Korean Grammar Guidebook

it? 
덥죠 = It's hot, isn't it? 
많죠 = There is a lot, isn't there? 
적죠 = There is little, isn't there? 
높죠 = It's high, isn't it? 
낮죠 = It's low, isn't it? 
크죠 = It's large, isn't it? 
작죠 = It's small, isn't it? 
좋죠 = It's good, isn't it? 
나쁘죠 = It's bad, isn't it? 
깊죠 = It's very deep, isn't? 
맛있죠 = It's delicious, isn't it? 
Sentences 
날씨가 춥죠? = The weather is cold, isn't it? 
태국 날씨가 되게 덥죠? = The weather in Thailand is very hot, isn't it? 
한라산이 높죠? = Mount Halla is high, isn't it? 
강물이 정말 깊죠? = The river water is very deep, right? 
집이 작죠? = The house is small, eh? 
김치가 맛있죠? = Kimchi is delicious, isn't it? 
날씨 = weather 
태국 = Thailand 
한라산 = Mount Halla 
강물 = river water 
집 = house 
김치 = kimchi (A traditional Korean fermented dish made of cabbages with spicy 
seasonings) 
Let's do it - 하자 
Let's do it - 하자 
This should be easy to learn. Just replace 다 of a plain verb with 자 to make a phrase, 
"Let's (verb)". Note: This is an informal form. 
하다 → 하자 = Let's do it 
먹다 → 먹자 = Let's eat 
마시다 → 마시자 = Let's drink 
가다 → 가자 = Let's go 
앉다 → 앉자 = Let's sit 
보다 → 보자 = Let's see 
읽다 → 읽자 = Let's read 
쓰다 → 쓰자 = Let's write 
듣다 → 듣자 = Let's listen 
달리다 → 달리자 = Let's run 
걷다 → 걷자 = Let's walk 
사다 → 사자 = Let's buy 
팔다 → 팔자 = Let's sell 
Example Sentences 
우리 = we 
같이 = together 
(우리) (같이) 농구 하자 = Let's do basketball. (Let's play basketball) 
(우리) (같이) 피자 먹자 = Let's eat a pizza (together) 
(우리) (같이) 커피 마시자 = Let's drink coffee (together) 
(우리) (같이) 바닷가 가자 = Let's go to beach (together) 
(우리) (같이) 벤치에 앉자 = Let's sit on the bench (together) 
(우리) (같이) 영화 보자 = Let's watch a movie (together) 
(우리) (같이) 교과서 읽자 = Let's read a textbook (together) 
(우리) (같이) 아이포드 듣자 = Let's listen to ipod (together) 
(우리) (같이) 새 신발 사자 = Let's buy new shoes (together) 
(우리) (같이) 저 냉장고 팔자 = Let's sell that fridge (together) 
The formal form of "Let's (verb)" is exactly the same as that of the formal spoken present 
form. You may want to refer to Verbs - Formal [Present, Past] "Please" is implied in the 
phrase. 
하다 → 해요 = (Please.) Let's do it 
먹다 → 먹어요 = (Please.) Let's eat 
마시다 → 마셔요 = (Please.) Let's drink 
가다 → 가요 = (Please.) Let's go 
앉다 → 앉아요 = (Please.) Let's sit 
보다 → 봐요 = (Please.) Let's see 
읽다 → 읽어요 = (Please.) Let's read 
쓰다 → 써요 = (Please.) Let's write 
듣다 → 들어요 = (Please.) Let's listen 
달리다 → 달려요 = (Please.) Let's run 
걷다 → 걸어요 = (Please.) Let's walk 
사다 → 사요 = (Please.) Let's buy 
팔다 → 팔아요 = (Please.) Let's sell 
Example Sentences 
우리 = we 
같이 = together 
(우리) (같이) 농구 해요 = [Please] Let's do basketball (Let's play basketball) 
(우리) (같이) 피자 먹어요 = [Please] Let's eat a pizza (together) 
(우리) (같이) 커피 마셔요 = [Please] Let's drink coffee (together) 
(우리) (같이) 바닷가 가요 = [Please] Let's go to beach (together) 
(우리) (같이) 벤치에 앉아요 = [Please] Let's sit on the bench (together) 
(우리) (같이) 영화 봐요 = [Please] Let's watch a movie (together) 
(우리) (같이) 교과서 읽어요 = [Please] Let's read a textbook (together) 
(우리) (같이) 아이포드 들어요 = [Please] Let's listen to ipod (together) 
(우리) (같이) 새 신발 사요 = [Please] Let's buy new shoes (together) 
(우리) (같이) 저 냉장고 팔아요 = [Please] Let's sell that fridge (together) 
Easy to do / Difficult to do - ~기 쉽다 / ~기 어렵다 
Easy to do / Difficult to do - ~기 쉽다 / ~기 어렵다 
This one is easy to learn. All you need to do is attach a nominalized verbto 쉽다 or 
어렵다 to say that something is easy or difficult. 
Written Forms 
하기 쉽다 = easy to do 
이해하기 쉽다 = easy to understand 
풀기 쉽다 = easy to solve 
보기 쉽다 = easy to see 
듣기 쉽다 = easy to listen 
말하기 쉽다 = easy to say 
가기 쉽다 = easy to go 
Spoken Forms 
하기 쉬워 = easy to do 
이해하기 쉬워 = easy to understand 
풀기 쉬워 = easy to solve 
보기 쉬워 = easy to see 
듣기 쉬워 = easy to listen 
말하기 쉬워 = easy to say 
가기 쉬워 = easy to go 
Written Forms 
하기 어렵다 = difficult to do 
이해하기 어렵다 = difficult to understand 
풀기 어렵다 = difficult to solve 
보기 어렵다 = difficult to see 
듣기 어렵다 = difficult to listen 
말하기 어렵다 = difficult to say 
가기 어렵다 = difficult to go 
Spoken Forms 
하기 어려워 = difficult to do 
이해하기 어려워 = difficult to understand 
풀기 어려워 = difficult to solve 
보기 어려워 = difficult to see 
듣기 어려워 = difficult to listen 
말하기 어려워 = difficult to say 
가기 어려워 = difficult to go 
Eg. 
이 문제 풀어봤어? = Have you tried solving this problem? [Try doing - 해 보다] 
어. 이 문제는 정말 풀기 어려워. = Yes. This problem is really difficult to solve. 
우리 서커스 보러 가자. = Let's go watch a circus. 
사람들이 너무 많아서 보기 어려워 = Because of the crowd, it's difficult to see. 
여자는 이해하기 어려워요 = It's difficult to understand woman. 
아니에요. 남자가 더 이해하기 어려워요 = No. Man is more difficult to understand. 
그렇게 생각해요? = Do you think so? 
네. 정말 그렇게 생각해요. = Yes. I surely do. 
제 말 들리세요? = Can you hear me? 
아니요. 음악 소리 때문에 듣기 어려워요. = No. Because of the sound of music, it's 
difficult to hear. 
낚시 가르쳐 주세요 = please teach me how to do fishing [Give the favour of doing - 해 
주다] 
그래요. 낚시는 하기 쉬워요. = Ok. Fishing is easy to do. 
문제 = problem 
풀다 = solve 
풀어보다 = try solving 
서커스 = circus 
남자 = man 
여자 = woman 
생각하다 = think 
그렇게 생각하다 = think so 
정말 = really, very 
너무 = very 
음악 = music 
소리 = sound 
낚시 = fishing 
I (don't) know how - 어떻게 하는지 알아/몰라 
Written 
Form 
I know how to do I don't know how to do 
Informal 어떻게 하는지 
안다 
어떻게 하는지 모른다 
Formal 
어떻게 하는지 
압니다 
어떻게 하는지 
모릅니다. 
Spoken 
Form 
I know how to do I don't know how to do 
Informal 
어떻게 하는지 
알아 
어떻게 하는지 몰라 
Formal 
어떻게 하는지 
알아요 
어떻게 하는지 몰라요 
Note: I include the written form of this expression for the sake of completeness. However, 
please focus on the spoken form as the expression is mainly used in conversations. 
Rules 
1.Take 다 off a plain form/past tense of verbs and attach 는지 알아. 
(Exception: For those verbs which contain ㄹ as a final consonant, take it off. eg. 만들다 
→ 만드는지 알아) 
2. Attach 요 to 알아/몰라 to turn it into a formal form. 
어떻게 하는지 알아 = I know how to do 
어떻게 먹는지 알아 = I know how to eat 
어떻게 가는지 알아 = I know how to go 
어떻게 보는지 알아 = I know how to see 
어떻게 듣는지 알아 = I know how to listen 
어떻게 사용하는지 알아 = I know how to use 
어떻게 만드는지 알아 = I know how to make 
어떻게 입는지 알아 = I know how to wear 
어떻게 하는지 몰라 = I don't know how to do 
어떻게 가는지 몰라 = I don't know how to go 
Example sentences 
용준이는 김치찌게 어떻게 만드는지 알아요. = Yong-jun knows how to make(cook) 
kimchi stew. 
"줄리아! 라면 어떻게 끓이는지 알아?" = "Julia! Do you know how to boil(cook) 
noodle soup?" 
내가 이 큰 물고기 어떻게 잡았는지 알아? 이 물고기가 힘이 좋아서 정말 힘들게 
잡았어. = Do you know how I caught this big fish? This fish has good strength and so I 
caught it with a lot of effort. 
저는 나무 어떻게 심는지 알아요. = I know how to plant a tree. 
이 리모콘 어떻게 사용하는지 알아? = Do you know how to use this remote controller? 
서울에 어떻게 가는지 아세요? = Do you know how to go(get) to Seoul? 
부산에 어떻게 가는지 몰라. = I don't know how to go to Busan. 
넥타이 어떻게 매는지 몰라요. = I don't know how to tie a necktie. 
할아버지는 문자 어떻게 보내는지 모르세요. = Grandpa doesn't know how to send a 
text message. 
Note: 아세요 and 모르세요 are honorific forms of 알아 and 몰라 respectively. 아세요 
and 모르세요 are only used for second- and third-persons. 
For eg, 
I know how to use the subway. 
전 지하철 어떻게 이용하는지 아세요. 
전 지하철 어떻게 이용하는지 알아요. 
Do you know how to use the subway? 
지하철 어떻게 이용하는지 아세요? 
He/she already knows how to use the subway. 
벌써 지하철 어떻게 이용하는지 아세요. 
I'm in the habit of - ~되면 ~게 돼요 
This phrase has two parts. The first part is ~게 되면, and the second part is ~게 돼요. 
For example, 
음식점에 가게 되면, 비빔밥을 주문하게 돼요 = When(If) I go to the restaurant, I'm in 
the habit of ordering Bibimbap 
음식점 = a restaurant 
가다 = go 
가게 되면 = When(if) I go 
비빔밥 = a Korean dish 
주문 = order (n.) 
주문하다 = order (v.) 
주문하게 돼요 = I'm in the habit of ordering 
Note: The plain form of 되면 and 돼요 is 되다 which means "to become." Therefore, the 
literal translation of the sentence above is: 
음식점에 가게 되면, 비빔밥을 주문하게 돼요 = When(If) it becomes that I go to a 
restaurant, it becomes that I order bibimbap 
Also, in the first part when a noun is used instead of a verb, 이/가 되면 is used instead. 
For example, 
아침이 되면, 신문을 보게 된다 = When it is morning, I'm in the habit of reading a 
newspaper 
The literal translation of the sentence above is, "When it 'becomes' morning, I 'become' 
reading a newspaper." 
This sentence doesn't make any sense in English, nevertheless I hope you get the nuance 
of the phrase. 
Rule 
Take 다 off a plain form of verbs and attach 게 되면/게 돼요 to it. 
하다(do) → 하게 되면 = When I do 
하다(do) → 하게 돼요 = I'm in the habit of doing 
하게 돼요 = I'm in the habit of doing 
가게 돼요 = I'm in the habit of going 
오게 돼요 = I'm in the habit of coming 
먹게 돼요 = I'm in the habit of eating 
자게 돼요 = I'm in the habit of sleeping 
말하게 돼요 = I'm in the habit of speaking 
듣게 돼요 = I'm in the habit of listening 
보게 돼요 = I'm in the habit of watching 
Example Sentences 
늦은 밤이 되면, 아이스크림을 먹게 돼요 = When(If) it is late at night, I'm in the habit 
of eating an icecream 
정오가 되면 졸려서 낮잠을 자게 돼요 = When(If) it is noon, because I'm tired(sleepy), 
I'm in the habit of dozing(sleeping). 
컴퓨터만 키게 되면, 음악을 듣게 돼요 = When(If) I turn on the computer, I'm in the 
habit of listening to music. 
시내만 나가게 되면, 영화를 보게 돼요 = When(If) I go to town, I'm in the habit of 
watching movies. 
운동만 하게 되면, 물을 많이 마시게 돼요 = When(If) I exercise, I'm in the habit of 
drinking lots of water. 
Addressing friend's name 
When a person is addressed 아/야 is attached to their name. If my name were 진우[Jin-u], 
my friend would call me, 진우야! [Jin-u-ya]. This is like "Hey 진우/Jin-u!" 
This colloquialism should only be used between close friends. This is an informal 
expression. At school, friends call each other this way, and teachers to students but not 
vice versa. 
Note that 야 is used for names without a final consonant and 아 for names with a final 
consonant. 
Eg. 
진욱 → 진욱아! 
This is pronounced [지누가:Ji-nu-ga] since ㅇ has no sound when used as an initial 
consonant. 
진우 → 진우야! 
It is pronounced [지누야:Ji-nu-ya] 
영희 → 영희야! 
철수 → 철수야! 
경일 → 경일아! 
So when you call your Korean friend's name, just add 아/야 to their name.