Korean · Beginner (A1) · Chapter 7 of 12
My day
하루 일과Haru ilgwa
Describe your daily routine in Korean with the present tense -아요 / -어요, tell the time, and use 에 and 에서 for places.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Make the present tense of any regular verb
- Say what you usually do and when
- Tell the time with native hours and Sino-Korean minutes
- Choose between 에 and 에서
Listen
In the gym of their apartment building in Gwangju, neighbours Kang Taeyang and Bae Sua compare their daily routines. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Sua
태양 씨, 보통 몇 시에 일어나요?
Taeyang ssi, botong myeot sie ireonayo?
Taeyang, what time do you usually get up?
Taeyang
여섯 시 반에 일어나요. 그리고 여기에서 운동해요.
Yeoseot si bane ireonayo. Geurigo yeogieseo undonghaeyo.
I get up at half past six. Then I work out here.
Sua
아침은 먹어요?
Achimeun meogeoyo?
Do you eat breakfast?
Taeyang
네, 일곱 시 반에 아침을 먹어요. 그리고 여덟 시 십 분에 회사에 가요.
Ne, ilgop si bane achimeul meogeoyo. Geurigo yeodeol si sip bune hoesae gayo.
Yes, I have breakfast at half past seven. Then I go to the office at ten past eight.
Sua
저는 아홉 시에 일어나요. 집에서 일해요.
Jeoneun ahop sie ireonayo. Jibeseo ilhaeyo.
I get up at nine. I work at home.
Taeyang
점심은 몇 시에 먹어요?
Jeomsimeun myeot sie meogeoyo?
What time do you have lunch?
Sua
보통 한 시에 먹어요. 태양 씨는 몇 시에 퇴근해요?
Botong han sie meogeoyo. Taeyang ssineun myeot sie toegeunhaeyo?
Usually at one. What time do you finish work, Taeyang?
Taeyang
여섯 시에 퇴근해요. 저녁에는 텔레비전을 봐요.
Yeoseot sie toegeunhaeyo. Jeonyeogeneun tellebijeoneul bwayo.
I finish work at six. In the evening I watch TV.
Sua
몇 시에 자요?
Myeot sie jayo?
What time do you go to bed?
Taeyang
열한 시에 자요.
Yeolhan sie jayo.
At eleven.
Understand
The present tense: -아요 / -어요
Korean verbs in the dictionary end in -다: (meokda), to eat. Take off -다 and you have the stem: 먹-. Look at the last vowel of the stem. If it's ㅏ or ㅗ, add -아요. Otherwise, add -어요: (meogeoyo), I eat. Verbs ending in (hada) always become (haeyo): (ilhada) → (ilhaeyo).
When the stem ends in a vowel, the two vowels merge, as the table shows. The same form works for I, you, he, she, we and they, and for questions: (meogeoyo?), do you eat? The present also covers habits: what you usually do. A few verbs change in other ways, like (keoyo), it's big, from (keuda); learn them as words for now, and A2 explains the patterns.
| The stem ends in | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ㅏ or ㅗ + a consonant | add -아요 | (salda), live → (sarayo) |
| another vowel + a consonant | add -어요 | (meokda), eat → (meogeoyo) |
| the vowel ㅏ, ㅓ or ㅐ | just add 요 | (gada), go → (gayo); (bonaeda), send → (bonaeyo) |
| the vowel ㅗ | ㅗ + 아 → ㅘ | (boda), see → (bwayo); (oda), come → (wayo) |
| the vowel ㅜ | ㅜ + 어 → ㅝ | (baeuda), learn → (baewoyo) |
| the vowel ㅣ | ㅣ + 어 → ㅕ | (masida), drink → (masyeoyo) |
| the vowel ㅚ | ㅚ + 어 → ㅙ | (doeda), be possible → (dwaeyo) |
| (hada) | always 해요 | (ilhada), work → (ilhaeyo) |
Telling the time
Hours use native numbers + (si), o'clock: (han si), (du si), (se si), (ne si), up to (yeoldu si). Minutes use Sino-Korean numbers + (bun): (sip bun), ten minutes. Half past is (ban), half.
Put 에 after a time to say “at”: (ilgop sie), at seven. Ask …? (myeot sie …?), at what time …? To ask what time it is now, say (myeot siyeyo?).
| Time | Korean |
|---|---|
| 1:00 | (han si) |
| 6:30 | (yeoseot si ban) or (yeoseot si samsip bun) |
| 8:10 | (yeodeol si sip bun) |
| 11:00 | (yeolhan si) |
| 12:45 | (yeoldu si sasibo bun) |
에 or 에서?
에 marks a destination or a time: (hoesae gayo), I go to the office; (ilgop sie), at seven. 에 also marks where something is, with (isseoyo) and (sarayo).
에서 marks the place where an action happens: (hoesaeseo ilhaeyo), I work at the office; (jibeseo meogeoyo), I eat at home. Ask yourself: is someone doing something there? Then use 에서.
- 회사에 가요.Hoesae gayo.I go to the office.
- 회사에서 일해요.Hoesaeseo ilhaeyo.I work at the office.
- 집에서 커피를 마셔요.Jibeseo keopireul masyeoyo.I drink coffee at home.
More in the grammar: Numbers, counters, time and dates · The present tense: -아요 / -어요 · 을/를, 에, 에서 and (으)로
New words
- 보통botongusually
- 몇 시myeot siwhat time · (myeot sie?), at what time?
- 일어나요ireonayoget up · from (ireonada)
- 반banhalf; half past
- 운동해요undonghaeyoexercise, work out · from (undonghada)
- 아침achimmorning; breakfast
- 먹어요meogeoyoeat · from (meokda)
- 회사hoesacompany, office
- 가요gayogo · from (gada)
- 일해요ilhaeyowork · from (ilhada)
- 점심jeomsimlunch; midday
- 퇴근해요toegeunhaeyofinish work and leave · from (toegeunhada)
- 저녁jeonyeokevening; dinner
- 자요jayosleep, go to bed · from (jada)
Practise
1.What is the present tense of (meokda), to eat?
2.How do you say “I work at the office”?
3.Put the words in order: say you get up at half past seven.
Tap the words below in the right order.I get up at half past seven.
4.Match the Korean with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
5.How do you say 8:30?
6.Put the words in order: say you go to the office.
Tap the words below in the right order.I go to the office.
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
보통 몇 시에 일어나요?
Botong myeot sie ireonayo?
What time do you usually get up?
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.