KoreanClass101.com Blog

Did you know that Korea attracts over 6.4 million foreign visitors every year? And the numbers are on the rise! As the number of people from other countries visiting Korea is increasing, so is the number of foreigners in Korea who speak Korean.
And you have a strong interest in speaking Korean and hopefully, practicing your skills with the locals, and have been studying diligently and following all our tips,

But this does not guarantee that a store owner or the bus driver you want to talk to won’t be surprised when you speak Korean. What does this lead to? More often than not, if you just spit our a phrase you learned by heart and expect the other person to have understood you, sadly, you may be disappointed that that they actually didn’t understand you! But don’t worry, the reason they don’t undestand you  is most likely because they simply did not expect you to speak Korean in the first place. So ir you are in Korea, and have experienced this before, it may be a good idea to say a word or two in Korean to call their attention to you, and  let them know that you are going to say something in Korean (and not catch them cold!).

Try using 저기요 (jeogiyo) which translates to ‘Excuse me!’ in English. When they give you this look of “Wow, this person is speaking Korean!”, it is time for you to surprise them even more with the phrases that you have mastered!

In today’s lesson we’ll go over how to ask someone a few simple questions.

Vocabulary

• 네 ( yes )
• 아니오 (no)
• 도 (too, also)
• 회사원 (office worker)

Grammar Focus

• The Formal Interrogative - -ㅂ/습니까?
  • This construction is used to ask a question in a formal level of politeness. It attaches to verbs as a final sentence ending. -ㅂ/습니까 (-m/seumnikka) can be attached to any verb to form a present tense question with that verb. This conjugation is in the formal politeness level and is used for very formal situations.

Formulating Yes-or-No Questions

• The formal interrogative sentence ending is -ㅂ/습니까? (m/seumnikka?) and attaches to the end of verbs.
  • “Noun 1는(은) Noun 2입니다.” This sentence structure is using the formal present conjugation of the copula.
  • “Noun 1는(은) Noun 2입니까?” Replacing “다” (da) of “입니다” (imnida) with “까” (kka), changes the statement into a question:

The Augmentative Particle -도 

• -도 (-do) is a particle used to indicate that something that has previously been stated also holds true for the item currently under discussion. It corresponds with the English words “also” or “too.”
  • Noun + 도 = Noun, too.
    • 저는 학생입니다. (jeo-neun hakseng-imnida) (I am a student.)
    • 저 도 학생입니다. (jeo-do hakseng-imnida) (I am also a student.)

This Lesson adds more vocabulary and grammar to help you introduce yourselves.

Vocabulary

• 씨 - (Mr., Ms., Mrs.)

• 연 주 씨. 안녕하세요. - Honam is a student.

• 선생님 - teacher

• 유라 씨는 선생님입니다. - Yura is a teacher

• 이 다 - To be

• 우와! 한국이다! - Wow! It`s Korea

The Honorific Suffix - 씨

• In Korean 씨 (ssi) is the honorific suffix. Just as the title suggests, it gestures respect to the name it is suffixed to.

• It can be used to respect anybody. It is unisex and can be used regardless of age.

• It is used more frequently than the English titles, Mister, Misses, and Miss. If two people are not on casual terms, they will typically suffix 씨 (ssi) to the other person’s name.

• It is only used when referring to someone else. One cannot use 씨 (ssi) for their own name.

• When it is suffixed to a name, it must be suffixed to a person’s given name. If the honorific suffix is attached to only the person’s family name, it can sometimes be seen as demeaning.

The Affirmative Copula - 이다

• The affirmative copula in Korean is 이다 (ida). This verb generally translate as “to be.” This means it can be used to express equation, definition, identification, and description. But it is not existential. Korean has a separate verb to express existence.
  

Formal Politeness Level Conjugation (-ㅂ/습니다) 

• 입니다 (imnida) is the copula conjugated into the present tense, and in the formal politeness level. To conjugate 이다 (ida) we take the dictionary form of the copula 이다 (ida) and remove 다 (da) to get the verb stem, 이 (i). From there we add -ㅂ 니다 (-mnida). 이 + ㅂ 니다 = 입니다 (i + mnida = imnida).

This lesson introduced a few standard greetings that can be used when meeting someone for the first time. The following are a few notes that go more in-depth into these greetings, as well as some important grammar points related to the lesson.

Vocabulary

Hello - 안녕하세요?

• 안 녕하세요? (annyeonghaseyo?) has the literal meaning of “Are you at peace?” But this is used like the English “Hello.” This can be used during the morning, day, and evening, and is used for people who are on formal or polite speaking terms.

It’s Nice to Meet You - 처음 뵙겠습니다

• “It’s nice to meet you” - The expression 처음 뵙겠습니다 (cheoeum boepgesseubnida) literally means “I’m meeting you for the first time,” but is translated as “It’s nice to meet you.” This is used when meeting someone for the first time.

Grammar Focus

The Copula - 이다 

• The affirmative Korean copula – the verb expressing “to be” – is 이다 (ida). When 이다 is conjugated in the present tense and expressed for use in a formal context, it changes into 입니다 (imnida).
  

The Formal Declarative Sentence Ending - ㅂ/습니다

• To conjugate 이다 (ida) using this sentence ending, we take the dictionary form of the copula 이다 (ida) and remove 다 (da) to get the verb stem, 이 (i). From there we add ㅂ 니다 (mnida). 이 (i) + ㅂ 니다 (mnida) = 입니다 (imnida).

• For verb stems that end in vowels we attach ㅂ 니다 (mnida), such as the case is with 이다 (ida), the copula.

• For verb stems that end in consonants, we attach 습니다 (seumnida).
  

Dropping the “I”

• As is often done in Korean, when the meaning can be clearly derived from context, dropping 저는(jeoneun), which means “I” with the topic particle, is acceptable in the conversation.

The Month of May in Korea is often called Family Month. There’s Children’s Day, Parent’s Day, and Teacher’s Day. Korea takes Mother’s Day to a whole different level! On these days you give your Children, Parents and Teachers gifts to show them how much you appreciate them. Children often benefit the most with candy and money being popular gifts. Teachers get quite a lot of gifts as well as they have many students and parents to receive gifts from. And that’s why the month of May is called Family month in Korea!

Well… did you learn something new about Korea?

If you did, you’ll be glad to know that you’ll learn cultural tidbits in every single lesson at KoreanClass101.com! In every lesson, not only will you learn Korean that will have you speaking Korean in minutes, you’ll also learn cultural tidbits that will amaze your Korean friends! With KoreanClass101.com, you get ALL of your Korean needs; including the language and culture (it’s company policy)!

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한국어 재밌게 공부합시다!
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