매튜의 한국어 연습 블로그

Habits. When talking about the things you do everyday, would you use 버릇 or 습관? Since they both mean "habit" can't you just say 좋은 습관 and 나쁜 습관 to differentiate between "good" and "bad" habits? Doesn't context fill that it in anyways? Not exactly. Let's take a look:

버릇
This type of habit is almost always negative but not necessarily an everyday occurrence. It can also mean "manners" in the sense that someone has none. Think of smoking, not washing your hands, belching or picking your nose; all disgusting bad habits. They are also actions done without thinking. Of course, there are exceptions to these already convoluted rules. Examples:

제 친구는 코파는 버릇이 있어요
My friend picks his nose.

나쁜 버릇 고치겠다고 약속해라. 알겠니?
Promise me that you will break your habit. You got it?

너 술버릇을 고쳐야 돼.
You've gotta change your drinking habits.

왜 버릇이 없어?
Why don't you have any bad habits?

그는 버릇이 없어요.
He's got no manners.



습관 (習慣)
This can be negative or positive. When we think of the English word "habit" this might be the Korean word that most closely resembles it in terms of something that is done consistently. Examples:

나는 식사 후에 초콜릿을 먹는 습관이 있어요
I have a habit of eating chocolate after I eat.

대학생 때 저녁마다 조깅하는 습관이 있었어요.
When I was in college, I had the habit of jogging every evening.

젊은 사람들은 요즘 Google로 정보 검색하는 습관이 있어요.
Young people have the habit of using Google to search for things.

결혼하고나서 옛날 나쁜 습관들이 많이 변했어요.
After I got married, I changed a lot of my bad habits.

내 학생 중에 나쁜 언어 습관을 가진 학생이 있어요.
I have a student who has a bad mouth (out of habit).

고등학교 졸업하고나서부터 철저하게 계획을 세우는 습관을 붙였어요.
Since graduating high school, I got into the habit of thoroughly planning everything.

Am I the only one that confuses these two? I shouldn't seeing as how they don't mean the same thing. Take a look:

의미 (意味)
meaning, sense, significance

You may not use 의미 a lot in spoken Korean because there's a natively Korean word that is much more widely used: 뜻. Take a look at 의미's more written nuance:

당신은 내 인생에 정말 큰 의미예요.
You mean a lot to my life.

추석은 우리의 가장 의미있는 명절이다.
Chuseok is our most meaningful holiday

이 단어는 여러 가지 의미로 해석될 수 있다.
This word can be interpreted in many different ways.

인생은 무 의미해.
Life is meaningless.



이유 (理由)
reason, cause, excuse
This word can be both conversational and written:

이유 없이 기분이 나쁜 것 같아.
For no reason I'm in a bad mood.

이렇게 늦게 온 이유가 뭐예요?
What's the reason why you came late?

무슨 이유가 있을 거야.
There must be some reason for it.

만화를 그렇게 좋아하는 이유가 뭐야?
Why do you like anime so much?

그 이유는 설명하기 어려워요.
The reasons are difficult to explain.

Slow your roll. What's the real difference between 천천히 and 느리게? Don't they both mean "slow"? Pull up a chair because I'm taking my time with this one:

천천하다 is the root verb and close to never used. 천천히 is the adjective form and is quite casually used in everyday speech. Examples:

밥 좀 천천히 먹어.
Eat slower, won't you?

천천히 가세요
go slowly

좀 더 천천히 말씀해 주시겠습니까?
Could you speak a little more slowly?

천천히 그리고 꾸준히 하면 이긴다.
Slow and steady wins the race (lit. game)


On the other hand, 느리게 is an adjective whose root verb is 느리다. It also means "slowly" but the difference in nuance is in the action taken. 천천히 is a conscious action that is controllable while 느리게 is out of your control. So, in the last example, if we use 느리게 그리고 꾸준히 하면 이긴다 it doesn't really carry the same feeling as taking your time. Also, saying 밥 좀 느리게 먹어 just sounds unnatural because it's a conscious effort to eat slowly.

However, making an observation on someone else's action is a whole different story. For example:

너 밥 진짜 천천히 먹는 구나
너 밥 진짜 느리게 먹는 구나.
Both could be used to express "Wow, you really eat slowly". Another could be:

Tom은 말을 정말 천천히 해.
Tom은 말을 정말 느리게 해.
"Tom speaks way too slowly" is conveyed but the second example carries more of a negative connotation. Remember, 느리다 is out of your control. Think of an old P4 desktop that takes five minutes to open an email. It's not consciously trying to piss you off; it's just an old computer. Therefore, it might sound like "이 컴퓨터 진짜 느리다!" More examples:

너 지금 일부러 천천히 말하는 거지?
You're speaking slowly on purpose, aren't you?

내 여동생은 설거지하는 게 느리다.
My little sister washes dishes too slowly.

우리는 이해가 꽤 느리다.
We are quite slow on the uptake.

지불이 느리다.
It was slow in making payments.

나는 말이 매우 느리다.
I'm a slow talker.

Everyday. There are entirely way too many different ways to express this simple little thing. Although not universally agreeable, below is what I would consider a classification of each term:

맨날 - conversational
하루 - both conversational and formal
하루하루 - conversational (emphasis)
매일 - both conversational and formal
일상적인 - both conversational and formal

While all of the above mean "everyday" the last really means "regularly" or "routinely" which could easily almost stand in for "everyday" in some contexts. Korean seldom uses 일상적인 but instead 일상 + 명사 as in:

일상생활 - everyday life, daily life, the day-to-day
일상업무 - daily business, the daily grind, routine work
일상용품 - things that are used routinely everyday

More examples:

엄마는 맨날 나보고만 뭐라고 해.
Why does my mom always (everyday) pick on me?

오늘 하루도 참 길었지.
Today was such a long day.

하루하루 멀어져 가겠지.
♪ Each day I'm getting farther from you ♪

나는 매일 아침 7시 30분에 출근해요.
I start work everyday at 7:30 in the morning.

저의 일상적인 업무는 학교에서 시작해서 학교에서 끝나요.
My daily routine starts and ends at school.

당신의 일상 생활은 바쁜 편입니까?
Is your daily life considered busy?

Can you hear me now?

While skyping recently I ran across a simple misunderstanding. If you're checking if someone can hear you or not, make sure to distinguish between these two:

들려.
I can hear you.
들어.
Hear me (listen to what I'm saying).


안 들려.
I can't hear you.
안 들어.*
I'm not listening to you. *(not common at all)


Make you you say what you mean to say to loved ones. Definitely a piece of Korean Grammar You Should Already Know. 다시 한번 미안해 여보.

Got an easy one today. Always like it when the difference is either microscopic or exact mirrors like in 요새 vs 요즘. Let's see what we have today:

공짜
free

*무료 (無料)
free, no cost

*Be careful to to confuse this with 무료하다 (無聊) which means to be boring or dull. It most certainly does not mean to "to be free".

공짜 is natively Korean and is used almost exclusively in casual settings. 무료 is hanja-based and can be used in both casual and also formal settings. Otherwise, they're virtually identical. Free is free. Wasn't that easy?

Kudos to the Korean Wiki Project who among countless things has a page dedicated to similar words and nuances. If you're learning Korean and you want to contribute a word or two to help out the greater good, consider editing for them once and awhile.

order up. If you met a friend at a restaurant and wanted to ask if he or she already ordered food yet, what verb would you use? "시켰어?" or "주문했어?" Don't they mean the same thing? Let's take a look:

주문하다 (注文)
order, request

시키다
order, command

명령하다 (命令)
order, command, instruct

As you can see, the first two examples both mean virtually the same thing. However, the social position of the speaker and listener must be considered. 시키다 does sound a bit more harsh and carries a more authoritative tone to it than 주문하다 which is just plain jane "to order" as in food. 시키다 has more meaning outside of simply ordering food; it carries the nuance of "to order someone to do something" (명령). 주문하다 does not. Of course, when talking about food, it makes little difference when speaking about yourself:

감자탕을 주문했어요.
감자탕을 시켰어요.
I ordered pork-on-the-bone soup

Furthermore, it might be more common for a socially higher person to use 시키다 to a socially lower person. In the same vein, a socially lower person would prefer to use 주문하다 to a socially higher person. There is a small exception to that, though. When a customer tells a server that they are ready to order, despite possibly being "higher" than the server/waiter, they will almost certainly say 주문할게요 or 주문하겠습니다 and not 시킬게요. Just one of those things.

More examples:

고객님, 주문하신 상품이 도착했습니다.
Sir, the things you ordered have arrived.

오늘 점심을 배달주문할게요.
I'll order in for lunch today.

제가 주문한 음식이 아닌 것 같습니다.
This doesn't seem like what I ordered.

나 대신 점심 좀 시켜줄래?
Can you order lunch for me?

그 애에게 말을 시켜 보세요.
Try to get this kid to talk.

와이프가 나한테 집안일을 시켰어요.
My wife told me to do some housework.

To choose something. As it turns out, two different verbs exist in Korean. The question is which one do you choose when you want to choose? Let's see if we can make a more accurate choice.

It might be enough to point out that 선택하다 is used more formally and in situations where there's a set number of choices whereas 고르다 is more casual, broad and without limitations.

선택 (選擇)
to choose (limited*, formal*)

고르다
to choose, select, pick (unlimited*, casual*)

*I think what might help to explain these two is to set up some situations. If you went shopping, using 고르다 is more natural as in:

언니! 어떤 치마가 더 이쁜지 골라봐!
Hey! Pick out the prettiest skirt!

여보, 나 대신 와이셔츠 하나 골라줘.
Honey, can you pick out a dress shirt for me?


Using 선택하다 here would sound awkward here. The reason being is that you're choosing out of the entire store. It's your choice and is more limitless. Another example might involve an interview process:

A: 면접은 어땠어? 결과가 나왔어?
A: How did your interview go? Did you get the results yet?

B: X회사랑 Y회사랑 둘다 합격했어. 어디를 가야할지 고민이야..
B: Company X and Company Y both accepted me. I'm worried about which one I should go to...

A: 나라면 X회사를 선택하겠어..
A: If it were me, I'd go with Company X...


Or in this case, you could use both. Take a look at the slightly different nuance each speaker has:


A: 이 가방 둘 다 마음에 드는데 어떤 걸 골라야 할까...
I like both bags... it's just hard to choose one...

B: 가야겠다. 빨리 선택해봐!
I need to get going. Just choose one already!


In this situation, person B can only choose between Company X and Company Y so there's really only two choices. Very limited. In this situation, 선택하다 is more natural. If you were person A and you said "나라면 X회사를 고르겠어.." people would understand you but it would be kind of awkward.

Another funny situation would be a very dramatic girl who presents the indecisive guy with an ultimatum: 그 여자야, 나야? 선택해. "Her or me. Pick one". Although cheesy, this is grammatically fine. However, if it were 그 여자야, 나야? 골라봐 it would be just grammatically strange on top of being emotionally over the top.

If you can think of more examples or comparisons, let me know ^^

A mistake.

This is a tricky one. As most 하다 verbs go, the root is actually a noun. For example, 세탁하다 is a verb (to wash), but the noun form is 새탁 (a wash). Technically speaking, the word should be 세탁을 하다 (to do a wash) but not really. In almost all situations, the 을/를 is dropped. It's important to note because today's subject is 실수 and 잘못 both of which are equally used as nouns and verbs. Keep that in mind as we move on to the subtle but significant differences.

실수 (失手) is a simple mistake, error, blunder that is generally made out of innocence without any intended malice or ill-will. it signifies that the speaker made an error but it's no biggie. Extensions include a slip of the tongue (말실수), small mistake (사소한 실수) and big mistake (엄청난 실수):

사과하실 필요 없습니다. 제 실수예요.
Please don't apologize. It was my bad.

제가 말실수를 했군요
Sorry, I've made a slip of the tongue.

내가 말실수로 그녀에게 큰 상처를 준 것 같아요.
I seemed to have hurt her through my own careless words.

내가 실수를 했던 것 같네요.
I guess I've made a mistake.

그가 실수로 그런 것 같아요.
I guess he did it by mistake.

그건 사소한 실수였어요. 걱정 하지마요.
That was just a small mistake. Don't worry about it.

브렛에게 보낼 문자를 내게 보낸 것은 사소한 실수이니가 너무 미안해하지마.
It's no biggie to send me a text that was supposed to go to Brett. Don't feel sorry.

엄청난 실수 하셨네요
You made a biggie, sir.

그 사람의 약점을 놀린 것은 엄청난 실수야. 반드시 사과해야 돼.
It is a big mistake to make fun of that person's faults. You've really got to apologize.



잘못, however, is a mistake, fault or error that carries more regret behind it. Someone's to blame for the error and/or someone's asking for retribution. You done did wrong and you need to man up for what you did. However, there are situations where my inherently American English mind seems to feel that "잘못" is not appropriate. For example, calling the wrong number is actually a 잘못, not a 실수, despite being pretty innocent. This, and other situations, seem a bit excessive at times but it is what it is.

어제 술을 그렇게 많이 마시다니 내가 잘못했어.
It's my fault to drink too much yesterday.

전화 잘못 거셨습니다
You called the wrong number.

돈을 잘못 계산했냐?
Did you miscount the money?

그래요? 뭐가 잘못됐는데요?
Oh? What seems to be the problem?

2AM 조권을 여자로 잘못 보았어요.
I mistook JoKwon for a woman.

거기에는 잘못이 단 하나도 없거든요.
There is not a single mistake there.

결혼 반지를 잘못 끼고 있는 거 아니에요?
Aren’t you wearing your wedding ring on the wrong finger?

솔직히 말하면 당신 잘못이에요.
To be frank with you, it's your fault.

선생님 잘못 했습니다
Teacher, we're sorry.

어차피 (於此彼)
anyway, anyhow, in any case, after all

아무튼
in any case, anyway, anyhow, at any rate

어쨌든
anyway, anyhow, at any rate, in any case, at all events

하여튼 (何如튼)
anyway, anyhow, at any rate, in any case


어땠든 is arguably the most used expression in everyday speech. It stands out as the most inherently neutral term. The rest can be used in negative or positive situations depending on the intonation and context. The only expression that is usually almost always used in a somewhat negative way is 어차피. Compare:

어차피 학교 가야돼
Anyway, I gotta go to school. (I have no control over it. I don't want to go but I have to.)

아무튼 학교 가야돼
Anyway, I gotta go to school. (See you later. I must go to class now)

어차피 안돼.
Anyway, it's not happening / I'm not doing it / No way, man

어땠든 안돼.
Anyway, it's out of my control / I can't do it even if I wanted to / There's no way

내가 어차피 전화하려고 했는데 형이 전화해서 다행이네.
I was supposed to call you but you called me first

아무튼 이렇게 모이게 돼서 기뻐.
we hadn't met for a long time but we had farewell finally

어쨌든 그는 네 아버지야.
He's your father for goodness sakes.

어쨌든 다신 하지 않겠습니다.
Anyway, I won't do that again.

아무튼 내 말대로만 해라. 응?
In any case, just do as I say, yeah?

아무튼 내일 거기 가겠습니다.
In any case, I'll go there tomorrow.

하여튼 만사 잘 되시길 바라며 곧 연락 드리겠습니다.
At any rate, I hope all is well and we'll talk again soon.

A location slash place. Both refer to this but 장소 is generally more conversational while 위치 refers to a more specific location. Then again, they're practically interchangeable. But that's not to say that they mean the same thing. For sure, 장소 means "place" while 위치 means "location" which, while related, are not the same thing. So how does one split hairs on this one in Korean? Then again, how would one differentiate "location" from "place" in English? Thankfully these two words carry the same weight as in English so if you internally  feel confident knowing the difference, then you're already in the right place. So to say.


위치 (位置)
position, location, site

장소 (場所)
place, spot, point, scene, position, location, site, venue


Examples:

그가 그는 가구의 위치를 바꿨어요.
He changed the location of the furniture.

저희 새로운 사무실 위치가 어디지요? -
Our new offices are located where exactly?

텍사스는 해발 530m에 위치합니다.
Texas is located 530 meters above sea level.

당신이 장소를 정해요
You pick the place.

공공장소에서는 담배를 피우면 안 됩니다.
There's no smoking in public places.

헤어지고 싶어. 약속 장소에 나타나지 않았잖아.
I want to break up. You know you didn't show up for our date.
(lit. you didn't appear at the appointment location)

The only reason why I bring this up is that in English we use the same word "bag" for a purse, satchel, and indeed a plastic bag used at a grocery store. In Korean, the plastic bag that polite store clerks ask if you need to go with your purchased goods ("봉투 필요하세요?") I used to make the mistake of telling the clerk 가방 필요 없어요. I'm sure she was wondering why I was telling her that I had no need for a man purse.

가방
This native Korean word means "bag" as in:
서류 가방 document bag
가죽 가방 leather bag
여행 가방 travel bag [just like 짐 (朕)]


봉투 (封套)
bag, sack, envelope

In summary, a 가방 is a fashionable, purchasable briefcase or purse that is worn around the shoulders. A 봉투 is a thin, plastic non-eco friendly shopping bag accompanied by loaves of bread and groceries. 봉투 can also be a mailing envelope. If you ask for a 봉투 and someone happily offers you a thin black plastic bag used to carry fruit, politely smile and ask instead for a 편지 봉투 instead.

I'm not that great at distinguishing 어 and 오 when I speak and to a lesser extent 이 and 으. I'm also not that great at properly pronouncing words with ㄹ which kind of limits my level of clarity for anyone to listen to what I have to say. I know. it'll get better with practice. In the meantime, I'm mushmouth extraordinaire.

One thing that always, for whatever reason, confuses me is the difference between 어린이 and 어른. Ironically, they could not be more opposite in meaning, standing for "young" and "old" respectively. If 어른 has the subject marker, it's 어른이, of course. Which to me sounds a lot like 어린이 when I speak. Course, if 어린이 has the subject marker, it's all gravy: 어린이가. So how do I remember the difference?

어린이 always has the 이 ending attached to it. It's part of the definition. That kind of reminds me of the 이 ending the we use to address kids. Think about calling someone 소연. If they were just a kid, you'd call them 소연이~ right?

I have an awful mnemonic for 어른. Okay, so little kids are always running around and standing up cause they have so much energy, right? Well, the ㅣ in 린 is like a person standing up. The ㅡ in 른 is like a prerson laying down, right? Like an older person lays down to rest. So the ㅡ in 어른 makes me think of an older person taking a nap. Am I bad for saying this?

Anyway, I feel bad for the borderline ageism but hey if it confused you before, you'd surely remember it from now on. Thus ends another entry for Korean Grammar You Should Already Know.

What's so funny? The difference between these two little jokers is no laughing matter.

농담 (弄談)
kidding, joking (through speech)

장난
playing, teasing (through action)

The English explanation sounds a bit off but stay with me. 농담 is easy to define because it has the 말씀 담 (談) in it's name. You know off the bat that it's something to do with speaking. The preceding character is 희롱 농 (弄) which is like a taunt, mock or jeer. You may have seen this in 성희롱 (性戱弄) which means "sexual harassment".

장난 is a bit different. This natively Korean expression is more encompassing. It can be an action speech or a sticked out tongue (메롱) given to some kid onthe subway giving you the stink eye. Whatever it is, it's a joke. You can also see this in 장난감 which is a "toy" or also my personal favorite but not so common 붓장난 which can be interpreted as "hack writing". The idea is that someone's writing is so bad that it must be a joke.


Examples:

장난 아냐! 사실이야.
I'm not kidding! I'm telling the truth.

어렸을때 그 곰 인형은 제일 좋아하는 장난감이었어요.
That teddy bear was my favorite plaything as a kid.

그것도 농담이라고 해요?
You call that a joke?

농담할 기분이 아니에요.
I'm not in the mood for jokes.

이제 농담은 그만 해야겠군요.
I seems I should stop joking now, yeah?

농담은 집어치우고 진짜 이유를 말해 봐요.
All joking aside, what's the real story?

If you're just dropping by a friend's house because you were already in the neighborhood, what would you say if you were to say it in Korean? Would you use "area" or "neighborhood"? You might be surprised. Let's take a look:

동네 means "neighborhood" or more loosely used in Seoul "town". The criteria is there are houses and it's a fixed, measurable area, like a 동 (洞).

However, 근처 (近處) means "vicinity" or "area" as in 홍대. It could be the name of the actually university, Hongik University, or it could be a reference to the too-many-to-count bars and night clubs in the area. It's just a point of reference; an area of reference to be exact. It depends on each person's frame of reference but it's a relative term. If you're from a small town near 울산, which is in its own right a smaller city, you might just tell people that you're from 울산 근처 just to make it easier on people.

The difference lies in the amount of specificity. Take for instance:

이 동네에서 태어났어요.
I was born in this neighborhood. (this specific area. measurable)
이 근처에서 태어났어요.
I was born in this area. (relative, nonspecific and subjective)

More examples:


우리 학교 근처에 스시집 있어요.
There's a sushi place in my school's area

이대 근처는 집값이 정말 비싸요.
The price of housing around Ewha Womans University is expensive.

이 동네는 마음에 안 들어요.
I don't like this neighborhood.

이 근처에 왔다가 한번 들러 본 거예요.
I was in the neighborhood and I thought I'd drop by

A friendly commenter asked and so he shall receive: 처음 vs. 먼저. However, I want to add a bit of extra curiosity to the mix. Enter: 일단.

먼저
Is the Korean version of 先 (먼저 선) which means to "come first". This is indeed the same 선 found in 선생님 (先生님), which in turn can be roughly translated to "person of respect who was born first". This might help to answer the question of why some people who clearly are not teachers by profession get called "선생님". As an aside, in archeologic/geographic terms, 선 can also be used to express "Proto" or "Pre" as in 선캄브리아 (Pre-Cambrian Time) and 선코카소이드 (Proto-Caucasoid). However, it's not a 1:1 match as 原 (원) is another hanja that expresses this meaning. Just keep in mind that it means "to come before" or "first of all" in terms of order.

먼저 가겠습니다
I'm going to leave early*
(*said to coworkers when leaving the lunch table or office before them)

먼저 하세요
You do it first*
(*said to someone you don't know or is higher than you that it's fine of they do whatever they are doing before you. Think of drinking water at a fountain or walking through a door)

먼저 가요
You go first*
(*said to someone leaving a party without any hard feelings)

먼저 할래?
Do you want to do it first?

먼저 이겼다!
I won!
I finished first!

닭이 먼저인가 달걀이 먼저인가?
Which came first, the chicken or the egg?


처음
Is also a native Korean expression to signify the first or beginning of something. What distinguishes it is the nuance of being the first time for something. It doesn't imply order but instead an experience or action.

처음 처럼
Like the first time

처음 뵙겠습니다
Nice to meet you
(lit. I'll see you for the first time)

처음부터 기분이 좋았어요
처음부터 마음에 들었어요
I liked it from the beginning

오늘 처음으로 운전했어요
Today was the first time I drove.

그러면 남자친구를 언제 처음 만났어요?
In that case, when did you first meet your boyfriend?

와. 처음 봤어요
Wow. That's the first time I saw it.

이곳에 처음 오신 건가요?
Is this your first time to this place, sir?

그녀는 처음에는 그렇지 않았어요.
She wasn't like that at the beginning.


일단
Is based on (一旦) and means pretty much the same thing as the other examples. Instead of defining it as "first" or "once" though, I would say it's more like "for the time being" and "for the moment". To me, it signifies a temporary fix; a reaction to save a poorly planned event. Perhaps even a conditional clause like "first do this and then...". However, replacing it for the word "once" is also seemingly acceptable.


일단 술을 마시기 시작하면 너무 많이 마시다.
Once I start drinking, I drink too much.

일단 결심하면 고수해야돼요.
Once you make a decision, you should stick with it.

일단 우리집으로 오면 그때 말해 줄게. 알았어?
For the time being, just come home and I'll tell you then. Okay?

여보 어디가요? 일단 우회전하고 좌회전이라고 했어요.
Honey where are you going? I said turn right first, then turn left.

일단 밥을 먹고 그렇게 하자.
For the moment being, let's eat and then do that.

그렇게 춥지 않아. 일단 물 속에 들어오면 괜찮는데...
It's not that cold. Once you get in the water, it's not that bad...

If you're OO and you know it clap your hands. So what is being happy in Korean? 행복하다, right? What about 기쁘다? Couldn't you also say 즐겁다? Take a seat smiley and let's break it down.


행복하다 : happy

주말에 짐찔방에 가서 너무 행복했었어요
I was so happy that we went to the sauna.

결혼하게 돼서 행복해.
I'm happy to get married!

그냥 행복하고싶은데...
I just want to be happy...


기쁘다 : glad, happy, pleased

오늘 모임에 와줘서 기뻐.
I'm pleased that you joined the meeting today.

어제 우리는 작은 형이랑 맥주를 마셔서 기뻤어요
I'm happy that we went drinking with my older brother.

결혼기념일을 기억 해서 기뻐요
I'm so glad that you remembered our wedding anniversary.


즐겁다 : joy, pleased, enjoy

오늘 모임 정말 즐거웠어요.
Today the party was pleasant.

점심시간은 언제나 즐거워요.
I'm joyful whenever it's lunchtime.

음악 수업은 항상 즐거워요.
Music class is always enjoyable.

저의 영어 수업은 즐거운 수업이 될거예요!!!
Our English class is going to be really enjoyable.


행복하다 and 즐겁다 are continuous states of being. Both are quite similar but I feel 행복하다 is deeper. Perhaps because I'm more of a writer at heart? 기쁘다 is more tricky. It's a bit more temporary but can lead to being 행복하다. Maybe, if I have many 기쁜 날, then my life is 행복하다. Actually I guess it also depends on each person's feeling or habits of expression. I tend to be more deadpan in my spoken expressions so that certainly affects how I might say just how happy I am. But I'm also a drama queen when it comes to food, so I can say 한국에 살아서 맨날 청국장을 먹을 수 있어서 행복해요. Other people might say 괜찮았어, 좋았어, 맛있었어, 나쁘지 않았어 but one can also just say that they're happy.

Although it depends on who you ask, I would say that 기뻐 is more commonly spoken while 행복해 is a more written form of expression, but certainly not exclusive to writing. 행복했어 can be found alot in the lyrics of a song or a personal diary, while 기뻐, is more like an instant feeling.

a) 오늘 우리 한국이 축구를 이겨서 정말 기쁘다~~!!!
b) 오늘 우리 한국이 축구를 이겨서 정말 행복해~~!!!
both can be used but a) is more natural.

There's nothing more embarrassing than having to ask where the bathroom is in broken Korean. If I had to pinpoint a particular moment when my face and pride first went out the window (first implies that my face has been lost many times which would be a correct assumption) it would be the awkward bathroom moment. I couldn't remember which one to say:
화장실 어디있어요?
화장실 어디예요?

To me, they both made sense. Now, I know the difference, but how can we differentiate them in English? How can I justify not using one over the other? First things first, a note about the subject. If the subject is an inanimate object, like, say the bathroom, it's fine to use both. If it's a person, you only have one option. Moving on with examples:

화장실 어디있어요? (o) Where is the restroom located? (shortened form)
화장실이 어디에 있어요? (o) Where is the restroom located? (grammatically correct)
화장실 어디예요? (o) Where is the restroom?

Both questions are asking the location of the restroom but the nuance is slightly different. Feel free to use both. Problem solved, right? Now, as for a person:

(다) 효연이 어디예요? (x) Where is the Hyoyeon?
(라) 효연이 어디있어요? (o) Where is Hyoyeon?

The first example doesn't make grammatical sense because 효연 is a person. I liken it to adding an unnecessary article like "the". I will say though that sometimes it can be heard in spoken language. It is a genuine mistake but then again, so is "That ain't right", "We be tough on'em" and "Git'er done".

A piece of cake. 씩 is a piece of something. like saying "a piece" "per" or "만큼" and is used with money a lot.

우리 아이에게 만원씩 줬어
I gave each of my kids ten dollars.
I gave my kids ten dollars a piece.

조금씩 먹어라
eat nice and slow; chew your food (piece by piece)

보통 하루에 네 번씩 식사를 해요
I usually eat four times a day.

저는 날마다 10시간씩 근무해요
I work 10 hours a day.

한 학생에 사탕 두 새씩 줬어요
I gave two pieces of candy to each student.

한 주 다섯 번씩 운동해요
I work out five times a week.

가끔씩
sometimes


식 (式) is much more versatile and is used much more frequently. The form that was getting me confused with the spelling was the ~식 that stands for "ceremony" or "way"

결혼식
wedding ceremony

미국식으로
American way

졸업식
graduation ceremony

장례식
funeral

성찬식
communion

이런식으로...
this way

When expressing a duration of time, what does one use? I seem to see 쯤, 약, 정도, 동안 and the like pretty regularly but not exactly sure on how to distinguish them. To help clarify, 동안 is the only one that denotes a duration. All others are approximations of duration.

동안 : during (that time)

방학 동안 뭐할거야?
What are going to do during your vacation?

잠시 동안만 기다려줄래?
Can you wait for just a while?

두시간 동안 밥먹었어
I was eating for two hours (or, during two hours, I ate food)


정도 : about (approximately)

두시간 정도 밥 먹었어
I was eating for about two hours (but I'm not sure)

한 달 정도 일번어 공부했어요
I've been studying Japanese for about a month, I guess.


정도 is an inexact figure of time. It's used to indicate that you're not sure about the length of duration, but that it is approximate. Similar terms include 쯤 and 약 which also expressions relating to approximation as in:

2시 쯤에 광화문에서 만나자
Around two o'clock, let's meet at Gwanghwamoon.

3 시간 쯤 동안 있었어요
I was there for about three hours


약 is more of an approximation of not a set time, like a meeting, but an elapsed time as in:

약300미터 직진 후 좌회전입니다.
After about 300 meters, make a left.

약 10년전에 헤어졌어요
We broke up almost ten years ago


They are all pretty much the same thing. Approximately the same thing. Sort of the same thing. Kind of the same thing.