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.
Table of Contents
Korean Reading Practice
공부 ?
비누
저는 지금 편의점에 가요
간식을 사고 싶어요.
피시방에서 과자를 먹을 거예요.
제가 제일 좋아하는 과자는 포카칩이에요.
아주 맛있어요.
자피 – 비누 씨! 안녕하세요! 어디 가요?
비누 – 안녕하세요, 자피 씨!
저는 편의점에 가고 있어요.
자피 씨는요 ?
자피 – 저는 도서관에 가고 있어요.
비누 – 읽고싶은 책이 있어요?
자피 – 아니요.
비누 – 그러면, 왜 도서관에 가요?
자피 – 도서관에서 공부할 거예요.
왜냐하면 다음주에 시험이 있어요.
비누 씨는 시험이 없어요?
비누 – 아니요. 저도 시험이 있어요.
그런데 저는 도서관에서는 공부를 못 해요.
자피 – 아, 그래요 ? 왜요 ?
비누 – 왜냐하면 도서관은 너무 조용해요.
자피 – 네 ? 그러면 어디에서 공부해요 ?
비누 – 보통 카페에서 공부해요.
가끔은 피시방에서 공부해요.
자피 – 피시방에서요 ? 와, 대박.
그러면 오늘은 어디에서 공부할 거예요?
비누 – 오늘은 공부 안 할 거예요. 게임할 거예요.
자피 – 아… 네..
Translation (toggle!)
Study ?
Binu
I’m going to the convenience store
I want to buy snacks
I will eat snacks at the PC bang (internet cafe).
My favorite snack is Pokachips
It’s very delicious.
***
Zapi – Binu ! Hello ! Where are you going ?
Binu – Hello, Zapi. I’m going to the convenience store. What about you?
Zapi – I’m going to the library.
Binu – Is there a book you want to read ?
Zapi – No
Binu – Then, why do you go to the library ?
Zapi – I’m gonna study at the library. Because I have exams next week. You don’t ?
Binu – I also do have exams. But I can’t study at the library.
Zapi – Ah ? Why ?
Binu – Because the library is too quiet.
Zapi – Uh ? Then, where do you study ?
Binu – Usually, I study at the coffee shop. Sometimes, I study at the PC bang (internet cafe)
Zapi – At the PC bang? Wow, that’s amazing. Then where will you study today?
Binu – I’m not gonna study today. I’m gonna play games
Zapi – Oh.. Okay..
Vocabulary
| 한국어 | 영어 |
|---|---|
| 어디 | Where |
| 편의점 | Convenience store |
| 도서관 | Library |
| 읽고싶은 책 | Book I(you) want to read |
| 왜냐하면 | Because |
| 다음주 | Next week |
| 시험 | Exam |
| 그런데 | But/However |
| 조용하다 | To be quiet |
| 그러면 | Then/If so |
| 보통 | Usually |
| 가끔 | Sometimes |
| 피시방 | PC room (internet café) |
| 게임하다 | To play games |
Grammar points
-고 있어요
Meaning: V -ing
Usage: Present progressive. Indicates an ongoing action, similar to the present continuous tense in English (e.g., “am doing”, “is doing”).
- Attach
-고 있어요to the verb stem to express that an action is currently happening. - Verb stem +
-고 있어요
Example:
저는 편의점에 가고 있어요. (I am going to the convenience store.)
가고 있어요 (I am going)
-ㄹ/을 거예요
Meaning: Will V
Usage: Future tense. Indicates a future action or intention, similar to “will” or “going to” in English.
- Attach
-을 거예요to the verb stem if the stem ends in a consonant. - Attach
-ㄹ 거예요to the verb stem if the stem ends in a vowel. - Verb stem +
-을/ㄹ 거예요
Examples:
…먹을 거예요 (I will eat…)
도서관에서 공부할 거예요. (I will study at the library.)
V-는 / A-(으)ㄴ
Meaning:
Noun modifier.
Turns an adjective (예쁘다) or a verb (먹다) into a noun modifier, a word that will describe the noun it precedes.
Usage: In the text, we see these noun modifiers in the present tense, which we will focus on.
- FOR VERBS
V + 는
Take the verb stem and add -는 - FOR ADJECTIVES
A + (으)ㄴ
Take the adjective stem and add 은 or ㄴ,
depending on whether the adjective stem ends with a consonant or a vowel.
Consonant : 높다 => 높 + 은 => 높은
Vowel : 예쁘다 => 예쁘 + ㄴ => 예쁜
Examples :
예쁜 여자 (Pretty woman)
높은 건물 (Tall building)
Note :
It’s a bit more difficult, but you can also merge this pattern with other patterns, like in the story with :
“읽고 싶은 책”
(the book I want to read)
=> 읽다 (to read)
=> -고 싶다 (to want, pattern we’ve studied last week)
=> -은 (noun modifier at the present tense, for adjectives – the grammar pattern 고 싶다 is conjugated like an adjective)
Examples :
읽고 싶은 책 (book [someone] wants to read)
먹고 싶은 음식 (dish [someone] wants to eat)
Other Texts For True Beginners
- 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 :
- Korean voice only, with pictures to help the understanding
- Korean subtitles + translation
- 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.
