KLAT flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

이/가 vs 은/는

이/가 marks new or focused information (subject); 은/는 marks known information or contrast (topic). In '누가 왔어요?' answer '민수가 왔어요', not '민수는'.

을/를 object particle

을 follows a consonant-final noun, 를 follows a vowel-final noun, marking the direct object. Example: 책을 읽어요, 영화를 봐요.

에게/한테/에

에게 and 한테 mark animate recipients (한테 is colloquial); 에 marks place, time, or inanimate destination. Example: 친구에게 전화했어요, 학교에 갔어요.

-(으)려고 하다

Expresses intention or plan: 'to be about to' or 'to intend to'. Attaches to verb stem; use 으려고 after a consonant. Example: 내일 떠나려고 해요.

-기로 하다

Expresses a decision or agreement: 'to decide to'. Attaches to verb stem regardless of final consonant. Example: 매일 운동하기로 했어요.

ㄷ irregular verbs

Verbs ending in ㄷ change ㄷ to ㄹ before a vowel-initial ending: 듣다 → 들어요, 걷다 → 걸어요. Exceptions: 받다, 믿다, 닫다 are regular.

ㅂ irregular verbs

Verbs ending in ㅂ change ㅂ to 우 before a vowel: 돕다 → 도와요, 춥다 → 추워요. Exceptions: 입다, 잡다, 씻다 keep ㅂ.

르 irregular verbs

Verbs ending in 르 double the ㄹ and add ㄹ before 어: 모르다 → 몰라요, 빠르다 → 빨라요. Both ㄹs appear in the conjugated form.

Honorific -(으)시-

Insert -(으)시- before tense and aspect endings when the subject is honored: 선생님이 가시겠습니다. Never use it for the speaker's own actions.

Number classifiers

Korean uses classifiers after numbers: 개 (objects), 명 (people), 마리 (animals), 권 (books), 장 (paper), 잔 (cups). The classifier must match the noun category.

Collocation: 약속을 지키다

Means 'to keep a promise'. The verb 지키다 collocates with 약속, 규칙, and 시간; using 하다 instead is incorrect in standard usage.

Collocation: 감기에 걸리다

Means 'to catch a cold'. The particle 에 is fixed; 걸리다 also collocates with 병 and 전화. Do not substitute 가지다.

Listening: signal 그러나

In KLAT listening, 그러나/하지만/그런데 introduce contrast; the correct answer often follows the second clause rather than the first. Mark the turn before playback ends.

Listening: place vocabulary

환전 (currency exchange) points to 은행; 처방 (prescription) to 병원; 우표 to 우체국; 숙박 to 호텔. Match the keyword to the location option.

Listening: request vs offer

-아/어 주세요 is a request ('please do for me'); -아/어 드릴게요 is an offer ('I will do for you'). The particle 이/가 vs 을/를 identifies the actor.

Listening: intention ending

In dialogue items asking what the man will do, his final utterance with -겠습니다 or -(으)ㄹ게요 marks his intended action; earlier statements may be background.

Listening: monologue gist

Announcement passages state purpose in the first sentence and the required action in the last. Answer gist questions from these two sentences before details.

Listening: number pairs

Numbers appear in contrasting pairs (3시 30분 vs 3시 13분). Listen for the unit word after the numeral and the counter to disambiguate the correct figure.

Reading: ( ) insertion

Test each candidate sentence at the blank; the correct one must connect logically to both preceding and following sentences, often via a conjunctive adverb.

Reading: sentence ordering

The first sentence has no backward reference (no 이/그/저 + noun, no 그러므로). Time adverbs 먼저, 다음에, 마지막으로 fix the sequence of the rest.

Reading: main idea

The thesis appears in the first or last sentence. Options that repeat a supporting example are distractors; choose the statement covering the whole passage.

Reading: inference limits

For '알 수 있는 것' items, the answer must be derivable from stated content. Reject options requiring outside knowledge, even if factually true.

Reading: title items

A correct title names both topic and attitude. A title covering only the topic is incomplete; a title adding an unstated opinion is wrong.

Reading: connective logic

그러나 signals contrast, 따라서 signals result. Match the logical relation between clauses, not sentence length, when filling a connective blank.

Writing: sentence completion

The blank must fit the preceding clause grammatically. Match the ending form (-아/어서, -(으)니까, -는데) to the intended causal, reason, or background relation.

Writing: formal register

Expository KLAT writing uses 합니다체/입니다체. Avoid 해요체 unless the prompt specifies a letter or dialogue; mixing registers is penalized.

Writing: cohesion devices

Use 그러므로, 따라서, 예를 들어, 반면에 to link sentences. Each paragraph opens with a topic sentence and closes with a result or summary.

Writing: length counting

Korean writing tasks specify 200-300자; spaces count as characters. Plan 3-4 sentences per paragraph to hit the range without padding.

Writing: data description

State the trend first (증가하다/감소하다), then cite figures, then give the implication. This order matches the scoring rubric for task completion.

Speaking: picture description

Use -고 있다 for ongoing actions and location words 앞/뒤/옆/위. Describe in a fixed order: who, what, where, to maintain fluency.

Speaking: speech-level matching

If the examiner uses 해요체, reply in 해요체 unless the prompt specifies otherwise. Mismatched speech levels lower the grammar and task scores.

Speaking: opinion structure

Organize opinion answers as 입장 → 이유 → 예시 → 정리. This four-part structure satisfies task completion and coherence criteria.