Korean for Dummies (46 page)

This phrase is very commonly used in Korean conversation. If you listen carefully, you should be able to pick up this phrase very easily. Here’s an example of using these terms in conversation

mwo meogeullaeyo?
(
mwo muh-geul-lae-yo;
What do you want to eat?)
a, mollayo, amugeona meogeoyo.
(
a, mol-la-yo, a-moo-guh-na muh-guh-yo;
Ah, I dunno, let’s eat anything.)

joayo

You can use
joayo
(
jo-a-yo
) just like the statement
good
and the question
good?
in English. If you want to use this term to ask someone with seniority

“Do you like it?” ask them using the phrase
joeuseyo?
(
jo-eu-sae-yo;
Do you like it?) instead of
joayo
?

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jal doetneyo

Say
jal doetneyo
(
jal dwet-nae-yo;
That turned out well) when something good has happened. The phrase
jal doesseoyo
(
jal dwae-ssuh-yo;
That turned out well). Use
jal doetneyo
or
jal doesseoyo
whenever you’re happy with a result.

The phrase
doetneyo
(
dwae-nae-yo
) or
doesseoyo
(
dwae-ssuh-yo
) without the
jal
infront of it, has somewhat negative meaning. It means
that’s enough.

Do not use
doesseoyo
or
doetneyo
without the
jal
in front of it. Some people might get offended when they hear you say
doetneyo
or
doesseoyo
after they offer you something.

jeoreon, ireon

Koreans use
jeoreon
(
juh-ruhn;
Oh dear, Oh my or like that) or
ireon
(
ee-ruhn;
Oh dear, Oh my or like this) by itself when they hear or see something bad or harmful happen to another person. For example,
jeoreon, jeoreon, jeoreon
(Dear, oh dear, oh dear).
ireon
(Oh my). But each word has another meaning as well.
jeoreon
also means
like that,
and
ireon
also means
like this.

Make sure you don’t confuse
jeoreon
(Oh dear) and
ireon
(Oh my) with
jeoreon
(like that) and
ireon
(like this). To differentiate between which “Oh dear, Oh my” and “like this, like that” you need to know the context at which these words are being used. For example,
jeoreon ot hana juseyo
(
juh-ruhn ot
ha-na joo-sae-yo;
Please give me a clothes like that one) and
jeoreon, sarami
dachyeotneyo
(
juh-ruhn, sa-ram-ee da-chut-nae-yo;
Oh dear, someone got hurt).

Another way to use these words are:
ireon jeoreon ildo itjyo, mwo.
(
Literally:
Well, things like this and that happen. But a better translation is, Well, all sorts of things happen.)

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Sound Korean

In This Chapter

Expressing satisfaction

Showing resignation

Complaining about things

In any language, people expect to hear certain common phrases, such as

“Hello,” “Nice to meet you,” and, of course, “What’s your name?” But

Korean has some common expressions that are often hard for non-native

speakers to understand. Using these expressions sometimes catches native speakers off guard and leads them to believe that you have a good understanding of both the language and the culture. So using these phrases is greatly to your advantage!

Here I present you with ten phrases that make you sound like you’ve been speaking Korean all your life. I hope you have fun using them on your unsus-pecting Korean-speaking friends. Perhaps after they hear you using these expressions, they’ll be a lot more careful about what they say in Korean around you! Please note that most of these phrases are in plain form, and should be only used among friends, unless noted otherwise.

akkapda

a-kkap-da:
What a waste, that was close, what a pity
;
plain This word means that you regret seeing something wasted. Perhaps you just saw someone throw out perfectly good food, or you lost a book you bought only five minutes before. Informal polite form of this word is
akkawoyo
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(
a-kka-wo-yo;
informal polite) and
akkapnaeyo
(
a-kkap-nae-yo;
informal polite). Although
akkapda
is the plain form version of
akkapneyo
or
akkawoyo
, it is most commonly used among Koreans. You can also use this term to say
that was close.
In a golf match, for example, the announcer may say
ye,
ujeu seonsuga banggeum peoteureul haetseumnida. ye a, a akkapnaeyo.

(
ye, u-jeu seon-soo-ga banggeum peo-teu-reul haet-sseum-ni-da. ye a, akkapnae-yo;
Yes, Woods has just taken a putter. Yes, oh that was so close.).

However, the people listening to the announcer, will be saying “
akkapda
(
a-kkap-da
),
akkawo
(
a-kka-wo
).”

eojjeol su eopgun

uh-jjul-soo uhp-goon:
It looks like I have no other choice
;
plain Use
eojjeol su eopgun
when you want to show resignation, especially when you’re given a choice that doesn’t have an ideal outcome or that doesn’t give you any advantage. For example, suppose you go to a bar to meet a friend, but then you get a call from your friend saying he can’t make it. Of course, now you have no choice but to drink by yourself, so you mutter to yourself
eojjeol su eopgun, honjaseo surina masyeoyaji.
(
uh-jjul soo uhp-goon, hon-ja-suh soo-ree-na ma-syuh-ya-jee;
Looks like I have no other choice but to drink by myself.) geureonde itjanayo

geu-ruhn-dae ee-ja-na-yo:
By the way, you know
;
informal polite Koreans often use
geuleonde
(
geu-ruhn-dae;
but, by the way; plain) and
itjanayo
(
ee-ja-na-yo;
hey, you know; plain) individually, and together as
geuleonde itjanayo
(
geu-ruhn-dae ee-ja-na-yo;
By the way, did you know
;
informal polite) to begin sentences. Using them makes sentences sound natural. People sometimes contract
geuleonde
to
geunde
(
geun-dae;
By the way
;
plain), and
itjanayo
(
ee-ja-na-yo;
hey, you know; informal polite) can take the plain form
itjana
(
ee-ja-na;
Did you know; plain), which is used very commonly.

Examples of these words include the following:

geuleonde itjanayo oneul nalssiga cham siwonhajyo?
(
geu-ruhn-dae ee-ja-na-yo o-neul nal-sshi-ga cham shi-won-ha-jyo;
Hey, by the way, isn’t the weather cool today?)

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geunde geuregeuneun eodi itjyo?
(
geun-dae geu-rae-geuneun uh-dee ee-jyo;
By the way, where’s Greg?)

itjanayo, sigan jom iseoyo?
(
ee-ja-na-yo, shi-gan jom ee-ssuh-yo;
Hey, do you have time?)

jom

jom:
A little, please

Koreans use
jom
(
jom;
a little, please) almost instinctively, so they may not notice at first that you’re using it, but when they do notice, they’ll be more than a little pleasantly surprised.
jom
(
jom;
a little, please) is actually a contraction of the word
jogeum
(
jo-geum;
a little).
jogeum
can mean only
a
little,
but
jom
can have different meanings depending on whether you’re using it as an adjective or an adverb.

When the term is an adverb, it also means
a little.
Check out these examples:

eumsigi jom maewoyo.
(
eum-shi-gee jom mae-wo-yo;
The food is a little spicy.)

jigeum jom neujeoseoyo
(
jee-geum jom neu-juh-ssuh-yo;
It’s a little late.)

iri yojeum jom manayo.
(
il-ee yo-jeum jom ma-na-yo;
I have a bit too much work nowadays.)

But when you use the term as an adjective, it means
please.
Here’s an example:
yeogiseo gyesan jom haejuseyo?
(
yuh-gee-suh gye-san jom hae-joo-sae-yo;
Could you please take care of the bill here?) jjajeungnanda

jjajeung-nan-da:
That’s irritating, it’s annoying
;
plain At one point or another, you’re bound to get into a situation that annoys you.

Your flight may be delayed over and over again. Or your boss may give you too much grief at work. If you ever feel the need to express the frustration and annoyance that you feel, say
jjajeungnanda
(
jjajeung-nan-da;
it’s irritating, it’s annoying
;
plain). The informal polite form of this word is
jjajeung-nayo
(
jjajeung-na-yo;
informal polite); however, Koreans don’t usually use this form. The phrase
jjajeungnanda
is commonly used when you are talking to yourself or among close friends. Just make sure your boss doesn’t hear you!

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jukgetda

jook-get-da:
I feel like dying
;
plain

English speakers often use the topics of death and dying as figures of speech in everyday conversation: “I was scared to death! I thought I was going to die!”

And, occasionally, you may hear people say “This is to die for” or “I could die and go to heaven.”

Koreans also use the plain form
jukgetda
(
jook-get-da;
to die) in a number of ways and forms, but if you ever listen to a group of Koreans, you can tell that they use it even more liberally than English speakers. Some of the expressions carry over in English better than others, but for some, you just have to use trial and error to figure out how and when to use them. Here’s an example: In English, you may say, with plenty of sarcasm, “This tastes so good it makes me want to kill myself!” However, in Korean, you say
massiseo
jukgetda, jugeo
(
ma-shi-ssuh jook-get-da, joo-guh;
This tastes so good it makes me want to kill myself! Kill myself!) with a look of genuine satisfaction on your face.

Other, similar expressions that translate more naturally from Korean to English include:

deowo jukgetda.
(
duh-wo jook-get-da;
It’s so hot, I feel like dying.)

a pigonhae jukgetda.
(
a pee-gon-hae jook-get-da;
I’m so tired, I could die.)

baebulleo jukgetda.
(
bae-bul-luh jook-get-da;
I’m so full, I just might die.)

a, jukgo sipda.
(
a, jook-go ship-da;
I want to die.) Informal polite form of this phrase is
jukgetseyo
(
jook-get-ssuh-yo;
I feel like dying). If you want to complain to another adult about your children, say
ai ttaemune jukgetseyo.
(
a-ee ttae-moo-nae jook-get-ssuh-yo;
My kid is killing me.) When you’re threatening someone, you don’t have to use any polite forms.

For that reason, here I use both
jugeo
(
joo-guh;
die) and
jugeullae?
(
joo-geullae;
Do you want to die?), which are in plain form.

Koreans also use
jukda
(
jook-da;
to die) as a threat. You may hear
jugeo
(
joo-guh;
die) or
jugeullae?
(joo-geul-lae
;
Do you want to die?). You may have heard
jugeullae?
in the Korean film
My Sassy Girl.
Often, it’s used jokingly between friends.

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jugeullae
? (
joo-geul-lae;
Do you want to die?) is still a threat, even if you mean it as an idle one. Make sure you use this only with your close friends.

When in doubt, wimp out and never use
jukda
(
jook-da;
to die) as a joke if the other person is your senior or is older than you.

kkeunnaejunda

kkeunnae-joon-da
: That’s awesome
;
plain

Koreans often use
kkeunnaejunda
(
kkeunnae-joon-da;
plain) to mean
awesome
or
amazing.
The informal polite form of this phrase is
kkeunnaeju-naeyo
(
kkeunnae-joo-nae-yo;
informal polite). However, this form is not very commonly used. Most commonly used phrase is
kkeunnaejunda
, which you will only use among your friends.You can also use it in sentences like these:
bunwigiga kkeunnaejunda.
(
boon-wee-gee-ga kkeunnae-joon-da;
What an awesome atmosphere.)

oneul nalssi kkeunnaejunda.
(
o-neul nal-sshi kkeunnae-joon-da;
What amazing weather.)

jeogeo jom bwa. jeongmal kkeunnaejunda.
(
juh-guh jom bwa. jungmal
kkeunnae-joon-da;
Hey, look over there, that’s really something.) neukkihada

neu-kki-ha-da:
Aftertaste of oily, greasy foods, or an action so overdone it makes you queasy
;
plain

The primary use of
neukkihada
(
neu-kki-ha-da;
oily, greasy, someone’s actions makes you feel queasy
;
plain) is simple. Use it when you want to describe oily or greasy foods — think fast food or burgers. Informal polite form of this phrase is
neukkihaeyo
(
neu-kki-hae-yo;
It’s oily, greasy or that person is making me queasy). You can use the word
neukkihaeyo
to describe that the food you are eating is way too greasy for you. It is commonly used among Koreans as well as
neukkihada
. You often hear Koreans say
neukki-hangeo meokgosipda.
(
neu-kki-han-guh muhk-go-ship-da;
I feel like eating something greasy.) or
i eumsik neomu neukkihaeyo.
(
ee eum-shik nuh-moo
neu-kki-hae-yo;
This food is too greasy.) 27_037188-ch20.qxp 6/24/08 11:17 PM Page 298