Korean · Beginner (A1) · Chapter 4 of 12
Getting around
길 찾기Gil chatgi
Ask where places are in Korean, understand simple directions, and say what there is nearby with 있어요 and 없어요.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Get someone's attention politely and ask the way
- Understand left, right and straight on
- Say there is or there isn't with 있어요 / 없어요
- Use the subject particle 이/가 and 에 for places
Listen
Visiting Incheon, Oh Seungmin asks an older woman in the street the way to the subway station and a pharmacy. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Seungmin
저기요, 실례합니다. 지하철역이 어디에 있어요?
Jeogiyo, sillyehamnida. Jihacheollyeogi eodie isseoyo?
Excuse me. Where is the subway station?
Woman
지하철역이요? 이쪽으로 쭉 가세요. 역은 오른쪽에 있어요.
Jihacheollyeogiyo? Ijjogeuro jjuk gaseyo. Yeogeun oreunjjoge isseoyo.
The subway station? Go straight on this way. The station is on the right.
Seungmin
멀어요?
Meoreoyo?
Is it far?
Woman
아니요, 가까워요.
Aniyo, gakkawoyo.
No, it's close.
Seungmin
이 근처에 약국도 있어요?
I geuncheoe yakgukdo isseoyo?
Is there a pharmacy near here too?
Woman
네, 역 왼쪽에 약국이 있어요.
Ne, yeok oenjjoge yakgugi isseoyo.
Yes, there's a pharmacy to the left of the station.
Seungmin
편의점도 있어요?
Pyeonuijeomdo isseoyo?
Is there a convenience store too?
Woman
편의점은 잘 모르겠어요.
Pyeonuijeomeun jal moreugesseoyo.
A convenience store, I'm not sure.
Seungmin
네, 감사합니다.
Ne, gamsahamnida.
OK, thank you.
Woman
네, 안녕히 가세요.
Ne, annyeonghi gaseyo.
You're welcome. Goodbye.
Understand
있어요 and 없어요: there is, there isn't
(isseoyo) means “there is” and also “is (somewhere)”. (eopseoyo) means “there isn't”. Say where with 에 after the place: (oreunjjoge isseoyo), it's on the right. Ask … (eodie isseoyo?), where is …?
The thing that is there is the subject of (isseoyo): the person or thing that does or is what the verb says. Mark it with the subject particle 이 after a consonant or 가 after a vowel: (yakgugi isseoyo), there's a pharmacy; (kapega isseoyo), there's a café.
- 편의점이 어디에 있어요?Pyeonuijeomi eodie isseoyo?Where is the convenience store?
- 이 근처에 카페가 있어요?I geuncheoe kapega isseoyo?Is there a café near here?
- 약국이 없어요.Yakgugi eopseoyo.There isn't a pharmacy.
은/는 or 이/가?
Both pairs can follow the subject, but they do different jobs. 이 / 가 is the plain subject marker. Use it when you bring something new into the conversation, when you ask where something is, and always after a question word that is the subject: (mwoga isseoyo?), what is there? (nugu), who, + 가 becomes (nuga): (nuga gyosayeyo?), who's the teacher?
은 / 는 marks the topic, something already known: “as for …”. Use it for yourself when you introduce yourself (, jeoneun), for something already mentioned (, yeogeun oreunjjoge isseoyo, the station is on the right) and to contrast two things: (pyeonuijeomeun jal moreugesseoyo), a convenience store (unlike the pharmacy), I'm not sure. Never put it right after a question word.
| 이 / 가: new, asked about | 은 / 는: known, as for, contrast |
|---|---|
| (i geuncheoe mwoga isseoyo?), what is there near here? | (jeoneun gyosayeyo), as for me, I'm a teacher |
| (yakgugi isseoyo), there's a pharmacy | (yakgugeun yeok oenjjoge isseoyo), the pharmacy is left of the station |
| (kapega isseoyo), there's a café | (pyeonuijeomeun eopseoyo), but a convenience store, there isn't |
Left, right and (으)로: which way?
에 says where something is: (oenjjoge isseoyo), it's on the left. (으)로 says which way you go: (oenjjogeuro gaseyo), go left. Use 으로 after a consonant and 로 after a vowel or ㄹ.
(gaseyo) means “please go”. Learn it as a fixed instruction for now, like (annyeonghi gaseyo), “go in peace”. (jjuk) means “straight on”, and (ijjogeuro) means “this way”: (jjok) is “side”, as in (oreunjjok), the right side.
| Where it is | Which way to go |
|---|---|
| (oreunjjoge isseoyo), it's on the right | (oreunjjogeuro gaseyo), go right |
| (oenjjoge isseoyo), it's on the left | (oenjjogeuro gaseyo), go left |
| (yeogi isseoyo), it's here | (jjuk gaseyo), go straight on |
이, 그, 저 + a noun, and getting attention
You know (igeo), (geugeo) and (jeogeo). Before a noun, use (i, this), (geu, that) and (jeo, that over there): (i geuncheo), near here; (geu yakguk), that pharmacy; (jeo pyeonuijeom), that convenience store over there.
To stop someone in the street, say (jeogiyo), “excuse me, over here”, or the more formal (sillyehamnida), “excuse me”. (jeogiyo) is also how you call staff in a restaurant.
More in the grammar: 은/는 and 이/가: topic and subject · 을/를, 에, 에서 and (으)로 · 있다 and 없다: there is, to have
New words
- 저기요jeogiyoexcuse me (to get attention)
- 실례합니다sillyehamnidaexcuse me (formal)
- 지하철역jihacheollyeoksubway station · (jihacheol), subway, + (yeok), station
- 어디eodiwhere · (eodie isseoyo?), Where is it?
- 쭉jjukstraight on · (ijjogeuro jjuk gaseyo), go straight on this way
- 가세요gaseyoplease go
- 오른쪽oreunjjokright, the right side
- 멀어요meoreoyoit's far
- 가까워요gakkawoyoit's close, it's near · Learn it as a word; its dictionary form is (gakkapda).
- 근처geuncheonearby area · (i geuncheoe), near here
- 약국yakgukpharmacy
- 왼쪽oenjjokleft, the left side
- 편의점pyeonuijeomconvenience store · open 24 hours and on almost every corner
- 잘 모르겠어요jal moreugesseoyoI'm not sure, I don't really know
Practise
1.How do you ask where the pharmacy is?
2.Put the words in order to ask what there is near here.
Tap the words below in the right order.What is there near here?
3.Match the Korean with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
4.How do you tell someone to go left?
5.Put the words in order: say where the pharmacy is.
Tap the words below in the right order.The pharmacy is to the left of the station.
6.You point at a convenience store across the street. How do you say “that convenience store over there”?
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
저기요, 지하철역이 어디에 있어요?
Jeogiyo, jihacheollyeogi eodie isseoyo?
Excuse me, where is the subway station?
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.