HSC Korean Beginners (NSW) cheat sheet

Family counters: 명 for people (한 명, 두 명), 분 for respected elders (세 분), 마리 for animals, 채 for houses; 개 is a general counter for objects.

Age pattern: numbers use native Korean with 살 (열다섯 살); Sino-Korean numbers with 세 when honorific (스무 세). Asking age: 나이가 어떻게 되세요? or 몇 살이에요?

Possessive: 저의/나의 contract to 저/내 before kinship terms (내 동생, 우리 어머니); 우리 (our) is the norm for family and school groups, not 저희, in casual family talk.

Location particles: 에 있어요 (exists at) vs 에서 (action happens at). 집에 있어요 = I am at home; 학교에서 공부해요 = I study at school.

School subjects use -을/를 좋아하다/싫어하다; timetable language: 몇 교시예요? (which period), 무슨 요일이에요? (what day).

Neighbourhood vocabulary clusters: 편의점, 도서관, 공원, 병원, 시장, 역; directions use 앞, 뒤, 옆, 건너편, 사이, 위, 아래 + 에.

Honorific address: 아버지/어머니 to others, but our father = 우리 아버지; teacher is 선생님, never 선생 alone when addressing.

Time-telling: native numbers for hours (두 시), Sino numbers for minutes (삼십 분); half past = 반, e.g. 세 시 반.

Major holidays: 설날 (lunar New Year, day 1 of lunar calendar) - 세배 bowing, 세뱃돈 money, 떡국 rice-cake soup; 추석 (Chuseok, lunar 8/15) - 송편 rice cakes, 차례 ancestral rite, 성묘 grave visit.

Polite food/leisure verbs: 먹다 → 드시다 (eat, honorific), 마시다 → 드시다; leisure verbs use -고 싶어요 for wanting (가고 싶어요, 보고 싶어요).

Invitation pattern: 같이 ...-(으)ㄹ까요? (shall we ...?) and -(으)세요 for suggesting; accepting = 좋아요/그래요, declining = 미안해요, 다음에 해요.

Daily routine adverbs: 아침에, 점심에, 저녁에, 보통, 자주, 가끔, 항상, 전혀 (with negatives); position before the verb.

Traditional culture items: 한복 (traditional dress), 한옥 (traditional house), 김치, 태권도, 한글 (the script); 한국어 = the Korean language.

Leisure places take 에 가다: 영화관에 가다 (go to the cinema), 산에 가다 (go hiking), 바다에 가다; -에서 for activities done there.

Birthdays: 생일 축하해요; 미역국 seaweed soup is eaten by the birthday person; 돌 is a baby's first birthday, 환갑 the 60th.

Weather/season small talk: 날씨가 어때요? - 더워요/추워요/따뜻해요; seasons 봄, 여름, 가을, 겨울 with 에 in spring = 봄에.

Question endings signal the expected answer: -이에요/예요? yes/no; 뭐예요? what; 어디예요? where; 언제예요? when; 누구예요? who; 왜요? why; 어떻게 해요? how.

Numbers in speech: listen for native vs Sino cues - 시 (hour), 살 (age), 명 (people) take native; 분 (minutes), 원 (money), 년/월/일 (dates) take Sino.

Polite register markers: -아요/어요/해요 in statements and questions; -(으)세요 requests; -ㅂ니다/습니다 formal. Match the response register to the prompt.

Sound changes that affect listening: 합니다 pronounced [함니다]; 같이 [가치]; 좋아요 [조아요]; 국물 [궁물]; final consonants carry into a following vowel.

Negation heard: 안 + verb (안 가요) and -지 않아요; 못 + verb = cannot; distinguish 안 (don't) from 못 (can't) by context.

Time/date sequences: listen for 에서 (from) and 까지 (until): 아홉 시에서 열 시까지 = from 9 to 10; 반 = 30 minutes.

Discourse connectors guide order of events: 그리고 (and), 그런데 (but/then), 그래서 (so), 먼저 (first), 다음에 (next).

Task-type responses: choose the reply that fits the function - invitation accepted/declined, apology (죄송해요/미안해요), thanks (고마워요/감사합니다), permission (네, 해도 돼요).

Scan for particles to identify roles: 은/는 topic, 이/가 subject, 을/를 object, 에/에서 place, 의 possessive, 도 'also', 만 'only'.

Text types in the exam: 안내문 (notice), 시간표 (timetable), 문자 메시지 (text message), 초대장 (invitation), 광고 (advertisement), 일기 (diary); each has predictable layout cues.

Dates and days: Sino numbers with 년/월/일; days 요일 - 월요일, 화요일, 수요일, 목요일, 금요일, 토요일, 일요일.

Prices: 원 after Sino numbers; 만 = ten thousand (삼만 원 = 30,000 won); 할인 = discount, 무료 = free, 세일 = sale.

Negative reading: 안/못 before verb; 없어요 = there is not / don't have; -지 마세요 = don't do it (prohibition on signs).

Inference from connectors: 그러나/그런데 signal contrast, 그래서 signals result; the answer often turns on which clause is negated.

Inferring purpose: invitations contain 같이/-(으)ㅂ시다; notices contain -지 마세요/주의; ads contain superlatives (제일, 가장) and prices.

Matching tasks: link a question word in the text (몇, 무슨, 어느) to the specific detail requested; do not answer a different question than asked.

Sentence order is Subject–Object–Verb; the verb is final and carries tense and politeness: 저는 한국어를 공부해요.

Tense endings: -아요/어요 present, -았어요/었어요 past, -(으)ㄹ 거예요 future/plan; 합니다 style for formal writing.

Connecting clauses: -고 (and/then), -지만 (but), -아서/어서 (so/because), -(으)려고 (in order to), -는데 (background).

Formal written register for letters/emails: 안녕하세요? ... 잘 지내셨어요? Close with 감사합니다 or 안녕히 계세요 + name.

Particle accuracy is a marking criterion: choose 은/는 vs 이/가 by topic vs new information; 을/를 after objects; 에 vs 에서 by existence vs action.

Spelling rules to apply: 아니에요 (not 아니예요); -할게요 vs -할께요 (write 게); 뭐 → 무엇 in formal prose; 왜 → why.

Word count and task coverage: a typical writing task names 3–4 content points (who, when, where, what); each point needs one clear sentence with a verb.

Numbers in writing: native for age/hour/people, Sino for money/date/minutes; write spaces between number and counter (세 명, 두 시).