Korean Language Notes: Chapter 2 - Place and Action

Chapter 2: Place and Action (장소와 동작)

Learning Objectives

• Asking and Responding to Current Actions: Students will learn how to inquire about what someone is doing and how to provide a response.
• Asking and Responding to Locations: Students will learn how to identify, ask about, and respond to questions regarding specific locations.

Vocabulary: Actions (동작)

• 먹어요: (I) eat.
• 마셔요: (I) drink.
• 가요: (I) go.
• 와요: (I) come.
• 읽어요: (I) read.
• 공부해요: (I) study.
• 쉬어요: (I) rest.
• 자요: (I) sleep.
• 이야기해요: (I) talk.
• 전화해요: (I) call (on the phone).
• 운동해요: (I) exercise.
• 일해요: (I) work.

Vocabulary: Places (장소)

• 식당: Restaurant (Pronunciation: [식땅]).
• 세종학당: King Sejong Institute.
• 옷가게: Clothes shop (Pronunciation: [올까게]).
• 카페: Café / Coffee shop.
• 사무실: Office.
• 화장실: Restroom / Toilet.
• 회사: Company.
• 집: House / Home.
• 학교: School (Pronunciation: [학교]).

Grammar: Present Tense Endings ($-아요/어요/여요$)

• Function: These endings are used to describe a current action (동작) or state (상태) in the present tense (현재형).
• Usage Context:
  • They are the most commonly used endings in everyday conversation.
  • They are utilized in informal yet polite situations (해요체).
  • Suitable for talking to acquaintances, co-workers, people you just met, or those of higher status who are not close to you.
• Sentence Structures:
  • Question: By raising the intonation at the end of the sentence, an $-아요/어요$ statement becomes a question (interrogative). Example: $읽어요?$ (Do you read?)
  • Statement: Using a falling or flat intonation makes it a declarative sentence. Example: $읽어요.$ (I read.)
• Speech Levels: There are six types of speech levels in Korean used to show respect toward the audience:
  1. $먹습니다$: 합쇼체 (Formal/Polite).
  2. $먹어요$: 해요체 (Informal/Polite).
  3. $먹어$: 해체 (Informal/Casual - used with close friends).
  4. $먹는다$: 해라체 (Formal/Impolite or Non-polite).
  5. $(먹네)$: 하게체.
  6. $(먹소)$: 하오체.

Grammar: Location Particle ($N에 가요$)

• Function: The particle $에$ attaches to a location noun to express movement in a specific direction or toward a destination.
• Expression: $N\text{에 가다}$ means "to go to [location/destination]."
• Key Question Phrase: $어디에 가요?$ (Where are you going?)

Additional Linguistic Notes

• Object Particles: In spoken Korean (구어), the object particles $\text{을/를}$ are frequently omitted, especially when context is clear. However, they are generally not omitted in written language (문어).
  • Example: $책(을) 읽어요$ (Reading a book).
  • Example: $커피(를) 마셔요$ (Drinking coffee).
• Sentence Order: Korean follows a Subject – Object – Verb order (though the subject and object are often omitted if understood).
• Word Specifics:
  • 밥: Steamed rice or a meal.
  • 물: Water.

Dialogue and Audience Interaction

• General Action Dialogue (p. 23):

  • 가: 수아 씨, 지금 뭐 해요? (Sua, what are you doing now?)
  • 나: 책 읽어요. (I’m reading a book.)

• Location Dialogue (p. 25):

  • 가: 지금 어디에 가요? (Where are you going now?)
  • 나: 회사에 가요. (I am going to the company.)
  • 가: 다니엘 씨, 집에 가요? (Daniel, are you going home?)
  • 나: 아니요, 세종학당에 가요. (No, I am going to King Sejong Institute.)

• What are they doing? (Identification Practice):

  • 메이 씨는 지금 자요. (Mei is sleeping now.)
  • 요한 씨는 전화해요. (Johan is calling.)

• Exercise Completion (p. 23):

  1. 가: 지금 일해요? 나: 네. 일해요. (Are you working now? Yes, I am working.)
  2. 가: 오늘 일해요? 나: 아니요. 쉬어요. (Are you working today? No, I am resting.)
  3. 가: 지금 뭐 해요? 나: 커피 마셔요. (What are you doing now? I'm drinking coffee.)
  4. 가: 지금 뭐 해요? 나: 운동해요. (What are you doing now? I'm exercising.)
  5. 가: 어디에 가요? 나: 사무실에 가요. (Where are you going? I'm going to the office.)
  6. 가: 안나씨, 지금 뭐해요? 나: 밥 먹어요. (Anna, what are you doing now? I'm eating a meal.)

• Exercise Completion (p. 25):

  1. 가: 마크 씨, 지금 집에 가요? 나: 네. 집에 가요. (Mark, are you going home now? Yes, I'm going home.)
  2. 가: 수아 씨, 오늘 뭐 해요? 나: 옷가게에 가요. (Sua, what are you doing today? I'm going to the clothes shop.)
  3. 가: 다니엘 씨, 세종학당에 가요? 나: 네. 세종학당에 가요. (Daniel, are you going to King Sejong Institute? Yes, I'm going to King Sejong Institute.)
  4. 가: 지금 어디에 가요? 나: 배고파요. 그래서 식당에 가요. (Where are you going now? I'm hungry. So, I'm going to the restaurant.)
  5. 가: 어디에 가요? 나: 화장실에 가요. (Where are you going? I'm going to the restroom.)
  6. 가: 유진 씨는 학생이에요? 나: 아니요. 회사에 다녀요. (Is Yujin a student? No, she works at a company [goes to a company].)

Practice Scenarios

• Scenario: After class:
  • 질문: 수업이 끝나요. 어디에 가요? (Class is over. Where are you going?)
  • 가능한 답 (Possible answers): 다음 수업 (Next class), 집 (Home), 카페/식당 (Cafe/Restaurant).
• Pronunciation Practice:
  1. 질문: 일해요? (Do you work? - rising intonation). 대답: 네, 일해요. (Yes, I work - falling/flat intonation).
  2. 질문: 먹어요? (Do you eat? - rising intonation). 대답: 네, 먹어요. (Yes, I eat - falling/flat intonation).