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.
Subway, bus, taxi
Subway, bus, taxi
Seoul subway lines are named by number: number + 호선, with Sino-Korean numbers (2호선 is read “이 호선”). To transfer: 갈아타다 with (으)로, naming the line you change to. A station has many exits, each with a number: N번 출구; people often meet at an exit.
Announcements on the train are in the formal style; learn to recognize them: “이번 역은 …역입니다” (this station is …); “다음 역은 …역입니다” (the next station is …); “…(으)로 갈아탈 수 있습니다” (you can transfer to …).
In a taxi, say place + (으)로 + 가 주세요 (으로 after a 받침; 로 after a vowel and after ㄹ). To stop: …에서 내려 주세요. The fare is 요금; you can pay by card almost everywhere.
On the bus, ask the driver “이 버스는 …에 가요?” Only the voice (it rises at the end) and the “?” tell a question from a statement; the checker ignores the “?” in written answers.
남산 is a mountain in the center of Seoul: people go up it (올라가다) and look out over the city (구경하다).
Common mistakes:
• NOT “두 호선” → 이 호선 (2호선): line numbers are Sino-Korean.
• NOT “2호선에 갈아타요” → 2호선으로 갈아타요: “transfer to” a line takes (으)로.
• NOT “택시로 타요” → 택시를 타요 (or 택시로 가요): 타다 takes 을 / 를, as in “take a taxi”.
• NOT “인천 공항에서 가 주세요” → 인천 공항으로 가 주세요: 에서 means “from”, not “to”.
Subway: what the signs say
Line numbers and exit numbers are read with Sino-Korean numbers.
| Sign | How it's read and what it means |
|---|---|
| 2호선 | [이 호선] — Line 2 |
| 몇 호선이에요? | Which line? |
| 3번 출구 | [삼 번 출구] — Exit 3 |
| 교통카드 | transit card |
In a taxi
You talk to the driver with no form of address: just name the place.
| You say | Translation |
|---|---|
| …(으)로 가 주세요. | Take me to …, please. |
| …에서 내려 주세요. | Drop me off at …, please. |
| 사거리에서 오른쪽으로 가 주세요. | Turn right at the intersection, please. |
Lesson notes
Subway, bus, taxi
Seoul subway lines are named by number: number + 호선, with Sino-Korean numbers (2호선 is read “이 호선”). To transfer: 갈아타다 with (으)로, naming the line you change to. A station has many exits, each with a number: N번 출구; people often meet at an exit.
Announcements on the train are in the formal style; learn to recognize them: “이번 역은 …역입니다” (this station is …); “다음 역은 …역입니다” (the next station is …); “…(으)로 갈아탈 수 있습니다” (you can transfer to …).
In a taxi, say place + (으)로 + 가 주세요 (으로 after a 받침; 로 after a vowel and after ㄹ). To stop: …에서 내려 주세요. The fare is 요금; you can pay by card almost everywhere.
On the bus, ask the driver “이 버스는 …에 가요?” Only the voice (it rises at the end) and the “?” tell a question from a statement; the checker ignores the “?” in written answers.
남산 is a mountain in the center of Seoul: people go up it (올라가다) and look out over the city (구경하다).
Common mistakes:
• NOT “두 호선” → 이 호선 (2호선): line numbers are Sino-Korean.
• NOT “2호선에 갈아타요” → 2호선으로 갈아타요: “transfer to” a line takes (으)로.
• NOT “택시로 타요” → 택시를 타요 (or 택시로 가요): 타다 takes 을 / 를, as in “take a taxi”.
• NOT “인천 공항에서 가 주세요” → 인천 공항으로 가 주세요: 에서 means “from”, not “to”.