~한국어를 공부하자~

여러분 안녕하세요! 한국어 공부하기 블로그입니다. I am a beginner, so please correct me if I get anything wrong! Always open to requests ^^

[i-can-korean]

Korean Language Lessons

This is a list with links to every Korean lesson on this blog. It'll be updated each time a new lesson is posted!

Grammar

Common Verbs Conjugated

Present Tense Conjugation

Past Tense Conjugation

Progressive Tense Conjugation

Future Tense Conjugation (Part One)

Particles (Part One)

Particles (Part Two)

Sentence Structure (Part One)

Sentence Structure (Part Two)

I Want / I Want To

Like and Dislike

Verb Stems Ending in ㅂ

은/는데

Vocabulary

Language Terms

Exclamations

School

Numbers (Sino-Korean)

Numbers (Native Korean)

The Date

Food

Animals

Words of Encouragement

Music

Hot and Cold

The Body

K-Pop

"Winter Flower" by Younha (윤하) ft. RM

"WAVE" by ATEEZ (에이티즈)

"Treasure" by TREASURE (트레저)

Miscellaneous

Pronunciation Tips

Easily Confused Words

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[i-can-korean]

Hii i want to ask you something

Go for it! I'll answer as best I can :)

[i-can-korean]

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] sleep well?

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[i-can-korean]

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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[i-can-korean]

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-can-korean]

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!

[lagom-languages-deactivated2022]

my japanese lessons are low key getting frustrating af. it’s a “conversational class” so in my textbook, everything has the roman transcription underneath the kana and my brain just naturally looks at it. i get that for beginners, kana can be too overwhelming but it’s like, i don’t want to literally learn japanese through romaji??? and when i then go to put my vocab into memrise it makes things so much harder because i am remembering things based on their romaji not kana

i feel so negative about japanese rn in general. like, the stuff that takes weeks to learn in japanese could be learned in a romance language or most germanic languages in a day and sometimes i think, even though i love japanese more than any other potential languages i’m interested in learning, is the sacrifice worth it? like i could learn multiple other languages in the time it takes me to “master” just japanese

[i-can-korean]

I struggle with this exact same problem, but with Korean! My books have romanization right under the hangul, and my eyes are drawn to that first because it's my native alphabet. It can be so frustrating, especially since it's impossible for romanization to be completely accurate. I feel your pain. Good luck with your studies!! 💖

[i-can-korean]

Easily Confused Words in Korean

This is a list of some Korean words that are easy to mix up due to similarities in spelling and pronunciation. Not sure if many other learners struggle with these, but here are some of the ones I personally need to work on!

꿈꾸다 - to dream

궁금하다 - to wonder, to be curious

가수 - singer

가사 - lyrics

달리다 - to run

다르다 - to be different

혹시 - maybe, perhaps

역시 - of course, as expected

물건 - thing

건물 - building

선물 - gift, present

선생 - teacher

생선 - fish

어제 - yesterday

언젠가 - someday

내일 - tomorrow

매일 - every day

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[i-can-korean]

Hello. I have started learning Korean with a textbook. I checked the answers of the exercise with endings 는/은 and it seems that I don't understand them. 는 comes after a vowel while 은 after a consonant, right? But the answers marked as correct in the textbook are 형은... and 안지영 씨은... I don't get it. ㅇ is considered a consonant at 받침, so I get my mistake there in the first example. But do we ignore 씨 in grammar and put the ending particle considering the name?

Hello! The only explanation is that it's a typo. It should definitely be 씨는. You understand the rules perfectly! Yikes, that must have been confusing.

[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.

-

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

-

[i-can-korean]

Hello. Could you make a post about conjugation of adjectives? I know that it's the same as verbs but I am still confused. For example in 새롭다 ㅂ should change into 우 and after 오 should be 아요. So it is 새루아요? Doesn't seem right...

Hello! I can see how this may be confusing. You've almost got it, though!

As always, we get rid of 다, giving us 새롭. Then, since ㅂ changes into 우, we end up with 새로우. You're right about using 아요 when we have the vowel 오, however in this case we also have the vowel 우, so we actually have to use 어요. This combines into 워요. Therefore, the present tense conjugation of 새롭다 is 새로워요.

Just in case that's still a bit confusing, here are the steps we took:

새롭다 - 다 = 새롭

ㅂ -> 우 / 새롭 -> 새로우

새로우 + 어요 = 새로워요

I hope this helped! Good luck :)

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[i-can-korean]

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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[i-can-korean]

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 link in bio which will take you to 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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[i-can-korean]

1,000🎈🎉 천

This was meant to be my thank-you for 1,000 followers. I apologize for my inactivity. I've been dealing with some stuff, and then with everything going on recently it just didn't feel right. During my break we've already reached nearly 1,300! Thank you all so much. I hope I can provide some distraction during these difficult times. Stay safe and take care.

[i-can-korean]

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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[i-can-korean]

HELLO! These lessons are incredibly helpful and the anon ask answers are super useful for me as a beginner! I was wondering if you know if theres a place to practice pronunciation with other people? The videos Im watching are very inconsistent with certain characters being said 😔. No worries if you don't! I appreciate your hard work nonetheless! 💕

Hello! I'm so glad my posts are able to help. 😁

Firstly, I'd say the most important thing is to listen to a lot of native speakers, whether it be through variety shows, YouTube videos, podcasts, etc. Even if you don't understand all of it, or any of it, just hearing the language is super helpful. Try repeating things you hear aloud and seeing how close you can get to what you heard.

I haven't used these myself, but consider trying apps like HelloTalk that allow you to talk to native speakers of your target language. I'm not sure about others, but HelloTalk has an audio feature, so you can ask for feedback on your pronunciation. There are also websites like HiNative where you can ask questions and get answers from native speakers (I believe there is an audio feature, but it requires payment).

Also, keep in mind that not everyone speaks the same way. Different generations have different pronunciations. I'd say listening to younger people would be better so you can hear a more modern way of speaking.

I hope this helped. Good luck!!

[i-can-korean]

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!