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Korean Word Order is Different

                                   




                                          :x:WRONG: 저는 좋아해요 한국어 많이.

“I like Korean a lot.”

:heavy_check_mark: RIGHT: 저는 한국어를 많이 좋아해요.

“I like Korean a lot.”

ᴡʜʏ ɪs ᴛʜɪs ᴡʀᴏɴɢ?

──────────────────

This sentence literally translates as “I like... Korean... A lot.” However, due to the words being in the wrong order, it would more likely sound like “I a lot Korean like.” to a Korean.

ʜᴏᴡ ᴛᴏ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴛʜɪs ᴍɪsᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ

──────────────────

Pay attention to word order when forming your own sentences.

Bᴀsɪᴄ Sᴛʀᴜᴄᴛᴜʀᴇ

Korean sentence structure goes like this: subject, object, then verb. In the English sentence “Billy likes music,” “Billy” is the subject, “likes” is the verb, and “music” is the object. In Korean, this sentence would become “Billy music likes.”

빌리는 음악을 좋아해요.

“Billy likes music.”

Lᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴs

Locations come before the verb. Instead of “I go to school,” Korean would use “I to school go.”

저는 학교에 가요.

“I go to school.”

Aᴅᴠᴇʀʙs

Adverbs come directly before the verb. Instead of “I wake up early,” Korean would use “I early wake up.”

저는 일찍 일어나요.

“I wake up early.”

Aᴅᴊᴇᴄᴛɪᴠᴇs

Adjectives - called descriptive verbs in Korean- come directly before the noun. This is the same as it is in English.

예쁜 옷

“pretty clothes”

Tɪᴍᴇ

Time comes at either the beginning of a sentence or right after the subject. Instead of “I swim today,” Korean would use “Today I swim” or “I today swim.”

오늘 저는 수영해요.

저는 오늘 수영해요.

“I swim today.”

When describing the time using multiple words, organize the words in order from largest to smallest. For example, “2:30 p.m. this afternoon” would be 오늘 오후 2시 30분, which literally means “today afternoon 2 o’clock 30 minutes.”

Where English tends to begin with the more specific time, Korean does the opposite and begins with the most general description.

These simple rules can be used to create longer and more complicated sentences.

저는 오늘 저녁에 재미있는 책을 천천히 읽고 싶어요.

“Tonight I want to slowly read an entertaining book.”

ʙᴏɴᴜs ᴇxᴀᴍᴘʟᴇs

──────────────────

:x: 저는 좋아해요 방탄소년단을 많이.

:heavy_check_mark: 저는 방탄소년단을 많이 좋아해요.

“I like BTS a lot.”

:x: 저는 마셔요 물을 많이.

:heavy_check_mark: 저는 물을 많이 마셔요.

“I drink a lot of water.”

──────────────────

sᴏᴜʀᴄᴇ: ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴏɴ ᴍɪsᴛᴀᴋᴇs ᴋᴏʀᴇᴀɴ ʟᴇᴀʀɴᴇʀs ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ʙʏ ᴛᴀʟᴋ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇ ɪɴ ᴋᴏʀᴇᴀɴ ᴀɴᴅ ʙɪʟʟʏ ɢᴏ (ᴛᴡᴏ ғᴀɴᴛᴀsᴛɪᴄ ᴋᴏʀᴇᴀɴ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴏʀs)

ᴄʜᴇᴄᴋ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴍᴀᴛᴇʀɪᴀʟ ᴀᴛ [www.talktomeinkorean.com] ᴀɴᴅ [ɢᴏʙɪʟʟʏᴋᴏʀᴇᴀɴ.ᴄᴏᴍ.]

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