Speech levels and politeness 4: 아/어 -a/-eo - close friends and children

So far we've seen to very different endings. One which shows that you respect the person you're talking to, and one which shows that even you respect them, you don't have any personal interest in them. This final ending is used mainly with the familiar

Familiar Means people you know very well and people who are a lot younger than you. That means if you're in your 20s, 30s, 40s and perhaps even 50s it basically means kids only. If you're a Korean it includes foreigners and if you're in your 50s+ it means whippersnappers.
Basically you take off the -다-da and add the -아 or -어-a or -eo.

• 가다ga-da to go becomes 가ga
• 싸우다ssa-u-da / to fight becomes 싸워ssa-weo / I fight.
  

Unlike -요-yo this ending can be offensive, because you are saying to someone "you are lower than me" as opposed to "I am lower than you". That's why they generally don't teach this at the beginning of courses.

It will be used a lot to you, but don't use it back, and dont be offended. Koreans are being nice when they use it to you. For some reason they think that other endings are harder for foreigners to understand.
The only time you use it should be with children. Koreans often use it with extremely close friends (people the have known for years), family and lovers. So I suppose if you get lucky, go right ahead.

These are the three endings which you will have most contact with. If you come to Korea, you will hear others, but once you've mastered these the other ones will follow logically. Even for a foreigner these are easy to understand, it's using them that it's difficult!