Emanuel's Korean Lesson Notebook

Infinitive Phrases

Lesson 4 Discussion

Lesson 4 Translation

Lesson 3 Translation

Lesson 2 Translation

Lesson 1 Discussion Part IV

Lesson 1 Discussion Part III

Lesson 1 Discussion Part II

Lesson1 Discussion

Lesson 1 Translation

Studying Through Translating A Letter

Breaking The Plateau: Good Lyrics Translations, Using Tudor Anthems As Models

Breaking Plateaus: Try Your Hand At Korean Songwriting!

Transitions 6. Words That Show Cause-And-Effect 원인과 결과를 보여주는 말

Transitions 5. - Words That Show Illustration (a.k.a. Example) 예를 나타내는 말

Transitions 4. Words That Show Comparison - 비교를 나타내는 말

Transitions 3.WORDS THAT SHOW CONTRAST - 상반됨을 나타내는 말

Transitions 2. Words That Show Time

TRANSITIONS (접속어) 1.Words That Show Addition

Beon, Beonjjae, Eolmana clarified

What's Right Is Right: Comparing E/K Usage of 'Right'

Answering A Famous Korean Proverb

Learning Korean For Those Darn Queue-jumpers

Contrastive Markers Duel To The Death!

It's difficult to understand you!

복습 - Review & Summary

Kibun Clarifications!

Kachi Clarifications! Great Practice!

Colloquialisms - Hearing 'em, Expecting 'em

가요, 까요, 거야

Seoul National University Books - worth it

I Might: ~지 모른다 (& Other Modals)

Wishlist

I Hate To Eat Late - Using (v.)기 (the "to~" form)

2010-05-28T19:16:00.000-07:00

I'm interrupting my increasingly delayed science-based translation study series to cover some smaller concepts - today, infinitive phrases, since the issue of textual equivalency - a legitimate career-long issue for dedicated translators (of which I'm not) - is becoming increasingly important and in need of formally addressing, the deeper we delve into translating passages, and the addressing of which stretches the scope of this blog.

In the meantime, there are plenty of formula-friendly concepts that deserve attention and may help assemble one's ability to take on the future task of translating, say, a science documentary.

So for now, I give you infinitive phrases - understanding how they change from English to Korean and back, and observing three different types - noun, adjective and four types of Korean adverb infinitive phrases. Good luck and happy studying!

Infinitive Phrases
-which modify nouns
-which modify adjectives
-which modify adverbs

1. INFINITIVE PHRASES WHICH MODIFY NOUNS (명사적 부정사 구들)

a. It is dangerous to drive a car on a rainy day.

비오는 날에 차를 운전하기는 위험하다.

Rain-coming day-on car drive-to dangerous is.

비~	~오는	날~	~에	차를	운전~	~하기는	위험하다.
rain	coming	day	on	car	drive	to	dangerous is.

The phrase 'on a rainy day' in spoken form, can also be found in a different place

차를 운전하기는 비오는 날에 위험하다.

Car drive-to, rain-coming day –on, dangerous is.

COMPARISON: INFINITIVE VERB VS. GERUND, KOREAN AND ENGLISH

In the case below the verb is turned into a noun by equating it to a 'thing' (것) which is sort of comparable to using 'ing' in English (gerund) to turn a verb into part of a noun phrase. Contrast that with the use of 'to~' or in Korean, [verb]+ ~기.

a. On a rainy day, driving a car is dangerous.

비오는 날에 차를 운전하는 것은 위험하다.

rain-coming day-on car driving-thing dangerous it is.

비오는 날에	차를	운전하는 것은	위험하다.
rain-coming day-on	car	driving-thing	dangerous it is.

Driving a car on a rainy day is dangerous.

차를 운전하는 것은 비오는 날에 위험하다.

a car driving-thing, rain-coming day-on dangerous it is.

OTHER NOUN-MODIFYING INIFITIVE PHRASES, ENGLISH TO KOREAN

b. The point is to give me another chance.

요점은 나 에게 다른 기회를 주는 것이다.

요점은 나 에게 다른 기회를 주기 이다.

나에게 다른 기회를 주기가 요점이다.

요점은	나 에게	다른	기회를	주는	것이다.
point	Me-to	other	chance	giving	Thing-(it) is.

요점은	나 에게	다른	기회를	주기	이다.
point	Me-to	other	chance	Give-to	(it) is.

나에게	다른	기회를	주기가	요점	이다
Me-to	other	chance	Give-to	point	is.

c. He learned to drive a car.

그는 차 운전 하기를 베웠다.

그는	차 운전	하기를	베웠다. (베우~)	(~었~)	(~다)
He	Car drive	-to	Learned (learn)	(did)	(verb completion)

COMPARISON: HOW-TO

그는 차 어떻게 운전 하는지를 베웠다. (어떻게 + ~지)

d. I found it easy to read this book.

이 책 읽기가 쉽다는 것을 알게 되었다.

2. INFINITIVE PHRASES WHICH MODIFY ADJECTIVES (형용사적 부정사구들)

She was the only person to survive in the crash.

그녀는 그 충돌에서 살아남은 유일한 사람이었다.

It is a difficult question to answer.

대답하기에는 어려운질문이다.

He has something to complain about.

그는 불평할것이 있다.

3. INFINITIVE PHRASES WHICH MODIFY ADVERBS (부사적 부정사구들)

I have come here [in order/so as] to talk to you. (목적 – purpose, i.e. to do something)

나는 너에게 이야기하기위해 여기 왔다.

I’m sorry to trouble you. (원인 – reason, i.e. that something happened)

너에게 문제를 일어키는 것이 미안하다.

To see her, you will like her at once. (조건 – condition, i.e. if)

그녀를 보면, 너는 단반에 (즉시=at once) 그녀를 좋아할거야.

He is too young to work. (this modifies the adjective)

그는 일하기에(는) 너무 어리다.

(Too ~ to ~ ‘너무~ 하여 ~ 할 수 없다’ ( = so ~ that + 주어 + cannot~))

He grew up to be a wise judge. (결과 – result; e.g. Mary tried hard only to fail. = Mary tried hard, but failed.)

그는 현명한 판사로 성장했다.

그는 현명한 판사 되는것으로 성장했다.

2009-11-18T06:28:00.000-08:00

Here, in Greenland, are some of the oldest exposed rocks ever to have been found.

여기 그린랜드에서, 가장 오래된 드러난 바위들 중 몇은 발견된 적이 있었습니다.

NOTES:

My first translation attempt, 가장 늙은 찾은적이 있는 몇 바위 있고, while wrong, yielded some interesting finds…

늙은 is an adjective for ‘old’ that applies to humans and animals only. 오래된 applies to rocks and other inanimate objects.
“~ever to have been found” (or ever found) can – as I suspected - be translated using the form ‘have you ever seen a Ssireum wrestling match?’ (from 한국어2, Seoul Univ. Press p. 257) which shows the form ‘씨름 경기를 본 적이 있어요?’ but
My translation didn’t work because 발견된, or ‘find’ as in ‘discover, chance or happen upon,’ is closer to the scientific circumstances of the finding of the rocks, instead of 찾다 which is ‘find’ as in ‘look for,’ a less likely scenario (that they went to Greenland with the intention of finding some of the oldest rocks there.)
There’s a really cool expression for ‘some of the most~’ or ‘one of the most~’ (which we’ll see later in this lesson) that helps keep the science honest in its claims, and that is this: 가장 ~[adj. and then noun] + 중 (among) 몇은 (some of).

The resulting translation comes off in direct English as something akin to:

Here	In Greenland	most	old	exposed	rocks	among some of the	discovered	ever	are.
여기	그린랜드에서,	가장	오래된	드러난	바위들	중 몇은	발견된	적이	있습니다

_________________________________________________________________

And one belt of rock, 4 kilometres (almost 2 miles) long,

하나의 4km (거의 2마일) 바위의 벨트는,

may take us back as far as we can go in the long history of this planet’s existence.

이 행성 존재의 긴 역사 안에서 갈수있는한 먼 과거로 우리를 이끌어줄지도 모른다.

NOTES:

Unlike in my original translation attempt, 이 행성 doesn’t need another 의 after it because there’s already a possessive particle at the end of ‘existence’ and I’m told it’s considered slightly awkward to have a list of successive possessive adjectives each trailed with a 의 particle. Hence, 이 행성의 존재의 긴 (길은 shortened) 역사 becomes 이 행성 존재의 긴 역사~
역사 안에서 works better than 역사 통해 the latter which is really interpreting ‘in this planet’s history’ as being ‘through this planet’s history’ – a small enough leap to make, given that one can be taken into something as likely as one can be taken through something. However, the verb chosen to describe ‘take us back (in time) 끌다, has ‘take a person to a place’ as its fourth definition; definitions 1-3 including pulling, dragging, drawing, and given the association of time as a dimension one travels into more often than through, the decision to follow 끌어줄 것이다 with 역사 안에서 seems a natural pairing, stylistically speaking.
There’s an interesting form for ‘as far back as we can go’ that’s a bit thorny to grasp at first, but with a little practice you can master it easily. It’s this:

[verb, in this case 가]~을수있는한 먼 과거로 or in direct English,

Go-can [adjective marker] far back as, or

(we) can go, far back as

May, or might, gets expressed with [verb]+지도 모른다.

_________________________________________________________________

Dr. Minik Rosing of the Geological Museum of Copenhagen has visited Greenland many times in his research for evidence of Earth’s early history. 코펜해겐의 지질학 박물관의 미닉 로징박사님은 그의 지구의 초기의 역사의 증거를 위해 연구하러 그린랜드를 방문 여러번 했다.

NOTES:

In my proposed translation, ‘for evidence’ – 연구위해 was passed over for the particle 하러 which means ‘for the purpose of’ This is a good time to review drill similar sounding particles:

-위에 above, or over

-위해 for

-위에서 on

일찍(early) vs. 이른(early as in premature) vs. 초기의(early as in the early days, initial stage, etc.)

_________________________________________________________________

And close to the margin of the glaciers, at a place called Isuma,

이수마 라고 빙하의 기슭 가까에서

he has found one of the oldest rock beds on the face of the planet.

그는 지구 표면의 가장 오래된 바위 묘상들중 하나를 발견 했다.

NOTES:

One of the oldest rock beds – 바위 묘상들 중 하나 (compare with ‘some of the most’ above)
이수마 라(고) 불리는 – (a place) called Isuma

_________________________________________________________________

Here is the geological evidence that this was once an ancient seabed.

이것은 이전의 태고의 해양묘상 이었다는 지질학적 증거 이다.

NOTES:

어느날의 vs. 이전의 – former is ‘one day (in the past) with an adjective or possessive marker; the latter is ‘in the past’ with an adjective or possessive marker
지질학적 vs. 지질학은 – scholarly subjects of study (which would end with –ology in English) end with 학 in Korean as nouns, and become 학적 when becoming adjectives

So,

Medical = medicine 의학 plus adj. marker 적 = 의학적

Geological = geology 지질학 + 적 = 지질학적

Mathematical = 수학적

Scientific = 과학적

Musical = 음악적

_________________________________________________________________

This rock was once molten lava which flowed 3.8 billion years ago.

380억년 전에 흘렀던 열로녹은 용암을 이전에 이 바위는 이었습니다.

NOTES:

Just note the change of the sentence order in the Korean.

i.e. 3.8 billion years ago flowed-which/ molten lava/ once/ this rock was.

_________________________________________________________________

Its shape and structure identify it as pillow lava, which can only form underwater.

그것의 모양과 구조가, 오직 수면아래에 생길 수 있었던 배개같은 용암인것을 나타내 줍니다.

NOTES: proposed translation 배개처럼 용암 is not as good as 배개같은 용암 because while they both say the same thing,

배개처럼 is an adverbial phrase, preparing to modify an immediately following VERB.

배개같은 is an adjectival phrase, preparing to modify an immediately following NOUN (용암, or lava)

_________________________________________________________________

(Dr. Minik Rosing, Geological Museum, Denmark) (미닉 로징 박사)

“Pillow lavas show you that there was water on the surface of Earth 3.8 billion years ago,

배개같은 용암들은 380억년 전에는 지구의 표면 위에 물이 있었다고 보여주고

And we know today that on the ocean floor this was the habitat of many life forms,

오늘날 우리는 대양바닥에 무수한 생명체들의 환경이 있었다고 알고 있고

and this could be a place where life emerged on Earth, in such environments. This is a very rare thing –

이것은 생명체가 그러한 환경에서 지구상에 나타났던 장소가 될 수 있을 것이다. 이것은 참 드문 것인데 -

NOTES: COMPARISON

몇게 – some, or alternatively, the beginning of the question ‘how many’ (얼마 만금 for ‘how much’)

몇시간 – some time, some hours (unspecified amount of the uncountable noun)

몇몇 시간 – some of those times ( unspecified amount of the countable noun)

_________________________________________________________________

we have been working now for a couple of hours through rocks where you can’t see anything,

우리는 몆 시간동안 아무것도 볼 수 없는 바위를 지나면서 일하고 있는 중이였었다.

NOTES:

Take note of the form 동안 (during) for the phrase ‘for some time’
Take note of the form [verb]하고 있는 중이였었다 for ‘have been [verb]+ing.’

_________________________________________________________________

and then suddenly there’s one square meter where you can look 3.8 billion years back in time and see what happened on Earth at that time. 갑자기 380억년 과거 세월을 통해 볼 수 있고 그때 무엇이 지구에 일어났는 지를 볼 수 있는 1평방미터의 바위가 있다.

So there are a few rare glimpses where you can look way, way back to the most distant parts of Earth’s history.” 그러으로 지구역사의 가장 멀리있는 부분을 힐끗 되돌아 볼수 있습니다..

2009-11-18T06:25:00.000-08:00

Lesson 4

Here, in Greenland, are some of the oldest exposed rocks ever to have been found.

여기 그린랜드에서, 가장 오래된 드러난 바위들 중 몇은 발견된 적이 있었습니다.

And one belt of rock, 4 kilometres (almost 2 miles) long,

하나의 4km (거의 2마일) 바위의 벨트는,

may take us back as far as we can go in the long history of this planet’s existence.

이 행성 존재의 긴 역사 안에서 갈수있는한 먼 과거로 우리를 이끌어줄지도 모른다.

And close to the margin of the glaciers, at a place called Isuma,

이수마 라고불리는 빙하의 기슭 가까에서

he has found one of the oldest rock beds on the face of the planet.

그는 지구 표면의 가장 오래된 바위 묘상들중 하나를 발견 했다.

Here is the geological evidence that this was once an ancient seabed.

이것은 이전의 태고의 해양묘상 이었다는 지질학적 증거 이다.

This rock was once molten lava which flowed 3.8 billion years ago.

380억년 전에 흘렀던 열로녹은 용암을 이전에 이 바위는 이었습니다.

Its shape and structure identify it as pillow lava, which can only form underwater.

그것의 모양과 구조가, 오직 수면아래에 생길 수 있었던 배개같은 용암인것을 나타내 줍니다.

(Dr. Minik Rosing, Geological Museum, Denmark) (미닉 로징 박사)

“Pillow lavas show you that there was water on the surface of Earth 3.8 billion years ago,

배개같은 용암들은 380억년 전에는 지구의 표면 위에 물이 있었다고 보여주고

And we know today that on the ocean floor this was the habitat of many life forms,

오늘날 우리는 대양바닥에 무수한 생명체들의 환경이 있었다고 알고 있고

and this could be a place where life emerged on Earth, in such environments. This is a very rare thing –

이것은 생명체가 그러한 환경에서 지구상에 나타났던 장소가 될 수 있을 것이다. 이것은 참 드문 것인데 -

we have been working now for a couple of hours through rocks where you can’t see anything,

우리는 몆 시간동안 아무것도 볼 수 없는 바위를 지나면서 일하고 있는 중이였었다.

2009-10-31T03:53:00.001-07:00

Miracle Planet DVD1 – Lesson Plan 3

(Dr. Eiichiro Kokubo, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan)

(에이치로 코쿠보 박사, 일본의 국립 천문대)

“Had the small planets collided differently, the size of planet Earth could have been vastly different.

작은 행성들이 다르게 충돌 했었다면, 지구의 크기는 광대하게 다른 크기가 될 수 있었을 텐데.

It may have been only half or even twice the size it is today.”

오늘날의 크기의 절반 또는 두 배 도 될 수 있었을 거야.

A giant body crashed into the center of the planet and gave Earth its iron core.

거대한 천상계가 우리의 행성의 중심으로 충돌 했고, 철로된 지구 중심부를 형성시켰다.

Lighter debris was cast off into space and then drawn into orbit around the enlarged planet.

가벼운 파편은 우주로 끌어내어졌고, 그 후 확장된 행성 주위의 궤도 안으로 끌어당겨졌다.

For some millions of years, the Earth had rings like the planet Saturn.

수 백만 년 동안, 지구는 토성 처럼 반지들을 가지고 있었습니다. (have: 가지고 있다)

Smaller collisions continued, and from that debris was born our moon.

더 작은 충돌들은 계속 되었고 그 파편에서 우리의 달은 태어났습니다. (or 생겨 났습니다.)

It was chance and chance alone that made our planet larger than any of the other planets close to the sun.

그것은 태양 가까이에 있는 어떠한 다른 행성들보다 우리의 행성을 더 크게 만든 오직 하나의 순 전한 우연 이었습니다.

And somehow, somewhere in this chaos, life began, but quite where is quite open to conjecture and debate.

그리고 이혼돈 안에서 어떻게 해서든지, 어디에선가 생명체는 시작 되었지만 정확한 장소는 추측과 토의 중이다.

(Dr. Norman Sleep, Stanford University)

(노만 슬맆 박사, 스탠퍼드 대학)

“The first life probably emerged on the earth 4.4 billion years ago, fairly soon after the Earth formed.

44억년 전쯤 지구가 형성된지 얼마후에 최초의 생명체는 지구위에 나타났었을 것이다.

My guess would be that this life came from Mars.

제 생각에 이 생명체는 화성에서 왔습니다.

Mars is open for habitation before the Earth is, it’s a much safer place to live if you’re a microbe early in the solar system.

화성은 지구 보다 앞서 거주지로서 준비되었고, 태양계의 미생물이 살기에 횔씬 더 아전한 곳이었다.

Had life evolved on Mars, her rocks would get knocked off and this would seed the Earth…”

만일 생명체가 화성에서 진화했었다면, 그곳 바위들은 떨어져나갔을 것이고 이것이 지구에 씨를 뿌렸을 것이다.

Could life have formed on Mars?

화성 에서, 생명체가 형성될 수 있었을 까요?

We know because of the evidence of erosion that water once flowed freely on the surface,

우리는 침식의 증거로 인해 한때 물이 표면에서 자유롭게 흘렀었다고 알고 있고,

(=때문에)

that Mars did indeed have an atmosphere,

화성은 실제로 공기를 가지고 (공기가 있었고)

and that conditions were suitable to sustain early, primitive life.

그리고 조건은 이른 원시 생명체를 유지하기에 적당했었습니다.

But Mars is a small planet with weak gravity.

그렇지만, 화성은 약한 중력을 가진 작은 행성 이었습니다.

Over time the atmosphere escaped into space.

시간이 흐르면서 우주로 달아났습니다.

Most of the water vanished too, either into space or held deep in the ground, as perma-frost.

데 부분의 물도 보이지 않게 되었는데, 우주로든 아니면 영구 동결 층으로서 땅 깊은 곳으로 사라졌습니다.

We know too that Earth has been hit by rocks that originated from Mars.

지구는 화성으로부터 기원이 시작된 바위에 의해 부딪혔다는 것을 우리는 알고 있습니다.

Some scientists are positive that primitive microbial life could withstand that journey. But Earth, because of its size, had enough gravity to keep its oceans.

몇몇 과학자들은 이른 미생물의 생명체는 그 여행을 버티어 낼 수 있다고 확신 합니다. 하지만 지구는 그 크기 때문에, 그것의 대양들 지키기에 충분한 중력을 가지고 있었습니다.

And it was these that became life’s cradle, no matter how it arrived.

그래서, 그것이 어떻게 오게 되었든 간에 이것들은 생명체의 요람이 되었습니다.

Yet life at the start was not easy.

그렇더라도 시작할 때 생명체가 쉽지 않았습니다.

Over the ages continents have shifted their positions, wind and rain shaping and reshaping the surface.

세월을 통해 대륙들은 그들의 장소들을 이동했었고, 바람 과 비로 그들의 표면들의 모양들을 계속 바꾸고 있었는데.

Ice has scraped its way across the face of the land and the seas have risen and fallen again and again over time. 얼음은 땅의 표면을 가로질러 생채기를 냈고, 해양들은 세월을 통해 되풀이해서 오르락 내리락 반복했다.

2009-10-31T03:51:00.001-07:00

MIRACLE PLANET - Lesson Plan 2

Okay folks here's the next installment. Hopefully, some of these patterns will start to look familiar to you by now.

Four and a half billion years ago, the earth was a very different world.
45억년 전에, 지구는 아주 다른 세계였었습니다.

45억	년	전에	지구는	아주	다른	세계	였었습니다
4.5 billion	years	ago	Earth	very	different	world	was.

Under layers of thick, gaseous clouds was a planet still hot from its birth, with an atmosphere both dense and crushing.
두껍고 가스로 된 구름들의 지층 아래에는 빽빽하고 압도적인 대기와 합께 그의 출생으로부터 여전히 뜨거운 행성이 있었습니다.

두껍고 가스로 된

구름들의

지층

아래에는

빽빽하고

압도적인
대기

와 합께

그의

출생
으로

부터

여전히

뜨거운
행성이

있었습니다

hot
and
gas
-eous

clouds'

lay
-ers

un
-der

dense and

crush
ing
atmo-
sphere

with

its

birth
by

from

still

hot
plan
-et

was.

Bathed in filtered red light were oceans far deeper than those of today.
묽은 빨간빛으로 해양들은 오늘날보다 휠씬 더 깊었습니다.

묽은	빨간	빛	으로	해양들은	오늘날	보다	휠씬	더	깊었습니다
filtered	red	light	in	oceans	today	than	much	more	deep-were.

And there was one other great difference:
더구나, 다른 하나의 큰 차이점이 있었는데:

더구나	다른	하나	의	큰	차이점이	있었	는데
furthermore	other	one	's	big, great	difference	was	and (also used for 'but')

the earlier planet was only probably 1/10th of the size that it is today. But it was to grow,
그전의 지구는 오늘의 크기 보다 오직 1/10 크기 였을 것입니다. 하지만 그것은 성장 할것이었고,

그전의

지구는

오늘의

크기

보다

오직

1/10 크기

였을

것입니다

하지만

그것은

성장

할것이었고

earlier

Earth

today's

size

than

only

1/10th size

was

But

grow

would-and

and that chance and violent growth would prove crucial to life’s history and to what we are today.
그 격렬하고 순전한 우연의 성장은 생명체의 역사 와 오늘날에 이른 생명에 결정적인 증명이 될것입니다.

그 격렬하고	순전한 우연의	성장은	생명체의	역사 와	오늘날에	이른	생명에	결정적인	증명이	될것입니다
that chance and	violent	growth	life's	history and	to today	early	life to	crucial	prove	become- would

The early solar system was far more crowded than now. Where today the four inner planets orbit,
이른 태양계는 오늘날 보다 더 많이 혼잡했습니다. 오늘날 네개의 지구형 행성들이 선회하는 곳에서

이른	태양계는	오늘날 보다	더	많이	혼잡했습니다	오늘날	네개의	지구형	행성들이	선회하는	곳에서
early	solar system	than today	more	much	crowded was	today	four	earth-neighboring	planets	orbiting	place- where

4.5 billion years ago were scores of smaller planets orbiting the sun.
45억년 전 태양을 선회하는 스무개 짜리 행성들의 그룹이 여러개 있었습니다.

45억년 전	태양을	선회하는	스무개	짜리	행성들의	그룹이	여러개	있었습니다
4.5 billion years ago	solar system	orbiting	so many	smaller	planets'	groups	multiples	had

Orbits of some were drawn by gravitational force towards each other.
그들중의 몇몇궤도들은 서로를 향해 중력에 의해 유지되었습니다.

그들중의	몇몇궤도들은	서로를	향해	중력에	의해	유지되었습니다
group amid's	some orbits	each other	force	gravity-by		drawn-were

Encounters of awesome magnitude were unavoidable.
무시무시한 크기의 충돌들은 불가피 했었습니다.

무시무시한	크기의	충돌들은	불가피했었습니다
awesome	size's	collisions	unavoidable had been

At the astronomical observatory of Japan scientists are seeking answers to the questions of the solar system.
일본의 천문학 관측소에서는 과학자들이 태양계의 신비들에 대한 해답을 찾고있습니다.

일본의	천문학 관측소	에서는	과학자들이	태양계의	대한	신비들에	해답을	찾고있습니다.
Japan's	astronomical observatory	at	scientists	solar system's	great	mysteries-to	answers	are seeking.

Their research shows that planets grew through early collisions.
이른 충돌로 행성들은 성장했다고 그들의 연구는 보여줍니다.

이른	충돌로	행성들은	성장했	다고	그들의	연구는	보여줍니다
early	collisions-by	planets	grew	that	their	research	shows.

The force and heat of those collisions melted the rock,
그 충돌들의 힘과 열은 바위를 녹였지만

그 충돌들의	힘	과	열은	바위를	녹였	지만
those collisions'	force	and	heat	rocks	melted	but

but gravity would hold the two together and weld them into one.
중력이 둘을 함께 지탱했고 그것들을 하나로 접합했을것이다.

중력이둘을	함께	지탱했고	그것들을	하나로	접합했을것이다
gravity the two	together	would hold-and	them	one-into	weld-would

With each collision the planet would grow larger.
각자의 충돌로 지구는 더 큰 성장을 했을것이다.

각자의	충돌로	지구는	더	큰	성장을	했을것이다
each's	collisions-by	Earth	more	big	grow	would

We believe that of the four innermost planets Mercury was formed by only one or two such collisions,
우리의 이론은, 네개의 지구형 행성들 중에서 수성은 그러한 충돌이 한번 또는 두번 일어나 형성되어졌는데,

우리의 이론은	네개의 지구형 행성들	중에서	수성은	그러한	충돌이	한번 또는 두번	형성되어졌는데
our theory	the four near-Earth planets	among	Mercury	such, this kind of	collisions	one or two	was formed-and/but

while Venus, almost the size of Earth, was formed by eight.
거의 지구 크기만했던 금성은 여덟번 충돌에 의해 형성되어졌다.

거의	지구	크기만했던	금성은	여덟번	충돌에	의해	형성되어졌다
almost	Earth	size which	Venus	eight times	collisions	by	was formed.

Mars may have escaped any collisions.
화성은 어떠한 충돌로부터도 도피했었을 것이다.

화성은	어떠한	충돌로	부터도	도피했었을 것이다
Mars	any	collisions-by	from-even	escape would-have

But Earth grew largest, perhaps from as many as ten impacts.
하지만 지구는 아마 열번만큼이나 되는 충돌로 제일 크게 성장했다.

하지만	지구는	아마	열번	만큼이나 되는	충돌로	제일	크게	성장했다
but	Earth	perhaps	ten	as much as-becoming	collisions-by	most	big	grew

2009-10-28T16:01:00.000-07:00

Breaking Down That Long Sentence

Let's take a look at this big monster at the end of the October translation exercise. I created a 'step' diagram to look at how it's ordered in Korean grammar:

Science tells us that all life is linked through time to those simple cells which first drifted through the first oceans of a ‘miracle planet.’

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Korean grammar order, it would look like this:

Science, to us, all life, a 'miracle planet's' first oceans-through, wandering through-which, those simple cells-to, is linked-that, tells/informs.

What the hell?

To catch a glimpse of the structure of this logic, I formed in my mind - and later on a whiteboard - my own visual aid. I gave the grammar structure a pyramid.

For easier memorization, I really think of the pyramid as going from 'all life' to 'those simple cells-to', understanding that the 'which' clause giving us more information on the noun phrase 'those simple cells' is optional, further information.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

English sentence order places the verbs right after the subject, and the adjective clauses right after the noun it's describing. Looking at this pyramid, English sentence order travels up from extreme left to extreme right in an upward zig-zag pattern up the pyramid to its top - those simple cells, and its related defining adjective clause.

Korean sentence order, in contrast, goes up the left side of the pyramid and down the right side, making sure all qualifying information (our 'which' clause) is out of the way before announcing the noun, and making sure the subjects and objects' relations are clarified, before presenting the main verb.

If it's confusing for you as an English speaker, then you can understand how similarly difficult it might be for a Korean coming to English.

The same 'which'-marked adjective clause, no matter how long, goes *before* the noun it's describing, and the verbs still get pushed to the end.
This could be an extraordinarily difficult achievement to keep track of if you have attention-span problems (or if you're getting older and forgetful.) (I can't imagine the frustration for the proverbial poor, absent-minded professors of this beautiful country.)

Notice the placement of the adverbial phrases.

Now that we've got our heads around the order, let's see what it actually looks like once it's *in* Korean:

2009-10-28T09:04:00.000-07:00

~로 and ~지~

Taking inventory of all the uses of ~로 in this October translation is really underscoring the suffix's flexibility in usage.

Let's start with a working definition before observing:

(from Using Korean, pp.256-257)

~(으)로
The two most basic uses of are to indicate a direction and a means or instrument. However, it has multiple other more or less related meanings and uses.
-involving direction, change and choice
Direction
Change
Choice
As (someone)
-involving means, cause, time and manner
Means/instrument ('by means of; with')
Cause/source
Time
Manner

Up until this point, I had only thought of ~로 as "by way of" which seemed like a great catch-all term for all its related uses. But when I was translating the following sentences:

"A giant body smashed into the center of our planet and gave Earth it's iron core."
"Lighter debris was cast off into space..."
"We know because of the evidence of erosion that water once flowed freely on the surface [of Mars]."

I was surprised to learn that my catch-all footnote definition ('by way/means of') couldn't be linked at all to the English prepositions in these sentences!

Consider alternative English wordings that could be possible for the following phrases:

1. ~ into the center of our planet
2. ~ was cast off into space
3. ~We know because of the evidence

All of these phrases can be expressed using ~로! When I did my first drafts, I was using 에, 에게, and I was sure that #3 would have required the use of 때문에 . But nope - wrong on all counts.

1. 우리의 행성의 중심으로
2. 우주로 끝어내어쪘다
3. 우리는 침식의 증거로

I guess the lesson I got here is that while it does pay to have a mnemonic device like a starting catch phrase for learning Korean particles (e.g. 'by way of' for ~로) it's good to memorize it ASAP and move right onto more challenging stuff that helps me expand that working definition, giving it more sides and refining my use of the phrase.

When I open my K-E/E-K dictionary, I usually get about two pages of definitions, in non-helpful Korean detail, about a small particle like 로. It really takes a coach and some ambitious initiative on one's own part to sift through the possibilities and begin to understand appropriate choices.

I don't know if I could memorize, for example, the entire above-quoted definition explaining every possible use of ~로. But in time I'll discriminate between choices for different particles for the same preposition in English, in which case, it helps to already have *some* kind of accurate working definition in place.

VERB + 어 + 지~ (when followed by some form of ~다, e.g. 진다 or 졌다)

This indicates your verb is in the passive form. It may do other things but that's what I have for you today. Most commonly found in my post as ~졌다. You put this on the end of any verb and it will turn it into the passive past tense form of that verb.

e.g.
먹어졌다 was eaten

You'll see this used a lot in the translated documentary's upcoming posts.

2009-10-28T08:46:00.000-07:00

Yet, Yet Even Then, Soon, et al.

It's interesting to observe what remains present and what changes when we go from English to Korean.

Of particular interest to me in these sentences are the adverbs (adverbial phrases) dealing with time.

Yet even then the elements of life were present.
그때도한, 생명체의 요소들을 있었습니다.

그때도한 also functions as 그때 ('at that time', or 'then', or 'back then')

But you add the 도 (which sometimes works as 'too' and other times as 'even' (expressing inclusion)) and you get something roughly like 'even at that time'.

Water was soon present on the surface.
일찍이 물은 지구의 표면 위에 있었습니다.

일찍이 works for soon as 일찍 is first translated as 'early'. It has a second meaning, "early in life; in one's early days; once; one time; before;

As a student of Korean you might be interested to compare it with its relatives:
일찌감치 ahead of time (a little early)(earlier than usual) in good time

2009-10-22T15:47:00.000-07:00

So looking back at our science documentary, let's examine the choices a bit, starting with the first sentence,
___________________________________

“Our planet was born in fire, then grew with disaster.”

___________________________________

So as a new learner of intermediate Korean, I look at a sentence like this, and trying to figure out in my head how to organize it, here are a few things I know already.

1. After “fire” I’ll probably use the particle ‘고’ but then I’ve got a few options for how to mark the next clause (i.e. how to represent the English word ‘then’.)

2. As with all Korean sentences, the verb in each clause will go at the end.

So right away I know it’s going to look like,

“Our planet fire-in born-was-and, [some version of ‘then’] disaster-with, grew.”

The vocabulary we need: Planet – 행성 Fire – 불 Disaster – 재해

(or if you want to say ‘big’ or ‘great’ disaster, you could add 큰 for 큰 재해)

THE VERBS: Grow – 성장하다 to be born 태어나다

1. My Korean friends tell me that it is better to use ~로 for ‘with disaster’ because unlike 합게, 과, 까지, ‘with’ here means ‘in, by way of’ so we get 큰재해로.

2. I also learned that ~에서 works for ‘in’ of ‘in fire’ because here it actually means ‘out of, from’, so we get 불에서.

3. Very often we can find ~고 at the ends of clauses that are linked by succession or by comparison or contrast, even though the Sisa E4K dictionary lists 고 as a particle for ‘and’. In our case sentence, then, we should foresee that regardless of what we use for ‘then’, the first clause will probably end with 태어났고 (was born and)**

4. There are a few choices for ‘then’ but in this case the meaning is closer to ‘later’ than it is to ‘therefore’ so in stead of using 그럼, elegant Korean requires we use 나중에 (literally, ‘later on’)

And our resulting sentence?

우리의 행성은 불에서 태어났고, 나중에 큰재해로 성장했습니다.

** compare this with the suffix ~서, which gets used whenever the second action is a direct result of the first having happened.

(From the Cambridge publication Using Korean p.283)

The difference between ~고 and ~어서

In English, and can connect clauses denoting actions that either overlap or occur in a sequence. In Korean, ~고 denotes a simple sequence, while ~어서 marks an overlapping sequence (where 'something' from the first action is used in the interpretation of the second action.)

저녁 먹고 영화 봤다.

I ate dinner and saw a movie (simple seq.)

나가서 저녁 먹었다.

I went out and ate dinner (outside) (overlapping sequence)

도서관에 가고 친구 만났어.

(The meeting was somewhere other than the library.)

도서관에 가서 친구 만났어.

(The meeting was in the library.)

2009-10-19T22:14:00.000-07:00

Studying Through Attempting Translating

SCIENCE DOCUMENTARY

-for intermediate learners

If you've been to this blog before, you know I advocate the occasional plateau-breaking exercise by just trying a whole lot of new things at once, stretching those Korean-language-learning synapses and seeing what can be learned. I've advocated different novelties, like studying subtitles to favorite movies, writing song lyrics in Korean, etc.

For these next few lessons I'd like to take on the seemingly impossible yet surprisingly illuminating task of trying to translate a science documentary, for the purpose of seeing what sticks. As the subject matter is of incredible interest to me, it should be fun. Okay kids, grab your pencils!

If you're seeing this on facebook, click the link to the original blog post as the tables will not appear in FB.

MIRACLE PLANET - LESSON I

NOUNS	ADJECTIVES	PHRASES	VERBS
Creature – 생명체	Calm–고요해지자	Frozen shroud–빙하 수의	Born 태어났는
Disaster – 큰재해	Fragile – 무른게	‘miracle planet’기적 행성	Baptized 세례받는
Elements – 요소들	Linked – 연결된	Face/Surface of the Earth/our planet 지구의/우리의행성의 표면	Drift 표류하다
Journey – 여행	Myriad – 무수	Sheltered cradle – 보호받은 요람	Persevere – 참아다
Life – 생명체들		Simple cells단수한 세포들	Prosper -
Microbe – 미생물		Creatures we most resemble – 우리의 가장 많은 닮고있는 생물들	Resemble – 닮다
Planet – 행성		Not only~ but~ too.~을 만 아니라, ~도	Tread – 밟기다

Our planet was born in fire, then grew with disaster.
우리의 행성은 불에서 태어났고, 나중에 큰재해로인해 성장했습니다.

우리의

행성은

불

에서

태어났

고

나중에

큰

재해

로

인해

성장

했습니다

our

planet

fire

from

born

and

later

big

disaster

grow

did

Yet even then the elements of life were present.
그때도한, 생명체의 요소들을 있었습니다.

그때도한	생명체의	요소들을	있었습니다
at-that-time even	life's	elements	were.

Water was soon present on the surface.
일찌기 물은 지구의 표면 위에 있었습니다.

일찌기	물이	지구의	표면	위에	있었습니다
soon	water	earth's	surface	on/over	was.

When calm, it would provide a sheltered cradle for the first life on earth.
고요 해지자, 지구의 처음 생물체의 보호받은 요람 장비 했을 것이었다.

고요	해지자	지구의	처음	생물체의	보호받은	요람	장비	했을	것이었다
calm	-when,	earth's	first	life's	sheltered	cradle	provide	did	would

While the planet was born in fire, it was baptized by ice.
지구는 불에서 태어났을지라도, 얼음으로 세례 받았습니다.

지구는	불	에서	태어났	을지라도	얼음	으로	세례	받았습니다
earth	fire	out-of/from/in	born	although	ice	by	baptism	got.

For millions of years it was covered by a frozen shroud
수백만년동안 빙하 수의로 덮여있었는데

수	백만년	동안	빙하	수의	로	덮여	있었	는데
[an unexpressed large number, the 's' in 'millions']	million year(s)	during	glacier	shroud	by	be-covered	was	but/and

yet it seems that life not only persevered but prospered.
생명체가 오직참았을 만 안이라, 하지만 명백히 번창케도 했습니다.

생명체가	오직	참았을	만	안이라	하지만	명백히	번창케도	했습니다
life	only	persevering	just	did not	but	apparently	prosper-too	did

Microbes evolved into a myriad creatures and
미생물은 무수한 생물체로 진화 했고

미생물은	무수한	생물체	로	진화	했고
,Microbes	myriad	creatures	into	evolution	did and

one was the first to leave the oceans forever and tread on land.
하나 종은 대양에서 영원히 떠나기고 땅에 밟기는 처음 생물은 되었습니다.

하나	종은	대양	에서	영원히	떠나기고	땅에	밟기는	처음	생물은	되	었습니다
one	species	oceans	from	forever	leave and	land-on	treading	first	life	become	did

Only a few million years ago,
단지 몇 백만년 과거에,

단지	몇	백만년	과거	에
Merely	some	million year(s)	the past	in, to

creatures that we most resemble began to walk the earth.
우리의 가장 많은 닮고있는 생물들은 지구위에 걸어가기 시작 했습니다.

우리의	가장	많은	닮고있는	생물들은	지구	위에	걸어가	기	시작	했습니다
our	most	(most)	resembling	creatures	earth	on	walk	to	start	did

Our own lives seem so fragile, yet science tells us otherwise.
우리의 스스로한 생명들은 너무 무른게 같은데, 과학은 다른 것 알려줍니다.

우리의	스스로한	생명들은	너무	무른게	같	은데	과학은	다른	것	알려줍니다
our	own	lives	so, too	fragile	like	but	science	another	thing	informs us.

It tells us that we are but a part of the greatest journey ever made.
우리는 최고의 여행가 만든 단지 작은 부분이다고 알려준다.

우리는	최고의	만든	여행가	단지	작은	부분	이다고	알려준다
we	best	made	journey	merely	small	part	that	(it) informs us.

It tells us that all life is linked through time to those simple cells which first drifted through the first oceans of a ‘miracle planet.’

과학은 우리에게 모든 생명체가 "기적의 행성"의 최초의 대양들을 ~

과학은	우리에게	모든	생명체가		기적의	행성의	최초의	대양들을
science	to us	all	life		miracle	planet's	first (for things or a moment)	oceans

~여기저기 지나면서 초기에 표류하였던~

여기저기	지나면서	초기에	표류	하였던
wandering	through	first (for terms, like eras, epochs)	drift	ed + 던 adj. clause marker (which)

~단일 세포들과 세월을 통해 연결되어 짐을 알려준다.

단일세포 과	세월을	통해	연결	되어	지~	~음을	알려준다
simple cells-with	the ages	through	link	becoming (incomplete conjugation)	passive verb-making particle	that	informs

A WORD ABOUT ~던
In terms of identifying clauses, this postposition suffix works much like 'which' in English for defining or non-defining adjective clauses. Koreans use it in clauses with the verb stem endings ~하는 or ~있는.

A WORD ABOUT ~있음을 (and its twin ~있다고)
These are interchangeably used as 'that' in English adjective clauses. You should think of it as interchangeable with ~것을 for the same purpose, as long as you follow this rule:
~있음을 / ~있다고 matches up with clauses ending with ~어 (e.g. 되어)
~것을 matches up with clauses ending with 는 or 하는 endings.

Did you notice the verb 'linked' is passive in that sentence? That is to say, all creatures are linked through time, they do not link themselves, of course.

So how do you represent that in Korean? With the particle ~지~

verb + 지 + ~다고 = verb 진다고 (~that is ___ed)
verb + 지 + ~음을 = verb 짐을 (~that is ___ed)

or past!

verb + 지 + 었 + ~다고 = verb 졌다고 (~that was ____ed)
verb + 지 + 었 + ~음을 = verb 졌음을 (~that was ____ed)

in the case of 하다 (to do) in the past, this can get confusing if you don't already know that 했다 and 하였다 are the exact same. So if you were using either, passively, in an adjective clause, this is how they would turn out:

했다/하였다+ 지 + 었 + ~다고 = 해졌다고/ 하여 졌다고 (~that was ____ed)
했다/하였다+ 지 + 었 + ~음을 = 해졌음을/하여 졌음을 (~that was ____ed)

In my next post I'll go back and review that last long science sentence using my own steps diagram to show you how the phrases can be cut and how they are prioritized and placed.

2009-10-04T08:17:00.000-07:00

FICTIONAL HISTORY LETTER

From 'Cariboo Bound' (a story about a young pioneer who leaves his 19th century Ontario farm in search of gold in the Rockies)

Through observing sentence by sentence the difference between this draft (written only with the help of a dictionary) and what it should be, going through the errors on this blog, fellow Korean language students, let's see how much really useful Korean storytelling we can learn in the process.

SUBJECT:

---------------

This is excerpted from a Canadian adventure kids magazine for English learners. In the story from which this letter is drawn, a turn-of-the-century young prairie boy wants to leave his farm at 14 and follow gold-seekers he's heard are on their way to his town. They are determined to pioneer through Canada’s untamed wilderness, a trek that will take him across some 4000 kilometres starting from Ontario, going across the prairies and into the Rocky Mountains where our young hero (and the team he's convinced to let him tag along with) believe lay goldfields waiting to be found and converted into wealth. The boy sends periodic letters home to his sister regaling her with tales of his adventures thus far. Here’s the first of four such letters.

Hopefully this exercise will shed a lot of light on wording and style choices in Korean.

So without further ado, let’s start!

July 6, 1862

Dear Elizabeth,

I am writing to let you know that I am safe and well, though I would give anything for a new pair of shoes.

We have been travelling for about five weeks now. Today is Sunday, the only day of the week that we rest. Every other time we are up at four o'clock in the morning and on the trail by five.

The days have been very long and hot. I swear, the sun blazes hotter out here on the open prairie. About the only thing worse are the mosquitoes. Those little demons are putting everyone on edge. On cooler days I wear gloves so I can't scratch at my bites.

The gloves are also handy when it comes to picking up buffalo droppings.

One of my jobs on the trail is to collect all the buffalo dung I see. It's a good substitute for fuel whenever we're short on firewood.

So far we've travelled through grasslands and a few areas of brush. We've also crossed many rivers and streams, which can be tough. It's hard work getting all those carts and animals down the steep riverbanks! A few weeks ago, a man slipped while trying to get his ox down a muddy slope. When he hit the ground, the wheel of his cart rolled right over his head! Luckily, he survived.

Despite all our troubles, we're making progress. A couple of days ago we reached Fort Carlton. According to our leader, Mr. McMicking, we're a quarter of the way to the Cariboo. Boy I wish we were closer!

I'll tuck this letter away and send it when I can.

Your brother,

Andrew

--------------------------------------------------------------

Now why don't you grab a paper and pen, and see how close you get to an accurate translation with me? Let's do it line by line every day or every other day, starting with this:

July 6, 1862

1862년 7월 6일

Dear Elizabeth,

사랑하는 둥생 엘리자벳,

"I am writing to let you know that I am safe and well, though I would give anything for a new pair of shoes."

(I'll post the answer tomorrow but here are some things you should thing about

하기 - to [verb], for using a verb within a clause where you have to+[v])
알다 - to know
알려주다 - to inform me
알려드릴다 - to inform you
~1다고 ~2 - 1 that~[verb phrase] 2 [main verb of the sentence]
쓰다 - to write
그러나 - though
주다 - give
~텐데 would ~
무엇이라도 - anything (as in everything)

See you tomorrow!

---------------------------

Emanuel's translation of the above sentence

First, let's look at the Korean word order:

I'm writing to let you know that I am safe and well,
has to become
I... safe and well am-that... let you know-to ... for (I'm) writing and/but,

난	안전	하고	잘있-	-다고	알려드리	-기	위해	쓰는	-데
I	safe	and	well-am	-that	know-give (you)	to-	for	writing	and/but,

although I'd give anything for a pair of shoes
has to become
although new shoes have-to ... anything-even... (I) give-would.

그러나	새	신발	구하기	위해서	-라면	무엇	이라도	주었을	텐데
although	new	shoes	to have	for		any-	-thing even	gave	would

This last sentence is of special interest to me because the marker 'although' comes at the front of the clause, whereas so many other similar Korean markers go at the ends of clauses. So this kind of stands out and makes me wonder how many other examples like that there are.

For example, I know there is 웨냐하면 for 'because', which goes at the fronts of sentences or clauses, and it also has a postposition (end of phrase) alternative, 떼문에 or 떼메요 (I tend to use it like 'due to' since it never seems to mark a sentence but only pops up at ends of phrases or clauses.)

Now for my scholar friend's explanation of why certain things here need to be.

In particular I'm interested in
1. the function and the meaning of ~위해서라면 and
2. why the 위해s are necessary? What would happen to the Korean sentence meaning if we didn't have them (since they don't have English counterparts in terms of necessity)?

How did you do with your translation?

2008-11-27T23:08:00.000-08:00

So if you've seen the first movie subtitle Korean lesson I started this blog with, you'll know I advocate the occasional busting out with a whole mess of Korean at once in a new context. ( First time was the movie War Of The Worlds. )

So how next to bust out of that grammar-obsessed rut? How can I break through that plateau into higher Korean language facility? Well, here's a way-

These days in my little hamlet in the Korean countryside , I'm getting a choral group together for concerts in local venues. I was given a tip that such a small concert might be well-received at the local prison just a few miles up the road. So... music for great, echo-y stone walls, whispering philosophy and spirituality, stuff people could chew on for a good long time.

And then it hit me - some of the best choral music I know - 16th century English choral anthems in the Tudor style, right from the time of William Byrd, Thomas Weelkes and all the gang. *Real*-ly old school.

What should be of interest to Korean language-learners is how elastic the language really is in accommodating the demands of the music to truncate the lyrics and in some cases, alter the sentence order to accommodate some poetic musical plays-on-words (like 'at peace', for example, which would never come at the end of a Korean sentence normally.) This malleability, and what we can learn from how far we can push it, can teach language learners a lot about how much room there is in Korean (and particularly in spoken Korean) for truncating otherwise explicitly stated subjects and objects, and just how much Koreans can lean on context to deliver same meanings.

So far I've done three. This first one was particularly challenging as I had to do triple-duty:
1. translate from Latin to English
2. translate from English to Korean
3. discover what can be shortened in Korean in order to match the number of syllables to the Latin. That last part is actually hard, but Korean affords so much flexibility in how the exact same phrase can be said. That is the value of putting it in a Korean language learning blog.

Okay so here're the lyrics.

JUSTORUM ANIMAE
(Offertory for All Saints' Day, from Book of Wisdom Of Solomon, 3:1-3)
(William Byrd (1543-1623) composer, from Oxford Book Of Tudor Anthems)
-for soprano, alto, tenor, bass.

Original:	Translation:
Justorum animae in manu Dei sunt,	(the) Righteous souls, in hands of God, are,
Et non tanget illos tormentum mortis.	and (will/shall) not touch them the torment of death.

Visi sunt oculis insipientium mori:	(They) appear, to the eyes of the insipid/the stupid/the foolish, dead:
Illi autem sunt in pace.	They actually are at peace.

Now let's look at it in Korean.

1. Pre-Lesson
2. Original Korean passage
3. truncated Korean lyrics, compared to original Latin lyrics.

1. New Verb: 누리다 - to enjoy [the virtue of] having [ qualities, concepts, states of being - not people so much. For example, it doesn't work for refering to one's kids, even though that's a totally natural thing to say in English. But it would work if your Korean co-teacher rang you up on vacation and was about to ask you to work a camp, she could say 'how are you doing?' and you could respond ' 내 송탄 방학을 누리고있자나! (rougly translated, 'you bloody well know I'm busy enjoying my Xmas vacation! (the tone being a distinct 'why are you bothering me on vacation?!') ]

누리다 EXAMPLE .
She enjoys, in this country, both a privileged visa status,
그녀가 이나라에서 특혜받은 비자 지위를 누리고 있고,

and the opportunities that enable her to use that status.
그 지위는 그녀가 기회들을 사용할 수 있게 한다.

2. ENGLISH-KOREAN TRANSLATION: ORIGINAL KOREAN PASSAGE

The righteous souls are in the hands of God,

의인들의 영혼은 하느님의 손에 있어서

right's/just souls-are God's hands-in are-since

And there not death nor torment shall touch them.

아무런 고통도 받지 않을 것이다.

no torment-even get not-shall/will.

In the sight of the unwise, they seemed to die:

미련한 자들의 눈에는 그들이 죽은것 처럼 보이지만

stupid people's eyes-in-are they died look-but

But they are at peace.

의인들은 평화를 누리고 있다.

righteous-ones-are peace enjoying.

3. TRUNCATED KOREAN LYRICS (shortened to fit the music)
Justorum animae in manu Dei sunt (12)
의인들의 영혼은 하느님 손에 있고 (14)

(I managed to bring it down to 14 syllables from 16; the only meaning that changed from 있어서 to 있고 is that instead of saying 'as they are in the hands of God' it now says 'they are in the hands of God and~'. My Korean sources say it could be further truncated to 의인의 but for purposes of enunciation in performance I wanted to clarify the word so Korean listeners at the back could understand. So I kept in the 들 to make the singer's job easier by fitting some nice anchoring consonants in the middle of all those odd vowels in that word. But it's still interesting that it could be so reduced and communicate the same meaning.)

Et non tanget illos tormentum mortis. (11)
아무런 고통도 (6) 받지 않는다.(5)
(The change from 않을 거시다 to 않는다 changes the meaning from 'will not get(touch) them' to don't/doesn't get them.)

Visi sunt oculis(6) insipientium mori:(8)
미련한 자 눈에(6) 죽은것 처럼 보여도(8)
(To me it is amazing that so much could get dropped from this sentence and it still would be understood!
I've been told however that this is definitely the case in changing from 미련한자들의 눈에는 to 미련한 자 눈에 .
보여도 changes the meaning from 'it so appears, but~' to 'even if/although it so appears' )

Illi autem sunt in pace. (8)
의인들은 평화를 누리고 있네.(1st time sung)

평화를 누리고 있네 (8) (2nd time sung)

in pace... in pace... in pace.(3)
평화롭네... 평화롭네... 평화롭네 (4)
(The change from 있다 to 있네 conveys a change from a literary expression of 'is' to a softer, more familiar vernacular spoken version of 'is'.)

2nd Tudor Anthem:
Call To Remembrance (Richard Farrant, c.1573-1623)

Call to remembrance, O Lord, (7)

오 주님 생걱 하소서 (8)

Oh Master, think-do/consider

( 하소서 is a Korean imperative verb honorific form reserved for speaking to gods!)

thy tender mercy and thy loving kindness (11)

한결같으신 사랑을 기억 하시고 (13)

as ever-of-old love remember-and

(inserting 시 exalts the status of the listener)

which hath been ever of old. (7)

당신의 자비와 옛사랑

your mercy and ancient love.

O remember not the sins and offences of my youth (14)

젊어서 저지른 잘못 과 죄를 잊어 주소서(16)

in (my) youth-committed errors and offense forget-do

But according to thy mercy (8)

자비하신 마음으로(8)

merciful feeling-in

Think thou on me, O Lord (6)

날(나를) 생각 하소서(6)

on me think-do

For thy goodness. (4)

어지 신분 이여 (6)

kind-heartedness-for

(어질다-benign,kind-hearted; 신분-one's social position or status)

2008-11-16T07:17:00.000-08:00

I dedicate today's entry to all the international couples~ Happy Valentine's Day.

You know, there might just be nothing more romantic to do for Valentine's Day (with your shoes still on, I mean) than write a song for that special someone. I'm hoping to herd myself and my fellow readers into storytelling in Korean, so for now I'd like to make the case here for song- or poetry-writing as a fun intermediary step composition tool.

You don't even have to show it to anybody - it can be your own little secret. One of the best parts about this exercise is... in your English version, the lyrics don't even have to rhyme! Korean has so many homophonic verb conjugation endings, that it's harder to find it not rhyming in Korean than in English!

1. After you've figured out what you want your song to say, break down your melody line by line, in English.
3. layout the strong syllables per line.

TIP try breaking down the one-line syllable count into two smaller numbers if you get an especially important mid-syllable, so as to wind up toward that special syllable.
e.g. from Line 8 of the song 사랑의 서약(which you can listen to on naver.com) :

~서로 위로 해줄수있나요?

4. on another sheet of paper, layout the raw Korean translation for your English lyrics. See how close you can get to your original meaning in the raw Korean. Underline the strong syllables in your Korean version, then go back and see if you can make it better (have a K-E dictionary handy).

That is where the beauty of the process starts. By this point in this personal Korean-language-learning online blog-notebook of mine, you should know of a few ways to make the endings longer or shorter, to include or drop subjects, objects, and/or their markers almost at will (not quite, but almost.) So exploit that process to your advantage and start expanding/shrinking the lines to fit your Korean syllable count for each musical line.

Here's an excerpt from a song I made recently:

The future's come I see it clear-ly now
청명 하게 다 가온 오늘이
(Finally, it has come, today)

You put your hand in mine and then some-how
당신은 내 손을 잡아 주었고
(You did, my hand take and-)

I see new pos-si-bi-li-ties
밝은 미랠 보았어요
(the discovered-future I saw)

and I believe
난 믿었죠
(I believed [or I began to believe])

The happiness of which I’ve dreamed has come to stay
나의 행복은 실현 되었어요
(My happiness dreamed-of has become)

...At this point you're either thinking 1) that's pretty cool or 2) that's pretty cheesy and you could do better.
If you're 1), I'd say jump in, man/woman, the water's great!
If you're 2), I'd say so prove it!

Let the shmalzy cheesy romantic poet in you come out and start composing in new directions with your new-found Korean language powers.

It's one of the fastest - and possibly one of the coolest - ways to find those expressions nearest to the kinds of stories you want to be telling, in Korean. In other words, I think this could be one of the fastest enablers of your L2 persona (how articulate you become in your second language) which is the technical reason why you should be doing it. But it's Valentine's Day, so don't get too obsessed with technicalia.

Good luck!

2008-11-16T06:21:00.000-08:00

Transitions 6. Words That Show Cause-And-Effect 원인과 결과를 보여주는 말

because	왜냐하	cause	~를 야기하다
lead to	이르게 하다	as a result	~의 결과로
effect	초래하다	so	그리하여
reason	이유	since	~이므로(~이니까)
therefore	그러므로	thus	따라서
on account of	~때문에	consequently	그 결과

Because Peter had a cold, he missed the picnic.
피터는 감기에 걸렸기 때문에, 소풍을 못갔다.

Peter had a cold; therefore, he missed the picnic.
피터는 감기에 걸렸다. 그러므로 소풍을 못갔다.

Peter had a cold; consequently, he missed the picnic.
피터는 감기에 걸렸다. 그 결과 소풍을 못갔다.

The reason Peter missed the picnic is because he had a cold.
피터가 소풍을 못 간 이유는 그가 감기에 걸렸기 때문이다.

2008-11-16T05:56:00.000-08:00

Transitions 5. - Words That Show Illustration (a.k.a. Example) 예를 나타내는 말

for example	예를 들어
for instance	이를테면
to illustrate	예를 들어 설명하다
such as	~와 같은
once	한번은
including	~을 포함하여

Some bugs, such as mosquitoes and bees, can hurt people.
모기나 벌과 같은 벌레들은 사람을 해칠수도 있다.

I love Mexican food, including nachos and tacos.
나는 나쵸와 타코를 포함한 멕시코 음식을 좋아한다.

Nancy likes to tell jokes.
낸시는 농담하기를 좋아한다.

Once, she told a funny joke about the teacher and got into big trouble.
한번은, 그녀가 선생님에 대한 우스운 농담을 했고.

2008-11-16T05:38:00.000-08:00

Transitions 4. Words That Show Comparison - 비교를 나타내는 말

like	~처럼
similarly	비슷하게
just as, as like	마치
equal	같은
equally	똑같이
identical	동일한
likewise	마찬가지로
in the same way	같은 방식으로
similar	비슷한
alike	서로 같은
comparable	~와 비교되는
the same as	~와 같은

Jane and Ted are equally intelligent.
제인과 테드는 똑같이 똑똑하다.

Jane is bright; likewise, Ted is bright.
제인은 영리하다. 마찬가지로 헤드는 영리하다.

Jane and Ted are similar in their love for reading.
제인과 테드는 둘다 독서를 좋아하는 면이 비슷하다.

Just as Jane enjoys swimming, Ted loves to swim.
제인이 수영을 즐기는 것처럼, 테드는 수영을 좋아한다.

2008-11-16T04:53:00.000-08:00

in contrast	그와 반대로
differ	다르게
even though~, ~not withstanding	~인데도
on the other hand	반면에
however	그러나
although	비록~일지라도
despite	~에도 불구하고
nevertheless, in spite of that	그런데도
yet
instead	대신에
unlike	~와는 달리
but	그러나

Unlike Sally, who is shy, Mark is very talkative.
수줍어하는 샐리와는 달리, 마크는 아주 수다스럽다.

Sally is shy; in contrast, Mark is very talkative.
샐리는 수줍어 한다. 그와 반대로, 마크는 아주 수다스럽다.

Sally is shy; however, Mark is very talkative.
샐리는 수줍어 한다. 그러나 마크는 아주 수다스럽다.

Despite being shy, Sally gave a confident speech.
수줍어 함에도 불구하고, 샐리는 확신에 한 연설을 했다.

Although Sally is shy, she gave a confident speech.
비록 샐리는 수줍어 함에도 불구하고, 그녀는 확신에 찬 연설을 했다.

2008-11-16T04:19:00.000-08:00

2. WORDS THAT SHOW TIME - 시간을 나타내는 말

first second	첫째로, 두번째로
during~	~하는 동안에
in the past	과거에
in the old days	옛날에
in ancient times	고대에는
in prehistoric times	선사 시대 에는
before	이전에는
earlier	더 이르게는
sometimes	떼로는
often	종종
following	~에 이어
later	나중에
afterward	그후에
then	그다음에
since	~이래로
as, while	~할때, ~동안
originally usually	월레, 보통

Example 1:
First, dig a hole about 6cm deep; next, take the plant from its container. Put the plant in the hole and then place soil into the hole, pushing the dirt down firmly around the plant. Afterward, fertilize and water the plant.
--------------------------------------
First, dig a hole about 6cm deep;
첫째로, 약 6cm 길이로 구멍을 파고,

Next, take the plant from its container.
다음에, 용기에서 식물을 꺼내라.

Put the plant in the hole and then place soil into the hole, pushing the dirt down firmly around the plant.
그 식물을 구멍에 넣고, 그 다음에 구멍으로 흙을 넣는데 식물 둘레로 단단히 흙을 아래로 밀어 넣어라.

Afterward, fertilize and water the plant.
그 후에 식물에 비료를 주고 물을 주어라.

중간에(common speech for in the meantime)

그 사이에(meanwhile)

2008-11-15T21:04:00.000-08:00

Transitions are words or phrases that connect ideas.

접속어는 화제들을 연결하는 단어 또는 구절이다

There are six common types of transitions.

6개의 일상적인 접속사 유형들이 있다.

1. WORDS THAT SHOW ADDITION - 덧붙이는 말

first	첫째로(for imperatives), 처음에(for narratives) 무엇보다도(with 먼저, stresses the first thing you're talking about)
First of all / in the first place / first off	먼저
Second	두번째로
Third	세번째로
Also	또한
Another	또하나
Furthermore	더구나
In addition	게다가
Next	다음에
Finally	결국(에)
Then (i.e. the speaker gives one point and then adds another and another.)	그후에 (after that) (말하는 사람은 하나의 핵심을 주고나서 그 다음에 다른 것들을 덧붙인다.)
첫째로	(in the first place)
그리고나서	(then)(sequencing events)
결국에,마침내,최종적으로	(finally)
끝에 가서는, 최후에 이르러서는, 종국에는, 마지막에 가서는	(in the end...)
…할 때까지에는	by the time (that)...
그때까지	by that time;till then;up to that time;theretofore

Example 1

My work will be finished by that time.

그맘때까지는 일이 끝날 것입니다

Example 2 - Try translating this:

The mayor said that the repairs will be completed by Saturday and that the highway should open in time for work on Monday.

시장은 수리가 토요일까지 종결될 것이며 고속도로가 월요일 업무 시간에 맞춰 개통될 것이라고 말했다.

Example 3 - Try translating this:

To be successful in school, students need to keep several things in mind. First of all, students need to learn to take good notes during class and while reading textbooks. Secondly, they should develop good study habits. Finally, students should turn in all homework and assignments.

2008-10-01T16:56:00.000-07:00

I got a call last night from a Korean and I was trying to work out how many times a week we should meet. I made the fatal flaw of saying

얼마나 번제

which is really a terrible mix of two different syntaxes. Not surprisingly, the Korean was flummoxed as my question was beyond rescuing and deep, deep in the land of lost. I later asked my wife about it and after a great ensuing debate, I think I finally saw daylight. I would like to share that daylight with you, because you're obviously a discriminating reader being that you're reading this blog. So this one's for you.

몇 번

This is for how many times, the sum amount of incidents if you will. For example,

"How many times a week do you want to meet?"
일 주에 몇번 마날까요?
one week-in/ how many times (i.e. often)/ meet-shall we?

몇 번째

1. This is used to determine your place number in an order or queue.

e.g. A doctor leans into his waiting room, looks at the patients and asks one,
"Which number are you?"
몇 번제 입니까?
what/place number/are?

2. This can also be used to determine the number of times you have done something today.

e.g. same doctor looks at one patient and recognizes he's seen him already today. So he asks,
"How many times does this make that I've seen you today?"
몇 번제 오늘 제가 당신을 봤어요?
what/place number/today/I-am/you/seen?

If you imagine the question in terms of 'what is this the second or third time I've seen you today?' then it's easier to be consistent with the rule above.

얼마, 얼마나

This is a request for an amount of an uncountable noun.

얼마에요? How much (money) is it?

얼마 만금 원 해요?
How much do you want?

얼마 음식 먹었어요?
How much (food) did eat?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
from my assistant editor

~ 번

1. a time
한 번 a time;once;one time
두 번 twice
한두 번 once or twice
한 번 더 once more[again]
여러 번 many times;many a time
첫[두] 번째 the first[second]
지난번 last time;the other day
이번 this time;on this occasion
몇 번이고 again and again
사람은 한 번 죽는다 A man dies but once.
2. number
1[2]번 number one[two]
5번 교실 classroom No. 5

# 너는 학급에서 몇 번이냐?―저는 3번입니다
How do you stand in your class?─I stand No. 3 in my class.
~ 째
둘째 형 the second eldest brother
첫째로 졸업하다 graduate at the head of one´s class
내가 여기 온 지 3일째에 third day after I came here
여기 온 것은 이번이 세 번째다 This is the third time I have been here.

~ 번째

오른쪽으로부터 세 번째의 사람 the man third from the right
the next but one[two] : 하나[둘] 건너 다음의, 두[세] 번째의
the last house but one[two] : 끝에서 두[세]번째 집
the first[second] : 첫[두] 번째
the twentieth : 스무 번째
Our team has chalked up a fourth successive victory.
: 우리 팀은 올해 네 번째 연승을 확보했다

몇 번

tell over :[돈 따위(kinds)]를 몇 번이고 세다;[말]을 몇 번이고 되풀이하다
again and again=time and (time) again : 몇 번이고, 되풀이하여
any number of : 많은, 얼마든지 (We can do it any number of times. 몇 번이든지 그것을 할 수 있다.)
after some hums and ha’s[haws]
: 몇 번이나 흠흠 한 다음
I have had several occasions to see her.
: 그녀를 만나볼 기회가 몇 번 있었다.
I read her letter many times over.
: 그녀의 편지를 몇 번이나 되풀이해서 읽었다.
more than once
: (한 번만이 아니고,) 몇 번이고
~ 번째
for the nth time
몇 번째인지 모르지만

여러번 or 여러번째 = 몇 번이고 = 몇 번이나

(“많은 번째" is not correct!!! Never use!)
Many's[Many is] the ... (that) ... :…한 일이 여러 번 있다, 자주 …하곤 하였다
: Many’s the time I have seen them together. 그들이 함께 있는 것을 여러 번 보았다.
in numbers
여러 번으로 나누어서
many a time (and oft) = many times
자주, 여러 번
once and again
몇 번이고, 여러 번

2008-08-14T21:26:00.000-07:00

Today's Mass was the feast day of the Assumption. During Mass I picked up on a phrase I normally utter in English, "it is right to give Him thanks and praise."

In Korean,마땅하고 옳은 일입니다.

(I do a lot of this English-during-Korean, to participate. For one thing, the cadences of the prayers are almost the same in length, and for another it's one of the great things about the Catholic Mass: if you know it, you can walk in on a Mass anywhere in the world and be able to participate almost fully, without necessarily having to know the local language.)

After clarifying in English and Korean which phrase I was talking about, I commented to my wife that I already knew the Korean verb 'to be right' which is 맞다. I also already knew the particle to effect the 'to -(verb)' pattern in English, which is '(verb)기'.

So why at that point wasn't I instead hearing the phrase,

감사하고 찬미드리기가 맞습니다
(thanks-and praise-give-to right-it-is)?

Answer: it's because Koreans have two different verbs for something being right. They are almost identical in usage, but 맞다 is used to clarify correctness, and 옳다 is used to clarify correctness but with a moral connotation - a suggestion that something is morally right, and by association, factually correct.

Very interesting. So compare the conjugations:

1. to be right - 맞다 맞아요 맞습니다
2. to be right - 옳다 옳아요 옳습니다

So while number 1 connotes factual correctness which can be used to imply agreement, number 2 connotes correctness from a moral context, which can be used to confer agreement by positive judgement on something.

That's really interesting to me as a Westerner, and as a left-handed Westerner at that. I came into the school system just as the public education system's discouragement of left-handed writers had been eased. I learned that had I come into the system just a few years before, I may have had my left hand tied to my back, or a few decades before that, my hands or back whacked with a hickory stick until I forced myself to try writing with my right hand. We have a family story of an uncle from long ago who, in a Portuguese school, was severely reprimanded for using his left hand to write with in school. The infamous story goes that after a certain high point in the beatings this strong boy stood up, hurled his desk at the teacher, and fled the school for his life, never to return. It sounds similar to some of the stories I've heard about past Canadian residential school discipline practices, and how it drove some kids to escape.

Anyway, I guess that uncle (or great uncle) got on fine without going through grade school, as did many who instead had to stay behind and help the family farm or estate, in the early days of introducing public education. But it serves to remind that lefties got a stigma in the West. It may have come partly from the Middle East (the Bible has a phrase about how the right hand oughtn't know what the left hand is doing, suggesting a public face with the right hand and secret actions with the left) but then again the Middle East may have inherited its social orientation on lefties from just a little further east, India (in India, people use their right hand to eat with and to meet people, and the left hand is used for wiping the bum, and never the roles of the two hands be exchanged.)

Apparently in Korea, lefties have not historically suffered comparably harsh reprimands in schools or in government. If you came into school using your left hand, you could continue to use your left hand. They do have a special phrase for left-handed people, 웬손사람 (literally, left-hand person) but it does not have other meanings associated with it. Compare that with all the other meanings tied to the French word for left, 'gauche' which also means to be a little bit clumsy or awkward, or socially awkward or slightly stupid in matters of style or custom.

At first, when I was learning that there were two different words in Korean to express being right, I got so frustrated that I couldn't stop laughing. I was also trying to compare the spellings/pronunciation of

옳은

and

오른

which added to my exasperation. But when I learned that Korean lefties suffered no stigma comparable to that experienced (until relatively recently) by westerners, my frustration (with this language of seemingly infinite economy) changed to respect. Now I think it's as cool as anything!

우리 교장선생님게서 옳습니다. Our principal is a (morally up)right man.
그 웬편은 옳은것입니다. The left side is the (morally) right one (to take).

마땅하고 옳은 일입니다. It is right to give Him thanks and praise.
(praise-and right-thing (일) it-is.)

So for Koreans, historically speaking, there is not necessarily a correlation between the right-hand side and being in the right.

Cooly-cool cool. (to a leftie)

2008-08-12T06:15:00.000-07:00

COMPARING TWO KOREAN VERSIONS OF THE ENGLISH VERB, 'TO KEEP'

We're passing through the airport customs. As is usual for me, I get a little nervous handing over my passport to Korean authorities, but not because I'm on the run! No, it's just because I find the paperwork is so shoddy and the stamping so sloppy that I have to teach each and every customs officer how to respectfully stamp a passport so that the expense of that international document is respected. If I don't step in each time, they'll stamp page 11 today, page 3 tomorrow, page 24 the next time, and diagonal, sideways, any old way they want. You may think that's a little anal retentive but when you see how organized the Japanese stamps are, you'll understand. These people just take no pride in their work and they think passports are as easily acquired as napkins!

So my wife taught me how to respectfully request they stamp it in certain places (I've actually got it down to a science)

육패이지 직어 해주세요.
number six-page, stamp give-please.
(I just learned that the difference between 주세요 and 해주세요 is the difference between a polite toned giving instruction (the first) and (the second) is actually 'please give' or 'please do'. )

Well the guy obliges and I'm very happy about my well-respected passport with stamps all neatly arranged. Then the guy hauls this one off on me, by saying it to my wife:

키스 할때, 십오도 각도를 항상 지킵니까?
kiss-when, 15 degrees always keeps?
( [and] when he kisses you, does he also always make sure it's at the optimal kissing angle of 15 degrees tilt?)

I laughed but only because I didn't know what he was fully saying. The Mrs. laughed too but she didn't tell me until after we were on the escalator, probably to keep me from retorting something evil - which I absolutely would have done.

(You know, I think the only way to go through a language as different as Korean is to learn first the conversations you want to be having. So that includes delicious retorts.)

So if you hear the above line, you can know that the person is jokingly inquiring as to how anal-retentive you really are. It's a kind of humourous Korean expression on the subject.

But here are some good replies:
----------------------------------------------------
And how would you know how many degrees to measure?

어떤 각도로 키스 하는지 어떻게 아세요?
what degree kiss-doing how [would you] know?

(compare this to the more written equivalent version,

얼마만큼 재기 어떻게 아세요?
howmuch degree how [would you] know?

which was my first guess and correct in written terms, but in the lingo of daily conversation, the former is more idiomatic.)

Do you keep a protractor in your pocket?

주머니에 각도자 가지고 답니까?
pocket-in protractor do you keep?

And what do you keep for fucking? A protractor set?

섹스 하기 위해 무엇을 가지고다니냐? 각도자세트 요?
sex-doing-for what keep? A protractor set?

-------------------------------------------------------
COMPARE

Keep (as in keep the law, watch, guard, hang onto, hold, preserve) = 지키다
Keep (as in on one's person, handy, on a belt or in a pocket) = 가지고 다니다

Compare the second to 가지고 가다 (to take something, or to grab or get something at the store)

2008-08-01T06:03:00.000-07:00

Well if getting cut in front of in a line is okay with you all the time, then you don't need to read this lesson.

If however you're like the *other* 99% of the population and you find this local phenomenon extremely annoying, there are various, shorter, intermediary measures than the following to correct the offending behavior with a word or two.

순서 만듭시다!

야 = hey
순서(를) = order (as in a queue)
만드~(~ㄹ다) the verb, 'to make' (verb root isolated here for your convenience)
~(ㅂ)시다! = let's~!

(upon being ignored)
야, 순서 만듭시다!
야 = hey (as in, hey you!)

If, however, you've tried these and the person then pretends that you are the line jumper and are trying to make it out that your presence is an offense and they're a victim, what to do? Do we simply open up a can of whoop-ass?

HOLD ON, MAN! Don't kick ass just yet. If you decide anger management is not for this moment and you decide that as of this moment, 'it is on', then there is one more conversation you can still have...
... just before you do lay the smackdown on the next ignorance-feigning line jumper trying to flummox you by acting like you're somehow the one being inappropriate.

Learn as much - or as little - of it as you wish. As you can see below, any part of it can work, or all of it can work beautifully together.

1. 줄뒤로 가세요, 세치기야!
back of the line, line-jumper!
(spoken loudly, this will draw attention to the line-jumper)
1.
줄 = (a) line (as in a queue, but used here to mean a straight line)
줄뒤로 = line back-towards
가세요, = go (peer polite posposition used here)
세치기 = a kind of slang for line-jumper, derogatory in tone
야! = a really impolite postposition, indicating clearly you are incensed.

If that still doesn't work, then when the proctologists arrive to help you retrieve your foot from their ass, you can at least explain that you tried to fix the situation by talking first. And you may get blood money for your foot if you play it right.

Of course, you should always know clearly what is going on first before engaging in any of this. It's possible your apparent line-jumper is returning from a previous purchase or something else that allows an exception. However, if you are visiting Korea and you don't want to stew on this thing for a few days, better to let it out than keep it in, I say. Good luck in your quest for line-jumping justice.

2008-05-20T01:06:00.000-07:00

Okay. My Korean doctor friend and I had a go at comparing contrastive and topic markers for the same sentence.

See if you can find the Korean sentences with correct use of topic/contrast markers, and the incorrect counterparts. (Answers below)

"I'm sick but Maria's alright."

1. 나는 아프지만, 마리아가 괜찬습니다.
2. 내가 아프지만, 마리아가 괜찬습니다.
3. 내가 아프지만, 마리아는 괜찬습니다.

"Maria's sick butI'm alright."

4. 마리아가 아프지만, 나는 괜찬습니다.
5. 마리아는 아프지만, 나는 괜찬습니다.
6. 마리아는 아프지만, 내가 괜찬습니다.

"I'm alright but Maria's sick."

7. 내가 괜찬지만, 마리아가 아픕니다.
8. 나는 괜찬지만, 마리아가 아픕니다.
9. 내가 괜찬지만, 마리아는 아픕니다.

ANSWERS:

1. correct 2. incorrect 3. correct
4. correct 5. correct 6. incorrect
7. incorrect 8. correct 9. incorrect

2008-05-19T18:58:00.001-07:00

Hi all,

I'm just cleaning up some old loose paper lessons and I found this one insightful into inserting secondary verbs into Korean sentences. This one is the equivalent of using the English word 'to-'. But interestingly enough, it can't be used in all cases where we have 'to-' (for example, you can't use it in the sentence, 'this will not be our last time to see each other.'

However, in short range sentences like the title, it works consistently with all the substitutes I could think of.

Here goes:

이해하다 - to understand
어렵다 - to be difficult

너 이해하기 어렵다. It's difficult to understand you.

1. Can be used to describe a type of person.
2. Can be used to describe what they are saying, you would include 말

e.g. 너 말 이해하기 어렵다. It's difficult to understand what you're saying/ your speech.

이것 먹기 어렵다. This is difficult to eat/ It's difficult to eat this/ Eating this is difficult.
저것 보기 어렵다 It's difficult to look at that/watch that. (you can rephrase this as above)
저기 가기 어렵다. It's difficult to go there. (same rephrasing ability)
저기 가기 쉽다. It's easy to go there.

음악가 되기 어렵다. It's difficult to become a musician.
(Just useful to me to discuss my life, heh heh)

2008-04-15T04:28:00.000-07:00

Hey

Well I'm definitely having a honeymoon with this Seoul National University Language Education Institute edition(서울대학교 언어교육원) Korean 1 (한국어1) (2nd ed. from MoonJinMedia).

I raced past Lessons 1-8 as soon as I got it, and now am looking back at Lessons 1-20.

For any of you who've tried phrasebooks, or other sources (like the 카나다 Elementary series), my review-summary of these lessons will be new info. It represents a shorthand of all the things I could *not* learn in other books, and altogether it makes for great language housecleaning on stuff you never knew about how to use the basics - from new uses of 는, to things you never imagined using the suffix ~서 for. Enjoy, and take notes. And 잘놀다가세요!

IN MY ROOM (suffix to discuss place)

my room 에는 (in my room)
vs.
something 는 내방에 없다.
my room-in there's not.

ON SUNDAYS (suffixes describing regular times)

에도 / 에는

~에는 = On _____ s

~에도 = On _____s, too ("even on _____s," or "on_____s as well")

~에 = in / on / at ____ time (e.g. 5 minutes, Tuesday, 5pm)

WHAT WHAT WHAT? (무슨 vs. 무엇을)

무슨 what thing?
무엇을 what (do you want to do)?

e.g. 무얼 사올까요? (What thing) shall I buy for you?

Lesson 11

(1)~니까, ~(2) as/since (1)~, (2)~.
어서~ hurry up and ~. (different use from the 'welcome' we're used to!)
~에서 내리다 to get off at ~(place).
~아야하다/~어야하다 to have to ~.
그릿 bowl/dish/serving. Another counting unit!
좀 please
모두 all/all together/every /everyone
그렇다 to be so/ to be right/ to be correct (sample on page 110)
그러면 then
실례지만 Excuse me, but
누가/누구 who (did)(something)/ who (is)(description), or whose

Lesson 15

~V+(으)려고하다 like 'gonna'~ (to intend to ~V.)

e.g.

what book are you going to read?
we're going to go to McDonald's.
We're going to leave.

Lesson 16

S~V+아서/ 어서 S V

e.g.

철수는 학교에 가서 윌슨을 만났습니다. Chulsoo went to school and met Wilson.
영희는 집에 와서 영어를 공부해요. Younghee has come home and is studying English.
시장에 가서 운동 화를 샀어요. I went to (the) market and bought some sneakers.

Lesson 17

~(이)지요? ~isn't it? ~aren't you? ~aren't I? 그러지요. I'll do that.e.g.sure, ok.
~(이)세요? for questions, too, not just imperatives. (honorific)
~쯤(에) around/about (to estimate numbers). 쯤=things. 쯤에=times.

Lesson 20

떠나다 to leave (e.g. on a trip) (e.g. leave for school)
출발하다 to depart (e.g. bustime)
V는(new use!) for verbs as gerunds in noun/adj. phrases/clauses

e.g.

Those who like it, like it a lot.
There aren't many English teachers studying Korean.
We took the 10pm (departing) train.

~(으) 면서
(S1)도(V1)고 (S2)도(V2) both S1 V1 and S2 V2.

Lesson 21

걸읍시다 let's walk.
멀다 to be far
싸다 to be cheap
벌 another counting unit! for articles of clothing
그경 a look around
구경하다 to take a look around
~(을)타고 가다/ 오다 to go by/come by ~(mode of transportation)

REDUCTIONS

어디에서--> 어디서 where (from where)
여기에서--> 여기서 here (from here)
저기에서--> 저기서 there
거기에서--> 거기서 from there

2008-04-15T04:18:00.000-07:00

느낌 - FEELING

Compare.

기분 - mood

기쁨 - joy, gladness

기쁜 - glad, joyful

깊은 - deep

------------------------------------------------------------

I am glad. 기뻐요./ 기쁩니다.

I was glad. 기뻤습니다./ 기뻤다.

It is deep. 깊습니다.

Practice for comparison:

깊어서, 기뻐요.

Since it is deep, I am glad.

(all kinds of jokes there, and I'm not going near any of 'em.)

2008-04-15T04:08:00.000-07:00

가지 - eggplant
까지 - until
같이 - with, together

(I wrote out all the other possible combinations of consonants that could add up to a word sounding similar to a westerner, e.g. 갖이, 깢이, 가찌, 캍이, 캊이, 카지, etc. They're all non-words in Korean, so these are the only three, apparently.)

가지마! - don't go!
까지마! - don't peel!

Now try saying this in Korean:

Don't peel that with an eggplant!
(that an eggplant-with peel-don't!)
그것이 가지 같이 까지마!!

2008-03-24T08:23:00.001-07:00

1.
~있죠 - a short but polite form for ~있습니다.

e.g. 할수있죠? 할수없죠. 웨 할수없죠? 시간이 없죠. 알겠죠.

2. ~라고 -(someone) said "~~~" (Grr, how many times I've wanted to know this!)
3. ~있니? -A question suffix for children
4. ~있냐 - Downtalking to children
5. ~라 - A very rude suffix replacement for ~세요, or normal suffix for talking to children.
6. ~나 봐요. - I guess it looks like/it appears that~.

2008-03-23T23:49:00.000-07:00

가요, 까요, 거야

Listening for them, and what they mean

가요 - Go
Conjugated a number of possible ways. This could mean 'Go.' It could also be on the end of a sentence asking you if you are going somewhere specific (e.g. 학교에가요?)

ㄹ/을 까요? - Shall we?
But it should be separated from the invitation, 'shall we~?' which is (verb root)+ ㄹ/을 까요?

I've found more success getting the double consonant sound right, by focusing on how the proceeding vowel sounds. In other words, exploding into the next vowel has much more impact than any unvoiced sound I can make with the consonant itself.

Compare.

학교에 가요? Are you going to school? (could be important distinction if followed by something like, can you drop this off on the way?)
학교에 갈까요? Shall we go to school?

or...

그것을 먹어요? Do you/ Can you/ Will you eat that? (and Are you eating that?)
그것을 먹을까요? Shall we eat that?

ㄹ/을 거야 - would (do)

그것아내 뭐가 드러는지 아랐다면, 먹지 안했을거야.
that inside, what contained knew-if, eating would not.
If you knew what was in that, you wouldn't eat it.
(could become especially useful!)

2008-03-22T01:41:00.000-07:00

Hi

Just to let everybody know, I haven't given up on this site. I've just had a major shift in gears since I bought the Seoul National University book series for teaching Korean, levels 1 and 2.

The explanations are great and illuminating. In fact, even though I've learned most of the first book already, I've gone back and reviewed from Units 1-11 and found that there is still stuff I didn't know. So I'm not sure that this site I've created is needed, beyond saying that if you want to learn Korean well and not waste a lot of time getting bad explanations that don't work from tutors and well-meaning friends, just save yourself a lot of future trouble and get these books. I got mine in the languages area of the international books section of Kyobo bookstore in Seoul.

I have found a couple of discrepancies in Units 10 and 11, and I'll be discussing these and colloquialisms and other things, but after I've finished with this first book. So thanks everybody so far for your interest in this site.

2008-02-17T02:05:00.000-08:00

Okay, let me review:

can	~할수있다
can't	~할수없다

should**	~해야하다
shouldn't	~하지말아야하다

** This version of 'should' is really much closer to 'must'. Most Koreans have a real problem translating 'should' and 'must' to and from English, though. After a lot of discussion with bilingual Koreans about meaning, it seems the cultural transfer is the major loss.

Individualism-and-freedom-oriented Westerners don't seem to take orders as well as Koreans with their neatly-leveled social strata. After you factor in English diplomatic practices such as supervisors instructing employees using 'should's rather than 'must's , the net result is that
what culturally works as 'must' in Korea, works culturally as 'should' in Canada. What works in Korea as 'must' in Canada? Another discussion.

The other overbearing factor in suggesting 'should' is ~해야하다 is the universal agreement among native Korean speakers about the translation of the negatives 'should not' and 'shouldn't have'. There appears to be no confusion among bilingual Koreans that these are absolutely as indicated above and below. So I recommend learning the shorter ~해야하다 and not the longer (but softer) form of 'should', ~해야된다. Continuing on...

should have	~했어야했다
shouldn't have	~했지말았어야했다

I used a little drum song pattern to memorize these:
12 12 1 12 12 1 HESS-eo-YA-hedth-DA
123 12 12 1 HEDTH-ji-ma-RASS-eo-YA-hedth-DA

will	~할거야
would	~했을거야
would	~했을텐대

won't	~안할거야
would not	~안했을거야
would not	~안했을텐대

And now,

might	~지무른다
might not	~지 안을지모른다

1. Try conjugating the Korean 'might' in short sentences using all the verbs in the gutter on the left.

2008-02-16T22:54:00.000-08:00

My Wishlist For Next Korean Lesson

1. What is 셔서 (or 쇼서)?

2. If ~이며 means the same as ~이고, why don't they just say ~이고?

3. I'd love to get a list of 50 or 100 important Korean clause markers, complete with:
a. comprehensive explanations as to what they mean and
b. exacting descriptions with examples of how they differ in use, and
c. their 높임말 honorifics and 반말 contractions

That would make me very happy.

a miracle planet's first oceans through, first drifted-which

those simple cells-to

time -through

is linked-that

Science, to us

tells/ informs

2008-02-10T23:46:00.000-08:00

The suffix "기“ can be used to express "to~".

Example 1.

너	이해	하기	어렵다
You	understand	-to	difficult-it-is

Example 2.

너	말	이해하기	어렵다
You(r)	speak(ing)	understand-to	difficult-it-is

Translate.
1. 이것 먹기 어렵다.
2. 저것 보기 어렵다.
3. 저기 가기 어렵다
4. 저기 가기 쉽다.
5. 음악가 되기 어렵다.

Translate.
1. I like to run.
2. I've got to go.
3. I don't like to watch scary movies.
4. Speaking English is easy.
5. I don't like to eat 세발 낙지 (three-hoofed octopus)
6. Do I have to explain this to you again?
7. Can we agree to finish this later?
8. Why do we have to go back?
9. I want to be asked nicely.
10. To err is human, to forgive, divine.

Translate.
1. I love ordering from there, but the bulgogi pizza is not so good.
2. I hate ordering from there, but the food is really good.
3. Speaking English is tough, but I must learn it.
4. It's easy to like music and to play music, but it's hard to become a musician.
5. I don't understand why people are so mean. It's so easy to be pleasant!