There are lots of reasons (great and small) as to why I decided to learn Korean, but here are my top 3!

I would like to be able to listen to k-pop and watch k-dramas without being completely lost/relying solely on English subtitles and translations.

I would love to connect with Korean speakers one day and make some potential new friends! Also, I hope to eventually get myself over to Korea at some point in my life, so speaking the language to some degree would definitely make that trip more enjoyable.

My biggest reason for starting this whole thing, though, is that I want to prove to myself that I can actually accomplish some of these pipe dreams I have. For such a long time, I’ve always said how cool it would be to be bilingual, and my dad would always follow-up to that with, “You can do it if you really want to!” However, me being me, I always just brushed it off because, like, who just becomes bilingual?? That’s not just something you do. But now that I’m outside of an academic setting and can take off some of my mental blinders, I’ve realized that I can spend my free time however I so please, and if I want to work on getting myself to a conversational level in another language, then gosh darn it, I will. :)

So there you have it, folks; why I decided to start learning Korean in a nutshell! Other, smaller reasons include:

Missing the academic life and finding this to be the perfect hobby to fill that hole

Being stoked that I could have access to a bunch more books and myths to read one day

한글 is a beautifully simple script

Bonus points for being able to pick up a few Chinese characters along the way

I just really like learning :)

Day 11 of the 30 day langblr challenge is all about tenses, so here’s the basic future tense in Korean! As always, all info comes from TalkToMeInKorean!

Construction: -ㄹ/-을 거예요

At this point, you probably know the drill when it comes to what ending you should use depending on your verb stem, so here’s the breakdown!

If the verb stem ends in a vowel, you’ll use -ㄹ 거예요

가다 (to go) --> 갈 거예요

하다 (to do) --> 할 거예요

보다 (to see) --> 볼 거예요

If the verb stem ends in a consonant, you’ll use -을 거예요

입다 (to wear) --> 입을 거예요

먹다 (to eat) --> 먹을 거예요

볶다 (to fry) --> 볶을 거예요

Note: If your verb stem already ends with “ㄹ,” simply add “거예요” after the verb stem!

Ex.: 팔다 (to sell) --> 팔 거예요

Sample Sentences

Using this tense is pretty straightforward (aka: use it to talk about things that you will do in the future), so here are some sample sentences to see this tense in action!

내일 도서관에 갈 거예요. (Tomorrow, I will go to the library.)

책을 반납을 거예요. (I will return a book.)

뭐 할 거예요? (What are you going to do?)

And that’s all, folks! If you notice any errors, please let me know. Otherwise, study well, y’all!!

I thought it only appropriate that I pick a Day6 song for today since it’s day 6 of the challenge. It’s definitely not a new song to me, but it’s my favorite by them so I wanted to learn a few words from it. So here are 6 (to keep with the theme) assorted words from Day6′s “I Wait”!

항상 = always, all the time, at all times

대답 = an answer, reply, response

애매하다 = to be ambiguous, to be vague

헷갈리다 = to be confused

허물다 = to break down, to tear down

솔직하다 = to be honest, to be straightforward

And if you’re feeling super motivated, see if you can pick out any of these words in the song! Study well, y’all!!

Pro-tip: you can never have too much vocab about food.

“저는 매운 음식을 잘 못 먹어요.”

     “I can’t eat spicy food.” (Lit.: “I can’t eat spicy food well.”/“I’m not good at eating spicy food.”)

“더 주세요.”

     “Please give me some more.”

“탄수화물을 사랑해요!”

     “I love carbs!” (Lit: “I love carbohydrates!”)

“매일 아침에 아침을 먹어요.”

     “I eat breakfast every morning.”

“물을 마시세요!”

     “Drink water!”

Lagniappe:

소금 = salt

후추 = pepper

상추 = lettuce

토마토 = tomato

케첩 = ketchup

겨자 or 머스터드 = mustard

마요네즈 = mayonaise

Day 8′s prompt is what motivates you, so here are a few of my favorite things when it comes to motivation!

Lists

I live for to-do lists. Crossing things off is super duper satisfying and helps me see how much I’ve accomplished (or didn’t accomplish) in a day. I also like to use some blank calendars where I can put fun stickers on days where I work-out or study or things like that! It’s all about keeping accountability fun.

Challenges

Having pre-set goals to meet is half the battle when it comes to motivation, so being able to focus all my time on simply accomplishing a task makes life much easier when it comes to staying productive and motivated. Whether it’s grades, a 30 day challenge, or any other activity where there’s some form of pre-made goals, I’m all for it!

People

Whether it’s competitive or cooperative, having a human element to my goals can really help keep frustration at bay. Knowing that other people are in the same boat as me - even if it is in a competitive context - can help me step back from some minor frustrations and find new ways to tackle my goals. Having someone to talk to about my problems or someone to celebrate my victories with is a nice bonus, too!

Physical Rewards

Having physical, tangible things that I can point to or earn is a huuuuge motivator for me. Certificates? Great. Medals? Even better. Honor cords at graduation? YES. Even though they can be small, being able to look at something and go, “Oh yeah. I did do that!” really brings some of those intangible goals back into a very real space. Also, small treats like bubble tea, snacks, or getting a new book from the library go a long way, too.

A Sharpened Pencil

Give me one of these bad boys, and I am ready to take on the world.

안녕하세요! 오늘은 정말 재미있었어요! 저는 점심을 친구들이랑 같이 먹었어요. 저는 메기를 먹었어요! 맛있었어요. 그리고 제 친구들은 커피를 샀어요. 그렇지만 저는 커피를 안 마셔요. 그리고 우리는 제 친구의 집에 갔어요. 말하고 카드놀이를 했어요. 그리고 저는 제 집에 갔어요. 저는 제 친구들을 사랑해요!! :)

So, I definitely wouldn’t classify myself at a level where I’m able to tackle the nuances of poetry, but I found this really nice post here with a pretty accessible poem! The poster provides the Korean, his own translation, and some grammar and vocab. I’m just going to leave the Korean and his translation here, and highly recommend that you check out his grammar and vocab in the link!!

보이지 않아도

바람 보이지 않아도 풀입을 흔들고

태풍 보이지 않아도 나무를 흔들고

너 보이지 않아도 나를 흔들고

보이지 않은 게 보이는 것보다 힘이 더 세다.

Poster’s Translation:

What can’t be seen

Wind Though it can’t be seen Moves blades of grass

Typhoon Though it can’t be seen Moves trees

You Though you can’t be seen Move me

What can’t be seen Has greater power Than what can

Since I’m out of the school life (for now), here are 5 words/phrases about work!

주말 = weekend

카풀 = carpool

동료 = co-worker

퇴근하다 = to leave work

“직장이 없어요.” = “I don’t have a job.”