Adverbs and comparing
-게, 보다, 더, 제일 and words like 아주 and 너무.
Adverbs
Many common adverbs are words of their own:
| Adverb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 빨리 ppalli | quickly |
| 천천히 cheoncheonhi | slowly |
| 잘 jal | well |
| 많이 mani | a lot |
| 조금, 좀 jogeum, jom | a little |
| 자주 jaju | often |
| 항상 hangsang | always |
| 가끔 gakkeum | sometimes |
| 다시 dasi | again |
| 같이 gachi | together |
An adjective becomes an adverb with -게: 예쁘다 → 예쁘게 "prettily", 쉽다 → 쉽게 "easily", 맛있다 → 맛있게 "tastily".
- masitge deuseyo.Enjoy your meal.
- keuge malhae juseyo.Please speak up.
How much
아주 and 정말 "very, really", 진짜 "really" (casual), 너무 "too", and in speech "so, very": 너무 맛있어요 "it's so good". 좀 is "a bit", and 별로 with a negative "not very".
More than: 보다 더
The thing compared against takes 보다 "than", and 더 "more" goes before the adjective. 더 can be left out when 보다 is there:
- seouri busanboda deo keoyo.Seoul is bigger than Busan.
- jeoneun keopiboda chareul deo joahaeyo.I like tea more than coffee.
덜 means "less": 덜 매워요 "it's less spicy".
The most: 제일, 가장
제일 "the most" goes before the adjective or verb; 가장 means the same and is more written:
- jeil joahaneun eumsigi mwoyeyo?What's your favourite food?
The same: 같다
같다 "to be the same" takes 하고, 랑 or 와/과: 저랑 같은 나이예요 "she's the same age as me". 같이 "like" and -처럼 make comparisons of manner.
Cards from this guide
8 cardsEach card asks about one thing this guide teaches, and its back gives the answer with why and an example. They're reviewed with the rest of the Joining and describing cards.
How do you turn 쉽다 (to be easy) into 'easily'?
쉽게.
What do people say to a guest about to eat, using 맛있다?
맛있게 드세요.
How do you say 'Seoul is bigger than Busan' with 보다 and 크다?
서울이 부산보다 더 커요.
How do you say 'I like tea more than coffee' with 차 (tea)?
커피보다 차를 더 좋아해요.
How do you ask 'What's your favourite food?' with 제일 (the most)?
제일 좋아하는 음식이 뭐예요?
What does 너무 usually mean in speech, as in 너무 맛있어요?
So, very: 'it's so good'.
What does 덜 mean in 덜 매워요?
Less: 'it's less spicy'.
How do you say 'often' and 'sometimes'?
자주 (often) and 가끔 (sometimes).