Korean expressions
-
Coming and going in Korean
In English we have separate words for coming and going but their distinction is not as strict as when these words are used in Korean. Since I’ll be leaving for Korea in a few months I can safely say in English “When I go to Korea”, or I can say “When I come to Korea” without…
-
Korean speech patterns
The more familiar I become with Korean, the more I’ve started paying attention to how spoken Korean varies from one person to another. In the beginning I didn’t hear any difference at all, Korean to me was just Korean. There was even a time when I didn’t think that the Busan dialect was different from…
-
Learning Korean through proverbs
I spent some of my Easter holidays finishing the awesome Korean proverbs book “유행어보다 재치있는 우리 100대 속담”, a book featuring 100 Korean proverbs explained for children. I bought it back in September, but thought it was slightly too challenging at the time. I forgot all about it during my fall semester where the focus…
-
Childish Korean
Since the past week has been spring break, you would think that I would have had plenty of time for studying Korean. Well, think again. On the other hand I have been spending plenty of time with family – both my own and my husband’s. Of course I have been cramming Korean for 3-4 hours…
-
How I improved my Korean writing
누가 도와준 거예요?! “Who helped you write this?!” Those were the words greeting me as I picked up the phone when my LP called to give me feedback on an essay I had sent to him. 제가 알아서 썼거든요!!”No one, I wrote this alone!!” I exclaimed, not knowing whether I should feel offended at his accusation that I would “cheat”…
-
The story of my Korean notebook
I always carry a notebook with me. Always! As a language learner it is probably one of my most important tools. I used to write several pages in my notebook every single day, meticulously filling the blank pages with new words, sentences, or grammar patterns. However, as I took out my notebook yesterday to prepare a…
-
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…
-
When bad things happen, good things are bound to follow
A few weeks ago, I helped my LP apply for a scholarship at his home university. This was my first time writing an official recommendation letter in Korean, which was an extremely educational experience. In fact is was my first time writing a letter in Korean! Although I thought it was an awesome letter of recommendation,…
-
A useful little Korean word
Today I’ll introduce you to a neat little Korean word, which recently came up in conversation with my LP. Drumroll….. 체질! 체질 means something along the lines of “physical composition”, and you can use this versatile word for providing reasons for personal behavior in a variety of situations: For not drinking: 나는 술을 잘 안 먹는 체질이다 (I’m…
-
Korean, not so foreign after all?
Despite Korean and English being very different indeed, I’m often surprised by phrases or idioms that are stunningly similar. This past week I’ve collected a few of these in conversations with my language partner. I actually rather enjoy how such expressions may help me to see my other languages in a different light. The first one…
Sofie to Korea 