Talk with your classmates about the public transit systems. Do you know about Korea’s system? What are the transit options in your hometowns? What seems to be happening in the following dialogue?

In this lesson, you will learn how to ask and answer questions about using transportation systems in Korean.

1.  A/V–(으)ㄹ Gerund (future)

You have seen –(으)ㄹ being used as part of future (or uncertainty) verb endings like –(으)ㄹ 거예요, –(으)ㄹ래요,  and –(으)ㄹ까요. In this lesson, –(으)ㄹ is used as a noun modifier ending indicating a future clause (in the sense that something is to happen to that noun). When verbs modify nouns this way, the meaning is a NOUN to VERB (usually in the immediate future).

* 데 means place, and it can only be used with a modifier just before it. (It is called a “dependent noun” for this reason).

When the noun phrase [–(으)ㄹ + Noun] is used as the subject in a sentence embedded in a bigger sentence, the translation is usually the NOUN who/that will:

2. A/V–(으)ㄹ 때  when 

You have already seen the word 때 in noun compounds like 방학 때 (during the vacation), 점심 때 (at the lunch hour). 때 can also be modified by a verb or adjective with the -(으)ㄹ ending. In this case it means when VERB/ADJECTIVE happens.

When the action in the 때 clause is completed before the action in the main clause, then it can be put in the “past tense”. That is, –(으)ㄹ 때 can be attached to the past tense stem. If the action or state in the 때 clause is not completed before the action in the main clause (for example, if it is an ongoing state or background situation for the main clause), then the 때 clause does not use the past tense even if the main clause does.

Here are some more examples.

3. Conjugation Practice

Complete the following table with the appropriate –(으)ㄹ 때 form.

<Answer key> 앉을 때, 앉았을 때, 멀 떄, 멀었을 때, 막힐 때, 막혔을 때, 부를 때, 불렀을 때, 들을 때, 들었을 때, 구경할 때, 구경했을 때

1.–보다 (더)  more/less … than

To make a comparative sentence in Korean is simple. Just attach the particle –보다 (than) to what is compared. Adding 더 in front of the predicate emphasizes the comparison:

Notice that the normal, neutral ordering of compared items in Korean is opposite the English order.

2. (Member중에/Category에서) 제일  (among members/in category,) the most 

When comparing more than two things, use 제일 (most) instead of 더 (more). After category-naming nouns or when you are listing three or more, use 중에 (among). Use –에서 to mark phrases like in the world, in our class, etc.

When asking for a choice among two or more options, use the word 어느 (which) and the noun. (*무슨 asks for a more general “what kind of” preference.)

1. N(으)로 with, by 

–(으)로 is a particle that is added to nouns to indicate that the noun is a tool or an instrument. It can be translated as with or by, or sometimes in. Use –으로 when the noun ends in a consonant (other than ㄹ) and -로 when the noun ends in a vowel or ㄹ.

When the noun ends in ㄹ(and you make ㄹ로)  be sure to pronounce a double-ㄹsound.

2. N1에서 N2까지 어떻게 가요?/얼마나 걸려요?  How to get from N1 to N1/How long?

어떻게 is used to ask how questions meaning by doing what?  Be careful – it is not used to ask how big or how long, etc. To ask how long (time), you can use 얼마나 and the takes time verb, 걸리다. (얼마나 can also be used before other adjectives to ask how far, how tall, etc., but with 걸리다, it is used on its own to mean how long/how much time.)

Listen to the announcement and the dialogue between Hanna and Bryan. Then answer the following questions in Korean.

1. Where is the announcement from?

2. Where are they headin to?

3. Write as much as you can about what you heard.

2. __________________________________________________

2. __________________________________________________

2. __________________________________________________

Useful Vocabulary

You have decided to visit 김치박물관(뮤지엄 김치간) over the holiday break in Korea. To prepare for your visit, you found a website on how to get there. Read the following direction to the place and answer the questions in English. It’s okay to use a dictionary.

https://www.kimchikan.com/?page_id=48 

Describe how to get there by subway and by bus based on the directions provided.

1.__________________________________________________

2.__________________________________________________

Useful Vocabulary

The Best Travel Destination

Talk with your friends about the places you have visited during vacations and ask several questions related to those places. Then compare some of the destinations using –보다 더 and 제일. Talk with your partner(s), then present in class.

Learning Korean Vocabulary Through Connections

As you are studying Korean, every bit of what you already know will come in handy. Try to make connections between words if you see similar or identical parts. Analogical sensitivity is more powerful than simple memorization. Based on the words you know, can you deduce the meaning of the related words below?

• 역 (station): 기차역, 지하철역
• 비행 (flying): 비행기, 비행장, 비행사
• 지하 (underground): 지하철, 지하실, 지하도
• –구 (opening): 입구, 출구
• –쪽 (side): 이쪽, 오른쪽, 왼쪽, 앞쪽

Getting Around Seoul

If you’ve ever been to New York City, Tokyo, Hong Kong or similar cities, you may be used to the bustling, true metropolis that Seoul is. Seoul is one of the most densely populated cities in the world, with a population of over ten million people in 605 square kilometers (http://global.seoul.go.kr/). The overall street map of Seoul is nothing like the American grid system, but more like the triangularly interwoven streets of Paris or other old cities. As in many of these other big cities, it is probably easier to rely on public transportation than to buy a car, get a driver’s license, and then have to park and take care of a car, much less navigate the streets and traffic. The public transportation system is extremely efficient, inexpensive, and convenient!

How do commuters in your area pay for public transportation (bus tickets, etc.)?  The coolest thing about Seoul transportation is probably the T-money card (티머니 카드) or 교통 카드.  The card typically costs 2,500 원itself or 4,000 원 with cool characters or designs on it, then you can load it up with money to use for public transportation at the automated kiosks in the subway stations or at convenience stores. On almost any kind of public transportation, you just swipe it – or in some cases, wave it nearby from inside your bag––to pay the fare.  Each time you use it, you save 100 원off the regular fare, and of course, it saves you lots of time that would otherwise be spent buying tickets or looking for exact change.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH6Sdz8LNJw