Lesson 4
Talk About Everyday Actions
Learn How to Talk About What You Do Every Day
Great job completing Lesson 3!
In Lesson 3, you learned how to ask whether something is available using 있어요 and 없어요.
Now, let’s take the next step.
Instead of only identifying things or asking whether they are there, you’ll learn how to talk about actions.
You’ll learn how to say that you drink water, eat bulgogi, go home, read Korean, and practice speaking Korean.
Let’s get started!
Lesson Goal
By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to:
- talk about basic everyday actions
- use common Korean action verbs
- make simple Korean sentences
- use 을/를, 에, and 에서 correctly in basic expressions
Today’s Key Expressions
Everyday Life
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 물을 마셔요. | I drink water. |
| 불고기를 먹어요. | I eat bulgogi. |
| 집에 가요. | I go home. |
| 집에 와요. | I come home. |
| 집에서 자요. | I sleep at home. |
Learning Korean
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 한국어를 읽어요. | I read Korean. |
| 한국어를 써요. | I write Korean. |
| 한국어를 들어요. | I listen to Korean. |
| 한국어를 말해요. | I speak Korean. |
| 한국어를 연습해요. | I practice Korean. |
Try to learn each expression as a whole.
Instead of memorizing only 마셔요, remember:
물을 마셔요.
I drink water.
Instead of memorizing only 가요, remember:
집에 가요.
I go home.
Learning complete expressions will help you speak more naturally.
Let’s Read the Dialogues
These dialogues use expressions from the earlier lessons and add today’s new action verbs.
Dialogue 1: Drinking Water
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| A: 이게 뭐예요? | What is this? |
| B: 물이에요. | It’s water. |
| A: 물을 마셔요? | Do you drink water? |
| B: 네, 마셔요. | Yes, I do. |
Dialogue 2: Eating Bulgogi
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| A: 이게 뭐예요? | What is this? |
| B: 불고기예요. | It’s bulgogi. |
| A: 불고기를 먹어요? | Do you eat bulgogi? |
| B: 네, 먹어요. | Yes, I do. |
Today’s Vocabulary
Nouns
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 물 | water |
| 불고기 | bulgogi |
| 집 | home |
| 학교 | school |
| 한국어 | Korean language |
| 한국말 | spoken Korean |
| 카페 | café |
| 커피 | coffee |
| 식당 | restaurant |
Verbs
The verbs below are shown in the polite speaking form so that you can use them right away.
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 먹어요 | eat |
| 마셔요 | drink |
| 자요 | sleep |
| 가요 | go |
| 와요 | come |
| 읽어요 | read |
| 써요 | write |
| 들어요 | listen |
| 말해요 | speak |
| 연습해요 | practice |
Noun + 해요 = Verb
Many useful Korean verbs are made by combining a noun with 해요.
| Noun | + 해요 | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 말 | 말해요 | speak |
| 연습 | 연습해요 | practice |
| 사랑 | 사랑해요 | love |
When you learn a useful noun that can be combined with 해요, you can quickly expand what you are able to say in Korean.
For now, learn 말해요 and 연습해요 as complete speaking forms that you can use right away.
Speaking Tip
When speaking Korean, try to learn useful expressions as a whole.
For example:
- 물을 마셔요.
- 집에 가요.
- 집에서 자요.
- 한국어를 연습해요.
The small words 을/를, 에, and 에서 help you connect nouns and verbs naturally.
Let’s look at how they work.
1. 을 / 를
Use 을/를 after the person or thing receiving the action.
Use 을 after a noun that ends in a consonant, or 받침.
Use 를 after a noun that ends in a vowel, with no 받침.
| Noun | Ending | Particle | Expression |
|---|---|---|---|
| 물 | consonant | 을 | 물을 마셔요. |
| 한국말 | consonant | 을 | 한국말을 연습해요. |
| 불고기 | vowel | 를 | 불고기를 먹어요. |
| 한국어 | vowel | 를 | 한국어를 말해요. |
Think of 을/를 as marking the thing you eat, drink, read, write, hear, speak, or practice.
2. 에
Use 에 after a place when that place is the destination.
It often means to.
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 집에 가요. | I go home. |
| 학교에 가요. | I go to school. |
| 집에 와요. | I come home. |
Think:
에 = going to a place
3. 에서
Use 에서 after the place where an action happens.
It often means at or in.
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 집에서 자요. | I sleep at home. |
| 학교에서 한국어를 연습해요. | I practice Korean at school. |
| 카페에서 커피를 마셔요. | I drink coffee at a café. |
| 식당에서 불고기를 먹어요. | I eat bulgogi at a restaurant. |
Think:
에서 = doing an action at a place
Both 에 and 에서 come after a place, but their jobs are different.
- 학교에 가요. — You go to school.
- 학교에서 연습해요. — You practice at school.
Practice 1
Circle the Correct Particle
Read each sentence and circle the correct answer.
A. Choose 을 or 를
- 물 (을 / 를) 마셔요.
- 불고기 (을 / 를) 먹어요.
- 한국어 (을 / 를) 읽어요.
B. Choose 에 or 에서
- 집 (에 / 에서) 가요.
- 집 (에 / 에서) 자요.
- 카페 (에 / 에서) 커피를 마셔요.
After choosing the answers, read every complete sentence aloud.
Practice 2
Complete the Sentences
Write the correct verb in the blank.
Use the English sentence as a hint.
- 물을 ____________________. I drink water.
- 불고기를 ____________________. I eat bulgogi.
- 집에 ____________________. I go home.
- 한국어를 ____________________. I practice Korean.
Read each completed sentence aloud.
Coming Up in Lesson 5
In Lesson 5, you’ll learn some of the most useful and polite expressions in Korean.
These are the Magic Words that help you greet people, show respect, express gratitude, and communicate politely in everyday situations.
You’ll learn expressions such as:
- 안녕하세요.
- 감사합니다.
- 죄송합니다.
See you in Lesson 5: Magic Words!