Korean · Intermediate (B1) · Chapter 9 of 12
Health and lifestyle
건강한 생활Geonganghan saenghwal
Talk about habits and health in Korean: give advice (-는 게 좋겠어요, -도록 하세요), guess with 것 같다, and say who makes whom do what (-게 하다).
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Give and understand advice with -는 게 좋겠어요 and -도록 하세요
- Guess and soften opinions with -(으)ㄴ / -는 / -(으)ㄹ 것 같다
- Say that someone makes you do something with -게 하다
- Talk about blood pressure, diet, smoking and exercise
Listen
At a clinic in Cheongju, Dr Hong Mijin goes through the results of a health check-up with Mr Cha Yongsu, 54. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Dr Hong
차용수 님, 건강 검진 결과가 나왔어요. 앉으세요.
Cha Yongsu nim, geongang geomjin gyeolgwaga nawasseoyo. Anjeuseyo.
Mr Cha, the results of your health check-up are here. Please sit down.
Mr Cha
네. 결과가 어때요? 괜찮아요?
Ne. Gyeolgwaga eottaeyo? Gwaenchanayo?
Yes. How are the results? Is everything all right?
Dr Hong
혈압이 좀 높으세요. 요즘 스트레스를 많이 받으세요?
Hyeorabi jom nopeuseyo. Yojeum seuteureseureul mani badeuseyo?
Your blood pressure is a bit high. Are you under a lot of stress these days?
Mr Cha
네, 회사 일 때문에 스트레스가 많은 것 같아요. 잠도 잘 못 자요.
Ne, hoesa il ttaemune seuteureseuga maneun geot gatayo. Jamdo jal mot jayo.
Yes, I think I'm quite stressed because of work. I don't sleep well either.
Dr Hong
식사는 어떻게 하세요? 짠 음식을 자주 드세요?
Siksaneun eotteoke haseyo? Jjan eumsigeul jaju deuseyo?
What about your meals? Do you often eat salty food?
Mr Cha
네, 찌개를 좋아해서 거의 매일 먹어요. 그리고 담배도 피워요.
Ne, jjigaereul joahaeseo geoui maeil meogeoyo. Geurigo dambaedo piwoyo.
Yes, I love stews, so I have them almost every day. And I smoke, too.
Dr Hong
생활 습관을 좀 바꾸시는 게 좋겠어요. 먼저 짠 음식을 줄이시고, 담배는 끊으시는 게 좋아요.
Saenghwal seupgwaneul jom bakkusineun ge jokesseoyo. Meonjeo jjan eumsigeul jurisigo, dambaeneun kkeuneusineun ge joayo.
I think you should change your habits a little. First, cut down on salty food, and it would be best to stop smoking.
Mr Cha
담배를 끊는 건 좀 어려울 것 같아요.
Dambaereul kkeunneun geon jom eoryeoul geot gatayo.
I think giving up smoking will be quite hard.
Dr Hong
처음에는 힘드실 거예요. 그래도 건강을 위해서 꼭 끊도록 하세요. 운동은 하세요?
Cheoeumeneun himdeusil geoyeyo. Geuraedo geongangeul wihaeseo kkok kkeuntorok haseyo. Undongeun haseyo?
It'll be hard at first. But for your health, please make sure you quit. Do you get any exercise?
Mr Cha
아니요, 거의 안 해요. 그래서 요즘 아내가 저를 매일 걷게 해요.
Aniyo, geoui an haeyo. Geuraeseo yojeum anaega jeoreul maeil geotge haeyo.
No, hardly any. So these days my wife makes me walk every day.
Dr Hong
잘됐네요. 걷기는 혈압에 아주 좋아요. 규칙적으로 걸으시면 곧 좋아지실 것 같아요.
Jaldwaenneyo. Geotgineun hyeorabe aju joayo. Gyuchikjeogeuro georeusimyeon got joajisil geot gatayo.
That's good. Walking is very good for blood pressure. If you walk regularly, I think you'll soon get better.
Mr Cha
알겠습니다. 체중도 좀 줄이고, 앞으로 조심할게요.
Algetseumnida. Chejungdo jom jurigo, apeuro josimhalgeyo.
I see. I'll lose a bit of weight too, and I'll be careful from now on.
Understand
Giving advice: -는 게 좋겠어요, -도록 하세요
-는 게 좋아요 (literally “doing … is good”) is the everyday way to give advice: (dambaeneun kkeunneun ge joayo), you'd better stop smoking. With -겠어요 it sounds softer and more personal: (jurineun ge jokesseoyo), I think you should cut down. To an older person, add -(으)시-: (kkeuneusineun ge joayo).
-는 것이 중요해요 (in speech -는 게 중요해요) says what matters: (gyuchikjeogeuro undonghaneun ge jungyohaeyo), it's important to exercise regularly. Doctors and teachers also use -도록 하세요, “make sure you…”, which is firmer: (kkok kkeuntorok haseyo), make sure you quit.
| Advice | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (Puk swineun ge jokesseoyo.) | I think you should get a good rest. |
| (Mureul mani masineun ge jungyohaeyo.) | It's important to drink plenty of water. |
| (Maeil samsip bunssik geotdorok haseyo.) | Make sure you walk for thirty minutes every day. |
| (Sureun masiji maseyo.) | Don't drink alcohol. (A2) |
It seems, I think: -(으)ㄴ / -는 / -(으)ㄹ 것 같다
(geot gatda), literally “it's like the thing that…”, is how Koreans guess, and how they soften what they say. Put a noun modifier from chapter 7 in front: -(으)ㄴ for a past action, -는 for an action now, -(으)ㄹ for the future or a guess, and -(으)ㄴ for an adjective. After a noun it's (in geot gatayo): (seuteureseu ttaemunin geot gatayo), I think it's because of stress.
Koreans use it even when they're quite sure, because it sounds less blunt: (seuteureseuga maneun geot gatayo), I seem to be stressed. You know the phrase (geureon geot gatayo), I think so, from chapter 2. Doctors like to end with a hopeful guess: (got joajisil geot gatayo), I think you'll soon get better. (joajida), to get better, is (jota) + -아지다: after an adjective, -아지다 / -어지다 means “to become”.
| Modifier | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| past action -(으)ㄴ | (Biga on geot gatayo.) | It seems it rained. |
| action now -는 | (Biga oneun geot gatayo.) | It seems to be raining. |
| future, guess -(으)ㄹ | (Biga ol geot gatayo.) | I think it's going to rain. |
| adjective -(으)ㄴ | (Jom bissan geot gatayo.) | It seems a bit expensive. |
Making someone do something: -게 하다
-게 하다 after a verb means “make or let someone do”: (anaega jeoreul maeil geotge haeyo), my wife makes me walk every day; (aideureul iljjik jage haeyo), we make the children go to bed early.
Some everyday verbs have their own causative form, which you learn as a new word: (meokda) → (meogida), to feed; (jada) → (jaeuda), to put to bed; (ipda) → (ipida), to dress (someone); (utda) → (utgida), to make (someone) laugh, to be funny. (jurida), to reduce, comes from (julda), to decrease.
-기 turns a verb into a noun for an activity: (geotgi), walking; (dalligi), running; (deutgi), listening.
More in the grammar: Must, may and must not · Guesses: -(으)ㄹ 것 같다, -겠-, -나 보다 · Passive and causative verbs
New words
- 건강 검진geongang geomjinhealth check-up · (geongang), health; (geonganghada), to be healthy
- 혈압hyeorapblood pressure · (hyeorabeul jaeda), to take someone's blood pressure
- 높다nopdato be high · opposite: (natda), to be low
- 스트레스seuteureseustress · (seuteureseureul batda), to be stressed; (jameul jal mot jayo), I don't sleep (, jam, sleep) well
- 짜다jjadato be salty · (jjan eumsik), salty food; (siksa), a meal
- 담배dambaecigarette, tobacco · (dambaereul piuda), to smoke
- 거의geouialmost; with a negative, hardly · (geoui maeil), almost every day; (geoui an haeyo), I hardly do it
- 습관seupgwanhabit · (saenghwal seupgwan), lifestyle habits
- 줄이다juridato reduce, to cut down on
- 끊다kkeuntato quit, to give up; to cut · (dambaereul kkeuneosseoyo), I've quit smoking. Also (jeonhwareul kkeunta), to hang up. (kkeunneun geon eoryeowoyo), quitting is hard (, eoryeopda, ㅂ irregular).
- 아내anaewife · (nampyeon), husband
- 규칙적으로gyuchikjeogeuroregularly · (gyuchikjeogeuro georeusimyeon got joajisil geoyeyo), if you walk regularly, you'll soon (, got) get better
- 체중chejung(body) weight · (chejungeul jurida), to lose weight; in everyday speech also (sareul ppaeda)
- 조심하다josimhadato be careful · (josimhaseyo), take care, be careful
Practise
1.The doctor advises an older patient to cut down on salty food. What does she say?
2.You look outside: the streets are wet, but it isn't raining now. What do you say?
3.The doctor is firm. Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.Make sure you quit smoking.
4.Match the Korean with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
5.How do you say “The mother is feeding the baby”?
6.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.My wife makes me walk every day.
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
스트레스 때문인 것 같아요.
Seuteureseu ttaemunin geot gatayo.
I think it's because of stress.
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.