Beginning Korean: A Grammar Guide

Grammar & Usage

Units 1 – 6

20 Autumn 2004
 D.J. Silva

Unit 1: First Words

The fundamental goal of this lesson is the get you communicating in

Korean. The key to success is discipline and memorization: commit these
phrases to memory as part of developing new language routines.

1. 네. (예.) Yes. / I see…

ne ye

2. 아니오. No.
anio

3. 안녕하세요? / 안녕하십니까? Hello. / Greetings.

annyeonghaseyo / annyeounghasipnigga

4. 안녕히 가세요. / 안녕히 가십시오. Goodbye (to one leaving).

annyeonghi gaseyo / annyeonghi gasipsio

5. 안녕히 계세요. / 안녕히 계십시오. Goodbye (to one staying).

annyeonghi gyeseyo / annyeonghi gyeseyo

6. 감사합니다. / 고맙습니다. Thank you.

gamsahamnida / komapseumnida

7. 천만에요. You're welcome.

chenmaneyo

8. 실례합니다. Pardon me (for what I'm about to do).

sillyehamnida

9. 실례지만… Pardon me, but…

sillyejiman…

10. 미안합니다. / 죄송합니다. I'm sorry (for what I've done).

mianhamnida / joesonghamnida

11. 알겠습니다. I understand. / I get it.

algessseumnida

12. 모르겠습니다. I don't understand / don't get it.

moreugessseumnida

13. 무엇이에요? What is it?

mueosieyo

14. 좀 주세요. Please give (it to me).

jom juseyo

15. 영어 하세요? Do you speak English?

yeong-eo haseyo

16. 한국말 잘 못 해요. I can't speak Korean well.

hangungmal jal mot haeyo

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Beginning Korean: A Grammar Guide

17. 천천히 말씀 해주세요. Please speak slowly (for me).

cheoncheonhi malsseum haejuseyo

18. 한국말로 무엇이라고 해요? How do you say it in Korean?

hangungmallo mueosirago haeyo

19. 영어로 무슨 뜻이에요? What does it mean in English?

yeong-eoro museun ddeusieyo

20. 시계(가) 있으세요? Do you have a watch?

sigye(ga) isseoyo

21. 좀 보여 주세요. Please show (it to) me.

jom boyeo juseyo

22. 얼마에요? How much (is it)?

eolmaeyo

23. 좀 써 주세요. Please write it for me.

jom sseo juseyo

24. 화장실이 어디 있어요? Where's the bathroom/toilet?

hwajangsiri eodi isseoyo

25. 길을 잃어버렸어요. I've lost my way.

kireul ilheobeoryeosseoyo

26. 좀 도와 주세요. Please help me.

jom dowa juseyo

27. 사람 살려! Help!

saram sallyeo

Review the footnotes associated with Unit 1 of the CD-ROM (green

underlined links). They will offer initial insight into how the Korean
language reflects important cultural beliefs.

Additional Grammatical Notes

Speech Styles
In Korea, social relationships are very important: the relationship
between two speakers is determined by factors such as one's age, social
status, and job rank. In addition, speech styles can vary depending upon
the nature of the interaction (informal vs. formal). These cultural notions
are expressed throughout the language, most commonly in verb forms.

At the beginning of this course, we will focus on "polite informal"

speech style. This style is characterized by the sentence-final particle –요
"-yo." There is also a "polite formal" style, which you will find in some
of the phrases above; in this style, declarative sentences end with the

22 Autumn 2004
 D.J. Silva

particle –습니다 / -읍니다 "-(s)eumnida" and questions in –습니까/-

읍니까 "-(s)eumnigga."

The following table introduces the basic forms used to mark the two
polite speech styles.

polite polite
informal formal
declarative 해요. 합니다. I/you/he/we speak.
sentence
question 해요? 합니까? Do I/you/… speak?
(interrogative)
command 하세요! 하십시오! Speak!
(imperative)

Verbs
The verb is undoubtedly the most important element in a Korean
sentence. In most cases, the verb contains a variety of grammatical
markers, each of which carries different information. The parts of a verb
include the root (always the first element), an optional honorific marker
(used to show respect to the speaker or referent), an optional tense
marker (absent in present tense verbs), a "linking vowel" (used for some
verb forms ending with a vowel), and a style marker.

하십니까? 있어요.

하 시 -ㅂ니까 있 어 요
root honorific style root linking vowel style

Unlike the majority of European languages, Korean verbs do not

explicitly provide information about the subject of the verb: there no
verb markers that indicate information about "I", "you", "she", "we", etc.

Basic Sentence Structure / Subject Deletion

In Korean, the basic shape of a sentence is S-O-V: subject, object(s),
verb. Moreover, the subject of a sentence is often omitted, particularly in
cases when the situation allows you to identify the subject. Depending on
the context of the conversation, the sentence 한국말 잘 못 해요 could
mean "I can't speak Korean well" or "you can't speak Korean well" or
"s/he can't speak Korean well." If you really wanted to clarify the
situation, you could include a subject:

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Beginning Korean: A Grammar Guide

나는 한국말 잘 못 해요. I can't speak Korean well.

naneun hangungmal jal mot haeyo

I Korean language well not-able do/speak

topic direct object adverb verb

Although the sentence above is grammatically correct, it would only be

used in a situation in which the speaker needed to draw special attention
to him-/herself: "My friend speaks Korean well but as for me, I don't."

At this early stage of your relationship with Korean, what's most

important to remember is this: if a sentence doesn't have a clearly
recognizable subject, don't worry. That's normal in many cases.

Implied Subjects
As noted above, Korean sentences don't necessarily include an overt
subject. That said, there are other grammatical clues that let you know
how to interpret the various actors involved. In the sentence 영어
하세요? "Do you speak English?", the verb contains the honorific
marker –세. Since a speaker can never use an honorific marker to refer to
him-/herself, we know that this sentence can not mean "I speak Korean."
It could only be used to refer to another person – either the listener or a
third person. If you're asking this question directly to another individual,
the only reasonable interpretation would be "Do you speak English?"

The answer to this question can not include the honorific marker:

Person A: 영어 하세요? "Do you speak English?"

Person B: 네, 영어 해요. "Yes, (I) speak English."

Remember: You can't use the honorific marker –세 or –시 when

referring to yourself.

Exercises
Exercise A. Practice reading and writing the following phrases. Make
sure that you know what each means. (You can check your answers by
viewing the answer key on page 37.)
1. 아니오. 5. 안녕하세요?
2. 사람 살려! 6. 감사합니다.
3. 미안합니다. 7. 안녕히 계세요.
4. 네. 8. 안녕히 가세요.

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 D.J. Silva

9. 화장실이 어디 12. 실례합니다.

있어요?
13. 모르겠습니다.
10. 영어 하세요?
14. 한국말로 무엇이라고
11. 좀 써주세요. 해요?
Exercise B. Practice reading the following Classroom Instruction Phrases.
(See the preface to this workbook.)

1. 앉으세요. 10. 아니오, 모르겠어요.

2. 읽으세요. 11. 질문 있어요?

3. 쓰세요. 12. 들으세요.

4. 칠판에 쓰세요. 13. 잘 들으세요.

5. 나를 보세요. 14. 칠판을 보세요.

6. 대답하세요. 15. 책을 펴세요.

7. 크게 말하세요. 16. 알겠어요?

8. 더 크게 말하세요. 17. 네, 알겠어요.

9. 일어나세요. 18. 따라 하세요.

Exercise C. Read these signs.

1.

2.

3.

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Beginning Korean: A Grammar Guide

Exercise D. Complete the following table of verb forms.

р р ҐҏҌ҉Ҕ҅р҉Ҏ҆ҏҒҍҁҌр ҐҏҌ҉Ҕ҅р҆ҏҒҍҁҌр

ёюр ѨҏҗрҁҒ҅рҙҏҕџр ⅞൫ㅮᵎ⊪џр р

р

ђюр ѩчҍрғҏҒҒҙюр ᠎⅞ㆊ⊪юр р

р

ѓюр ѧҏҏ҄э҂ҙ҅юр р ⅞ൖ㎞рࠖἃỲ∺юр

р

єюр ѰҌ҅ҁғ҅рғ҈ҏҗр҉Ҕр р ⒖рᤊ∂р┒ἃỲ∺юр

Ҕҏрҍ҅юр

ѕюр ѰҌ҅ҁғ҅р҈҅ҌҐр р ⒖р࿚≖р┒ἃỲ∺юр

ҍ҅юр

іюр Ѥҏрҙҏҕр҈ҁҖ҅р р Ỳࣚࠖр⎞⍒ἃໞ੢џр

ҁрҗҁҔ҃҈џр

їюр ѷ҈ҁҔр҉ғрш҉Ҕщџр р ᝊ⇝⎛ໞ੢џр

р

јюр ѩр҃ҁҎчҔрғҐ҅ҁҋр р ㅲঃᗦр⎮рᛑрㅿໞ໺юр

ѫҏҒ҅ҁҎрҗ҅ҌҌюр

Don't forget to use the CD-ROM for additional practice. You should
spend time working on the multiple-choice questions, the fill-in-the-
blank exercises, and the dictation. Don't forget to quiz yourself using the
flashcard function, too.

26 Autumn 2004