Hey language lovers 👋
Welcome to Part 1 of the “Learn Korean With Me” series!
If you’ve been wanting to learn Korean but feel overwhelmed by all the letters, grammar rules, and endless textbooks that most online courses throw at you — you’re not alone. And you’re totally in the right place.
If you’re here, I’m guessing you’re ready to go beyond just learning the alphabet and want to dive into real, useful Korean vocabulary and phrases. I’ll be skipping the deep grammar lessons for now, since this series will mainly focus on vocab — though I’ll still recommend a few helpful grammar resources along the way.
But before we jump in, just a quick reminder:
📝 You should already know Hangul (the Korean writing system) to follow this series. Trust me — Korean has one of the easiest writing systems to learn once you get the hang of it! You don’t need to be super fluent in reading yet. Just knowing the letters and how to pronounce words is more than enough to get started. With time, you’ll get your tongue rolling!
📚 My Top Beginner-Friendly Korean Resources #
Before we start learning our first set of verbs, here are some helpful resources that can guide you along the way. These tools are great whether you’re just starting or want something to support what you learn here:
- Rocket Korean – Structured, beginner-friendly, and great for pronunciation.
- Talk To Me In Korean – Their Hangul course is perfect for beginners.
- Drops Korean – Gamified, visual learning with a focus on vocab and Hangul basics.
- LingoDeer – Perfect for structured, grammar-focused learning with bite-sized lessons.
- Go Billy Korean – Fun, visual grammar and vocab lessons for all levels.
- Duocards – Flashcard-style app with real phrases and spaced repetition.
📚 How This Korean Vocabulary Series Works #
Each part of this series will focus on 10 high-frequency Korean words. We’ll explore what they mean, how to use them. Plus:
- 5 example sentences per word (their length will increase over time)
- Tips and grammar nuggets you actually need
- (Soon!) Pronunciation clips 🎧
Did you know learning just 100 high-frequency words can help you understand up to 50% of daily conversations? Let’s get started with your first 10! 🚀
So after each lesson, spend time practicing and reviewing the words. Don’t rush. Let the words sink in and become second nature. And don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter to get notified when the next word pack drops! 📨
Verb 1: 하다 (to do) #
💡 About “하다” #
- One of the most versatile and common Korean verbs.
- It combines with countless nouns to create new verbs (e.g., 공부하다 = to study, 운동하다 = to exercise).
- A great starting point for beginners!
📌 Conjugation #
- Present: 해요
- Past: 했어요
- Future: 할 거예요
🗣️ Example Sentences #
- 지금 공부해요. – I’m studying now.
- 어제 운동했어요. – I exercised yesterday.
- 내일 청소할 거예요. – I will clean tomorrow.
- 친구랑 전화했어요. – I called a friend.
- 저는 한국어를 공부해요. – I study Korean.
Verb 2: 가다 (to go) #
💡 About “가다” #
- Super common and used in tons of daily conversations.
- Often paired with locations, time markers, or even other verbs!
📌 Conjugation #
- Present: 가요
- Past: 갔어요
- Future: 갈 거예요
🗣️ Example Sentences #
- 학교에 가요. – I go to school.
- 어제 친구 집에 갔어요. – I went to my friend’s house yesterday.
- 주말에 시장에 갈 거예요. – I will go to the market(시장) on the weekend(주말).
- 나는 도서관에 가서 책을 읽었어요. – I went to the library(도서관) and read a book(책).
- 매일 아침에 회사에 가요. – I go to work every(매일 ) morning.
Verb 3: 보다 (to see/watch) #
💡 About “보다” #
- Can mean to see, look, or watch.
- Used in casual and formal contexts alike.
📌 Conjugation #
- Present: 봐요
- Past: 봤어요
- Future: 볼 거예요
🗣️ Example Sentences #
- 영화를 봐요. – I watch a movie.
- 어제 텔레비전을 봤어요. – I watched TV yesterday.
- 내일 공연을 볼 거예요. – I’ll see a performance(공연) tomorrow(내일 ).
- 친구를 봤어요. – I saw a friend.
- 나는 매일 아침 뉴스를 봐요. – I watch the news every morning.
Verb 4: 먹다 (to eat) #
💡 About “먹다” #
- Super essential for food-related talk!
- Can also mean to take medicine or absorb something.
📌 Conjugation #
- Present: 먹어요
- Past: 먹었어요
- Future: 먹을 거예요
🗣️ Example Sentences #
- 밥을 먹어요. – I’m eating a meal.
- 어제 라면을 먹었어요. – I ate ramen yesterday.
- 점심에 뭐 먹을 거예요? – What will you eat for lunch(점심)?
- 저는 아침을 늦게 먹었어요. – I ate breakfast(아침) late.
- 친구랑 같이 점심을 먹어요. – I eat lunch with a friend.
Verb 5: 마시다 (to drink) #
💡 About “마시다” #
- Often used with beverages, but can also mean “to inhale.”
📌 Conjugation #
- Present: 마셔요
- Past: 마셨어요
- Future: 마실 거예요
🗣️ Example Sentences #
- 물을 마셔요. – I drink water.
- 커피를 마셨어요. – I drank coffee.
- 오후에 차를 마실 거예요. – I will drink tea in the afternoon.
- 저는 하루에 물을 많이 마셔요. – I drink a lot of water in a day(하루).
- 우유를 마시고 학교에 갔어요. – I drank milk(우유) and went to school(학교).
Verb 6: 살다 (to live) #
💡 About “살다” #
- Often used with locations and durations.
📌 Conjugation #
- Present: 살아요
- Past: 살았어요
- Future: 살 거예요
🗣️ Example Sentences #
- 서울에 살아요. – I live in Seoul.
- 예전에 부산에 살았어요. – I lived in Busan before.
- 미래에 외국에 살 거예요. – I will live abroad in the future.
- 우리 가족은 함께 살아요. – Our family(가족) lives together.
- 저는 혼자 살았어요. – I lived alone.
Verb 7: 자다 (to sleep) #
💡 About “자다” #
- Essential for talking about rest and health.
📌 Conjugation #
- Present: 자요
- Past: 잤어요
- Future: 잘 거예요
🗣️ Example Sentences #
- 지금 자요. – I’m sleeping now.
- 어젯밤에 잘 잤어요. – I slept well last night.
- 오늘 일찍 잘 거예요. – I’ll sleep early today.
- 저는 열두 시에 잤어요. – I slept at twelve.
- 너무 피곤해서 일찍 자요. – I’m so tired I go to bed early(일찍 ).
Verb 8: 주다 (to give) #
💡 About “주다” #
- Common in requests and polite expressions.
📌 Conjugation #
- Present: 줘요
- Past: 줬어요
- Future: 줄 거예요
🗣️ Example Sentences #
- 선물을 줘요. – I give a present.
- 엄마가 과자를 줬어요. – Mom gave me snacks(과자).
- 내일 친구에게 책을 줄 거예요. – I’ll give a book to a friend tomorrow.
- 저는 도와줬어요. – I helped (gave help).
- 선생님이 숙제를 줘요. – The teacher gives homework(숙제).
Verb 9: 받다 (to receive) #
💡 About “받다” #
- Opposite of 주다; useful in daily speech.
📌 Conjugation #
- Present: 받아요
- Past: 받았어요
- Future: 받을 거예요
🗣️ Example Sentences #
- 선물을 받아요. – I receive a gift.
- 어제 편지를 받았어요. – I received a letter yesterday.
- 내일 이메일을 받을 거예요. – I’ll get an email tomorrow.
- 저는 좋은 소식을 받았어요. – I got good news.
- 친구에게서 전화를 받았어요. – I got a call from a friend.
Verb 10: 읽다 (to read) #
💡 About “읽다” #
- Great for daily habits and study situations.
📌 Conjugation #
- Present: 읽어요
- Past: 읽었어요
- Future: 읽을 거예요
🗣️ Example Sentences #
- 책을 읽어요. – I read a book.
- 어제 소설을 읽었어요. – I read a novel yesterday.
- 내일 만화를 읽을 거예요. – I’ll read comics tomorrow.
- 저는 매일 아침에 신문을 읽어요. – I read the newspaper every morning.
- 친구에게서 받은 편지를 읽었어요. – I read a letter from a friend.
🎧 Pronunciation Clips – Coming Soon! #
I’m working on adding voice recordings for each verb and sentence! 🎤
📝 Want a Worksheet? #
I know for some of us it is harder to study on screen and we become much more productive when we can use physical materials off-screen and it becomes much more easier to keep our practice going. Would you like a printable or digital worksheet with pictures to test yourself on the words in each post?
💬 Comment below if you’re interested, and I’ll try to create one if enough people ask!
📬 Stay Tuned for the Next 10 Words #
This is just Part 1. There’s more coming! Subscribe to the newsletter to get notified when Part 2 drops. Let me know what categories of words would you like to learn in part2.
✅ Practice these 10 first
✅ Try making your own sentences
✅ Save this post for later review
✅Share with a friend who’s learning Korean. It helps to make the journey more easier.
Together, we’ll build your Korean word by word – but in a fun, natural way 🫰You’ve got this 💪 화이팅!