Korean Language Study Notes: Unit 1 - Lesson 1

Nouns in Korean

  • 한국 = Korea

  • 도시 = city

  • 이름 = name

  • 저 = I, me (formal)

  • 나 = I, me (informal)

  • 남자 = man

  • 여자 = woman

  • 이 = this

  • 그 = that

  • 저 = that (when something is far away)

  • 것 = thing

  • 이것 = this thing

  • 그것 = that thing

  • 저것 = that thing

  • 의자 = chair

  • 탁자 = table

  • 선생님 = teacher

  • 침대 = bed

  • 집 = house

  • 차 = car

  • 사람 = person

  • 책 = book

  • 컴퓨터 = computer

  • 나무 = tree/wood

  • 소파 = sofa

  • 중국 = China

  • 일본 = Japan

  • 문 = door

  • 의사 = doctor

  • 학생 = student

Adverbs and Other Words

  • 이다 = to be

  • 네 = yes

  • 아니 = no

Greeting Words

  • The following greeting words are introduced, intended to be memorized as units with emphasis on grammar that will be covered in future lessons:

    • 안녕하세요 = hello

    • 감사하다 = to thank

    • 고맙다 = to be thankful

Conjugation of Thank You

  • Common conjugations of 고맙다:

    • 감사합니다

    • 감사해요

    • 고마워

    • 고맙습니다

    • 고마워요

Asking How Are You

  • 잘 지내세요? = How are you?

  • Alternate greeting related to food is commonly used: asking if someone has eaten.

  • Questions will be explained in Lesson 21.

Saying Please

  • 제발 = Please

Important Note on Grammar

  • For now, focus on memorizing the expressions without delving into their grammatical structure, which will be taught later.

Korean Sentence Structure

  • Basic structure is Subject – Object – Verb (SOV) or Subject – Adjective (SA).

Understanding Sentence Components

  1. Subject: Refers to the doer of the action.

    • Examples:

      • I went to the park

      • I will go to the park

      • My mom loves me

      • He loves me

      • The dog ran fast

      • The clouds cleared up

  2. Object: Refers to the recipient of the action.

    • Examples:

      • My mom loves me

      • The dog bit the mailman

      • He ate rice

      • Students studied Korean

    • A verb can exist without an object.

      • I slept

      • I ate

      • He died

  3. Subject with Adjectives: No object is involved in such constructions.

    • Examples:

      • School is boring

      • I am boring

      • The movie was funny

      • The building is big

      • My girlfriend is pretty

      • The food is delicious

Ending Sentences in Korean

  • Every Korean sentence must end with:

    • A verb

    • An adjective

    • 이다

Understanding 이다

  • 이다 behaves like a verb/adjective but is used to connect nouns.

  • Example sentence: I am a man translates to 나는 남자이다.

  • It signifies a state of being with no acting on an object.

Formality in Korean Language

  • Korean has varying levels of formality affecting word choice and conjugation:

    1. 이 and 저:

    • 나: informal

    • 저: formal

    1. Complex conjugation forms will be introduced in Lesson 6.

Korean Particles (~는/은 and ~를/을)

  • Particles indicate the grammatical role of each word in a sentence:

    • 는/은 (Subject Particle):

    • Use 는 with a vowel ending (e.g., 나 = 나는).

    • Use 은 with a consonant ending (e.g., 집 = 집은).

    • 를/을 (Object Particle):

    • Use 를 with a vowel ending (e.g., 나 = 나를).

    • Use 을 with a consonant ending (e.g., 집 = 집을).

Creating Korean Sentences

  • Example sentences using Korean sentence structure and particles:

    1. I speak Korean = I 는 Korean 을 speak.

    2. I like you = I 는 you 를 like.

    3. I wrote a letter = I 는 letter 을 wrote.

    4. I opened the door = I 는 door 을 opened.

    5. My mom will make pasta = My mom 은 pasta 를 will make.

Using Adjectives in Korean

  • Example sentences with adjectives:

    1. My girlfriend is pretty: My girlfriend 은 is pretty.

    2. The movie was scary: The movie 는 was scary.

The Verb 이다

  • Examples of how 이다 is utilized in sentences:

    • I am a man: 나는 남자이다

    • I am a woman: 나는 여자이다

Examples of Pronouns

  • Using 이, 그, 저 (this, that, that) with nouns in sentences:

    • Examples:

    • 이 사람 = This person

    • 그 사람 = That person

    • 저 사람 = That person

Compound Words with ‘것’

  • Common compound formations with “것”:

    • 이것 = this thing

    • 그것 = that thing

    • 저것 = that thing

Using 이다 with Compound Words

  • Sentence structures using 이다 examples:

    • 그 사람은 의사이다 = That person is a doctor.

    • 이것은 탁자이다 = This (thing) is a table.

    • Structured as: [noun 은/는] [another noun][이다].

Closing Thoughts and Future Lessons

  • As the lesson concludes, the complexities of Korean grammar and structure are emphasized, preparing the learner for future studies in conjugation and more intricate sentence formations.

  • The expectation is that understanding these foundational concepts will greatly facilitate progress in future lessons.