#apok

[a-pop-of-korean]

One-Page Masterlist

안녕하세요! Hey everyone! I recently got an ask about my old masterlist, which is the same as my broken-down masterlist except it has all of my lessons on one page, rather than on multiple separate posts. Some may find this expanded version easier to navigate, so I’ll keep this up for y’all! My broken-up masterlist, of course, will still be available for those who find that more helpful :)

Hangul Lessons

Consonants

Vowels

Writing/Reading Korean Syllables

Some 받침 Rules

Diphthongs

Stroke Order

Some More 받침 Rules

Irregular Verbs

The Basics

Common Phrases

Numbers

Sino-Korean vs. Native Korean Numbers (Instagram Post)

Sentence Structure and Particles

Present-Tense Conjugations and Formal Language

Adjectives

Questions

Honorifics and Casual Language

Beginner

Negative Sentences

잘 and 못

Past Tense

Future Tense (-ㄹ / 을 것이다)

-ㄹ / 을 까요? (Shall we…? / I wonder…?)

-(으)세요 (Giving Commands / Asking Questions)

Telling Time

-고 싶다 (I want to…)

How to Say “And”

-지만 (However)

아/어/여서 (So…)

Negative Commands

Spacing (띄어쓰기)

Adverbs

ㅂ Irregular

Comparatives and Superlatives

난, 날, & 내가

Upper-Beginner

 -(으)면 (If…)

아/어/여도 (Even though…/Even if…)

(으)면 되다 / 아/어/여도 되다 (I can…/You may…)

-아/어도 되다: Asking for and Giving Permission (Instagram post)

-(으)면 되다 & -(으)면 안 되다 (Instagram post)

아/어/여야 되다 and 아/어/여야 하다(Have to / Should)

Present Progressive (-고 있다)

How to Say “Or”

-아/어/여하다

All About 중

How to Use -(으)로

Before & After

-ㄴ/은 채로

Intermediate

Describing Nouns with Verbs (-는 것)

Describing Nouns with Verbs - Past & Future Tense (-ㄴ/은 / -ㄹ/을 것)

Nominalization

것 같다 (I think… / It seems…)

-러 가다 / -러 오다

-(으)려고 (In order to…)

-기로 하다 (to Decide to do Smth)

척하다 (To Pretend)

-게 되다 

-군요 / -구나

아/어/여 보다 (to try…)

-은/ㄴ 적 있다 / 없다 (I have / have not)

-ㄹ/을 게요 (Future Tense)

겠다 

-ㄹ/을 수 있다/없다 (I can / cannot)

-ㄹ/을 때 (When…)

-ㄴ/는다면 (If)

-(으)면서 and -(으)며

-(으)니까 (Because / So)

-아/어/여주다

-(ㄴ/는)다 (Narrative Form)

Quoting

Let’s…

Quoting continued

(으)ㄹ래요? (Wanna…?)

-죠

-대로

More Quoting - 대 & 래

잘하다 & 못하다 vs. 잘 하다 & 못 하다 

-아/어 가지고

-(으)려면

-는 길에 & -는 길이다

-(으)면 vs. -ㄴ/는다면 (Instagram Post)

-았/었을 것이다

-느라고

-는 데(에)

-ㄹ/을 뻔하다

Upper-Intermediate

-ㄴ/는데

-(으)ㄴ/는지 (Whether or not)

-(이)라는…

All About 아무리

-잖아요

Expressing Surprise

-시 (Honorific)

Making Comparisons

-아/어/여지다

I might…

So that…/To the point where…

Causative Verbs

시키다

Passive Verbs (part 1)

Passive Verbs (part 2)

-ㄴ/은가 보다 & -나 보다 (I guess…)

-ㄹ/을수록

Other Meanings of 싶다

-자마자 & -는 대로(As soon as…)

-긴 하다

-치고

-김에

차라리 (Rather)

-(으)ㅁ Nominalization

-기는 무슨 & -기는 개뿔

-고 보니까

-듯(이)

버리다

-(으)면 좋겠다 & -(으)면 하다

-길 바라다

Advanced

-거든(요)

-줄 알다/모르다

-ㄹ/을 테니까 and -ㄹ/을 텐데

-았/었던

아니라 and 대신에

-ㄹ/을 리가 없다

편이다, 별로, and More

-지 그렇다 (Why don’t you…?)

-ㄹ/을 걸

-ㄹ/을 까 보다

-다면서요

-다니 part 1 

-다니 part 2

뜻이다 & 말이다

-다가

-더라고(요)

-더니

Some colloquialisms: 아니시에이팅 and 뭐 이렇게

-(으)ㅁ Sentence Ending

 -다 보니까

What does 따위 mean?

-ㄴ/는데도

Korean Idioms

Vocabulary

Must-Know People

Must-Know Places

Must-Know Things

Must-Know Verbs

Must-Know Adjectives

Countries

Months, Days of the Week, and More

Clothing (옷)

School (학교)

Autumn (가을)

Autumn (w/Pictures!)

More Questions

House / Apartment (집 / 아파트)

Emotions / Feelings ( 감정)

Animals (동물)

Loan / Konglish Words

Food and Drink (먹을 것과 마실 것)

Parts of the Body (몸)

Counters

Modes of Transportation (교통 수단)

Colors (색깔)

Colors (with Pictures!)

Weather (날씨)

Winter (겨울)

Music & Instruments (음악과 악기)

Baking Gingerbread Cookies

Emergency (비상)

Hygiene & Bathroom (위생 & 화장실)

Indefinite Pronouns

Work / Office (일 / 사무실)

Spring (봄)

Coronavirus Prevention (코로나바이러스 방역)

How to Wash Your Hands (손을 씻기)

Time (시간)

Korean Cuisine (한식)

Summer (여름)

Summer (여름) w/Pictures!

Graduation (졸업)

Identity (독자성)

Korean Text Slang

Similar Words

Makeup w/Pictures! (화장품)

Family (with Pictures!)

Pronouns

How to Say “Still” and “Already” in Korean

Tastes & Textures (맛과 질감)

K-Pop Audition

K-Pop Fandom Terminology

Different Ways to Say “Change”

Flower Names

What Does 원래 Mean?

What does 오히려 Mean?

College

Hanja Lessons

최

수

악

식

급

동

부 & 불

애

출

퇴

예

음

중

학

습

연

생

대

입

인

문

감

과 

원

특 

만

후 

무

Charts

Present, Past, and Future Tense

Question Words

잘 vs. 못 and Negative Conjugations 

Future Tenses 

-았/었던 vs. -던 (at end of lesson)

Particles

Some 받침 Rules

Gifving Commands

Conjunctions and -아/어/여서 vs. -(으)니까

-(으)면 vs. -다/라면 and Different Ways to Say “And”

How to Say “Or” (at end of lesson)

Telling Time (at end of lesson)

Comparatives and Superlatives

잘하다 & 못하다 vs. 잘 하다 & 못 하다 (at end of lesson)

Comparing 잘하다/못하다, 잘 하다/못 하다, & 수 있다/수 없다

Irregular Verbs

Pop Quizzes

Level 1

K-Pop Breakdowns

TXT - “Cat & Dog”

Twice - “Feel Special”

Enhypen - “Fever”

2NE1 - “Go Away”

Lee Hi - “Only”

“기억을 걷는 시간 (Time Spent Walking Through Memories)”

KCM - “An Old Love Story (흑백사진)”

Taeyeon - “Can’t Control Myself”

Epik High - “Lost One”

Colde - “A Song Nobody Knows”

IU - “My Sea”

Enhypen - “Polaroid Love”

유라 (youra) - “하양 (RAL 9002)″

BTS - “Ddaeng”

Stray Kids - “For You”

Woozie - “어떤 미래 (What Kind of Future)

TXT - “Eternally”

LOONA - “Heart Attack”

Stray Kids - “Muddy Water”

LOONA - “Girl Front”

Pentagon - “Daisy”

BTS - “Sea”

Semester in SK

Nami Island (남이섬)

Things to Buy at Daiso

Shopping Phrases

Ordering Coffee

Signs in Korea

Ordering at a Restaurant

Riding the Seoul Subway

Things at the 편의점

Korean Curse Words

Etiquette in South Korea

Drinking Culture

Hanja in Real Life

Holidays in South Korea

Korean Cuisine

Concert Ticketing in South Korea

K-pop Comebacks in Korea

Summer in South Korea

What I Learned

[reavercide2]

Book of Eli concept art, Chris Weston

[a-pop-of-korean]

Life Update: Teaching in Korea!

여러분 안녕하세요! It's been forever since I last posted, but I recently received an ask so I thought I might as well share about what's been going on with me lately! Since March, I have been teaching English at a high school and middle school in Korea! I'm in Andong (안동), which is a city in the North Gyeongsang Province (경상북도), but I live in a pretty rural area of the city. It's definitely been an adjustment from my life in New York City!

So far, I really love my life here! I have dedicated students and my coworkers are very kind and generous. I'm learning so much about being a teacher, about sharing my language with my students, and about myself as I live on my own in a different country. I feel so grateful for this opportunity :)

As for my Korean skills, I think my speaking is for sure lacking compared to when I studied abroad in Seoul. The other teachers that I interact with the most in my school all speak English, and I'm not allowed to speak Korean to my students, so in general I don't have the opportunity to practice very much. But I'm hoping to push myself a little more to find those opportunities!

If you also are curious about teaching English in Korea, please feel free to send me a PM or an ask! As for my Tumblr and Instagram, I honestly am not sure what I want to do with them, if I want to do anything at all. My weekdays are quite busy and I already have a robust masterlist of lessons, so I'm not sure if more content creation is in my future lol. That said, please share any ideas you have for what I might post! I do miss posting so often and I hope this Tumblr can still be a resource for those learning Korean on their own :) 화이팅!

[a-pop-of-korean]

hii! I'm Rosie and I have lots of questions n.n and literally I was just thinking about it (in advance lol) but I am going to be an English teacher in a few years and I plan to teach English in Daegu or Seoul (I still don't know which one) , which visa did you get? How did you get the job? Do you think that by the time I finish my career (3 years more) I'll be able to move to Daegu? Can I become fluent in Korean in 3 years? And the most important one !! Are you happy?

안녕하세요! Thanks for your question! Unfortunately, pretty much all the questions you asked can only be answered with "it depends." I am teaching through the Fulbright program, which is for Americans only. I also know some people who are teaching through the EPIK program, which is for anyone from an English-speaking country. Both of these programs place teachers in normal K-12 schools as opposed to hagwons. If you're looking for a hagwon or university teaching job, I have no idea how to get those or where to look for them.

I want to warn you that for Fulbright and EPIK, you have very little control over where you get placed. Fulbright specifically does not place first-year teachers in some of the biggest cities in Korea, including Seoul and Daegu. I'm not sure what your chances are with EPIK. It all depends on where teachers are needed, as well as who you are (such as your prior teaching experiences, etc.). You can voice your preferences, but nothing is guaranteed. In short, if you are applying to either of these programs, be prepared to be placed in a rural area like me! You might also have to teach a grade that you may not have wanted. Again, I'm not sure about other opportunities for foreign teachers in Korea, but this is what I know about these two programs.

As for getting fluent in Korean in 3 years, that also depends! I've been studying for years and still have a hard time speaking sometimes, although my listening, reading, and writing skills are fine. But this is because I've spent very little time in Korea and speaking Korean regularly. If you're fully immersed for 3 years, who knows! But know that even if you don't become fluent, you can for sure see a lot of progress and you will be able to survive in Korea.

And for the most important question: am I happy? The answer is yes! My role as a teacher is very different from my role as a teacher in the US. I have much less responsibility and I encourage my students to speak English freely, which is a stark contrast to the Suneung prep that they are accustomed to. Importantly, as a new foreign teacher, I have a lot of support from the people at my school. My job is definitely easier because of my teaching experience, so be prepared for a bit of a learning curve if you don't have any. But regardless, I feel a lot less stressed about my job here than I did in the US. It's a fun job and you'll love getting to know your students and seeing their progress!

Even if your experience is not what you're expecting--i.e. you're placed in rural Korea instead of a big city--know that you will be okay. I'm from New York City, so adjusting to rural life is definitely an adjustment. I also teach at a high school and a middle school, even though I did not want to teach middle school. But I am very grateful for my high school opportunity and do have the support I need at the middle school.

I hope this helps! If anyone knows of any other teaching programs in Korea, or if you've taught in Korea yourself, feel free to comment about it! Thanks for your question and best of luck! 화이팅!

[a-pop-of-korean]

K-Pop Breakdown: "흐린 가을 하늘에 편지를 써" by 김광석

여러분 안녕하세요! I recently got a request to breakdown this song, so here it finally is! You can find the Korean lyrics and listen to the song here, and I also referred to this page and Naver Dictionary to help me out with the English translations.

Vocabulary

비가 내리다 = to rain; rain falls

둘러싸다 = surround; encircle

숨결 = breath

떨치다 = to shake off; to break free from

잊혀지다 = to be forgotten

접어놓다 = to put away

창문 = Window

흐리다 = overcast; murky; cloudy

가을 = autumn

편지를 쓰다 = to write a letter

바람이 불다 = wind blows

유혹하다 = to entice; to lure

Grammar

비가 내리면 음… 나를 둘러싸는 / 시간의 숨결이 떨쳐질까?

When it rains... will I break free from the breath of time that surrounds me?

-(으)면: If/When

Attach this to a verb stem to mean "if/when [verb]." 비가 내리면 means "if/when it rains."

-는

When attached to a verb stem, -는 turns a verb into its present-tense noun-modifying form. In other words, it allows you to describe nouns using verbs, like the way we use the word "that" in English. 나를 둘러싸는 시간의 숨결 means "the breath of the time that surrounds me." 둘러싸다 describes the noun, 시간의 숨결.

-(으)ㄹ까

This structure has a couple of different meanings, but in this case, it is used essentially to wonder out loud. The speaker is asking if he will break free from what entraps him.

난 책을 접어놓으며 창문을 열어 / 흐린 가을 하늘에 편지를 써 / 음…잊혀져간 꿈들을 다시 만나고 파

I set aside my book and open the window / I write a letter in the cloudy autumn sky...I want to meet the forgotten dreams again.

-(으)며

This structure is one way to say "and," although it can be translated differently as well. It can mean "while," as in, "while putting aside my book I open the window" too.

-고 파

This is a shortened version of -고 싶다, which means "to want [to do something]." 만나고 파 means "I want to meet [someone/something]."

That's about it for this breakdown--thanks for reading and thanks to the anon for your patience with this request! Check out my other breakdowns here and feel free to request any other song that I haven't done yet! See you in the next lesson! 화이팅!

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[a-pop-of-korean]

I starting to learn Korean and Idk where to start. Please help me :(

Hello! I recommend checking out my master list and starting with “The Basics” section and working up from there. See what you know already and what you don’t. I hope my “curriculum” offers a good starting point! Thanks for the question and for your patience! 하이팅!

[a-pop-of-korean]

Sorry to bother you but I’m really for some advice on how to study for TOPIK 1/2 vocabulary. I tried flashcards both handwritten and Anki but i eventually stopped because it just gets really boring and repetitive. Do you know any entertaining ways you can review vocabulary? (Maybe games or apps that are entertaining and interactive) Also I wanna know your opinion on using A.I to review and practice Korean. I’ve been using it to review grammar and practice reading pronunciation there, it’s honestly really helpful if you don’t have anyone to talk to you in Korean. Would you recommend that method or do you think A.I might teach or say awkward phrases that aren’t really said in Korean.

Hello! I think Drops is a great app to help you memorize vocabulary in an easy, gamified way. I don't believe you can upload your own lists of vocabulary and study those, but the app should already have plenty of vocabulary that you need to know for the topic tests. It has a wide range of vocabulary, so it can help regardless of your level. It also keeps track of your streaks, keeping you accountable for practicing daily. If you do want to use your own vocab lists, try Quizlet; I never really used it much but I think it has games and other activities to help you memorize the words.

As for your question regarding AI, I personally would not recommend something like ChatGPT to explain anything about Korean to me. I remember I once asked it to explain the difference between -아/어/여서 and -(으)니까, and its response was pretty inaccurate. I haven't used other AI tools for Korean since, and maybe AI has become more sophisticated or something, but I generally don't have faith in its ability to help you learn another language. I think native speakers of that language are best equipped to explain the nuances of their grammar and vocabulary and create natural sounding sentences, not a robot. After all, language is a human phenomenon!

I'm not sure how exactly you use it, but if you find it helpful for practicing pronunciation, however, I think that's probably okay since Korean pronunciation has pretty straightforward rules that can be taught to a machine (if that makes sense--I'm not a comp sci person lol). I wish AI were better for language learning otherwise at this point since it would be great to, say, have a tool that can automatically check the correctness of your sentences or provide you with natural sentences, but I personally don't think it can. Thank you for the great question though--it really got me thinking and I would love to hear other's thoughts on it! I hope this is helpful :) 화이팅!

[a-pop-of-korean]

hi i have a question about how to quote someone. like for example i’m saying my mom asked when we’re going to meet

A: she asked about you

B: what did she ask

A: when we’re going to meet

would it be 널 언제 만날건데?

Hello! If you want to say "My mom asked when we're going to meet," you can say this: 엄마가 우리 언제 만날 거냐고 하셨어요 (or just 했어요 depending on how honorific you want to be). If you're totally new to quoting, I recommend checking out my lessons below since quoting has its own set of rules!

There are a few different grammatical structures used to quote someone in Korean. The quoting structure used in this sentence is -냐고, which is used specifically for quoting questions. Since you're meeting in the future, you attach -을/ㄹ 거냐고 to the verb stem. After that, use can use the verb 하다, which in this case, stands in to mean "to ask," as I did, which I think is the most common verb to use when quoting. Or, you can use 물어보다 meaning "to ask." The reason why 하다 is so common when quoting someone is because the grammar already points to the fact that a question is being asked, so it's ok to just use the short 하다 rather than a specific verb meaning "to ask." Hope that makes sense!

Thanks for the question! As I said, quoting is kinda complicated in Korean, so if you're new to it, it might not make sense to you right now. See my lessons below for more info! 화이팅!

Quoting

Quoting Continued