Korean · Beginner (A1) · Chapter 10 of 12
Likes and dislikes
좋아요, 싫어요Joayo, sireoyo
Say what you like and don't like in Korean with 좋아하다 and 좋아요, make sentences negative with 안, and talk about food.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Say what you like and dislike
- Choose between 을/를 좋아해요 and 이/가 좋아요
- Make verbs negative with 안
- Talk about food and say if it's tasty or spicy
Listen
Colleagues Ha Yujin and Song Minho talk about food over lunch near their office in Yeouido, Seoul. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Minho
유진 씨, 김치찌개 좋아해요?
Yujin ssi, gimchijjigae joahaeyo?
Yujin, do you like kimchi stew?
Yujin
네, 정말 좋아해요. 민호 씨는요?
Ne, jeongmal joahaeyo. Minho ssineunyo?
Yes, I really like it. What about you, Minho?
Minho
저는 별로 안 좋아해요. 좀 매워요.
Jeoneun byeollo an joahaeyo. Jom maewoyo.
I don't really like it. It's a bit spicy.
Yujin
고기는 좋아해요?
Gogineun joahaeyo?
Do you like meat?
Minho
네, 고기가 정말 좋아요. 생선도 좋아해요.
Ne, gogiga jeongmal joayo. Saengseondo joahaeyo.
Yes, I really like meat. I like fish too.
Yujin
저는 생선을 안 먹어요. 정말 싫어해요.
Jeoneun saengseoneul an meogeoyo. Jeongmal sireohaeyo.
I don't eat fish. I really don't like it.
Minho
채소는 좋아해요?
Chaesoneun joahaeyo?
Do you like vegetables?
Yujin
네, 채소하고 과일을 좋아해요.
Ne, chaesohago gwaireul joahaeyo.
Yes, I like vegetables and fruit.
Minho
여기 음식 맛있어요?
Yeogi eumsik masisseoyo?
Is the food good here?
Yujin
네, 정말 맛있어요. 하지만 김치찌개는 좀 매워요.
Ne, jeongmal masisseoyo. Hajiman gimchijjigaeneun jom maewoyo.
Yes, it's really good. But the kimchi stew is a bit spicy.
Understand
좋아해요 or 좋아요?
Korean has two ways to say “I like”. (joahada), to like, is an action verb, so the thing you like is its object and takes 을 / 를: (gimchijjigaereul joahaeyo), I like kimchi stew. In quick questions the particle is often dropped: (gimchijjigae joahaeyo?)
(jota) means “to be good”. With it, the thing you like is the subject and takes 이 / 가: (gogiga joayo), literally “meat is good (to me)”. Both mean “I like meat”; (joayo) sounds a little more personal. The same pair exists for “dislike”: (sireohaeyo) with 을 / 를, and (sireoyo) with 이 / 가.
| Particle | Verb | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 을 / 를 | (joahaeyo), like | (gwaireul joahaeyo) |
| 이 / 가 | (joayo), like | (gwairi joayo) |
| 을 / 를 | (sireohaeyo), dislike | (saengseoneul sireohaeyo) |
| 이 / 가 | (sireoyo), dislike | (saengseoni sireoyo) |
Not: 안 and -지 않아요
To make a verb negative, put (an), not, right before it: (meogeoyo), I eat → (an meogeoyo), I don't eat. It works for descriptive verbs too: (an maewoyo), it's not spicy.
With a noun + (hada) verb, goes between the two parts: (undonghaeyo) → (undong an haeyo), I don't exercise. But (joahada) isn't a noun + , so it's simply (an joahaeyo).
(anieyo) is only for nouns: (gyosaga anieyo), I'm not a teacher. (byeollo) + a negative means “not really”: (byeollo an joahaeyo), I don't really like it.
There is also a longer negative: the stem + -지 않아요 (-ji anayo). (meokda) → (meokji anayo), I don't eat; (maepda) → (maepji anayo), it's not spicy; (joahada) → (joahaji anayo). It means the same as (an). In conversation (an) is more common; -지 않아요 sounds a little more careful and is usual in writing.
- 저는 고기를 안 먹어요.Jeoneun gogireul an meogeoyo.I don't eat meat.
- 저녁에는 운동 안 해요.Jeonyeogeneun undong an haeyo.I don't exercise in the evening.
- 생선은 별로 안 좋아해요.Saengseoneun byeollo an joahaeyo.I don't really like fish.
- 이 김치는 맵지 않아요.I gimchineun maepji anayo.This kimchi isn't spicy.
Tasty, spicy, really
(mat) is “taste”, so (masisseoyo), delicious, is literally “taste exists”, and (madeopseoyo), not tasty, is “taste doesn't exist”. (maewoyo) means “it's spicy”; learn it as a word for now.
To make something stronger or weaker, put (jeongmal), really, (aju), very, or (jogeum), a little, before it. In speech (jogeum) is often shortened to (jom).
- 정말 맛있어요.Jeongmal masisseoyo.It's really delicious.
- 아주 매워요.Aju maewoyo.It's very spicy.
- 이 생선은 맛없어요.I saengseoneun madeopseoyo.This fish isn't tasty.
More in the grammar: Likes and wants: 좋아하다, 좋다, -고 싶다 · Negation: 안, 못, -지 않다, -지 못하다 · Sound changes: why 감사합니다 is gamsahamnida · The present tense: -아요 / -어요 · 은/는 and 이/가: topic and subject
New words
- 김치찌개gimchijjigaekimchi stew
- 좋아하다joahadato like · (joahaeyo), I like
- 정말jeongmalreally
- 민호 씨는요?Minho ssineunyo?What about you, Minho? · name + (ssineunyo?) asks “and you?” without a word for “you”
- 별로byeollonot really (with a negative)
- 매워요maewoyoit's spicy · from (maepda)
- 고기gogimeat
- 생선saengseonfish (as food)
- 싫어하다sireohadato dislike · (sireohaeyo), I don't like
- 채소chaesovegetables
- 과일gwailfruit
- 음식eumsikfood
- 맛있어요masisseoyoit's delicious
- 맛없어요madeopseoyoit's not tasty
Practise
1.How do you say “I like fish” with (joahaeyo)?
2.How do you say “I don't exercise”?
3.Put the words in order: say you don't eat meat.
Tap the words below in the right order.I don't eat meat.
4.Match the Korean with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
5.Put the words in order: say you don't really like kimchi stew.
Tap the words below in the right order.I don't really like kimchi stew.
6.You love vegetables. Which sentence says so?
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
김치찌개 좋아해요?
Gimchijjigae joahaeyo?
Do you like kimchi stew?
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.