We all know that a huge part of Korean culture is.. eating! However the word 먹다 (to eat) has several different uses in Korean, and if you don’t know these terms.. you may be a bit confused like when you hear “친구 먹었어".. please don’t eat my friend?
Let’s take a look!
까먹다 – to forget “너 수학 숙제 했어? 오늘까지인거 알지?” – “You did your homework right? You know it’s due today.” “아.. 까먹었어..” – “Ah.. I forgot..”
더위 먹다 – to be overwhelmed by heat “더위 먹어서 정신이 없나봐요. 아이스 커피 4잔 산다는게 3잔 샀어요.. 죄송합니다” – “I was so overheated that I couldn’t think straight.. I bought 3 iced coffees instead of 4… I’m so sorry”
나이 먹다 – to get older “아이고.. 나이 먹나봐. 허리 아파..” – “Ohh god.. I’m getting so old.. My back hurts..” “너 19살인데..” – “You’re only 19..”
욕 먹다 – to be sworn at or get a bad reputation. “요즘 그 아이돌 거짓말한거 걸려서 욕 많이 먹더라.“ – “Everyone found out that the idol lied so his reputation is getting ruined.”
좀먹다 – to undermine, eat away “그런 사람들이 사회를 좀먹는거 같아요.“ “Because of people like that, society is being eaten away.”
친구 먹다 – to become friends “우리 3살차이 나는데 그냥 친구 먹기로 했어.” – “We’re only 3 years apart but we decided to be friends” (BTW: generally only people the same age are considered to be “친구/friends”. If there’s an age difference, then one person will be considered the “친한 동생/younger sibling” in the relationship)
써먹다 – to use, utilize “그 농담 재밌다. 나도 나중에 써먹어야지.” – “That’s a funny joke. I’ll have to use it later.”
I hope these terms were tasty enough for you to eat right up. More coming soon!
Semi long article about fad diets. I’d put it at upper intermediate level.
연예인 다이어트? 이런 식단 유의하세요
대학생 권모(24ㆍ여)씨는 대학에 입학한 뒤 안 해 본 다이어트가 없다. 164㎝에 56㎏, 마르지도 그렇다고 찌지도 않은 체형이지만 소위 ‘연예인 몸무게’인 48㎏의 늘씬한 몸매를 갖기 위해 늘 다이어트에 나선다. 4년여 전에는 온 몸의 노폐물을 없애주며 단기간에 살이 빠진다는 ‘레몬 디톡스’를 나흘간 시도하다 속쓰림과 메스꺼움을 견디지 못해 중단했고, 지난해엔 하루 세끼 중 두 끼는 고구마만 먹는 다이어트를 한 달 간 해 5㎏이 빠졌지만 결국 생리 불순을 겪었다. 다이어트 중단과 동시에 몸무게는 원상태로 회복됐다. 권씨는 11일 “이젠 무작정 굶는 것이 아닌 골고루 먹고 먹은 만큼 운동을 하는 방법으로 살을 뺄 예정”이라고 말했다.
If you have 4 minutes to spare, please let me know what you think!
I am very proud of myself for finally putting together this set of videos and for moving forward with a project that has been on the back burner for years and years. Saving up spare cash for the equipment took nearly two years, and shooting and reshooting as well as matching schedules set the project back for weeks, but slowly I started piecing together the work.
I felt a bit constricted by the footage I had taken, but I think I managed to salvage the pacing and deliver a good video. I learned a lot from these initial shots, and I am looking forward to apply what I learned to more shoots in the near future.
“About this time last year, I suddenly thought, ‘Is it right to spend my last three years as a teenager solely dedicated to college preparation?’ I got along with my friends and studied hard at school, so it seemed like I was doing well on the surface, but I could feel myself becoming empty inside. Rather than going to a good college, I wanted to discover the kind of person I want to become. I ended up withdrawing myself from a regular high school after one year, and started studying at an agricultural high school. At the moment, my dream is to become a scholar on plant breeding. There are still so many people starving in poor countries. I want to become someone who develops types of plants that suit the environment of these regions, and help these people stand on their own.”
“작년 이맘때 쯤에 문득 이런 생각이 들었어요. ‘10대의 마지막 3년을 오로지 대학에 가기 위해 쓰는게 맞는걸까?’ 친구들과 잘 어울리고 학교생활도 열심히 해서 겉으로는 잘하고 있는듯 했지만 제 안은 점점 비어가는걸 느꼈어요. 좋은 대학에 가는것보다 내가 어떤 사람이 되고 싶은지 찾고 싶었어요. 결국 1년만에 학교를 그만두고 농업고등학교에 다시 입학했어요. 현재 저의 꿈은 육종학자예요. 여전히 가난한 나라에는 굶주리는 사람들이 많잖아요. 그 지역에 어울리는 종자를 개발해서 사람들이 스스로 일어설 수 있도록 도와주는 사람이 되고 싶어요.”
아쿠아리움을 좋아하는 편인데 한국에서 아쿠아리움에 간 적이 없어서 남친이랑 코엑스 아쿠아리움에 가기로 했어요. 다 이미 알겠지만, 한국에서 아주 잘 된 것 중에 하나는 엔터테인먼트에요. 아쿠아리움에서도 물고기를 보는 것일 뿐만아니라 즐거운 오락거리도 많아요
I love aquariums, and not having ever been to one in Korea, my boyfriend and I decided to go to COEX Aquarium. It’s common knowledge now, but one thing Korea does really well is entertainment, and even this aquarium has far more to keep you entertained than just aquatic animals.
In Korean it’s generally very easy to tell where the sentence is going depending on the words they’re started with. Some words can elaborate the entire upcoming sentence, and help emphasize the message. In Korean these words are known as 문장 부사어 (sentence adverbs).
Let’s check some out,
과연 – indeed, really, sure enough. (also used to emphasize a question) 과연 듣던대로 잘 생기셨습니다. Like I was told, you really do look handsome. 과연 이번 대통령은 누가 될까? Who will REALLY become our president this time?
설마 – No way / I couldn’t believe it (surprised statement or emphasizes a negative question [shows doubt]) 설마했는데 설렁탕에 땅콩이 들어갈 줄이야. I couldn’t believe it, but there were peanuts in the ox bone soup. 설마 내일 야외 결혼식에 비가 오지는 않겠지? No way it’s gonna rain tomorrow during the outside wedding… right?
만일 – if (similar to 만약) 만일 평생 한가지 음식만 먹어야 한다면, 뭐 먹을 거야? If you could eat only one thing for the rest of your life, what would you eat?
설령 – even if, even though (negative) 설령 지금부터 24시간 공부한다고해도 내일 시험은 망한거 같아. Even if I study for 24 hours straight from now, it seems like I’m gonna fail the test tomorrow.
설사 – even if, even though (negative) 내일 경기에서 이길 가능성이 설사 적더라도 최선을 다해 보자. Even if we have the smallest possibility to win our match tomorrow, let’s try our best.
비록 – even though, although 비록 내가 가진건 몸뚱아리 하나지만 나중에 꼭 부자가 될거다. Even if the only thing I own at the moment is my body, I’m definitely gonna be rich later on.
A lot of these words don’t have one exact translation, so it’s important to understand how and why they’re used. So make sure to study multiple examples rather than the direct translations.
As always, stay tuned for more 🙂
Some reading and listening resources for you, my Korean studying friends 🙂
Please also recommend me any resources you use, especially apps, I’m hungry for Korean resources!
“Relationship tips and psychology tests.” Articles introducing research studies on relationships, sex, breakups etc. in very easy-to-read language and with cute illustrations.
Language posts about any interesting grammar points/expressions/words that pop up in Humans of Seoul interviews. The Humans of Seoul page itself is also really good for reading practice.
다 V-고요 is an easy little grammar point used to express surprise over an unusual occurrence.
I have a friend who is chronically late to every meet up we have. If, one day, she manages to arrive at the meeting spot early, I could say to her, “일찍 다 오고요!” Note that the verb is never conjugated in past tense with this grammar.
This grammar is often used with expressions of surprise such as 웬일이에요?, 무슨 일이 있어요?, and 왜 그래요?
Examples:
웬일이에요? 밥을 다 사고요. (Implication being that they never cover a meal.)
무슨 일이 있어요? 지각을 다 하고요. (Implication being that they are never late.)
왜 그래? 갑자기 공부를 다 하고. (Implication being that they never study.)
Sutdy-Korean 