How to Say ‘Because’ in Korean Posted by Ginny on May 17, 2010
In Korean, “because” clauses can be expressed with ~기 때문에 : 돈이 없기 때문에 대학교를 못 다녔어요 = I couldn’t attend college because I don’t have money (돈 = money. 이 = particle. 없기 때문에 = because I don’t have. 대학교 = college. 를 = particle. 못 다녔어요 = couldn’t attend.) The clause “because I…
North-South Trouble Posted by Ginny on May 14, 2010
If you’ve watched the news recently, North and South Korea haven’t been getting along so well. That is, of course, you could argue that they’ve never really gotten along, they’ve tolerated each other. The current news is that South Korea shot warning shots at a North Korean patrol boat. According to South Korean officials, the North…
Parents Day in Korea Posted by Ginny on May 11, 2010
May 8th was 어버이 날 or Parents Day in South Korea. Parents Day is a day in which Korean parents are thanked and honored. In some elementary schools, parents actively participate in race relays with their children. There may also be a letter reading event, where children write a letter to their parents. The contents of the…
Vowel Contracting Verbs Posted by Ginny on May 8, 2010
There are some verbs that have vowel contracts when they are conjugated in the standard polite form. For example, 오다 (to come)is conjugated as 와요 in the standard polite form. There are lots of verbs that contain 오다 : 따라오다 – to follow along 들어오다 – to come in 데려오다 – to bring someone along And these…
Children’s Day in Korea Posted by Ginny on May 5, 2010
May 5th is 어린이날 or Children’s Day in South Korea. This is a day where children get gifts, go on outings, and take pictures. On this day amusement parks, zoos, and museums are packed with parents and their eager children. Some establishments offer discounts and special exhibits to lure families, so it’s a very lucrative day…
May Day Posted by Ginny on May 2, 2010
May 1st was Labour Day in North Korea. As you know, North Korea is a communist country run by a single party called the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK). Originally, there were four factions within the WPK that consisted of 1) Soviet Koreans 2) the Domestic Faction 3) the Yanan faction and 4) the Guerilla…
The Progressive Posted by Ginny on Apr 29, 2010
In English, the present progressive is expressed by adding -ing. In Korean, the gerund is expressed by the construction ~고 있다. 변호사들이 서류를 준비하고 있어요 = The lawyers are preparing the documents (변호사 = lawyer. 들 = plural marker. 이 = subject marker. 서류 = document. 를 = object marker. 준비하고 있어요 = preparing) The…