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I have a question!

What's the difference between сейчас and теперь ? :0

Hi! This is one of the most frequent questions I get -- the words are very common, yet confusing.

I can give you another word with nearly the same meaning: нынче.

So, сейчас, теперь, and нынче.

Сейчас means “just now” and “right away”. It is the most recent and immediate of all the three.

Мне сейчас позвонил банк, говорят, кто-то с моей карточки деньги снять пытается! I just got a call from the bank, saying someone is trying to withdraw money from my card!

Не волнуйся, я сейчас разберусь! Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it! (it is not even in the translation, but in Russian, it creates the sense that I am going to deal with the issue immediately).

In these examples, you can not replace сейчас with any other words.

The other meanings of сейчас overlap with теперь and нынче, and are “now” as in 1) presently or 2) then (we’ve done that, now let’s do this)

Теперь has exactly those two meanings: nowadays, and then as setting up an order of events.

Теперь у всех смартфоны. Everyone has a smartphone now (= nowadays)

Ты приготовил ужин? Теперь вымой сковородки. Did you make dinner? Now wash the pans.

Нынче means only “these days” and has no other meanings.

Нынче никто не покупает дома за наличные. Nobody buys houses with cash these days.

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For the anon how asked me to show handwritten Arabic :) I promise I will post another video soon, and here is a few pictures of my notes :)

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Spring Vocabulary in Korean

봄 - spring 계절 - season 부활절 - easter 삼월 - march 사월 - april 오월 - may 벚꽃 - cherry blossom 벚꽃 축제 - cherry blossom festival 무지개 - rainbow 식물 - plant 꽃 - flower 튤립 - tulip 장미 - rose 백합 - lily 나무 - tree 잎 - leaf 비 - rain 풀 - grass 잔디 - grass; lawn 우비 - raincoat 우산 - umbrella 토끼 - rabbit 사슴 - deer 개구리 - frog 나비 - butterfly 벌 - bee 무당벌레 - ladybug 메뚜기 - grasshopper 새 - bird 웅덩이 - puddle 정원 - garden 들판 - field 알레르기 - allergy

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Fiona Jallings is depending on donations.

We are the biggest and the most active fanpage about Tolkien’s languages on Tumblr. We can help Fiona!

PLEASE REBLOG THIS 💚

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hello there! i am wondering if you can help me. i am a pretty fluent russian speaker (born US but it was my 1st language) i grew up reading and writing w my family and even studied it in college to learn some formalized grammar etc. now that i live away from my family for years, i feel myself growing rusty though.. i’d like to consume more media but i don’t know any modern tv shows or anything or where to look. my grandma and parents just watch old soaps and movies and i’ve seen them already 😅 do you know any more modern recs that might not be too complicated but aren’t for children or beginners? sorry if this is too specific a request! ❤️

Hi! I can totally understand your desire to watch something more contemporary! 

Together with my students, we watched Пассажиры, a new TV show, one season, 8 episodes. The first two episodes are available on Youtube. 

Before that, we watched procedural TV series “Научи меня жить”, also one season (graphic content!) 

My students also like Нюхач, but we didn’t watch it together.

My dear followers, what would you suggest?

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Here’s a really short folklore story ‘The Fox who is the King of Animals’.

Please feel free to use this to practice the reading technique I made this post about! (tldr: read the English translation and then read the Korean without looking up words, and try let your brain fill in the meaning of new words with what you picked up from the plot of the English version.)

n.b. some of the words in the Korean part run across two lines - 나타나습니다, 말했습니다, 따라오라고 are all whole words.

Some key vocab if you really need it:

어느 날 - one day/on some day…

여우 - fox

숲 - woods

호랑이 - tiger

맏지 않다 - to not believe/trust

동물 - animals

자기 뒤 - behind oneself

따라오다 - to come along/follow

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Spring vocabulary in Norwegian

vår (m) = Spring vårmåned (m) = Spring month vårstemning (m/f) = Spring mood blomst (m) = flower blomstereng (m/f) = flower field blomsterkrans (m) = flower crown blomsterkrukke (m/f) = flower pot tulipan (m) = tulip krokus (m) = crocus løvetann (m) = flower: dandelion hestehov (m) = flower: coltsfoot snøklokke (m/f) = flower: snowdrop påske (m/f) = Easter påskelilje (m/f) = Easter lily påskeharen (m) = Easter bunny, Easter hare påskeegg (n) = Easter egg påskemarsipan (m) = Easter marzipan piknik (m) = picnic regnbue (m) rainbow fugl (m) = bird fuglesang (m) = birdsong fuglekvitter (n) = bird tweet(s) dvale (m) = hibernation insekt (n) = insect marihøne (m/f) = ladybug edderkopp (m) = spider flue (m/f) = fly sommerfugl (m) = butterfly lys (n) = light sollys (n) = sunlight lysning (m/f) = lightening; clearing liv (n) = life

grønn = green lysegrønn = light green gul = yellow gullfarget = gold lilla = purple gylden = golden fargerik = colorful lys = bright kald = cold kjølig = chilly varm = varm vakker = beautiful søt = sweet levende = living, alive smeltende = melting livlig = lively vårlig = springlike

å smelte = to melt å blomstre = to bloom å vokse = to grow å lyse = to light å lysne = to lighten å kvitre = to tweet (to make the sound that many small birds do) å synge = to sing å livne = to quicken, come alive å grønke = to become green

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a key phrase to know

저는 아직 한국어를 잘 못해요 - I’m not very good at Korean yet.

This is probably the simplest way to explain to someone that you don’t know that much Korean. Even if you are good at Korean, it is better to humbly deny it by saying this - and if you are a novice this will tell the listener not to expect fluent conversation from you.

아직 - yet/still - implies that you are learning/trying but you are not quite there.

한국어 - the Korean language.

잘 못하다 - to be unable to do something well/to be not good at something - this is the most suitable way to express your inability.

n.b. avoid using 한국어를 하지 않아요 - this can come across too literally, like ‘I won’t speak Korean’ or ‘I do not speak Korean (because I don’t want to)’

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In my dream, you're mine

And in reality, you're my dream.

- Nizar Qabbani

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EXAMPLE SENTENCES:

하트

그의 어깨에는 하트 모양의 문신이 새겨져 있었어요.

His shoulder was tattooed with a heart.

코트에 하트 무늬가 있어요.

There are hearts on the coat.

그 수영장은 하트 모양이었어요.

The pool was in the shape of a heart.

심장

내 가슴에서 심장 뛰는 소리가 들려요.

I hear my heart beating in the chest.

그 여자는 심장마비로 죽었어요.

The woman died of cardiac arrest.

심지어 그는 심장 수술까지 받았답니다.

He even underwent a heart surgery.

마음 (short form 맘)

존은 꽃바구니로 수잔의 마음을 사로잡았어요.

John won the heart of Susan by a basket of flowers.

집 안에 귀엽게 만들어 놓은 작은 정원과 소품들이 내 마음을 끌었어요.

The cute little garden and props in the house attracted my heart.

A : 어제 민준이가 나한테 같이 영화 보자고 했어.

A : Minjun asked me to watch a movie with him yesterday.

B : 그래? 민준이가 너한테 마음이 있나 보다.

B : Really? Minjun must have feelings for you.

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Really/Very/Too

These words are useful when you want to be more expressive or improve your sentences:

너무 - Too 많이 - Many, alot 아주 - Very (used more in written Korean) 조금 - A little bit, a bit (sometimes shortened to 쫌) 진짜 - Really, truly (less formal than 정말)  정말 - Really, truly

아주 예뻐요! - It’s very pretty! 

조금만 주세요! - Please only give me a little bit!

커피 아이스크림은 진짜 맛있어요 - Coffee ice cream is really delicious!

정말 이상해요 - It’s really strange 

바다는 너무 시원해요 - The sea is very cool/refreshing 

이 책은 정말 이상해요 - This book is really strange

저는 많이 먹었어요 - I ate alot

 🌈 A&R 🌈 

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Showing realisation in Korean sentences

These are 2 similar ways to show realisation at new information. They are a good way to make your sentences more natural and to get across the right feelings. They have a slight rhetorical questioning tone to them as if you are thinking to yourself ‘Oh, it’s like this isn’t it?’

Adding -네(요) : Add this straight to the verb/adj stem at the end of your sentence to express mild surprise in an admiring way. Slightly talking to oneself. For example:

고양이가 귀엽네! - The cat is cute! (cuter than your thought, you just saw the cat and are saying this in admiration like; isn’t it so cute?)

한국어 잘 말하네요 - You’re good at Korean (better than one expected, someone just spoke Korean and the speaker is complimenting them like; oh your quite good at Korean aren’t you?)

사진을 잘 찍네요 - You’re good at photography (the speaker is seeing someone’s photography like; Oh that’s a good photo you took isn’t it?)

Adding -구나/군요 : very similar, expresses more mundane surprise or neutral realisation like ‘I guess I didn’t realise that was the case’. More talking to oneself. for example:

미국에서 그게 아주 큰 문제이구나 - Oh that thing is quite a big problem in America (like; I guess I didn’t realise it was such a big problem?)

어제 생일이었군요 - Oh, yesterday was your birthday (like; Oh, I guess I didn’t know it was your birthday)

구렇구나 … - Oh I see, so that’s how it is… (After you realise/are told something)

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Saying the year in Korean

This seems like a longwinded way to say the year, but once you know a few numbers it is quite straightforward. Also, in English, they way we group our years into pairs (e.g. 1990 = nineteen ninety, 2020 = twenty twenty) is way more illogical.

In Korean you will see it written in digits like ‘1990년′. But you say the whole number like ‘one thousand, nine hundred, ninety’. For this you use the Sino-Korean numbers, and all you need to know are numbers 1-10 (which form any numbers up to 99) and 1000 and 100 to make any year. 년 on the end means ‘year’.

1852 = (written as) 1852년 = (said as) 천팔백오십이년

천 = 1000      팔백 = 800 (백 is 100)      오십이 = 52 (오십 is 50, 이 is 2)

1966 = 1966년 = 천구백육십육년

천 = 1000      구백 = 900        육십육 = 66

2013 = 2013년 = 이천십삼년

이천 = 2000      십삼 = 13

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I hope this is not a stupid question but I've been watching a lot of K-dramas, kpop artists' videos, etc. and when they talk they use "고" a lot at the end of verbs (I think?), and I was wondering when and how to use that? What does it signify? I couldn't find if you had already made a post about this 😅 (also, sorry if any of this is unclear, English is not my first language)

That’s not a stupid question, I’ve wondered the same thing! -고 can come up in many different grammars, so you will see it often but it will mean different things (which is why is can seem confusing), but yes it is added to verb stems. These are some key ones:

-고 can be added to a verb along with 싶다 (to want) when saying ‘I want to do (verb) e.g. 밥을 먹고 싶어 = I want to eat rice/food.

-고  can be added to a verb along with 있다 (to be) to make the present continuous tense (when an action is occurring at the time of speaking) e.g. 영화를 보고 있어 = I am watching a movie.

-고 can be added after a verb as a conjunction meaning ‘and/and then’ e.g. 산책하고 밥을 먹었어 - I took a walk and then ate rice. (also; the first verb ’walk’ can stay in present tense, and the tense of the last verb ‘eat’ determines the tense of the whole sentence, so in this example it all becomes past). You can use it to list many actions like 쇼핑하고 영화를 보고 밥을 먹고...= shopping, watching a movie, eating...

-고 as a conjunction doesn’t always have to go between 2 sentences like the example above. If you say something and then think of something else to say, you can either start the new sentence with 그리고... (more about that here) or just stick -고 on the very last verb and it will still mean ‘and’ e.g. 사람들이 너무 많았어요. 동물들도 많았고요. = There were a lot of people. And a lot of animals too. - This links the sentences even though its not in between them!

-다고/라고 also end in -고 and are attached to verbs when talking about what someone has said (reported speech) but that’s a bit more complex.

Hope this helps!

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Different ways to express ‘just’ in Korean

In English, we use the word ‘just’ in many situations. In Korean these words below can all translate to ‘just’ but are appropriate for different situations.

그냥 - this is a good filler word and a common way to start a sentence in conversation. It means ‘as it is; as it stands; without any special meaning or intention’. Examples:

그냥 집에서 쉬었어요 = I just chilled at home (~I didn’t do anything special)

그냥 가고 싶지 않아 = I just don’t want to go (~for no particular reason)

만 - this can be attached after a noun to mean ‘only; just’ that noun, perhaps when something is smaller/fewer that what one might expect. Examples:

소주 한병 4,000원만? = A bottle of soju for only 4,000 won? (~it’s really just that cheap?)

어제 나는 물만 마셨어요 = Yesterday I drank only water (~nothing more)

좀 - (Post about using this here) This can be placed before the verb when you are asking someone for do something for you. It usually means ‘small’, but here it acts to minimise the request you are asking of them. Examples:

맥주 좀 주세요? = Could you just give me a beer? (~no pressure, just this small favour)

문을 좀 열어세요 = Just close the door (~if you don’t mind)

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Phrases for ordering food delivery in Korea

Ordering food in a restaurant in Korea is one thing, where you can point at the menu or pick up context clues from body language and surroundings. But what about when you want to order food delivery somewhere and you can only rely on the voice on the other end of the phone. It can be a little tricky but if you at least know the key phrases and vocabulary, it hopefully won’t be as daunting.

Phrases you might say to the delivery service

In the following phrases, anything that is contained within the following brackets < > can be replaced with your own preferred food order.

여보세요 - Hello (obviously)

지금 배달되나요? / 지금 배달돼요? - Are you delivering now? (You can remove 지금 to purely ask ‘Are you delivering?’)

<후라이드 치킨 하나, 떡볶이 하나> 주세요 - One (portion) of fried chicken and one tteokbokki please (You could replace 주세요 with 가져다 주세요 ‘please can you bring’, or  배달해 주세요 ‘please can you deliver’ to be more specific but it’s not totally necessary)

<콜라>도 주세요 - Cola also please

얼마예요? - How much is it?

얼마나 걸려요? - How long will it take?

카드 돼요? - Is card okay?

카드로 결제할게요 / 현금으로 결제할게요 - I will pay by card / I will pay by cash

Phrases they might say to you

어디세요? - Where? (asking where to deliver to) OR:

주소 말씀해 주세요 / 주소 말해 주세요 / 주소 어떻게 되세요 - Please tell me your address / What is your address?

주문 어떻게 되세요? / 어떤 제품 주문하시겠습니까? - What is your order? / What (product) would you like to order?

다른 더 필요한 거 없으십니까? - Is there nothing else you need? (Don’t forget the rules of yes or no in Korean are different to English. If you say 네 [yes] to this question, that means ‘I don’t need anything else’, and if you say 아니요 [no] to this question, that means ‘Yes. I need something else’. I find it a little easier to just answer ‘있어요’ or ‘없어요’ to get around the tricky yes/no situation)

주문 확인해 드리겠습니다 - I will check your order

금액은 <25,500>원입니다 - The total price is 25,500 won.

현금으로 결제하시겠습니까? - Will you be paying by cash?

알겠습니다 - Okay.

Of course, there are numerous other things that they might say to you, but these are the key phrases you need. As long as you have the vocab from here, you should be able to at least figure out what is being said and rustle up an appropriate answer.

Also it’s worth noting that the phone conversation will normally just end with them thanking you and you thanking them back (or in the reverse order), then they will hang up. There doesn’t need to be any other formal goodbyes.

NB. As I was pulling this together, it made me remember that ordering food at a restaurant could throw some really random phrases your way so I’ll make sure to do a restaurant post at some point later if people will find it helpful!

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Mirinae.io - an essential tool to help construct and analyse Korean sentences

Hi all! Back to share one of the latest, absolutely essential, new additions to my Korean language learning. It is called Mirinae - it is a web tool that breaks down Korean sentences into their component parts to help you understand form and structure of Korean sentences and analyse grammar even in the most complex of writing. Let’s take an indepth look under the ‘Keep Reading’ cut

Keep reading