WACE Korean Second Language flashcards
WACE Korean Second Language · Build recall with a focused review session.
33 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- -다고 하다
- Indirect quotation ending for statements. Attach to the plain form: 비가 온다고 했어요 means 'they said it is raining'. Tense is marked inside the quote, not on 하다.
- -아/어 본 적이 있다
- Expresses having tried something at least once. Add 없다 to say never. Example: 김치를 만들어 본 적이 있어요. Time adverbs like 작년에 or 한 번 accompany it.
- Native vs Sino-Korean numbers
- Native numbers (하나, 둘, 셋) pair with counters for people, objects and hours: 두 명, 세 개, 한 시. Sino-Korean numbers (일, 이, 삼) pair with money, dates, minutes and floors.
- -아서/어서 restriction
- This connector gives reason or sequence but cannot be followed by a command or suggestion. Use -기 때문에 or -(으)므로 when the second clause is -(으)세요 or -(으)ㅂ시다.
- Sequencing a recount
- Order events with 먼저, 그다음, 그 후에, 마지막으로. Every narrative verb takes past tense -았/었-. Time nouns take 에: 아침에, 작년에, 세 시에.
- Honorific verb replacements
- Certain verbs swap entirely for a respectful subject: 있다→계시다, 먹다→드시다, 말하다→말씀하시다, 주다→드리다 (when giving to a superior), 아프다→편찮으시다.
- -는데 as background
- Supplies setting or mild contrast before the main point: 지금은 바쁜데 나중에 전화할게요. It softens a refusal and often replaces a blunt statement of fact.
- Counter 명 with people
- 명 counts people using native numbers: 한 명, 두 명, 세 명. For respected people in formal writing, 분 is used instead: 세 분이 오셨어요.
- -ㄴ/은 것 같다
- Hedges a judgement about a present state: 그 영화는 재미있는 것 같아요. For future or uncertain events use -ㄹ/을 것 같다. Softer than a direct assertion.
- -아/어야 한다
- States obligation or necessity: 매일 연습해야 해요. The negative form -지 않으면 안 되다 carries the same meaning with more emphasis on the consequence of not acting.
- -고 싶어하다
- Reports a third person's wish. The speaker's own wish uses -고 싶다: 저는 가고 싶어요, but 동생은 가고 싶어해요. Mixing the two is a common error.
- -기는 하다
- Concedes a point while limiting it: 값이 싸기는 해요, but quality is poor. Often followed by -지만 or -는데 to introduce the reservation.
- Emotion verbs third person
- Adjectives like 슬프다, 기쁘다, 부럽다 take -아/어하다 for someone other than the speaker: 동생이 슬퍼해요. Without it the sentence sounds like a statement about oneself.
- Polite disagreement formula
- Begin with acknowledgement, then a hedge: 말씀은 이해했는데 제 생각은 조금 달라요. Follow with a reason using -기 때문에 rather than a bare 아니에요.
- -ㄹ/을 수밖에 없다
- Expresses having no alternative: 버스가 없어서 걸어갈 수밖에 없어요. Stronger than -아/어야 한다 because it presents the action as forced by circumstances.
- Intensifier nuance
- 너무 and 되게 lean conversational and can sound negative; 아주 and 매우 are neutral-formal; 정말 and 진짜 add sincerity. Match the intensifier to the register of the text.
- -지 않을까 생각하다
- Offers an opinion as a tentative question-like guess: 그게 더 좋지 않을까 생각해요. Useful in discussion tasks where a direct claim would sound too strong.
- Register from text type
- Diary and personal messages use plain or 반말 endings; notices and reports use -ㅂ니다/습니다; advertising copy uses noun fragments plus -(으)세요. Identify the type before answering purpose questions.
- Tone vocabulary
- Common descriptors: 긍정적 positive, 부정적 negative, 비판적 critical, 중립적 neutral, 유머러스한 humorous, 진지한 serious. Always justify with a quoted phrase from the text.
- -나 보다 / -모양이다
- Both mark inference from evidence: 불이 꺼진 걸 보니 집에 없는 모양이에요. -나 보다 attaches to verbs, -ㄴ/은가 보다 to adjectives in many contexts.
- Cause-effect markers
- -기 때문에, -아/어서, -(으)므로 and -으로 인해 introduce causes; the result clause usually ends the sentence. Locating these markers maps the argument's logic quickly.
- Main idea placement
- Korean paragraphs often open with the topic sentence and close with a restatement. Supporting detail follows markers such as 예를 들어 and -와 같이.
- Text response structure
- Four moves: one-sentence summary, analysis with quoted evidence, evaluation of tone or purpose, then personal stance with a reason. Each move needs its own connector.
- Describing graphs
- Use 증가하다, 감소하다, 두 배로 늘다, -에 비해, 가장 높다. Always pair the figure with its year, e.g. 2020년에 비해 두 배로 늘었어요.
- -겠- for speculation
- Beyond future meaning, -겠- signals the speaker's guess or softened assumption: 맛있겠어요 means 'it looks tasty'. Distinguish this from intention, where -ㄹ게 is used.
- Honorific -시- rule
- Insert -시- before the ending when the subject deserves respect: 선생님이 오셨어요. Never use it with 저 or 우리 as subject, and never combine it with the speaker's own action.
- Kinship address terms
- 오빠 and 누나 are used by a female speaker; 형 and 언니 by a male speaker for 형 but 언니 is female-to-female. Age and speaker gender determine the choice.
- 설날 customs
- Lunar New Year on 1 January. Families hold 차례, children perform 세배 and receive 세뱃돈, and everyone eats 떡국. Hanbok is worn for the ceremony.
- 추석 customs
- Harvest festival on lunar 15 August. Families hold 차례, visit ancestral graves (성묘), eat 송편, and enjoy 강강술래 and 씨름. Travel congestion is a common text topic.
- Speech levels list
- 하십시오체 formal polite, 해요체 informal polite, 하오체 and 하게체 archaic or literary, 해라체 plain for writing, 반말 intimate. Endings, not vocabulary, carry the level.
- Honorific noun pairs
- Age, name and birthday have respectful forms: 나이→연세, 이름→성함, 생일→생신, 집→댁, 밥→진지. Use the honorific noun when the referent is an elder or customer.
- 우리 as possessive
- Korean prefers 우리 over 저의 or 나의 for groups the speaker belongs to: 우리 학교, 우리 엄마, 우리 회사. This reflects group identity rather than literal joint ownership.
- Two-handed etiquette
- When receiving a gift, money or a poured drink, support the forearm or the cup with the second hand. When pouring for an elder, hold the bottle with both hands and turn away to drink.