Korean · Intermediate (B1) · Chapter 3 of 12
News and current events
뉴스와 시사Nyuseuwa sisa
Pass on news in Korean: reported statements, questions, suggestions and orders (-다고, -냐고, -자고, -라고, -대요), and the passive (열리다, 막히다).
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Report what someone said, asked, suggested or told you to do
- Use the spoken short forms -대요 and -래요
- Understand passive verbs like 열리다, 막히다 and 팔리다
- Recognise the style of TV news and headlines
Listen
At breakfast in their flat in Incheon, married couple Lim Sohee and Song Jaewon read the news on their phones. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Sohee
여보, 이 기사 봤어? 인천대교에서 사고가 났대.
Yeobo, i gisa bwasseo? Incheondaegyoeseo sagoga natdae.
Honey, have you seen this article? They say there's been an accident on the Incheon Bridge.
Jaewon
정말? 사람들이 많이 다쳤대?
Jeongmal? Saramdeuri mani dachyeotdae?
Really? Were many people hurt?
Sohee
아니, 두 명이 조금 다쳤대. 그런데 도로가 지금 많이 막힌대.
Ani, du myeongi jogeum dachyeotdae. Geureonde doroga jigeum mani makindae.
No, it says two people were slightly hurt. But the road is really jammed right now.
Jaewon
아, 나 오늘 그 길로 출근해야 되는데.
A, na oneul geu gillo chulgeunhaeya doeneunde.
Oh, but I have to take that road to work today.
Sohee
경찰이 오늘은 다른 길로 가래. 그 근처에서 공사도 하고 있대.
Gyeongchari oneureun dareun gillo garae. Geu geuncheoeseo gongsado hago itdae.
The police are telling people to take another road today. Apparently there's roadwork near there too.
Jaewon
알았어, 고마워. 다른 뉴스는 뭐 있어?
Arasseo, gomawo. Dareun nyuseuneun mwo isseo?
OK, thanks. What other news is there?
Sohee
정부가 내년에 인천에 큰 공원을 만든다고 발표했어.
Jeongbuga naenyeone Incheone keun gongwoneul mandeundago balpyohaesseo.
The government has announced that it will build a big park in Incheon next year.
Jaewon
그래? 아, 그리고 이번 주말에 송도에서 음악 축제가 열린대.
Geurae? A, geurigo ibeon jumare Songdoeseo eumak chukjega yeollindae.
Really? Oh, and I heard there's a music festival in Songdo this weekend.
Sohee
알아. 민지가 어제 같이 가자고 했어. 그런데 표가 벌써 다 팔렸대.
Ara. Minjiga eoje gachi gajago haesseo. Geureonde pyoga beolsseo da pallyeotdae.
I know. Minji suggested yesterday that we go together. But apparently the tickets have already sold out.
Jaewon
그럼 다른 날 표는 있냐고 민지한테 물어봐.
Geureom dareun nal pyoneun innyago Minjihante mureobwa.
Then ask Minji if there are tickets for another day.
Sohee
벌써 물어봤어. 일요일 표는 아직 있대.
Beolsseo mureobwasseo. Iryoil pyoneun ajik itdae.
I already have. She says there are still tickets for Sunday.
Jaewon
좋아. 그럼 일요일에 같이 가자.
Joa. Geureom iryoire gachi gaja.
Great. Then let's go together on Sunday.
Understand
Reported speech: -다고, -냐고, -자고, -라고
To pass on what someone said, put their words in the plain style (chapter 2) and add a small ending plus (hada), to say: statements take -다고, questions -냐고, suggestions -자고 and orders -(으)라고. (sagoga natdago haesseoyo), they said there had been an accident. Instead of , you can use (malhada), to say, or (mutda), to ask: (pyoga innyago mureobwasseoyo), I asked if there were tickets.
In speech these are almost always shortened: -다고 해요 becomes -대요, -(이)라고 해요 becomes -(이)래요, -냐고 해요 becomes -냬요, and -자고 해요 becomes -재요. In (banmal) just drop the 요: (sagoga natdae), (dareun gillo garae). A sentence ending in -대요 tells the listener: I heard this, I didn't see it myself.
| What was said | Reported | Short form |
|---|---|---|
| (Biga wayo.) It's raining. | (biga ondago haesseoyo) | (biga ondaeyo) |
| (Haksaengieyo.) I'm a student. | (haksaengirago haesseoyo) | (haksaengiraeyo) |
| (Eodi gayo?) Where are you going? | (eodi ganyago mureobwasseoyo) | (eodi ganyaeyo) |
| (Gachi gayo.) Let's go together. | (gachi gajago haesseoyo) | (gachi gajaeyo) |
| (Iljjik jaseyo.) Go to bed early. | (iljjik jarago haesseoyo) | (iljjik jaraeyo) |
It was opened, it got jammed: passive verbs
A passive verb puts the focus on what happens to something, not on who does it. Many common verbs have a passive partner made with -이-, -히-, -리- or -기-. There's no rule for which one a verb takes, so learn them as pairs: (palda), to sell → (pallida), to be sold; (makda), to block → (makida), to be blocked, jammed.
(yeolda) means “to open”, and (yeollida) “to be opened”, but also “to be held” for events: (chukjega yeollyeoyo), a festival is being held. Other verbs make the passive with -아지다 / -어지다: (mandeulda) → (mandeureojida), to be made.
A passive verb takes the subject particle 이 / 가, not the object particle 을 / 를: (pyoga pallyeosseoyo), the tickets were sold.
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| (yeolda), to open | (yeollida), to be opened, to be held |
| (datda), to close | (dachida), to be closed |
| (makda), to block | (makida), to be blocked, jammed |
| (palda), to sell | (pallida), to be sold |
| (boda), to see | (boida), to be seen, to be visible |
| (mandeulda), to make | (mandeureojida), to be made |
News style
TV and radio news use the formal (hamnidache): (sagoga natseumnida), there has been an accident. Headlines are written in the short plain style (, handache), often without particles: (eumak chukje, ibeon jumal yeollinda), music festival to be held this weekend.
When you pass the news on to a friend, you switch to everyday speech with -대요 or -대, as Sohee does. (yeobo), “honey, dear”, is what many married couples call each other.
- 오늘 아침 인천대교에서 교통사고가 났습니다.Oneul achim Incheondaegyoeseo gyotongsagoga natseumnida.There was a traffic accident on the Incheon Bridge this morning. (TV news)
- 정부는 내년에 큰 공원을 만든다고 발표했습니다.Jeongbuneun naenyeone keun gongwoneul mandeundago balpyohaetseumnida.The government announced that it will build a big park next year.
- 인천 도로 공사, 다음 달에 끝난다Incheon doro gongsa, daeum dare kkeunnandaRoad works in Incheon to finish next month (headline)
More in the grammar: Passive and causative verbs · Reporting speech: -다고, -냐고, -자고, -(으)라고
New words
- 기사gisa(news) article · (nyuseu), news; (sisa), current affairs
- 사고sagoaccident · (sagoga nasseoyo), there was an accident; (gyotongsago), traffic accident
- 다치다dachidato get hurt, to be injured · (darireul dachyeosseoyo), I hurt my leg.
- 도로dororoad
- 막히다makidato be blocked, jammed · (giri makyeoyo), the traffic is heavy; (geureonde giri makyeoyo), but the traffic is heavy (, geureonde, but, by the way)
- 출근하다chulgeunhadato go to work, to get to work · the opposite of (toegeunhada), to leave work
- 경찰gyeongchalpolice; police officer
- 공사gongsaconstruction work, roadwork · (gongsa jung), under construction
- 정부jeongbugovernment
- 발표하다balpyohadato announce · also “to give a presentation”. (naenyeone gongwoneul mandeundago balpyohaesseoyo), they announced they'll build a park (, gongwon) next year (, naenyeon).
- 축제chukjefestival
- 열리다yeollidato be opened; to be held (of an event) · passive of (yeolda), to open
- 묻다mutdato ask · ㄷ irregular: (mureoyo), (mureobwayo), to ask (someone)
- 말하다malhadato say, to tell · (dasi malhae juseyo), please say it again
Practise
1.Minji said to Sohee (gachi gaja), let's go together. How does Sohee report it?
2.How do you say “A festival is being held”?
3.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.The police told us to take another road.
4.Match the Korean with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
5.What does (naeil biga ondaeyo) mean?
6.A stranger asked you (haksaengieyo?). How do you tell a friend about it?
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
오늘 비가 온대요.
Oneul biga ondaeyo.
They say it's going to rain today.
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.