Korean Intermediate Korean Grammar Syllabus

What is humble (겸양) speech, and give the humble forms of 주다, 말하다, 묻다, 보다, 만나다?

Humble speech lowers the speaker to elevate the listener/object. 주다 → 드리다 (give to a superior); 말하다 → 말씀드리다; 묻다 → 여쭈다/여쭙다 (ask); 보다 → 뵈다/뵙다 (see/meet a superior); 만나다 → 뵙다.

Name the Korean speech levels (상대 높임) from most to least formal.

1) 하십시오체 (formal polite, -(스)ㅂ니다), 2) 해요체 (informal polite, -아요/어요), 3) 하오체 (older formal, rare), 4) 하게체 (semi-formal, elder-to-younger adult), 5) 해체/반말 (casual, -아/어), 6) 해라체 (plain, written/commanding, -는다/다).

Contrast the 하십시오체 and 해요체 speech levels.

하십시오체 (deferential/formal polite) uses -습니다/-ㅂ니다 and -습니까? — used in business, presentations, news. 해요체 (informal polite) uses -아요/어요 — polite but softer, used in everyday conversation. Both are polite; 하십시오체 is more formal.

Define the causative form (사동) in Korean grammar.

The causative (사동) expresses that a subject makes/lets someone or something perform an action or enter a state ('cause to do'). It is formed morphologically with causative suffixes or syntactically with -게 하다.

List the seven morphological causative suffixes in Korean.

The causative suffixes are -이-, -히-, -리-, -기-, -우-, -구-, -추-. They are inserted into a verb/adjective stem, e.g. 먹다 → 먹이다 (feed), 앉다 → 앉히다 (seat), 울다 → 울리다 (make cry), 웃다 → 웃기다 (make laugh), 자다 → 재우다 (put to sleep), 높다 → 높이다 (raise).

How is the periphrastic (long-form) causative built, and how does it differ in nuance from suffix causatives?

The long-form causative is stem + -게 하다/만들다 ('make/let someone do'). It is productive (works with any verb) and often implies indirect causation or permission, whereas suffix causatives imply more direct/hands-on causation. 먹이다 = feed directly; 먹게 하다 = make/let them eat.

Define the passive form (피동) in Korean grammar.

The passive (피동) presents the action from the perspective of the affected object/patient; the grammatical subject undergoes the action rather than performing it. It is formed with passive suffixes or with -아지다/어지다, -게 되다, etc.

List the four passive suffixes in Korean.

The passive suffixes are -이-, -히-, -리-, -기-. Examples: 보다 → 보이다 (be seen), 닫다 → 닫히다 (be closed), 열다 → 열리다 (be opened), 안다 → 안기다 (be held).

How does the -아지다/어지다 passive/inchoative differ from suffix passives?

-아지다/어지다 attaches to verbs to form a passive/spontaneous change and to adjectives to mean 'become' (change of state). 만들어지다 = 'be made'; 좋아지다 = 'become good/better.' It expresses a gradual change or a result, and is productive where suffix passives are lexically limited.

What does -게 되다 express, and how does it relate to passives?

-게 되다 expresses that a situation comes about, often by external circumstance rather than the subject's will ('come to / end up'). It is not a true passive but conveys a passive-like sense of a state arising: 한국에 살게 됐어요 = 'I ended up living in Korea.'

Give the passive-marking particle used for the agent ('by') in Korean passive sentences.

The agent in a passive sentence is marked with 에게/한테 (for animate agents) or 에 (for inanimate causes/forces). Example: 쥐가 고양이에게 잡혔어요 = 'The mouse was caught by the cat.'

Since suffix causatives and passives share -이-, -히-, -리-, -기-, how do you tell them apart?

Tell them apart by argument structure and meaning: a causative ADDS a causer/agent and usually takes an object ('make X do'), while a passive REMOVES the agent from subject position and the subject is acted upon. Context and whether there's an object clarify: 잡히다 can be passive 'be caught'; 먹이다 is causative 'feed' — many verbs use different suffix sets, so memorize each verb's forms.

What is the plain first-person singular pronoun, and its humble form?

The plain first-person singular is 나 ('I'), with subject form 내가 and possessive 내. The humble form (used toward superiors) is 저, with subject 제가 and possessive 제. Example: 저는 학생입니다.

Give the plain and humble first-person plural pronouns for 'we/our.'

Plain 'we' is 우리 (possessive 우리); humble 'we' is 저희 (used toward superiors). Note: 저희 나라 is avoided for 'our country' — Koreans say 우리나라, since one shouldn't humble the nation.

What are the Korean second-person pronouns 너 and 당신, and their usage caveats?

너 is casual 'you' (subject 네가/니가, possessive 네) used with close/younger people. 당신 is a formal 'you' used mainly between spouses, in writing/ads, or can sound confrontational in argument — so Koreans usually avoid direct 'you' and use names/titles instead.

How do Koreans typically address someone instead of using a 'you' pronoun?

Instead of a 'you' pronoun, Koreans use the person's name/title + 씨 (e.g. 민수 씨), a role/kinship title (선생님, 사장님, 언니, 오빠), or the honorific noun 그쪽/댁 in some contexts. Direct second-person pronouns are largely avoided out of politeness.

List the third-person reference forms for 'he,' 'she,' and 'it/that person.'

그 (he), 그녀 (she, mainly literary), 그 사람/그분 (that person; 그분 is honorific). 이/그/저 + 사람/분 vary by distance. In speech, names or 그 사람 are preferred over 그/그녀, which feel bookish.

How is the reflexive pronoun expressed in Korean, and what is the honorific reflexive?

The reflexive 'oneself' is 자기 (casual/general) and 자신 (self, more formal, often combined as 자기 자신). The honorific reflexive for an elder/respected referent is 당신 (used third-person reflexively) or more safely just repeating the title.

How are Korean demonstratives 이, 그, 저 distinguished?

이 = 'this' (near speaker), 그 = 'that' (near listener or already mentioned/known), 저 = 'that over there' (far from both). They combine with nouns: 이것/그것/저것 (this/that/that-yonder thing), 여기/거기/저기 (here/there/over there).

How are Korean personal pronouns pluralized?

Add the plural suffix -들 or use a group word: 그들 (they), 너희(들) (you all), 저희 (we, humble). For people generally, 사람들 (people). -들 marks plural but is often optional when plurality is clear.

Define conjunctions/transition words (접속 부사) in Korean and their sentence position.

접속 부사 are adverbial conjunctions that link two separate sentences and appear at the START of the second sentence (unlike connective endings, which stay inside one sentence). Examples: 그리고, 하지만, 그래서. They are followed by the full clause.

What do 그리고, 그래서, and 그러나 mean as sentence-initial conjunctions?

그리고 = 'and/and then' (addition/sequence); 그래서 = 'so/therefore' (result); 그러나 = 'but/however' (formal contrast). Each begins a new sentence: 비가 왔어요. 그래서 집에 있었어요.

Compare the contrastive transition words 하지만, 그러나, and 그런데.

하지만 = 'but/however' (common, neutral-to-informal). 그러나 = 'however' (formal/written). 그런데 = 'but/by the way' (introduces contrast OR a soft topic shift, conversational). All start a new sentence.

What is the difference between 그래서 and 그러니까 as sentence-initial conjunctions?

그래서 = 'so/therefore,' stating a result objectively and it cannot precede a command. 그러니까 = 'so/that's why,' giving a subjective reason and CAN precede commands/suggestions: 늦었어요. 그러니까 서두르세요 = 'We're late, so hurry.'

What do the additive transition words 그리고, 게다가, and 또한 convey?

그리고 = 'and' (simple addition). 게다가 = 'moreover/on top of that' (adds a further, often stronger point). 또한 = 'also/furthermore' (formal addition). Example: 싸요. 게다가 맛있어요 = 'It's cheap. On top of that, it's tasty.'

What do 그러면/그럼 and 그렇지 않으면 express?

그러면 (contracted 그럼) = 'then/in that case,' drawing a conclusion or condition's consequence: 피곤해요? 그럼 쉬세요. 그렇지 않으면 = 'otherwise/if not,' presenting the alternative: 서두르세요. 그렇지 않으면 늦어요.

What contrast do 그래도 and 그러면서 express as transitions?

그래도 = 'even so/still/nevertheless,' the result holds despite the prior statement: 비쌌어요. 그래도 샀어요. 그러면서(도) = 'while (doing so)/and yet,' linking simultaneous or contradictory behavior across sentences.

What are the reason/consequence transitions 따라서 and 왜냐하면, including their sentence structure?

따라서 = 'therefore/accordingly' (formal result), begins the concluding sentence. 왜냐하면 = 'the reason is/because,' begins a sentence that MUST end with -기 때문이다/-아서/어서 그렇다: 왜냐하면 시간이 없었기 때문이에요.

How do the connective ending -고 and the conjunction 그리고 differ in linking ideas?

-고 is a connective ending fused to the first verb inside ONE sentence (밥을 먹고 잤어요). 그리고 is a separate word that starts a SECOND sentence (밥을 먹었어요. 그리고 잤어요). Both mean 'and,' but 그리고 breaks the clauses into independent sentences.

How do you say 'because' three ways in Korean, distinguishing clause-internal vs sentence-initial forms?

Clause-internal (within one sentence): -아서/어서 and -(으)니까 (attach to the reason clause's verb), and the noun-based -기 때문에. Sentence-initial (start a new sentence): 그래서/그러니까 ('so') and 왜냐하면...기 때문이다 ('because'). Choose based on whether you connect within a sentence or across sentences.