Korean Listening Exercise - Topic Particle 는/은

Click on the play button below to listen to the audio recording.

The sentences below are also found in Topic Particle - 는 / 은

*Right-click and click 'Save link as' to save this MP3 file.

Written Korean (Informal)

나는 학생이다 = I am a student
그는 친절하다 = He is kind
이것은 연필이다 = This is a pencil
하늘은 높다 = The sky is high
그녀는 공부한다 = She studies
존은 갔다 = John went
영수는 먹었다 = Young-su ate

Korean alphabet - Consonants and Vowels

Click on the play button below to listen to the audio recording.

This is another recording that I produced with my own voice.

*Right-click and click 'Save link as' to save this MP3 file.

In this recording I pronounce the words below which are the common basic combinations of Korean consonants and vowels.

ㅏ(a): 가(ga) 나(na) 다(da) 라(ra) 마(ma) 바(ba) 사(sa) 아(a) 자(ja) 차(cha) 카(ka) 타(ta) 파(pa) 하(ha)
ㅑ(ya): 갸 냐 댜 랴 먀 뱌 샤 야 쟈 챠 캬 탸 퍄 햐
ㅓ(eo): 거 너 더 러 머 버 서 어 저 처 커 터 퍼 허
ㅕ(yeo): 겨 녀 뎌 려 며 벼 셔 여 져 쳐 켜 텨 펴 혀
ㅗ(o): 고 노 도 로 모 보 소 오 조 초 코 토 포 호
ㅛ(yo): 교 뇨 됴 료 묘 뵤 쇼 요 죠 쵸 쿄 툐 표 효
ㅜ(u): 구 누 두 루 무 부 수 우 주 추 쿠 투 푸 후
ㅠ(yu): 규 뉴 듀 류 뮤 뷰 슈 유 쥬 츄 큐 튜 퓨 휴
ㅡ(eu): 그 느 드 르 므 브 스 으 즈 츠 크 트 프 흐
ㅣ(i): 기 니 디 리 미 비 시 이 지 치 키 티 피 히

(I found that) - ~던데

던데 is used when you found that something was contrary to my previous opinion/expectation or opinions/expectations of others.

For example,

• 이미 하던데 = (I found that they) were already doing it

Replace 다 of verbs/adjectives with 던데

• 하던데 = (I found that he/she/they) was/were doing it
• 가던데 = (I found that he/she/they) was/were going (somewhere)
• 오던데 = (I found that he/she/they) was/were coming (here)
• 먹던데 = (I found that he/she/they) was/were eating
• 마시던데 = (I found that he/she/they) was/were drinking 
• 살던데 = (I found that he/she/they) was/were living (somewhere) 

SG WANNABE (SG 워너비) - 살다가

This is a continuation of the Learn Korean With Music.

Learning Korean with music is a good way of learning pronunciations of different Korean words as well as learning new words at the same time.



Korean pop-up dictionary

Lyrics

살아도 사는게 아니래
Even if I live, (people say) it's not living

너 없는 하늘에 창 없는 감옥같아서
The sky without you is like a prison without a window

웃어도 웃는게 아니래
Even if I laugh, (people say) it's not laughing

초라해 보이고 우는 것 같아 보인데
I look shabby and look as if I'm crying

사랑해도 말 못 했던 나
Although I loved (you), I couldn't say it

내색조차 할 수 없던 나
I couldn't even show a sign of (my love)

나 잠이드는 순간조차 그리웠었지
Even when I was about to fall sleep, I missed (you)

살다가 살다가 살다가 너 힘들때
As (you) live. As (you) live. As (you) live when it's heartbreaking/painful (for you)

There is / I have - 있다/있네

있다 is used colloquially to mean "There is/are" or "I have."

For example,

• 저기에 호수 있다 = There is a lake over there.

• 나 갤럭시 에스 쓰리 있다 = I have a Galaxy S3.

Similarly, you could also use "있네" to mean "There is/are" or "I have."

However, 있네 is used when you did not have any prior knowledge of the presence of something or having owned something.

• 저기에 호수 있네 = There is a lake over there. (I didn't know there was a lake over there.)

• 어, 나 지갑 있네 = Oh, I have a wallet. (I thought I didn't have/bring it.)

I will go first - 먼저 갈게

먼저 갈게 is used colloquially to mean 'you will go home/leave first.'

It's used when you leave a place before your friend(s).

For example,

After school/work, if you leave first before others, you may say:

• 나 먼저 갈게. 내일 보자 = I will leave/go home first. See you tomorrow.

Likewise,

• 먼저 + Verb (Take off 다 and add ㄹ 게 for verbs without final consonants, and 을게 for verbs with final consonants)

E.g.

• 하다 → 할게 
• 먼저 할게 = I'll do first

• 먹다 → 먹을게
• 먼저 먹을게 = I'll eat first

• 먼저 할게 = I will do first
• 먼저 갈게 = I will go first
• 먼저 볼게 = I will watch/see first
• 먼저 먹을게 = I will eat first
• 먼저 마실게 = I will drink first
• 먼저 자러 갈게 = I will go to sleep first
• 먼저 살게 = I will buy first 

Go to do - ~러 가다

~러 가다 is used when you want to express the purpose of going somewhere.

For example,

• 영수는 공부하러 갔어 = Young-su went to study

• 짐은 책 빌리러 도서관에 갔어 = Jim went to the library to borrow books

Replace 다 with 러 가다/갔어/갔다/갔어요/갔습니다

• 하러 가다 = go to do
• 보러 가다 = go to watch/see
• 먹으러 가다 = go to eat
• 마시러 가다 = go to drink
• 자러 가다 = go to sleep
• 잡으러 가다 = go to catch
• 사러 가다 = go to buy
• 빌리러 가다 = go to borrow

Nouns - Nominalising

것 is attached descriptive forms of verbs an adjectives to nominalise them, i.e. make them nouns.

• 하다 → 하는 (Descriptive I)
• 하는 + 것 = 하는 것 = something that you do

• 하다 → 한 (Descriptive II)
• 한 + 것 → 한 것 = something that you did

• 크다 → 큰 (Descriptive)
• 큰 + 것 = 큰 것 = something that is big / large

I heard / You said - ~며

며 can mean "I heard" or "You said."

The meaning of 며 depends on the context, i.e. what sentence follows next.

For example,

• 정수야, 서울에 간다며? 잘 갔다와.
• = Hey, Jeong-su, I heard you're going to Seoul. Have a nice trip!

• 정수야, 서울에 간다며. 아직 안갔어?
• = Hey, Jeong-su, you said you're going to Seoul. You haven't left yet? 

Add 며 to verbs / adjectives.

한다 (present written form) + 며 = 한다며 = You said you'd do

• 간다며 = I heard you go (are going) / You said you go (are going)
• 온다며 = I heard you come / You said you come
• 먹는다며 = I heard you eat / You said you eat
• 마신다며 = I heard you drink / You said you drink
• 잔다며 = I heard you sleep / You said you sleep
• 일어난다며 = I heard you wake up / get up // You said you wake up / get up
• 논다며 = I heard you play / have fun // You'd said you play / have fun

I used to do - 하던

하던 means "used to" or it refers to an action or state in the past.

A noun is usually followed by 하던 which describes the noun.

e.g. 여기는 내가 일하던 곳이야 = This is the place where I used to work / had worked.


The past tense form of '하던' is 했던 and it means essentially the same as 하던 when used in this sense.

e.g. 여기는 내가 일하던 곳이야 = 여기는 내가 일했던 곳이야 = This is the place where I used to work / had worked.

Conjunctions - If/Once [~거든]

거든 is a a conjunction meaning 'if / once.'

거든 and 면 both mean 'if / once' but 면 is used more often in spoken Korean.

거든 is used in the middle of sentence, for example,

• 진수가 오거든, 이 책을 줘 = If/once Jinsu comes here, please give this book (to him) 

But if 거든 is used at the end of a sentence, it means 'because.'

• Please read, Because I'm - ~거든, to learn how 거든 is used in this sense.

Because I'm - ~거든요

거든요 is used as a statement in which you give reasons / explanations for what you do or did.

• 하거든요 = Because (I) do

• 거든요 is a polite spoken form
• 거든 is a informal spoken form (however, if 거든 is used in the middle of a sentence (i.e. as a conjunction, linking two sentences), it means 'if')

For example,

• 벌써 왔어? = You came (back) already?
• 줄이 너무 길었거든. 그래서 그냥 왔어 = Because the queue was too long. So I just came (back).

• 줄이 너무 길거든, 그냥 와 = If the queue is too long, just come (back).

Learn Korean Listening and Speaking Exercise

Click on the play button below to listen to the audio recording.

The sentences below are also found in the lesson, Sentence Order.

*Right-click and click 'Save link as' to save this MP3 file.

안녕하세요 여러분
= Hello everyone

저는 루크에요
= I'm Luke

저는 루크입니다
= I'm Luke

저는 학생이에요
= I am a student (polite spoken Korean)

전 학생이에요 (저는 → 전)

나는 학생이야 = I am a student (informal spoken Korean)
난 학생이야 (나는 → 난)

Learn Korean Listening Exercise

Click on the play button below to listen to the audio recording.

This is the introductory post on the importance of listening exercises in learning Korean language.

*Right-click and click 'Save link as' to save this MP3 file.

Hi Everyone,

I have produced a recording of my own voice, in order to help you learn spoken Korean!

It's often hard to learn spoken Korean because it should be learned by listening rather than reading.

Although there are many spoken Korean lessons in this blog, spoken Korean should actually be learned by listening to it.

So I have decided to have a go at recording my own voice to help you understand and speak spoken Korean.

Modern Hero

Hi everyone, I just wanted to share this video about an ordinary guy who saved a girl's life in a subway.

There are no subtitles for this but I thought it was still worth watching, even without subtitles.

Hope you have a great rest of the week!

SG WANNA BE (SG워너비) - 라라라

This is a continuation of the Learn Korean With Music.

It's a good way of learning pronunciations of different Korean words as well as learning new words at the same time.

I quite like the song, though it is kinda sad-ish(?), too(?)



Korean pop-up dictionary

그대는 참 아름다워요
You are truly beautiful

밤 하늘의 별빛보다 빛나요
You shine brighter than the starlight in the sky

지친 나의 마음을 따뜻하게 감싸줄
That which would embrace my tired heart warmly

그대 품이 나의 집이죠
Your bosom is my home

(I learned that) ~더라고

~더라고(요) is used when you talk about something you've learned by your own experience or from someone else or some other things (e.g. books, TV and internet).


Replace 다 of a plain form of verbs/adjectives with 더라고.

• 하다 → 하더라고 = (learned that someone) was doing

Example sentence:

• 진수는 음악을 전공 하더라고 = I learned that Jinsu was doing a major in music

• 가더라고 = (I learned that) was going 
• 오더라고 = (I learned that) was coming
• 먹더라고 = (I learned that) was eating
• 마시더라고 = (I learned that) was drinking
• 살더라고 = (I learned that) was living
• 만들더라고 = (I learned that) was making
• 일하더라고 = (I learned that) was working
• 자더라고 = (I learned that) was sleeping

Pronouns (He, She) - 얘, 쟤, 걔

Following the previous post, Pronouns (He, She) - 그, 그녀, 걔, 그분, we're going to learn more about the various ways in which "He and She" are used in spoken Korean.

There are three basic ways to refer to someone (he or she), namely 얘, 쟤 and 걔. They are used in a similar way to Pronouns- This, It, That.

• 얘 = He or She (This person)
• 쟤 = He or She (That person)
• 걔 = He or She (The person we're talking about who is not present here)

얘, 쟤 and 걔 are the personal equivalents of 이것, 저것, 그것 which are used to refer to "things or inanimate objects."

Example sentences:

• 효민: 톰 안녕, 얘는 안나야 
• Hyo-min: Hey, Tom. This (person) is Anna.

Pronouns (They) - 그들, 걔들, 그분들

As I have explained in the previous post, "He and She" are very infrequently used in spoken Korean. It is the same in the case of "They" as well. It is hardly ever used in normal conversations (except for 걔들 / 걔네들, the informal form of "They" which is more frequently used in informal spoken Korean)

What we do instead is to refer to someone by their names, position or status in society or not just mentioning "He, She, or They" at all in conversations as long as the speakers having a conversation know who they're talking about.

But for the sake of completeness, I include the various forms of "They" below. They're more likely to be used in songs, dramas and books with the exception of 걔들 / 걔네들 which, as I said earlier, are used quite often in informal spoken Korean among close friends or people of similar age in a close social network.

• Note: Essentially, 걔들 and 걔네들 are both used as "They" in informal spoken Korean, and are usually interchangeable. 

Pronouns (He, She) - 그, 그녀, 걔, 그분

This is the second part of "Pronouns" lesson.

For the first part on "I and You - 나, 저, 너, 당신", please click on the link.

Before I start listing different forms of "He and She" I must say that they're very infrequently used in actual spoken Korean.

In Korean, when people refer to someone, they mostly use a person's name, their position or status in society, or omit it altogether if people talking to each other already know who they're talking about.

However, I include the following list for the sake of completeness. It is likely that the following are more frequently used in songs, dramas, and books.

• Note: Among the pronouns listed below, one that is more frequently used in spoken Korean than others would be 걔 which means "he or she" depending on the context.

• 걔 is a very informal form of "he and she," and so, it is usually used among close friends, and when referring to other people of similar age in a close social network.

Pronouns (I, You) - 나, 저, 너, 당신

In this lesson, we are going to learn about pronouns, especially, "I and You," then "He, She and They," and how their forms are changed depending on the degree of politeness.

For the video recording of this lesson, please see below. :)

Let's start with "I":

Informal form (나, I)

• 나 = I

• 나는 = I + 는 (Topic particle)
• 난 (usually in spoken Korean)

• 내가 = I + 가 (Identifier particle)

• 나도 = I + 도 (Additive particle)

• 나를 = I + 를 (Object particle)
• 날 (usually in spoken Korean)

• 내 = my

• 내 것 = mine (written Korean)
• 내 꺼 (usually in spoken Korean)

Note: 나 becomes 내 when combined with 가 (Identifier particle) 

Polite form (저, I)

• 저 = I

• 저는 = I + 는 (Topic particle)
• 전 (usually in spoken Korean)

• 제가 = I + 가 (Identifier particle)

• 저도 = I + 도 (Additive particle)

• 저를 = I + 를 (Object particle)
• 절 (usually in spoken Korean)

• 제 = my

• 제 것 = mine (written Korean)
• 제 꺼 (usually in spoken Korean)

Now for "You":

Informal form (너, You)

• 너 = You
• 너는 = You + 는 (Topic particle)
• 넌 (usually in spoken Korean)

• 네가 = You + 가 (Identifier particle) (written Korean)
• 니가 (usually in spoken Korean)

• 너도 = You + 도 (Additive particle)

• 너를 = You + 를 (Object particle)
• 널 (usually in spoken Korean)

• 네 = your (written Korean)
• 니 (usually in spoken Korean)

• 네 것 = yours (written Korean)
• 니 꺼 (usually in spoken Korean)

Polite form (당신, You)

• 당신 = You
• 당신은 = You + 은 (Topic particle)

• 당신이 = You + 이 (Identifier particle)

• 당신도 = You + 도 (Additive particle)

• 당신을 = You + 을 (Object particle)

• 당신 = your 

• 당신 것 = yours (written Korean)
• 당신 꺼 (usually in spoken Korean)

Note: Just a word of caution, 당신 is very infrequently used when addressing someone in spoken Korean because it has a nuance of confrontation, and it can be offensive when used wrongly. Therefore I advise that you do not use 당신 at all when speaking in Korean!

In Korean, if you want address someone directly, it's more common to use their designated position or status in society, for example, 선생님 (teacher), 사장님 (Head of any company), 사모님 (Wife of any respectable man), 아저씨 (middle-aged man), 아줌마 (middle-aged woman), 할아버지 (elderly man), 할머니 (elderly woman)

Note: Doctors are called 의사 선생님 (Doctor-teacher) or just 선생님 (teacher), and any person can be called 선생님 if you learned something from that person and even if someone is not your teacher, you may choose to call him/her 선생님 if you respect them, and don't have any other particular to name to call them.


However, please let me make this clear that it seems that 당신 is more frequently used in songs and dramas, and 당신 in songs do not sound confrontational, and offensive at all. Actually they sound very endearing in some songs for some reason. But in dramas, 당신 can still be confrontational and offensive, and so it's more likely used in the scenes where characters have verbal arguments.


You may also hear 그 쪽 when someone is addressed. 그 쪽 is used in place of 당신 (because 당신 is avoided in spoken Korean as explained above). 그 쪽 literally means "that side." 그 쪽 is not used frequently at all. It's used between people who share a similar position or status in society, and have just met and are not sure how to address the other person.

e.g.

• Person A: 점심 드셨어요? (Have you had lunch?)
• Person B: 아뇨. 아직이요. 그쪽은요? (No, not yet, what about you?)

As I was doing - ~하다 보니깐

~하다 보니깐 means "As I have been/was doing (something)"

This phrase is used when you want to convey a nuanced meaning of "you've been doing something, and learned / found / experienced / saw / heard something along the way."

하다 보니깐 is actually a contracted form of 하다 보니까는

• 하다 보니깐 = As I have been/was doing (something)
• 가다 보니깐 = As I have been/was going (somewhere)
• 오다 보니깐 = As I have been/was coming (somewhere)
• 살다 보니깐 = As I have been/was living (this way)
• 먹다 보니깐 = As I have been/was eating

Example Sentences:

• 살다 보니깐, 무조건 열심히만 한다고 성공하는 건 아니란걸 배웠다 = As I have been living (until now), I learned that hard work alone may not bring success.

• 살다 보니깐, 노력없이는 성공의 꿈조차 꿀 수 없다는 걸 깨달았다 = As I have been living (until now), I learned / understood that without hard work, you cannot even dream of success.

Pop-up Korean Dictionary: Google Chrome Add-on

I was looking for a good Korean dictionary that could be accessed and used easily and frequently.

I found this Google Chrome Add-on while googling "Pop-up Korean Dictionary."

Thanks to Jeanne's Korean Learning Journey, for the kind explanation of how to use the dictionary. 

It is easy to install, and you can use it right away. Just double-click any Korean word on the web for a pop-up which shows dictionary meanings of different words highlighted.

You can also double-click any English word, and the pop-up dictionary will give you the equivalent Korean word!

So try it! Highly recommended! 

Chrome Add-on: Korean Dictionary

네이버/다음사전 (Korean Dictionary)

Ahn Cheol Soo Interview: On His Parents

This is a second clip of the interview done with Ahn Cheol Soo.

He is a doctor, entrepreneur, professor, researcher, programmer and politician. He is also a former presidential candidate of the Republic of Korea.

He graduated from the medical school of Seoul National University, and became a doctor. While working as a doctor, he also worked on developing antivirus vaccine, and founded AhnLab, Inc.
To find more about him, refer to this Wiki page.

You can also find the previous interview that I posted a few days ago here.



백지연: 되돌아 보면, 우리 어머님 아버님께서 날 이렇게 키워주셨던게 지금의 나를 만드는데 큰 그 뿌리가 된거 같다라든지 역할을 하신거 같다는건 어떤거세요?

Baik Ji-Yeon: When you reflect (on the past), in regards to "The way that my mother and my father raised me became a foundation that shaped who I am now" what do you mean?

안철수: 어, 그.. 아버님이 직접 저한테 뭐 어떻게 하라고 이야기하시는 건 굉장히 드물고요.

Ahn Cheol-Soo: Well, it is very rare for my father to to tell me directly what to do.

그 아버님도 이제 경상도 남자분이니깐 저도 경상도 남자고요.

Well, my father is from Gyeongsang-Do, and I am a Gyeongsang-Do man as well.

Note: Gyeongsang-Do is one of the provinces in Korea. Men from Gyeongsang-Do is often characterised by their brusque/curt/blunt manner, and they're often unaccumstomed to verbalising intimate expressions. For example, they would express their love through "acts of service" rather than "words of affirmation," as per 5 Love Languages.

PSY Interview: His Inside Story

Yes, this is an interview with PSY of "Gangnam Style."

He talks about:

• various funny episodes during his concerts
• his (fulfilled) dreams
• the truth about fame
• positive mindset
• deep desire for fun!
• cure for depression
• how he became a musician
• and others!

No worries, English subtitles are included in this video. :-)

 

View Other Interviews:

• Ahn Cheol-Soo Interview: On Joy and Happiness
• Ahn Cheol Soo Interview: On His Parents

For More On:

• Learn Korean With Videos

Ahn Cheol-Soo Interview: On Joy and Happiness

This is the interview of Ahn Cheol-Soo, a former president candidate of the Republic of Korea.

I admire his ambition, work ethic and generosity. 

He graduated from the medical school of Seoul National University, and became a doctor. While working as a doctor, he also worked on developing antivirus vaccine, and founded AhnLab, Inc.

You can find more about him in this wiki page.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahn_Cheol-soo

I have included both the Korean transcript and English translations for the first part of the interview below for listening and reading exercises.

Without further ado, here's the interview clip of Ahn Cheol-Soo on Joy and Happiness.

 

백지연: 그렇게 "그저 웃지요" 하시는 건 왜 그러세요?
Baek Ji-Yeon: How come/why do you often say "I just smile/laugh"?

안철수: 네, 이상하게 즐거워서요.
Ahn Cheol-Soo: Yeah, for some reason, I'm just joyful. :-)

백지연: 항상이요? 아니면 지금?
Baek Ji-Yeon: Always or just now?

안철수: 네, 보통, 예, 보통 일반적으로. 거의 즐겁습니다.
Ahn Cheol-Soo: Yes, normally, yeah, usually, I'm mostly joyful. :-)

백지연: 비결이 뭐세요?
Baek Ji-Yeon: What's the secret?

안철수: 그 뭐, 긍정적으로 생각하고요. 그 다음에 이제 살다보니깐, 그 내가 이렇게 마음대로 할 수 있는 부분이 참 작구나 그런거 많이 느낍니다.
Ahn Cheol-Soo: Well, I think positively. And as the time passes, I've come to find out that the number/amount/parts of things (in my life) that I can control at will are quite small.

백지연: 네..
Baek Ji-Yeon: Yeah..

안철수: 그러다 보니깐, 오히려 나는 최선을 다하고 나머지 결과는 기다리고 운이 좋거나 또는 뭐 사회가 나한테 허락하면 그 때 좋은 결과 가지는 거구요. 생각하니까 편해지드라고요.
Ahn Cheol-Soo: So as I think like that, I do all my best, and leave the rest/wait for results, if luck finds its way to me, or the society finds me helpful, I receive my reward. As I think like that, I became more relaxed/feel at ease.


View Other Interviews:

• PSY Interview: His Inside Story
• Ahn Cheol Soo Interview: On His Parents

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