Korean · Intermediate (B1) · Chapter 12 of 12
Review: telling your story
제 이야기Je iyagi
Review B1 Korean through a life story: past forms, -게 되다, -기 위해서, modifiers, reported speech, honorifics, the B1 linking endings and ㅅ verbs.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Tell and ask about a life story, using the B1 past forms together
- Ask an older person about their life with -(으)시-
- Choose the right linking ending from the B1 set
- Use ㅅ irregular verbs like 짓다 (to build)
Listen
In Tongyeong, student Lee Garam interviews Mr Jang Yeongho, 72, about his life and his seafood restaurant. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Garam
사장님, 시간 내 주셔서 감사합니다. 먼저 어디에서 태어나셨어요?
Sajangnim, sigan nae jusyeoseo gamsahamnida. Meonjeo eodieseo taeeonasyeosseoyo?
Thank you for your time, sir. First of all, where were you born?
Mr Jang
통영 근처 작은 시골 마을에서 태어났어요. 어렸을 때 집이 정말 가난했어요.
Tongyeong geuncheo jageun sigol maeureseo taeeonasseoyo. Eoryeosseul ttae jibi jeongmal gananhaesseoyo.
I was born in a small country village near Tongyeong. When I was a child, my family was very poor.
Garam
그럼 식당은 어떻게 시작하게 되셨어요?
Geureom sikdangeun eotteoke sijakhage doesyeosseoyo?
So how did you come to start a restaurant?
Mr Jang
스무 살 때 아버지가 돌아가셨는데, 가족을 먹여 살리기 위해서 시장에서 일하게 됐어요. 거기서 생선 요리를 배웠어요.
Seumu sal ttae abeojiga doragasyeonneunde, gajogeul meogyeo salligi wihaeseo sijangeseo ilhage dwaesseoyo. Geogiseo saengseon yorireul baewosseoyo.
My father passed away when I was twenty, and I ended up working at the market to support my family. That's where I learned to cook fish.
Garam
이 식당은 언제 차리셨어요?
I sikdangeun eonje charisyeosseoyo?
When did you open this restaurant?
Mr Jang
서른다섯 살 때요. 돈을 모아서 바닷가에 작은 가게를 지었어요. 처음에는 손님이 거의 없었어요.
Seoreundaseot sal ttaeyo. Doneul moaseo badatgae jageun gagereul jieosseoyo. Cheoeumeneun sonnimi geoui eopseosseoyo.
When I was thirty-five. I saved up and built a small place by the sea. At first there were hardly any customers.
Garam
그런데 어떻게 이렇게 유명한 식당이 됐어요?
Geureonde eotteoke ireoke yumyeonghan sikdangi dwaesseoyo?
So how did it become such a famous restaurant?
Mr Jang
어느 날 신문 기자가 와서 우리 굴국밥이 통영에서 제일 맛있다고 기사를 썼어요. 그 후로 손님이 많아졌어요.
Eoneu nal sinmun gijaga waseo uri gulgukbabi Tongyeongeseo jeil masitdago gisareul sseosseoyo. Geu huro sonnimi manajyeosseoyo.
One day a newspaper reporter came and wrote an article saying our oyster rice soup was the best in Tongyeong. After that we got a lot more customers.
Garam
맛의 비결이 뭐예요?
Masui bigyeori mwoyeyo?
What's the secret of the flavour?
Mr Jang
비결은 간단해요. 매일 아침 제가 직접 시장에 가서 제일 싱싱한 굴을 사요. 그리고 손님을 가족처럼 생각해요.
Bigyeoreun gandanhaeyo. Maeil achim jega jikjeop sijange gaseo jeil singsinghan gureul sayo. Geurigo sonnimeul gajokcheoreom saenggakhaeyo.
The secret is simple. Every morning I go to the market myself and buy the freshest oysters. And I treat my customers like family.
Garam
은퇴하실 계획은 있으세요? 그리고 젊은이들에게 조언 한마디 부탁드려요.
Euntoehasil gyehoegeun isseuseyo? Geurigo jeolmeunideurege joeon hanmadi butakdeuryeoyo.
Are you planning to retire? And may I ask you for a word of advice for young people?
Mr Jang
내년에 은퇴할 거예요. 힘들었지만 후회는 없고, 제 인생이 자랑스러워요. 젊은이들이 실패를 너무 무서워하지 않았으면 좋겠어요.
Naenyeone euntoehal geoyeyo. Himdeureotjiman huhoeneun eopgo, je insaengi jarangseureowoyo. Jeolmeunideuri silpaereul neomu museowohaji anasseumyeon jokesseoyo.
I'm retiring next year. It was hard, but I have no regrets, and I'm proud of my life. I hope young people won't be too afraid of failing.
Understand
A life story: the B1 past forms together
A life story uses almost everything from B1. The plain past moves the story on, -(으)ㄹ 때 and -았 / -었을 때 say when, -게 되다 says how things turned out, -기 위해서 says why, and reported speech passes on what others said. Mr Jang also describes things with modifiers: (jageun sigol maeul), a small country village (, maeul); (yumyeonghan sikdang), a famous restaurant; (jeil singsinghan gul), the freshest oysters (, gul).
His reported speech is a small story of its own: (eoneu nal sinmun gijaga waseo … jeil masitdago gisareul sseosseoyo), one day (, eoneu nal) a newspaper (, sinmun) reporter (, gija) came and wrote an article saying … was the best. Before that, he had learned fish cooking (, yori) (geogiseo), there, and saved up money: (doneul moaseo), from (moeuda), to collect, to save.
Garam is young and Mr Jang is 72, so she adds -(으)시- to everything he does: (taeeonasyeosseoyo), (charisyeosseoyo), (sijakhage doesyeosseoyo). He answers in plain (haeyoche), without -시- for himself. For his father, who has died, he uses the honorific (doragasida), to pass away.
| Pattern | From the dialogue | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| -(으)ㄹ 때 | (seumu sal ttae) | when I was twenty |
| -게 되다 | (sijangeseo ilhage dwaesseoyo) | I ended up working at the market |
| -기 위해서 | (gajogeul meogyeo salligi wihaeseo) | to support my family |
| -다고 | (jeil masitdago sseosseoyo) | wrote that it was the best |
| -아지다 | (sonnimi manajyeosseoyo) | customers increased |
| -았으면 좋겠어요 | (museowohaji anasseumyeon jokesseoyo) | I hope they won't be afraid |
짓다 and the ㅅ irregular verbs
Some verbs whose stem ends in ㅅ lose the ㅅ before a vowel. (jitda), to build, to make (a house, a name, rice): (jieoyo), (jieosseoyo), (jieun jip), the house (someone) built. Before a consonant the ㅅ stays: (jitgo), (jinneun). You know (natda), to get better, from A2: (naasseoyo).
Most other verbs ending in ㅅ are regular, so learn the irregular ones as you meet them: (utda), to laugh → (useoyo); (ssitda), to wash → (ssiseoyo).
| Verb | Present | Past | Modifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| (jitda), to build | (jieoyo) | (jieosseoyo) | (jieun) |
| (natda), to get better | (naayo) | (naasseoyo) | (naeun) |
| (utda), to laugh (regular) | (useoyo) | (useosseoyo) | (useun) |
The B1 linking endings
These endings join two ideas. Choosing the right one is the key to sounding natural at B1:
| Ending | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -는데 / -(으)ㄴ데 | background; soft “but” | (abeojiga doragasyeonneunde, …) My father died, and… |
| -(으)니까 | because (also before let's / orders) | (Neujeosseunikka taeksi taja.) It's late, so let's take a taxi. |
| -(으)려고 | in order to | (Baeuryeogo wasseoyo.) I came to learn. |
| -(으)려면 | if you want to | (Sikdangeul chariryeomyeon doni piryohaeyo.) If you want to open a restaurant, you need money. |
| -다면 | if, supposing | (Dasi taeeonandamyeon mwol hago sipeuseyo?) If you were born again, what would you like to do? |
| -는 바람에 | because of (bad result) | (Taepungi oneun barame gagereul dadasseoyo.) A typhoon came, so we had to close the shop. |
More in the grammar: Honorifics: -(으)시-, 께서, 드리다 · -게 되다 and -아/어지다: how things turn out
New words
- 태어나다taeeonadato be born · (jeoneun Seoureseo taeeonasseoyo), I was born in Seoul
- 시골sigolthe countryside, a rural area
- 가난하다gananhadato be poor
- 차리다charidato open, to set up (a shop, a restaurant) · (sikdangeul charida), to open a restaurant; also (bapsangeul charida), to lay the table
- 짓다jitdato build; to make (rice, a name) · ㅅ irregular: (jieosseoyo). (babeul jitda), to cook rice
- 손님sonnimcustomer; guest
- 비결bigyeolsecret (of success), the key · (masui bigyeol), the secret of the flavour. Mr Jang's: he goes to the market (jikjeop), in person.
- 은퇴하다euntoehadato retire
- 젊은이jeolmeuniyoung person · from (jeomda), to be young; plural (jeolmeunideul)
- 조언joeonadvice · (joeoneul hae juseyo), please give me some advice; (joeon hanmadi), a word () of advice
- 후회하다huhoehadato regret · (huhoeneun eopseoyo), I have no regrets
- 실패silpaefailure · (silpaehada), to fail; (silpaereul museowohada), to be afraid of failing (, museopda, to be scary)
- 인생insaenglife (the course of a life) · for daily life use (saenghwal)
- 자랑스럽다jarangseureopdato be proud (of) · ㅂ irregular: (jarangseureowoyo)
Practise
1.“I built a small shop.” Which form of (jitda) is correct?
2.Garam asks Mr Jang politely how he came to start the restaurant. What does she say?
3.Mr Jang explains why he started working. Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.I ended up working at the market to support my family.
4.Match the Korean with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
5.A typhoon came, and (unfortunately) the restaurant had to close. Which ending fits? ___ (taepungi ___ gagereul dadasseoyo).
6.How does Mr Jang report what the journalist wrote?
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
어디에서 태어나셨어요?
Eodieseo taeeonasyeosseoyo?
Where were you born?
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.