Learn Korean Online - Simple Explanations in PLAIN English

Hi,

The main focus of today’s class was ‘우 (ooh)-verbs’, but we actually ended up getting into so much more, so if there was anything you didn’t quite take in or understand, but would like to, go ahead and reply to this post.

We are also now half-way through the ‘nuts n’ bolts’ of Korean, so good work. Keep it up!

Cheers,

Rob…

P.S. If you are super new to Korean, interested in trying to learn Korean online, and can’t yet read, I fully recommend you learn how to read and write first as it will make the rest of your learning journey so much easier (Korean can already be frustrating enough at times, and if you try to learn it without knowing how to read first, it’ll just be that much harder). If you look up to the right of this post, you’ll see a big RED sign saying “free”. Put your name and email into the box just below there and you’ll get class #1 (over 70 mins of video – with hand-out – teaching exactly how to read, write, and pronounce the Korean alphabet) emailed to you right away, and that should get you started off on the right foot. Cheers!

Hi,

Today’s class was the first of what I like to call ‘the nuts and bolts of Korean’ – the skill that you absolutely have to have if you want to be able to move any further into more complex Korean.

More specifically, in today’s class we did what I call ‘ㅗ-verbs’ (‘oh-verbs’). The skill you’ll need to take from this is to know (and be able to change between) the base/root form of a verb, and the ‘changed’ or conjugated form of a verb, and it will become more clear as to exactly why in a few classes as we start bringing in more examples using both.

So, if you have any questions, please reply to this and ask away.

Cheers!

P.S. If you are super new to Korean, interested in trying to learn Korean online, and can’t yet read, I fully recommend you learn how to read and write first as it will make the rest of your learning journey that much less frustrating (’cause it can already be frustrating enough at times). If you look up to the right of this post, you’ll see a big RED sign saying “free”. By putting your name and email into the box just below there, you’ll get class #1 (over 70 mins of video – with hand-out – teaching exactly how to read, write, and pronounce the Korean alphabet) emailed to you right away, and that should get you started off on the right foot. Cheers

Hey,

Today’s class was an extension of the previous class where we focused on how to use what we already know to talk about things that are happening now, and also to commands or orders.

Next class is when we really start to dive in and learn the #1 skill you’ll need to really be able to speak Korean. We’ll focus the next 5 or 6 classes on this idea (using different groups of verbs).

If you have any questions about ha-da verbs, or anything we’ve done up to this point, go ahead and post them before we move into the ‘nuts and bolts’ of speaking Korean.

Cheers!

Rob…

P.S. If you are super new to Korean, interested in trying to learn Korean online, and can’t yet read, I fully recommend you learn how to read and write first as it will make the rest of your learning journey that much less frustrating (’cause it can already be frustrating enough at times). If you look up to the right of this post, you’ll see a big RED sign saying “free”. By putting your name and email into the box just below there, you’ll get class #1 (over 70 mins of video – with hand-out – teaching exactly how to read, write, and pronounce the Korean alphabet) emailed to you right away, and that should get you started off on the right foot. Cheers

Hey,

So today’s class was a big one. It’s the first time we didn’t focus on one particular verb, rather a group of verbs, more specifically, the ‘ha-da’ verbs and a few of the uses and special characteristics that go along with them.

This class is actually the first of when we really get into the ‘nuts and bolts’ of Korean and begin to learn (what I consider) to be the single most important skill you can have if you really want to speak Korean with any kind of fluency.

Ha-da verbs, being as useful and as important as they are, I decided to break into two classes, so next class we’ll look at a few more uses and how just off pure context alone (meaning you don’t have to learn any new grammar), you can actually get two new grammatical tenses (although that’s not unique to ha-da verbs, but that will be the first time we introduce them).

So if you have any questions about class #12, go ahead and post them before we move on to class #13 (ha-da verbs – part 2).

Cheers!

Rob…

P.S. If you are super new to Korean, interested in trying to learn Korean online, and can’t yet read, I fully recommend you learn how to read and write first as it will make the rest of your learning journey that much less frustrating (’cause it can already be frustrating enough at times). If you look up to the right of this post, you’ll see a big RED sign saying “free”. By putting your name and email into the box just below there, you’ll get class #1 (over 70 mins of video – with hand-out – teaching exactly how to read, write, and pronounce the Korean alphabet) emailed to you right away, and that should get you started off on the right foot. Cheers!

Hey,

Today’s class was a heavy one no doubt. It started off as more of a concept class (rather than introducing any new grammar or too much vocab), but we also did our first introduction to speaking in the past tense.

This was also the last class we’re going to have that focuses on the verbs ‘있다’ and ‘없다’ (next class we’re getting into our first ‘group’ of verbs, 하다-verbs), so if you have any questions you’d like cleared up before moving on, ask them here.

Cheers,

P.S. If you already know how to read, but are still stuck in the “basic” grammar stage (and having trouble getting out it), by entering your name and email above to get the free reading classes, you’ll (not too far in the future) also find out how you can get the first four classes to the online Korean course totally free, which may help explain a few things that aren’t quite clear regarding the way the basic sentence builds.

Hey Sunny,

Umm, I don’t necessarily what “the best” are. It kind of depends what kind of job you want, and where you’re looking to go, but I could certainly can point you in a few directions. I’ll explain more in the video…

ESL Starter: Both private school (hagwons 학원) and public school jobs –> http://www.canconx.com/

Canadian Connections: Public school jobs in Jeollanamdo and the Incheon area (I think) –> http://www.canconx.com/

And the forum I mentioned which also gets a lot of job postings is http://daveseslcafe.com/

Ah, another site I just came across the other day but may be of help is a blogger at asktheexpat.blogger.com (not 100% sure of that URL, but just search for it, I’m sure it’ll come up).

Hope that helps, and if you have any more questions, let me know…

Rob…

So in class today we learnt the Chinese derivative counting system (일, 이, 삼, 사…), and in one little bonus section we applied those numbers to phone numbers, more specifically, asking and answering “What’s your phone number?” (“전화 번호 뭐예요?”).

So Mark’s question was, does the first part, “전화 번호” refer to a cell phone or a landline? And the answer is neither. In the video just below I explain what I mean in more detail, and how to specify “cell phone” or “landline” if you wanted to. Check it out…

Some notes from the video:

Cell phone 1: 핸드폰 (used way more conversationally, and is just simply AWESOME Konglish!! Hand-phone. It’s brilliant. I feel like inspector gadget when I say that and signal with my hand, “Excuse me while I take this call…go-go gadget hand-phone.”

Cell phone 2: 휴대폰 (is a bit more official, and basically just translates literally to portable phone. My advice, don’t use it. Use 핸드폰. Way more common. Way more fun.)

to call: 전화하다

Cheers Mark, I hope that helps…

P.S. For anyone new to Korean (and can’t read the above Korean words) and would like to perhaps learn some Korean online, you can get over 70 minutes worth of free videos (and the accompanying hand-out) teaching exactly how to read, write, and say the Korean alphabet. Just look underneath the big red “FREE” sign on the right there for more details about the videos and instructions on how to get to them. Cheers!

Hey,

Today’s class we learned how to count specific amounts of things, and order specific amounts of things.

If you have any questions you need cleared up, just reply to this post and ask away.

Cheers!

P.S. If you’re new to Korean and might also like to learn Korean online, start by watching the totally free vids taken from the in-class course teaching exactly how to read and write Korean. To get them, just stick your name and email into the box under that big red “FREE” sign you see on the right there. Cheers, and I hope they help!

There are 3 main ways to say hi or hello in Korean, and they are based on levels of respect and formality.

The first hi in Korean is the highest form of respect and formality, which really would be more of a hello than a hi, but it goes…

안녕하십니까? (The romanization is something like…Anyoung Hashimnikka?, but I really don’t recommend you use romanization to learn how to say it – learning how to read Korean can be done in literally a few hours if you really have at it).

The next, and probably most common way of saying hello or hi in Korean is…

안녕하세요 (this one is a bit more casual than the first, but still quite formal – you would almost never greet someone older than you or in a higher “position” in anything less formal than this)

And the third and also very common way of saying hi in Korean is just the first two syllables of the two above examples…

안녕! (this is very commonly used, but only ever with someone you are familiar with and is the same age as you, or someone younger than you or in a lower “position” than you). Watch the video (coming soon) for some help with pronunciation.

And if you don’t yet know how to read but would like to, in literally an hour from now you’ll be able to if you just stick your name and email in the box on the right just under the big red ‘FREE’ sign. You’ll be able to watch some vids taken from an in-class course teaching exactly that.

Cheers!

Rob…

Hi,

Class#9 is a bit of a heavy one in terms of content, so if you have any lingering questions, just reply to this and ask.

Cheers!

Rob…

P.S. Just a reminder that we’re about 4 classes from really getting into the ‘nuts and bolts’ of Korean – the skills you’ll need to possess to really become conversational in Korean. I’m lookin’ forward to it. Hope you are, too!