searching words/grammar points into twitter so i have endless examples of how it’s used irl >

korean pronouns!

some of these words aren’t technically pronouns but they go together

I (formal)- 저는/재가

I (informal)- 나는/내가

You- 너는/니가/당신 (used in certain relationships/situations mostly married couples)

Yours (formal)- 당신의

Yours (informal)- 너의

My (formal)- 제는/제가

My (informal)- 내

Mine (formal)- 제것/제꺼

Mine (informal)- 내것/내꺼

She- 그녀는

He- 그는

They- 그들은/그들이

We (formal)- 저희

We (informal)- 우리는/우리가

note: most people are called by their title like: boss, unnie/oppa, landlord etc.

if anyone has any questions or correction let me know <3

Language Tag

I was tagged by @bulletproof-korean to answer these questions about languages. Thanks for the tag. ^^

1. what languages are you/have studied?

My native language is Filipino. I can speak English and I’m currently learning Korean. I’ve studied Hokkien back in high school but that was years ago and I don’t remember anything at all now.

2. how long have you been studying?

I’ve known how to speak English before I entered kindergarten. I’ve only studied Hokkien for one year. I’ve been learning Korean on and off since after I graduated from college in 2011. 

3. did you learn through class or self-study (or both)?

I don’t remember how I learned English. I just remember watching a lot of English cartoons. Also, English is like a second language here in the Philippines. We have English classes so it helped a lot in improving my skills. I’m learning Korean through self-study because there are no Korean language classes here.

4. why did you decide to learn this language?

English is part of our curriculum so I’ve been taking English classes since kindergarten. Then I took a Hokkien class in high school out of curiosity plus I was so into F4 that time. I wanted to learn Mandarin but I wasn’t allowed to join the Mandarin class because their lessons were way too advanced and it was impossible to catch up because they’ve been learning it since kindergarten. 

I like k-pop and Korean drama so much that I decided to learn Korean language. I didn’t really have any goals when I started learning Korean, I just thought it would be fun to be able to understand what they were saying. But I fell in love with the language and now I appreciate it and study it not only because of k-pop or k-drama but also because it’s kinda fascinating how it sounds more romantic or more meaningful in Korean than when it’s translated to English. 

5. what was a major highlight/milestone in studying this language?

I don’t think I have a major highlight or milestone when it comes to English unless you count the times I won in spelling bees and story writing contests in school. Lol!

But for Korean, one of the major highlight was being able to work in a Korean military base camp in 2014. A group of Korean soldiers were deployed here to help with the rehabilitation. They were looking for interpreters and I was the only native in the city who knows Korean language. 

There are other highlights/milestones like getting TOPIK Level 4 and winning a Korean speech contest. You can read more about it here.

6. what was the hardest thing about studying this language?

It was difficult to construct sentences at first since the sentence order in Korean is different from English. Well, it wasn’t that big of a deal when I’m just writing down sentences for my diary or replying to someone in chat since I can just erase and rephrase. But when I had my first conversation in Korean, it was a scary experience since I needed some time to organize my thoughts before I can come up with a response that makes sense. 

7. what resources did you find most useful for studying this language?

I studied Korean using a lot of textbooks. Some grammar patterns were very similar to each other and yet one cannot be used in certain situations so I had to refer to a lot of different books to know more about the similarities and the differences between two very similar grammar patterns. 

For reading, I’m very fond of reading Korean webtoons. That’s where I learned phrases that Koreans usually use on a daily basis. Textbooks are good when you’re learning grammar but some sample sentences are too weird to be used in daily life so I suggest reading materials that natives read like webtoons.

For listening, I’m focusing on improving this skill nowadays as it is one of my weakest. I’ve recently started watching Korean Youtube channels to train my ears to listen to how Koreans normally converse. I listen to male youtubers, female youtubers, youtubers who have a 사투리 accent to train my ears in listening to different kinds of voices and speaking styles. I understand well enough to know what they’re talking about except for when they use slangs and words I’ve never encountered before.  

8. any top tips for studying this language?

You have to constantly challenge yourself to study materials that are a little higher than your current level. Try to step out of your comfort zone every once in a while. But don’t be discouraged when you don’t understand everything.

When you’ve reached the intermediate level, try to read or listen to stuff that natives read or listen to like webtoons and radio shows. When I took the TEFL course, I learned that people who are learning a language should listen to or read authentic materials meaning stuff that natives would normally listen to or read because this is where you will learn natural expressions or expressions used in daily life.  

9. whats your next major language goal?

My goal for now is to improve my listening skills because the last time I took TOPIK, I had a hard time in the listening exam. 

10. anything we can do in the tumblr community to get you there?

If you guys know any interesting Korean Youtube channel, please let me know. 

I tag @nocturnalinseoul,@pihaenggi,@jiae-study,@sootudying,@studiousbees, @hangulstudy,@hangulheart,@ttmikstudy,@soheestudies,@mykoreanstudy,@jeongsnotes Only if you want to do it, and sorry if you’ve already done this!

Korean Vocabulary: The Body

Welcome to another vocab list! I tried not to make it too long, so I might make a second post for more details and specifics of the body. Hope you find this one helpful!

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General Terms

몸 - body

피부 - skin

뻐 - bone

살 - flesh / fat

근육 - muscle

피 - blood

땀 - sweat

Head and Face

머리 - head / hair

얼굴 - face

이마 - forehead

볼 - cheek

턱 - chin

목 - neck / throat

눈 - eye

코 - nose

귀 - ear

입 - mouth

입술 - lips

Arms and Hands

어깨 - shoulder

겨드랑이 - armpit

팔 - arm

팔꿈치 - elbow

팔목 - wrist

손 - hand

손바닥 - palm

손가락 - finger

Torso

가슴 - chest

배 - stomach

등 - back

허리 - waist

Legs and Feet

엉덩이 - butt

다리 - leg

허벅지 - thigh

무릎 - knee

발 - foot

발목 - ankle

Other Features

주근깨 - freckles

보조개 - dimples

모반 - birthmark

수염 - facial hair / mustache / beard

여드름 - pimple / acne

Action Verbs

(English infinitive - Korean infinitive - Korean present tense)

to walk - 걷다 - 걸어요

to run - 달리다 - 달려요

to jump - 뛰다 - 뛰어요

to exercise / work out - 운동하다 - 운동해요

Descriptive Verbs

(English infinitive - Korean infinitive - Korean present tense)

to be thin / skinny - 말랐다 - 말랐어요

to be fat - 뚱뚱하다 - 뚱뚱해요

to be small - 작다 - 작아요

to be short - 짧다 - 짧아요

to be big / tall - 크다 - 커요

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i-can-korean:

Words of Encouragement + Kind Reminders in Korean

Everybody needs to hear some kind words every once in awhile. Here’s a list of things you can tell others to lift their spirits or show that you care!

*The following phrases are in 존댓말 (formal/polite language), specifically 해요체 (informal polite speech level).

*The brackets indicate that there is actually no subject in the sentence, but it is implied.

Words of Encouragement

화이팅 - Fighting (kind of like “you got this!”)

괜찮아요 - It’s okay

할 수 있어요 - [You] can do it

잘 하고 있어요 - [You] are doing well

힘내세요 - Be strong

행복하세요 - Be happy

포기하지 마세요 - Don’t give up

걱정하지 마세요 - Don’t worry

Questions + Reminders

먹었어요? - Did [you] eat?

잤어요? - Did [you] sleep?

기분이 어때요? - How are [you] feeling?

쉬세요 - Please rest / take a break

건강하세요 - Stay healthy

조심해요 - Take care / be careful

*The word 잘 means “well.” It can be added to the beginning of some of these. For example: 잘 잤어요? Did [you] sleepwell?

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Learn Korean With K-Pop: “My Treasure” by TREASURE (트레저)

I chose this song because it has a really sweet message and I think we could all use some uplifting words! It’s also super catchy and has been stuck in my head all month hehe

As always, feel free to request a song you’d like me to analyze like this, and I’ll try my best!

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Chorus:

걱정 마, 한 번 더 뜨겁게 웃어줘

Don’t worry, smile warmly one more time

걱정 마 - 걱정 (worry) + abbreviation of 하지마 (don’t / stop)

한 번 더 - 한 (one) + 번 (time / number [as in quantity of occurrences]) + 더 (more)

뜨겁게 - adverb form of 뜨겁다 (to be hot)

웃어줘 - 웃어 (present tense conjugation of 웃다 [to smile / laugh] + present tense conjugation of 주다 [to give / do for someone])

웃을 때 더 예뻐 넌

You’re prettier when you smile

웃을 때 - stem of 웃다 (to smile / laugh) + 을 때 (when)

더 예뻐 - 더 (more) + present tense conjugation of 예쁘다 (to be pretty)

넌 - 너 (informal you) + 는 (topic particle)

힘을 내, 우린 결국 빛날 테니

Be strong, we might shine eventually

힘을 내 - 힘 (strength) + 을 (object particle) + 내 (present tense conjugation of 내다 [to express, as in emotion])

우린 - 우리 (we / us) + 는 (topic particle)

결국 - eventually / finally

빛날 테니 - stem of 빛나다 (to shine) + 을 테니 (might, as in showing possibility)

감은 눈을 떠

Open your closed eyes

감은 - adjective form of 감다 (to close)

눈을 - 눈 (eye[s]) + 을 (object particle)

떠 - present tense conjugation of 뜨다 (to open)

안돼면 어때, 다시 시작해

If it doesn’t work out, so what? Start again

안돼면 - 안돼다 (to not [happen]) + 면 (if, as in possibility)

어때 - so what / who cares

다시 시작해 - 다시 (again) + present tense conjugation of 시작하다 (to start / begin)

더는 울지마요

Don’t cry anymore

더는 - 더 (again) + 는 (topic particle)

울지마요 - stem of 울다 (to cry / frown) + 지마 (don’t / stop)

내일이 올 때 빛나는 존재

When tomorrow comes, so will your shining existence

내일이 오 때 - 내일 (tomorrow) + 이 (subject particle) + stem of 오다 (to come) + 을 때 (when)

빛나는 - adjective form of 빛나다 (to shine)

존재 - existence / presence / being

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I hope this was helpful and brightened your day a bit. I’m so glad I could share one of my favorite songs with you :) Thanks for reading, everyone!

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Korean Grammar: 은/는데

If you’ve spent any amount of time listening to the Korean language, you’ve probably heard the ending 은/는데 quite a bit. Like me, you may have wondered what exactly that grammar pattern means. Here’s the thing: it doesn’t really mean anything. At least, not anything we can translate to English.

The easiest way to explain it is that, usually, adding 은/는데 to a verb stem sets up the sentence to continue with another verb. It’s kind of like adding a connecting word like “and” or “but” in English. Here’s an example:

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먹고싶어요. 음식 없어요.

I am hungry. There isn’t any food.

먹고싶은데 음식 없어요.

I’m hungry but there isn’t any food.

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As you can see, by adding 은데 to the stem of 먹고싶다, we connected two sentences into one, creating a much more natural feel. I translated it to “but,” because that’s what we would use in English, however 은/는데 can’t really be translated since all it does is connect two verbs. Meaning our example sentence could also be translated as “I’m hungry and there isn’t any food.”

However!

Here’s where it gets a bit more confusing. Sometimes, 은/는데 isn’t used to connect two statements at all. Instead, it’s just used independently, like any other conjugation. In these cases, there isn’t really an agreed upon meaning. Often times, though, it has a sort of interrogative tone. For example:

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A: 음식을 삽시다!

Let’s buy food!

B: 돈이 업는데?

[We] don’t have money, though?

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I hope this made sense! As always, I encourage using a variety of sources to better understand this concept, as well as plenty of listening practice to see where it occurs naturally. Good luck everyone and thanks for reading ☺️

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i-can-korean:

Korean Pronunciations Tips

These are some tips on how to sound more natural when speaking Korean. Please note that these aren’t official rules by any means, just my personal opinions about some things I’ve picked up from many hours of listening to the language!

Diphthongs

Diphthongs are sounds created when vowels flow into each other (ex: oi in coin, ai in hair). The English language uses these a lot more than Korean, since even the basic individual English vowel sounds are actually diphthongs.

For example, try slowly pronouncing the letter a, and listen to the way it actually slides from eh to ee. In Korean, this sound doesn’t exist on its own, but it can be created by combining 에 and 이 -> 에이.

So even though these diphthongs don’t really exist in Korean, they can often be heard in everyday speech. For example, something I’ve noticed is that, when used at the end of a word, 에 and 애 are sometimes pronounced more like 에이 or 애이, and 오 is sometimes pronounced more like 오우. My personal theory is that this is a result of English influence.

My point in all this is that, although it is generally taught that the Korean vowel sounds are short and tight, with no flowing of different sounds into one another, the pronunciation of the language in everyday life can be different!

봐 or 바 ?

This one is simply a matter of speed and ease of pronunciation. While the syllable 와 is a combination of 오 and 아, a distinct 오 sound isn’t usually heard when the word 봐 is spoken, so it sounds more like 바.

Similarly, the syllable 왜 is a combination of 오 and 애, but the 오 is not distinctly pronounced when a consonant comes before 왜. For example, the word 안돼 often sounds more like 안대.

This isn’t a huge deal, but I find it helps your pronunciations sound a lot more natural and closer to that of a native speaker if the 오 isn’t so clearly pronounced in these sounds. It’s still there, of course, but it sort of takes a back seat.

Disappearing Consonants

As we’ve already looked at with vowels, some sounds are disregarded for speed and ease of pronunciation. In the following cases, I believe this is due to the same consonant appearing more than once in a word, so one of the occurrences is ignored.

For example, something I’ve heard many times is the word 맛있어 pronoinced as 마있어. I could never find a solid explanation for this. My theory is that the ㅅ in 맛 is disregarded because the ㅆ in 있어 comes right after.

Another slightly less common example is 것 같아 being pronounced as 거 앝아. Again, my theory is that the ㄱ in 같아 is disregarded because of the ㄱ in 거 that comes right before.

Again, this is not a very big deal, and not every native Korean speaker does these, but it is something I’ve picked up on that may help you sound more natural and comfortable with the language.

Slurring

If you’ve listened to any Korean spoken in a natural situation rather than an educational one, you’ve probably noticed that native Korean speakers slur their words. A lot. To the point where some words are almost unrecognizable. In terms of listening and understanding, this makes things a bit difficult. It’s also something to keep in mind when speaking.

The most common example is 안녕하세요. I have never once heard a native Korean person pronounce each syllable of this word clearly and distinctly. Slurring is already normal, but the fact that this is one of the most used words means that it’s likely to be understood no matter how intensely you slur.

I suppose for a beginner it would be a good idea to start out with clear pronunciation to help you communicate better and fully understand what you’re saying. But I think the more you get used to speaking the language, the easier it will be to emulate this natural slur.

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I hope this was helpful! I’ll be sure to add more tips to this post if I think of any.

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I found a great example of what I was talking about here with the 왜 sound in 안돼, in case anybody wanted to hear it! It can be heard in the chorus of the song Why Not? by 이달의 소녀 (LOONA). The lyrics are 왜 안돼, meaning “why not,” but it really sounds like 안대. Listen closely, though, and you’ll hear just the tiniest little 오 sound hidden in there.

Of course, this is a song and not a canon conversation, but I do think it reflects the way a lot of people say this word!

Korean Pronunciations Tips

These are some tips on how to sound more natural when speaking Korean. Please note that these aren’t official rules by any means, just my personal opinions about some things I’ve picked up from many hours of listening to the language!

Diphthongs

Diphthongs are sounds created when vowels flow into each other (ex: oi in coin, ai in hair). The English language uses these a lot more than Korean, since even the basic individual English vowel sounds are actually diphthongs.

For example, try slowly pronouncing the letter a, and listen to the way it actually slides from eh to ee. In Korean, this sound doesn’t exist on its own, but it can be created by combining 에 and 이 -> 에이.

So even though these diphthongs don’t really exist in Korean, they can often be heard in everyday speech. For example, something I’ve noticed is that, when used at the end of a word, 에 and 애 are sometimes pronounced more like 에이 or 애이, and 오 is sometimes pronounced more like 오우. My personal theory is that this is a result of English influence.

My point in all this is that, although it is generally taught that the Korean vowel sounds are short and tight, with no flowing of different sounds into one another, the pronunciation of the language in everyday life can be different!

봐 or 바 ?

This one is simply a matter of speed and ease of pronunciation. While the syllable 와 is a combination of 오 and 아, a distinct 오 sound isn’t usually heard when the word 봐 is spoken, so it sounds more like 바.

Similarly, the syllable 왜 is a combination of 오 and 애, but the 오 is not distinctly pronounced when a consonant comes before 왜. For example, the word 안돼 often sounds more like 안대.

This isn’t a huge deal, but I find it helps your pronunciations sound a lot more natural and closer to that of a native speaker if the 오 isn’t so clearly pronounced in these sounds. It’s still there, of course, but it sort of takes a back seat.

Disappearing Consonants

As we’ve already looked at with vowels, some sounds are disregarded for speed and ease of pronunciation. In the following cases, I believe this is due to the same consonant appearing more than once in a word, so one of the occurrences is ignored.

For example, something I’ve heard many times is the word 맛있어 pronoinced as 마있어. I could never find a solid explanation for this. My theory is that the ㅅ in 맛 is disregarded because the ㅆ in 있어 comes right after.

Another slightly less common example is 것 같아 being pronounced as 거 앝아. Again, my theory is that the ㄱ in 같아 is disregarded because of the ㄱ in 거 that comes right before.

Again, this is not a very big deal, and not every native Korean speaker does these, but it is something I’ve picked up on that may help you sound more natural and comfortable with the language.

Slurring

If you’ve listened to any Korean spoken in a natural situation rather than an educational one, you’ve probably noticed that native Korean speakers slur their words. A lot. To the point where some words are almost unrecognizable. In terms of listening and understanding, this makes things a bit difficult. It’s also something to keep in mind when speaking.

The most common example is 안녕하세요. I have never once heard a native Korean person pronounce each syllable of this word clearly and distinctly. Slurring is already normal, but the fact that this is one of the most used words means that it’s likely to be understood no matter how intensely you slur.

I suppose for a beginner it would be a good idea to start out with clear pronunciation to help you communicate better and fully understand what you’re saying. But I think the more you get used to speaking the language, the easier it will be to emulate this natural slur.

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I hope this was helpful! I’ll be sure to add more tips to this post if I think of any.

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Korean Vocabulary: Hot and Cold

*Note: The following lesson is in 존댓말 (formal / polite language), specifically 해요체 (informal polite speech level).

When describing things that are hot, the verbs 덥다 and 뜨겁다 are used. While 덥다 is mainly used for weather, 뜨겁다 is used for objects that are hot to the touch. Another verb related to heat is 맵다. However, this is only used to describe spicy foods.

*Descriptive verbs can be conjugated like any other verb or made into adjectives. I’ve given examples of both! Check the “conjugation” and “grammar” tags of this blog or the pinned post for more detailed explanations.

오늘은 날씨가 더워요. The weather is hot today.

더운 날씨 - hot weather

조심하새요! 커피는 뜨거워요. Be careful! The coffee is hot.

뜨거운 커피 - hot coffee

레스토랑의 음식이 매워요. The restaurant’s food is hot / spicy.

매운 음식 - hot / spicy food

When describing things that are cold, the verbs 춥다 and 차갑다 are used. Just like what we learned about describing things that are hot, 춥다 is used for weather and 차갑다 is used for objects that are cold to the touch.

스웨터를 입으세요. 밖에 추워요. Wear a sweater. It’s cold outside.

추운 날씨 - cold weather

아이스크림은 맛있고 차가워요. The ice cream is delicious and cold.

차가운 아이스크림 - cold ice cream

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Korean Verbs

This is a list of useful Korean verbs and their present tense, past tense, and future tense conjugations, all in the three most commonly used speech levels. In each “tense” column, the verb is conjugated in order of ascending formality: first in 반말 (informal casual), then in 해요체 (informal polite), and finally 합쇼체 (formal polite).

This isn’t a lesson on all of these conjugations, just a list for reference. You can find in-depth explanations in the “conjugation” tag of this blog or the pinned post, which has a list of every lesson on this blog.

(I couldn’t find a good way to format this using only Tumblr, hence the screenshots. Click the images and zoom in for better quality!)

So far, I have used the verbs from a YouTube video by Talk to Me in Korean called “Learn 30 Essential Korean Verbs for Beginners.” I intend to add many more soon!

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Korean Verb Conjugation: Future Tense (Part One)

*Note: This lesson is in 존댓말 (formal/polite language), specifically 해요체 (informal polite speech level).

Welcome to future tense conjugation! If you haven’t seen our previous conjugation lessons, I recommend taking a look at those first. All conjugation lessons can be found in the “conjugation” tag of this blog or in the link in bio which will take you to a list of every lesson on this blog.

I referenced a YouTube video by Learn Korean With GO! Billy Korean to help me better understand the future tense forms. This was extremely helpful to me, and I highly recommend watching!

How to Conjugate

If the stem ends in a consonant:

If the stem of the verb ends in a consonant, add the ending 을 거예요.

For example, the stem of 먹다 (to eat) is 먹. Add 을 거예요 to get the future tense conjugation 먹을 거예요.

Exceptions / modifications:

If the stem ends in ㄹ, simply add 거예요 (살다 [to live] -> 살 거예요)

If the stem ends in ㅂ and is a descriptive verb, remove the ㅂ and add 울 거예요 (덥다 [to be hot] -> 더울 거예요)

If the stem ends in ㅎ and is a descriptive verb, remove the ㅎ and add ㄹ 거예요 (빨갛다 [to be red] -> 빨갈 거예요)

If the stem ends in a vowel:

If the stem of the verb ends in a vowel, just add the ending ㄹ 거예여.

For example, the stem of 보다 (to see) is 보. Add ㄹ 거예요 to get the future tense conjugation 볼 거예요.

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I’ve only covered the most common future tense form here, but there are several others. I will make separate posts for these!

Korean Verb Conjugation: Progressive Tense

Hello everyone, and welcome to another grammar lesson (finally)! In this one, we’ll go over the present progressive tense as well as the past progressive tense.

I strongly suggest taking a look at regular present and past tense first if you haven’t already! They can be found under the “conjugation” and “grammar” tags or the link in bio, which will take you to a list of every lesson on this blog.

*Note: This lesson is in 존댓말 (formal/polite language), specifically 해요체 (informal polite speech level)

Explanation

The present progressive tense is used to describe things that are currently in progress. For example, “I eat” is in the regular present tense, simply stating a fact, but “I am eating” shows that the action is still in progression.

Similarly, “I ate” shows that the action has ended, while “I was eating” specifies that the action was in progression for a period of time.

How to Conjugate

In English, verbs in the progressive tense have the ending “ing” (eating, seeing). In Korean, they have the ending 고 있다 (먹고 있다, 보고 있다).

Unlike some other conjugation rules, this one is the same whether the verb stem ends in a consonant or a vowel, which makes things a tad easier.

Present Progressive Tense

For present progressive tense, simply conjugate the ending 고 있다 into present tense to get 고 있어요, and then add it to the stem of the verb you’re conjugating.

For example, the stem of 먹다 (to eat) is 먹. Add 고 있어요 to get 먹고 있어요 ([I] am eating).

The stem of 보다 (to see) is 보. Add 고 있어요 to get 보고 있어요 ([I] am seeing).

Past Progressive Tense

For past progressive tense, simply conjugate the ending 고 있다 into the past tense to get 고 있었어요, and then add it to the stem of the verb you’re conjugating.

For example, add our ending to the stem of 먹다 (to eat) to get 먹고 있었어요 ([I] was eating).

Add the same ending to the stem of 보다 (to see) to get 보고 있었어요 ([I] was seeing).

Recap

This is a lot, so let’s review real quick!

먹어요 - I eat (regular present tense)

먹었어요 - I ate (regular past tense)

먹고 있어요 - I am eating (present progressive)

먹고 있었어요 - I was eating (past progressive)

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That’s all for now! I hope this was helpful and not too confusing.

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