HSC Korean Beginners (NSW) study materials
HSC Korean Beginners (NSW) study resources

Listening to a friend describe her neighbourhood

HSC Korean Beginners (NSW) · Put your knowledge to work in context.

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Listening to a friend describe her neighbourhood

Junho listens to a recorded message from his friend Sora about where she lives. Sora says: '우리 집은 시내에 있어요. 집 앞에 큰 공원이 있고 공원 옆에 병원이 있어요. 학교는 집에서 걸어서 10분쯤 걸려요. 그런데 큰 길이 있어서 차가 많아요. 저녁에는 좀 시끄러워요. 그래도 공원이 가까워서 좋아요.' Junho's notes say: 'Sora lives in the city. Park in front of house. Hospital next to park. School 10 minutes by bus. Noisy at night. Likes the park.' He is confident about the park and hospital but unsure about the school and the noise.

1. Check Junho's notes against what Sora actually says. Which two points are wrong or incomplete, and what should they say?

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School transport is wrong. Sora says 걸어서 10분쯤 걸려요 - 'it takes about 10 minutes on foot'. Junho wrote 'by bus'. 걸어서 comes from 걷다 (to walk), so the correct note is 'about 10 minutes' walk'.

The noise point is incomplete. Sora says 큰 길이 있어서 차가 많아요. 저녁에는 좀 시끄러워요 - there is a big road, so there are many cars, and it is a bit noisy in the evening. Junho's note 'noisy at night' drops the cause (the busy road) and the qualifier 좀 ('a bit'). A fuller note: 'Busy road nearby → many cars → somewhat noisy in the evening.'

2. Sora ends with '그래도 공원이 가까워서 좋아요.' Explain the function of 그래도 and what it tells you about her overall attitude.

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그래도 means 'even so' / 'still' / 'nevertheless'. It signals a contrast with the negative point just made (the traffic and evening noise).

Sora is saying: despite the noise, she likes that the park is close (공원이 가까워서 좋아요). The -아서/어서 ending links a reason to a result: 'because the park is close, it's good.'

So her overall attitude is positive but balanced - she acknowledges a drawback but concludes that the good point outweighs it. A listener should not summarise her as simply unhappy with her neighbourhood.