Say Hi Korean: Basic Korean Grammar

Showing posts with label Basic Korean Grammar. Show all posts

N만 Indicate a limitation to its preceding noun.

by Say Hi Korean on 6:00 AM 0 Comment

이번 주말에 뭐 할 거예요?

What are you going to do this weekend?

가족들하고 등산을 갈 거예요.

I am going to go hiking with my family.

모두 다 같이 가요?

Are all of you going together?

아니요, 일이 있어서 우리 형만 못 가요.

No, only my elder brother can't go because he has work to do.

[Korean grammar] ‘ㅅ’ 불규칙 (Irregular Conjugation)

by Say Hi Korean on 12:13 PM 1 Comment

모기가 물어서 눈이 부었어요.(붓다)
A mosquito bit me, so my eye became swollen.

컵에 커피와 크림, 설탕을 넣고 저어요.(젓다)
I put coffee, cream, and sugar in the cup and stir it all together.

어느 옷이 더 나아요?(낫다)
Which outfit is better?

Grammar Focus:
For a few verb and adjective stems that end in ㅅ, ㅅ is omitted when added to an ending that begins with a vowel.

[Korean grammar] ‘ㅎ’ 불규칙 (Irregular Conjugation)

by Say Hi Korean on 12:02 PM 0 Comment

백설공주는 머리는 까맣고 피부는 하얘요.
Snow White has black hair and a white complexion.

왕비는 백설 공주에게 빨간 사과를 줬어요.
The queen gave Snow White a red apple.

왕자는 크고 파란 눈으로 공주를 봤어요.
The prince looked at Snow White with his big blue eyes.

Grammar Focus:
When an adjective stem ending in ㅎ is added to an ending that begins with a vowel, ㅎ is omitted.
1. When endings beginning in vowels other than -아/어 are added to adjective stems ending in ㅎ, ㅎ is omitted.

2. When endings beginning in -아/어 are added to adjective stems ending in ㅎ, ㅎ is omitted, and ㅣ is added.

Although the stems of 좋다 (to be good), 많다 (many), 낳다 (to bear, to give birth to), and 넣다 (to put in, to insert) etc. end in ㅎ they are conjugated regularly.

[Korean grammar] ‘르’ 불규칙 (Irregular Conjugation)

by Say Hi Korean on 11:48 AM 14 Comments

댄 씨는 노래를 잘 불러서 인기가 많아요. (부르다)
Dane is popular because he can sing well.

출근 시간에는 지하철이 버스보다 빨라요.(빠르다)
The subway is faster than the bus during rush hour.

저는 영어를 몰라요.(모르다)
I don’t speak English.

Grammar Focus:
For most verb and adjective stems that end in 르, the ㅡ of 르 is omitted, and an additional ㄹ is added to form ㄹㄹ.

[Korean grammar] ‘ㄷ’ 불규칙 (Irregular Conjugation)

by Say Hi Korean on 11:43 AM 0 Comment

음악을 들으면서 운동해요.
I listen to music when I exercise.

돈이 없어서 걸어서 갔어요.
I had no money, so I went by foot.

그 여자에게 전화번호를 물어봤어요.
I asked her for her phone number.

Grammar Focus:
For a few verb stems that end in ㄷ, ㄷ changes to ㄹ when added to an ending that begins with a vowel.

[Korean grammar] ‘ㅂ’ 불규칙 (Irregular Conjugation)

by Say Hi Korean on 11:35 AM 0 Comment

커피가 뜨거우니까 조심하세요.
The coffee’s hot, so be careful.

날씨가 추워서 집에 있었어요.
It's cold outside, so I stayed home.

저는 매운 음식을 좋아해요.
I like spicy food.

Grammar Focus:
For a few verb and adjective stems that end in ㅂ, ㅂ changes to 오 or 우 when added to an ending that begins with a vowel. 돕다 (to assist) and 곱다 (lovely/charming) are the only two words that change to 오, while all others change to 우.

[Korean grammar] ‘ㄹ’ 불규칙 (Irregular Conjugation)

by Say Hi Korean on 11:28 AM 0 Comment

아이가 혼자서 잘 놉니다.
The girl plays well by herself.

백화점이 몇 시에 여는지 알고 싶어요.
I’d like to know what time the department store opens.

지금 만드는 게 뭐예요?
What are you making?

Grammar Focus:
For verb and adjective stems that end in ㄹ, ㄹ is omitted without exception when adding an ending that begins withㄴ, ㅂ or ㅅ . However, when an ending that begins with -으 is added to such a stem, even thoughㄹ remains as a final consonant, it is treated as a vowel, and therefore -으 is omitted.

[Korean grammar] ‘ㅡ’ 불규칙 (Irregular Conjugation)

by Say Hi Korean on 11:16 AM 0 Comment

민우 씨는 요즘 많이 바빠요.
Minu is really busy these days.

불 좀 꺼 주세요.
Please turn off the lights.

배가 고파요.
(I'm) hungry.

Grammar Focus:
For verb and adjective stems that end in ㅡ, ㅡ is omitted without exception when adding an ending that begins with 아/어. Then, the vowel that preceded 一 determines whether 아 or 어 is used in the ending. That is, when the vowel is ㅏ or ㅗ, ㅏ is used, otherwise ㅓ is used. In the case of single-syllable stems in which 一 is the only vowel, ㅓ is added after 一 is omitted.

[Korean grammar] Indirect Quotation Contracted Forms: -대요, -래요, -재요, -냬요

by Say Hi Korean on 10:59 AM 0 Comment

요코 씨는 한국어가 재미있대요.
Yoko said Korean is interesting.
티루엔 씨는 다음 달에 결혼한대요.
Tiluen said she’s getting married next month.
웨슬리 씨는 저녁에 전화하래요.
Wesley said to call this evening.
재준 씨는 내일 같이 테니스를 치재요.
Jaejun said we should play tennis tomorrow.
부디 씨는 뭐 먹고 싶냬요.
Budi wants to know what (you/we) want to eat.

[Korean grammar] Indirect Quotations

by Say Hi Korean on 10:32 AM 0 Comment

민우 씨가 저에게 정말 아름답다고 했어요.
Minu said I was really beautiful.

하영 씨가 저에게 사랑한다고 그랬어요.
Hayeong said she loves me.

민우 씨가 결혼하자고 했어요.
Minu said we should get married.

Grammar Focus:
An indirect quotation refers to the citing, without the use of quotation marks, of what someone wrote or said. Further, the form of the expression can change depending on the type of quotation, verb tense, and parts of speech involved. Thus, the forms of indirect quotations are more varied and complex than those of direct Quotations.
After changing the form of the content to be emoted, -고 is attached and used along with a verb such as 말하다 (to speak, to say), 물어보다 (to ask, to inquire), 전하다 (to tell, to convey) or 듣다 (to listen, to hear). These verbs can be substituted with 하다 or 그러다.
Vst means “Verb stem”, and Ast means “Adjective stem”.
The negative forms of suggestive and imperative quotations are 지 말자고 하다 and -지 말라고 하다, respectively.

[Korean grammar] Direct Quotations: "quoted speech" + 하고/라고 verb

by Say Hi Korean on 10:06 AM 0 Comment

에디슨은 “실패는 성공의 어머니입니다.” 라고 했어요.
To paraphrase Edison, "Failure is the mother of success.”

예수님은 “서로 사랑하세요.”라고 말씀했어요.
Jesus said, “Love each other."

부디 씨는 "문제가 너무 어려워." 하고 생각했어요.
“This problem is too hard," Budi thought.

왕징 씨는 저에게 “내일 몇 시에 와요?” 하고 물어봤어요.
Wang Jing asked me, 4,What time will you come tomorrow?”

Grammar Focus:
A direct quotation refers to the word-for-word quoting, using (flotation marks, of what someone wrote, said, or thought. In Korean, ‘하고/라고 Verb’ follows the quotation marks.
When asking a question about what someone wrote or said, however, 뭐라고 is used instead of 무엇을: “카일리 씨가 뭐라고 말했어요?” (What did Kylie say?) 하고/라고 is often followed by 이야기하다, 물어보다, 말하다, 생각하다 or 쓰다, but these verbs can be substituted with 하다 or 그러다.

[Korean grammar] A/V-(으)ㄴ/는데요 Additional Endings

by Say Hi Korean on 9:19 PM 0 Comment

저는 재미있는데요.
I think it’s interesting.

민우 씨는 지금 자리에 없는데요.
Minu is not at his desk right now.

정말 높은데요!
We're really high up!

Usage:
1. -(으)ㄴ/는데요 is used to express one’s disagreement with or opposition to what somebody says. It corresponds to ‘Well (in my case)’ in English. For adjectives, when the stem ends in a vowel, -ㄴ데요 is used, and when it ends in a consonant -은데요 is used. For verbs, -는데요 is added to the stem.

A: 오늘 날씨가 안 주워요. The weather’s not cold today.
B: 저는 주운데요. Well, I feel cold.

2. -(으)ㄴ/는데요 is also used to express the expectation of, or waiting for, a response from the other person and corresponds to ‘...and?’ or ‘...but?’ in English.
A: 여보세요,거기 하영 씨 댁이지요? Hello, is this the home of Hayeong?
B: 네. 맞는데요. (누구세요? / 무슨 일이세요?)
Yes. It is... (And you are? / What is the reason for your call?)

3. -(으)ㄴ/는데요 is also used to express the speaker’s surprise at discovering or feeling something unexpected when observing a situation. It corresponds to ‘(I’m surprised to learn that)... is so...’ in English.
• (여자 친구를 보면서) 여자 친구가 정말 예쁜데요!
(I’m surprised to see that) your girlfriend is really pretty! (said while observing someone’s girlfriend)
• (외국인을 보면서) 한국말을 아주 잘하시는데요.
(I’m surprised to see that) he (she) speaks Korean really well, (said while observing a foreigner)

[Korean grammar] A-(으)ㄴ가요?, V-나요? Additional Endings

by Say Hi Korean on 8:45 PM 1 Comment

한국 친구가 많은가요?
Do you have a lot of Korean friends?

나를 사랑하나요?
Do you love me?

주말에 재미있게 보내셨나요?
Did you have a pleasant weekend?

Grammar Focus:
-(으)ㄴ가요? and -나요? are used to politely and gently ask somebody a question and correspond to ‘Is/Were there...?’，‘Is/Was it...?’, ‘Are/Were you...?’ or ‘Do/Did you...?’ in English. For adjectives, when the stem ends in a vowel, -ㄴ가요? is used, and when it ends in a consonant, -은가요? is used. For verbs, -나요? is added to the stem.

[Korean grammar] A/V-네요 Discovery and Surprise

by Say Hi Korean on 8:15 PM 0 Comment

벌써 여름이네요.
Wow, it’s already summer.

가족이 많네요.
You certainly have a large family.

글씨를 잘 쓰네요.
You really have good handwriting.

책을 많이 읽었네요.
You really have read a lot of books.

Grammar Focus:
-네요 is used to express surprise or wonder upon learning something through direct experience or when agreeing with something said by someone else. It is made by adding -네요 to the stems of adjectives and verbs. It corresponds to ‘really’, ‘certainly’, ‘wow’, or ‘My(!)' in English.

1. Expressing surprise or wonder upon learning something through direct experience:
A: 한국말을 정말 잘하시네요. You really do speak Korean well.
(While witnessing a friend speak Korean)
B: 아니에요. 더 많이 공부해야 돼요.
Not really. I have to study a lot more.

2. Agreeing with something said by someone else.
A: 오늘 날씨가 줍지요? Isn’t it cold today?
B: 네, 정말 줍네요. Yes, it really is cold.

[Korean grammar] A/V-군요/는군요 Discovery and Surprise

by Say Hi Korean on 8:04 PM 0 Comment

아이 스크림을 좋아하는군요.
You really like ice cream!

눈이 나쁘군요.
Your vision is bad indeed.

감기에 걸렸군요.
I see you’ve caught a cold.

Grammar Focus:
-군요/는군요 is used to express surprise or wonder upon learning something new either by direct observation or experience or by hearing about it from someone else. It corresponds to ‘I see (that), ‘indeed’, ‘how’, or simply an exclamation point (!) in English.
For adjectives, -군요 is added to the stem, while for verbs, -는군요 is added. This expression can also attach to nouns by adding -(이)군요. To express the past tense, it is added to the past tense ending to form -았/었군요.

[Korean grammar] A/V-지요? Confirming Information

by Say Hi Korean on 7:55 PM 0 Comment

중국 사람이지요?
You're Chinese, right?

불고기가 맛있지요?
Isn’t bulgogi tasty?

한국어를 배우지요?
You study Korean, don’t you?

Grammar Focus:
-지요? is used when the speaker wants to confirm with the listener or to obtain the listener’s agreement about something already known. It means ‘Isn’t/Aren’t".?’ or 'Don’t/Doesn’t...? in English.
For present tense adjectives and verbs, -지요? is added to the stem. For past tense adjectives and verbs, -았/었지요? is added; for future tense verbs, -(으)ㄹ 거지요? is added. In colloquial speech, -지요? is sometimes shortened to -죠?

[Korean grammar] V-는 데 걸리다/들다 Confirming Information

by Say Hi Korean on 7:46 PM 0 Comment

운전을 배우는 데 두 달 걸렸어요.
It took (me) two months to learn to drive.

숙제하는 데 한 시간 걸려요.
It took (me) an hour to finish my homework.

차를 고치는 데 30만 원 들었어요.
It cost (me) 300,000 won to repair my car.

Grammar Focus:
-는 데 걸리다/들다 is added to the end of verbs to express how much money, time, or effort is involved in doing a task. It means 'takes/requires/costs ... to (do)’ in English. This expression is made by adding -는 데 걸리다/들다 to the stems of verbs. -는 데 걸리다 is used when expressing an amount of time required, and -는 데 들다 is used when expressing an amount of money required.
• 차를 고쳐요. 30만 원 들어요.
I will repair my car. It costs 300,000 won.
-> 차를 고치는 데 30만 원 들어요.
It costs 300,000 won to repair my car.

[Korean grammar] A/V -(으)ㄴ/는지 Confirming Information

by Say Hi Korean on 9:05 PM 1 Comment

명동에 어떻게 가는지 알아요?
Do you know how to get to Myeongdong?

저 분이 누구인지 모르겠어요.
I don’t know who that person is.

어제 무엇을 했는지 생각이 안 나요.
I can’t remember what I did yesterday.

Grammar Focus:
-(으)ㄴ/는지 is a connective ending used when connecting a clause requiring additional information to the following verb. It corresponds to 'who/what/where/when/how/whether + Clause’ in English. It generally precedes one of the following verbs: 알다 (to know), 모르다 (not to know, be unaware of), 궁금하다 (to be anxious or curious about), 질문하다 (to ask a question, to inquire), 조사하다 (to investigate), 알아보다 (to look into, to recognize), 생각나다 (to recall, to remember), 말하다 (to speak, to say), and 가르치다 (to teach).

• 내일 날씨가 좋아요, 나빠요? + 알아요?
Will tomorrow's weather be good or bad? + Do you know?
->내일 날씨가 좋은지 나쁜지 알아요?
Do you know whether tomorrow's weather will be good or bad?

• 명동에 어떻게 가요? + 가르쳐 주세요.
How do you get to Myeongdong? + Please tell me.
->명동에 어떻게 가는지 가르쳐 주세요.
Please tell me how to get to Myeongdong.

For present tense adjectives, when the stem ends in a vowel or ㄹ, -ㄴ지 is added, and when it ends in a consonant. -은지 is added. For present tense verbs, -는지 is added to the stem. For past tense adjectives and verbs, -았/었는지 is added while for future tense verbs, -(으)ㄹ 건지 is added.

[Korean grammar] V-게 되다 Expressions of State

by Say Hi Korean on 8:45 PM 0 Comment

요리를 잘하게 되었어요.
I became good at cooking.

축구를 좋아하게 되었어요.
I came to like soccer.

외국으로 출장을 가게 됐어요.
(It’s been decided) I will go abroad on a business trip.

Grammar Focus:
-게 되다 expresses a change from one state to another or a change in a situation as a result of someone else’s action or the environment, regardless of the will of the subject. It is made by adding -게 되다 to the verb stem. It corresponds to ‘became’, ‘came to (be/do)’ and ‘has been decided’ in English.

[Korean grammar] A-아/어지다 Expressions of State

by Say Hi Korean on 9:01 PM 2 Comments

풍선이 커졌어요.
The balloon became bigger.

언니가 날씬해졌어요.
My elder sister became thinner.

피노키오는 거짓말을 하면 코가 길어져요.
Pinocchio’s nose grows longer when he tells a lie.

Grammar Focus:
-아/어지다 expresses a change in state over time and means ‘become’ or ‘turn’ in English. If the stem ends in the vowel ㅏ or ㅗ, then -아지다 is used. Otherwise, -어지다 is used. As for verbs ending in 하다, the form changes to 해지다.