Culture articles and intermediate vocabulary and grammar to get closer to Korea day by day!
–는 길(에) can be translated as “on the way to” and is used with a verb indicating movement to/from a destination.
Learn some vocabulary about the airport, flying, and all the steps in between! The words in the list below are often heard during boarding announcements at the airport, onboard the plane, and can be seen on airline websites.
| 공항 | airport |
| 비행기/항공기 | airplane |
| 항공사 | airline |
| 출발 | departure |
| 도착 | arrival |
| 직항 항공편 [지캉] | direct flight |
| 국내 [궁내] | domestic, interior |
| 국내 비행 서비스 | domestic flight service |
| 국제 [국쩨] | international |
| 국제선 | international lines |
Korean karaoke, or 노래방, is really popular among Koreans of all ages. Friends, family, or colleagues use karaoke as a sort of social gathering, usually drinking beer at the same time.
Some of the etiquette rules governing 노래방:
One of the barriers of entry to 노래방 for foreigners is probably the seemingly overly complicated remote. Learn the various features of the remote prior to going to 노래방 so that you can make the most of your time there! Check the picture (divided by zone) and the corresponding vocabulary below. You can also download this information and print it to take it with you to your next 노래방 session! If you live too far from a karaoke place, you can also buy a Korean karaoke machine for home use.
Continuing Korean, Second Edition by Ross King, Jaehoon Yeon, and Insun Lee is a great textbook for upper beginner/lower intermediate learners of the Korean language. The book is composed of 12 lessons that walk readers through one or two dialogues and a reading passage, vocabulary relevant to the readings, and various grammar points.
–거든(요) can be translated as “it’s because, you see.” It follows a verb and, in this form, is always ending a sentence (another pattern exists with –거든 in the middle of a sentence, with a different meaning). It is commonly used to add information to what was previously said, provide justification for one’s actions, or referring to something that was said in the past.
(을/를) 통해(서) / (을/를) 통하여(서) can be translated as “through, by way of” and is used with nouns to indicate “sources of information” such as persons, institutions, activities, etc.
This lesson introduces words to talk about university subjects, the different university degrees, and some examples using these words together in a sentence.
Some words in this lesson:
| 수학 | mathematics |
| 물리학 | physics |
| (수학) 학위 | a degree (in mathematics) |
| 학위 소지자 | person with an academic degree |
Korean: A Comprehensive Grammar by Jaehoon Yeon and Lucien Brown is one of the most useful, if not the only, comprehensive Korean grammar books available in English. The book starts with a very complete refresher on honorifics and the complex pronunciation rules of the Korean language. The rest of the book has one chapter per class of words in the Korean language. The structure of the book goes as follow:
Learn some of the common uses of the particle –에, as well as frequent patterns with companion verbs such as 대해(서) (about), 의해(서) (due to).
Some examples:
Always wondered how to use Korean websites? While some technology-related words are borrowed from English, a lot of words are proper to Korean, and are sometimes hard to find in dictionary. This lesson includes common Internet nouns and verbs to help you use the Internet.
Some words in this lesson:
| 확인(하다) | (to) confirm |
| 신용카드 | credit card |
| 배송 | delivery |
| 저장하다 | to save (computer) |
| 이용하다 | to use |
Consult the full lesson, or download a PDF to print or take with you. Also, you can quickly learn the vocabulary using the provided flashcards!