The following words are words that are commonly used in a daily conversation. These are helpful and good to know especially to those who are still in a beginner level and to those who are still building up their vocabulary in Korean.
안녕하세요 여러분! Hey everyone! Today’s lesson is about -고 보니까, which is one way to express realization. Let’s start!
Use this formula:
[verb stem] + 고 보니까 + [rest of sentence]
The -까 can be dropped with no difference in meaning.
This structure is used to express your realization after you finish doing an action. Let’s look at an example:
한국어 수업을 듣고 보니까 꽤 어렵더라고요. = After taking a Korean class, I’ve realized that it’s quite difficult.
This sentence communicates your realization after you completed the action of taking a Korean class, that realization being that Korean is difficult to learn. I want to emphasize that this structure can only be used when talking about a completed action, not one that is currently in progress.
Notice that this structure is seen in sentences that have other endings communicating some sort of realization or surprise like 것 같다,-네요,and-더라고요. Let’s see some more examples!
책을 다 읽고 보니까 생각보다 재미있어요. = After reading the book, I see that it’s more interesting than I thought.
그러고 보니까 그 콘서트 표는 꽤 비싸네요. = Now that I think about it, that concert ticket it quite expensive.
그러고 보니 is a fixed expression meaning “now that I think about it” or “come to think of it.”
처음에는 김치를 싫었는데 다시 먹어보고 보니 괜찮더라고요. = At first, I didn’t like kimchi, but after trying it again, it’s okay.
원래는 걔가 좀 차가운 것 같지만 더 친해지보니 아주 착하네요. = Originally I thought she was a little cold, but now that I’ve gotten closer to her, she’s very nice.
That’s about it for this lesson! Lmk if you have any questions :) See you in the next one! 다음에 또 봐요!
도록 is generally used so that something can be done. ~도록 하다 also has the meaning of “to tell/instruct”, lesser than a command but stronger than a suggestion, and so it has a more direct feeling.
앞으로 늦지 않도록 하세요 "Dont be late anymore” 나갈 때 불을 끄도록 해요 “Make sure to turn the lights off when you leave” 감기에 걸리지 않도록 조심하세요 “Be careful not to catch a cold”
위해 means more that it is “for something/in order to”.
여친을위해 목걸이를 샀어요 "I bought a necklace for my girlfriend” 한국에 가기 위해 한국어를 공부하고 있어요. “I’m studying korean in order to go to korea”
They both mean inside but whats the difference? When should you use 안에 or 속에? Lets find out~
안 has more of a general meaning of inside, it can be used to mean within as well like “within 3 hours” is “세시간 안에”
속 has a stronger meaning to it, meaning more deep within. Something like being in the core, a filling, or enclosed. Heres some examples of 속 to help you get the gist:
마음속 within my heart 가슴속 lit. within my chest, same sort of meaning as 마음속 몸속 in my body 파이속 pie filling 숲속 inside a forest 산속in the mountains (similar to 숲속, doesnt mean literally the core of the mountain but enclosed in the mountains area)
So lets try out an example sentence and see how the meaning changes with 안에 and 속에
그것을 가방 안에 있어요 its in the bag 그것을 가방 속에 있어요 its deep within the bag, meaning more like you have to dig for it
attatching ~지/죠 at the end of a sentence makes it into a question just like adding ‘right?’ in english
지 is used in informal speech 죠 is used in formal speech
examples:
날씨가 춥죠? It’s cold, right? 어떡하지? What should I do? 도서관에 안 갔지? You didn’t go to the library, did you? 그거 밥을 안 먹을 거죠? You’re not going to eat that, right?
Hello! This is admin Do. Today I’m going to talk about ‘여’ 불규칙 활용. (In literal translation, ‘‘여’ 불규칙 활용’ means ‘여’ irregular conjugation)
Conjugation of 하다(to do)
There are many 어미(ending) that start with 아/어, like ‘-아/어’ and ‘아서/어서’. For most of the verbs, ‘-아/어’ part stays the same. However, when ‘하-’ and ‘-아’ are combined, it is not transformed into ‘하아’ but ‘하여’.
That’s because of ‘여’ 불규칙 활용. It means the use of 어미(ending) ’-아’ turns into 어미(ending) ’-여’. ‘하다’ and All verbs and adjectives with suffix ’-하다’ are used irregularly.
By the way, if you’re curious about all Verbs and Adjectives the suffix ‘-하다’, I recommend you read the post Vocabulary List(By admin Yu, Vocabulary - Verbs). :)
‘하다’ has no form change when combined with 어미(ending) like ‘-게, -고, -지’ ( ‘하게, 하고, 하지’ ) which begin with a consonant. But when combined with 어미(ending) like ‘-아’ which begins with a vowel, changes occur. (Just a quick tip, we don’t count ‘ㅇ’ that comes at the very first of a syllable as a consonant since it doesn’t withhold any sound value!)
Example)
하아 (x) -> 하여 (o)
하아라 (x) -> 하여라 (o)
하아서 (x) -> 하여서 (o)
하았다 (x) -> 하였다 (o) (The ‘-았-’ signifying the past tense changes to ‘-였-’.)
Example)
일하았다 (x) -> 일하였다 (o)
정직하았다 (x) -> 정직하였다 (o)
These words below can be abbreviated by combining 어간(stem) and 어미(ending). Both shortened and not shortened are grammatically correct.
This post will show you how to change nouns into verbs; if you want to see how to turn verbs into nouns, check out this post. In some cases, not all, nouns can be turned into verbs by simply adding the verb 하다 (to do).
some example words
수영 [swimming] + 하다=수영하다 [to swim]
모험 [adventure] + 하다=모험하다 [to have an adventure]
여행[travel; traveling] + 하다=여행하다 [to travel]
사랑 [love] + 하다=사랑하다 [to love]
공부 [studying] + 하다=공부하다 [to study]
도착 [arrival] + 하다=도착하다 [to arrive]
운전 [driving] +하다=운전하다 [to drive]
노래 [song] + 하다=노래하다 [to sing]
example sentences:
수영하러 가고 싶어요.
= I want to go swimming.
지난주에 한국에 도착했어요.
= I arrived in Korea last week.
노래하고 춤추기 너무 좋아요.
= I really like singing and dancing.
*in order to negate the verb, there are two options: add안 between the noun and 하다 [공부 안 하다], or attach ~지 않다 to the verb stem [공부하지 않다]
So for this week’s kpop post, I wanted to try adding grammar. I don’t know if this format will work, but I tried to translate the song and add grammar points and vocab along the way. As always, you can practice the vocab on quizlet if you’re not interested in the grammar portion and if you have any questions about the grammar, feel free to ask. Also, I tried to put the definition of each word only once, so if there isn’t a definition, it is because it was defined earlier in the lyrics. Anyway, I’m obsessed with NU’EST W’s new song so enjoy the post ^_^
key: (vocab definitions are in parentheses) [extra info is in brackets]
Little announcement: So as I study Korean language all by myself, I chose this week to reread all the grammar I have learned and to repeat all the words that I didn’t learn properly. So it might get a little boring or something. I am sorry!
This grammar point is used when, while an action is in progress, the opportunity is taken to perform another action at the same time.
편의점에 가는 김에 제 음료수 좀 사다 주세요. Since you’re going to the convenience store, buy me a drink, please.
백화점에 나온 김에 우리 쇼핑할까요? Since we’re (already)at the department store, should we go shopping?
친구가 일본에 출장 간 김에 말차를 사다 줬어요. My friend went on a business trip to Japan and (while there) bought matcha for me.
Be careful when it comes to tenses. In the first example sentence, the person being spoken to is in the process of going to the convenience store: since the action is not completed, the present tense (-는 김에) is used. In the second and third example sentences, the actions have already been completed and so the past tense is used ( (으)ㄴ 김에).
anon asked: what’s the difference between -는 동안 and -(으)면서? I’m so confused
This is a great question! I am assuming you’re asking because they can be translated as the same thing into English. I understand why there will be confusion because, under context, these grammar points aren’t really distinguishable in English as they are in Korean.
You’re not talking about the same doer of the action [엄마가 설거지를 하는 동안 아빠는 화장실을 청소했어요 - Mom cleaned the dishes while dad cleaned the bathroom]
You are talking about the same doer of the action [어제 공부하는 동안 문제가 생겼어요 - I found a problem while studying yesterday]
The doer of the action is inanimate [비가 많이 오는 동안 구름이 어두워졌어요 - the clouds darkened while it poured]
Try to remember that 동안 is used for a period of time; “-는 동안”은 일정 기간 동안 사용되다. Consider the example in the first rule. Think of the context of this sentence as: during the time it took for my mom to do the dishes, my dad cleaned the bathroom. Yes, you can switch it around because contextually it means the same thing, “아빠가 화장실을 청소하는 동안 엄마는 설거지를 했어요.”
NOTE:Because “-는” attaches to the dependent clause [엄마가 설거지를 하는 동안], the verb before it does not take tense and underlyingly takes the tense of the independent clause’s verb [아빠는 화장실을 청소했어요]. I used the past tense [과거] in my examples, but you can use the present tense [현재] or future tense [미래], obviously, depending on what you want to say.
More Examples:
한국에서 사는 동안 한국어를 빨리 배웠어요 - While I lived in Korea, I learned Korean quickly.
대학교 디니는 동안 어디에서 살 거예요? - Where are you going to live while attending University?
아빠가 저녁을 준비하는 동안 저는 보통 숙제를 해요 - I usually do my homework while my dad makes dinner.
희주가 세수하는 동안 혜민은 이를 닦았어요 - While Heeju washed her face, Hyemin brushed her teeth.
제가 자는 동안 고양이는 제 식물을 먹었어요 - While I slept, my cat ate my plants.
-(으)면서; while
Use this when:
The doer of the action is the same [희주는 먹으면서 유튜브를 봐요 - Heeju watches YouTube while eating]
The action is happening simultaneously [지하철을 기다리면서 친구하고 전화했어요 - I waited for the metro while I called my friend]
Contrasting two actions [대현은 한국에서 일하고 싶다고 하면서 한국어를 못해요 - Daehyun said they wanted to work in Korea, but they don’t speak Korean]
NOTE: You can only use -(으)면서 when talking about the same doer of the action or state. For example, 희주는 일하는 동안 음악을 들었어요 and 희주는 일하면서 음악을 들었어요. BOTH work and are grammatically correct. The working and listening to music is being done by 희주, whether at the same time, or during work. However, a sentence like “희주는 일하면서 혜민은 음악을 들었어요” is grammatically incorrect. Even if 희주 and 혜민 are doing this at the same time, you must use -는 동안.
More Examples:
샤워하면서 노래를 불렀어요 - While showering, I sang
요리하면서 요리법을 봐요 - While cooking, I read a recipe
수업을 들으면서 메모를 해요 - I take notes while in class
운전하면서 문자를 보내지 마세요 - Don’t text while driving
희주는 숙제를 하면서 음악을 들어요 - While Heeju does her homework, she listens to music
Differences between the two:
You can use 동안 with nouns [명사], you cannot use (으)면서 with nouns. However, you can use (이)면서 with nouns in conjunction with 이다 [저는 대학생이면서 선생님이에요 - I am a university student and a teacher]. This expresses two states of being that happen at the same time.
You can not use -는 동안 to contrast actions
You MUST use the same doer of action with (으)면서
-는 동안 expresses an action that occurs during a period of time; -(으)면서 does not necessarily take place at a specific time
Similarities between the two:
You attach tense at the end of the sentence, you cannot attach tense to the dependent verb
They are, most of the time, interchangeable; just remember the rules above
BONUS! -(을/ㄹ) 때; when
The closest origin of “때” I could find in 한자 is “時”. “때” refers to an event/time/period of action (another translation of 時 can be 시).
Things to remember:
You can use -때 with nouns and -(을/ㄹ) 때 with verbs.
Because it refers to a specific moment, you can attach tense to -(을/ㄹ) 때
You can use this with adjectives!
Can be used with -까지 and -부터! [때 + 부터 = since// 때 + 까지 = until]
Examples:
비행기를 도착할 때 엄마하고 전화할게요 - When my plane lands, I’ll call my mom
대학생[이였을] 때 돈이 없었잖아요 - When I was a uni student, I didn’t have money, as you know
한국 친구에게 한국말로 하기 시작했을 때 마이클은 깜짝 놀랐어요 - When I started speaking Korean to my Korean friend, Michael was surprised!
공부할 때 음악을 들어요 - When I study, I listen to music
시간이 있을 때 알려주세요 - Let me know when you have time
16살 때부터 한국어를 배웠어요 - I’ve been learning Korean since I was 16
이렇게 될 때까지 더 씻어야 해요 - You have to wash it more until it’s like this
한국에 갈 때 홍대하고 제주도 방문하고 싶어요 - When I go Korea, I want to visit Jeju and Hongdae
혜민 언니는 한국에 들어갔을 때 제가 너무 슬펐어요 - I was so sad when Hyemin when back to Korea
어렸을 때 그림을 그리기 시작했어요 - I started drawing when I was a kid
Hope this helps! If there’s any more confusion, please, don’t hesitate to send another message or ask!
