How to Talk About Your Occupation

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Lesson Transcript

Welcome to Can Do Korean by KoreanClass101.com.

In this lesson, you'll learn how to talk about your occupation in Korean.

For example, "I’m an investor." is

투자가예요. (Tu-ja-ga-ye-yo.)

Two passengers, Yeon-a Yu and Min-gyu Mun, are seated next to each other on a plane to Korea.

Before you hear their conversation, let's preview some of its key components.

학생(hak-saeng)

"student"

학생 (enunciated)

학생

투자가(tu-ja-ga)

"investor"

투자가(enunciated)

투자가

Listen to the conversation, and focus on Min-gyu Mun’s response.

Note: the speakers in this conversation use polite Korean.

Ready?

학생이에요? (Hak-saeng-i-e-yo?)

아니요, 학생이 아니에요. 투자가예요. (A-ni-yo, hak-saeng-i a-ni-e-yo. Tu-ja-ga-ye-yo.)

Once more with the English translation.

학생이에요? (Hak-saeng-i-e-yo?)

"Are you a student?"

아니요, 학생이 아니에요. 투자가예요. (A-ni-yo,hak-saeng-i a-ni-e-yo. Tu-ja-ga-ye-yo.)

"No, I'm not a student. I'm an investor."

Let's break down the conversation.

Do you remember how Yeon-a asks,

"Are you a student?"

학생이에요? (Hak-saeng-i-e-yo?)

First is 학생 (hak-saeng), "student." 학-생 (enunciated). 학생.

Next is 이에요(i-e-yo). Here, it's like the "are" in "are you." 이에요 (enunciated). 이에요.

Note: the word "you" is understood from context, as Yeon-a Yu is asking a question, and here the question is formed by the rising intonation. Listen again, 학생이에요?

이에요 is from the verb 이다(i-da) meaning "to be." 이다.

Note: 이에요 follows words that end in a consonant like 학생.

All together, 학생이에요? "Are you a student?" 학생이에요?

Now, let's take a closer look at the response.

Do you remember how Min-gyu Mun says,

"No, I'm not a student. I'm an investor."

아니요, 학생이 아니에요. 투자가예요. (A-ni-yo, hak-saeng-i a-ni-e-yo. Tu-ja-ga-ye-yo.)

First is the expression, 아니요 (a-ni-yo), meaning, "no." 아니요 (enunciated). 아니요.

It answers Yeon-a's yes-or-no question, "Are you a student?" 학생이에요? (Hak-saeng-i-se-yo?)

Next, Min-gyu says,

학생이 아니에요.(Hak-saeng-i a-ni-e-yo.) "I'm not a student." 학생이 아니에요.

First is 학생(hak-saeng) "student." 학생.

Next is 이(i) the subject marking particle 이. 이.

It marks "student" as the subject of the sentence.

Note: there are two forms of the subject marking particle. 이 follows words that end in a consonant, like 학생.

Next is 아니에요 (a-ni-e-yo) Here, "Not I am." But it translates as "I am not." 아니에요.

Note: the word "I" is understood from context, as Min-gyu is responding to a question.

아니에요 is from the verb 아니다(a-ni-da) meaning "to not be." 아니다

All together, 학생이 아니에요. "I'm not a student." 학생이 아니에요.

Finally, Min-gyu says,

투자가예요. (Tu-ja-ga-ye-yo.) "I'm an investor." 투자가예요.

First is 투자가 (tu-ja-ga), "investor." 투자가 (enunciated). 투자가.

Next is 예요 (ye-yo). In this case, it's like the "am" in "I am." 예요 (enunciated). 예요.

Note: "I" is understood from context, as the speaker is answering a question.

예요 is from the verb 이다(i-da) meaning "to be." 이다.

Note: there are two forms of the polite spoken form of the verb "to be," 예요 follows words that end in a vowel like 투자가.

Together, 투자가예요. "I'm an investor." 투자가예요.

All together, 아니요, 학생이 아니에요. 투자가예요.

"No, I'm not a student. I'm an investor."

아니요, 학생이 아니에요. 투자가예요.

Note there are two forms of the subject-marking particle.

이(i) follows words that end in a consonant, such as 학생(hak-saeng).

가(ga) follows words that end in a vowel, such as 간호사(gan-ho-sa).

Note there are two polite forms of the verb 이다(i-da) "to be."

이에요(i-e-yo) follows words that end in a consonant, such as 학생(hak-saeng).

예요(ye-yo) follows words that end in a vowel, such as 투자가(tu-ja-ga).

The pattern is

아니요 (A-ni-yo), {occupation ending in consonant}이 아니에요 (-i a-ni-e-yo).

{actual occupation ending in consonant}이에요 (i-e-yo).

"No, I'm not {occupation}. I'm {actual occupation}."

And

아니요 (A-ni-yo), {occupation ending in vowel}가 아니에요 (-ga a-ni-e-yo).

{actual occupation in vowel}예요 (ye-yo).

"No, I'm not {occupation}. I'm {actual occupation}."

Imagine you’re Eugene Eom, a student.

Min-gyu asks you if you’re a "teacher," 선생님(seon-saeng-nim). 선생님 (enunciated). 선생님.

Say

"No, I'm not a teacher. I'm a student."

Ready?

아니요, 선생님이 아니에요. 학생이에요. (A-ni-yo, seon-saeng-nim-i a-ni-e-yo. Hak-saeng-i-e-yo.)

"No, I'm not a teacher. I'm a student."

아니요, 선생님이 아니에요. 학생이에요. (A-ni-yo, seon-saeng-nim-i a-ni-e-yo. Hak-saeng-i-e-yo.)

Again, the pattern is

아니요 (A-ni-yo), {occupation ending in consonant}이 아니에요 (-i a-ni-e-yo).

{actual occupation ending in consonant}이에요 (i-e-yo).

"No, I'm not {occupation}. I'm {actual occupation}."

And

아니요 (A-ni-yo), {occupation ending in vowel}가 아니에요 (-ga a-ni-e-yo).

{actual occupation in vowel}예요 (ye-yo).

"No, I'm not {occupation}. I'm {actual occupation}."

Let's look at some examples.

Listen and repeat or speak along with the native speakers.

아니요, 학생이 아니에요. 투자가예요. (A-ni-yo, hak-saeng-i a-ni-e-yo. Tu-ja-ga-ye-yo.)

"No, I'm not a student. I'm an investor."

아니요, 학생이 아니에요. 투자가예요.(A-ni-yo, seon-saeng-nim-i a-ni-e-yo. Hak-saeng-i-e-yo.)

아니요, 선생님이 아니에요. 학생이에요. (A-ni-yo, seon-saeng-nim-i a-ni-e-yo. Hak-saeng-i-e-yo.)

"No, I'm not a teacher. I'm a student."

아니요, 선생님이 아니에요. 학생이에요. (A-ni-yo, ui-sa-ga a-ni-e-yo. Gwa-hak-ja-ye-yo.)

아니요, 의사가 아니에요. 과학자예요. (A-ni-yo, ui-sa-ga a-ni-e-yo. Gwa-hak-ja-ye-yo.)

"No, I'm not a doctor. I'm a scientist."

아니요, 의사가 아니에요. 과학자예요. (A-ni-yo, ui-sa-ga a-ni-e-yo. Gwa-hak-ja-ye-yo.)

아니요, 간호사가 아니에요. 의사예요. (A-ni-yo, gan-ho-sa-ga a-ni-e-yo. Ui-sa-ye-yo.)

"No, I'm not a nurse. I'm a doctor."

아니요, 간호사가 아니에요. 의사예요. (A-ni-yo, hak-saeng-i a-ni-e-yo. Seon-saeng-nim-i-e-yo.)

아니요, 학생이 아니에요. 선생님이에요. (A-ni-yo, hak-saeng-i a-ni-e-yo. Seon-saeng-nim-i-e-yo.)

"No, I'm not a student. I'm a teacher."

아니요, 학생이 아니에요. 선생님이에요.

아니요, 바리스타예요. (A-ni-yo, ba-ri-seu-ta-ye-yo.)

"No, I'm a barista."

아니요, 바리스타예요. (A-ni-yo, ba-ri-seu-ta-ye-yo.)

Did you notice how the last speaker omits part of the response?

She says,

아니요, 바리스타예요. (A-ni-yo, ba-ri-seu-ta-ye-yo.)

"No, I’m a barista."

아니요, 바리스타예요.

When directly responding to someone's question, it’s often possible to omit part of the response.

Here by simply answering 아니요 (a-ni-yo), "no," there’s no need to say 학생이 아니에요(hak-saeng-i a-ni-e-yo), "I’m not a student."

This pattern is

아니요 (A-ni-yo), {actual occupation ending in consonant} 이에요 (i-e-yo).

아니요 (A-ni-yo), {actual occupation in vowel} 예요 (ye-yo).

"No. I'm {actual occupation}."

아니요 (A-ni-yo), {actual occupation ending in consonant} 이에요 (i-e-yo).

아니요 (A-ni-yo), {actual occupation in vowel} 예요 (ye-yo).

You should be aware of this pattern, but for this lesson, we'll use the pattern

아니요 (A-ni-yo), {occupation ending in consonant}이 아니에요 (-i a-ni-e-yo).

{actual occupation ending in consonant}이에요 (i-e-yo).

"No, I'm not {occupation}. I'm {actual occupation}."

And

아니요 (A-ni-yo), {occupation ending in vowel}가 아니에요 (-ga a-ni-e-yo).

{actual occupation in vowel}예요 (ye-yo).

"No, I'm not {occupation}. I'm {actual occupation}."

Let's review the key vocabulary.

선생님 (seon-saeng-nim). "Teacher." 선생님 (enunciated). 선생님.

과학자 (gwa-hak-ja). "Scientist." 과학자 (enunciated). 과학자.

간호사 (gan-ho-sa). "Nurse." 간호사 (enunciated). 간호사.

의사 (ui-sa). "Doctor." 의사 (enunciated). 의사.

바리스타 (ba-ri-seu-ta). "Barista." 바리스타 (enunciated). 바리스타.

Let's review.

Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then repeat after the native speaker, focusing on pronunciation.

Ready?

Do you remember how to say "investor."

투자가. (tu-ja-ga)

투자가.

And how Min-gyu Mun says,

"I'm an investor."

투자가예요. (Tu-ja-ga-ye-yo.)

투자가예요.

Do you remember how to say "student?"

학생. (hak-saeng)

학생.

And how Min-gyu Mun says,

"I'm not a student."

학생이 아니에요. (Hak-saeng-i a-ni-e-yo.)

학생이 아니에요.

Do you remember how to say "no?"

아니요. (a-ni-yo.)

아니요.

Do you remember how Min-gyu Mun says,

"No, I'm not a student. I'm an investor."

아니요, 학생이 아니에요. 투자가예요. (A-ni-yo, hak-saeng-i a-ni-e-yo. Tu-ja-ga-ye-yo.)

아니요, 학생이 아니에요. 투자가예요.

Do you remember how Yeon-a Yu asks,

"Are you a student?"

Remember Yeon-a uses formal Korean.

학생이에요? (Hak-saeng-i-e-yo?)

Do you remember how to say "scientist?"

과학자. (gwa-hak-ja.)

과학자.

And how to say "doctor?"

의사. (ui-sa)

의사.

Do you remember the word commonly used for "teacher" when talking about one’s own occupation?

선생님. (seon-saeng-nim)

선생님.

Let's practice.

Imagine you're Yeon-a Yu, and you’re a scientist, or 과학자 (gwa-hak-ja) in Korean.

Respond to Min-gyu’s question.

Ready?

선생님이에요? (Seon-saeng-nim-i-e-yo?)

아니요, 과학자예요. (A-ni-yo, gwa-hak-ja-ye-yo.)

Listen again and repeat.

아니요, 과학자예요. (A-ni-yo, gwa-hak-ja-ye-yo.)

Let's try another.

Imagine you're Sophie Kim, and you’re a teacher, or 선생님 (seon-saeng-nim) in Korean

Ready?

학생이에요? (Hak-saeng-i-e-yo?)

아니요, 학생이 아니에요. 선생님이에요. (A-ni-yo, hak-saeng-i a-ni-e-yo. Seon-saeng-nim-i-e-yo. )

Listen again and repeat.

아니요, 학생이 아니에요. 선생님이에요. (A-ni-yo, hak-saeng-i a-ni-e-yo. Seon-saeng-nim-i-e-yo.)

Let's try one more:

Imagine you're Eugene Eom, and you’re a student, or 학생 (hak-saeng) in Korean.

Ready?

선생님이에요? (Seon-saeng-nim-i-e-yo?)

아니요, 선생님이 아니에요. 학생이에요. (A-ni-yo, seon-saeng-nim-i a-ni-e-yo. Hak-saeng-i-e-yo.)

Listen again and repeat.

아니요, 선생님이 아니에요. 학생이에요.

In this lesson, you learned how to talk about your occupation in Korean. This plays an essential role in the larger skill of introducing yourself. Let’s review.

Do you remember how Yeon-a Yu says,

"I'm Yeon-a Yu."

저는 유연아입니다. (Jeo-neun Yu-yeon-a-im-ni-da.)

저는 유연아입니다.

And do you remember how Yeon-a Yu says

"Hello. I'm Yeon-a Yu. Nice to meet you."

안녕하세요. 저는 유연아입니다. 반갑습니다.

안녕하세요. 저는 유연아입니다. 반갑습니다. (An-nyeong-ha-se-yo. Jeo-neun Yu-yeon-a-im-ni-da. Ban-gap-seum-ni-da.)

And do you remember how she says,

"I’m from Florida."

플로리다에서 왔어요. (Peul-lo-ri-da-e-seo wass-eo-yo.)

Do you remember how Min-gyu Mun asks,

"Where are you from?"

연아 씨는 어디에서 왔어요? (Yeon-a ssi-neun eo-di-e-seo wass-eo-yo?)

연아 씨는 어디에서 왔어요?

Do you remember how to say "America?"

미국 (Mi-guk).

And how to say "American," as in an American person?"

미국인 (Mi-gug-in).

And do you remember how Yeon-a Yu says

"I'm American"?

저는 미국인이에요. (Jeo-neun Mi-gug-in-i-e-yo.)

Do you remember how to say "are" as in "are you."?

예요(ye-yo) / 이에요 (i-e-yo).

Do you remember how Min-gyu Mun asks,

"Are you American?"

미국인이에요? (Mi-gug-in-i-e-yo?)

Imagine you're Jack Jones, a student from London, and your home country is England.

Do you remember how to pronounce "Jack Jones" in Korean?

존스잭 (Jon-seu-jaek)

존스잭

Respond to Min-gyu Mun's self-introduction and follow-up questions.

Ready?

안녕하세요. 저는 문민규입니다. 반갑습니다. (An-nyeong-ha-se-yo. Jeo-neun Mun-min-gyu-im-ni-da. Ban-gap-seum-ni-da.)

안녕하세요. 저는 존스잭입니다. 반갑습니다. (An-nyeong-ha-se-yo. Jeo-neun Jon-seu Jaek-im-ni-da. Ban-gap-seum-ni-da.)

Listen again, and repeat.

안녕하세요. 저는 존스잭입니다. 반갑습니다. (An-nyeong-ha-se-yo. Jeo-neun Jon-seu Jaek-im-ni-da. Ban-gap-seum-ni-da.)

Do you remember how to say "London" in Korean?

런던 (Reon-deon)

런던

Now respond that you’re from London.

어디에서 왔어요? (Eo-di-e-seo wass-eo-yo?)

런던에서 왔어요. (Reon-deon-e-seo wass-eo-yo.)

Listen again and repeat.

런던에서 왔어요. (Reon-deon-e-seo wass-eo-yo.)

And do you remember how to say "British" in Korean?

영국인 (Yeong-gug-in)

영국인

Now respond that you’re British.

아, 영국인이에요? (A, yeong-gug-in-i-e-yo?)

네, 저는 영국인이에요. (Ne, jeo-neun yeong-gug-in-i-e-yo.)

Listen again and repeat.

네, 저는 영국인이에요. (Ne, jeo-neun yeong-gug-in-i-e-yo.)

Now, do you remember how to say "student" in Korean?

학생 (hak-saeng)

학생

Respond that you're a student.

선생님이에요? (Seon-saeng-nim-i-e-yo?)

아니요, 선생님이 아니에요. 학생이에요. (A-ni-yo, seon-saeng-nim-i a-ni-e-yo. Hak-saeng-i-e-yo.)

Listen again and repeat.

아니요, 선생님이 아니에요. 학생이에요.

Well done! This is the end of the lesson and the Can Introduce Yourself unit of this course.

Remember, these Can Do lessons are about learning practical language skills.

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