Study

Differences between -던 and -았/었던 (retrospective modifiers)

The retrospective modifier V/Adj-던 (e.g., 하던) and its past version V/Adj-았/었던 (했던) are both used to describe processes, states, or situations that happened/took place in the past. In a lot of cases, V/Adj-던 and V/Adj-았/었던 are very similar. The subtle differences manifest if the speaker chooses intentionally between one or the other.

V/Adj-던 describes a situation that was not finished in the past and interrupted before completion; or an action that was repeated continuously in the past or was done just once but may happen again.

TOPIK II Reading - Vocabulary Questions

Each TOPIK II (한국어능력시험 중-고급) reading section has two questions (questions 3 and 4) that will ask you to replace the underlined text by a similar expression. While it may seem like a hard task, knowing the expressions that came out in previous tests will help a lot as they tend to come out regularly. Learning their equivalence should help you answer this question correctly.

Tip: Even if you know only two patterns out of the five in the question, don't panic! The sentences for questions 3 and 4 usually make sense, so if you can translate it to English and one of the answers seems to make them, pick that one. If not, eliminate the ones that you know cannot fit, and pick your best guess between the remaining options. 

TOPIK Expression List for Writing - Advanced (한국어능력시험 쓰기 - 고급)

The list below includes some of the key expressions to know when taking the written part of the TOPIK Exam and aiming for levels 5 and 6. 

**This table is still under construction**

Grammar Patterns

Expressions

순서 (order)
1. 우선/먼저/첫째로/첫번째로
2. 둘째로/그리고/두번째로... 셋째로/세번째로
end. 마지막으로

Connecting Ideas Together in Written Answers

These patterns are used in essays to connect several ideas together. These patterns are particularly useful to structure your answers to writing questions for TOPIK II. Especially for shorter answers (e.g., graph description), you can follow this procedure:

Pattern V–아/어 보다: to try to V

The common pattern V-아/어 보다, meaning "to try to V," is used with a conjugated verb and is more frequent in conversations. See the sentences below for examples.

Formation

Sentence Examples

Notes

• Make sure to use correct spacing when using this pattern. The verb V and 보다 need to be separated by a space; e.g., "가 보다" (O) vs. "가보다" (X). Many Koreans write this pattern all attached, but points will be taken off during TOPIK.
• To convey the idea of trying but failing, consider using the pattern V-려고 하다 which may be more appropriate in some cases.
• If using honorifics, put the honorific marker -시- with 보다, not with verb V as it is overkill (you may still hear it from Koreans nonetheless). However, if verb V has an honorific form, use that one instead. E.g., "드셔 보세요" and not "먹어 보세요". Read more about honorifics.

See Also

• Difference between V-려고 하다 and V-기로 하다, to plan something

Buying Clothes (Dialogue and Vocabulary)

Have you ever wondered how to buy clothes in Korean? With the following dialogue and vocabulary, you will be able to do so naturally in any Korean clothing store.

The grammar pattern V–아/어 보다 (to try to V) is used a lot in this dialogue. Check out the grammar page for the pattern V–아/어 보다 for more examples as well the translation of some sentences from this dialogue.

Everyday Sentences to Use at Home

The sentences in this post can be used at home in everyday situations. Practice them every day with family members!

Meals

Pattern [거의/하마터면] ... V(으)ㄹ 뻔하다: To Come Close To

Meaning: to come close to, to be on the verge of doing V (but did not do it eventually).

Going for a Picnic (Dialogue and Vocabulary)

This dialogue is between two friends, 빅터 and 수진, going for a picnic at the Han River in Seoul. While at the river, they order pizza and chicken. The dialogue is followed by the relevant vocabulary used in the dialogue. Some supplemental example sentences are also provided.

More Example Sentences

Review this lesson

Review the flashcards for this lesson! Click on the buttons or use the keyboard to review the cards. Once you get a card right five times, the card is moved to the known cards stack, and a new card will be added to your working cards stack. Try to learn them all!

Pattern sb께 N을/를 드리다; sb께 V어/아 드리다: Doing a Favor

The honorific 드리다 replaces 주다 when the recipient is an esteemed person. Use this whenever you are doing a favor to somebody older than you to whom you talk respectfully, such as your grandparents, your professor, your boss, etc.

You can hear this a lot in restaurants and stores when waiters/store employees ask customers what they want or if they need additional service.

Dialogue: Two Friends at the Korean BBQ Restaurant

Here is a dialogue between two friends and a waiter at a Korean restaurant. The dialogue starts with a phone conversation between the two friends, with 준형 asking if Victor is busy. They then go to the Korean restaurant and order some meat and drinks, before splitting the bill at the end.

Tip: Hover over the highlighted terms to see their translation! More vocabulary and example sentences are also available.

You can download a study sheet PDF with this dialogue and all the relevant vocabulary.