Lesson 2: Simple Basic Korean Questions
Let’s Ask and Answer in Korean
네, 맞아요! / 아니요.
In the last lesson, you learned how to introduce people and things using ~예요/이에요.
Today, we’ll use the same expression to ask and answer simple Korean questions.
Today, we’ll use the same expression to ask and answer simple questions.
By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to have your first short conversation in Korean!
Let’s get started!
Who Is This Lesson For?
This lesson is for beginner learners who can read Hangul and have already learned ~예요/이에요.
If you haven’t studied Lesson 1 yet, start with Introduce People and Things in Korean first. https://hellofromkorea.net/speak-korean-from-day-one/
Quick Review
Do you remember these sentences from the last lesson?
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 이것은 불고기예요. | This is bulgogi. |
| 이것은 김치전이에요. | This is a kimchi pancake. |
| 이분은 제 선생님이에요. | This is my teacher. |
| 이분은 제 친구예요. | This is my friend. |
Don’t worry if you don’t remember everything yet.
You’ll review these expressions as you speak today.
Lesson Goal
By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to:
- ask simple questions
- answer with “yes” or “no”
- confirm that something is correct
- correct information naturally
- ask what something is
- politely ask who someone is
😊Today’s Key Expressions
Korean Basic Questions
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 이거 뭐예요? | What is this? |
| 이분은 누구세요? | Who is this? |
| 학생이에요? | Are you a student? |
| 미국 사람이에요? | Are you American? |
Answering (To hear the real pronunciation, check out this video)
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 네. | Yes. |
| 네, 맞아요. | Yes, that’s right. |
| 아니요. | No. |
| 선생님이에요. | I’m a teacher. |
| 영국 사람이에요. | I’m British. |
😁Today’s Words
Here are the words we’ll use today.
You don’t have to memorize all of them. You’ll naturally become familiar with them as you practice the sentences.
Food
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 불고기 | bulgogi |
| 제육볶음 | spicy stir-fried pork |
| 김치 | kimchi |
| 김밥 | gimbap |
| 떡볶이 | tteokbokki |
| 냉면 | cold noodles |
People
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 학생 | student |
| 선생님 | teacher |
| 친구 | friend |
| 부모님 | parents |
| 미국 사람 | American |
| 영국 사람 | British |
1. How Do You Make a Question?
Here’s some good news!
In Korean, you can use ~예요/이에요 in both statements and questions.
The words stay the same. When speaking, simply raise your voice slightly at the end of the question.
| Statement | Question |
|---|---|
| 이것은 불고기예요. — This is bulgogi. | 이것은 불고기예요? — Is this bulgogi? |
| 학생이에요. — I’m a student. | 학생이에요? — Are you a student? |
| 미국 사람이에요. — I’m American. | 미국 사람이에요? — Are you American? |
Only the intonation changes.
Easy, right?
2. 네, 맞아요.
When the answer to a question is yes, you can say:
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 네. | Yes. |
You’ll also often hear:
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 네, 맞아요. | Yes, that’s right. |
맞아요 means “That’s right” or “That’s correct.”
Examples
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| A: 이것은 불고기예요? | A: Is this bulgogi? |
| B: 네, 맞아요. | B: Yes, that’s right. |
| A: 학생이에요? | A: Are you a student? |
| B: 네, 맞아요. | B: Yes, that’s right. |
| A: 미국 사람이에요? | A: Are you American? |
| B: 네, 맞아요. | B: Yes, that’s right. |
You can answer with just 네, but 네, 맞아요 sounds a little clearer and more complete.
3. 아니요.
When the answer is no, say:
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 아니요. | No. |
Then give the correct information.
Examples
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| A: 이것은 불고기예요? | A: Is this bulgogi? |
| B: 아니요. 제육볶음이에요. | B: No. It’s spicy stir-fried pork. |
| A: 학생이에요? | A: Are you a student? |
| B: 아니요. 선생님이에요. | B: No. I’m a teacher. |
| A: 미국 사람이에요? | A: Are you American? |
| B: 아니요. 영국 사람이에요. | B: No. I’m British. |
For today, remember this simple pattern:
아니요. + correct information + 예요/이에요
You don’t need to learn a new negative grammar form yet. Simply say 아니요 and then give the correct information.
4. Useful Question ①
이거 뭐예요?
Use this question when you don’t know the name of an object or food.
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 이거 뭐예요? | What is this? |
Examples
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| A: 이거 뭐예요? | A: What is this? |
| B: 김밥이에요. | B: It’s gimbap. |
| A: 이거 뭐예요? | A: What is this? |
| B: 떡볶이예요. | B: It’s tteokbokki. |
| A: 이거 뭐예요? | A: What is this? |
| B: 김치전이에요. | B: It’s a kimchi pancake. |
(❁´◡`❁) Useful Tip
이것 vs. 이거
When learning Korean, you’ll often see 이것 in textbooks.
In everyday conversation, however, Koreans usually say 이거.
Both mean “this.”
| Textbook Korean | Everyday Korean | English |
|---|---|---|
| 이것은 뭐예요? | 이거 뭐예요? | What is this? |
| 이것은 불고기예요. | 이거 불고기예요. | This is bulgogi. |
이것 is the full form, while 이거 is the form you’ll hear more often in natural conversation.
Both are correct, so don’t worry when you see or hear either one.
When speaking, try using 이거. It will sound more natural.
5. Useful Korean Question ②
이분은 누구세요?
Use this question to politely ask who someone is.
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 이분은 누구세요? | Who is this? |
When talking about a person politely, Koreans use 이분 instead of 이것.
| Korean | Used for |
|---|---|
| 이것 / 이거 | a thing or object |
| 이분 | a person, politely |
Examples
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| A: 이분은 누구세요? | A: Who is this? |
| B: 제 선생님이에요. | B: This is my teacher. |
| A: 이분은 누구세요? | A: Who is this? |
| B: 제 친구예요. | B: This is my friend. |
| A: 이분은 누구세요? | A: Who are these people? |
| B: 제 부모님이에요. | B: These are my parents. |
For now, remember 이분은 누구세요? as one useful expression.
6. Let’s Read the Dialogues!
Dialogue 1: Food
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| A: 이거 뭐예요? | A: What is this? |
| B: 불고기예요. | B: It’s bulgogi. |
| A: 이거 제육볶음이에요? | A: Is this spicy stir-fried pork? |
| B: 아니요. 불고기예요. | B: No. It’s bulgogi. |
| A: 불고기예요? | A: Is it bulgogi? |
| B: 네, 맞아요. | B: Yes, that’s right. |
Dialogue 2: Introducing a Teacher
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| A: 이분은 누구세요? | A: Who is this? |
| B: 제 선생님이에요. | B: This is my teacher. |
| A: 한국어 선생님이에요? | A: Are they a Korean teacher? |
| B: 네, 맞아요. | B: Yes, that’s right. |
Dialogue 3: Asking About a Job
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| A: 학생이에요? | A: Are you a student? |
| B: 아니요. 선생님이에요. | B: No. I’m a teacher. |
| A: 한국어 선생님이에요? | A: Are you a Korean teacher? |
| B: 네, 맞아요. | B: Yes, that’s right. |
Dialogue 4: Asking About Nationality
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| A: 미국 사람이에요? | A: Are you American? |
| B: 아니요. 영국 사람이에요. | B: No. I’m British. |
| A: 영국 사람이에요? | A: Are you British? |
| B: 네, 맞아요. | B: Yes, that’s right. |
7. Let’s Practice! (1)
Look at the English and say it in Korean.
1
| English | Korean |
|---|---|
| Yes, that’s right. | ____________________ |
2
| English | Korean |
|---|---|
| No. It’s spicy stir-fried pork. | ____________________ |
3
| English | Korean |
|---|---|
| No. I’m a teacher. | ____________________ |
4
| English | Korean |
|---|---|
| No. I’m British. | ____________________ |
5
| English | Korean |
|---|---|
| No. This is my friend. | ____________________ |
8. Let’s Practice! (2)
Make the question.
1
| Answer | Question |
|---|---|
| B: 떡볶이예요. — It’s tteokbokki. | A: ____________________ |
2
| Answer | Question |
|---|---|
| B: 제 친구예요. — This is my friend. | A: ____________________ |
3
| Answer | Question |
|---|---|
| B: 네, 맞아요. — Yes, that’s right. | A: ____________________ |
4
| Answer | Question |
|---|---|
| B: 아니요. 영국 사람이에요. — No. I’m British. | A: ____________________ |
More practice will be included in the Lesson 2 worksheet.
9. Speak Korean!
Look at something near you and ask a question.
Step 1
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 이거 뭐예요? | What is this? |
↓
Step 2
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 책이에요. | It’s a book. |
↓
Step 3
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 책이에요? | Is it a book? |
↓
Step 4
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 네, 맞아요. | Yes, that’s right. |
Or:
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 아니요. 공책이에요. | No. It’s a notebook. |
Now try practicing with a family photo.
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| A: 이분은 누구세요? | A: Who is this? |
| B: 제 어머니예요. | B: This is my mother. |
| A: 학생이에요? | A: Is she a student? |
| B: 아니요. 선생님이에요. | B: No. She’s a teacher. |
10. Today’s Mission
Create three short conversations of your own.
Mission 1: Ask About an Object
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| A: 이거 뭐예요? | A: What is this? |
| B: __________예요/이에요. | B: It’s __________. |
Mission 2: Check Information
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| A: __________예요/이에요? | A: Is it / Are you __________? |
| B: 네, 맞아요. | B: Yes, that’s right. |
Mission 3: Correct Information
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| A: __________예요/이에요? | A: Is it / Are you __________? |
| B: 아니요. | B: No. |
| __________예요/이에요. | It’s / I’m __________. |
Say each conversation out loud three times.
Don’t worry about being perfect. The important thing is to use your Korean out loud.
👍 What You Can Say Now
Congratulations!
Now you can say:
- 이거 뭐예요? — What is this?
- 이분은 누구세요? — Who is this?
- 네, 맞아요. — Yes, that’s right.
- 아니요. — No.
- 학생이에요? — Are you a student?
- 미국 사람이에요? — Are you American?
Today, you asked and answered simple questions in Korean.
That’s your first real Korean conversation!
Practice these Korean questions out loud every day.
See you in Lesson 3!