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Clear explanations of Korean grammar for learners.

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Natural speaking patterns used by native speakers.

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Popular posts from this blog

Why Do Koreans Care So Much About Age?

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  Why Do Koreans Care So Much About Age? μ™œ ν•œκ΅­μΈλ“€μ€ λ‚˜μ΄λ₯Ό κ·Έλ ‡κ²Œ μ€‘μš”ν•˜κ²Œ μ—¬κΈΈκΉŒ? In Korean culture, age is not just a number. It functions as a key reference point for choosing language, defining social roles, and managing psychological distance. Knowing someone’s age helps Koreans decide how to speak, how to behave, and how close they are allowed to be. ν•œκ΅­ λ¬Έν™”μ—μ„œ λ‚˜μ΄λŠ” λ‹¨μˆœν•œ μˆ«μžκ°€ μ•„λ‹™λ‹ˆλ‹€. λ‚˜μ΄λŠ” μ–Έμ–΄ 선택 , μ‚¬νšŒμ  μ—­ν•  , 심리적 거리 λ₯Ό κ²°μ •ν•˜λŠ” 핡심 κΈ°μ€€μ΄μ—μš”. 1. Age as a Social Coordinate, Not Personal Information When Koreans ask about age early in a conversation, it is not driven by personal curiosity. They are trying to identify the correct social and linguistic framework before continuing the interaction. ν•œκ΅­μ—μ„œ 처음 λ§Œλ‚¬μ„ λ•Œ λ‚˜μ΄λ₯Ό λ¬»λŠ” 것은 사적인 관심이 μ•„λ‹ˆλΌ λŒ€ν™”μ˜ 기쀀점을 μ„€μ •ν•˜κΈ° μœ„ν•œ κ³Όμ • μž…λ‹ˆλ‹€. Examples “ν˜Ήμ‹œ λͺ‡ λ…„μƒμ΄μ„Έμš”?”   “What year were you born?” “λ‚˜μ΄κ°€ μ–΄λ–»κ²Œ λ˜μ„Έμš”?”   “May I ask how old you are?" ✔️ These questions are used to determine relative age. Once age is known, the speaker can decide whether to use honorifics, ca...
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What does '-느라고' mean?

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  Grammar Point: -느라고 1) Core Meaning (핡심 의미) “-느라고” expresses that the action in the first clause is the reason or cause for the negative or undesirable result in the second clause. It roughly means: πŸ‘‰ “because I was doing ~, (something bad happened)” πŸ‘‰ indicates an ongoing action that prevented another action. 예문 아침에 κΈ‰ν•˜κ²Œ λ‚˜μ˜€λŠλΌκ³  νœ΄λŒ€ν°μ„ 집에 놓고 μ™”μ–΄. μ„€κ±°μ§€ν•˜λŠλΌκ³  μ „ν™” 온 쀄 λͺ°λžμ–΄. 2) Same Subject Required (μ£Όμ–΄ 동일해야 함) Both clauses must share the same subject . The second clause usually omits the subject because it's clear. 예문 (O) 아침을 먹느라고 λŠ¦μ—ˆμ–΄. 예문 (X) 아침을 먹느라고 μ—„λ§ˆκ°€ ν™”λ₯Ό λƒˆμ–΄. → μ£Όμ–΄ 닀름 3) No Past (-μ—ˆ-) or Future (-κ² -) Tense in the -느라고 Clause The verb before -느라고 must describe an ongoing action . So you cannot add past or future markers. 예문 (O) 이사 μ€€λΉ„ν•˜λŠλΌκ³  정신이 μ—†μ–΄μš”. 예문 (X) 이사 μ€€λΉ„ν–ˆλŠλΌκ³ … 이사 μ€€λΉ„ν•˜κ² λŠλΌκ³ … 4) Used with Durative Actions (지속 동사와 μ‚¬μš©) -느라고 works with actions that take time . It sounds unnatural with instantaneous actions or verbs showing a completed re...
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How Do Koreans Address Elders?

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  How Do Koreans Address Elders? ν•œκ΅­μΈμ€ μ–΄λ₯Έμ„ μ–΄λ–»κ²Œ λΆ€λ₯ΌκΉŒ? In Korea, you don’t call elders by their first name. You call them by relationship, title, or social role. This is not optional politeness — it’s a cultural rule. Respect is shown through language structure itself . 1. Why Is Addressing Elders So Important in Korea? Korean culture developed under strong Confucian hierarchy. Age determines social position in many interactions. Even a one-year age gap can change how people speak to each other. So the question is not “What is their name?” Instead, it is “What is my relationship to them?” 2. How Koreans Address Elders in the Family Within families, the relationship itself becomes the name. ν• λ¨Έλ‹ˆ (Grandmother)   → First names are never used. 할아버지 (Grandfather)   → Standard respectful term. ν˜• / λˆ„λ‚˜ (Older sibling for males)   → Must be used if the sibling is older. 였빠 / μ–Έλ‹ˆ (Older sibling for females)   → Shows both closeness and hierarchy. Korean siblings rarely call ea...
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