Hey guys, today I have two interesting verbs for you.
새우다 and 피우다. The reason they are interesting is that you often don’t see them in their “correct” form while talking. Some of you might have even noticed this or wondered why you don’t see 새우다 and 피우다 often or if there is a difference.
In textbooks you’ll learn sentences like:
어제 밤을 새워서 공부했어요. I stayed up all night studying yesterday.
But, you don’t hear that sentence too often in real life conversations with friends. Instead, you hear this:
어제 밤을 새서 공부했어요. I stayed up all night studying.
Or
밤을 샜어요. I stayed up all night./I pulled an all-nighter.
In class, newspapers, and in the dictionary, you will (or should) find the verb as 새우다. But, most people (at least in Seoul) use the verb as 새다. 우 completely disappears. 피우다 is the same. In the dictionary and in your books, you’ll see 담배(를) 피우다 and 바람(을) 피우다. But, many people say 담배(를) 피다 and 바람(을) 피다.
밤을 새다 is technically incorrect. But, you’ll hear it more often than the correct version. It’s kind of like “who and whom” in the US. Most people don’t use “whom” at all. They use “who” incorrectly even if they know it’s wrong. That’s because for some weird reason using “who” wrong sounds more natural than using “whom” correctly.
Here are a few examples of the three most common words I’ve come across.
담배를 안 폈으면 좋겠어요. (*안 피웠으면) I wish you didn’t smoke cigarettes.
밤을 새지 마. 숙제는 내일 해. (*새우지 마) Don’t stay up all night. Do your homework tomorrow.
남자 친구가 바람을 피면 끝이야! (*바람을 피우면) If (my) boyfriend cheats, it’s over/it’s the end.
It’s strange that language sometimes sounds better when it’s wrong, right? Just one more reason to not stress about speaking “perfect Korean.” You should use the correct form when writing papers and on tests, but when you’re talking or texting, feel free to use it “incorrectly.”
Hi guys, today I have a little 말장난 (pun, word play) for you.
In the picture, the guy in green says “석준아, 내 말 좀 들어 줘!” and then gives 석준 a horse. This is a common 짤 (meme) that you can find in google images for Korean puns.
말 means both “words” or “horse.” And the phrase 들어 주다 can mean “to listen to someone” or “to hold something for someone.” (듣다 to listen/들다 to hold something)
So, “내 말 좀 들어 줘” could be translated two different ways. “Please listen to what I have to say” or “please hold my horse.”
But, you know…you will probably never say “please hold my horse.” (unless it’s a toy horse?)
Either way, I recommend looking up the 짤. You can save it and send it to a Korean friend when you want to tell them something.
Hey guys! I know it’s been a really long time since I posted anything. I thought I’d have so much time this summer to work on my blog, and things just haven’t turned out that way. While on vacation, my girlfriend and I suddenly found out we had to prepare for her visa interview 3 weeks earlier than it was scheduled. We’re actually engaged. Unfortunately, we can’t get married here, so we are preparing to go the US together. It’s been quite a process. And therefore, I have been preparing to go home. And my room even had water pouring through the ceiling at one point. It’s been a really long month haha.
But I’m happy to say that everything turned out well. And I have a little comic of my girlfriend and me. I thought it might be some good reading practice. It’s written really naturally at the upper-intermediate level. I hope you like it! (It’s based on a true story…I hate doing dishes.) If you guys like it, I will post more. They’re fun to draw for me.
It also fits in great since it’s Pride month! Although, it’s slightly late. Happy Pride everyone!
Here is a translation of the comic.
Notes:
시키* is a much cuter and softer version of the curse word 새끼 (bastard). It’s something we use with each other, but I don’t use it with anyone else. Swear words should always be used with caution. ^^
*간지러 is used instead of 간지러워 (간지럽다 to be itchy, ticklish). Sometimes words ending in “럽다” are shortened like this, especially the faster you want to get the words out. It’s technically incorrect, but you’ll hear it. For example, sometimes you hear 시끄러! instead of 시끄러워 (시끄럽다 to be loud, noisy).
Anyway, I hope everyone is having a good summer so far!
Hi guys~ today’s post is a Korean 속담 (proverb, old saying).
백지장도 맞들면 낫다.
First, let’s break it down.
백지장 white paper / 도 also, too / 맞들다 to lift up something together / (으)면 “if/when” grammar / 낫다 to be better
You could literally translate it as “It’s better if you lift up even a sheet of paper together.”/ “If you lift up a white sheet of paper together, it’s better.”
It’s similar to “many hands make light work” or “two heads are better than one.”
A piece of paper is incredibly light, but even something that light is easier to lift if two people do it together. So, this is an expression about working together to make a task easier. Here are some examples of how to use it.
(If someone is telling you you don’t have to help) 아냐 아냐 나도 도와줄게. 백지장도 맞들면 낫잖아! No, no. I’ll help you (too). Many hands make light work, you know.
백지장도 맞들면 낫다고 제가 도와드릴게요. They say many hands make light work; I’ll help you.
왜 혼자서 하려고 그래? 백지장도 맞들면 낫다는 말도 있잖아. 같이 하자. Why are you trying to do it yourself? They say many hands make light work. (Lit: You know there is an expression/words “many hands make light work.”) Let’s do it together.
Hi guys~ I’ve mentioned before that learning hanja is a great way to expand your vocabulary and also to understand vocabulary on a deeper level. Today, I have two different hanja that are used to represent the word “사람” or “person.”
The first one is 사람 인 人.
인간 human / 타인 other person, stranger / 성인 (adult person) adult
인재 talented person (재 for 소질 talent, aptitude for / 재능 talent)
한국인 Korean (person) / 외국인 foreign person / 인구 (인 person, 구 mouth - like the number of mouths to feed) population / 애인 (애 love, 인 person) lover, boy/girlfriend
If you remember learning 힘 력 力 (power), then you can use that to understand the word 인력 人力 (manpower). It’s often seen in the work force as 인력 필요하다 to need people to work/manpower.
There is also 사람 자 者.
부자 rich person *So in the picture with the lipstick, the person says “이 립스틱이 십만원이라고? 싸네…더 비싼 걸 보여 주세요. This lipstick is 100,000 won? (about 100 US dollars) That’s cheap…please show me a more expensive one.
환자 patient / 소비자 consumer / 피해자 victim / 노동자 (노동 labor 자 person) laborer
희생자 victim (“희생 sacrifice 자 person”) / 기자 newspaper journalist
약자 weak person (typically used to refer to women, children, and the elderly)
범죄자 (crime person) criminal / (비)흡연자 (non)smoker (lit: (비 not) 흡 taking in/drinking 연 smoke 자 person)
Don’t worry about the difference between 사람 인 and 사람 자. These are just the hanja that appear in vocabulary words. There is no “difference,” but you cannot change them. It’s impossible to change 한국인 to 한국자. You have to use 한국인.
Good luck studying everyone! Follow me for more Korean lessons.
(으)면 좋겠다 is a power grammar point. It’s at the (lower) intermediate level, but it’s used all the time. It’s a core grammar point in my opinion, and you definitely need to master it.
(으)면 좋겠다 is attached to both verbs and adjectives to express one’s wishes or hopes. Many beginner students try to say “I wish/hope” by translating the word to 소원을 빌다/희망하다/바라다 or the grammar point -기를 바라다. And while they aren’t exactly wrong, it’s really easy to use them awkwardly or incorrectly in everyday situations.
And that’s why, I’d like to introduce (으)면 좋겠다. It uses (으)면 “if” and 좋겠다 “would be nice” to mean “I wish” or “I hope,” even though “wish” and “hope” aren’t always interchangeable in English. This grammar point can be used to express both. It literally expresses “I would be nice if…” One of the interesting parts of this grammar point is that context is super important when translating it. It can be used in a lot of situations unlike the English words “wish” or “hope” which have more distinguished differences.
And if you already learned (으)면 “if/when,” then you already know how to conjugate it! Words ending with a consonant use -으면 좋겠다, and words ending with no consonant use -면 좋겠다.
Verbs/Adjectives
하다 —> 하면 좋겠다 vs. 먹다 —> 먹으면 좋겠다
크다 —> 크면 좋겠다 vs. 없다 —> 없으면 좋겠다
Here are some examples.
내일 시험을 잘 보면 좋겠어요. I hope I do well on the test tomorrow. (시험을 잘 보다 - to take a test well, do well on a test)
전 여자 친구가 앞으로 나랑 연락을 안 하면 좋겠어. I hope my ex-girlfriend doesn’t contact me anymore.
둘이 항상 싸우더라고…헤어지면 좋겠어 Those two always fight…I wish they’d break up.
오늘 비가 오면 좋겠어요. I hope it rains today./It’d be nice if it rains today.
It’s also common to see this grammar used in the past tense, 았/었/였으면 좋겠다. I would actually argue that it’s more common to see it in the past tense (in my experience that is). Luckily, its core meaning doesn’t change. Textbooks are a bit hazy on the difference between the two. But some books say it’s just a little bit stronger. Think of it as a little more emphasis on your wish. (Just remember that this form is used a bit more. And the difference is really arbitrary in regards to its usage.)
너는…그런 말을 안 했으면 좋겠어. 너는 예쁘잖아. I wish you wouldn’t say that (words like that). You’re pretty…
A 아이돌이 나랑 사랑에 빠졌으면 좋겠다~ I wish idol A would fall in love with me.
내 생일 파티에 왔으면 좋겠어요. I hope you come to my birthday party./I wish you would come to my birthday party./It’d be great if you came to my birthday party.
좋은 대학교에 합격했으면 좋겠어. I hope I get accepted into a good school.
걔가 좀 조용했으면 좋겠어. I wish he would be quiet. (*note: this is not a nice thing to say~^^)
It can also be used with the copula 이다 and 아니다.
올해 우리 선생님이 남자였으면(남자면) 좋겠어. I hope our teacher is a man this year.
올해 우리 선생님이 남자가 아니었으면(아니면) 좋겠어. I hope our teacher isn’t a man this year.
You can also use (으)면 하다 instead of (으)면 좋겠다. (으)면 하다 tends to be used more often in formal speech. But the meaning remains the same.
*Note: (으)면 하다 can be used in casual speech, but (으)면 좋겠다 isn’t really used in formal speech.
여러분, 이 발표를 재미있게 보셨으면 합니다. Everyone, I hope you all enjoy this powerpoint.
주연 씨는 좀 더 일찍 수업에 오셨으면 해요. Miss Juyeon, I wish you would come to class a little bit earlier.
(이웃에게) 죄송한데요. 저희 아들이 강아지 털 알레르기가 있거든요. 그래서 강아지랑 놀지 않았으면 해요. (To a neighbor) I’m sorry. You see, our son has a dog fur allergy. So, I hope he doesn’t play with the dog. (And in context, that would equal~ I hope you don’t let him play with the dog.)
Let me know if you have any questions.
Good luck studying everyone! Follow me for more lessons and tips~
어떤 사생팬이 A 아이돌 그룹의 기숙사에 몰래 들어가서 B의 팬티를 훔쳤대! Some stalker fan snuck into A idol’s dorm and stole B’s underwear.
미친…제정신이 아닌가 봐. No f**king way…they’re out of their mind.
Notes
*사생팬
사생(활) is one’s private life. And 팬 is the English loan word for “fan” of an artist or something. Together 사생팬 describes a fan that invades the private life of a star or artist (often to an unbelievable degree) (사생팬: 유명한 사람의 사생활을 침해하는 팬). And with Kpop as crazy as it can be, sometimes fans do unacceptable things like sneaking into a famous celebrities house or stalking them. They can be described as a 사생팬.
*훔쳤대 Someone said someone stole (something)/I heard that someone stole (something)
(V-ㄴ/는대(요) or A-대(요)) is the contracted form of ㄴ/는다고 해(요) and 다고 해(요). This grammar point is for conveying speech that one heard from someone else.
For example:
My mom says it’s okay. 엄마는 괜찮대. (엄마는 괜찮다고 해/했어.)
My sister says she isn’t going. 언니는 안 간대요. (언니는 안 간다고 해요/했어요.)
This contracted form is used all the time in casual speech since it’s shorter. It can be used in the past tense 댔어(요), but it’s used in the present more often. It’s the difference between “My mom says it’s okay” and “My mom said it’s okay.” There really isn’t a huge difference in the message you want to convey.
*팬티
The English loan word panty (팬티) can be used for anyone’s underwear regardless of age or gender. I don’t know about other countries, but I had never heard panty used for underwear that wasn’t for adult women. So, I was a little surprised when I first heard it used for men’s underwear.
*미친
미치다 means to be crazy. And 미친 can be used as an abbreviated way to say that’s crazy/insane or respond to something like “no f–ing way” or “holy shit.” (미쳤다, 미친 사건, 미친 새끼) I’m not quite sure how this abbreviated form came to be, but it’s really common. *I would also like to mention here that 미치다 “to be crazy” is quite a bit more negative in Korean than it is in English. It’s used a lot more often as a curse. It’s can be used lightly among friends, but you should be quite close, as the nuance or intonation could hurt someone’s feelings.
*제정신
제정신 is one’s “right mind.” So, 제정신 아니다 would mean “to not be in one’s right mind.” So, if someone does something that’s kind of crazy or unacceptable, you might be able to use this word. 그 사람이 경찰 앞에서 물건을 훔쳤다고요? 제정신이 아닌가 봐요. (You’re saying) that person stole something right in front of the cops? They’re out of their mind.
I hope you enjoyed this post. Let me know if you have any questions!
It’s been a while since my last post, but I’m going to get back into the rhythm of things!
Hi guys! Today’s post is about worries–more specifically three words that get translated to “worry” but are not the same.
고민 and 걱정 are two words that always confuse beginner Korean learners and even intermediate students.
고민 is a worry or trouble, but it’s typically used when you’re trying to make a decision. When you need to make a decision, you tend to worry about it, right? It’s also typically a decision that you can’t make right away, so it might cause you discomfort, which is why it’s translated to “a trouble.” It gets used in serious situations or lightly, like when choosing what to eat or wear.
Like the picture, 딸기를 먹을까 포도를 먹을까…고민되네. Should I eat some strawberries? or should I eat some grapes? I’ve gotta think about it.
I typically translate 고민되다 to “thinking about” something in light situations because that’s what is happening. English would not typically use the word “worry” when deciding what fruit to eat (at least in my experience).
걱정 on the other hand is a bit more serious than 고민. It’s normally something that’s causing discomfort or panic in some sense (severe or not). I think it’s more in line with the English definition of “worry.”
Like the worried girl in the picture, 연락이 안 돼서 걱정했잖아! I was worried because you didn’t answer my message(s). (연락이 안 되다 - to not be able to get in touch/contact with someone)
So, if you are worried about not being accepted into college, that’s a 걱정. If you’re trying to decide which college to go to, that’s a 고민.
Usage:
Both 고민 and 걱정 can be used with the verbs 하다 and 되다.
고민/걱정하다 is used to refer to something that you are actively thinking/worrying about. It’s also used in active constructions like 해야 하다 “have to” or 하지 마 “don’t” do something.
고민/걱정되다 is used to refer to more passive worries or something that is worrisome, but usually not keeping you up at night.
They can also both be used as nouns(고민이다/걱정이다) to say “this is a worry.”
*Note the following are not direct translations. (I usually try to balance them, but I decided to go with mostly natural translations for this to demonstrate their differences.)
뭐 먹을까? 고민되네. What should we eat? Gotta think about it…
고민하지 말고 결정해! Don’t think/worry about it and just decide.
내일 도서관에 갈까 말까 고민이야. I’m thinking about whether I should go to the library tomorrow or not.
그 여자랑 사귈까 말까 많이 고민했는데…안 만나는 것이 나을 것 같아요. I considered(thought about) whether I should date her or not a lot…and I think it would be better not to meet her.
—————————————————————
오늘도 많이 안 먹었어? 걱정되네. 무슨 일 있어? You didn’t eat a lot today either? That’s worrisome. (I’m getting worried) Is anything going on?
어제 연락이 없어 가지고 걱정했거든! 무슨 일 생긴 줄 알았어. I didn’t hear from you yesterday, so I worried, you know! I thought something happened.
걱정하지 마. 괜찮을 거 야. Don’t worry. It will be okay.
우려 is our last “worry.” Luckily, you don’t have to worry about 우려 too much, because it’s quite advanced, but I wanted to add it to balance these words. 우려 means “worry,” but it’s used in formal situations (presentations, news etc). It’s often used as 우려가 되다/우려가 있다 and 우려의 목소리가 크다/우려하는 목소리가 크다 (the voices of worry are big/the voices expressing worry are big –which means that a lot of people have expressed being worried about a certain topic).
Like in the picture, someone is giving a presentation with the title “멸종된 동물 증가” (extinct animals increase). He would probably use the word 우려 during his presentation instead of 걱정.
Here are some examples, but please don’t worry if they’re hard to read. These are the kinds of sentences that might be seen in news papers.
과학자들이 지구 온난화에 대한 우려의 목소리를 내고 있다. Scientists are voicing their concerns about global warming.
물가 상승이 우려된다. The rising cost of living is worrisome.
물가가 계속 올라가서 시민들이 우려하고 있다. Citizens are worried because the cost of living keeps going up.
I hope you guys are having a nice weekend without any worries.
Now time to make sentences: for example let’s use the phrase “this person is a doctor”. The first step it to transform it using the korean sentences structure, so it would look like “that person는 doctor is”. And now we can write it like this:
그 사람은 + 의사 + 이다 = 그 사람은 의사야 (informal) / 그 사람은 의사예요 (formal)
Examples: you can copy these and try to form the sentences by yourself or you can make your own using these only as examples/a guide.
this person is a teacher: 이 사람은 선생님 이다 = 이 사람은 선생님이야 / 이 사람은 선생님이예요
this (thing) is a table: 이것은 탁자 이다 = 이것은 탁자야 / 이것은 탁자예요
that (thing) is a bed: 저것은 침대 이다 = 저것은 침대야 / 저것은 침대예요
that person is a man: 그 사람은 남자 이다 = 그 사람은 남자야 / 그 사람은 남자예요
this (thing) is a tree: 이것은 나무 이다 = 이것은 나무야 / 이것은 나무예요
- this is one of my favorites honestly! I really like the game-like style and it worked really well for me. I also loved that you could find a deck of almost every book or course in your tl
I stopped to use it not too long ago cause I couldn’t give too much time into reviewing, so I’d rarely get to the point of encountering the new words, so I’d always end up reviewing the same words and…I have over 6k words to review so it would take a huge amount of time
♡ do I recommend it? Definitely yes, and if you’re better at reviewing cards and don’t let them pile up as I do, then I highly recommend it
2. Anki:
- I know this one is like the master of all flashcard apps and it has a lot of really cool extensions that allow to make the reviewing experience funnier and better… but… I could never really get into it
Don’t get me wrong, I love that I can add my own images and audios to the flashcards, along with examples and anything else I wanted. I just can’t get used to the basic flashcards mechanics of clicking the buttons at the bottom and got bored of it quick. I spent more time making the flashcardsthan actually reviewing them anyway I’m using it to make my Webtoon flashcards with screenshots and audios
♡ do I recommend it? Yes if you love customization and you are a visual learner!! I’m sure you will find more than one or two extensions that will be truly helpful!
3. Quizlet
- This is the one I’ve been using lately. I already used it years ago but didn’t get into it, and now I returned cause basically I was too lazy to make Hiragana and Katakana decks and I found that the official Genki study room had them on Quizlet so I decided to give the app another chance.
Honestly I’ve been loving it and I think I’ve never reviewed so much in my life
I’m a visual learner, but when it comes to flashcards I have realized that the simplest is the best! So I keep it minimalistic
♡ do I recommend it? Absolutely! Great app and easy to use. If you like it super simple, then def grab this one!
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I hope this opinion could be helpful in any way, happy learning! ^^
