Discounted Korean classes @ ELITE Damansara Perdana

ELITE Global Language Learning Center is about to start a beginner’s Korean course and interested parties are invited to join.

Enroll with two friends and you and your friends will enjoy a special monthly fee of RM350 per month (originally RM400).

For details on the offer, contact Mark Yun (pic left) at 03 7729 7909 or drop by the center at Office Eastwing, E-L3A-09 Metropolitan Square, Jalan PJU 8/1 Damansara Perdana, 47820 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

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Korean courses @ ELITE Global Language Learning Center

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Korean courses @ ELITE Global Language Learning Center

Looking for a language center to learn Korean? If you’re living in the Damansara Perdana area in Petaling Jaya, check out Elite Global Language Learning Center at Metropolitan Square.

Managed by Alice Choi and Mark Yun from South Korea, the newly-established language center offers Korean language for the various levels.

어서오세요!:  Mark Yun of ELITE Global Language Learning Center

Apart from that, the center offers preparatory classes for the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK). If you are planning to attend a Korean university or work for a Korean company, then you’ll need to take the test.

“We offer Korean classes two times a week. Every class is for one and a half hours and the maximum number of students for each class is six,” said Yun, who is the manager and Korean language teacher at ELITE.

The monthly fee for a Korean course is RM400. The center also provides one-to-one tuition at RM60 per hour. Also, if you bring a friend with you to register, you will receive a 5% discount on the fees.

For more information on the Korean language classes at ELITE, contact Mark / Alice:

Tel: 03-7729 7909
Address: Office Eastwing, E-L3A-09 Metropolitan Square, Jalan PJU 8/1 Damansara Perdana, 47820 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Related:
Check out Mind Your Korean, a series on the adventures and misadventures of Liz & Orchid when they were learning Korean.

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Learn Korean on YouTube

Want to learn Korean? I've come across a video series on YouTube called Let's Speak Korean! You can view the playlist at this link. There are a total of 64 videos that are about 10 minutes long each. They are a good primer for those not familiar with Korea and its culture.

Episode 1 of Let's Speak Korean

Please also check out our Mind Your Korean series where Liz blogs and shares her experiences in learning the basics of the language.

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Having fun at Korean class

We may not be continuing with our Mind Your Korean series, but here’s a peek at what happened during K-popped!’s latest Korean class.

Orchid and I have been attending the Korean Beginner Level 2 class and are now capable of making simple, but longer sentences such as: 우리는 수요일에 ICLS에서 한국말을 배워요 :-).

Speaking Korean is another thing altogether. Let’s just say we can crack our Korean teacher up with our conversational skills. Oh yeah, Rain, we feel ya boy. We know how it’s like learning another language and have other people laugh at us.

But I digress. The reason for this entry is to share about a rather eventful class we had. During the class, we not only got a chance to tease 선생님 and laugh at the antics of a fellow classmate, but I managed to deliver a long-awaited punch line of mine!

Lost hunk

We’ve been tutored by 선생님 since Dec 2007 and have developed a warm camaraderie with her. 선생님 is a fun and absolutely great person to know, one who loves movies, music, Jay Chou (especially) and Lee Hom ;-).

The Pleasant Interruption (above) is illustrated by (the sleeping) Rooster

During class, 선생님 got all flustered and lost her teaching momentum for a bit after a rather pleasant interruption.

Halfway through class, we get a knock on the door and it opens. Standing at the doorway is a tall and handsome Chinese-looking young man who looks straight at 선생님 and goes:

Dude: Hi, I’m Jason XXX (he may look Asian, but he has a Mat Salleh (Caucasian)- sounding last name) and I’m here for the Korean class.

선생님: (looking very flustered and surprised) Oh, the Beginners’ class?

Dude: (hunk looks a little lost) It isn’t here?

선생님: (is that a slight blush I’m detecting on Teacher?) Beginner 1? It’s downstairs.

Dude: (hunk still a little confused) Ah….thank you (closes door and leaves).

Liz: 안녕하세요!!! (In other words, HELL-LOW!)

(our flustered 선생님 bursts out laughing, walks to her desk, holds on to it for support and starts wiping her face with her handkerchief)

Orchid: 선생님, 괜찮아요? (Teacher, are you alright?)

Teacher had to take a couple more secs to compose herself before continuing with the lesson.

Aww, 선생님, too bad the guy didn’t join us when we started class last year, huh? :-P. We’d have a 멋있어요 classmate!

Lost classmate

The language centre we are attending has three floors and at any given time, there are many language classes going on. To find out where our class will be held, we’d have to check the notice board to see where we’re being located for the evening.

We were having a conversation with fellow classmate MG before class started. Looking a little tired while trying to finish up her homework, MG related this funny story to us:

“I came early and went into a Korean class, sat down and started doing my homework. I thought it was our class as I didn’t read the notice board properly. But as it turns out, it’s the Korean Beginner Level 1 class! I was there for quite a while and the students thought I was the teacher!”

Er…MG, didn’t you notice that we weren’t in the class with you? But it’s OK, that evening was really tough for you. Besides, you were zoned out for most of the class. Hope you’ll feel better soon.

Liz (finally) delivers her punch line – 아싸!!!

Back in Mind Your Korean 2 (MYK2: The one where 선생님 beats Liz to the punch line) I blogged about how Teacher stole a punch line I’d been working on for a while. Bummer.

But then good things come to those who wait (four months!), right?

Ha ha, so yeah, I finally delivered my punch line in class. Well, it wasn’t comedy gold, but it cracked Orchid, 선생님 and one other classmate up.

선생님 was asking a fellow classmate whether she likes 비 (Rain).

선생님: 비 좋아해요? Mr. Rain 좋아해요?

Liz: (gleefully puts on a frown and cuts in) 비 안 좋아해요!! 하지만, 사랑해요!! (complete with the typical Korean “saranghae” gesture)

선생님: *laughs*

For the benefit of those who can’t read Hangeul:

Teacher: Do you like Bi? Do you like Mr. Rain?

Liz: I DO NOT like Rain! BUT, I love him!

What? You aren’t laughing? Like I said, it isn’t comedy gold :-).

Check out K-popped!'s MYK series

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Three Bears song

Our Korean teacher taught us a children’s song during the final Korean class. I’m sure most of you are familiar with it, especially those who have watched the wildly popular drama series Full House. It stars Rain and Song Hye-kyo.

Song Hye-kyo performed the song Three Bears in the show and it became a "smash hit" all across the K-popped! world. Without further ado, I give you 곰 세마리 (Gom se-ma-ri = Three Bears).

Song in Hangul:

곰 세마리가
한 집에 있어
아빠 곰, 엄마 곰, 애기 곰,
아빠 곰은 둥둥해
엄마 곰은 날씬해
애기 곰은 너무귀여워
으쓱, 으쓱 잘한다

Romanised:

Gom se-mari-ga
Han ji-be isseo
Appa gom, omma gom, ae-gi gom
Appa go-meun tung tung hae
Omma go-meun nal-shin-hae
Ae-gi go-meun neo-moo ki-yeo-wo
Eu-sseuk, eu-sseuk, jal-han-da

Sing it and mean it (just like Song Hye-kyo):

Useful links:
Learn Korean Now
Mind Your Korean series

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Mind Your Korean 11: The Final Class

After many weeks learning the Korean language, Orchid and Liz have finally reached the end of their Beginner Level 1 class. The pair sits through a revision class with 선생님 while Rooster continues to catch forty winks :-).

During class, we went through everything we learned, focusing on Korean numbers - both pure Korean and Sino-Korean - as well as present-tense verbs.


We continued to make sentences that involve time, location and verbs. Key words were given and we were required to create a proper sentence with them. For instance:

Example 1:
저 (jeo = I) / 밤 (bam = night)/ 12시 (12shi = 12 o’clock)/ 자요 (ja-yo = sleep)

Sentence: 저는 밤 열두시에 자요. = jeo-neun bam yeo-du shi-e ja-yo (I night 12 o’clock sleep – literal translation).

Example 2:
미나 (Mina) / 아침 (ah-chim = morning)/ 6시 (6shi = 6 o’clock)/ 일어나요 (ireonayo = wake up)

Sentence: 미나씨는 아침 여섯시에 일어나요. = Mina sshi-neun ah-chim yeo-seot-shi-e ireonayo (Mina morning six o’clock wake up – literal translation).

I think many are finding the “lessons” at MYK a little too hard to follow since we learned so much more in class than what is being shared here. Sometimes during class, we’d veer off topic and talk about different forms of expressions, and ask about words that we hear in K-dramas.

All these explanations and more were not shared on the site, as I would be writing a weekly thesis if I were to divulge everything.

Soon, we will be completing the Beginner Level 1 course, and God-willing, pass the exam and continue with Level 2. However, the Mind Your Korean series at K-popped! stops here.

Thank you for being a part of the lively discussions on the language throughout the series. If you’re interested, K-popped! is taking classes at the Inter-Cultural Language School.

Hit the link and you’ll get to see our 선생님, she is the Teacher in the white shirt (the final picture before the loop starts again) :-).

Now that K-popped! understands and speaks minimal Korean…Seoul, here we come! 아싸!!!

Mind Your Korean series:
MYK 1: I'm sorry (미안합니다) - You're welcome (아니에요)
MYK 2: The one where 선생님 beats Liz to the punch line
MYK 3: The tale of the uncooperative tissue paper
MYK 4: From learning the alphabets to self-introduction
MYK 5: Simple conversations in Korean
MYK 6: 하나, 둘, 셋, 넷...come on and count in Korean!
MYK Quiz 1: The Match Up
MYK Quiz 1: Answers and winner announcement
MYK 7: Location, location, location
MYK Tidbits
MYK 8: 일, 이, 삼, 사...come on and count in Sino-Korean!
MYK 9: Crunching large numbers and being formal
MYK 10: Telling time - 아싸!

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Mind Your Korean 9: Crunching large numbers and being formal

While Rooster counts down the days to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Orchid and Liz wrestle with the larger Sino-Korean numbers. They now share with you their adventures and misadventures with the Korean language in MYK구!


We’re going to do this quick so it will be less painful. You know, like ripping out a Band-Aid, you’ve just got to give it one good yank. We now deal with large numbers. Like the Indonesian Rupiah, Korean Won is counted in the thousands and even millions.

That is something I find hard to grasp, and it doesn’t help that my mental arithmetic sucks. I can just imagine myself being fleeced by some crafty trader when visiting Seoul one day. Sigh.

Large numbers

So you’ve learned the Sino-Korean numbers of 1 (일 = il) to 10 (십 = ship). Now here’s how we count in:

The hundreds
100 = 백 (baek)
200 = 이백 (ee baek)
300 = 삼백 (sam baek)
400 = 사백 (sa baek)….and so on

The thousands
1,000 = 천 (cheon)
2,000 = 이천 (ee cheon)
3,000 = 삼천 (sam cheon)
4,000 = 사천 (sa cheon)…and so on

The ten thousands
10,000 = 만 (man)
20,000 = 이만 (ee man)
30,000 = 삼만 (sam man)…and so on

An important note to remember: For 100, 1000 and 10000 the number “1” is not mentioned, DO NOT say 일백 (il baek) or 일천 (il cheon) or 일만 (il man).

Let’s talk about money

Armed with that knowledge, we learned how to talk about the price of items.

Here, it differs very much from the English language so I don’t know how to write the literal English translation for it. Also, it has similarities to counting in Mandarin, or so I’ve been told. I am not sure because I don’t know how to count in the thousands and millions in Mandarin. 미안합니다.

To read the larger numbers, the 만 (man) is a point of reference of sorts. Just remember to get the four zeros first, and then read the numbers before and after the point of reference like “normal”.

Man, it’s so hard to explain, so here are some examples on how to read prices:

1│5,000 --> 만 오천 (man o-cheon)
만

4│2,800 --> 사만 이천 팔백 (sa-man ee-cheon pal-baek)
만

12│8,900 --> 십이만 팔천 구백 (ship-ee-man pal-cheon gu-baek)
만

1,20│0,340 --> 백이십만 삼백 사십 (baek eeship man sambaek saship)
만

Formal speak

As the title suggests, we use formal speak in formal settings, such as during business meetings. All this while, we have been using the 이에요/ 예요 ending, which is a polite way of speaking in Korean.

This time around, say hello to ~입니다 (ib-ni-da)!

When we did the self-introduction exercise in MYK4 I went:

저는 리즈예요. (jeo-neun li-jeu-ye-yo = I’m Liz.)
저는 말레이시아 사람이에요. (jeo-neun mal-lei-sia saramieyo = I’m Malaysian.)

Now, when we do it the formal way, it goes like this:

저는 리즈입니다 (jeo-neun li-jeu-ib-ni-da = I’m Liz - but say it with a stiff upper lip or somethin’:-P)
저는 말레이시아 사람입니다 (jeo-neun mal-lei-sia sa-ram-ib-ni-da = I’m Malaysian)

Phew, did you manage to digest all that? I’m beat. Over and out. See you in the next lesson!

Mind Your Korean series:
MYK 1: I'm sorry (미안합니다) - You're welcome (아니에요)
MYK 2: The one where 선생님 beats Liz to the punch line
MYK 3: The tale of the uncooperative tissue paper
MYK 4: From learning the alphabets to self-introduction
MYK 5: Simple conversations in Korean
MYK 6: 하나, 둘, 셋, 넷...come on and count in Korean!
MYK Quiz 1: The Match Up
MYK Quiz 1: Answers and winner announcement
MYK 7: Location, location, location
MYK Tidbits
MYK 8: 일, 이, 삼, 사...come on and count in Sino-Korean!

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Mind Your Korean 8: 일, 이, 삼, 사…come on and count in Sino-Korean!

Orchid and Liz dig deep into their Chinese roots to get a grasp of the Chinese-based Sino-Korean numbers while Rooster happily counts sheep – in Chinese, mind you – in her sleep. They now share with you their adventures and misadventures with the Korean language in MYK8…oh, excuse me, MYK팔 (pal)!

Our usually upbeat 선생님 (seon-saeng-nim = Teacher) looked refreshed and cheery after the long Lunar New Year break. She returned to Korea for the holidays and bought souvenirs for us; we each received a ball pen (볼펜 - bolpen).

선생님: I bought this at Insadong, please treasure it. It usually takes 3 – 4 hours from my hometown to reach Seoul. However, because of the Seollal holidays, my 오빠 (oppa – elder brother) and I were stuck in traffic for 10 hours!
Fellow student: 선생님, flying to Korea from Malaysia takes 6 hours, you mean you took so much longer to get to Seoul from within Korea?! Ha ha ha!



한자 숫자

In this lesson, we learn Sino-Korean numbers.

선생님: It’s called 한자 숫자 (hanja sutja) and we use it when we talk about date, money, pages of a book, license plate numbers and even telephone numbers.

These are the numbers to remember:

0 = 공 = gong
1 = 일 = il
2 = 이 = i/ ee
3 = 삼 = sam
4 = 사 = sa
5 = 오 = o
6 = 육 = yuk
7 = 칠 = chil
8 = 팔 = pal
9 = 구 = gu
10 = 십 = ship

It does have similarities to Chinese numbers and for me, although a non Mandarin-speaking person, I find this set of numbers easier to grasp than the pure Korean numbers of 하나 (hana), 둘 (dul), 셋 (set) etc.

There’s a sense of “familiarity” when counting in Sino-Korean, even when dealing with the larger numbers of 백 (baek = hundreds) and 천 (cheon = thousands). In Hokkien, the dialect I speak, 백 is “pak” while 천 is “cheng”…see the similarities?

The 일 and 이 mix up

Many tend to get the numbers 1 & 2 or 일(il) & 이(ee) respectively, mixed up.

선생님 explained: “In fact, Koreans can also get these numbers mixed up because both of them sound so similar. So let’s say if you want to say “012 = 공 (gong)일(il)이(ee)”, it is OK to go “gong hana ee”.

If you haven’t already spotted the difference, we have replaced the Sino-Korean number for 1 (일 = il) with the pure Korean version, 하나 (hana).

Phone numbers

And with that, you can now sashay up to that handsome오빠 (oppa) or pretty 여자 (yeo-ja = girl) who has caught your eye and ask him/her for his/her phone number.

Just go: 전화번호가 몇 번이에요? (Jeon-hwa-beon-ho-ga myeot beon-i-e-yo? = Phone number what number? (literal)) OR

핸드폰 번호가 몇 번이에요? (haen-deu-pon beon-ho-ga myeot beon-i-e-yo? = What’s your handphone number?)

Let’s just say his/her number is 016-4727491, notice the dash in between the numbers? How do we address the dash? Well, just go “에” (eh).

Thus, the number above is read: 공일육에사칠이칠사구일이에요. Did you get that?

Now that you know Sino-Korean numbers, we wish you all the best in getting a date with that handsome 오빠/ pretty 여자! ;-)

See you in the next class.

Mind Your Korean series:
MYK 1: I'm sorry (미안합니다) - You're welcome (아니에요)
MYK 2: The one where 선생님 beats Liz to the punch line
MYK 3: The tale of the uncooperative tissue paper
MYK 4: From learning the alphabets to self-introduction
MYK 5: Simple conversations in Korean
MYK 6: 하나, 둘, 셋, 넷...come on and count in Korean!
MYK Quiz 1: The Match Up
MYK Quiz 1: Answers and winner announcement
MYK 7: Location, location, location
MYK Tidbits


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Mind Your Korean Tidbits

Since we couldn’t cram everything we've learned into our regular MYK series, we decided to share with you some interesting insights from class in this special MYK Tidbits entry.


1) 사이다 (saida = soda)

While the rest of us know soda as any sweet drink containing carbonated water and flavouring, the Koreans typically refer soda to either 7-Up or Sprite.

Apparently, if you order 사이다 at a restaurant in Korea you’ll automatically be served Sprite…or 7-Up, whichever they have. Is that true?

2) 이 분이 (i-booni) vs. 이 사람이 (i-sarami)

Both words have the same meaning, which is “this person” yet they are different in the sense that the former is a more respectful and polite way to refer to the person, while the latter is the casual form of reference.

For instance, you can go: 이 사람이 친구예요 (i-sarami chin-goo-ye-yo = This person is a friend).
While the more polite form can be reserved for someone you respect, thus you say: 이 분이 선생님이에요 (i-booni seon-saeng-nim-i-e-yo = This person is a Teacher).

3) 감사합니다 (kam-sa-ham-ni-da), 고맙습니다 (go-map-seum-ni-da), 고마워요 (go-ma-wo-yo)

All three words mean “thank you” but again, the degree of politeness is different for each word.

감사합니다 is your best (and safest) bet because it’s the most polite form of thank you. You will definitely not step on anyone’s toes or violate any etiquette sensitivities when you thank someone this way.

고맙습니다 is a semi-formal way to thank someone.

고마워요 is a casual form of thanking someone and is allowed among friends.

4) Here are some adjectives we know:

멋있어요 (meo-shi-sseo-yo) = nice/ great; can be used to describe things or people. For example: 권상우 씨 멋있어요! (Kwon Sang oo sshi meo-shi-seo-yo = Kwon Sang-woo is great/ hot/ fantastic etc.)

However, it should not be confused with 맛있어요 (ma-shi-sseo-yo) = delicious. For example: 이 사과가 맛있어요! (i-sa-gwa-ga ma-shi-sseo-yo! = This apple is delicious!).

예뻐요 (ye-ppeo-yo = pretty/ beautiful). Such as, 집이 참 예뻐요 (jibi cham ye-ppeo-yo = The house is very beautiful).

귀여워요 (ki-yeo-wo-yo = cute). As in 토끼가 귀여워요 (to-kki-ga ki-yeo-wo-yo = The rabbit is cute).

5) 커피 vs. 코피

Be careful when you order coffee, or you might end up with a bloodied nose!

Coffee in Korean is 커피 (keo-pi or more specifically, khaw-pi), while 코피 (ko-pi) is actually made up of two words: 코 = ko = nose & 피 = pi = blood.

Thus if you were to go: 코피 주세요 (ko-pi ju-se-yo = nose blood, please), that might earn you a punch in the nose :-P. You've been warned ;-).

6) Useful phrases/ words

i) 수고 하셨습니다 (soo-go ha-syeot-seum-ni-da = Thank for your trouble / kind labour)

ii) 잘 했어요! (jal hae-sseo-yo = Good job!)

iii) 알겠어요 (al-ge-sseo-yo = I understand)

iv) 모르겠어요 (mo-reu-ge-sseo-yo = I don’t understand/ I have no idea)

v) 알아요 (a-ra-yo = I know)

vi) 몰라요 (mol-la-yo = I don’t know)

vii) 쉬워요 (shwi-wo-yo = Easy)

viii) 어려워요 (eo-ryeo-wo-yo = Difficult)

ix) 맞아요 (ma-ja-yo = Correct)

x) 틀려요 (teul-lyeo-yo = To be wrong/ Incorrect)

Note: The festive season has somewhat disrupted the momentum of our Mind Your Korean series. We will be back with the usual weekly updates next week. What can we say? Living in Malaysia, with its melting pot of people, has its benefits?! ;-). Holiday, holiday, holiday :-P.

Mind Your Korean series:
MYK 1: I'm sorry (미안합니다) - You're welcome (아니에요)
MYK 2: The one where 선생님 beats Liz to the punch line
MYK 3: The tale of the uncooperative tissue paper
MYK 4: From learning the alphabets to self-introduction
MYK 5: Simple conversations in Korean
MYK 6: 하나, 둘, 셋, 넷...come on and count in Korean!
MYK Quiz 1: The Match Up
MYK Quiz 1: Answers and winner announcement
MYK 7: Location, location, location
MYK 8: 일, 이, 삼, 사...come on and count in Sino-Korean!

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Mind Your Korean 7: Location, location, location

Orchid and Liz learn how to talk about location in their Korean language class while Rooster, who is currently back home in Malaysia (yay!), dreams of her return trip to Beijing. They now share with you their adventures and misadventures with the language in MYK 7!


Recap and role play

“안녕하세요. 오랜만이에요!” (an-nyeong-ha-se-yo. O-raen-man-i-e-yo = Hello. Long time no see!), said our 선생님 after a one-week hiatus from class. To help us refresh our memories on native Korean numbers, we did a little role playing exercise.

Below is a modified example:

Scenario: You are at a fruit stall and want to buy some lemons and Mandarin oranges. Let’s pretend the stall owner is an elderly man so we can call him “uncle” or 아저씨 (a-jeo-sshi).

Stall owner: 어서 오세요! (eo-seo o-se-yo = Welcome!)
You: 아저씨, 레몬 하고 귤 있어요? (a-jeo-sshi, le-mon ha-go gyul i-sseo-yo? = Uncle, do you have lemons and Mandarin oranges?)
Stall owner: 네, 있어요. (Ne, i-sseo-yo. = Yes, I do)
You: 그럼, 레몬 네개 하고 귤 두개 주세요. (geu-reom, lemon ne-gae hago gyul doo-gae juseyo = Then, please give me 4 lemons and 2 Mandarin oranges.)


We practiced the situation using various objects such as hamburger (함버거 = ham-beo-geo), pineapple (파인애플 = pa-in-ae-peul) and watermelon (수박 = soo-bak).

Subject marker – 이/가

We have been using subject markers all this while, but it is now time to officially learn about them. A subject marker does exactly what its name suggests; mark the subject in a sentence.

There are two versions of it and they are interchangeable depending on the subject word you are marking.

If the word ends with a batchim (받침) or the alphabets ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄷ, ㄹ, ㅁ, ㅂ, ㅅ,ㅇ, ㅈ etc. then the subject marker 이 (i) is used.

If the word doesn’t end with a batchim (받침), then the subject marker 가 (ga) is used.

And with that, can you tell me which marker is suitable for the respective sentences below?

1. 이 핸드폰___ 누구 거예요? (i haen-deu-pon__ noo-goo geo-ye-yo? = This handphone, whose is it?)


2. 이 의자 ___ 누구 거예요? (i ui-ja__ noo-goo geo-ye-yo? = This chair, whose is it?)

Try it out first before looking at the answers:

1. 이
2. 가

Location/place marker – 에

It might look like a minor addition to a word (에 = e), but it makes a whole world of difference. Let me show you an example using the word 회사 (hwe-sa = company).

A: with 에

선생님이 회사에 있어요. (seon-saeng-nim-i hwe-sa-e i-sseo-yo = Teacher is at the company).

B: without 에

선생님이 회사 있어요. (seon-saeng-nim-i hwe-sa i-sseo-yo = Teacher has a company).

See how the two sentences have different meanings with just the addition of the location marker?

After learning that, we learned how to describe the location of a certain place like so:

Pic credit: malaysiabest.net

Petronas Twin Towers가 어디에 있어요? (KLCC-ga eo-di-e i-sseo-yo? = Where is the Petronas Twin Towers located?)
쿠알라 룸프르에 있어요. (Koo-al-la Loom-peu-reu-e i-sseo-yo. = It’s in Kuala Lumpur.)

쿠알라 룸프르가 어디에 있어요? (Koo-al-la Loom-peu-reu-ga eo-di-e i-sseo-yo? = Where is Kuala Lumpur located?)
말레이시아에 있어요. (Mal-lei-si-a-e i-sseo-yo. = It’s in Malaysia.)

말레이시아가 어디에 있어요? (Mal-lei-sia-ga eo-di-e i-sseo-yo? = Where is Malaysia located?)
동남 아시아에 있어요. (Dong-nam Asia-e i-sseo-yo. = It’s in South-East Asia).

Asking a person’s whereabouts

Now that we’ve learnt about locations, we can ask about a person’s whereabouts! Check out this situation that involves the K-popped! Trio.

리즈: 어깃 씨 여기에 있어요? (eo-kit-sshi yeo-gi-e i-sseo-yo? = Is Orchid here?)
루스터: *ZzzZzz ngup* 뭐?? 아, 아니오, 없어요. (mwo? Ah, anio, eob-seo-yo = What? Ah, no, she’s not here)
리즈: 그럼, 어깃 씨가 어디에 있어요? (geu-reom, o-kit-sshi-ga eo-di-e i-sseo-yo? = Then, where is Orchid?)
루스터: 화장실에 있어요. ㅎㅎㅎ (hwa-jang-sil-e i-sseo-yo = In the toilet. ha ha ha)

Next lesson, Chapter 1

Before we left, Teacher gave all of us a “surprise”:

Teacher: OK, that’s it for today. In the next lesson, we will go into Chapter 1 of your textbook.
Class: Huh?????
(The class has been using the textbook throughout the past 6 classes and is baffled by the statement).
Teacher: You’ve only been learning the introduction chapters of the textbook. We will only go into the textbook proper in the following class.
Liz: *pause* Bwah ha ha ha ha

See you for Chapter 1 in the next installment then, friends.

Mind Your Korean series:
MYK 1: I'm sorry (미안합니다) - You're welcome (아니에요)
MYK 2: The one where 선생님 beats Liz to the punch line
MYK 3: The tale of the uncooperative tissue paper
MYK 4: From learning the alphabets to self-introduction
MYK 5: Simple conversations in Korean
MYK 6: 하나, 둘, 셋, 넷...come on and count in Korean!
MYK Quiz 1: The Match Up
MYK Quiz 1: Answers and winner announcement
Mind Your Korean Tidbits
MYK 8: 일, 이, 삼, 사...come on and count in Sino-Korean!

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MYK Quiz 1: Answers and winner announcement

안녕하세요? 어떻게 지냈어요?

I hope you are feeling fine on the eve of Chinese New Year! Are you all geared up for the reunion dinner with the family? Have a great time and make sure you toss that Yee Sang sky-high to symbolise prosperity in the Year of the Rat!


Since everyone’s in a festive mood, we won’t be sharing MYK7 this week and will only announce the winner of our inaugural quiz entitled The Match Up! But first up:

The answers to the quiz:

1C
Q: 안녕하세요? = an-nyeong-ha-se-yo? = Hello/ How are you?/ Are you at peace?
A: 네, 안녕하세요. = ne, an-nyeong-ha-se-yo. = Yes, hello.
Please read Origins of the phrase at Honjangnim’s Light

2J
Q: 이분이 누구예요? = ibooni noo-goo-ye-yo? = Who is this person?
A: 권상우씨 예요. = kwon sang oo sshi ye-yo. = He is Kwon Sang-oo.

3A
Q: 이름이 뭐예요? = ireumi mwo-ye-yo? = What is your name?
A: 저는 정지훈이에요. = jeo-neun jeong ji hoon-i-e-yo. = I’m Jeong Ji-hoon.

4G
Q: 감사합니다. = gam-sa-ham-ni-da. = Thank you.
A: 아니에요. = anieyo = Don’t mention it.

5B
Q: 어느 나라 사람이에요? = eo-neu na-ra sa-rami-e-yo? = Which country person?/ What is your nationality?
A: 저는 필리핀 사람이에요. = jeo-neun pil-li-pin sa-rami-e-yo. = I’m Filipino.

6H
Q: 미안합니다. = mi-an-ham-ni-da. = Sorry.
A: 괜찮아요. = goen-cha-na-yo. = It’s OK.

7D
Q: 만나서 반갑습니다. = man-na-seo ban-gap-seum-ni-da. = Nice to meet you.
A: 저도 만나서 반갑습니다. = jeo-do man-na-seo ban-gap-seum-ni-da. = Nice to meet you too.

8I
Q: 이게 뭐예요? = i-ge mwo-ye-yo? = What is this?
A: 신발이에요. = shin-ba-ri-e-yo. = (They are) shoes.

9E
Q: 나이가 몇 살이에요? = na-i-ga myeot sa-ri-e-yo? = How old are you? (나이 = age)
A: 스무 살이에요. = seu-moo sa-ri-e-yo. = Twenty-years-old.

10F
Q: 레몬차 있어요? = lemoncha iss-eo-yo? = Do you have lemon tea?
A: 아니오, 없어요. = anio, eob-seo-yo. = No, I don’t.

Those who got all the answers correct are:

1. gail t.
2. anonymous (Jan 30)
3. 양생
4. meiruo_chan
5. anne
6. kiwi_seoul
7. yanmin
8. ladida
9. ciao ciao
10. nelian 52
11. Vai Yoong

And the winner is...

To make picking the winner easier for everyone involved, we’ve decided to go with the “luck of the draw” method. We don’t want to extend the quiz for another week in search of a winner and burden you with a tiebreaker, thus we'll leave it to…destiny?!

Below is a step-by-step look at how the winner was picked. We didn’t cheat or play favourites, OK?

Step 1: Prepare 11 pieces of paper to write the names down (left).
Since it's Chinese New Year (CNY), we added an orange in the pic to
show that we are in a festive mood (right). Oh, get an empty container
ready too.

Step 2: Write the names of those who are eligible for the prize,
which is a set of Hangeul keyboard stickers, on the pieces of paper.

Step 3: Fold the pieces of paper up and drop them into
the empty container.

Step 4: Put the lid on and...

Step 5:...give it a couple of good shakes (left). Turn it upside down,
if you must (right).

Step 6: Run to Orchid and get her to open the lid and pick the
winner. Orchid says, "화이팅!"

Step 7: And proceeds to pick the lucky winner.

Step 8: And the winner of MYK Quiz 1: The Match Up is...

Step 9: 양생 씨!!!!!!!!!!

So 양생 씨 , please write to us at 2kpopped at gmail dot com to inform us of your snail mail address.

We will forward your address to the sponsor Honjangnim's Light. After that, just wait for the prize in the mail :-).

새해 복 많이 받으세요!

Finally, to all K-popped! readers, we would like to wish all of you a very happy Lunar New Year! May the Year of the Rat bring you and your loved ones loads of joy, good health and prosperity!

Kong Hei Fatt Choy: Orchid, on behalf of the K-popped! Trio, offers
you "kam" (Mandarin orange), which in Cantonese sounds similar to the
word gold. Have fun, people! :-)

Here's how you can wish your friends a happy New Year:

• Gong Xi Fa Cai (Mandarin)
• Keong Hee Huat Chai (Hokkien)
• Kong Hei Fatt Choy (Cantonese)
• And last but not least, 새해 복 많이 받으세요! (Sae-hae bok mani ba-deu-se-yo = Korean)

Mind Your Korean series:
MYK 1: I'm sorry (미안합니다) - You're welcome (아니에요)
MYK 2: The one where 선생님 beats Liz to the punch line
MYK 3: The tale of the uncooperative tissue paper
MYK 4: From learning the alphabets to self-introduction
MYK 5: Simple conversations in Korean
MYK 6: 하나, 둘, 셋, 넷...come on and count in Korean!
MYK Quiz 1: The Match Up
MYK 7: Location, location, location
Mind Your Korean Tidbits
MYK 8: 일, 이, 삼, 사...come on and count in Sino-Korean!

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MYK Quiz 1: The Match Up

여러분 안녕하세요? (yeo-reo-boon an-nyeong-ha-se-yo? = Hello everyone.)

Since there isn’t a Mind Your Korean installment today because there wasn’t any class, and taking into consideration Ladida’s suggestion, I’ve decided to come up with a quiz based on what we’ve shared so far.


I hope you’ll take part in it for fun (sorry, we don’t have prizes to give away we have a prize now! Read on to find out what it is!) and if you spot errors in the structure of the quiz, 미안합니다 (mianhamnida = Sorry). I just hope I didn’t botch it up too much. Answers will be published next Wednesday (Feb 6).

In the meantime, please submit your answers as a comment in this entry and no peeking! But if you really, really have to, I’ve provided a “Hint” link. Have fun!

Match the question/sentence in Section I to the most appropriate response in Section II. Write your answers like so: 1J, 2G, 3D (examples only) etc.

Section I

1) 안녕하세요? = an-nyeong-ha-se-yo? Hint

2) 이분이 누구예요? = ibooni noo-goo-ye-yo? Hint

3) 이름이 뭐예요? = ireumi mwo-ye-yo? Hint

4) 감사합니다. = gam-sa-ham-ni-da. Hint

5) 어느 나라 사람이에요? = eo-neu na-ra sa-rami-e-yo? Hint

6) 미안합니다. = mi-an-ham-ni-da. Hint

7) 만나서 반갑습니다. = man-na-seo ban-gap-seum-ni-da. Hint

8) 이게 뭐예요? = i-ge mwo-ye-yo? Hint

9) 나이가 몇 살이에요? = na-i-ga myeot sa-ri-e-yo? Hint

10) 레몬차 있어요? = lemoncha iss-eo-yo? Hint

Section II

A) 저는 정지훈이에요. = jeo-neun jeong ji hoon-i-e-yo.

B) 저는 필리핀 사람이에요. = jeo-neun pil-li-pin sa-rami-e-yo.

C) 네, 안녕하세요. = ne, an-nyeong-ha-se-yo.

D) 저도 만나서 반갑습니다. = jeo-do man-na-seo ban-gap-seum-ni-da.

E) 스무 살이에요. = seu-moo sa-ri-e-yo.

F) 아니오, 없어요. = anio, eob-seo-yo.

G) 아니에요. = anieyo.

H) 괜찮아요. = goen-cha-na-yo.

I) 신발이에요. = shin-ba-ri-e-yo.

J) 권상우씨 예요. = kwon sang oo sshi ye-yo.

Update Jan 31

Keyboard sticker set up for grabs!

Always wanted to type in Hanguel like a dream? Well then, here's some great news for all MYK Quiz 1 participants! Up for grabs is a set of Hangeul keyboard stickers, courtesy of Honjangnim's Light.

Easy type: The keyboard stickers are transparent with the character set displayed
in an unoccupied corner of each key. The existing letters on your keyboard will
still show through the sticker. - Pic courtesy of Honjangnim's Light

Honjangnim's Light is self studying the Korean language and shares with your his/her passion for the language at the site. Currently residing in New Zealand, our dear sponsor will send the prize to you through post, wherever you are!

We will announce the names of those who are eligible for the prize on Wednesday (Feb 6 - CNY Eve). So please, if possible, don't comment as Anonymous, use a pseudonym instead.

All you have to do now to be in the running for the prize is take part in The Match Up. 알겠어요?

Mind Your Korean series:
MYK 1: I'm sorry (미안합니다) - You're welcome (아니에요)
MYK 2: The one where 선생님 beats Liz to the punch line
MYK 3: The tale of the uncooperative tissue paper
MYK 4: From learning the alphabets to self-introduction
MYK 5: Simple conversations in Korean
MYK 6: 하나, 둘, 셋, 넷...come on and count in Korean!
MYK Quiz 1: Answers and winner announcement
MYK 7: Location, location, location
Mind Your Korean Tidbits
MYK 8: 일, 이, 삼, 사...come on and count in Sino-Korean!

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Mind Your Korean 6: 하나, 둘, 셋, 넷...come on and count in Korean!

Orchid and Liz use their fingers and toes to count in Korean - while Rooster counts sheep in her sleep - in their latest Korean language class. They now share with you their adventures and misadventures with the language in MYK6!
여러분 (yeo-reo-boon = everyone), put on your Dracula costumes because we’re going to make like Count Dracula and count (what else?) in Korean (of course).

In this lesson, we will be playing around with native Korean numbers (숫자 = sut-ja = numbers) and will leave the Sino-Korean ones for another day.


Teacher: How do we use native Korean and Sino-Korean numbers? In reading out the pages of a book or dates we use Sino-Korean numbers. What else?
Fellow student: Money!
Teacher: 맞아요 (ma-ja-yo) Correct! We count money in Sino-Korean. But for age (나이 = na-i), people (사람 = saram) and objects/things (물건 = mool-geon), we use native Korean. What else?
Liz: Time?
Teacher: For time, it’s a mixture of both native and Sino-Korean.
*pause*
Liz: Bwah ha ha ha ha…

Getting to know 하나, 둘, 셋…

And so we delved into the world of native Korean numbers. Below is part of what we learned. According to 선생님, numbers 40-99 are rarely used, except when talking about age.

1 = 하나 (ha-na) ~~~ 한(han)___

2 = 둘 (dool) ~~~ 두(doo)___

3 = 셋 (set) ~~~ 세(se)___

4 = 넷 (net) ~~~ 네(ne)___

5 = 다섯 (da-seot)

6 = 여섯 (yeo-seot)

7 = 일곱 (il-gop)

8 = 여덟 (yeo-deol, the 1st batchim is selected to be pronounced)

9 = 아홉 (a-hop)

10 = 열 (yeol)

20 = 스물 (seu-mool) ~~~ 스무(seu-moo)___

30 = 서른 (seo-reun)

Counter

Apart from that, we learned the counter word for various objects. I will have to fall back on Bahasa Malaysia (BM) to give you a better picture of this.

In BM, we have kata bilangan (direct translation = counting words) such as sebiji bola (a ball), dua buah rumah (two houses), tiga helai kertas (three sheets of paper) and so on.

They have that in Korean too. For instance if you are counting people, you go 명 (myeong), for age 살 (sal), for objects 개 (gae), for glasses/cups 잔 (jan) and so on.

K-popped! Trio가 몇명 있어요? 세명 있어요.

Also, when adding the counter word to the number mentioned, the numbers 하나, 둘, 셋, 넷 and 스물 change form to the one written on the far right of the number list above.

Are you still with me?

Why don’t you take some time to memorise (외우세요) the list above with the aid of a kiddie smash hit in…The Song Break.

The Song Break

Finding it hard to even remember numbers 1 – 10? No worries. Remember our favourite kiddie tune called Little Indians? The one that goes: One little, Two little, Three little Indians; Four little, five little, six little Indians…etc.

OK, now apply that tune and sing the song like so:

한명, 두명, 세명이에요;= han-myeong, du-myeong, se-myeong-i-e-yo;
네명, 다섯명, 여섯명이에요; = ne-myeong, da-seot-myeong, yeo-seot-myeong-i-e-yo;
일곱명, 여덟명, 아홉명이에요; = il-gop myeong, yeo-deol myeong, a-hop-meyong-i-e-yo;
열명이에요 = yeol myeong-i-e-yo

Got it? ;-) ;-)

Family matters

The class was then tasked with asking each other about our family and age so we could apply what we have learned. The examples below in no way reflect the true situation of Orchid, Rooster or Liz.

Example 1:
Q: 가족이 몇명 이에요? = kajogi myeon myeong-i-e-yo? = How many people are there in your family?
Note: If you follow the rules, 몇명 is actually pronounced myeot myeong, but it’s a little of a tongue twister there, so it is usually pronounced 면명 (myeon myeong) for a smoother speech.
A: 열한명이에요 = yeol-han-myeong-i-e-yo = 11 people.
Note: Take note of how 11 (열하나) is a combination of 10 + 1 (열 + 하나); and also how 하나 becomes 한 when the counter 명 is attached.

Example 2:
Q: 리즈씨, 오빠 있어요? = Lijeu-sshi, oppa isseoyo? = Liz, do you have elder brother(s)?
A: 네, 있어요. = Ne, isseoyo = Yes, I have.
Q: 몇명이에요? = myeon myeong-i-e-yo? = How many persons?
A: 한명이에요. = han-myeong-i-e-yo. = One person.
Q: 몇살이에요? = myeot sa-ri-e-yo? = How old is he?
A: 스물아홉 살이에요. = seu-mool-a-hop sa-ri-e-yo. = 29 years old.

Ordering a cuppa

So let’s say you find yourself at a café in Seoul one day and want to order a drink. This is how you can do it:

You: 녹차 있어요? = nok-cha isseoyo? = Do you have green tea?
Waiter: 아니오, 없어요. = anio, eobseoyo. = No, we don’t.
You: 커피 있어요? = kheo-pi isseoyo? = Do you have coffee?
Waiter: 네, 있어요. = ne, isseoyo. = Yes, we do.
You: 그럼, 커피 한잔 주세요. = geu-reom, kheo-pi han-jan juseyo. = Then, give me a cup of coffee please.
*a little while later*
Waiter: 여기 있어요 = yeo-gi isseoyo. = Here it is.
You: 감사합니다 = gamsahamnida = Thank you. *slurrrrrp, ahhhhh*

No class next week

Below is a snippet of conversation the class had with Teacher about our next class, which happens to fall on a public holiday.

Liz: 선생님, next week class 있어요?
Teacher: 아니오, 없어요. I will see you all 다음, 다음 주.
Fellow student: Huh? What’s that?
Teacher: 다음 is next. 주 is week so 다음, 다음 주 is next, next week.
Orchid and Liz: 아, 그래요!

So my dear MYK series fans, there will be no entry on class next week.

Mind Your Korean series:
MYK 1: I'm sorry (미안합니다) - You're welcome (아니에요)
MYK 2: The one where 선생님 beats Liz to the punch line
MYK 3: The tale of the uncooperative tissue paper
MYK 4: From learning the alphabets to self-introduction
MYK 5: Simple conversations in Korean
MYK Quiz 1: The Match Up
MYK Quiz 1: Answers and winner announcement
MYK 7: Location, location, location
MYK Tidbits
MYK 8: 일, 이, 삼, 사...come on and count in Sino-Korean!


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