Kyemyung University review: Introduction and Good points

Keimyung University is the third university in Daegu, Korea’s 4th city. Situated on the Western edge of the city, the extent of the university's reputation is a beautiful campus and its pretty girls.
The Korean language course takes place in the 어학당eo-hak-dang, a privately run “language school” that houses a Confucius Institute and a recently opened Goethe Institute. Apparently the 어학당 is not directly affiliated with the university, but rather is contracted out to teach foreign languages to the students, essentially operating separately from the university. In addition to its international partnerships the 어학당eo-hak-dang has recently become affiliated with the National Scholarship program, becoming one of three centres where international scholarship students are sent to learn Korean before joining another university.

Facts and figures
The promotional material for the “intensive Korean language course” promises speaking, writing, reading and listening in the classroom as well as cultural events including trips and in school activities.
At the cost of ₩1,000,000 (+₩100,000 for registration) the 10 week, 4 hour a day intensive course works out at exactly ₩5000 a lesson. It runs from level 1 to 6 and you can join the level that suits your ability.

In the classroom

The classrooms in the 어학당eo-hak-dang are standard. There are desk-chairs to sit in, a whiteboard and a computer with a large plasma screen. Rooms are spacious, but the chairs are a little small. The university management is stingy with heating and air-conditioning, but this is apparently nationally mandated, and students across the country are made to freeze/boil depending on the season.

Outside the classroom

The 어학당eo-hak-dang building is a standard modern Korean building. There’s a small computer/hang-out room that closes at lunch time. In a close-by building there’s a small shop and “international lounge” where you can sit and have tea/coffee/snacks. There are also lots of cheap student-restaurants throughout the university. The area around the university is student friendly with a lot of cheap accommodation, student restaurants and even 3 foreigner bars.

Cultural events & class trips

Once or twice a semester (every 10 weeks) some kind of event is held for the whole 어학당eo-hak-dang. It’s normally a talent show, a Korean quiz and Game day or a Sports event. They’re actually really fun and everyone (except the teachers) gets involved. They’re always followed by FREE lunch!
In addition to this there are trips throughout the year during and out of class time to cities and places around Korea. During class time they go to places like 안동Andong - a very touristy city and 경주gyeong-ju - another touristy city and weekend trips to cultural conferences and international shows. The class trips you don’t have to sign up for, but the weekend ones you do. Everything is free!

to "close" one word in English, many in Korean!

This is perfect the perfect example of why Korean is so difficult, all the different words for essentially one in English. In English once you know the word close you can say: "I close my eyes", "I close the door", "I close the book", "I close the curtains". In fact the European languages that I know also use close for at least three of those phrases.

Korean is not a European language so it doesn't!

• to close your eyes -> 눈을 감다nun-eul gamda
• to close the door -> 문을 닫다mun-eul dat-ta
• to close a book -> 책을 덮다chek-eul deop-da
• to close the curtains -> 컽은을 치다keo-teon-eul chi-da

So these basic expressions are in essence harder because they all contain many words. BUT in the long run, if you put in the effort to remember these words, it will be easier, because 덮다deop-dameans "to cover", 치다chi-da, "to remove" and 닫다dat-ta means "to close". So you actually learn three words for the price of one.
Ok so 감다gam-da only goes with eyes...but this is Korean, don't expect it to be completely simple!

korean grammar: -다/-다가 2: -았/었다가

In the last post I wrote about -다(가)-da-ga on verbs. This can also attach to the past tense of verbs too.

• 시내 갔다가 친구를 만났어요I went to town and met my friend / shi-nea ga-tta-ga chin-gu-reul man-nass-eo-yo
• 버스에서 내렸다가 지갑을 주었어When I got off the bus I picked up the wallet / beo-seu-ae-seo nae-ryeo-tta-ga ji-gap-eul ju-weoss-eo-yo
• 속옷 샀다 너무 저거서 환불청 구했어요I bought the underpants but they were too small so I got a refund / sok-ot satt-da neo-mu jeo-geo-seo hwan-bul chan-gu-haess-eo-yo

Just like on the present stem ending, the subjects have to be the same, but the difference is, that the first action is definitely completed. If something is completed there are usually effects: you're happy, late etc. you find something. So often rather than the expected outcome, another outcome is written after -/-았/었다(가)att/eott-da-ga. Otherwise why would you want to transfer the narrative/story/action to something else?

This ending in these cases is a little harder to understand, because our past tense is more about the past than completion. The important thing to remember is that the first action is 100% complete. This is why it is important not learn this ending as "I was... when...".

korean grammar: -다/-다가 1

In the last post I wrote about the ending -에다(가)ae-da-ga attaching to nouns to show that something has changed place, or has been transferred, in order to emphasize that it is a new place.

This ending -다(가)-da-ga can also be attached to verbs to show that there is a change of action. When you tell a story often, the action shifts from one event to another. The final event is the more iportant one.

• 집에 가다가 넘어졌어요jip-e ga-da-ga neom-eo-jeoss-eo-yo -> He was on his way home when he fell over
• 숙제 하다가 잠들었어요sur-je ha-da-ga jam-deul-eoss-eo-yo -> I was doing my homework when I fell asleep
• 납동생이 담배 다녀 가다가 선생님한테 잡혔어요nam-dong-seng-i dam-pe dan-yeo ga-da-ga seon-seng-nim-han-tae jap-hyeoss-eo-yo -> My little brother was going around with cigarettes when he was caught by his teacher

The important thing to remember about this ending that the first action is not complete, it was ongoing when you did something else. Often it can be translated as I was...-ing when I... But remember that the subject has to be the same:

• 비 오다가 일어났어요bi o-da-ga ir-eo-nass-eo-yo / It was raining when I woke up THIS IS WRONG!!!!
but you can say
• 잠 자다가 일어났어요jam ja-da-ga ir-eo-nass-eo-yo / I was sleeping when I woke up The subjects are the same

Just as with -에다(가)ae-da-ga on nouns, -에다(가)ae-da-ga on verbs, shows that there is a shift from one thing to another, but rather than it being in space, it is in action.

And finally translate it as "I was...-ing when I..." but please remember it doesn't mean this exactly. Just remember that it means a shift and a move from one thing to another.

korean grammar: 에다/에다가

This ending can be seen as an extension of 에-ae. 에-ae is used to indicate a location, either one where you are now, or where you are going, or where you are putting something:

• 집에 있어요jip-ae iss-eo-yo ->Im at home
• 집에 가어요jip-ae ga-yo -> I'm going home
• 가방을 집에 두고 놓았어요ga-bang-eul jip-ae du-go no-ass-eo-yo ->I put my bag in the house

In the first example it indicates place, so there is no movement. In the second you are moving yourself to one place. But in third sentence you move something from one place to another. It's here that you can add 에다(가)-ae-da-ga to the 에-ae.

If you want to stress that you have transferred something from on place to another, rather than just put it somewhere different, you use -다(가)da-ga. So for third example you're kind of saying "the bag was outside, but I put it inside the house".

• 김치 냉장고에다 놓았어요kim-chi neng-jang-go-ae-da sd-ass-eo-yo ->I put the kimchi into the fridge
• 책을 책상 위에다가 놓았어요chek-eul chek-sang wi-ae-da-ga noa-ass-eo-yo ->I put the book on the top of the table
• 책에다가 번호를 적어 놓았어요chek-ae-da-ga beon-ho-reul jeok-eo no-ass-eo-yo ->I wrote the number down into the book

This ending really stresses there is a change of place to a new, clearly defined place. It's grammatical name is the "transferentative" and is also found on verbs, doing pretty much the same thing.

Useful Korean phrases: (으)나 마나

In Korea people are very considerate so when you're meeting Korean friends it can take a long time to decide where to go and what to do, because they don't want to offend you. Of course you don't want to offend them but you don't know about Korea as much as they do so a very useful phrase to say is "it doesn't matter" or "it makes no difference" "it's the same" and even "I don't mind" if they suggest something.

In Korean it's the form -(으)나 마나-eu-na mana And it attaches to the stem of the verb like this 먹다meog-da -> 먹으나 마나meog-eu-na mana or 보다bo-da -> 보나 마나bo-na ma-na. You can either finish the sentence with this form by adding -요-yoor say make a little comment after it (look at the examples below):

• 먼저 은행 가나 마나요meon-jeo eun-heng ga-na ma-na-yo -> It doesn't matter if you we go to the bank first
• 일어나나 마나요i-reo-na ma-na-yo -> It makes no difference if I wake up or don't wake up
• 내일 오나 마나 또같아요ne-il ona mana ddo-gat-a-yo -> It's the same if you come tomorrow or not.
• 어머니 말 들으나 마나 애들은 숙제 안해요eo-meo-ni mal teu-reu-na ma-na e-deul-eun suk-jae an-he-yo -> If doesn't make any difference if they listen to their mum, the children don't do their homework
• 약 먹으나 마나 계속 앞아요yak meog-eu-na mana a-pa-yo -> It makes no difference if I take medicine or not, I'm still sick

When you want to use this, just practise answering a suggestion like "let's go to the bank first?" or "is it ok if we go to the bank first?". Then when you're comfortable with the meaning, you can try making longer sentences

As a final note the ending -나-na actually means "or". The verb 말다malda means "to not do", so a more literal translation could be "either if we do something or don't it it's the same".

-뜨리다 make something fall / go down / break

As with 맞다 no one ever taught me that -뜨리다ddeu-ri-da can be put on the end of lots of words and generally has an overal meaning which is: to make something fall, go down, even explode or break. It doesn't appear in the dictionary on its's own.

Just note, that the word that precedes -뜨리다ddeu-ri-da must be put in it's 아/어/여 form (look at the examples below).

• 터지다teo-ji-da / explode->터뜨리다teo-ddeu-rida/make something explode, let off
• 떨어지다ddeo-reo-jida / fall down->떨어뜨리다ddeo-reo-ddeu-rida / make fall down/drop
• 무너지다mun-eo-jida / collapse->무너뜨리다mu-neo-ddeu-rida / make collapse
• 넘어지다neom-eo-jida / fall over->넘어뜨리다neom-eo-ddeu-rida / make fall over
• 늘어지다neu-reo-jida / hang down->늘어뜨리다neu-reo-ddeu-rida / make hang down

Here are some examples which I have got from 100% non-textbook authentic Koreans sources

• 젓가락 떨어뜨렸어요jeot-ka-rak ddeo-reo-ddeu-ryeoss-eo-yo->I dropped my chopsticks!
• 폭죽 터뜨리다pok-juk teo-ddeu-ri-da->Let off fireworks (bangers)
• 다리를 무너뜨린 범인...da-ri-reul mu-neo-ddeu-rin beom-in->The criminals who made the bridge collapse...

There are many other words with the ending -뜨리다ddeu-ri-da, but now you know the pattern, when you come across new words it'll be much easier!