DAY 6: School Food in Korea is… Actually AMAZING?!

🌸 What You’ll Learn

🌸 10 Key Korean Sentences

🌸 Key Vocabulary & Expressions

• 여러분: everyone (formal, polite form)

• 보통: usually / normally

• 점심: lunch

• 어떻게: how

• 해결하다: to handle / to take care of (a problem or task)

• 주로: mainly / mostly

• 급식: cafeteria meal / school meal

• 가격: price

• 비싸다: to be expensive

• 메뉴: menu / dish

• 다양하다: to be diverse / to have variety

• 양: amount / portion size

• 많다: to be many / a lot

• 맛: taste / flavor

• 이런 점에서: in this respect / in that sense

• 가성비가 좋다: to have good value for money

• 음식: food

• 접하다: to come into contact with / to experience

• 점심시간: lunchtime

• 식판: cafeteria tray

• 줄을 서다: to stand in line

• 모습: appearance / sight / scene

• 처음에는: at first / in the beginning

• 신기하다: to be fascinating / amazing

• 젓가락: chopsticks

• 사용하다: to use

• 익숙해지다: to become used to / to get familiar with

• 가끔씩: sometimes / occasionally

• 다른: different / another

• 교내: on campus / inside the school

• 편의점: convenience store

• 간편식: ready-made meal / convenience food

• 사 먹다: to buy and eat

• 놀랍다: to be surprising

• 음식 배달: food delivery

• 시키다: to order (food or service)

• 나눠 먹다: to share and eat together

• 재미가 쏠쏠하다: to be quite fun

🌸 Grammar Breakdown

1. ~(으)시나요?

• Honorific Question Ending

• The ending ~시나요? is a polite and honorific way to ask a question in Korean.

• It’s used when you want to show respect to the listener — especially older people, strangers, or in formal situations.

• This structure combines two grammar points:
• 시: the honorific marker (shows respect)
• ~나요?: a soft, polite question ending

• 💡 여러분은 보통 점심을 어떻게 해결하시나요? → How do you usually take care of lunch?

• Verb stem + ~(으)시 + 나요?

• 지금 어디에 가시나요? → Where are you going now?

• 친구를 기다리시나요? → Are you waiting for a friend?

• 무슨 책을 읽으시나요? → Which book are you reading?

• What's the difference between 해결하시나요? and 해결하세요?

Aspect	해결하시나요?	해결하세요?
Grammar Structure	-시- (honorific) + -나요 (question ending)	하다 + -세요 (polite ending)
Politeness Level	High formal honorific	Standard polite form
Formality	Very formal	Formal but friendly
Usage Context	• Official presentations/speeches • Academic/professional settings • When high respect is required • Formal group discussions	• Daily conversations • Talking with friends/colleagues • Casual group discussions • YouTube & friendly content
Tone	Respectful and courteous	Friendly yet polite
Target Audience	People you should show respect to	Peers or friendly acquaintances
Nuance	"I respectfully inquire”	"I'm curious, so I'm asking”

2. Verb + Noun modifier + Noun

• 💡 저는 주로 학교에서 나오는 급식을 먹습니다.
• 나오(다) + 는 (noun modifier, present tense) + 급식
• Literal: As for me, I mainly eat the cafeteria food that comes out from the school
• Natural: I usually eat the school cafeteria food.

• 💡 이런 점에서 가성비가 정말 좋은 것 같아요.
• 좋(다) + 은(noun modifier, present tense) + 것 같아요
• Literal: In this kind of aspect, it seems that the value for money is really good.
• Natural: In that sense, I think it’s a great value for the money.

• 💡 또 학교 급식으로 다양한 한국 음식을 접할 수 있는 것도 좋아요.
• 있(다) + 것도 좋아요
• Literal: Also, it is good that I can come into contact with various Korean foods through school meals.
• Natural: I also enjoy getting to try different kinds of Korean food through the school meals.

• 💡 점심시간이 되면 많은 학생들이 식판을 들고 길게 줄을 서는 모습이 처음에는 신기했어요.
• 서(다) + 는(noun modifier, present tense) + 모습
• Literal: When it became lunchtime, the sight of many students holding trays and standing in a long line was fascinating at first.
• Natural: At first, I found it fascinating to see many students standing in long lines with their trays during lunchtime.

• 💡 젓가락을 사용하는 것도 점점 더 익숙해지고 있어요.
• 사용하(다) + 는(noun modifier, present tense) + 것도
• Literal: Even using chopsticks is gradually becoming more familiar.
• Natural: I’m also getting more used to using chopsticks.

• 💡 가끔씩 다른 메뉴가 먹고 싶을 때는 교내 편의점에서 간편식을 사 먹기도 해요.
• 싶(다) + 을(noun modifier, future tense) 때는
• Natural: Sometimes, when I feel like eating something different, I grab a ready-made meal from the campus convenience store.

• 💡 그리고 놀라운 것은, 학교로 음식 배달을 시킬 수도 있다는 거예요!
• 놀랍(다) + ㄴ(noun modifier, present tense) + 것은
• Literal: And the surprising thing is that you can even order food delivery to the school!
• Natural: And what’s surprising is that you can even get food delivered to school!

• 💡 친구들과 함께 여러 메뉴를 시켜서 나눠 먹는 재미도 쏠쏠해요.
• 먹(다) + 는 (noun modifier, present tense) + 재미도 쏠쏠해요.
• Literal: The fun of ordering various menus with friends and sharing them is also quite satisfying.
• Natural: It’s also really fun to order a bunch of dishes with friends and share them together.

• When a verb describes a noun in Korean, you need a noun modifier — just like saying “the book that I read” or “the person who is coming” in English.
They help you turn actions or descriptions into modifiers for nouns, giving more detail about the thing or person you're talking about.
Its form depends on the verb’s type and tense. You can explore the tables below for both a simple overview and a detailed breakdown.

• The table below gives you an overview of Noun Modifier
🍅 Simple Summary Table for Noun Modifiers 🍅

Ending	When to Use	Example	Meaning
~는	Present tense (Action Verbs)	먹는 음식	the food I'm eating
~ㄴ / ~은	Past tense (Verbs)	먹은 음식 / 본 영화	the food I ate / the movie I saw
~ㄹ / ~을	Future tense (Verbs)	먹을 음식 / 볼 영화	food to eat / movie to watch
~던 / ~았던 / ~었던 / ~했던	Past habit or background action	갔던 곳 / 먹었던 곳	the place I went / the place I ate
~ㄴ / ~은	Present tense (Descriptive Verbs)	큰 가방 / 작은 가방	a big bag / a small bag
~았던 / ~었던 / ~했던	Past state (Descriptive Verbs)	작았던 방 / 예뻤던 방	the room that used to be small/pretty
~ㄹ / ~을	Future guess or appearance (Descriptive Verbs)	예쁠 것 같은 옷 / 작을 것 같은 옷	clothes that look pretty/small
~인	Present (Noun + 이다)	선생님인 친구	a friend who is a teacher
~였던 / ~이었던	Past (Noun + 이다)	의사였던 친구 / 학생이었던 친구	a friend who used to be a doctor/student
~일	Future (Noun + 이다)	선생님일 나의 아내	my wife who will be a teacher

• If you want to see how Noun Modifier forms change more specifically, take a look at the table below.
🍅 Detailed Pattern Table for Noun Modifiers 🍅
Verb Type	Tense	Ending	Rule	Example	Meaning
Action Verb	Present	+ 는	stem + 는	먹는 음식	the food I’m eating
Action Verb	Past	+ ㄴ/은	vowel-ending stem + ㄴ consonant-ending stem + 은	본 영화 먹은 음식	the movie I saw the food I ate
Action Verb	Future	+ ㄹ(을)	vowel-ending stem + ㄹ ㄹ-ending stem + consonant (except ㄹ)-ending stem + 을	볼 영화 놀 계획 먹을 음식	movie to watch plans to hang out food to eat
Action Verb	Temporary Habitual Action in the Past	+ 던 (-았던/었던/했던)	ㅏ/ㅗ vowel stem + 았던 other vowel stem + 었던 하다 verb → 했던	갔던 곳 먹었던 곳 공부했던 곳	the place I went to the place I ate the place where I studied
Descriptive Verb	Present	+ ㄴ/은	vowel-ending stem + ㄴ consonant-ending stem + 은	큰 가방 작은 가방	a big bag a small bag
Descriptive Verb	Temporary State in the Past	+ 던 (-았던/었던)	ㅏ/ㅗ vowel stem + 았던 other vowel stem + 었던	작았던 방 예뻤던 방	the room that used to be small the room that used to be pretty
Descriptive Verb	Future	+ ㄹ(을)	vowel-ending stem + ㄹ ㄹ-ending stem + consonant (except ㄹ)-ending stem + 을	예쁠 것 같은 옷 길 것 같은 옷 작을 것 같은 옷	Clothes that look like they’ll be pretty Clothes that look like they’ll be long Clothes that look like they’ll be small
Noun+이다 verb	Present	+ ㄴ	Noun+인	선생님인 친구	a friend who is a teacher
Noun+이다 verb	Past	+었던	vowel-ending noun + 였던 consonant-ending noun + 이었던	의사였던 친구 선생님이었던 친구	a friend who used to be a doctor a friend who was a teacher
Noun+이다 verb	Future	+ ㄹ	Noun+일	영원히 가장 소중한 친구일 나의 아내	My wife, who will forever be my most precious friend
⚠️ The ending “–일” is grammatically correct, but it’s rarely used in everyday conversation.
It sounds a bit formal or literary, and more common alternatives are usually preferred in spoken Korean.

3. ~습니다/ㅂ니다

• Honorific sentence ending

• ~습니다 / ~ㅂ니다 is one of the most formal and polite sentence endings in Korean.
You’ll often see it in presentations, news reports, formal speeches, or written announcements.
It's the formal version of the everyday polite ending ~아요 / ~어요.

• 💡 급식을 먹습니다. → I eat the cafeteria food.

• Verb stem + ~ㅂ니다 / ~습니다

Verb Type	Rule	Example	Meaning
Vowel-ending stem	stem + ㅂ니다	가다 → 갑니다	I go.
Consonant-ending stem	stem + 습니다	먹다 → 먹습니다	I eat.

• 공부합니다 → I study

• 운동합니다 → I exercise

• 읽습니다 → I read

• Korean speakers, especially on YouTube and broadcasts, frequently mix formal 습니다/습니까 endings with casual ~아요/어요 endings within the same conversation or even the same sentence.

• This mixing happens for several reasons:
• 습니다 endings sound more professional and authoritative (great for introducing topics, making announcements, or establishing credibility),
• while ~아요/어요 endings feel warmer and more conversational (perfect for connecting with the audience and explaining things in a friendly way).

• For example, a YouTuber might say "안녕하세요! 오늘은 한국 여행에 대해 말씀드리겠습니다" (formal introduction) and then switch to "저는 제주도를 정말 좋아해요" (casual, personal sharing).

• This mixing is extremely common and natural in modern Korean media because it allows speakers to maintain professionalism while staying relatable and approachable to their audience.

4. ~ (으)면서도

• 그 옷은 예쁘면서도 편해요. → This outfit is not only pretty, but also comfortable.”

• 이 식당은 작으면서도 분위기가 좋아요.→ Even though it's small, the place still feels really cozy and nice.

5. ~아서 / ~어서 / ~ 해서 / ~ (이)라서

• Reason Connector & Sequence Connector

• Gives a reason or Connects two actions (“so” / “and then”)

• 💡 맛도 있어서 좋아요. → It’s tasty, so I like it (Reason Connector)
💡 여러 메뉴를 시켜서 나눠 먹어요 → We order several dishes and then share them (Sequence Connector)

• 배가 아파서 병원에 갔어요. → My stomach hurt, so I went to the hospital.

• 늦어서 미안해요. → I’m sorry because I’m late.

• 피곤해서 일찍 잤어요. → I was tired, so I went to bed early.

• 간호사라서 바빠요. → I’m busy because I’m a nurse.

• 학생이라서 바빠요. → I’m busy because I’m a student.

• 맛있게 요리해서 먹었어요 → I cooked a delicious meal and ate it

• 도서관에 가서 책을 보았어요 → I went to the library and read a book.

6. ~것 같다

• Meaning of ~ 것 같다:
• Use ~것 같다 to express your guess, opinion, or impression based on what you see, hear, feel, or know.
You’re not 100% certain — you're making a judgment based on a situation or observation.
• It's like saying:
• "It seems like..."
• "It looks like..."
• "I think..."
• Base form: ~것 같다
Polite form (present tense): ~ 것 같아요
• In casual speech, it’s often pronounced “거 같아요”

• 💡 가성비가 정말 좋은 것 같아요.→ I think it has great value for money.

• Descriptive Verb stem + 은 (noun modifier, present tense)+ 것 같다

• 방이 좁은 것 같아요. → The room seems small.

• 저 사람이 피곤한 것 같아요. → That person looks tired.

• 이 음식이 짠 것 같아요. → This food seems salty.

• When a verb describes a noun in Korean, you need a noun modifier — just like saying “the book that I read” or “the person who is coming” in English.
They help you turn actions or descriptions into modifiers for nouns, giving more detail about the thing or person you're talking about.
Its form depends on the verb’s type and tense. You can explore the tables below for both a simple overview and a detailed breakdown.

• The table below gives you an overview of Noun Modifier
🍅 Simple Summary Table for Noun Modifiers 🍅

Ending	When to Use	Example	Meaning
~는	Present tense (Action Verbs)	먹는 음식	the food I'm eating
~ㄴ / ~은	Past tense (Verbs)	먹은 음식 / 본 영화	the food I ate / the movie I saw
~ㄹ / ~을	Future tense (Verbs)	먹을 음식 / 볼 영화	food to eat / movie to watch
~던 / ~았던 / ~었던 / ~했던	Past habit or background action	갔던 곳 / 먹었던 곳	the place I went / the place I ate
~ㄴ / ~은	Present tense (Descriptive Verbs)	큰 가방 / 작은 가방	a big bag / a small bag
~았던 / ~었던 / ~했던	Past state (Descriptive Verbs)	작았던 방 / 예뻤던 방	the room that used to be small/pretty
~ㄹ / ~을	Future guess or appearance (Descriptive Verbs)	예쁠 것 같은 옷 / 작을 것 같은 옷	clothes that look pretty/small
~인	Present (Noun + 이다)	선생님인 친구	a friend who is a teacher
~였던 / ~이었던	Past (Noun + 이다)	의사였던 친구 / 학생이었던 친구	a friend who used to be a doctor/student
~일	Future (Noun + 이다)	선생님일 나의 아내	my wife who will be a teacher

• If you want to see how Noun Modifier forms change more specifically, take a look at the table below.
🍅 Detailed Pattern Table for Noun Modifiers 🍅
Verb Type	Tense	Ending	Rule	Example	Meaning
Action Verb	Present	+ 는	stem + 는	먹는 음식	the food I’m eating
Action Verb	Past	+ ㄴ/은	vowel-ending stem + ㄴ consonant-ending stem + 은	본 영화 먹은 음식	the movie I saw the food I ate
Action Verb	Future	+ ㄹ(을)	vowel-ending stem + ㄹ ㄹ-ending stem + consonant (except ㄹ)-ending stem + 을	볼 영화 놀 계획 먹을 음식	movie to watch plans to hang out food to eat
Action Verb	Temporary Habitual Action in the Past	+ 던 (-았던/었던/했던)	ㅏ/ㅗ vowel stem + 았던 other vowel stem + 었던 하다 verb → 했던	갔던 곳 먹었던 곳 공부했던 곳	the place I went to the place I ate the place where I studied
Descriptive Verb	Present	+ ㄴ/은	vowel-ending stem + ㄴ consonant-ending stem + 은	큰 가방 작은 가방	a big bag a small bag
Descriptive Verb	Temporary State in the Past	+ 던 (-았던/었던)	ㅏ/ㅗ vowel stem + 았던 other vowel stem + 었던	작았던 방 예뻤던 방	the room that used to be small the room that used to be pretty
Descriptive Verb	Future	+ ㄹ(을)	vowel-ending stem + ㄹ ㄹ-ending stem + consonant (except ㄹ)-ending stem + 을	예쁠 것 같은 옷 길 것 같은 옷 작을 것 같은 옷	Clothes that look like they’ll be pretty Clothes that look like they’ll be long Clothes that look like they’ll be small
Noun+이다 verb	Present	+ ㄴ	Noun+인	선생님인 친구	a friend who is a teacher
Noun+이다 verb	Past	+었던	vowel-ending noun + 였던 consonant-ending noun + 이었던	의사였던 친구 선생님이었던 친구	a friend who used to be a doctor a friend who was a teacher
Noun+이다 verb	Future	+ ㄹ	Noun+일	영원히 가장 소중한 친구일 나의 아내	My wife, who will forever be my most precious friend
⚠️ The ending “–일” is grammatically correct, but it’s rarely used in everyday conversation.
It sounds a bit formal or literary, and more common alternatives are usually preferred in spoken Korean.

7. ~ㄹ/을 수 있다

• Can / be able to ~

• This pattern is used to express ability or possibility.
It shows that someone has the skill, permission, or opportunity to do something.

• Base form: ㄹ(을) 수 있다
Polite form (present tense): ㄹ(을) 수 있어요
Polite form (past tense): ㄹ(을) 수 있었어

• 💡한국 음식을 접할 수 있다. →
• Literal: You can come into contact with Korean food
• Natural: You get to enjoy Korean food.

• 💡 음식 배달을 시킬 수도 있다 → You can even order food delivery

• Verb stem + ㄹ/을 수 있다

• 한국어를 읽을 수 있어요. → I can read Korean.

• 저는 수영할 수 있어요. → I can swim.

8. ~(으)면

• Condition Connector

• Use ~(으)면 to talk about conditions. It’s like saying “if” or “when” in English.

• 💡 점심시간이 되면 →
• Literal: When it becomes lunchtime
• Natural: When it’s lunchtime

• 시간이 있으면 도와줄게요. (있 + 으면)
→ If I have time, I’ll help you.

• 비가 오면 우산을 써요. (오 + 면)
→ If it rains, I use an umbrella.

• 창문을 열면, 시원해요. (열 + 면)
→ If you open the window, it feels cool.

• 학생이면, 할인돼요. (이 + 면)
→ If you’re a student, you get a discount.
 

9. ~고

• “~고” is a connector that links two verbs or clauses.

• It can mean “and,” “and then,” or show that two actions/states are happening in sequence or at the same time.

• 💡 학생들이 식판을 들고 , → Students are holding their trays and

• Verb stem + -고

• 책을 읽고 숙제를 했어요. → I read a book and did my homework.

• 밥을 먹고 나갔어요. → I ate and then went out.

10. Verb phrase + Noun modifier + 것

• Verb + noun modifier+ 것 → "the act of doing ~”

• Action verb + 는 + 것 → the act of ~ing in the present

• Descriptive verb + ㄴ/은 + 것 → a thing that is ~

• 💡젓가락을 사용하는 것 → The act of using chopsticks (Using chopsticks)
💡 놀라운 것 → a surprising thing (a thing that is surprising)

• Action verb + 는 (noun modifier, present tense)+ 것

• Descriptive verb + ㄴ/은 (noun modifier, present tense) + 것

• 공부하는 것이 재미있어요. → Studying is fun.

• 요리하는 것을 좋아해요. → I like cooking.

• 맛있는 것 → something delicious

• 비싼 것 → something expensive

• Different functions of 것
In Korean, ‘것’ can mean “thing,” function like an English gerund or to-infinitive, and turn entire clauses into nouns—just like “that” or “what” in English.
For more details, take a look at the table below.
🍅 Table of the Different Functions of ‘것 🍅

Function	ㅤ	Example	Literal	Natural
Noun	Demonstrative pronoun, thing	이것은 책상이에요 새로운 것을 배우고 싶어요 예쁜 것을 사고 싶어요	This thing is a desk. I want to learn new thing. I want to buy pretty thing.	This is a desk. I want to learn something new I want to buy something pretty
Verb Nominalization (works like gerunds or to-infinitives)	Turns verbs into noun phrases (like gerunds or to-infinitives in English)	운동하는 것이 취미에요 운동하는 것을 좋아해요 제 꿈은 의사가 되는 것이에요. 새로운 언어를 배우는 것은 시간이 걸린다.	Exercising is my hobby. I like exercising. My dream is to become a doctor. To learn a new language takes time.	ㅤ
Clause Wrapper (that)	Turns a full sentence into a noun clause (like ‘that…’ in English)	어제 그 사람이 그렇게 행동한 것은 정말 이상했어요 우리가 한국에 여행간 것은 좋은 경험이었어요 나는 그가 거짓말 한 것을 알아요	That he acted that way was really strange. That we went to Korea was a good experience I know that he lied	It was really strange that he acted that way. Our trip to Korea was a really good experience.
Clause Wrapper (what)	function as the relative pronoun	엄마가 만든 것이 최고예요. 어제 산 것을 보여 줄게요. 좋아하는 것을 골라보세요.	What my mom made is the best I'll show you what I got yesterday Choose what you want	ㅤ

• A verb phrase often appears before ‘것.’ When it does, you need to turn that verb into a noun modifier form.
• When a verb describes a noun in Korean, you need a noun modifier — just like saying “the book that I read” or “the person who is coming” in English.
They help you turn actions or descriptions into modifiers for nouns, giving more detail about the thing or person you're talking about.
Its form depends on the verb’s type and tense. You can explore the tables below for both a simple overview and a detailed breakdown.
• The table below gives you an overview of Noun Modifier
🍅 Simple Summary Table for Noun Modifiers 🍅

Ending	When to Use	Example	Meaning
~는	Present tense (Action Verbs)	먹는 음식	the food I'm eating
~ㄴ / ~은	Past tense (Verbs)	먹은 음식 / 본 영화	the food I ate / the movie I saw
~ㄹ / ~을	Future tense (Verbs)	먹을 음식 / 볼 영화	food to eat / movie to watch
~던 / ~았던 / ~었던 / ~했던	Past habit or background action	갔던 곳 / 먹었던 곳	the place I went / the place I ate
~ㄴ / ~은	Present tense (Descriptive Verbs)	큰 가방 / 작은 가방	a big bag / a small bag
~았던 / ~었던 / ~했던	Past state (Descriptive Verbs)	작았던 방 / 예뻤던 방	the room that used to be small/pretty
~ㄹ / ~을	Future guess or appearance (Descriptive Verbs)	예쁠 것 같은 옷 / 작을 것 같은 옷	clothes that look pretty/small
~인	Present (Noun + 이다)	선생님인 친구	a friend who is a teacher
~였던 / ~이었던	Past (Noun + 이다)	의사였던 친구 / 학생이었던 친구	a friend who used to be a doctor/student
~일	Future (Noun + 이다)	선생님일 나의 아내	my wife who will be a teacher

• If you want to see how Noun Modifier forms change more specifically, take a look at the table below.
🍅 Detailed Pattern Table for Noun Modifiers 🍅
Verb Type	Tense	Ending	Rule	Example	Meaning
Action Verb	Present	+ 는	stem + 는	먹는 음식	the food I’m eating
Action Verb	Past	+ ㄴ/은	vowel-ending stem + ㄴ consonant-ending stem + 은	본 영화 먹은 음식	the movie I saw the food I ate
Action Verb	Future	+ ㄹ(을)	vowel-ending stem + ㄹ ㄹ-ending stem + consonant (except ㄹ)-ending stem + 을	볼 영화 놀 계획 먹을 음식	movie to watch plans to hang out food to eat
Action Verb	Temporary Habitual Action in the Past	+ 던 (-았던/었던/했던)	ㅏ/ㅗ vowel stem + 았던 other vowel stem + 었던 하다 verb → 했던	갔던 곳 먹었던 곳 공부했던 곳	the place I went to the place I ate the place where I studied
Descriptive Verb	Present	+ ㄴ/은	vowel-ending stem + ㄴ consonant-ending stem + 은	큰 가방 작은 가방	a big bag a small bag
Descriptive Verb	Temporary State in the Past	+ 던 (-았던/었던)	ㅏ/ㅗ vowel stem + 았던 other vowel stem + 었던	작았던 방 예뻤던 방	the room that used to be small the room that used to be pretty
Descriptive Verb	Future	+ ㄹ(을)	vowel-ending stem + ㄹ ㄹ-ending stem + consonant (except ㄹ)-ending stem + 을	예쁠 것 같은 옷 길 것 같은 옷 작을 것 같은 옷	Clothes that look like they’ll be pretty Clothes that look like they’ll be long Clothes that look like they’ll be small
Noun+이다 verb	Present	+ ㄴ	Noun+인	선생님인 친구	a friend who is a teacher
Noun+이다 verb	Past	+었던	vowel-ending noun + 였던 consonant-ending noun + 이었던	의사였던 친구 선생님이었던 친구	a friend who used to be a doctor a friend who was a teacher
Noun+이다 verb	Future	+ ㄹ	Noun+일	영원히 가장 소중한 친구일 나의 아내	My wife, who will forever be my most precious friend
⚠️ The ending “–일” is grammatically correct, but it’s rarely used in everyday conversation.
It sounds a bit formal or literary, and more common alternatives are usually preferred in spoken Korean.

11. ~고 있어요

• “be doing” something — ongoing or current action (present progressive tense).
  It shows that an action is happening right now.

• 💡 젓가락을 사용하는 것이 익숙해지고 있어요. →
• Literal: Using chopsticks is becoming familiar
• Natural: I’m getting used to using chopsticks.

• Base form: Verb stem + 고 있다.

• Polite form (present progressive tense): Verb stem + 고 있어요.

• Polite form (past progressive tense): Verb stem + 고 있었어요.

• 가다 → 가고 있어요 (going)

• 보다 → 보고 있어요 (watching/looking)

• 이야기하다 → 이야기하고 있어요 (talking)

• 공부하고 있어요. → I’m studying.

• 밥을 먹고 있어요. → I’m eating a meal.

• 친구를 기다리고 있어요. → I’m waiting for a friend.

12. ~고 싶다

• to want to do something

• You use this pattern to talk about your hopes, desires, or things you’d like to do.

• 💡 다른 메뉴가 먹고 싶다.
• Literal: I want to eat a different menu.
• Natural: I want to eat something different.

• Verb stem + 고 싶다

• 밥을 먹고 싶어요. → I want to eat.

• 한국에 가고 싶어요. → I want to go to Korea.

• 친구를 만나고 싶어요. → I want to meet my friend.

• Meaning of "메뉴" in Korean:
• In Korean, "메뉴" is a loanword from English, but its usage can be broader or slightly different from how “menu” is used in English.

• Meaning # 1. Menu (list of food items at a restaurant)
• Just like in English:
• 식당 메뉴 = restaurant menu
• 메뉴 좀 보여 주세요. = Can I see the menu, please?

• Meaning # 2. Specific dish or food item (individual meal choice)
• Unlike English, Koreans often use “메뉴” to mean a specific food or dish, not just the full list.

Korean	Literal meaning	Natural English
오늘 메뉴는 김치찌개예요.	Today’s menu is kimchi stew.	We’re having kimchi stew today.
다른 메뉴가 먹고 싶어요.	I want to eat a different menu.	I want to eat something different. / a different dish.
메뉴가 정말 다양해요.	The menu is really diverse.	They have a lot of different dishes.

 

13. ~기도 하다

• The grammar pattern “~기도 하다” is used to show that something happens as one of several possibilities,
or to emphasize that something else also happens, in addition to other things.

• “I also do ~” / “Sometimes I ~ too” / “There are times when I ~”

• It often adds variety, emphasis, or contrast — like saying:
• “In addition to that, I also do this.”
• “Sometimes I even do this.”

• 💡 간편식을 사 먹기도 해요. → I sometimes buy and eat ready-made meals.

• Verb stem + 기도 하다

• Base form: ~ 기도하다
Polite form (present tense): 기도 해요
Polite form (future tense): 기도 할 거예요

• 주말에는 운동을 하기도 해요. → On weekends, I also work out. / Sometimes I work out too.

• 혼자 밥을 먹기도 해요. → I sometimes eat alone.

• 늦게 자기도 해요. → I go to bed late sometimes.

🌸 Extra Cultural or Language Notes