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Emphasizing in Korean
Whenever you speak a language you know well, you will usually put a lot of emphasis on certain sentences to make things sound more natural. For example the sentence “I don’t know anything about this” is less strong than “I don’t know anything about this at all“. Other words or phrases in English, which may be…
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Korean “self-respect”?
All Korean learners should be well aware of the many different levels of formality in the Korean language. There’s a big difference in how you say things depending on who you speak to or who you speak about. In fact, I have previously written a whole blog post about this particular Korean concept called 앞존법. In…
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My weekend drama binge: Kill me, Heal me
After having seen “My love from the star”/별에서 온 그대 more times than I care to count, I finally thought that it was time to start watching something else. A couple of weeks ago I started watching “Secret love affair”/ 밀회 but had to give up half-way because the plot was just too… well, weird.…
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Specialized Korean vocabulary: Micro-economics
Since I’ll start teaching microeconomics from next week, I thought I might as well combine business and pleasure while I prepare my lectures. I therefore went on Naver and searched for 경제원론 (Principles of economics). I came across a set of lecture slides from Sogang University and quickly started reading. There were SO many new words…
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An unexpected Korean dinner invitation
Last week while I was at work I suddenly received an email from the Korean embassy. The Korean ambassador was asking if my husband and I were available for dinner the following Tuesday evening! I was completely surprised, honored, and overwhelmed. After reading it numerous times to make sure that I had indeed read it…
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Meet one of my Korean friends
Since yesterday was the internationally proclaimed “Blue Monday” meaning the most depressing day of the year, I think we could all use a heartwarming story about happiness. On that note I’d like to introduce you to one of my Korean friends. Last summer I had the pleasure of meeting an awesome Korean guy for the…
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The fast track or the slow lane? – How to learn a language
The internet is flowing over with “fast tracks” to language learning and tips on how to become fluent in no time. I once heard someone say “Everybody is talking about learning languages fast, what’s wrong with learning steady and slow?” While some may say that I have acquired a decent proficiency in Korean quite fast,…
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A note on Korean language learning
In my journey toward mastering the Korean language I inevitably question and evaluate my strategy on a regular basis. What works, and equally important – what doesn’t work? This past fall semester which I spent studying with my very own Korean “Tiger teacher” taught me a lot about language learning. The countless times my LP…
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Korean “sign” language
My two weeks in Korea have obviously given me a lot of exposure to the kind of Korean you don’t necessarily see in textbooks. Back home again I’ve had the time to look over the many pictures I’ve been taking during my trip. I’ve taken quite a few pictures of signs I’ve seen around Seoul…
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Seoul subway self-esteem
I’ve now been in Korea for 10 days and even the smallest thing like taking the subway can be a cultural experience. While I usually consider myself to be on the prettier side of the average (not counting waking up with panda eyes and witch hair) I can be sure to second-guess myself and my appearance…
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Sofie to Korea 