Three tips for using HelloTalk

I've seen a lot of people give up on HelloTalk because it wasn't meeting their expectations. I've been using it for 2.5 years and it is the the best language learning app I've used by a long distance. (Lingodeer is outstanding for the short term but HelloTalk is something you can use for years and …

-나/가 싶다, 다 싶다 – I was wondering if she got a boyfriend

The form 싶다 is most common seen in the -고 싶다 structure, to mean want to. However here 싶다 mean completely different things. -나/가 and 다 싶다 is a grammar pattern to convey the speakers thoughts and sometimes contains a slight speculative nuance. It is similar to the English expression "I was thinking that".  For …

Counting in Korean: Beyond the basics. Part 2

This lesson assumes you can count in both pure Korean and in Sino Korean numbers. Pure Korean being 하나 둘 셋 and Sino Korean being 일 이 삼. The first part of the lesson introduced when to use each system and then an overview of counting duration. This second part of the counting lesson will teach …

Counting in Korean: Beyond the basics. Part 1

This lesson assumes you can count in both pure Korean and in Sino Korean numbers. Pure Korean being 하나 둘 셋 and Sino Korean being 일 이 삼. This first part of the lesson will introduce when to use each system and then an overview of counting duration. The second part of this lesson will …

Compilation of listening resources

Below is a compiled list of Korean listening resources I’ve personally used at some point and would endorse for listening practice. The first section is the easiest stuff as they are created for learners. The rest are authentic material. As much as possible I've tried to include content that has subtitles, preferably in English and Korean. …

5 quick tips for reading Korean

It's inescapable that you will be doing a lot of reading as you learn Korean, so it makes sense to use this reading time as effectively as possible. I wanted to write about a couple of quick tips of mine that I use when I read. For reading books you MUST invest in a book …

How to get the most out of the Naver Dictionary

You'll have to forgive them for misspelling the word "English"At the end of the day, language learning really boils down to how efficiently you can get all that vocabulary into your brain. And Naver dictionaries are by far the best ones out there for this job. Call it a "study hack" if you want to …

Output learning and why it is critical

When it comes to language learning input is king. That's obvious. But having looked around on various study routines and guide online, it seemed to me that the importance of output is underappreciated. Roughly estimating you would only spend about 10% of your time output learning. If you're learning Korean in some sort of institution …

Grammar – This looks, sounds, tastes, smells, feels strange

The grammar 아/어보이다 only applies to how something 'looks'. Have you ever wanted to say "this sounds X" or "this smells Y" but couldn't figure out how to say it? Taking the adjective 'strange' for example, in English we have the same grammar for it looks strange, it sounds strange, it feels strange, it smells …

Compilation of reading resources

Below is a compiled list of Korean reading resources I've personally used at some point and would endorse for reading practice. I've sorted it by category and more loosely by ascending difficulty. At lower levels you will be limited to resources created specifically for learners. Which means content from TTMIK, Howtostudykorean and Koreanclass101 will form an …