Korean for Dummies (31 page)

Visting Koreans at Home

In this section, I go over a few words for particular activities in the house, such as relaxing with friends and grabbing a bite to eat.

Koreans do not wear shoes in the house. So when visiting a Korean’s house, be sure to take your shoes off. Taking shoes off shows that you respect the person’s property and the person you are visiting. It is considered rude and dirty to wear the shoes in the house. Korean’s house is like a sanctuary they come to relax after a day’s hard work. You don’t want to drag all the dirt from the street to the place that is supposed to be clean and relaxing. However, sometimes your host or hostess may tell you that its alright if you don’t take your shoes off. But they are just trying to be polite, so that you feel more comfortable at their home. If I were you, I’d still take my shoes off.

Taking the tour

Is your chingu (
chin-goo;
friend) showing you around his house? The following phrases may come in handy:

yeogiga eoneu bangieyo?
(
yuh-gi-ga uh-neu bang-ee-ae-yo;
Which room is this?)

yeogiga nugu bangieyo?
(
yuh-gi-ga noo-goo bang-ee-ae-yo;
Whose room is this?)

bangi myeot gaeeyo?
(
bang-ee myuht gae-ae-yo;
How many rooms are there?)

Table 10-4 lists a few words for various parts of a house.

Table 10-4

Around the House

Korean

Pronunciation

English

daemun

daemoon

Gate

hyeongwan

hyun-gwan

Entrance

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Korean

Pronunciation

English

geosil

guh-shil

Living room

anbang

an-bang

Main room/master bedroom

chimsil

chim-shil

Bedroom

seojae

suh-jae

Study room

bang

bang

Room

bueok

boo-uhk

Kitchen

hwajangsil

hwajang-shil

Bathroom/restroom

beranda

bae-ran-da

Veranda, porch, or balcony

changgo

changgo

Storage

byeokjang

byuhk-jang

Wall closet for storage (for anything)

otjang

ot-jang

Wardrobe closet (for clothes and blankets)

Chilling out

When you’re hanging out in someone’s yard or watching a film in the living room, these phrases should come in handy:

eumageul teulkkayo?
(
eu-mak teulkka-yo;
Should I put on some music?)
yeonghwareul bolkkayo?
(
young-hwa-reul bol-kka-yo;
Do you want to watch a film?)

terebireul bolkkayo?
(
tae-rae-bee-reul bol-kka-yo;
Do you want to watch some television?)

bureul kkeulkkayo?
(
boo-reul kkeulkka-yo;
Do you want to turn off the lights?)

bureul kilkkayo?
(
boo-reul kil-kka-yo;
Do you want to turn on the lights?)
mwo piryohangeo iseuseyo?
(
mwo pee-ryo-han-guh ee-sseu-sae-yo;
Do you need something?)

deouseyo?
(
duh-oo-sae-yo;
Are you feeling hot?)

chuuseyo?
(
chu-oo-sae-yo;
Are you feeling cold?)

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Talkin’ the Talk

Bill is visiting Christine in Seoul, and they are hanging out at

Christine’s place.

Bill:

christine ssi, yeonghwana han pyeon bolkkayo?

Christine sshi, young-hwa-na han pyeon bol-kka-yo?

Christine, would you like to watch a movie?

Christine:

ye, monty python joahaseyo? takja wie dibidiga

iseoyo.

Ye, Monty Python jo-a-ha-sae-yo? Tak-ja wee-ae

dee-bee-dee-ga ee-ssuh-yo.

Yes, do you like Monty Python? It’s on top of the

small table.

Bill:

dangyeonhi joahajyo. jega jeil joahaneun yeongh-

waeyo!

Dang-yuhn-hee jo-a-jyo. Jae-ga jae-il jo-a-ha-neun

yeonghwa-ae-yo!

Of course I like it. It’s my favorite film!

Christine:

geureom uri geugeo bwayo. bill ssi, bul jom kkeo-

jusillaeyo? najunge jeonyeogeun mwo sikyeo

meogeulkkayo?

Geureom oo-ree geu-guh bwa-yo. Bill sshi, bool jom

kkuh-joo-shil-lae-yo? na-joong-ae juh-nyuh-geun

mwo shi-kyuh kka-yo?

Then let’s watch that. Bill, could you turn off the

lights? And later on, do you just want to order out

for dinner?

Bill: geureojyo

mwo.

Geu-ruh-jyo mwo.

Sure, let’s do that.

Words to Know

achim

a-chim

Breakfast

bangseok

bangseok

Floor cushions

bul

bool

Lights/fire (depend on the context)

dibidi

dee-bee-dee

DVD

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dibidi peulleieo

dee-bee-dee peul-

DVD player

lae-ee-uh

jeomsim

juhm-shim

Lunch

jeonyeok

juh-nyuk

Dinner

keopi teibeul

kuh-pee tae-ee-beul

Coffee table

radio

ra-dee-o

Radio

sopa

so-pa

Sofa

takja

tak-ja

Small table

terebi

tae-rae-bee

Television

yeong hwa

young-hwa

Movies

Eating and drinking

If you want more information about eating, refer to Chapter 5. Here, you’ll find some words and phrases to use when you want to grab something to eat or do a little cooking at someone’s house:

eumnyosu han jan masilleyo?
(
eum-nyo-soo han-jan ma-shil-lae-yo;
Would you like a drink?)

eumnyosu han jan masilsu iseulkkayo?
(
eum-nyo-soo han-jan ma-shil-soo
ee-sseul-kka-yo;
May I have a drink?)

mwo masilleyo?
(
mwo ma-shil-lae-yo;
What would you like to drink?)
baegopeuseyo?
(
bae-go-peu-sae-yo;
Are you hungry?)

meogeul geot jom gatda deurilkkayo?
(
muh-geul-guh jom gat-da deurilkka-yo;
Do you want me to get you something to eat?)

mwo jom sikyeo meogeulkkayo?
(
mwo jom shi-kyuh muh-geul-kka-yo;
Do you want me to order some food?)

[some word] piryohaseyo?
(
[some word] pee-ryo-ha-sae-yo;
Do you need

[some word] ?)

[some word] deusilleyo?
(
[some word] deu-shil-lae-yo;
Do you want to eat [some word] ?)

[some word] masillaeyo?
(
[some word] ma-shil-lae-yo;
Do you want to drink [some word] ?)

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[some word] sseodo doelkkayo?
(
[some word] ssuh-do dwel-kka-yo;
May I use [some word] ?)

[some word] iseoyo?
(
[some word] ee-ssuh-yo;
Do you have [some word] ?) You can substitute [some word] with the things you need, want to eat, want to drink, want to use, and so on.

Most Koreans have tables and chairs in their dining rooms, but not all do.

Sometimes, you’ll sit on the floor and have your food served to you on a folding table. However, this can have quite an effect on your legs. If the pain in your legs is too much for you to bear, you can excuse yourself and ask if you can sit on the sofa for a while or stand and walk around. Koreans will totally understand.

Talkin’ the Talk

Later in the evening, Doug feels a little peckish and wants to have

a snack.

Doug:

(rubbing his stomach)
june, hoksi gansikgeori

eopseoyo?

June, hok-shi gan-shik-guh-ree uhp-ssuh-yo?

June, do you have something to nibble on?

June:

eojjeojyo? gansikgeoriga eomneundeyo. tongdalgi-

rado sikilkkayo?

uh-jjuh-jyo? Gan-shik-guh-ree-ga uhm-neun-dae-yo.

tong-da-gee-ra-do shi-kil-kka-yo?

Guess what? I don’t have any nibblies. Should I order

a roast chicken?

Doug:

jega sikilkkeyo. jeonhwabeonhoga mwojyo?

jae-ga shi-kil-kke-yo. juhn-hwa-bun-ho-ga mwo-jyo?

I’ll order it. What is their phone number?

June:

032-933-7495eyo.

gong-sam-ee-ae goo-sam-sam chil-sa-goo-o-ae-yo.

It’s 032-933-7495.

Doug:

(picking up the phone and dialing the numbers)
yeo-

boseyo, yeogi ABC apateu 9 dong 102 ho indeyo

tongdak hanmarirang maekju dubyeong gatda-

juseyo. gomawoyo.

yuh-bo-sae-yo, yuh-gi ABC a-pa-teu 9 dong 102 ho

in-dae-yo. tongdak han-ma-ree-rang maek-joo doo—

byoung gat-da-joo-sae-yo. go-ma-wo-yo.

Hello? This is ABC apartment building 9, household

number 102. Please bring 1 roast chicken and 2 bottles of beer. Thank you.

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Words to Know

banchan

banchan

Side dishes

bap

bap

Rice

bapgonggi

bapgong-gi

Rice bowl

doma

do-ma

Cutting board

eummyosu

eum-nyo-soo

Soft drink

gansikgeori

gan-shik-guh-ree

Nibblies/snacks

geureut

geureut

Bowl

gwaja

gwa-ja

Crackers

jan

jan

Glass

jeonjareinji

juhn-ja-re-in-jee

Microwave oven

jeopsi

juhp-shi

Plate

kal

kal

Knife

maekju

maek-joo

Beer

keop

kuhp

Cup

naengjanggo

naengjang-go

Refrigerator

naengdonggo

naengdong-go

Freezer

reinji

re-in-jee

Range, stove

sikilkkayo?

shi-kil-kka-yo

Should I order it?

siktak

shik-tak

Dining table

soju

so-joo

Korean alcoholic

drink

sul

sool

Alcoholic drink

tongdak

tongdak

Roast chicken

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Staying over

If you’re sleeping over at a Korean friend’s house, you may notice that the bedroom doesn’t have a
chimdae
(
chimdae;
bed). In traditional Korean homes, people put out thick blankets on the floor as opposed to setting up beds, as in Western culture.

If you want to know more about why Koreans do this, please look in Chapter 20 under “Don’t walk in a house with your shoes on.”

The following phrases may be helpful during your visit:

annyeonghi jumuseyo.
(
an-nyoung-hee joo-moo-sae-yo;
Sleep well. Used when saying “good night” to people older than you.)

jal jayo.
(
jal ja-yo;
Sleep well. Can be used at anyone besides person with seniority.)

pyeonhi swiseyo
. (
pyuhn-hee swi-sae-yo;
Rest well.)

eodiseo jal kkayo?
(
uh-dee-suh jal-kka-yo;
Where should I sleep?) The next morning, it is a good idea to say the following phrases:

annyeonghi jumusyeoseoyo?
(
an-nyoung-hee joo-moo-syuh-ssuh-yo;
Did you sleep well?
;
used for people with seniority.)

jal jaseoyo?
(
jal ja-ssuh-yo;
Did you sleep well?
;
used for everyone else.) Grooming and hygiene matters

You may want to brush your teeth before you go to sleep or ask for a towel before you go in to take a shower. These phrases may help:

sugeoi piryohaseyo?
(
soo-geon-ee pee-ryo-ha-sae-yo;
Do you need a towel?)

sugeoneul jom billilsu iseulkkayo?
(
soo-geon-eul jom bil-lil-soo ee-sseul-kka-yo;
May I borrow a towel?)

chitsori piryohaseyo?
(
chi-sol-ee pi-ryo-ha-sae-yo;
Do you need a toothbrush?)

chitsol han gae billil su iseulkkayo?
(
chi-sol han-gae bil-lil-su ee-sseul-kkayo;
May I borrow a toothbrush?)

syawo jom haedo gwaenchanayo?
(
sya-wo jom hae-do gwaenchan-a-yo;
Is it all right if I take a shower?)

syawo hasillaeyo?
(
sya-wo ha-shil-lae-yo;
Do you want to take a shower?) 15_037188-ch10.qxp 6/24/08 11:12 PM Page 185