는다고 들었어요. 어떤 사람을 구하세요?</li> <li>B: 사람을 많이 상대하는 일이니까 외향적인 사람이면 좋겠어요.</li> </ul> 2. I would seem like the antonym of “외향적” would be “내향적,” but alas, the much more commonly used word is “내성적.” “내향적” is however used in more clinical contexts. Introvert: 내성적인 사람 Introverted: 내성적 Personality: 성격 <ul> <li>A: 이수진 씨는 마음에 드는 사람에게 먼저 다가가는 편이에요?</li> <li>B: 제가 좀 내성적인 성격이어서 다른 사람에게 먼저 적극적으로 다가가지 못하는 편이에요.</li> </ul> 3. Another good word to know is “사교적” or “sociable.” It’s the perfect way to describe a person who makes friends easily and is a polished social butterfly. 예문 <ul> <li>A: 주희가 전학한 학교에서 친구들하고 잘 지낼 수 있을까요?</li> <li>B: 걱정 말아요. 주희는 사교적인 성격이니까 금방 잘 적응할 거예요.</li> </ul> 4. And last but not least is the category for the rest of us, “antisocial.” This too, if translated directly would be “반사회적,” but that is used to describe actual political movements and policies. The word you need here is “비사교적.” 예문 <ul> <li>A: 민수 씨는 처음 보는 사람하고도 참 잘 어울리는 것 같아요.</li> <li>B: 제가 원래는 비사교적인 성격이었는데 직장에 다니면서 성격이 많이 바뀌었어요.</li> </ul>

I’m an Extrovert!

Podcast 10: ‘Playing’ Instruments in Korean OK, it’s finally time for one of those higher-level posts I’ve been promising to write for the last year. Somewhere around Level 2, you probably started learn the Korean pronunciations for western instruments. Later on, you may have learned the words for the different families of instruments, e.g., winds, strings, brass etc. (I’ll make a separate post dealing with this later). But chances are you still haven’t covered all the different ways of saying “play” depending on the instrument that is being played. This issue — similar to the universal “wear” in English, and its absence in Korean — is an example of a single, all-purpose verb in English being expressed with a variety of different words in Korean. That is to say, playing a clarinet, violin or drum are expressed as “play” in English, but each case takes a different verb in Korean. Many moons ago, when I worked as the music director at a Korean church in Los Angeles, this issue came up a lot. The children in the orchestra, who were mostly children of first-generation Korean immigrants, were not fluent Korean speakers. When we discussed orchestra issues in Korean a common mistake of the children was to use the Korean verb for play “놀다” along with the instrument that they played, e.g., “나는 바이올린을 놀아요” or “피아노를 놀 줄 알아요?” These errors are analogous to the common mistake of foreigners when speaking Korean to say things like “양말을 입었어요” or “모자를 입었어요.” These sentences should be “양말을 신었어요” and “모자를 썼어요,” respectively. The correct verb is usually bound to the family of the instrument being played. 불다: to blow This verb is appropriate for almost all wind instruments. So when you’d like to say “play the clarinet” in Korean, the correct form is “클라리넷을 불다.” This verb is also used for oboe (오보에), trumpet (트럼펫), flute (플루트) and traditional Korean instruments such as the piri and taepyeongso.  클라리넷을 불기 시작한 지 얼마나 됐어요? (클라리넷을 얼마나 불었어요?) How long have you been playing the clarinet?  치다: to strike, to hit As you may have guessed, this verb is used for the entire percussion family, but is also used to describe playing the guitar. Apparently the action of playing the guitar can be seen has more of a hitting action than other string instruments. This is also the verb used for playing the piano  드럼 치는 게 정말 그렇게 힘들까요? 좀 단순해 보이는데… Do you think playing the drums is really that hard? It looks pretty simple to me…  켜다: to strum This verb is used for most string instruments, including the violin, viola and traditional Korean instruments such as the gayageum and geomungo.  처음에 왜 가야금 켜는 걸 배우고 싶었어요? Why did you want to learn the gayageum in the first place?  뜯다: to pluck This verb is also used to describe the playing of most string instruments but the nuance is slightly different. This action denoted by this verb is more of a plucking than a strumming, and this verb is rarely used to describe playing of any instead besides the gayageum.  가야금 좀 뜯어줘요. 어떤 소리가 날지 궁금해요. Play the gayageum for me.  I curious to hear how it sounds.  If you have any other music-related questions, please leave them below. //  

<a href="http://koreanchamp.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/KChamp-Podcast-10-Playing-Instruments-in-Korean.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Podcast 10: ‘Playing’ Instruments in Korean</a> OK, it’s finally time for one of those higher-level posts I’ve been promising to write for the last year. Somewhere around Level 2, you probably started learn the Korean pronunciations for western instruments. Later on, you may have learned the words for the different families of instruments, e.g., winds, strings, brass etc. (I’ll make a separate post dealing with this later). But chances are you still haven’t covered all the different ways of saying “play” depending on the instrument that is being played. This issue — similar to the universal “wear” in English, and its absence in Korean — is an example of a single, all-purpose verb in English being expressed with a variety of different words in Korean. That is to say, playing a clarinet, violin or drum are expressed as “play” in English, but each case takes a different verb in Korean. Many moons ago, when I worked as the music director at a Korean church in Los Angeles, this issue came up a lot. The children in the orchestra, who were mostly children of first-generation Korean immigrants, were not fluent Korean speakers. When we discussed orchestra issues in Korean a common mistake of the children was to use the Korean verb for play “놀다” along with the instrument that they played, e.g., “나는 바이올린을 놀아요” or “피아노를 놀 줄 알아요?” These errors are analogous to the common mistake of foreigners when speaking Korean to say things like “양말을 입었어요” or “모자를 입었어요.” These sentences should be “양말을 신었어요” and “모자를 썼어요,” respectively. The correct verb is usually bound to the family of the instrument being played. 불다: to blow This verb is appropriate for almost all wind instruments. So when you’d like to say “play the clarinet” in Korean, the correct form is “클라리넷을 불다.” This verb is also used for oboe (오보에), trumpet (트럼펫), flute (플루트) and traditional Korean instruments such as the piri and taepyeongso. <ul> <li>클라리넷을 불기 시작한 지 얼마나 됐어요? (클라리넷을 얼마나 불었어요?)</li> <li>How long have you been playing the clarinet?</li> </ul> 치다: to strike, to hit As you may have guessed, this verb is used for the entire percussion family, but is also used to describe playing the guitar. Apparently the action of playing the guitar can be seen has more of a hitting action than other string instruments. This is also the verb used for playing the piano <ul> <li>드럼 치는 게 정말 그렇게 힘들까요? 좀 단순해 보이는데…</li> <li>Do you think playing the drums is really that hard? It looks pretty simple to me…</li> </ul> 켜다: to strum This verb is used for most string instruments, including the violin, viola and traditional Korean instruments such as the gayageum and geomungo. <ul> <li>처음에 왜 가야금 켜는 걸 배우고 싶었어요?</li> <li>Why did you want to learn the gayageum in the first place?</li> </ul> 뜯다: to pluck This verb is also used to describe the playing of most string instruments but the nuance is slightly different. This action denoted by this verb is more of a plucking than a strumming, and this verb is rarely used to describe playing of any instead besides the gayageum. <ul> <li>가야금 좀 뜯어줘요. 어떤 소리가 날지 궁금해요.</li> <li>Play the gayageum for me.  I curious to hear how it sounds.</li> </ul> If you have any other music-related questions, please leave them below. //

How to “Play” Instruments in Korean

Korean Champ Podcast 9: Bragging in Korean about your Korean Originally Posted: July 4, 2011 In today’s lesson, we discuss Westerners’ favorite pastime: bragging about their Korean skills. Even nine years into my study of Korean, I still wouldn’t call myself “fluent” and honestly, I’m not even sure what that expression means.  Does it mean that I can say anything I want to in Korean, or that I can say everything in Korean that I can say in English? Or does it mean that I can speak Korean as well as a native Korean?  I’m not sure what that adjective entails, but I know that I would never use this word to describe myself. Many foreigners start tossing this word around once they get to about Level 4.  I’ve gotta tell ya, for me, even Level 6 was more of a starting point than a conclusion.  And I finished Level Six all the way back in 2005.  I don’t know why I suddenly felt inclined to facilitate a behavior that I loathe, but I guess it was just the perspicacity to know that when you claim fluency, you ought to at least profess your “fluency” in a semi-literate way. Also, I think many students of Korean are frustrated by Koreans always responding to them in English and say that they are fluent as a method of getting Koreans to respond in Korean.  So, if that’s the case, allow me to help.  Whatever your motivations, here are some ways to get your brag on. 유창한 한국어로 In fluent Korean 그의 유창한 한국어 실력에 모두 놀랐어요. His fluent Korean surprised everyone. 그녀의 한국어 실력은 거의 원어민 수준인 것 같아요. Her Korean is almost at the native-speaker level. 어제는 웬 일인지 한국말이 술술 잘 나왔어요. I don’t know what happened, but yesterday my Korean was really flowing. 그 남자는 미국 사람인데 한국어를 거침 없이 잘해요. He’s an American but he speaks Korean flawlessly. (lit. free from obstruction) Some more modest statements (When in Rome, folks…) 유창하게 하려면 아직 멀었어요. I’m still far from being fluent. 조만간 저도 원어민 수준으로 한국말을 잘할 수 있었으면 좋겠어요. I hope to sooner or later speak Korean at the level of a native speaker. 한국어 문법 실력은 이제 어느 정도 되는데 발음은 아직 멀었어요. I’m starting to get a handle on Korean grammar, but I’ve still got a long way to go with the pronunciation.

<a href="http://koreanchamp.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/KChamp-Podcast-9.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Korean Champ Podcast 9: Bragging in Korean about your Korean</a> Originally Posted: July 4, 2011 In today’s lesson, we discuss Westerners’ favorite pastime: bragging about their Korean skills. Even nine years into my study of Korean, I still wouldn’t call myself “fluent” and honestly, I’m not even sure what that expression means.  Does it mean that I can say anything I want to in Korean, or that I can say everything in Korean that I can say in English? Or does it mean that I can speak Korean as well as a native Korean?  I’m not sure what that adjective entails, but I know that I would never use this word to describe myself. Many foreigners start tossing this word around once they get to about Level 4.  I’ve gotta tell ya, for me, even Level 6 was more of a starting point than a conclusion.  And I finished Level Six all the way back in 2005.  I don’t know why I suddenly felt inclined to facilitate a behavior that I loathe, but I guess it was just the perspicacity to know that when you claim fluency, you ought to at least profess your “fluency” in a semi-literate way. Also, I think many students of Korean are frustrated by Koreans always responding to them in English and say that they are fluent as a method of getting Koreans to respond in Korean.  So, if that’s the case, allow me to help.  Whatever your motivations, here are some ways to get your brag on. 유창한 한국어로 In fluent Korean 그의 유창한 한국어 실력에 모두 놀랐어요. His fluent Korean surprised everyone. 그녀의 한국어 실력은 거의 원어민 수준인 것 같아요. Her Korean is almost at the native-speaker level. 어제는 웬 일인지 한국말이 술술 잘 나왔어요. I don’t know what happened, but yesterday my Korean was really flowing. 그 남자는 미국 사람인데 한국어를 거침 없이 잘해요. He’s an American but he speaks Korean flawlessly. (lit. free from obstruction) Some more modest statements (When in Rome, folks…) 유창하게 하려면 아직 멀었어요. I’m still far from being fluent. 조만간 저도 원어민 수준으로 한국말을 잘할 수 있었으면 좋겠어요. I hope to sooner or later speak Korean at the level of a native speaker. 한국어 문법 실력은 이제 어느 정도 되는데 발음은 아직 멀었어요. I’m starting to get a handle on Korean grammar, but I’ve still got a long way to go with the pronunciation.

“I’ve got mad Korean skills, yo!”

Podcast 8 (I’m thinking about it)   Originally posted: July 18, 2011 ____ 할까 말까 해요 BEGINNER This is an expression that — if my memory serves me correctly — is taught in Level 2. It is a handy way to say that you are trying to make your mind up between two different courses of action. You can also use the expression without the “말까” part and just say, “할까 해요.”  한국에 가서 영어 강사로 일할까 말까 하고 있어요. I’m thinking about moving to Korea and working as an English teacher.  Of course a more direct translation would be “I’m trying to decide whether or not I should move to Korea and work as an English teacher,” but it’s redundant and grammatically sketchy. This expression is often coupled with the “____ 하는 중이다,” which means, “I’m in the middle of _____ .” Coupling those expressions would look like this:  한국어 6급으로 올라 갈까 말까 하는 중이에요 I’m thinking about moving up to the level 6 Korean class. (Adding “in the middle of” to the sentence in English would make it awkward, so I left it out.)     지금 다니는 회사를 그만둘까 말까 하는 중이에요. I’m thinking about quitting my job. I’m thinking about whether or not I should quit my current job. (A redundant but quite common sentence)  MID-LEVEL Here is a similar expression. 고민하다: To mull something over; to be debating something (in one’s mind)  I’m debating whether to return to America for graduate school 대학원에 들어가기 위해 미국에 돌아갈까 말까 고민 중입니다.     I’ve liked that girl for a long time. I’m debating whether to ask out on a date. 그 여자를 예전부터 좋아했어요. 데이트 신청할까 말까 고민 중이에요.  ADVANCED If all of these expressions are a breeze for you, here are some more advanced ways of expressing similar concepts. 숙고하다/심사숙고하다 : deliberate, think over carefully 검토하다: to examine, to consider 저울질하다: to weigh (the pros and cons)  귀하의 제안에 대해서는 이틀 여유를 주시면 심사숙고해 본 후 답변을 드리도록 하겠습니다. If you can give me two days of leeway, I will get back to you after having considered your company’s proposal thoroughly.     국회에서 이동통신 요금 인하 정책에 대한 결의안을 검토 중입니다. The National Assembly is currently examining a bill that’s part of a policy to reduce mobile communications fees.     지금 진로 문제를 놓고 대학원을 갈지 취직을 할지 저울질 중입니다. I’m currently preoccupied with the issue of my future path — weighing the prospects of going to graduate school or finding employment. 

<a href="http://koreanchamp.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/KChamp-Podcast-8.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Podcast 8 (I’m thinking about it) </a> Originally posted: July 18, 2011 ____ 할까 말까 해요 BEGINNER This is an expression that — if my memory serves me correctly — is taught in Level 2. It is a handy way to say that you are trying to make your mind up between two different courses of action. You can also use the expression without the “말까” part and just say, “할까 해요.” <ul> <li>한국에 가서 영어 강사로 일할까 말까 하고 있어요.</li> <li>I’m thinking about moving to Korea and working as an English teacher.</li> </ul> Of course a more direct translation would be “I’m trying to decide whether or not I should move to Korea and work as an English teacher,” but it’s redundant and grammatically sketchy. This expression is often coupled with the “____ 하는 중이다,” which means, “I’m in the middle of _____ .” Coupling those expressions would look like this: <ul> <li>한국어 6급으로 올라 갈까 말까 하는 중이에요</li> <li>I’m thinking about moving up to the level 6 Korean class. (Adding “in the middle of” to the sentence in English would make it awkward, so I left it out.)</li> </ul> <ul> <li>지금 다니는 회사를 그만둘까 말까 하는 중이에요.</li> <li>I’m thinking about quitting my job.</li> <li>I’m thinking about whether or not I should quit my current job. (A redundant but quite common sentence)</li> </ul> MID-LEVEL Here is a similar expression. 고민하다: To mull something over; to be debating something (in one’s mind) <ul> <li>I’m debating whether to return to America for graduate school</li> <li>대학원에 들어가기 위해 미국에 돌아갈까 말까 고민 중입니다.</li> </ul> <ul> <li>I’ve liked that girl for a long time. I’m debating whether to ask out on a date.</li> <li>그 여자를 예전부터 좋아했어요. 데이트 신청할까 말까 고민 중이에요.</li> </ul> ADVANCED If all of these expressions are a breeze for you, here are some more advanced ways of expressing similar concepts. 숙고하다/심사숙고하다 : deliberate, think over carefully 검토하다: to examine, to consider 저울질하다: to weigh (the pros and cons) <ul> <li>귀하의 제안에 대해서는 이틀 여유를 주시면 심사숙고해 본 후 답변을 드리도록 하겠습니다.</li> <li>If you can give me two days of leeway, I will get back to you after having considered your company’s proposal thoroughly.</li> </ul> <ul> <li>국회에서 이동통신 요금 인하 정책에 대한 결의안을 검토 중입니다.</li> <li>The National Assembly is currently examining a bill that’s part of a policy to reduce mobile communications fees.</li> </ul> <ul> <li>지금 진로 문제를 놓고 대학원을 갈지 취직을 할지 저울질 중입니다.</li> <li>I’m currently preoccupied with the issue of my future path — weighing the prospects of going to graduate school or finding employment.</li> </ul>

할까 말까 하다 (I’m thinking about it)

Podcast 7: Simple Position Words in Korean This is going to be another basic-level post, so sorry in advance to all you Korean champs out there. Today we are going to take a look at how to express concepts like “above,” “below,” “next to,” “in front of” etc. in Korean.  Make sure you check out the video and the podcast for pronunciation help. In the structure of Korean language, first comes the position indicator, such as “위,” “아래,” “옆” etc.  Then comes the “에” particle that denotes a location. And finally, the verb for “to exist” or “to be,” “있다.”  An example of a finished sentence is “책상 위에 있다,” which could be translated as “It’s on top of the desk.”  Now let’s take a look at the different position words. It’s easier to go ahead and learn these with the “에” particle already affixed, so that’s how we’re gonna do it. 위에: on, above, on top of 아래: below 밑에: below 옆에: next to 앞에: in front of 뒤에: behind 오른쬭에: to the right of 왼쪽에: to the left of And now for some example sentences. 내 지갑이 어디에 있어요? Where’s my wallet? 책상위에 있어요. It’s on top of the desk. 식당이 어디예요? Where’s the restaurant? 그 가게 바로 옆에 있어요. It’s right next to that store. 산위에 구름이 있어요. There are clouds above the mountains. 다리아래에 강이 있어요. The river is below the bridge. 책 밑에 연필이 있어요There’s a pencil underneath the book. 책상 바로 옆에 의자가 있어요.There’s a chair right next to the desk. 전화기 앞에 메모지가 있어요.There’s a memo pad right next to the phone. 내뒤에 친구가 있어요. My friend is behind me. 오른쪽에 건물이 있어요. There’s a building on my right. 왼쪽에 가로등이 있어요. There’s a streetlight to my left.

<a href="http://koreanchamp.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/KChamp-Podcast-7.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Podcast 7: Simple Position Words in Korean</a> This is going to be another basic-level post, so sorry in advance to all you Korean champs out there. Today we are going to take a look at how to express concepts like “above,” “below,” “next to,” “in front of” etc. in Korean.  Make sure you check out the video and the podcast for pronunciation help. In the structure of Korean language, first comes the position indicator, such as “위,” “아래,” “옆” etc.  Then comes the “에” particle that denotes a location. And finally, the verb for “to exist” or “to be,” “있다.”  An example of a finished sentence is “책상 위에 있다,” which could be translated as “It’s on top of the desk.”  Now let’s take a look at the different position words. It’s easier to go ahead and learn these with the “에” particle already affixed, so that’s how we’re gonna do it. 위에: on, above, on top of 아래: below 밑에: below 옆에: next to 앞에: in front of 뒤에: behind 오른쬭에: to the right of 왼쪽에: to the left of And now for some example sentences. 내 지갑이 어디에 있어요? Where’s my wallet? 책상위에 있어요. It’s on top of the desk. 식당이 어디예요? Where’s the restaurant? 그 가게 바로 옆에 있어요. It’s right next to that store. 산위에 구름이 있어요. There are clouds above the mountains. 다리아래에 강이 있어요. The river is below the bridge. 책 밑에 연필이 있어요There’s a pencil underneath the book. 책상 바로 옆에 의자가 있어요.There’s a chair right next to the desk. 전화기 앞에 메모지가 있어요.There’s a memo pad right next to the phone. 내뒤에 친구가 있어요. My friend is behind me. 오른쪽에 건물이 있어요. There’s a building on my right. 왼쪽에 가로등이 있어요. There’s a streetlight to my left.

Simple Prepositions and Position Words

Podcast 6: Advanced School Vocab. (Hard) In today’s lesson, we’ll be taking a look at words related to school life. At first blush, you may, from the topic, assume that this is going to be an easy post, but I guarantee these ain’t your beginner’s school words. I suppose at some point I’d better write a companion piece to this that catches the newcomers up on the more elementary school-related vocab, but for now we’ll just be looking at the top-shelf stuff. All righty, let’s get started. 등교하다: to go to school Just like Grandpops always said, it’s a long trek up a steep grade to get to school in the morning. That’s why this verb combines the Chinese character for ascend (登,등 of 등산하다 fame) with the character for school (校). This word should not be confused with the verb ‘수강하다,’ which means to ‘be enrolled’ or to ‘attend school’ or lectures regularly. 등교길에 낯선 사람이 차에 태워주겠다고 하면 절대 타면 안 돼 Never accept a ride from a stranger on the way to school. 현재 YBM 수강생들은 제휴 회사에서 다양한 혜택을 누릴 수 있습니다. Currently enrolled YBM students can enjoy an array of perks at affiliate businesses. 혜택: perk 하교하다: to leave school Contrary to what you may have heard, however, the way to school is not uphill both ways and this verb contains the character for “down” (下) along with the same character for school. 하교하다가 애들하고 편의점에 들르지 말고 집으로 바로 와라. Come straight home after school and don’t stop by the convenience store with the other kids. 지각하다: to be tardy This is a verb but it is roughly equivalent to the adjective “tardy.” It has a more formal ring to it than it’s pure Korean counterpart “늦다” and is accordingly used in more formal situations. 세 번 지각할 경우 결석으로 간주 Three tardies will be counted as an absence 결석하다: to be absent This one is pretty self-explanatory right? But again, it’s a verb not an adjective. 죄송하지만 집안에 일이 있어서 결석할 수밖에 없게 됐습니다. I’m really sorry, but due to some problems at home, I have no choice but to miss class. 정학당하다: to be suspended from school 퇴학당하다: to be expelled from school 그 애 수업 시간에 또 문제 일으켜서 정학당했어. He got suspended for causing trouble in class again. 소문에 의하면 그 여학생이 교장의 금고에 있는 시험지를 훔치려다가 발각돼서 퇴학당했대요. The word is that she was expelled for attempting to break into the principal’s safe and steal test papers.

<a href="http://koreanchamp.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/KChamp-Podcast-6.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Podcast 6: Advanced School Vocab.</a> (Hard) In today’s lesson, we’ll be taking a look at words related to school life. At first blush, you may, from the topic, assume that this is going to be an easy post, but I guarantee these ain’t your beginner’s school words. I suppose at some point I’d better write a companion piece to this that catches the newcomers up on the more elementary school-related vocab, but for now we’ll just be looking at the top-shelf stuff. All righty, let’s get started. 등교하다: to go to school Just like Grandpops always said, it’s a long trek up a steep grade to get to school in the morning. That’s why this verb combines the Chinese character for ascend (登,등 of 등산하다 fame) with the character for school (校). This word should not be confused with the verb ‘수강하다,’ which means to ‘be enrolled’ or to ‘attend school’ or lectures regularly. 등교길에 낯선 사람이 차에 태워주겠다고 하면 절대 타면 안 돼 Never accept a ride from a stranger on the way to school. 현재 YBM 수강생들은 제휴 회사에서 다양한 혜택을 누릴 수 있습니다. Currently enrolled YBM students can enjoy an array of perks at affiliate businesses. 혜택: perk 하교하다: to leave school Contrary to what you may have heard, however, the way to school is not uphill both ways and this verb contains the character for “down” (下) along with the same character for school. 하교하다가 애들하고 편의점에 들르지 말고 집으로 바로 와라. Come straight home after school and don’t stop by the convenience store with the other kids. 지각하다: to be tardy This is a verb but it is roughly equivalent to the adjective “tardy.” It has a more formal ring to it than it’s pure Korean counterpart “늦다” and is accordingly used in more formal situations. 세 번 지각할 경우 결석으로 간주 Three tardies will be counted as an absence 결석하다: to be absent This one is pretty self-explanatory right? But again, it’s a verb not an adjective. 죄송하지만 집안에 일이 있어서 결석할 수밖에 없게 됐습니다. I’m really sorry, but due to some problems at home, I have no choice but to miss class. 정학당하다: to be suspended from school 퇴학당하다: to be expelled from school 그 애 수업 시간에 또 문제 일으켜서 정학당했어. He got suspended for causing trouble in class again. 소문에 의하면 그 여학생이 교장의 금고에 있는 시험지를 훔치려다가 발각돼서 퇴학당했대요. The word is that she was expelled for attempting to break into the principal’s safe and steal test papers.

학교에 관한 상급 단어들 (Advanced School Vocab)

Podcast 5: You’re pretty ~ for a ~ (~치고는)  (Medium) For a ~ (~치고는) If your looking to lay a compliment on your counterpart but are one of those people who thinks that outright praise must always be garnished with a dash of condescension, this is the perfect phrase for you! 외국인치고는 한국어 잘하네요. He’s really good at Korean for a foreigner. 서울 처음 온 사람치고는 지리 잘 아네요. You really seem to know the lay of the land for a first time visitor to Seoul. 여름 날씨치고는 조금 시원하네요. It’s a little chilly for summer weather. 애플 제품치고는 가격이 싼 것 같아요. That product is fairly low priced for Apple 중학생치고는 키가 큰 편이네요. He’s pretty tall for a middle schooler. Mid Level 서울 중심가에 있는 집치고는 집세도 저렴하고 조용한 편이에요. For a house right in the heart of Seoul, this place has low rent and is on the quiet side too. 이탈리아산 자동차치고는 외관이 세련되지 않은 편이네요. For an Italian car, the exterior doesn’t seem very refined. 그 작곡가가 만든 음악치고는 경쾌한 느낌을 주네요. For one of his compositions, it actually gives off a rather light feel.   Advanced (그는) 재판에 처음 나선 변호사치고는 재판이 진행되는 내내 차분하고 능란하게 변호를 잘했다. For a lawyer making his first appearance in court, he was markedly eloquent and composed throughout all the proceedings. 그의 작품은 전직 가수였던 사람이 쓴 소설치고는 문학성이 뛰어난 것으로 평가받고 있어요. His works were appraised has having a remarkable literary value for works written by a former singer.

<a href="http://koreanchamp.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/KChamp-Podcast-5.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Podcast 5: You’re pretty ~ for a ~ (~치고는) </a> (Medium) For a ~ (~치고는) If your looking to lay a compliment on your counterpart but are one of those people who thinks that outright praise must always be garnished with a dash of condescension, this is the perfect phrase for you! 외국인치고는 한국어 잘하네요. He’s really good at Korean for a foreigner. 서울 처음 온 사람치고는 지리 잘 아네요. You really seem to know the lay of the land for a first time visitor to Seoul. 여름 날씨치고는 조금 시원하네요. It’s a little chilly for summer weather. 애플 제품치고는 가격이 싼 것 같아요. That product is fairly low priced for Apple 중학생치고는 키가 큰 편이네요. He’s pretty tall for a middle schooler. Mid Level 서울 중심가에 있는 집치고는 집세도 저렴하고 조용한 편이에요. For a house right in the heart of Seoul, this place has low rent and is on the quiet side too. 이탈리아산 자동차치고는 외관이 세련되지 않은 편이네요. For an Italian car, the exterior doesn’t seem very refined. 그 작곡가가 만든 음악치고는 경쾌한 느낌을 주네요. For one of his compositions, it actually gives off a rather light feel. Advanced (그는) 재판에 처음 나선 변호사치고는 재판이 진행되는 내내 차분하고 능란하게 변호를 잘했다. For a lawyer making his first appearance in court, he was markedly eloquent and composed throughout all the proceedings. 그의 작품은 전직 가수였던 사람이 쓴 소설치고는 문학성이 뛰어난 것으로 평가받고 있어요. His works were appraised has having a remarkable literary value for works written by a former singer.

You’re pretty good at Korean for a ______  (치고는)

Podcast 4: Is it OK with you if I ~ ? (Easy) Today’s lesson is a basic phrase that is useful in a lot of situations. I suppose the most literal translation of the phrase “해도 돼요?” would be “Is it all right if I ____  ?”.   It’s the perfect form to use when you want to ask someone if they’d mind you sitting down next them or borrowing their cell phone or whatever. Is it all right if I sit here? 여기 앉아도 돼요? Do you mind if I eat this? 이거 먹어도 돼요? Would it be all right if I borrowed some money? 돈 좀 빌려도 돼요? Note: “좀” or “조금” softens the phrase, making it sound more polite. Would you mind if I went ahead and ate? 먼저 먹어도 돼요? Would it be all right if I used this? 이거 써도 돼요? As for the answers, when you approve, you can just use the exact same phrase back at the person. Yes, you can use that. 네, 써도 돼요. When you disapprove, switch the phrase to ” ____ 하면 안 돼요.” No, it’s not all right for you to borrow my phone. 아니요, (내 휴대폰) 쓰면 안 돼요. No, you can’t sit down there. 아니요, 거기 앉으면 안 돼요. No, you shouldn’t just go ahead and eat. 아니요, 먼저 먹으면 안 돼요.

<a href="http://koreanchamp.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/KChamp-Podcast-4.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Podcast 4: Is it OK with you if I ~ ?</a> (Easy) Today’s lesson is a basic phrase that is useful in a lot of situations. I suppose the most literal translation of the phrase “해도 돼요?” would be “Is it all right if I ____  ?”.   It’s the perfect form to use when you want to ask someone if they’d mind you sitting down next them or borrowing their cell phone or whatever. Is it all right if I sit here? 여기 앉아도 돼요? Do you mind if I eat this? 이거 먹어도 돼요? Would it be all right if I borrowed some money? 돈 좀 빌려도 돼요? Note: “좀” or “조금” softens the phrase, making it sound more polite. Would you mind if I went ahead and ate? 먼저 먹어도 돼요? Would it be all right if I used this? 이거 써도 돼요? As for the answers, when you approve, you can just use the exact same phrase back at the person. Yes, you can use that. 네, 써도 돼요. When you disapprove, switch the phrase to ” ____ 하면 안 돼요.” No, it’s not all right for you to borrow my phone. 아니요, (내 휴대폰) 쓰면 안 돼요. No, you can’t sit down there. 아니요, 거기 앉으면 안 돼요. No, you shouldn’t just go ahead and eat. 아니요, 먼저 먹으면 안 돼요.

해도 돼요? (Is it OK with you if I ~ ?)

Podcast 3: Ten Easy Phrases (Easy) It turns out that more than 80 percent of the people who visit this site are still in the very elementary levels of Korean, so I will continue to offer lessons for beginners from time to time.  I am really not a big fan of Romanizing the Korean alphabet, as one day of concentrated effort is about all it takes to be literate in Hangul.  But since many people have requested it, I will provide a transliteration of the easiest lessons.  As there’s no need for all of the English spellings to be uniform, I’m just going to write the words in a way that elicits that most accurate pronunciation.    1. 만나서 반갑습니다. Man nasaw bangap sumneeda Nice to meet you. 2. 얼마예요? Olma aeyo? How much is it? 3. 이름이 뭐예요? Irumee moyaeyo? What’s your name?  4. 몇 살이에요? Myot salee aeyo? How old are you?5. 취미가 뭐예요? Chweeme ga moyaeyo? What are your hobbies? 6. 어느 나라 사람이세요? Awnuh nara saramee saeyo? What country are you from? 7. 형제가 어떻게 되세요? Hyungjae ohtdokae dway saeyo? Do you have any siblings? 8. 무슨 음식을 제일 좋아해요? Musun umshikul jaeil joya haeyo? What kind of food do you like the best? 9. 직업이 뭐예요? Jigobee moyaeyo? What do you do? 10. 나랑 친구 해줄래요? Narang chingoo haejulleyo? Do you want to be friends? //  // 

<a href="http://koreanchamp.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/KChamp-Podcast-3.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Podcast 3: Ten Easy Phrases</a> (Easy) It turns out that more than 80 percent of the people who visit this site are still in the very elementary levels of Korean, so I will continue to offer lessons for beginners from time to time.  I am really not a big fan of Romanizing the Korean alphabet, as one day of concentrated effort is about all it takes to be literate in Hangul.  But since many people have requested it, I will provide a transliteration of the easiest lessons.  As there’s no need for all of the English spellings to be uniform, I’m just going to write the words in a way that elicits that most accurate pronunciation. 1. 만나서 반갑습니다. Man nasaw bangap sumneeda Nice to meet you. 2. 얼마예요? Olma aeyo? How much is it? 3. 이름이 뭐예요? Irumee moyaeyo? What’s your name? 4. 몇 살이에요? Myot salee aeyo? How old are you?5. 취미가 뭐예요? Chweeme ga moyaeyo? What are your hobbies? 6. 어느 나라 사람이세요? Awnuh nara saramee saeyo? What country are you from? 7. 형제가 어떻게 되세요? Hyungjae ohtdokae dway saeyo? Do you have any siblings? 8. 무슨 음식을 제일 좋아해요? Musun umshikul jaeil joya haeyo? What kind of food do you like the best? 9. 직업이 뭐예요? Jigobee moyaeyo? What do you do? 10. 나랑 친구 해줄래요? Narang chingoo haejulleyo? Do you want to be friends? // //

Ten Easy Korean Phrases

Free Korean education for advanced learners!

정말 잘 듣고 있습니다

Love this pad cast so much! Thanks for your effort :))

So helpful pad cast!

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