◼ Endings
Since the stems of verbs and adjectives cannot be used alone, they are always used with endings. These
endings carry various grammatical information and roles (e.g., tense, aspect, speech levels, and so forth). The
endings can be categorized into two types: pre-final endings and final endings, depending on where they are
placed in the verb or adjective.
1. Pre-final endings are inflectional elements that come between the stem and the final ending. They include
the honorific suffix -(으)시 [(eu)si], past tense marker 었/았 [eot/at] (*we will learn next time), and so on.
1) The honorific suffix –(으)시 makes a predicate form honorific. It is added after the stem that ends in a
consonant, as in 찾으시다(찾+으시+다) [cha·jeu·si·da] “look for,” and 시 [si] is added after a stem that
ends in a vowel, as in 가시다(가+시+다) [ga·si·da] “go”.
2) The suffix 겠 [get] is used to indicate two things. First, it expresses the speaker’s intention or asks the
listener’s intention, and it corresponds to “will” in English. E.g. 열심히 공부하겠습니다 [yeol·ssim·hi gong
·bu·ha·get·sseum·ni·da] “(I) will study hard” / 어디로 가시겠습니까? [eo·di·ro ga·si·get·sseum·ni·gga]
“Where will (you) go?”
Second, the suffix 겠 indicates the speaker’s conjecture or asks the listener’s idea regarding the topic
in question. It is corresponding to “I guess/think” or “do you think that . . .” in English. E.g. 내일 시험이
어렵겠어요 [nae·il si·heo·mi eo·ryeop·gge·sseo·yo] “(I guess that) tomorrow’s test will be difficult” / 내일
시험이 어렵겠어요? [nae·il si·heo·mi eo·ryeop·gge·sseo·yo] “(Do you think that) tomorrow’s test will be
difficult?”
Exercise 1. Which of the following inflectional word using –(으)시 is NOT true?
① 가르치시다 [ga·reu·chi·si·da] “teach”
② 보시다 [bo·si·da] “see”
③ 먹으시다 [meu·geu·si·da] “eat”
④ 건너으시다 [geon·neo·eu·si·da] “cross”
⑤ 있으시다 [i·sseu·si·da] “be”
Korean language class in MUNI
week
2
Exercise 2. Which of the following translation of the Korean sentences is NOT true?
① 음식이 맛있겠습니까? [eum·si·gi ma·sit·kket·sseum·ni·kka] “(Do you think that) the food will delicious?”
② 영화를 보시겠습니까? [yeong·hwa·reul bo·si·get·sseum·ni·kka] “(Do you think that) the movie will be
fun?”
③ 길이 좁겠어요? [gi·ri jop·kke·sseo·yo] “(Do you think that) the road will be narrow?”
④ 꼭 담배를 끊겠습니다. [kkok dam·be·reul kkeun·ket·sseum·ni·da] “Surely, (I) will quit smoking.”
⑤ 매일 요가를 하겠습니다. [mae·il yo·ga·reul ha·get·sseum·ni·da] “(I) will do yoga everyday.”
2. There are two types of final endings: one that ends a verb or an adjective but not the sentence (nonsentence-final
endings), and one that ends both the verb and the sentence (sentence-final endings). Nonsentence
final endings include various clausal conjunctives such as -고 [go] “and then,” -어/아서 [eo/a·
seo] “because,” –으면서 [eu·myeon·seo] “while,” -지만 [gi·man] “although,” -도록 [do·rok] “in order to,” and
so on.
Exercise 3. Translate the following into English.
밥을 먹으면서 티브이를 봐요 [ba·beul meo·geu·myeon·seo ti·beu·i·reul bwa·yo]
____________________________________________________________
커피를 마시고 아이스크림을 먹어요 [keo·pi·reul ma·si·go a·i·seu·keu·ri·meul meo·geo·yo]
____________________________________________________________
3. The typical examples of sentence-final endings are various speech-level endings. These speech-level
endings indicate the speaker’s interpersonal relationship with the addressees or attitude toward them (e.g.,
social meanings such as intimacy and formality of the situation). Korean has six speech levels, but in this
course we will learn four speech levels as shown below.
The deferential speech level is the highest among the four, followed by the polite speech level and so on.
In addition, each speech level has four endings that indicate the type of sentence: declarative (statement),
interrogative (question), imperative (command/request), and propositive (suggestion).
Let us apply four of the endings above to the verb stem 먹 [muk] “eat.” When saying “(someone) eats,” one
needs to use one of the four interrogative endings (-습니까, -어요, -어, and -냐).
Exercise 4. Apply four propositive endings (-ㅂ시다, -아요, -아 and -자) to the stem of 앉다 [an·tta] “seat”
Deferential ________________________ Polite ________________________
Intimate ________________________ Plain ________________________
◼ Conversation 2
종업원: 주문하시겠어요?
서연: 네. 파스타랑 스테이크 주문할게요.
민준: 시키는 김에 새우 샐러드도 같이 시키자.
서연: 나 새우 알레르기 있어서 못 먹어.
민준: 그래? 그럼 버섯 샐러드는 어때?
서연: 좋아. 그러면 샐러드까지 총 세 개 시킬게요.
종업원: 네 알겠습니다.
Waiter: Would you like to order?
SeoYeon: Yes. I'd like to order pasta and steak.
MinJun: Let's order a shrimp salad while we're
ordering.
SeoYeon: I'm allergic to shrimp, so I can't eat it.
MinJun: Really? Then how about a mushroom salad?
SeoYeon: Good. Then I'll order three in total,
including salad.
Waiter: Yes, sir.
종업원: 주문하시겠어요[1]
?
jong·eo·bwon: ju·mun·ha·si·ge·sseo·yo?
서연: 네. 파스타랑[2]
스테이크 주문할게요[3]
.
SeoYeon: ne. pa·seu·ta·rang seu·te·i·keu
ju·mun·hal·kke·yo.
민준: 시키는 김에[4]
새우 샐러드도[5]
같이 시키자[6]
.
MinJun: si·ki·neun gi·me sae·u sael·reo·deu·do
ga·chi si·ki·ja?
서연: 나 새우 알레르기 있어서[7]
못[8]
먹어[9]
.
SeoYeon: na sae·u al·re·reu·gi i·sseo·seo mot
meo·geo.
민준: 그래? 그럼[10]
버섯 샐러드는 어때[11]
?
MinJun: geu·rae? geu·reom beo·seot
sael·reo·deu·nun eo·ttae?
서연: 좋아. 그러면[10]
샐러드까지[12]
총 세 개 시킬게요.
SeoYeon: jo·a. geu·reo·myeon sael·reo·deu·kka·ji
chong se gae si·kil·kke·yo.
[1] 주문하(stem of the verb) + 시(pre-final endings:
the honorific suffix) + 겠(pre-final endings: asking the
listener’s intention) + 어요(final-endings:
Interrogative ending of polite level)
[2] The particle (이)랑 tends to be used for more
informal and/or colloquial settings. 이랑 is used with
a noun that ends in a consonant, and 랑 is used with
a noun that ends in a vowel.
[3] The –(으)ㄹ게요 ending indicates the speaker’s
promise or willingness to do something for the
listener’s interest. The ending is used only for first
person subject and only with the verbs not with the
adjectives.
[4] -는 김에 is to indicate that while already doing one
action, the person can take that opportunity to do the
종업원: 네 알겠습니다[13]
.
jong·eo·bwon: ne. al·ket·sseum·ni·da.
next action.
[5] The one-form special particle 도 adds the
meaning of “also,” “too,” or“even” to the noun it
attaches to.
[6] Using “-자” which is the propositive ending of plain
level.
[7] One of the non-sentence final endings “-어서”
which means “because”.
[8] 못 is a negation adverb and it is usually used for
verbs because it means 'cannot'.
[9] Using “-어” which is the declarative ending of
intimate level.
[10] 그러면 is often used to ask or offer an alternative
or in explaining what action should take place in the
case or condition in the proceeding sentence. This can
be translated in English as if “that's the case”, “in that
case”, “then or therefore”. 그럼 is the contracted form
of 그러면.
[11] 어때? Means “how about…?” and it is the
irregular conjugation of the verb 어떻다 [eo·tteo·ta]
which means “be how”.
[12] The particle 까지 indicates an ending point, and
it corresponds to “to,”“up to,” “until” or “as far as” in
English.
[13] Using “-습니다” which is the declarative ending of
deferential level.
◼ Vocabulary
음식 [eum·sik] n. food
맛있다 [ma·sit·tta] adj. delicious
영화 [yeong·hwa] n. movie
길 [gil] n. road
좁다 [jop·tta] adj. narrow
꼭 [kkok] adv. surely
담배 [dam·bae] n. cigarette
끊다 [kkeun·ta] v. quite
매일 [mae·il] adv. everyday
요가 [yo·ga] n. yoga
하다 [ha·da] v. do
티브이 [ti·be·ui] n. television, telly
커피 [keo·pi] n. coffee
마시다 [ma·si·da] v. drink
아이스크림 [a·i·seu·keu·rim]
n. ice-cream
주문하다 [ju·mun·ha·da] v. order
스테이크 [seu·te·i·keu] n. steak
시키다 [si·ki·da] v. make, get,
order
~하는 김에 [ha·neun gi·me] while
you’re at it
새우 [sae·u] n. shrimp
샐러드 [sael·reo·deu] n. salad
알레르기 [al·re·reu·gi] n. allergic
그래 [geu·rae] yes, okay
버섯 [beo·seot] n. mushroom
어떻다 [eo·tteo·ta] adj. be how
총 [chong] pren. total
개 [gae] n. piece, unit
◼ Answer
Exercise 1. ④
건너 is stem of 건너다 and it ends in a vowel, so 건너시다(건너+시+다) [geon·neo·si·da] is right.
Exercise 2. ②
영화를 보시겠습니까? “Will (you) watch the movie?”
Exercise 3.
(I) watch TV, while eating meal
(I) drink coffee, and then eat ice cream
Exercise 4.
Deferential: 앉읍시다 [an·jeup·ssi·da]
Polite: 앉아요 [an·ja·yo]
Intimate: 앉아 [an·ja]
Plain: 앉자 [an·jja]