Learn Korean Online - Simple Explanations in PLAIN English

I’m sorry but navigating around this site I couldn’t find out where can I ask questions not related to the free classes, so I thought I’d just ask here..

I’m curious about how they say ‘ Alright, I understand ‘ or ‘ I get it.’ Like for example, during a conversation over the phone, someone gives an order and the person on the other end of the phone says he understands. How would he say so? If it is possible can you give me the phrases in korean so that I can see how it’s written in both polite and casual form?

Sorry for posting multiple times but there are just random phrases that pops up of no where and it’s bothering me very much. Thanks in advance.

Rob! I’m sorry if I’m asking questions not related to this class but just for convenience I’ll ask here.

Recently I came across this website with korean words, http://www.linguanaut.com/korean_adjectives.htm
The problem is, how do I use those words? For example, easy was said to be 쉽다(according to the website). How would I say ‘ That’s easy ‘ Do I just combine some other words with 쉽다 to form the sentence that I want?

Lastly, how would I say ‘ Hi, I’m (my name) ‘. More specifically I’m interested in knowing how to say ‘ I/Me ‘

Thanks.

Hi Arti,

A very common way of saying ‘I’ is 나는 (and the more formal way would be 저는). In this case, the 나 part refers to you, and the 는 is a primary subject/topic marker.

Another way to say ‘I’ would is 내가 (the more formal way being 제가). In this case, it’s more of a secondary subject marker, which, in my opinion is probably a bit complex to explain for what we’re dealing with right now. Again, it’s something that I spend closer to 5 classes explaining and working in examples as it’s not really simple enough to be explained all in one shot.

And last but not least, to say ‘me’. The object marker in Korean is 을 or 를, depending on whether it’s following a consonant or vowel.

In this case, with 나 (referring to yourself) ending in a vowel, we’d choose 를, so ‘me’ would be 나를, which can often shorten to 날 (the ㄹ is just tucked under the 나), or just be dropped altogether.

Does that make sense?

Hi Arti,

Yes, all verbs in their root form end in ‘~다’, and yes, usually need to be conjugated (however, one difference between English and Korean is that the root form can actually be used, but is often just when someone is making an observation to themselves, but voicing it, if that makes sense).

And no, 비다 would not conjugate to 비워요. It would conjugate to 벼(요). Again, this is what I dedicate 5 classes (approximately 5-8 hours) on teaching, ’cause it’s just too much to go over in one sitting. But, I will say this…

There are what I consider to be 7 main groups of verbs, and every verb within that group will conjugate the same way. Those groups are almost always (and I say “almost” for a reason, ’cause there is one group in particular – actually, the group that 쉽다 belongs in – that don’t) determined by the last vowel you see before the ‘~다’.

So for example, 비다 would be in the ‘ㅣ’- group. 먹다 would be in the ‘ㅓ’-group. 자다 would be in the ‘ㅏ’-group. Does that make sense?

So yeah, the 7 groups that I consider to be regular (more or less) verbs are…

ㅏ- verbs
ㅗ- verbs
ㅓ- verbs
ㅜ- verbs
ㅡ- verbs
ㅣ-verbs
and 하다 verbs, which I wouldn’t necessarily consider “regular” verbs as they don’t follow the same “regular” rules of conjugation that the others do, but they’re just SO commonly used and there are SO many of these types of verbs, that they definitely warrant being considered as their own group – and VERY worth learning.

Great question, and I’ll get to your others in a second here…

내 is not what’s used to refer to yourself, 나 is. However, when 나 combines with ~가 (the ‘secondary’ subject marker), then it changes to 내 (내가).

So to say “me”, where you are the object of the sentence, it would be 나를.

Again, great questions Arti – keep ‘em coming!

Hi again Rob~

This time I was hoping you can tell me, how do I say faster in korean. As in like when you are rushing somebody.. ‘Faster!! Hurry!!’ I heard on korean shows that they were screaming something like 빠르?

Hope to get your reply soon!

I have this sentence that I hope you can help me construct. An introduction of myself. ‘Hi, I’m —–’ ‘Hi, my name is —-’
It would be great if you can give me the sentences in korean..?

It would be very much appreciated if you could answer my question above.. Thanks.

Hey Arti,

To say “Hi, my name is _______” in a fairly formal way would be “안녕하세요 (Hello), 제 이름은 아티 (Arti) 입니다”".

And about the difference between 나는 and 내가, to be fully honest, it’s a lengthy answer, and one that I honestly cannot fully answer, however, I can give some definite insight into a few different circumstances when you’d use one or the other.

However, that being said, I’m just reading this at 5:00 in the morning, so if you don’t mind, I’ll get to it on Sunday ’cause it’s gonna take some thought and time to organize the answer (’cause yes, it’s definitely a big question – actually one that I used to tell my students, before I made a few breakthroughs, that I thought it would be the last thing I’d ever learn in Korean). But yeah, I’ll get an answer written up on Sunday for you, possibly even a video.

Thanks Arti,

Rob…

Hello Again Rob,

You’re right the maintenance med we meant was that but how do we ask it in Korean? We need to differentiate it with the question #2. My Korean adjectives are limited

Yes, your lessons are really helping a lot! Thank you very much. We don’t have translators in the hospital so I’m the closest they have LOL and I can’t even construct a proper sentence yet, I only know words from the dictionary and put them together like nun (eyes) + apayo (sore/hurt). Gladly my patients understand what I mean even without correct grammar. I often find myself saying – “Mollayo musun marinji” because I don’t get what they mean.

I have another question, some of my patients are older and from your lesson I understand I have to use the “-imikka” for honorific or respect but when I do that they look at me like I said something wrong. When I asked about the meds, they showed me the kit so I asked what they are using “igosun mwoshimika.” I also use that when I do physical exam if I saw a bruise or something. One Korean patient said I’m saying it wrong. Shouldn’t I use honorific for older patients? What is the priority in using honorific – the age or the position/rank?

Thanks again.

About your other question…

When you’re asking about an actual thing, like the medicine or some other object, then what you’re saying will be fine (however, it’d also be okay – and probably easier – to drop to the “common” level of respect and just say “이거 뭐예요?”)…

But, when you’re asking about a bruise or some other thing on the body that somehow developed, then you wouldn’t say that, you’d say…

이건 어쩌다 생긴거예요?

Again, I’m not going to get into the breakdown of this necessarily as it’s a bit more advanced, but I will point out a couple things…

이건 = 이거 (this) + ~는 (subject/topic marker), in a shortened form – the ‘ㄴ’ is just put underneath

생기다 = to come into being

So the sentence would basically mean, “How did this come to be?” It is worth noting that is NOT specifically for a bruise. Again, it’s for anything on the body that “came to be”. Another common example where this verb is used is when people say someone’s handsome, which 잘 생겼어(요), which literally translates to “came into being well”, which again, means to be handsome.

Does that all make sense?

Yeah, that’s the Korean verb ‘to be’. I think you will often see the word written next to it as well, but yes, they are two distinct words.

No, the weird thing is that it’s pretty much written the same way as we write it. I just grouped it in fours to help with the explanation.