Korean Reading for Beginners : Please help !

Hi Korean learners ! Today, we meet again for another Korean reading practice for beginners. This Korean short story is targeted towards baby beginners. (A0 – A1)

So if you haven’t been studying Korean for very long, you should be able to study through it.

In this article, you will find : 

• A reading practice in Korean
• A translation of the text
• A youtube video of this reading practice
• A vocabulary list
• A short explanation of the most difficult grammar parts

Table of Contents

Korean Reading Practice

도와주세요

자피 – 비누 씨, 무슨일이 있어요?
기분이 안 좋아 보여요.

비누 – 자피 씨, 안녕하세요.
오늘 그냥 기분이 별로예요.

자피 – 왜요 ?

비누 – 왜냐하면 어제 시험을 잘 못봤어요.

자피 – 그래요 ? 시험이 어려웠어요?

비누 – 네. 시험이 어려웠어요.

자피 – 공부는 많이 했어요?

비누 – 아니요. 공부를 못 했어요.
아침부터 저녁까지 게임만 했어요.

자피 – 하루종일 게임만 했어요?

비누 – 네. 며칠전에 아주 재미있는 게임이 나왔어요.

자피 – 비누씨..

비누 – 도와주세요 자피씨
엄마가 저를 죽일거예요

자피 – 앞으로는 피씨방에서 공부 하지 마요.
저랑 같이 도서관에서 공부해요.

비누 – 하지만 도서관은 재미가 없어요.

자피 – 그러면 어디에서 공부할 거예요?

비누 – 피시방에서 공부해요.

자피 – 미쳤어요?
또 게임만 할 거예요.

비누 – 너무해요 자피 씨

자피 – 그러면 내일 같이 1시부터 4시까지 도서관에서 공부해요.
그 후에 피씨방에서 게임해요.

비누 – 정말요?

자피 – 네.

비누 – 고마워요 자피씨

자피 – 내일 만나요

Vocabulary

Grammar points (+ special vocabulary!)

This time, the focus will be more set on special vocabulary words. These are important because they are widely used in Korean, but don’t come naturally to foreigners at the beginning of their learning journey.

So pay attention, and try making your own sentences with them! 🙂

별로

Meaning: “not really,” “not particularly,” or “not much.”

Usage: It is often used with a negative expression to show that something is not very good in a more indirect manner
(rather than “안 좋아해요” for example, which sounds a little awkward)

Example sentence : 오늘 기분이 별로예요. (I’m not feeling very good today)

In Korean, you’ll use and see 별로 a lot.
When you want to say you don’t really like something it’s “별로”. When something is not really pretty, it’s “별로”. You can use it in many situations.

– 이거 어때요 ? (How is this ?)
– 별로예요. (I don’t really like it)

시험을 보다

Meaning: “to take an exam”

Usage: 보다 means “to see”, “to watch” but can take various meanings. In a lot of grammar patterns, 보다 will take the nuance of “trying”.
In “시험을 보다”, it takes the meaning of “to take”.

To learn how to use “보다”, just keep in mind that it can also have this nuance of “trying”. With time, you’ll learn many grammar patterns using it.

Examples:
시험을 잘 봤어요 ?
(Did you do well in your exam?)
이거 먹어 봤어요 ?
(Have you tried eating this ?)
재미있는 영화를 봤어요.
(I watched a funny movie)

…부터 …까지

Meaning: …from …to (until)

Usage: “부터” means “from,” and “까지” means “until” or “to.”
Together, “…부터 …까지” means “from… to…” or “from… until…” This is used to indicate a range of time, places, or other things.

You can also use 에서 instead of 부터.

Example sentences :
Examples sentences :
아침부터 저녁까지 공부했어요.
(I studied from morning to evening)
1시부터 4시까지 공부해요.
(I study from 1 to 4.)

Other Texts For True Beginners

• Korean Short Story : 공부 ? Study ?
• Korean Short Story : Phone conversation
• Korean Reading Practice : Morning Story
• Korean Reading Practice : Self-Introduction
• Korean Reading Practice – The Market

Study Method for Texts

If you’re not familiar with text study, here’s a method I would suggest you try.

Since we’ve recently started making YouTube videos for each reading practice we post, I would suggest you watch the video to study the text.
The video is divided as follows :

1. Korean voice only, with pictures to help the understanding
2. Korean subtitles + translation
3. Additional notes

By following the video first, you’ll get a good grasp of the text. Then, you can come back here and study it from here.