Korean for dummies

Introduction 1 About This Book 1 Conventions Used in This Book 2 Foolish Assumptions 3 How This Book Is Organized 3 Part I: Getting Started 4 Part II: Korean in Action 4 Part III: Korean on the Go 4 Part IV: The Part of Tens 4 Part V: Appendixes 4 Icons Used in This Book 5 Where to Go From Here 5 Part I: Getting Started 7 Chapter 1: Getting Down the Basics 9 Getting the Basic Sounds 10 The Basic Vowel Sounds 10 Distinguishing among vowel sounds 12 Pronouncing eu and ui 12 The Basic Consonant Sounds 13 Pronouncing jj, kk, pp, and tt 14 Telling the difference between s and ss 15 Pronouncing the Korean r,l sound 16 Muting consonants at the end of a syllable 16 Sounding Fluent 17 Don’t stress 17 Pronounce each syllable 17 Speak in a steady rhythm 18 Basic phrases 18 Saying It with Body Language 21 Beckoning 21 Bowing 21 Nodding 22 Shaking hands 22 Chapter 2: The Nitty-Gritty: Basic Korean Grammar and Numbers 25 Speaking Politely 25 Knowing the Basic Parts of Speech 27 Nouns 28 Pronouns 29 Verbs 31 Adjectives 36 Suffixes 37 Adverbs 37 Particles 38 Asking Questions 40 Counting Korean Style 41 Native Korean numbers 42 Sino-Korean numbers 43 Counters 44 Chapter 3: Introductions and Greetings 49 Making Introductions 49 Greetings and salutations 50 Bowing and shaking hands 51 Getting formal or informal 51 Introducing yourself 55 Introducing a friend or a peer 57 Introducing a senior or your parents 58 Asking for Names 61 Giving Thanks and Saying Sorry 64 Saying Goodbye 65 Part II: Korean in Action 69 Chapter 4: Getting to Know You: Making Small Talk 71 Asking Questions with Essential Words and Formal Usages 71 “Where Are You From?” 73 Describing your home community 74 Talking about where someone lives 76 Discussing ethnicity and citizenship 77 The Weather, the Seasons, and Everything In Between 80 Talking About Jobs and Occupations 83 Describing the Members of Your Family 87 Exchanging Contact Information 90 Chapter 5: Eating and Drinking 93 Dig In! Let’s Eat! 93 Understanding meal time 94 Satisfying your hunger 95 Sitting down to eat 95 Practicing good table manners 98 Getting to Know Korean Cuisine 98 Popular dishes 99 Setting time for a meal 100 Liking and disliking with adjectives 100 Dining Out 101 Understanding what’s on the menu 101 Ordering at a restaurant 102 Ordering at a roadside shop 103 Chatting with the waitstaff 106 Finding restrooms 106 Paying for your meal 106 Drinking, Korean style 107 Chapter 6: Shopping Made Easy 111 Navigating Stores 111 Visiting department stores, markets, and small shops 112 Browsing around 114 Asking for help 115 Comparing Merchandise 116 Comparing several items 117 Pointing out the best item 117 Shopping for Clothes 117 Checking for sizes 118 Asking about colors 119 Trying on clothes 120 Shopping for Specific Items 121 Groceries 122 Electronics 122 Antiques and souvenirs 122 All About Buying: Pricing, Bargaining, Purchasing, Refunding 123 Chapter 7: Exploring the Town 125 Knowing the Time and Day 125 Days, weeks, months 126 Telling time 126 Telling time relative to now 127 Exploring Fun Places 129 Visiting museums and galleries 130 Going to concerts, theatres, and performances 130 Korean films 130 Korean noraebang 132 Bar- and club-hopping 134 Giving and Receiving Invitations 135 Getting something started 135 Inviting your friends to your house 136 Chapter 8: Enjoying Yourself: Recreation and Sports 139 Naming Your Hobbies 139 Exploring Nature 142 Admiring and discovering the landscape 144 Korean seasons 145 Talking about the Arts 147 Playing Sports and Gaming 148 Playing games 148 Gaming at a Korean PC bang 148 Chapter 9: Making Connections: Phone, Mail, Fax, and Internet 151 Phoning Made Easy 151 Finding a phone 152 Making the call 152 Asking for someone 155 Leaving a message 157 Buying stamps 160 Asking for special services 160 Sending a Fax 161 Looking for an Internet Connection 161 Chapter 10: At the Office and Around the House 165 Getting Down to Work 166 Finding things at the office 166 Using computers 169 Finding people at the office 170 Asking for directions 171 Attending Meetings 173 Making introductions 173 Speaking up in a meeting 173 Making the Rounds: Business Dinners 174 Drinking politely 175 Declining drinks 176 Making Yourself at Home 176 The place where you live 176 The smallest room 177 Visting Koreans at Home 178 Taking the tour 178 Chilling out 179 Eating and drinking 181 Staying over 184 Cleaning up 186 Part III: Korean on the Go 189 Chapter 11: Money, Money, Money 191 Knowing Korean Currency 191 Changing Currency 192 Working the ATM 196 Paying for Your Purchases 197 Using cash 197 Using plastic 199 Using personal checks 201 Chapter 12: Asking Directions 203 Asking for Directions 203 Finding your way with “where?” 204 Specifying which direction 207 Specifying distance 209 Giving Directions 210 Referring to locations on the street 210 Providing actions with directions 210 Making directions flow 211 Chapter 13: Staying at a Hotel 215 Sorting Out the Accommodation Options 215 Traditional hotels 216 Motels 216 Korean motels and B&Bs 217 Hostels 217 Saunas and public baths 217 Finding Accommodations 218 Making Reservations 220 Asking for details 223 Checking out the room 224 Complaining 101 226 Broken machinery 226 Noisy neighbors 227 Other problems 228 Checking Out 228 Chapter 14: Transportation 233 Getting Around at the Airport 233 Making it past the check-in counter 234 Getting past Immigration and Customs 238 Leaving the airport 238 Getting Around Town 239 Hailing a cab 239 Taking a bus 240 Riding the subway 240 Getting on the train 244 Chapter 15: Planning a Trip 247 Picking a Good Time for Travel 247 Checking out the seasons 247 Naming months and counting days 248 Korean holidays 252 Naming off the years 254 Specifying dates and times 255 Choosing Your Destination 256 Packing for Your Trip 259 Getting the Help of a Travel Agency 259 Chapter 16: Handling an Emergency 263 Shouting for Help 263 Calling the Police 264 Reporting an accident to the police 264 Finding the lost and found 266 Getting Medical Help 267 Finding a doctor 267 Describing what ails you 269 Discussing your medical history 272 Making a diagnosis 272 Following the prescription 273 Getting Legal Help 274 Part IV: The Part of Tens 277 Chapter 17: Ten Ways to Get a Quick Handle on Korean 279 Find Koreans (or Other Korean Speakers) Near You 279 Use Korean Language Tapes, CDs, and Other Multimedia Resources 280 Visit Korean Restaurants and Bars 280 Sing Korean Songs 280 Watch Korean Movies 280 Watch Korean Drama 281 Surf the Net for Korean Web Sites 281 Look Up Words in a Korean Dictionary 281 Make Korean Word and Phrase Lists 282 Go to Korea! 282 Chapter 18: Ten Things to Avoid Doing in Korea 283 Bragging or Accepting Compliments 283 Making Someone Lose Face in Public 284 Sitting or Eating Before the Seniors in the Group 284 Calling Your Boss or Teachers by Their First Names 285 Saying “Ssi” After Your Own Name 285 Walking into a House with Your Shoes on 285 Crossing Your Legs When You Sit 286 Kissing in Public 287 Taking the First “No, Thank You” Literally 287 Picking Up Your Rice Bowl and Using Your Spoon to Eat 287 Chapter 19: Ten Favorite Korean Expressions 289 ppalli 289 gwaenchanayo 289 jeongmal, jinjja, cham 290 a, geuraeyo 290 jamkkanmanyo 291 mwo haeyo 291 mollayo 291 joayo 291 jal doetneyo 292 jeoreon, ireon 292 Chapter 20: Ten Phrases That Make You Sound Korean 293 akkapda 293 eojjeol su eopgun 294 geureonde itjanayo 294 jom 295 jjajeungnanda 295 jukgetda 296 kkeunnaejunda 297 neukkihada 297 siwonhada 298 sugohaeyo 299 Part V: Appendixes 301 Appendix A: Korean Verbs 303 Appendix B: Mini-Dictionary 307 Appendix C: Answer Key 331 Appendix D: On the CD 337 Tracks on the CD 337 System Requirements 340 Customer Care 340 Index 341