Korean · Elementary (A2) · Chapter 10 of 12
Describing people
어떤 사람이에요?Eotteon saramieyo?
Describe what people look like and what they're wearing in Korean, and show respect for older people with -(으)시- and honorific verbs like 계시다.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Describe someone's height, hair and character
- Say what someone is wearing: 입다, 신다, 쓰다
- Show respect for older people with -(으)시-
- Say who looks like whom, and what's different
Listen
In Pohang, Nam Eunjeong asks her son Seojun, 17, to meet his aunt at the bus terminal. He hasn't seen her since he was small. His mother speaks 반말 to him; he answers in the polite style. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Mum
서준아, 오늘 이모가 미국에서 오셔. 터미널에 좀 가 줘.
Seojuna, oneul imoga Migugeseo osyeo. Teomineore jom ga jwo.
Seojun, your aunt is coming from America today. Can you go to the bus terminal for me?
Seojun
이모요? 어렸을 때 한 번 봤어요. 어떤 분이세요?
Imoyo? Eoryeosseul ttae han beon bwasseoyo. Eotteon buniseyo?
Auntie? I saw her once when I was little. What's she like?
Mum
키가 크시고 머리가 짧으셔. 그리고 안경을 쓰셨어.
Kiga keusigo meoriga jjalbeusyeo. Geurigo angyeongeul sseusyeosseo.
She's tall and has short hair. And she wears glasses.
Seojun
엄마하고 닮으셨어요?
Eommahago dalmeusyeosseoyo?
Does she look like you?
Mum
아니, 우리는 좀 달라. 이모가 나보다 키가 크셔.
Ani, urineun jom dalla. Imoga naboda kiga keusyeo.
No, we're quite different. She's taller than me.
Seojun
오늘은 뭐 입고 계세요?
Oneureun mwo ipgo gyeseyo?
What is she wearing today?
Mum
이 사진 봐. 빨간 코트를 입고 계시고, 까만 모자를 쓰고 계셔.
I sajin bwa. Ppalgan koteureul ipgo gyesigo, kkaman mojareul sseugo gyesyeo.
Look at this photo. She's wearing a red coat and a black hat.
Seojun
아, 이분이 이모세요? 제가 어렸을 때하고 좀 다르세요.
A, ibuni imoseyo? Jega eoryeosseul ttaehago jom dareuseyo.
Oh, is this her? She looks a bit different from when I was little.
Mum
그때는 머리가 기셨어. 이모는 정말 착하고 친절하셔.
Geuttaeneun meoriga gisyeosseo. Imoneun jeongmal chakago chinjeolhasyeo.
She had long hair back then. She's really kind and friendly.
Seojun
알겠어요. 몇 시에 오세요?
Algesseoyo. Myeot sie oseyo?
OK. What time is she arriving?
Mum
세 시 반에 오셔. 이모는 점심을 아직 안 드셨어.
Se si bane osyeo. Imoneun jeomsimeul ajik an deusyeosseo.
At half past three. She hasn't had lunch yet.
Seojun
네, 그럼 터미널 근처에서 같이 점심을 먹을 거예요.
Ne, geureom teomineol geuncheoeseo gachi jeomsimeul meogeul geoyeyo.
OK, then we'll have lunch together near the terminal.
Understand
Showing respect: -(으)시-
When you talk about someone older or someone you respect, such as a grandparent, an aunt or a teacher, you add -(으)시- to the verb: -시- after a vowel, -으시- after a consonant. Never use it about yourself. In the polite style, -(으)시- + -어요 becomes -(으)세요, the form you know from chapter 3: (imoneun kiga keuseyo), my aunt is tall.
In the past it's -(으)셨어요: (Migugeseo osyeosseoyo), she came from America. In the future, -(으)실 거예요. Seojun's mother says (keusyeo), (osyeo), (sseusyeosseo): the ending is casual because she's talking to her son, but -시- still shows respect for the aunt.
A few common verbs have their own honorific form: (to be somewhere) → (gyesida); and → (deusida); → (jumusida). A ㄹ stem drops its ㄹ: → (giseyo).
| Verb | Honorific present | Honorific past |
|---|---|---|
| (oda), to come | (oseyo) | (osyeosseoyo) |
| (keuda), to be tall | (keuseyo) | (keusyeosseoyo) |
| (jjalda), to be short | (jjalbeuseyo) | (jjalbeusyeosseoyo) |
| (gilda), to be long | (giseyo) | (gisyeosseoyo) |
| (itda), to be there | (gyeseyo) | (gyesyeosseoyo) |
| (meokda), to eat | (deuseyo) | (deusyeosseoyo) |
| (jada), to sleep | (jumuseyo) | (jumusyeosseoyo) |
Tall, short hair, glasses
For height and hair, Korean uses a subject: (kiga keuda), to be tall, literally “height is big”; (kiga jakda), to be short; (meoriga gilda), to have long hair; (meoriga jjalda), to have short hair. means both head and hair. Before a noun: (gin meori), long hair (the ㄹ drops); (jjalbeun meori), short hair; (chakan saram), a kind person.
Korean has different verbs for “wear”: (ipda) for clothes, (sinda) for shoes and socks, (sseuda) for glasses and hats. To say what someone is wearing now, use -고 있다: (koteureul ipgo isseoyo), she's wearing a coat; with respect, (ipgo gyeseyo). The past works too, because once you've put something on, you're wearing it: (angyeongeul sseosseoyo), he's wearing glasses.
| What | Verb | Wearing it |
|---|---|---|
| clothes: (koteu), (syeocheu) | (ipda) | (koteureul ipgo isseoyo) |
| shoes: (undonghwa), trainers | (sinda) | (undonghwareul singo isseoyo) |
| glasses, hats: (angyeong), (moja) | (sseuda) | (mojareul sseugo isseoyo) |
Alike and different: 닮다, 다르다
(dareuda), to be different, is a 르 verb: before -아요 / -어요, 르 becomes ㄹ라 or ㄹ러, so (dallayo), it's different, and (dallasseoyo). → (mollayo), I don't know, works the same way. Its opposite, (alda), to know, gives the handy (algesseoyo), OK, I understand, which Seojun uses to answer his mother. With -(으)시- nothing changes: (dareuseyo).
(damda), to look like, is usually used in the past form, because it describes a lasting state: (eommareul dalmasseoyo) or (eommahago dalmasseoyo), I look like my mum.
- 저는 아빠를 많이 닮았어요.Jeoneun appareul mani dalmasseoyo.I look a lot like my dad.
- 이모는 엄마하고 좀 달라요.Imoneun eommahago jom dallayo.My aunt is quite different from my mum.
- 어렸을 때 머리가 길었어요.Eoryeosseul ttae meoriga gireosseoyo.When I was little, I had long hair.
More in the grammar: 있다 and 없다: there is, to have · -고 있다: doing now, and wearing · Honorifics: -(으)시-, 께서, 드리다 · Irregular verbs: ㅂ, ㄷ, ㅅ, 르, ㅎ (and ㅡ, ㄹ stems) · Describing nouns: -는, -(으)ㄴ, -(으)ㄹ, -던
New words
- 이모imoaunt (your mother's sister) · your father's sister is (gomo)
- 어렸을 때eoryeosseul ttaewhen I was little, as a child · learn it as a phrase for now
- 어떤eotteonwhat kind of, what … like · (eotteon buniseyo?), what is she like?; (bun) is the respectful word for person
- 키kiheight · (kiga keoyo), he's tall; (kiga jagayo), she's short
- 짧다jjaldato be short (in length) · (meoriga jjalbayo), she has short hair
- 안경angyeongglasses
- 쓰다sseudato wear (glasses, a hat); to write; to use · (sseoyo), (sseosseoyo)
- 닮다damdato look like, to take after · (eommareul dalmasseoyo), I look like my mum
- 다르다dareudato be different · a 르 verb: (dallayo)
- 계시다gyesidato be (somewhere), honorific · the respectful form of (itda): (eodi gyeseyo?), where is she?
- 모자mojahat, cap
- 길다gildato be long · (gireoyo); before a noun, (gin): (gin meori), long hair
- 착하다chakadato be kind, good-natured · (chakan saram), a kind person
- 친절하다chinjeolhadato be friendly, kind (to others) · often about staff and strangers: (jigwoni chinjeolhaeyo), the staff are friendly
Practise
1.Match the words with their meanings.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
2.Say “My grandmother is tall”, showing respect for her.
3.Which verb do you use for glasses?
4.Put the words in order: say (with respect) that she's wearing a red coat.
Tap the words below in the right order.She's wearing a red coat.
5.Your friend says (jeoneun eommareul dalmasseoyo). What does she mean?
6.Put the words in order: say (with respect) that your aunt has short hair.
Tap the words below in the right order.My aunt has short hair.
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
키가 크고 안경을 썼어요.
Kiga keugo angyeongeul sseosseoyo.
He's tall and wears glasses.
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.