Everyday Korean

By Harsh Kumar Mishra

사라: 드디어 남해 도착했네요. 우리 짐 놓고 빨리 바다 보러 갈까요?

Sarah: Finally! We’re in Namhae. Shall we leave our bags off and go see the sea?

정민: 금강산도 식후경인데 우리 밥부터 먹고 가자.

Jeongmin: The sea can wait (lit. Even Mt. Geumgang can wait till after we eat); let’s eat something first and then go.

사라: 언니 말 듣고 배가 고프기 시작했어요.

Sarah: Now that you mention it, I’m starting to feel hungry.

정민: 사라는 뭘 먹고 싶어?

Jeongmin: What do you want to eat?

사라: 남해는 뭐가 유명하다고 했죠?

Sarah: What did they say is popular in Namhae?

정민: 여기 멸치쌈밥이 제일 맛있다고 해. 한번 먹어 볼래?

Jeongmin: Jeongmin: Myeolchi ssambap* is tastiest among all the foods here. Want to give it a try?

(*Myeolchi ssambap: rice seasoned with diced anchovy, wrapped in green leaves)

사라: 좋아요. 저 멸치 아주 좋아해요.

Sarah: Sounds good. I really like anchovies.

~기 시작하다: This expression is used with a verb stem to describe that some action has started. Most of the time, the verb it is attached to would end in an -ing suffix if translated into English.

Ex:

1.갑자기 비가 내리기 시작했어요. It suddenly started raining.

2.3년 전에 한국어 배우기 시작했어요.

I started learning Korean three years ago.

금강산도 식후경이다: This famous Korean proverb emphasizes the importance of food by saying that it doesn’t matter how amazing or interesting something is, it’s only enjoyable after your stomach is full. Geumgang Mountain mentioned in this proverb is a very beautiful mountain located in the Gangwon Province (Gangwon-do) of North Korea.

Ex:

금강산도 식후경이야. 밥을 먹고 출발하자. It (something important) can wait. Let’s first eat and then leave.

도착하다: to arrive, 짐: luggage, 놓다: to keep; to put, 바다: sea, 보다: to see, 듣다: to hear, 먹다: to eat, 배가 고프다: to be hungry, 유명하다: to be famous, 멸치: anchovy, 제일: the most, 맛있다: to be tasty, 좋다: to be good, 좋아하다: to like

The Author

Harsh Kumar Mishra is a linguist and Korean language educator. He volunteers with TOPIKGUIDE. com and Learnkorean.in. He has also co-authored the book Korean Language for Indian Learners.