READING PRACTICE WITH KOREAN CULTURE

2024.03.01 by Tomi Korean

한국의 계절 Seasons of Korea

FOR BEGINNERS (LEVEL1)0

한국에는 봄, 여름, 가을, 겨울이 있어요.

봄은 따뜻해요. 꽃이 많이 피어요. 벚꽃이 예뻐요.

여름은 아주 더워요. 그리고 습해요.

한국 사람들은 여름에 차가운 냉면을 먹어요.

가을은 시원해요. 나무의 색이 멋있어요.

겨울은 추워요. 눈이 많이 와요.

겨울에는 산에서 스키나 스노보드를 타요.

한국에는 사계절이 있어요. 사계절이 다 달라요.

1. What is this article about?
2. What is the summer weather like in Korea?
3. What do Korean people eat in the summer?
4. What do people do in the winter?

VOCABULARY

Word Pronunciation Meaning Word Pronunciation Meaning

한국 [han·guk] Korea 봄 [bom] spring

여름 [yeo·reum] summer 가을 [ga·eul] autumn

겨울 [gyeo·ul] winter 있다 [it·tta] there is / to have

따뜻하다 [tta·tteut·ta·da] to be warm 꽃 [kkot] flower

많이 [ma·ni] a lot 피다 [pi·da] to bloom

벚꽃 [beot·kkot] cherry blossom 예쁘다 [ye·ppeu·da] to be pretty

아주 [a·ju] very 덥다 [deop·tta] to be hot

그리고 [geu·ri·go] and 습하다 [seup·pa·da] to be humid

사람들 [sa·ram·deul] people 차갑다 [cha·gap·tta] to be cold

먹다 [meok·tta] to eat 시원하다 [si·won·ha·da] to be cool

나무 [na·mu] tree 색 [saek] color

to be cool,
멋있다 [meo·sit·tta] 춥다 [chup·tta] to be cold
wonderful

눈 [nun] snow 오다 [o·da] to come

산 [san] mountain 스키 [seu·ki] ski

스노보드 [seu·no·bo·deu] snowboard 타다 [ta·da] to ride

계절 [gye·jeol] season 사계절 [sa·gye·jeol] four seasons

다 [da] all 다르다 [da·reu·da] to be different

TRANSLATION

In Korea, we have spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

Spring is warm. Many flowers bloom. Cherry blossoms are pretty.
Summer is very hot. And it’s humid.
Korean people eat cold naengmyeon (cold noodles) in summer.
Autumn is cool. The colors of the trees are wonderful.
Winter is cold. It snows a lot.
In winter, people go skiing or snowboarding in the mountains.
In Korea, there are four seasons. The four seasons are all different.

GRAMMAR POINTS

Use of '은/는' (Topic Particle)

These particles are used to indicate the topic of a sentence. In the text, "봄은", "여름은",
"가을은", and "겨울은" use these markers to introduce each season as a topic.

Use of '이/가' (Subject Particle)

These particles are used to mark the subject in a sentence. For example, "꽃이" in "꽃이
많이 피어요" (Many flowers bloom) and "벚꽃이" in "벚꽃이 예뻐요" (Cherry blossoms are
pretty).

Use of '요' Ending

Adding '요' at the end of a sentence is a way to be polite and formal. Every sentence in
this text ends with '요', indicating polite speech.

Verb Conjugation
Verbs are conjugated according to tense or context. For example, "먹어요" (eat) is the
conjugated form of the base verb "먹다" (to eat), used here in the present tense.
Other examples: "오다" (to come) → "와요" (eat), "타다" (to ride) → "타요" (ride)

Descriptive Verbs (Adjectives)

In Korean, adjectives are used like verbs. For instance, in "벚꽃이 예뻐요" (The cherry
blossoms are pretty), "예뻐요" (are pretty) is an adjective functioning as a verb.
Other examples: "멋있어요" (are wonderful), "따뜻해요" (is warm), "추워요" (is cold)

Use of '아주' for Emphasis

"아주" means "very" in Korean and is used for emphasis, as seen in "여름은 아주 더워요"
(Summer is very hot).
Use of '이/가 있다' (Existence)
'이/가 있다' is used to express the existence of something. '이/가' are subject markers,
and '있다' translates to 'there is' or 'to have'. This construction is seen in phrases like
"사계절이 있어요" (there are four seasons / we have four seasons).

Use of '의' (Possessive Particle)

The particle '의' indicates possession or a relationship similar to 'of' in English. For
instance, in "나무의 색" (the color of the tree), '의' connects '나무' (tree) and '색' (color) to
express 'the tree's color'.

Use of '에' (Time Particle)

In Korean, '에' is a particle used to indicate a specific point in time when an action
occurs. In the sentence "한국 사람들은 여름에 차가운 냉면을 먹어요" (Korean people eat
cold naengmyeon in summer), '에' is attached to '여름' (summer) to specify when the
action of eating naengmyeon takes place.

Use of Modifiers (Descriptive Words Before Nouns)

Modifiers, or descriptive words, are placed directly before nouns to describe them. In
the phrase "차가운 냉면" (cold naengmyeon), '차가운' (cold) is a modifier that describes
'냉면' (naengmyeon).

Use of '(이)나' (or)

The particle '(이)나' is used to indicate a choice or alternative, similar to 'or' in English. It
is seen in "스키나 스노보드" (skiing or snowboarding).
READING PRACTICE WITH KOREAN CULTURE
2024.03.01 by Tomi Korean

한국의 계절 Seasons of Korea

FOR UPPER-BEGINNERS (LEVEL2)0

한국에는 봄, 여름, 가을, 겨울이 있어요. 봄에는 날씨가 따뜻해져요. 많은 꽃이 피는데, 특히

벚꽃이 유명해요. 사람들은 꽃을 보러 공원에 가요. 여름은 날씨가 더워요. 한국의 여름은 덥고

습해요. 여름에는 시원한 음식을 먹고, 바다나 강에 놀러 가요. 가을에는 날씨가 시원해져요.

나무들이 노란색과 빨간색으로 변해요. 사람들은 단풍을 보러 산에 가요. 겨울은 날씨가 춥고 눈이

많이 와요. 겨울에는 스키나 스노보드를 타러 산에 가요. 한국의 사계절은 각각 다른 매력이

있어요. 계절마다 다양한 행사와 음식, 풍경을 경험할 수 있어요.

1. What flower is famous in the spring in Korea?
2. Where do people go for fun in the summer?
3. What do people do in the mountains in autumn?
4. What sports are played in the winter?

VOCABULARY

Word Pronunciation Meaning Word Pronunciation Meaning

날씨 [nal·ssi] weather 많다 [man·ta] to be a lot

특히 [teuk·ki] especially 유명하다 [yu·myeong·ha·da] to be famous

공원 [gong·won] park 가다 [ga·da] to go

음식 [eum·sik] food 바다 [ba·da] sea

강 [gang] river 놀러 가다 [nol·leo ga·da] to go for fun

노란색 [no·ran·saek] yellow color 빨간색 [ppal·gan·saek] red color

변하다 [byeon·ha·da] to change 단풍 [dan·pung] autumn leaves

보다 [bo·da] to see, to look at 각각 [gak·kkak] each

매력 [mae·ryeok] charm, attraction 마다 [ma·da] every, each

다양하다 [da·yang·ha·da] to be diverse 행사 [haeng·sa] event

풍경 [pung·gyeong] scenery 경험 [gyeong·heom] experience

TRANSLATION

In Korea, there are spring, summer, autumn, and winter. In spring, the weather becomes
warm. Many flowers bloom, and especially cherry blossoms are famous. People go to
parks to see the flowers. In summer, the weather is hot. Korean summers are hot and
humid. In summer, people eat cool food and go to the sea or rivers to play. In autumn,
the weather becomes cool. The trees turn yellow and red. People go to the mountains to
see the autumn leaves. In winter, the weather is cold and it snows a lot. In winter, people
go to the mountains to ski or snowboard. Each of the four seasons in Korea has its own
charm. You can experience diverse events, food, and scenery in each season.

GRAMMAR POINTS

Use of '는데' for Providing Additional Information

'는데' is a conjunction used in Korean to add supplementary or background information
to a sentence. For instance, in "많은 꽃이 피는데" (Many flowers bloom, and), '는데' serves
to introduce additional context or information.

Verb Conjugation for Change

Verbs are conjugated to indicate a change in state, like "따뜻해져요" (becomes warm)
and "시원해져요" (becomes cool).

Use of '고' as a Conjunction

'고' serves as a conjunction to link actions or statements within a sentence. It functions
similarly to "and" in English but often implies a sequence or continuation of actions or
states. For instance, in the phrase "시원한 음식을 먹고, 바다나 강에 놀러 가요" (eat cool
food and go to the sea or river to play), '고' connects two actions. In "덥고 습해요" (hot
and humid), '고' links two descriptive states (hot and humid).

Use of '에’' for Direction or Purpose

'에' is used to indicate direction.. For example, "산에 가요" (go to the mountain) uses '에'
to show the destination.

Use of '각각' for 'Each'

'각각' means 'each' or 'respectively' and is used to indicate individual characteristics or
actions, as in "한국의 사계절은 각각 다른 매력이 있어요" (Each of the four seasons in
Korea has its own charm).

Use of '러 가다' for Purpose of Movement

This expression indicates the purpose of going somewhere. For example, "놀러 가요" (go
to play) and "보러 가요" (go to see) and “타러 가요” (to to ride) show the reason for
going.

Use of '마다' for 'Every' or 'Each'

This word indicates something happening in each instance of a recurring event or time.
For example, "계절마다 다양한 행사와 음식, 풍경을 경험할 수 있어요" (You can experience
diverse events, food, and scenery in each season) uses "마다" to express the recurrence
in each season.
 QUIZ 0

1. 한국의 봄에 유명한 꽃은 무엇이에요?

What is the famous flower in spring in Korea?

A) 장미
B) 벚꽃
C) 튤립

2. 여름에 한국 사람들이 먹는 음식은 무엇이에요?

What is the food that Korean people eat in summer?

A) 냉면
B) 김치찌개
C) 불고기

3. 가을에 나무들은 어떤 색으로 변해요?

What colors do the trees turn into in autumn?

A) 녹색과 파란색
B) 노란색과 빨간색
C) 검은색과 회색

4. 겨울에 사람들이 산에서 무엇을 해요?

What is the activity people do in the mountains in winter?

A) 수영이나 조깅
B) 등산이나 요가
C) 스키나 스노보드

5. 한국의 사계절 중 가장 더운 계절은 언제예요?

Which season is the hottest among the four seasons in Korea?

A) 봄
B) 여름
C) 가을

Answers 1.B 2.A 3.B 4.C 5.B