Are You Boring? 지루해요?

상현 : 지금 뭐 해요?    What are you doing now?
조안나 : 블로그 하고 있어요.   I am blogging.
상현 : 재미있어요?   Is it fun?
조안나 : 그냥 그래요. 조금 지루해요.  It is just so so. It is a bit boring.
상현 : 지루해요?  Are you boring?
조안나 : Am I boring?


지루하다 is an interesting word. 지루하다 has 2 meaning, to be boring and to be bored.
This is why Many Koreans often make the mistake of asking whether you are boring, not bored.

Please don't be upset if someone asks you if you are boring, most of them probably want to ask whether you are bored.

How can you know which meaning of 지루하다 is being used?
You just need to understand the context.

Please see the conversation below.
상현 : 취미가 뭐에요?   What is your hobby?
콩쥐 : 없어요.   I don't have one.
상현 : 지난 주말에 뭐 했어요?   What did you do last weekend?
콩쥐 : 집에서 잤어요.  I slept at home.
상현 : 콩쥐씨 인생은 너무 지루해요!  인생을 즐기세요!  Your life is boring! Please enjoy your life! 
In this conversation, 지루하다 means "to be boring".


Please see the another conversation below.
상현 : 어떤 스타일의 남자를 좋아해요?   What kind of guy do you like?  (What is your type?)
팥쥐 : 나는 웃긴 남자를 좋아해요.  I like funny guys.
상현 : 나는 어때요?   How about me?
팥쥐 : 상현씨는.. 음.... 조금 지루해요.  You are... hm.. a bit boring.
In this conversation, 지루하다 means "to be boring".



Please see the another conversation below.
상현 : 주말에 뭐 했어요?   What did you do last weekend?
콩쥐 : 집에서 잤어요.  I slept at home.
상현 : 안 지루했어요?  Weren't you bored?
콩쥐 : 괜찮았어요.  It was ok.
In this conversation, 지루하다 means "to be bored".

Let's check other verbs.

심심하다  :  to be bored
심심하다 does NOT mean "to be boring".


역겹다 : to be disgusting, to be disgusted
Ex. 번데기 냄새는 역겨워요.  The smell of the silk worm larva is disgusting.
      번데기 냄새 때문에 역겨워요.  I am disgusted by the smell of silk worm larvae.


무섭다 : to be scared, to be scary
Ex. 이 영화는 무서워요.  This movie is scary.
      어제 혼자 잤어요. 그래서 무서웠어요.  I slept alone yesterday. So I was scared.


헷갈리다 : to be confused, to be confusing
Ex. 여기 지도를 잘 보면, 헷갈리지 않을 거예요.  If you see this map carefully, you will not be confused.
      이 지도는 너무 헷갈려요.  This map is very confusing.


Homework: Make one sentence using 지루하다 as "to be bored" and "to be boring". Write one more sentences using the additional verbs at the end of the lesson. Post your sentences in the comments or email them to us!

전화 받으세요! Please receive the phone! What??

Douglas : Did you call me?
상현 : Yes. Why didn't you receive the phone?
Douglas : What phone?
상현 : I called you, and you didn't receive the phone!!!
Douglas : What are you talking about? What phone do I need to receive?
상현 : I mean, why you didn't answer my phone call?

This is a simple conversation about phone calling, and it really happened to me and Douglas, the illustrator of the Wild Korean textbook. This is a common mistake made by Korean people but it's useful to learn some more Korean grammar. Let's see some more expressions about phone calling and compare it with English expressions.

1. Basic Vocabulary about Phone Call
전화 : phone
전화(를) 하다 : to call (phone call)
전화(를) 받다 : to answer the phone call
                          to pick up the phone
                          to get a phone call (usually used as past tense)
받다 : to receive
전화(가) 오다 : to get a phone call

Ex. 지금 전화 하세요.  Please call now.
      어제 전화 받았어요.  I got a phone call yesterday.
      전화 받으세요!  Please pick up the phone!
      내일 메가한테 전화 올 거예요.  I will get a phone call from Megha tomorrow. (Megha will call me tomorrow.)
      더글러스!! 전화 왔어요. 전화 받으세요.  Douglas!! You have a phone call. Please pick up the phone.
      더글러스!! 전화 왔었어요.  Douglas!! Someone called you. .


Please note 전화왔어요 is used like present tense and 전화왔었어요 is used as past tense for 전화하다.
 


2. Calling  a Person or a Place
~ 한테 : to ~ (person)   Ex. 조안나한테 전화하세요.  Please call Jo-Anna.
~에게 : to ~ (person)  Ex. 션에게 전화했어요.  I called Sean.
~에 : to ~ (place)  Ex. 119에 전화했어요.  I called 119.    119 : emergency call in Korea
                                   경찰서에 전화했어요.  I called a police station.
                                   서비스 센터에 전화하세요.  Please call the service center.


Please note that you need to use 전화하다 verb.
~한테, ~에게 and 에 can all be used interchangeably here and there is no difference in formality. 



3. Calling from a Person or a Place
~ 한테 or ~에게 : from ~ (person)
Ex. 조안나한테 전화 왔어요.  I (or someone) am getting a phone call from Jo-Anna.
      조안나한테 전화 왔었어요.  I(or someone) got a phone call from Jo-Anna (Jo-Anna called.)
      조안나한테 전화 올 거예요.  I(or someone) will get a phone call from Jo-Anna. (Jo-Anna will call me (or someone).
      조안나한테 전화 받았어요.  I (or someone) got a phone call from Jo-Anna.

Please note that you usually need to use 전화오다 and 전화받다 verb.
You can use 전화오다 verb as past, present and future tense, but you can use 전화받다 as past tense only. 


~에서 : from ~ (place)
Ex. 인도에서 전화왔어요.  You(or other person) get a phone call from India.
      학교에서 전화왔었어요. You(or other person) got a phone call from the School.
Please note that you usually need to use 전화오다 verb.


If ~한테 and ~에서 means "from ~", you need to omit the subject.

Note : 학교에서 전화왔어요.  You(or someone)  get a phone call from the school.
           학교에서 전화했어요.  I (or someone) called at the school.
           학교에서 전화 받았어요.  I (or someone) got the phone call at the school.



3. Mixing with ~에서 and ~한테

A (place) 에서 B (person)  한테 : from A to B
Ex. 미국에서 조안나한테 전화 왔었어요.  Jo-Anna got a phone call from America.
      학교에서 부모님한테 전화할 거예요.  Your parents will get a phone call from the school.



4. Mixing with Subject and ~에,한테,에게

메건이 집에 전화했어요.  Megan called home.
메건이 나한테 전화했어요.  Megan called me.
메건이 나에게 전화할 거예요.  Megan will call me.



5. Hang Up !!   

전화(를) 끊다 : to hang up
전화(가) 끊기다 : to be hanged up

전화 끊으세요! : Please hang up.
전화가 끊겼어요.  The phone was hanged up.





Homework
Translate the following sentences and post them in the comments:
1. My friend called me yesterday
2. I got a phone call from America.
3. Jo-Anna will call Sanghyun tomorrow.
4. Make your own sentence.