From brilliant illustrations right down to the nitty gritty, I can truly recommend this book for an advanced beginner or lower intermediate Korean student.
I like that the book doesn't have Hangul Romanization as I have read many books which differ in their method of this - take Hangul vs Hangeul for example.
I started learning Korean on websites and I feel Wild Korean is a good follow on from that. Most websites teach the basics and very formal Korean which - whilst you would be able to talk very formally and write well - sometimes doesn't help if you are actually living in Korea. As I am here in Seoul I have encountered many situations where I could refer to the book and of course, that helps me to learn and remember the Korean much more than trying to memorise phrases which are not as relevant to me.
The layout of the book is well organised and easy to understand. There are tidbits here and there about culture and a useful appendix with conjugations and grammatical explanations. All in all I would give this book 9 out of 10 - and that is because there are always room for improvements. Great work from the author and his friends who helped him.
- Sarah Nilson
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Transitive and Intransitive Verbs 타동사와 자동사
타동사 means transitive verb and 자동사 means an intransitive verb. Intransitive verbs don’t need an object, but transitive verbs need an object. The object is sometimes hidden. Let’s look at two phrases below.
원숭이가 동물원에 있어요. A monkey is(exists) in a zoo.
“있어요” means “exist”. It is the intransitive verb, because it doesn’t have any object.
나는 커피를 마셨어요. I drank coffee.
“마셨어요” means “drank”. It’s a transitive verb, because it has 커피 as an object.
The worst thing about this grammar point is that some English verbs have both transitive and intransitive meanings in the same word, but there are different Korean verbs depending on what you want to say.
Let’s see the dialog below to better understand this grammar point.
숙이 : 어제 무엇을 했어요? What did you do yesterday?
하다 : to do (transitive verb) 무엇 : object
똘이 : 어제 학교에서 한국어를 가르쳤어요. I taught Korean at school
가르치다 : to teach (transitive verb) 한국어 : object
숙이 : 수업이 언제 끝났어요? When did the class finish?
끝나다 : to finish (intransitive verb) 수업 : subject
똘이 : 수업을 일찍 끝냈어요. I finished the class early.
끝내다 : to finish (transitive verb) 수업 : object
그래서 5시에 끝났어요. So, it finished at 5 o’clock.
끝나다 : to finish (intransitive verb)
하다 and 가르치다 are transitive verbs, they are same in English. Both 끝내다 and 끝나다 can be translated as “to finish” in English, but 끝내다 is a transitive verb and 끝나다 is an intransitive verb.
Also, as you can see, 은/는 and 이/가 are usually used as a subject marker, 을/를 are object markers.
To learn more about the subject marker and topic marker, please check another post - http://wildkorean.blogspot.com/2011/12/topic-marker-and-subject-marker.html
Is it confusing? Relax! You don’t need to worry about this grammar point in most cases. Let’s check several cases you need to pay attention.
1. 좋다 to be good (V.I) Vs 좋아하다 to like (V.T)
좋다 > 이 자전거는 좋아요. This bicycle is good.
좋다 > 어떤 음식이 좋아요? Which food is good?
좋아하다 > 누구를 좋아해요? Who do you like?
좋아하다 > 김치찌개를 좋아해요? Do you like the kimchi stew?
2. 서다 to stop, to stand up, to have an erection (V.I) Vs
세우다 to stop something, to make something stand up, to erect (V.T)
서다 > 버스가 섰어요. The bus stopped.
서다 > 야한 영화 때문에 섰어요. I have an erection because of an erotic movie.
세우다 > 차를 여기에 세워 주세요. Please stop the car here.
세우다 > 세워 주세요. Please give me an erection. (to your girlfriend or someone else..ㅋㅋㅋ)
3. 죽다 to die (V.I) Vs 죽이다 to kill (V.T)
죽다 > 내 개가 죽었어요. My dog died.
죽다 > 죽어버릴거야! I will just die!
죽이다 > 내가 내 개를 죽였어요. I killed my dog.
죽이다 > 죽여버릴거야! I will just kill you!
4. 끝나다 to finish (V.I) Vs 끝내다 to finish something (V.T)
끝나다 > 수업이 언제 끝났어요? When did the class finish?
끝내다 > 수업을 언제 끝냈어요? When did you finish the class?
5. 정지하다 to stop, to halt (V.I) Vs 정지시키다 to stop (V.T)
정지하다 > 버스가 갑자기 정지했어요. The bus suddenly stopped.
정지시키다 > 신용카드를 정지시켜 주세요. Please stop my credit card.
6. 타다 to burn (V.I) Vs 태우다 to burn (V.T)
타다 > 밥이 탔어요. The rice burned.
태우다 > 밥을 태웠어요. I burned the rice.
원숭이가 동물원에 있어요. A monkey is(exists) in a zoo.
“있어요” means “exist”. It is the intransitive verb, because it doesn’t have any object.
나는 커피를 마셨어요. I drank coffee.
“마셨어요” means “drank”. It’s a transitive verb, because it has 커피 as an object.
The worst thing about this grammar point is that some English verbs have both transitive and intransitive meanings in the same word, but there are different Korean verbs depending on what you want to say.
Let’s see the dialog below to better understand this grammar point.
숙이 : 어제 무엇을 했어요? What did you do yesterday?
하다 : to do (transitive verb) 무엇 : object
똘이 : 어제 학교에서 한국어를 가르쳤어요. I taught Korean at school
가르치다 : to teach (transitive verb) 한국어 : object
숙이 : 수업이 언제 끝났어요? When did the class finish?
끝나다 : to finish (intransitive verb) 수업 : subject
똘이 : 수업을 일찍 끝냈어요. I finished the class early.
끝내다 : to finish (transitive verb) 수업 : object
그래서 5시에 끝났어요. So, it finished at 5 o’clock.
끝나다 : to finish (intransitive verb)
Also, as you can see, 은/는 and 이/가 are usually used as a subject marker, 을/를 are object markers.
To learn more about the subject marker and topic marker, please check another post - http://wildkorean.blogspot.com/2011/12/topic-marker-and-subject-marker.html
Is it confusing? Relax! You don’t need to worry about this grammar point in most cases. Let’s check several cases you need to pay attention.
1. 좋다 to be good (V.I) Vs 좋아하다 to like (V.T)
좋다 > 이 자전거는 좋아요. This bicycle is good.
좋다 > 어떤 음식이 좋아요? Which food is good?
좋아하다 > 누구를 좋아해요? Who do you like?
좋아하다 > 김치찌개를 좋아해요? Do you like the kimchi stew?
2. 서다 to stop, to stand up, to have an erection (V.I) Vs
세우다 to stop something, to make something stand up, to erect (V.T)
서다 > 버스가 섰어요. The bus stopped.
서다 > 야한 영화 때문에 섰어요. I have an erection because of an erotic movie.
세우다 > 차를 여기에 세워 주세요. Please stop the car here.
세우다 > 세워 주세요. Please give me an erection. (to your girlfriend or someone else..ㅋㅋㅋ)
3. 죽다 to die (V.I) Vs 죽이다 to kill (V.T)
죽다 > 내 개가 죽었어요. My dog died.
죽다 > 죽어버릴거야! I will just die!
죽이다 > 내가 내 개를 죽였어요. I killed my dog.
죽이다 > 죽여버릴거야! I will just kill you!
4. 끝나다 to finish (V.I) Vs 끝내다 to finish something (V.T)
끝나다 > 수업이 언제 끝났어요? When did the class finish?
끝내다 > 수업을 언제 끝냈어요? When did you finish the class?
5. 정지하다 to stop, to halt (V.I) Vs 정지시키다 to stop (V.T)
정지하다 > 버스가 갑자기 정지했어요. The bus suddenly stopped.
정지시키다 > 신용카드를 정지시켜 주세요. Please stop my credit card.
6. 타다 to burn (V.I) Vs 태우다 to burn (V.T)
타다 > 밥이 탔어요. The rice burned.
태우다 > 밥을 태웠어요. I burned the rice.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Topic Marker 은/는 and Subject Marker 이/가
In this book, you can see ~은, ~는, ~이, ~가 in many places, but I did not explain them properly. ~은 / ~는 are the topic markers, ~이 / ~가 are the subject markers; they are placed after nouns and pronouns to indicate the subject (grammatical subject) or the topic of a phrase. It may sound quite similar to many people, but different markers can alter the meaning of a phrase.
The topic marker and subject marker are very important grammar points in Korean. As English has no concept of the topic and subject marker, people are easily confused at these markers. Some students may be against it, but, when I am asked about these markers in the beginner or low intermediate classes, I explain that they are not so important. Although you omit the markers while speaking or make some mistakes, you can express what you want to say easily. Also, there are tons of other things to care about in the beginner or low-intermediate level other than these markers.
Why are they so confusing?
The noun in front of the subject marker is obviously the grammatical subject. Also, the word in front of the topic marker is often used as the subject of the phrase. However, if you replace it with another marker, the intent of the phrase is changed.
Please see the dialog below.
똘이 : 어느 나라 사람이에요? Where are you from?
아사미 : 나는 일본 사람이에요. I am Japanese. ~는 : topic marker베키 : 나, 미국 사람 이에요. I am American.알란 : 내가 스코틀랜드 사람이에요. I am Scottish. ~가 : subject marker
아사미’s answer is perfect. 베키’s answer is correct in conversational Korean. Although she didn’t use the topic marker, her answer sounds natural to Korean people.But 알란 used the subject marker ~가. People understand his answer, but many people may think it’s an awkward answer.Although the English translations of 아사미 and 알란’s answer are the same, 알란’s answer is not proper.What? Why?
Please see the example dialog below.
똘이 : 어느 나라 사람이에요? Where are you from?아사미 : 나는 일본 사람이에요. I am Japanese. ~는 : topic marker
똘이 : 누가 미국 사람이에요? Who is American? 누가 : 누구 + 가 누구 : who 베키 : 내가 미국 사람이에요. I am American. ~가 : subject marker
It’s confusing, right? Let’s check another dialog.
똘이 : 누가 학교에 있어요? Who is in the school? 누가 : 누구 + 가 누구 : who 숙이 : 알란이 학교에 있어요. Allan is in the school ~이 : subject marker
In the first question, 똘이 asks about 알란. As the important point is his location, not himself, 숙이 needs to use the topic marker, ~은.
In the second question, 똘이 asks who is in the school. As the important point is the person in the school, 똘이 needs to use the subject marker ~이.
Another case that you can be confused about is when the subject marker and topic marker are in the same phrase. In this case, the noun with the subject marker is the grammatical subject of the phrase. The word with the topic marker can be translated to “as for ~” or “talking about ~”. You need to put the topic in front of the phrase.Please see the example dialog below.
똘이 : 누가 저 택시를 세웠어요? Who stopped that taxi? 숙이 : 저 택시는 내가 세웠어요. I stopped that taxi. (As for that taxi, I stopped it.)
똘이 : 라면이 좋아요? 아니면 밥이 좋아요? Is ramen ok? Or rice ok?숙이 : 나는 라면이 좋아요. I like ramen. (As for me, ramen is good.)
똘이 : 라면은 누가 먹을 거예요? Who is going to eat the ramen? (As for the ramen, who will eat it?)숙이 : 라면은 내가 먹을 거예요. I will eat the ramen. (As for the ramen, I will eat it.)
From the dialog above, you can see that direct English translation is a bit awkward. When the topic marker and subject marker are used together in the same phrase, it is usually better to translate the topic as the object of the phrase. For example, “나는 라면이 좋아요” can be translated as “I like ramen”. Also, "라면은 내가 먹을 거예요." can be translated as "I will eat the ramen."
Another interesting aspect of the topic marker is that, not only a noun, but also an adverb, position marker and place marker can be used for the topic.
Please see the dialog below.
똘이 : 어제 집에 안 갔어요? Didn't you go home yesterday?
숙이 : 네. 게임방에 있었어요. No. I was in the PC room.
똘이 : 집에는 언제 갈 거예요? When will you go home? (As for home / to home , when will you go?)
집에 : to home ~는 : topic marker
숙이 : 내일 저녁 까지는 갈 거예요. I will go home by tomorrow evening. (As for by tomorrow evening, I will go home.) 내일 저녁 까지 : by tomorrow evening ~는 : topic marker
Let's see another dialog.
똘이 : 한국어 잘 해요? Do you speak Korean well?
베키 : 잘은 못 해요. I don't speak well.
잘 : well ~은 : topic marker
아사미 : 조금은 할 수 있어요. I can speak a little bit. (As for a little bit, I can speak.)
조금 : a little ~은 : topic marker
As I mentioned in the beginning, the topic marker and the subject marker are important grammar points. However, it is not a good idea to try too hard to understand this grammar when you are still in beginner's level. When you feel you really need to study these markers again, it could be a sign that you are going up to a higher level, or ready to be more serious about learning Korean.
The noun in front of the subject marker is obviously the grammatical subject. Also, the word in front of the topic marker is often used as the subject of the phrase. However, if you replace it with another marker, the intent of the phrase is changed.
Please see the dialog below.
아사미 : 나는 일본 사람이에요. I am Japanese. ~는 : topic marker
똘이 : 누가 학교에 있어요? Who is in the school? 누가 : 누구 + 가
In the second question, 똘이 asks who is in the school. As the important point is the person in the school, 똘이 needs to use the subject marker ~이.
똘이 : 라면이 좋아요? 아니면 밥이 좋아요? Is ramen ok? Or rice ok?
똘이 : 라면은 누가 먹을 거예요? Who is going to eat the ramen?
Another interesting aspect of the topic marker is that, not only a noun, but also an adverb, position marker and place marker can be used for the topic.
Please see the dialog below.
똘이 : 어제 집에 안 갔어요? Didn't you go home yesterday?
숙이 : 네. 게임방에 있었어요. No. I was in the PC room.
똘이 : 집에는 언제 갈 거예요? When will you go home? (As for home / to home , when will you go?)
집에 : to home ~는 : topic marker
숙이 : 내일 저녁 까지는 갈 거예요. I will go home by tomorrow evening. (As for by tomorrow evening, I will go home.) 내일 저녁 까지 : by tomorrow evening ~는 : topic marker
Let's see another dialog.
똘이 : 한국어 잘 해요? Do you speak Korean well?
베키 : 잘은 못 해요. I don't speak well.
잘 : well ~은 : topic marker
아사미 : 조금은 할 수 있어요. I can speak a little bit. (As for a little bit, I can speak.)
조금 : a little ~은 : topic marker
Monday, September 26, 2011
Learn Hangul!
Hannah, one of the Korean teachers at the Garwol Community Center shared this website with our online community. It's a website for learning hangul produced by Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. Check it out and see if you like it!
http://www.cufs.ac.kr/free/web/kor/xko0702/01/ENG/index.htm
http://www.cufs.ac.kr/free/web/kor/xko0702/01/ENG/index.htm
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
What is 다 (da)?
Usually when you hear people speaking Korean, you'll hear a lot of the same sounds. If you know anything about Korean, you can always distinguish it when you hear people ending their sentences in ....니다 (...nida) or 요 (...yo). But, maybe when you look up a word in the dictionary or get a list of vocabulary words to study, you may see verbs ending with 다 (da). So, today, let's look at what this 다 is used for.
다 (da) is the basic verb ending. One of the first words a learner of Korean may learn is the word "go". A text book may show it like this:
가다 (ga-da)- to go
But, it is a little confusing because we can't really use this 가다 in a sentence when we're speaking because this is in the base form. When you want to say the word "go", you'll need to conjugate it. Let's see how that works:
가다 -----remove 다-----> 가- -----add verb ending----> 가요
We added the "요" to express the polite present tense form (아/어요). This works for any regular verb and any ending:
찾다-----remove 다-----> 찾- -----add verb ending----> 찾아요 "find"
좋다-----remove 다-----> 좋- -----add verb ending---->좋아요 "good"
읽다-----remove 다-----> 읽- -----add verb ending----> 읽어요 "read"
It gets a little trickier with irregulars, but with a little practice you'll get the gist. There are patterns and and you will learn them, but for now, just memorize the basic conjugations.
하다-----remove 다-----> 하- -----add verb ending----> 해요 "do" (하-->해)
오다-----remove 다-----> 오- -----add verb ending----> 와요 "come" (오 --> 와)
보다-----remove 다-----> 보- -----add verb ending----> 봐요 "see" (보 --> 봐)
숙제 Homework:
Conjugate the following verbs into any tense you like and make a sentence (if you can). Show off the tenses you know and be creative! (all levels)
가르치다 (ga-ru-chi-da)- to teach
신다 (shin-da)- to wear (on one's feet, ie. shoes, socks)
먹다 (meok-da)- to eat
다 (da) is the basic verb ending. One of the first words a learner of Korean may learn is the word "go". A text book may show it like this:
가다 (ga-da)- to go
But, it is a little confusing because we can't really use this 가다 in a sentence when we're speaking because this is in the base form. When you want to say the word "go", you'll need to conjugate it. Let's see how that works:
가다 -----remove 다-----> 가- -----add verb ending----> 가요
We added the "요" to express the polite present tense form (아/어요). This works for any regular verb and any ending:
찾다-----remove 다-----> 찾- -----add verb ending----> 찾아요 "find"
좋다-----remove 다-----> 좋- -----add verb ending---->좋아요 "good"
읽다-----remove 다-----> 읽- -----add verb ending----> 읽어요 "read"
It gets a little trickier with irregulars, but with a little practice you'll get the gist. There are patterns and and you will learn them, but for now, just memorize the basic conjugations.
하다-----remove 다-----> 하- -----add verb ending----> 해요 "do" (하-->해)
오다-----remove 다-----> 오- -----add verb ending----> 와요 "come" (오 --> 와)
보다-----remove 다-----> 보- -----add verb ending----> 봐요 "see" (보 --> 봐)
숙제 Homework:
Conjugate the following verbs into any tense you like and make a sentence (if you can). Show off the tenses you know and be creative! (all levels)
가르치다 (ga-ru-chi-da)- to teach
신다 (shin-da)- to wear (on one's feet, ie. shoes, socks)
먹다 (meok-da)- to eat
Wild Korean Publication Party 9/4/11
We had a great turnout for the publication party two weeks ago and I wanted to share some photos from the party with you.
And for those of you who missed the party, it's not to late to get your book. Click "Buy a Book" from the above menu to find out how!
Larry, Sanghyun (author) and Becky with Wild Korean
Katie, Haemin (Korean editor), Larry, Sanghyun (author) and Becky with two copies of Wild Korean
Party guests enthralled with our book
Myk with Douglas's illustrations in the background
More guests, studying with their free beers
Young Sook, So Young (teachers at the Kongbubang), Haemin (Korean editor) and Sanghyun (author)
And for those of you who missed the party, it's not to late to get your book. Click "Buy a Book" from the above menu to find out how!
Monday, September 19, 2011
Seen in Kyobo!
Wild Korean has been spotted in Kyobo Bookstores in Gwanghwamun in downtown Seoul. They have 7 copies in stock, so get down there and buy your copy today! Wild Korean is also available in every Kyobo Bookstore in Korea, including Deagu, Busan and other cities! Don't wait! Buy today and improve your Korean!
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Joke of the day: What's the opposite of E-mart?
I hope you like our joke series, here's the joke for today!
What's the opposite of E-mart?
이마트 반대말 뭐에요?
저마트 (Cheo-Mart)
Get it?
Ok, here's the explanation. First of all, if you don't live in Korea, you might not know what E-mart is. E-mart is a chain of stores similar to Wal-Mart or Target.
Next you should understand 이, 저 and 그.
이 (Ee)- This
저 (Cheo)- That (within sight)
그 (gu)- That (out of sight)
If you translate 이마트 as "this mart", then the opposite would be 저마트 "that mart".
Ok, this is a really terrible corny joke to Koreans, but coming from a non-Korean, it should be worth a few laughs! ^^
이, 저 and 그 are some really useful words to know and use in your daily life. Let's see some examples:
Shopkeeper- 뭐 찾으세요? (What are you looking for?)
You- 벨트 필요해요. (I need a belt)
Shopkeeper- 이 벨트는 어때요? (How about this belt?)
You- 이 벨트는 그냥 그래요. 저 벨트가 좋아요 (No, I don't like this belt. I like that belt)
Friend- 누구 좋아해? (Who do you like?)
You- 몰라.... (I don't know...)
Friend- 이 남자 좋아해? (Do you like this guy?)
You- 아니... (No...)
Friend- 저 남자는? (This guy?)
You- 저 남자도 싫어... (No...)
Friend- 그럼? 누구? (Then who?)
You- 상현 오빠 기억해? (Do you remember Sanghyun oppa?)
Friend- 그 남자!?!?! (That guy!?!?)
어휘 Vocabulary:
찾다- to look for, to find
벨트- belt
좋아하다/안좋아하다-to like/to dislike
기억하다- to remember
싫다- to dislike
그냥 그래요- so so
숙제 Homework:
Make a sentence(s) or a dialogue using 이, 저 and 그 and post it in the comments or e-mail it to us!
What's the opposite of E-mart?
이마트 반대말 뭐에요?
저마트 (Cheo-Mart)
Get it?
Ok, here's the explanation. First of all, if you don't live in Korea, you might not know what E-mart is. E-mart is a chain of stores similar to Wal-Mart or Target.
Next you should understand 이, 저 and 그.
이 (Ee)- This
저 (Cheo)- That (within sight)
그 (gu)- That (out of sight)
If you translate 이마트 as "this mart", then the opposite would be 저마트 "that mart".
Ok, this is a really terrible corny joke to Koreans, but coming from a non-Korean, it should be worth a few laughs! ^^
이, 저 and 그 are some really useful words to know and use in your daily life. Let's see some examples:
Shopkeeper- 뭐 찾으세요? (What are you looking for?)
You- 벨트 필요해요. (I need a belt)
Shopkeeper- 이 벨트는 어때요? (How about this belt?)
You- 이 벨트는 그냥 그래요. 저 벨트가 좋아요 (No, I don't like this belt. I like that belt)
Friend- 누구 좋아해? (Who do you like?)
You- 몰라.... (I don't know...)
Friend- 이 남자 좋아해? (Do you like this guy?)
You- 아니... (No...)
Friend- 저 남자는? (This guy?)
You- 저 남자도 싫어... (No...)
Friend- 그럼? 누구? (Then who?)
You- 상현 오빠 기억해? (Do you remember Sanghyun oppa?)
Friend- 그 남자!?!?! (That guy!?!?)
어휘 Vocabulary:
찾다- to look for, to find
벨트- belt
좋아하다/안좋아하다-to like/to dislike
기억하다- to remember
싫다- to dislike
그냥 그래요- so so
숙제 Homework:
Make a sentence(s) or a dialogue using 이, 저 and 그 and post it in the comments or e-mail it to us!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Wild Korean: Now available in bookstores near you (in Korea)
Wild Korean is now officially published! You can purchase the book on line at Kyobo bookstore's website, or in stores.
Click here to purchase online: http://www.kyobobook.co.kr/product/detailViewKor.laf?ejkGb=KOR&mallGb=KOR&barcode=9788994987057&orderClick=LAG
And, be sure to come to our publication event, please see "Classes and Events" at the top of the page.
Click here to purchase online: http://www.kyobobook.co.kr/product/detailViewKor.laf?ejkGb=KOR&mallGb=KOR&barcode=9788994987057&orderClick=LAG
And, be sure to come to our publication event, please see "Classes and Events" at the top of the page.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Thursday Evening Free Korean Class
Free Thursday Korean Class
When: Sept 1st- Dec 28th; 7-8:30 (16 classes total)
Where: Garwol Welfare Center near Sookmyung Women's University in Central Seoul (Line 4)
What: First two months: study basic vocabulary for beginners. Last two months: Study "Wild Korean" to learn conversational Korean.
How to sign up and get more info: E-mail Hannah at izet_ruca (at) hotmail (dot) com. We have a maximum of 20 students, so e-mail now before it's too late!
When: Sept 1st- Dec 28th; 7-8:30 (16 classes total)
Where: Garwol Welfare Center near Sookmyung Women's University in Central Seoul (Line 4)
What: First two months: study basic vocabulary for beginners. Last two months: Study "Wild Korean" to learn conversational Korean.
How to sign up and get more info: E-mail Hannah at izet_ruca (at) hotmail (dot) com. We have a maximum of 20 students, so e-mail now before it's too late!
Monday, August 22, 2011
Printing
Good news for all of you patiently waiting for the release of Wild Korean: A field guide to REAL Korean conversation. The book is being printed THIS WEEK! I hope you've all marked your calendars for the publication party on Sept. 4th in Itaewon/Noksapyeon. We have had 78 people RSVP so far, will you be number 79? Who can turn down free beer, snacks and free copies of our book?
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Joke of the day: The Scariest War Ever
What is the scariest war the world has ever known?
세상에서 제일 무서운 전쟁이뭔지 알아요?
무서워 (Mu-seo-weo)
Get it? 무섭다 is the base form of the word for "scary" or "scared". As it is a "ㅂ" verb, it is irregular when conjugated, dropping the ㅂ and adding the 워. This is the 반말 (ban-mal, informal) conjugation of the verb, to say it formally, you would need to simply add 요: 무서워요.
Now, why is this funny? It's a play on the pronunciation of the word "war" in English. "워" sounds like "war" to Korean speakers (and maybe to Bostonians who like to drop their "r"s at the end of words, too). I hope you like this joke, and try it on your friends today!
숙제 Homework:
When the syllable block preceding the ㅂ in irregular ㅂ verbs has an ㅏ or ㅗ the ㅂ is dropped and a 와 is added. ex. 돕다 (to help) --> 도와요
When the syllable block preceding the ㅂ in irregular ㅂ verbs has any other vowel, the ㅂ is dropped and a 워 is added. ex 무섭다 (scary) --> 무서워요
Conjugate the following three irregular ㅂ verbs.
쉽다 (easy)
부럽다 (jealous)
징그럽다 (gross/ disgusting)
Do you know another irregular ㅂverb? Post it in the comments with a conjugation and a translation!
*check your answer in the comments*
세상에서 제일 무서운 전쟁이뭔지 알아요?
무서워 (Mu-seo-weo)
Get it? 무섭다 is the base form of the word for "scary" or "scared". As it is a "ㅂ" verb, it is irregular when conjugated, dropping the ㅂ and adding the 워. This is the 반말 (ban-mal, informal) conjugation of the verb, to say it formally, you would need to simply add 요: 무서워요.
Now, why is this funny? It's a play on the pronunciation of the word "war" in English. "워" sounds like "war" to Korean speakers (and maybe to Bostonians who like to drop their "r"s at the end of words, too). I hope you like this joke, and try it on your friends today!
숙제 Homework:
When the syllable block preceding the ㅂ in irregular ㅂ verbs has an ㅏ or ㅗ the ㅂ is dropped and a 와 is added. ex. 돕다 (to help) --> 도와요
When the syllable block preceding the ㅂ in irregular ㅂ verbs has any other vowel, the ㅂ is dropped and a 워 is added. ex 무섭다 (scary) --> 무서워요
Conjugate the following three irregular ㅂ verbs.
쉽다 (easy)
부럽다 (jealous)
징그럽다 (gross/ disgusting)
Do you know another irregular ㅂverb? Post it in the comments with a conjugation and a translation!
*check your answer in the comments*
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Wild Korean Publication Party! You're Invited!
Wild Korean Publication Party!
When : September 4th, Sunday, 5 ~ 7 PM
Where : New Palace ( 02-796-2043), near Noksapyong subway station, line 6, Seoul
Special Event 1 : 30 free copies for the first 30 guests
Special Event 2 : After the first 30 copies, the book will be sold at a discounted price.
Special Event 3 : Free beer (Korean draft beer) and snacks !!!
Make your reservation now and find directions on our facebook event page by clicking "Attending"
Wild Korean Publication Party Facebook Event Page
If you have any questions or requests, please contact me.
Sanghyun Ahn : wildkorean1@hotmail.com
When : September 4th, Sunday, 5 ~ 7 PM
Where : New Palace ( 02-796-2043), near Noksapyong subway station, line 6, Seoul
Special Event 1 : 30 free copies for the first 30 guests
Special Event 2 : After the first 30 copies, the book will be sold at a discounted price.
Special Event 3 : Free beer (Korean draft beer) and snacks !!!
Make your reservation now and find directions on our facebook event page by clicking "Attending"
Wild Korean Publication Party Facebook Event Page
If you have any questions or requests, please contact me.
Sanghyun Ahn : wildkorean1@hotmail.com
Monday, August 15, 2011
Joke of the day: King Sejong's milk
You can tell this joke in English or Korean to your Korean friends. It's fun in any language. The first thing you need to know is the word for milk in Korean: 우유 (Oo-yu). Here's the joke in English and Korean:
Did you know that King Sejong invented his own brand of milk? What did he call his milk?
세종대왕이 우유를 만들었는데 뭔지 알아요?
아야어여오요우유! (Ah-ya-eo-yeo-o-yo-OO-YU)
Do you get it? These are the basic vowels of the Korean alphabet, hangul... which was invented by King Sejong! If you don't get it, try it on your Korean friends anyway, and after they laugh, they can explain it to you too.
Did you know that King Sejong invented his own brand of milk? What did he call his milk?
세종대왕이 우유를 만들었는데 뭔지 알아요?
아야어여오요우유! (Ah-ya-eo-yeo-o-yo-OO-YU)
Do you get it? These are the basic vowels of the Korean alphabet, hangul... which was invented by King Sejong! If you don't get it, try it on your Korean friends anyway, and after they laugh, they can explain it to you too.
A new TOPIK resource
Someone on Facebook posted his new website to study the TOPIK. He has entered in all the questions from TOPIK exam #22 and the website allows you to answer the questions in an un-timed format on-line (aka, no need to print out 50 pages of test papers to practice like usual). You can take the beginner, intermediate or advanced exams and test yourself. I hope he can enter in some older exams too, so show your support to this guy and maybe he'll expand his website!!
Check it out here: http://www.naldaramjui.com/
Check it out here: http://www.naldaramjui.com/
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Homework
Well, I thought a little "homework" section of each post with a lesson would be a good way to help folks actually practice what they learn. So, in the last post, we learned the usage of 의 (eui) as a possessive and the phrase 머리가 좋다 and 머리가 나쁘다. So, today's homework is to write two sentences using 의 as a possessive and one sentence using 머리가 좋다 or 나쁘다.
Just post your sentences in the comments section and we, or other readers can make corrections if needed. Don't be shy, just try your best!! Don't worry if you do this today or a year later, there's no time restrictions on these homework assignments! Also, feel free to ask questions in the comments for clarifications!
Just post your sentences in the comments section and we, or other readers can make corrections if needed. Don't be shy, just try your best!! Don't worry if you do this today or a year later, there's no time restrictions on these homework assignments! Also, feel free to ask questions in the comments for clarifications!
Learn to sing: 내 머리가 나빠서
For those of you who loved the series 꽃보다 남자 (Boys Before Flowers) a few years back, you may like to learn one of the main theme songs from the series called 내 머리가 나빠서. The title would translate as "Because I'm Stupid", but first, let's learn each word from this title because just understanding the basic words here isn't enough to translate this correctly.
내- this means my, coming from 나의. 나 means I and adding 의 to a word makes it possessive. You can use 의 in many cases like 조안나의 집 or Joanna's House. The 의 acts like an 's in English. But then, where did it go in the word "내"? Well, saying 나의 is kind of a mouthful, so Koreans simplify it in a conjunction here and just say 내 for simplicity.
머리가 나빠서- 머리 means head, 가 is a subject particle (marking 머리 as the subject of this phrase) and 나빠서 comes from the base form 나쁘다. When you add 서 to a verb, it is like adding the word because.
Putting this together, one will say, "well, this song's title is 'Because My Head Is Bad'" or something like that, but the last thing to understand here is that the phrases 머리가 좋다 and 머리가 나쁘다 don't mean "good head" and "bad head" but instead mean "Smart" and "Stupid". Parents often brag about their children saying "내 아들의 머리가 좋아" meaning, my son is smart.
Anyway, on to the song!
내 머리가 나빠서 - Nae Mori-ga Nappa-seo
내 머리는 너무나 나빠서
너 하나밖에 난 모르고
다른 사람을 보고있는 넌
이런 내마음도 모르겠지
너의 하루에 나란 없겠지
또 추억조차 없겠지만
너만 바라만 보고있는 난
자꾸 눈물이 흐르고있어
너의 뒷모습을 보는것도 난 행복이야
아직 나의 마음을 몰라도
끝내 스치듯이 가도
니가 너무 보고싶은 날엔
너무 견디기 힘든 날에는
너를 사랑한다 입가에 맴돌아
혼자 다시 또 crying for you
혼자 다시 또 missing for you
Baby! I love you! I'm waiting for you!
너의 하루에 난 없겠지
또 기억조차 없겠지만
너만 바라만 보고있는 나
혼자 추억을 만들고 있어
내겐 사랑이란 아름다운 상처같아
너의 예쁜 미소를 보아도
함께 난 웃지도 못해
니가 너무 생각나는 날엔
가슴 시리고 슬픈 날에는
니가 보고싶다 입가에 맴돌아
혼자 다시 또 crying for you
혼자 다시 또 missing for you
Baby! I love you! I'm waiting for you!
Bye bye never say good bye
이렇게 잡지 못하지만
I need you 아무 말도 못해 I want you 바래도 다시 바래도
니가 너무 보고싶은 날엔
너무 견디기 힘든 날에는
너를 사랑한다 입가에 맴돌아
혼자 다시 또 crying for you
니가 너무 생각나는 날엔
가슴 시리고 슬픈 날에는
니가 보고싶다 입가에 맴돌아
혼자 다시 또crying for you
혼자 다시 또 missing for you
Baby! I love you! I'm waiting for you!
And here is a translation so to help you understand what you're singing!
Because I am a fool
The only thing I think about is you
But I know that you are thinking about somebody else
And you probably don’t even know my heart
I probably don’t exist in your daily life
And I’m sure you have no thoughts of me
But for me, I spend my days thinking about you
And my tears keep falling
Just looking at your retreating figure
Is happiness to me
Even if you don’t know my feelings
Even if you simply brush me aside
CHORUS:
In those days when I desperately want to see you
Those days that are so hard to bear
My mouth wordlessly repeats “I love you”
Alone once again I cry for you
Alone once again I’m missing you
Baby I love you
I’m waiting for you
I probably don’t exist in your daily life
And I’m sure you have no memories of me
But for me, I spend my days thinking about you
And create my own memories
For me
Love is a beautiful scar
Even when I see your beautiful smile
I cannot smile with you
CHORUS:
In those days when all I think about is you
Those days when my heart is cold and sad
My mouth wordlessly repeats “I want to see you”
Alone once again I cry for you
Alone once again I’m missing you
Baby I love you
I’m waiting for you
Bye bye never say good bye
Even though I can never have you
I need you
I can’t say a word, I want you
I keep hoping and hoping
In those days when I desperately want to see you
Those days that are so hard to bear
My mouth wordlessly repeats “I love you”
Alone once again I cry for you
In those days when all I think about is you
Those days when my heart is cold and sad
My mouth wordlessly repeats “I want to see you”
Alone once again I cry for you
Alone once again I’m missing you
Baby I love you
I’m waiting for you
내- this means my, coming from 나의. 나 means I and adding 의 to a word makes it possessive. You can use 의 in many cases like 조안나의 집 or Joanna's House. The 의 acts like an 's in English. But then, where did it go in the word "내"? Well, saying 나의 is kind of a mouthful, so Koreans simplify it in a conjunction here and just say 내 for simplicity.
머리가 나빠서- 머리 means head, 가 is a subject particle (marking 머리 as the subject of this phrase) and 나빠서 comes from the base form 나쁘다. When you add 서 to a verb, it is like adding the word because.
Putting this together, one will say, "well, this song's title is 'Because My Head Is Bad'" or something like that, but the last thing to understand here is that the phrases 머리가 좋다 and 머리가 나쁘다 don't mean "good head" and "bad head" but instead mean "Smart" and "Stupid". Parents often brag about their children saying "내 아들의 머리가 좋아" meaning, my son is smart.
Anyway, on to the song!
내 머리가 나빠서 - Nae Mori-ga Nappa-seo
내 머리는 너무나 나빠서
너 하나밖에 난 모르고
다른 사람을 보고있는 넌
이런 내마음도 모르겠지
너의 하루에 나란 없겠지
또 추억조차 없겠지만
너만 바라만 보고있는 난
자꾸 눈물이 흐르고있어
너의 뒷모습을 보는것도 난 행복이야
아직 나의 마음을 몰라도
끝내 스치듯이 가도
니가 너무 보고싶은 날엔
너무 견디기 힘든 날에는
너를 사랑한다 입가에 맴돌아
혼자 다시 또 crying for you
혼자 다시 또 missing for you
Baby! I love you! I'm waiting for you!
너의 하루에 난 없겠지
또 기억조차 없겠지만
너만 바라만 보고있는 나
혼자 추억을 만들고 있어
내겐 사랑이란 아름다운 상처같아
너의 예쁜 미소를 보아도
함께 난 웃지도 못해
니가 너무 생각나는 날엔
가슴 시리고 슬픈 날에는
니가 보고싶다 입가에 맴돌아
혼자 다시 또 crying for you
혼자 다시 또 missing for you
Baby! I love you! I'm waiting for you!
Bye bye never say good bye
이렇게 잡지 못하지만
I need you 아무 말도 못해 I want you 바래도 다시 바래도
니가 너무 보고싶은 날엔
너무 견디기 힘든 날에는
너를 사랑한다 입가에 맴돌아
혼자 다시 또 crying for you
니가 너무 생각나는 날엔
가슴 시리고 슬픈 날에는
니가 보고싶다 입가에 맴돌아
혼자 다시 또crying for you
혼자 다시 또 missing for you
Baby! I love you! I'm waiting for you!
And here is a translation so to help you understand what you're singing!
Because I am a fool
The only thing I think about is you
But I know that you are thinking about somebody else
And you probably don’t even know my heart
I probably don’t exist in your daily life
And I’m sure you have no thoughts of me
But for me, I spend my days thinking about you
And my tears keep falling
Just looking at your retreating figure
Is happiness to me
Even if you don’t know my feelings
Even if you simply brush me aside
CHORUS:
In those days when I desperately want to see you
Those days that are so hard to bear
My mouth wordlessly repeats “I love you”
Alone once again I cry for you
Alone once again I’m missing you
Baby I love you
I’m waiting for you
I probably don’t exist in your daily life
And I’m sure you have no memories of me
But for me, I spend my days thinking about you
And create my own memories
For me
Love is a beautiful scar
Even when I see your beautiful smile
I cannot smile with you
CHORUS:
In those days when all I think about is you
Those days when my heart is cold and sad
My mouth wordlessly repeats “I want to see you”
Alone once again I cry for you
Alone once again I’m missing you
Baby I love you
I’m waiting for you
Bye bye never say good bye
Even though I can never have you
I need you
I can’t say a word, I want you
I keep hoping and hoping
In those days when I desperately want to see you
Those days that are so hard to bear
My mouth wordlessly repeats “I love you”
Alone once again I cry for you
In those days when all I think about is you
Those days when my heart is cold and sad
My mouth wordlessly repeats “I want to see you”
Alone once again I cry for you
Alone once again I’m missing you
Baby I love you
I’m waiting for you
Friday, August 12, 2011
Webtoon: Penguin Loves Mev
You can download Naver's Webtoon application for your smartphone or ipod/ipad (search: 네이버웹툰 on your app download application, like iTunes), or if you want to read it with an English translation, you can see it on the web at http://comic.naver.com/webtoon/list.nhn?titleId=169080&page=1 , just be sure to start from 1화 which is the first week's webtoon as they are listed from newest to oldest.
I hope everyone gets the chance to check this out as soon as possible! Download it onto your smartphone and read it on the subway on your way to work or on your next boring bus trip!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Let's get this party started
Well, it's time we got this blog up and running. I thought I'd post my favorite Korean song, the first song I ever learned to sing in Korean. It's called 개똥벌레 and the words are pretty easy to learn. And, now, whenever I go to the 노래방 with Koreans and they ask me to sing a Korean song, I always have one to pull out. I'll post more in the future so you can have a few in your repertoire.
개똥벌레 가사:
아무리 우겨봐도 어쩔 수 없네
Even though I insist, I can't do anything
저기 개똥 무덤이 내집인걸
Over there, the dog dung's grave is my house
가슴을 내밀어도 친구가 없네
Even if I throw my chest out, I don't have any friends.
노래하던 새들도 멀리 날아가네.
Even those singing birds fly away.
가지마라 가지마라 가지말아라
Don't go away, don't go away, please don't go away,
나를 위해 한번만 노래를 해 주렴
Please sing once for me.
나나 나나나나 쓰라린 가슴 안고
Na-na na-na-na-na- I hug my bitter heart
오늘밤도 그렇게 울다 잠이든다.
I fall asleep while crying tonight.
마음을 다주어도 친구가 없네
Even if I give all my heart, I don't have any friends.
사랑하고 싶지만 마음뿐인 걸
I want to love but it's only my mind.
나는 개똥벌레 어쩔 수 없네
I'm just a firefly, I can't help it.
손을 잡고 싶지만 모두 떠나가네.
I want to hold other's hand, but they all leave.
가지마라 가지마라 가지말아라
Don't go away, don't go away, please don't go away,
나를 위해 한번만 노래를 해 주렴
Please sing once for me.
나나 나나나나 쓰라린 가슴 안고
Na-na na-na-na-na- I hug my bitter heart
오늘밤도 그렇게 울다 잠이든다.
I fall asleep while crying tonight.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Welcome to Wild Korean
Welcome to Wild Korean, your new home of learning real Korean. This book is a supplement to our text book which will be published in the coming months. We hope to get videos, Korean tips, cultural information and much more here for you on a regular basis. If there is something you want to learn about, email us at wildkorean1(at)hotmail(dot)com with your questions, comments and recommendations. Until then, we give you a photo of one of our illustrators for "Wild Korean" hard at work:
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