A1 · Korean

Korean from zero to A1

Korean from zero to A1, taught in English (표준어, hangul): hangul and its sounds, introductions with 은/는 and 이에요/예요, family with 있어요/없어요, things and places with 이/그/저 and 에, the polite style 해요체 with the particles 을/를 and 에서. Then the two number systems, shopping, prices, the time and the calendar, negation, the weather, the past tense, hobbies and invitations with -(으)ㄹ까요. After that: requests with -(으)세요, transport and directions, politeness towards elders, plans, the doctor, abilities and a phone call. Extras: forms and the formal style 합쇼체; real-life scenes: a café, a clothes shop, the subway and a taxi, the doctor and the pharmacy.

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Module 0. Hangul and sounds

Lesson 1. The syllable and the vowels: how hangul works

13 exercises · I can read a syllable with any of the ten basic vowels and type it on the Korean keyboard, and tell 어 from 오 and 으 from 우 by ear.

Lesson 2. Consonants: ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄷ, ㄹ, and others

12 exercises · I can read and write syllables with the nine basic consonants, hear that ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅈ are voiced between vowels, and recognize that Pusan in an older English text is 부산.

Lesson 3. Consonant triplets: 가 — 카 — 까

12 exercises · I can tell a lax, an aspirated, and a tense consonant apart by ear and in writing — 가, 카, 까 — and type the tense ones with Shift.

Lesson 4. Compound vowels: ㅐ and ㅔ, ㅘ and ㅝ, ㅢ

12 exercises · I can read and type the compound vowels, remember that ㅐ and ㅔ sound the same and differ only in the spelling of the word, and read ㅢ in three ways.

Lesson 5. Syllables with a 받침: seven sounds

11 exercises · I can read a syllable with a 받침, name which of the seven sounds its bottom letter makes, and type a closed syllable on the keyboard.

Lesson 6. 연음 and spacing: reading words together

12 exercises · I can read two words together, moving the 받침 to the next vowel, hear where the sound differs from the spelling, and write a word as in the dictionary and a phrase with spaces between words.

Module 1. Meeting people

Lesson 1. Hello, thank you, sorry: polite set phrases

14 exercises · I can say hello and goodbye (both to someone leaving and to someone staying), thank someone, apologize and respond to an apology, introduce myself, and get someone's attention, choosing the formal or the polite set phrase for the situation.

Lesson 2. I'm Anna: 은 / 는 and 이에요 / 예요

18 exercises · I can say my name and which country I'm from, ask the other person about their country, and choose 이에요 or 예요, 은 or 는 by the last sound of the word.

Lesson 3. What's your job: 이 / 가 아니에요

16 exercises · I can say what I do for a living and what I'm NOT, ask “who is this?” and “what's your job?”, and answer “yes” or “no”, choosing 이 아니에요 or 가 아니에요 by the last sound.

Lesson 4. Phone numbers: the numbers 일, 이, 삼 and 의

16 exercises · I can say any number from 0 to 99, read out and write down a phone number, ask “what's your number?”, and say “my number” and “Anna's number”.

Lesson 5. Family: 이 / 가 and 있어요 / 없어요

17 exercises · I can say who is and isn't in my family, ask the other person about theirs, and name an older brother and sister correctly, as a man or as a woman.

Lesson 6. Module 1 review

16 exercises · I can confidently choose 이에요 or 예요, 은 or 는, and 이 or 가 by the last sound, tell “is” from “there is”, and remember the module's set phrases, numbers, and family words.

Module 2. Things, places, and the first verbs

Lesson 1. This, that, that over there: 이 / 그 / 저 and 여기 / 거기 / 저기

14 exercises · I can point to a thing near me, near the other person, and far away — 이 책, 그 가방, 저 볼펜 — and ask “what is it?” and “whose is it?”: 이게 뭐예요? 누구 거예요?

Lesson 2. Where? 에 있어요 and 도

16 exercises · I can ask and say where a thing or a person is — 가방이 책상 밑에 있어요, 고양이가 어디에 있어요? — and add “too”: 저도, 의자도.

Lesson 3. What are you doing: 을 / 를 and the polite style 해요체

14 exercises · I can say what I do and what I study — 한국어를 공부해요, 운동을 해요 — choose 을 or 를 by the last sound, and put the predicate at the end.

Lesson 4. Verbs and adjectives in 해요체: -아요 / -어요

14 exercises · I can put verbs and adjectives in the polite form — 가요, 와요, 배워요, 마셔요, 써요, 커요, 조용해요 — and say where I'm going: 집에 가요.

Lesson 5. In class: 에서, where things happen

16 exercises · I can say where things happen — 교실에서 공부해요, 집에서 책을 읽어요 — and ask for clarification in class: 다시 말해 주세요, 뜻이 뭐예요?, 잘 몰라요.

Lesson 6. Module 2 review

15 exercises · I can point to a thing (이 / 그 / 저), say where it is (에 있어요, 도), what I do (을 / 를, the -요 form) and where (에서), and I don't mix up 에 and 에서.

Module 3. Numbers, shopping, and time

Lesson 1. Native Korean numbers and age: 하나, 둘 and the counter 살

16 exercises · I can say and ask someone's age — 몇 살이에요? — 스물다섯 살이에요 — count to ninety-nine in native Korean numbers, and say how many brothers and sisters I have.

Lesson 2. At the store: 개, 하고, and “please give me”

17 exercises · I can buy the number of items I need at a store — 사과 두 개 주세요 — and ask for “more” and “this too”: 빵하고 우유 좀 주세요.

Lesson 3. How much is it: 원, 만, and big numbers

17 exercises · I can ask the price — 얼마예요? — and understand the answer in won, even in tens of thousands: 삼만 오천 원.

Lesson 4. What time is it: 시 and 분, 에, 부터 / 까지

16 exercises · I can ask and say what time it is — 몇 시예요? — 다섯 시 반이에요 — and say when something starts and until when it lasts: 열 시부터 한 시까지.

Lesson 5. The calendar: days of the week, months, dates, and seasons

17 exercises · I can say and ask the date, the day of the week, and the season — 오늘이 며칠이에요? 무슨 요일이에요? — and say when my birthday is.

Lesson 6. My day: -고 and 번 (“times”)

15 exercises · I can describe my usual day in order — 일어나고 세수해요 — and say how often I do something: 일주일에 일곱 번.

Lesson 7. Module 3 review

14 exercises · I can choose the right number system — for age, items, hours, prices, minutes, and dates — and tell 하고 between things from -고 between actions.

Module 4. Saying no, the weather, the past, and free time

Lesson 1. I don't watch, I don't eat: 안 and -지 않다

16 exercises · I can say what I don't do in two ways — 안 봐요 and 보지 않아요 — and correctly answer “yes” to a question with “not”.

Lesson 2. The weather: ㅂ-irregular verbs and -지만

14 exercises · I can ask and talk about the weather — 날씨가 어때요?, 추워요, 비가 와요 — change ㅂ words correctly, and say “it's cold but clear”.

Lesson 3. Yesterday and on the weekend: the past tense -았 / 었-

15 exercises · I can say what I did yesterday and on the weekend — 어제 친구 집에 갔어요, 주말에 사진을 찍었어요 — and say what I haven't done yet: 아직 안 먹었어요.

Lesson 4. Hobbies: 좋아하다 and -고 싶다, ㄷ-irregular verbs

17 exercises · I can talk about my hobbies — 음악을 좋아해요, 춤을 싫어해요, 한국 노래를 듣고 싶어요 — and ask: 무슨 영화를 좋아해요?

Lesson 5. Let's meet: -(으)ㄹ까요 and -(으)ㅂ시다, ㄹ-stem verbs

13 exercises · I can invite a friend — 영화를 볼까요?, 극장 앞에서 만납시다! — accept or politely decline, and ask how many people are coming.

Lesson 6. Korean food: 만 and taste

13 exercises · I can name Korean dishes, say how they taste — 매워요, 싱거워요 — and explain that I eat only one thing: 채소만 먹어요.

Lesson 7. Module 4 review

13 exercises · I can review the module: say no in two ways, talk about last weekend, say what I like and what I find nice (좋아해요 ↔ 좋아요), and tell where ㅂ, ㄷ, and ㄹ change.

Module 5. Requests, the city, and politeness

Lesson 1. Come in, have a seat: -(으)세요

15 exercises · I can politely ask a guest to sit down, open the window, or turn on the light, and politely ask the other person where they live and what they're doing.

Lesson 2. Where to and what for: -(으)러

15 exercises · I can say where I'm going and why — to the library for a book, to the park for a walk — and choose 가다 or 오다, 나가다 or 나오다.

Lesson 3. Transportation: (으)로 and 에서…까지, 르-irregular verbs

14 exercises · I can say how I travel and from where to where, where to transfer and get off, and say that the subway is fast and that routes differ.

Lesson 4. Asking the way: -어서 (“and then”)

13 exercises · I can ask for and give directions — go out and walk straight, cross at the traffic light and turn right — and ask whether it's far and how long it takes.

Lesson 5. With elders: the honorific -(으)시- and 께서

13 exercises · I can talk politely about a grandmother, a teacher, or an elderly neighbor — where they are, what they're doing, and what they did — and I won't talk that way about myself.

Lesson 6. Module 5 review

15 exercises · I can make polite requests and ask polite questions, say where I'm going and why, how I travel and how to get there, and talk politely about elders.

Module 6. Plans, health, skills, and people

Lesson 1. Vacation plans: -(으)려고 하다

16 exercises · I can say what I'm planning to do on vacation and on school break — where to go, what to see — and ask about someone else's plans.

Lesson 2. At the doctor's: -어야 돼요 and -(으)니까

15 exercises · I can say that I've caught a cold and have a headache, understand the doctor's advice — what to do and why — and give advice myself: “Since it's cold, stay home.”

Lesson 3. What I can and can't do: -(으)ㄹ 수 있다 and 못

17 exercises · I can say what sports I play and what I can do — drive, swim, play the piano — say what I can't do, and ask someone else about it.

Lesson 4. Before and after: -기 전에 and -(으)ㄴ 후에

15 exercises · I can say what I do before and after work and in what order I get ready for a trip, and ask what someone else does before bed.

Lesson 5. Hello? What are you doing right now: -고 있다

15 exercises · I can answer a phone call, say what I'm doing right now and what I was doing at a certain moment yesterday, and ask the other person about it.

Lesson 6. Gifts and letters: 에게 and 한테

14 exercises · I can say who I give a gift to, call, and write to, who I got a letter from, wish someone a happy birthday, and send a letter at the post office.

Lesson 7. Module 6 review

16 exercises · I can review the module: tell “I don't want to” from “I can't”, choose one of the five “not”s, say where I'm going and why and what I'm planning to do, and talk about what I do before and after work.

Module 7. A1 extras

Lesson 1. Forms: age, address, and documents

16 exercises · I can fill out a Korean form — last and first name, citizenship, hometown, age, address from the city down to the apartment, and phone number — ask a question for each field, and choose the number system by the word after the number.

Lesson 2. “And” and “with”: 하고, (이)랑, and 와 / 과

13 exercises · I can say “and” and “with whom” in conversation — 하고, 이랑 / 랑 — and in writing — 과 / 와, choosing the particle by the last sound of the word, and say who I live with, am friends with, and talk to.

Lesson 3. The formal style 합쇼체: -ㅂ니다 / -습니다

16 exercises · I can speak and write formally — 갑니다, 먹습니다, 입니다, 갑니까?, 앉으십시오 — recognize an announcement on the subway and at work, and say 알겠습니다, 잘 먹겠습니다, 처음 뵙겠습니다 at the right moment.

Module 8. A1 practice

Lesson 1. At a café or restaurant: ordering and the check

17 exercises · I can say how many of us there are, call the server, order food and drinks with the counters 잔 and 인분, ask for something not spicy, and pay.

Lesson 2. In a clothing store: trying on and choosing

15 exercises · I can choose clothes and shoes in a store, say that something is too small or too long, ask for a bigger size, bargain at a market, and ask for an exchange.

Lesson 3. Subway, bus, and taxi

14 exercises · I can ask which subway line to take and where to transfer, leave by the right exit, understand an announcement on the train, get on a bus, and take a taxi to where I'm going.

Lesson 4. At the doctor's and at the pharmacy

15 exercises · I can tell a doctor what hurts and since when, name my symptoms, understand advice, and explain at the pharmacy what medicine I need and how to take it.