Isabelle Studies Languages!

23 // UK 🤍🕊️⌨️ Software Engineer who loves languages ✟ Jesus Christ is Lord ✟

[isabellestudying]

― Sun, 13 April 2025

I haven't been able to study for a while because I was sick because of allergies. But I thank God that I am at full strength to study today!

Today, I focused on L&S (listening and speaking) and R (reading).

For L&S, I used Pimsleur. For R, I started reading the fairytale "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" and annotated it.

〚 What I learnt today 〛

— » More conversational speech terms

— » How to say "once upon a time"

— » How to use -며 to mean "while doing / whilst" e.g. 손은 들며 말했다.

감사합니다,

Isabelle

[isabellestudying]

【 Language Study Resource 】

» Browser Extension : Simple Translate » Link : Google Chrome Web Store

It lets you instantly translate highlighted text on any webpage.

When you select a word or sentence, a small pop-up shows the translation without opening a new tab or disrupting your reading flow. Super helpful for learners who want to stay immersed in native content but still need on-the-spot translations.

I use it when reading Korean articles or news online — just hover and get quick meaning without breaking concentration. It works with Korean, Chinese, and tons of other languages.

› How I use it:

Reading Korean news headlines

Checking short phrases or vocab from web articles

Reading native content without switching to Papago or Google Translate every few seconds

I don't use it for full-page translations — it's best for short chunks of text when you want to stay focused on learning.

[isabellestudying]

― Fri, 04 April 2025

I used the 'KIU:B' textbook whilst listening to a new playlist on YouTube. I am happy that I am making small progress in my Korean learning.

I have a trip to go to Seoul, South Korea in May so I want to improve my Korean a lot by then.

My aim is to complete A1 level fully by the end of the month of April.

〚 What I learnt today 〛

— » How to use Sino numbers

— » How to use Native numbers

감사합니다,

Isabelle

[isabellestudying]

【 Korean Study Resource 】

» Book : Korean Grammar in Use: Beginning to Early Intermediate » Link : Google Drive link

I don’t use this as a standalone textbook, but it’s honestly one of the most useful grammar references I’ve found for the A1–B1 level.

It’s structured to make it easy to revisit specific points when reviewing or filling in gaps—clear explanations, good example sentences, and enough nuance to help things stick without being overwhelming!

I treat it more like a grammar dictionary + workbook hybrid. I usually go back to it when I’m feeling unsure about a structure I’ve seen before, or when I want to make sure I fully understand a pattern I’ve encountered in native content.

Not a beginner "learn from zero" book, but very solid as a companion or revision tool alongside other materials.

If you're somewhere between basic and intermediate and want a grammar guide that’s actually usable (and not dry or overly academic), I’d say this is worth having!

» My progress on the book : #kgiub posts

[isabellestudying]

✑ Korean Diary Entry #1

04월 01일 화

난 오늘 진짜 일찍 일어났어. 아직도 진짜 피곤했어. 오늘은 미샤엘과 함께 침대에서 자야 했어. 또 일어났을 때, 업무 밑이 있었어. 그리고 나서 미샤엘이랑 놀았어.

오늘 많은 국수를 먹었어 - 진짜 매콤했어.

지금 침대 가운데에서 한국말을 공부하고 있어요.

[isabellestudying]

― Mon, 31 Mar 2025

This is my first post on my new language blog. Hello, it is nice to meet you! My name is Isabelle, I am based in the UK and I created this blog to track my Korean and Mandarin Chinese language studies. I am excited to share my progress!

As of right now, I will be focusing more on my Korean studies as I will be travelling to Seoul, South Korea in May. I would like to improve my Korean until after that time. Then, I will go back to splitting my time between Korean and Mandarin Chinese.

〚 What I learnt today 〛

— » As a revision, I started the "Korean Grammar In Use: Beginner to Early Intermediate" book to go over the basics of my Korean again.

— » Revised over 이다, 있다 and 없다

— » Revised over location words such as 밑, 앞, 오른쪽, and 밖

감사합니다,

Isabelle