Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

Hi, everyone! Welcome to the Korean Whiteboard Lesson! My name is K-Jin.
안녕하세요, 케이진입니다. (Annyeonghaseyo, Keijin imnida.)
In this lesson, you will learn how to make basic comparisons in Korean.
So, let’s get started!
Okay, so let’s look at the sentence pattern:
[PLACE1] + 은 (eun) or 는 (neun) and [PLACE 2] 보다 (boda) [ADJECTIVE].
So, this is the form, and the meaning is:
[PLACE1] is [ADJECTIVE] than [PLACE2].
So, when you compare something, you put the first comparison noun here, and then you put 은 (eun) or 는 (neun). So, when this place, the name of the place ends with a consonant, then you use 은 (eun) here. What if the name of the place ends with a vowel? Then you use 는 (neun) here. I’ll show you examples very soon.
And put the place’s name, which you want to compare. It doesn’t have to be a place, actually. For example, you can compare the size of a small cup or anything, or I have more money, money or fruits, anything is okay, but today’s example, I’ll show you a place’s name in Korea.
And 보다 (boda), 보다 (boda), 보다 (boda).
보다 (boda) means “than” in Korean. So, in English, you say “than” [PLACE 2], like “than Seoul,” “than New York.” But in Korean, the order is opposite, so you put the name of the place or name of the thing first and say 보다 (boda). And then [adjective] comes at the end, while in English, you put the adjective in the middle of the sentence.
So, the order is different, but the meaning is the same.
[PLACE1] 은 [eun]/는 (neun) [PLACE 2] 보다 (boda) [ADJECTIVE].
Actually, it’s much simpler than English. In English, you change the form of the adjective. For example, if it’s “cold,” then you change it to “colder.” If it’s “big,” then you change to “bigger.” Or if it’s “crowded,” then you say “more crowded.” It’s “pretty,” then more- more pretty or “prettier,” right? So, you change the English adjective. But in Korean, we don’t change the format at all. You just use the adjective directly.
However, if you want to say the “more,” then you can also put this word, 더 (deo), 더 (deo). So, this is optional, 더 (deo). It just means “more,” more, 더 (deo), 더 (deo), 더 (deo). You can put 더 (deo) here, but anyway, you have 보다 (boda) here, so than (something), than (something). So, [Place 2] 보다 (boda).
So, everyone knows that you’re comparing something, so you don’t have to put 더 (deo).
더 (deo), 더 (deo)
It’s optional, it’s up to you. The meaning doesn’t change, the nuance doesn’t change, so you can put 더 (deo) or not, it’s up to you. But without it, it’s still fine.
[PLACE1] 은 (eun)/는 (neun) [PLACE 2] 보다 (boda) 더 (deo) [뜨르르…] put the [adjective] here.
Let’s look at some more examples. So, using this pattern, I made these two sentences.
“Paju is colder than Seoul.”
파주 (Paju)
파주 (Paju) is a name of a city in Korea.
는 (neun), 는 (neun)
Paju ended with vowel sounds, right?
파주 (Paju), 파주 (Paju), (-u), (-u.) It ended with vowel sounds, so we used 는 (neun) here.
파주는 (Pajuneun)
서울 (Seoul)
서울 (Seoul) is the capital of Korea.
서울 (Seoul)
보다 (boda)
보다 (boda) so “than Seoul.”
추워요 (chuwoyo)
추워요 (chuwoyo) means “cold,” right?
Cold.
파주는 서울보다 추워요. (Pajuneun Seoulboda chuwoyo.) “Paju is colder than Seoul.”
So, we don’t change the form of the adjective. You just use it directly and that’s totally fine.
But if you want to put 더 (deo) here, of course, you can put 더 (deo) here.
더 (deo), 더 (deo)
The meaning doesn’t change.
파주는 서울보다 더추워요 (Pajuneun Seoul-boda deochuwoyo) means “Paju is colder than Seoul.”
But what if you wanna use this, Seattle, which ends with a consonant?
So, “Seattle” in Korean is 시애틀 (Siaeteul).
시애틀 (Siaeteul)
시애틀 (Siaeteul), (-teul), (-teul). It ended with a consonant sound, right? We see (-teul) here, so we use 은 (eun) here.
은 (eun), 은 (eun)
시애틀 (Siaeteul)
시애틀은 (Siaeteureun)
시애틀은 (Siaeteureun)
양평 (Yangpyeong), again, is a name of the city in Korea.
양평보다 (Yangpyeongboda), so “than Yangpyeong.”
오래됐어요 (oraedwaesseoyo)
오래됐어요 (oraedwaesseoyo) [enunciated]
오래됐어요 (oraedwaesseoyo)
오래됐어요 (oraedwaesseoyo) means “old,” old, old.
So, you can say:
시애틀은 양평보다 오래됐어요. (Siaeteureun Yangpyeongboda oraedwaesseoyo).
“Seattle is older than Yangpyeong.”
시애틀은 양평보다 오래됐어요. (Siaeteureun Yangpyeongboda oraedwaesseoyo).
By the way, do you see this adjective, “old”, 오래되다 (oraedoeda)?
오래되다 (oraedoeda)
This is the dictionary form and when you use it, you always use it as a past form. So, you don’t say 시애틀은 양평보다 오래돼요 (Siaeteureun Yangpyeongboda oraedwaeyo). (Boo boo boo!) You don’t say that way. You always use this - 오래되다 (oraedoeda), this one, as past form as 오래됐다 (oraedwaetda) or 오래됐어 (oraedwaesseo), 오래됐어요 (oraedwaesseoyo), 오래됐습니다 (oraedwaetseumnida).
So, you can change the ending, but remember, it should be the past form.
시애틀은 양평보다 오래됐어요. (Siaeteureun yangpyeongboda oraedwaesseoyo).
Now, let’s look at the dialogue and see how the sentence pattern is used in the actual example.
강릉은 커요? (Gangneungeun keoyo?)
강릉은 커요? (Gangneungeun keoyo?) [enunciated]
강릉은 커요? (Gangneungeun keoyo?) “Is Gangneung big?”
강릉은 서울보다 커요. (Gangneungeun Seoulboda keoyo.)
강릉은 서울보다 커요. (Gangneungeun Seoulboda keoyo.) [enunciated]
강릉은 서울보다 커요. (Gangneungeun Seoulboda keoyo.) “Gangneung is bigger than Seoul.”
Well, Seoul is definitely the biggest city in Korea, but it’s in terms of population. The size is not so big. Actually, there are bigger cities in Korea. So, in terms of size, Gangneung is bigger.
And do you see the sentence pattern here?
강릉은 서울보다 커요. (Gangneungeun Seoulboda keoyo.)
So, I used 은 (eun), 보다 커요 (boda keoyo).
I used 은 (eun) because 강릉 (Gangneung), 강릉 (Gangneung), it ended with a consonant, right?
강릉 (Gangneung)
So, I used 은 (eun) here.
서울 (Seoul), name of the city, 보다 (boda), than 커요 (keoyo) is “big.”
강릉은 서울보다 커요. (Gangneungeun Seoulboda keoyo.)
And if you want to use this pattern, 더 (deo), 더 (deo), then you can also put it here.
강릉은 서울보다 더 커요. (Gangneungeun Seoulboda deo keoyo.)
더 커요 (deo keoyo)
The meaning is the same.
강릉은 서울보다 더 커요. (Gangneungeun Seoulboda deo keoyo.)
Okay, so let’s look at some more vocabulary here.
So, 는 (neun), [뜨르르…], 보다 (boda) 더워요 (deowoyo).
는 (neun), 보다 (boda), 더워요 (deowoyo).
So, 더워요 (deowoyo) here means “hot.”
So here, as an example, I’m going to put 여수 (Yeosu).
여수 (Yeosu) is the name of the city in Korea and located in southern part,
여수는 (Yeosuneun)
시애틀 (Siaeteul)
여수는 시애틀보다 더워요. (Yeosuneun Siaeteulboda deowoyo.)
여수는 시애틀보다 더워요. (Yeosuneun Siaeteulboda deowoyo.) “Yeosu is hotter than Seattle.”
여수는 시애틀보다 더워요. (Yeosuneun Siaeteulboda deowoyo.)
Do you see this?
여수 (Yeosu)
여수 (Yeosu)
So, it ended with (-u), (-u) vowel sound, so we used 는 (neun) here.
여수는 시애틀보다 더워요. (Yeosuneun Siaeteulboda deowoyo.)
더워요 (deowoyo)
How about this?
인천은 (Incheoneun), again, is the name of the city in Korea.
창원 (Chang-won)
인천은 창원보다 사람이 많아요. (Incheoneun Chang-wonboda sarami manayo.)
인천 (Incheon), 인천 (Incheon), 인천 (Incheon).
It ended with kind of N sound, so I used 은 (eun) here because it’s consonant.
인천은 창원보다 사람이 많아요. (Incheoneun Chang-wonboda sarami manayo.)
사람이 많아요 (sarami manayo) means “more crowded.”
사람이 많아요 (sarami manayo) means just “crowded.”
And 사람 (saram) means “person,” right?
이 (i) is particle.
많아요 (manayo) means “a lot” so it literally means “people are a lot.”
In Korean, 사람이 많아요 (sarami manayo), and in English, it’s “crowded.”
인천은 창원보다 사람이 많아요. (Incheoneun chang-wonboda sarami manayo.) “Incheon is more crowded than Changwon.”
Then, how about this one?
고양은 (Goyangeun)
김포 (Gimpo)
고양은 김포보다 작아요. (Goyangeun Gimpoboda jagayo.)
Again, name of the city, 고양 (Goyang).
고양 (Goyang)
It ended with a consonant, so I used 은 (eun) here.
고양은 김포보다 작아요. (Goyangeun Gimpoboda jagayo.)
작아요 (jagayo) means “small.”
So, 고양은 김포보다 작아요. (Goyangeun Gimpoboda jagayo.)
So here, actually, you can put 더 (deo) here.
여수는 시애틀보다 더더워요. (Yeosuneun Siaeteulboda deodeowoyo.)
It means exactly the same and you can put 더 (deo) here.
What if you wanna say, 인천은 창원보다 사람이 많아요 (Incheoneun Chang-wonboda sarami manayo) and you want to add some more information? Incheon is pretty more crowded than Changwon. “Pretty” or “quite.” Incheon is quite more crowded than Changwon. So you give some more nuance, right? You can put the adjective here. We can put 꽤 (kkwae).
꽤 (kkwae), 꽤 (kkwae), 꽤 (kkwae).
꽤 (Kkwae) means “pretty” or “quite.”
꽤 (kkwae)
So, you can put it here after 보다 (boda).
꽤 (kkwae), 꽤 (kkwae), 꽤 (kkwae)
What if you wanna say “a lot”?
So, for example:
고양은 김포보다 작아요. (Goyangeun Gimpoboda jagayo.) “Goyang is smaller than Gimpo.”
But you wanna say, Goyang is way more, much more, way, much. You want to emphasize the “a lot,” a lot smaller than Gimpo. Then you can say, 훨씬 (hwolssin).
훨…(hwol…)
훨씬 (hwolssin)
Yes, you can put 훨씬 (hwolssin) here.
훨씬 (hwolssin), 훨씬 (hwolssin),
여수는 시애틀보다 더워요. (Yeosuneun Siaeteulboda deowoyo.)
인천은 창원보다 사람이 많아요. (Incheoneun Chang-wonboda sarami manayo.)
인천은 창원보다 꽤 사람이 많아요. (Incheoneun Chang-wonboda kkwae sarami manayo.)
고양은 김포보다 작아요. (Goyangeun Gimpoboda jagayo.)
고양은 김포보다 훨씬 작아요. (Goyangeun Gimpoboda hwolssin jagayo.)
So, these are the sentences using this sentence pattern, so please review it.
I mentioned many Korean cities in the examples. Let me introduce some of them.
파주]는 [서울]보다 추워요. (Pajuneun Seoul-boda chuwoyo.)
“Paju is located in northern South Korea.” It’s more north than Seoul and it’s colder.
And Seoul is the capital of Korea.
여수는 시애틀보다 더워요. (Yeosuneun Siaeteulboda deowoyo.)
“Yeosu is located in southern South Korea and it’s warmer.”
시애틀]은 [양평]보다 오래됐어요. (Siaeteureun Yangpyeongboda oraedwaesseo.)
Yanggeun and Jipyeong were coalesced, and the place was named Yangpyeng in 1908. Yang is from Yanggeun and Pyeong is from Jipyeong.
인천]은 [창원]보다 사람이 많아요. (Incheoneun Chang-wonboda sarami manayo.)
Incheon is the city where the biggest international airport in Korea is located.

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