Dates, Periods, and Quantity Expressions

Counting Units such as 잔, 송이, 마리, 개

Counting units are dependent nouns that are attached after a number word when counting people or things. In Korean, number words are not attached directly to nouns. A unit that suits the shape and nature of the object must be used with them, so if the wrong unit is chosen, the meaning may still get across but the sentence sounds unnatural.

Beverages such as coffee or black tea that are drunk from a cup are counted with '잔'(cup counter). With one through four, '잔' attaches directly, as in '한 잔'(one cup), '두 잔'(two cups), '세 잔'(three cups), and '네 잔'(four cups). For five and above, native Korean number words are used as they are, as in '다섯 잔'(five cups) and '여덟 잔'(eight cups). Drinks and alcohol sold in bottles are counted with '병'(bottle counter). Example: 맥주 한 병(one bottle of beer). The same drink is counted with '잔' when it is drunk from a cup, and with '병' when it is sold by the bottle, so the two cases must be distinguished. A large container holding liquid is counted with '통'(large container counter). Example: 간장 두 통(two containers of soy sauce).

Animals are counted with '마리'(animal counter). Example: 고양이 세 마리(three cats). Fish are also counted with '마리', so the same unit is used when stating the price of fish. Using '개'(general counter) to count living animals such as dogs or chickens is incorrect.

Flowers and grapes that grow attached to a stem or branch are counted with '송이'(cluster counter). Example: 장미 두 송이(two roses).

Thin, flat things such as paper, documents, and train tickets are counted with '장'(sheet counter). Example: 종이 두 장(two sheets of paper). '장' is also used when asking how many documents to copy.

Machines and vehicles are counted with '대'(machine counter), and boats are counted with '척'(boat counter). Example: 컴퓨터 한 대(one computer), 배 두 척(two boats).

Rice is counted by the amount in the bowl with '공기'(bowl of rice counter). Example: 밥 두 공기(two bowls of rice). Food served in a bowl, such as noodles or cold noodles, is counted with '그릇'(bowl counter). Example: 냉면 한 그릇(one bowl of cold noodles). When counting the bowls themselves, '개' is used because a bowl is an object.

Small objects with no specific unit, such as coins, are counted with '개'. Example: 동전 세 개(three coins). '개' is a general unit used when no special unit exists, so if a specific unit is available, it should be chosen first.

People are counted with '명'(person counter). Example: 학생 세 명(three students). Because '명' counts people, it is not used for fish or beverages. When food is ordered by portion per person, '인분'(servings) is used. Example: 불고기 이 인분(two servings of bulgogi).

Units with similar uses, such as '잔' and '장' or '마리' and '개', must be distinguished. Drinks in a cup take '잔', thin paper takes '장', animals take '마리', and objects with no special unit take '개'.

Counting Units for Vehicles and Buildings

The basic rule is that vehicles and machines take '대'(machine counter), houses take '채'(house counter), and large buildings such as apartments take '동'(building counter). The object being counted must be identified first in order to choose the unit, and if the unit changes, the same number can make the sentence wrong.

• 대 — Used for counting machines and devices such as cars, televisions, and computers. Counting cars with '명'(person counter) or '분'(polite person counter) is an incorrect expression. Example: 주차장에 승용차 두 대가 있다. (There are two passenger cars in the parking lot.) Factory machines are also counted with '대', so they should not be confused with '병'(bottle counter) or '마리'(animal counter). Example: 세탁기 세 대가 고장 났다. (Three washing machines are broken.)

• 채 — Used for counting houses and dwellings. A house cannot be counted with '명'(person counter) or '잔'(cup counter), and '층'(floor counter), which counts the floors of a building, cannot be used either. Example: 골목에 낡은 집 두 채가 있다. (There are two old houses in the alley.) Houses arranged in several rows must be counted row by row and then added together, so houses placed above and below are combined and stated as '세 채'(three houses). Example: 언덕 위에 한 채, 아래에 두 채가 있으면 모두 세 채이다. (If there is one house on the hill and two below it, there are three houses in total.)

• 동 — Used for counting large multi-story buildings such as apartments. It is easily confused with '명'(person counter) and '갑'(pack counter for cigarettes). Example: 단지 안에 아파트 세 동이 서 있다. (Three apartment buildings stand within the complex.)

• 층짜리 — When stating the number of floors in a building, a Sino-Korean number is used before '층'(floor), with '-짜리'(-storied) attached. Because it is easy to assume that native Korean numbers should be used for floors, care is needed. Example: 사 층짜리 상가 건물이다. (It is a four-story commercial building.)

• 개 — Used for counting spaces inside a house, such as rooms or bathrooms. On a floor plan, if the same kind of space appears in several places, all of them must be counted without omission. Example: 이 집에는 방이 두 개 있다. (This house has two rooms.)

• 혼동하기 쉬운 단위 — People are counted with '명'(person counter), but '분'(polite person counter) is used when speaking respectfully. Drinks in a cup or bowl take '잔'(cup counter), clothes or a set take '벌'(set counter), cigarettes take '갑'(pack counter), items in bottles take '병'(bottle counter), animals take '마리'(animal counter), and shoes or socks take '켤레'(pair counter). Example: 손님 두 분이 오셨다. (Two guests have arrived.)

Days of the Week and Weekend Expressions

The days of the week are seven: 월요일 (Monday), 화요일 (Tuesday), 수요일 (Wednesday), 목요일 (Thursday), 금요일 (Friday), 토요일 (Saturday), and 일요일 (Sunday). They follow one another in order from 월요일 through 일요일. Because problems that divide working days from rest days must be solved by following this order, if a person works from 월요일 through 토요일, the day left over is 일요일.

'주말' (weekend) refers to 토요일 (Saturday) and 일요일 (Sunday) together, the days at the end of the week. 월요일 through 금요일 without the weekend are usually called '평일' (weekdays). So if a company works on 평일 and rests on 주말, it means the company rests on 토요일 and 일요일.

Because 토요일 belongs to the weekend, it is grouped with 일요일 as a rest day. You should also remember that 토요일 is the day after 금요일 and the first day of the weekend.

'쉬다' (to rest) means not doing work, so days on which no work is done, such as 공휴일 (public holidays) or weekends, are called '쉬는 날' (rest days). '쉬는 날' does not pair with '받는 날' (day of receiving), '사는 날' (day of buying), or '하는 날' (day of doing). A month with many 공휴일 is a month with many 쉬는 날.

'영화를 보다' (to watch a movie) shows that movies and TV are used with '보다' (to watch), while '청소를 하다' (to clean) shows that work or activities are used with '하다' (to do). When describing what one does at home on the weekend, this agreement must be distinguished.

'늦게' (late) is an adverb meaning that someone wakes up or arrives later in time than usual. On a working day, one must go to work by a set time, but on a rest day there is no need to go to work, so waking up later than usual is natural.

'지난 일요일' (last Sunday): when '지난' is attached to a day of the week, it refers to that day in the previous week. Things done on that day are expressed with the past tense (-았/었-).

'정기휴무' (regular closing day) means closing on set days on a regular basis. If '매주 월요일 정기휴무' (regular closing every Monday) is written, it means the place closes every Monday, not that work is done on Monday.

'가장 많이' (the most) and '제일 적게' (the least) are expressions indicating whether an item's value in a graph is the largest or smallest. In a bar graph, the tallest bar corresponds to '가장 많이', and the shortest bar corresponds to '제일 적게'.

The units '분' (minutes) and '시간' (hours) in a graph are different. 20분 is in minutes, and 2시간 is 120분, so when comparing two values, the units must be made the same.

In a pie graph, the area of each section shows its proportion, so the widest section is the item with the largest share. Judge the item with the largest proportion as in '가장 많이 하고 싶어 하는 일' (the thing one most wants to do).

'-기 전에' (before doing) means doing something ahead of another action, and '-(으)ㄴ 후에' (after doing) means doing something after another action. When looking for what is done before a meal in a schedule with a written order, look at the box directly before the meal.

Date Expressions (어제 (yesterday)·내일 (tomorrow)·모레 (the day after tomorrow)·내년 (next year))

'어제' (yesterday) is the day before today, and '내일' (tomorrow) is the day after today. Date problems are solved by counting one day at a time starting from today.

If today is 일요일, the day before is 토요일, so '어제' (yesterday) refers to 토요일. '어제' is used when talking about a day in the past, so it is used with past-tense sentences.

'그저께' (the day before yesterday) and '그제' (the day before yesterday) have the same meaning and refer to two days before today. Conversely, '모레' (the day after tomorrow) refers to two days after today. For example, if today is 금요일, two days later is 일요일, so '모레' refers to 일요일.

When asking about date expressions together with days of the week, move one step at a time through the order of the days. If today is 월요일, tomorrow is 화요일, and the day after tomorrow is 수요일.

'올해' (this year) refers to the current year, '작년' (last year) is the year just before this year, and '내년' (next year) is the year after this year. When speaking of the following year relative to this year, use '내년'.

Attaching '에' to a word for a year, as in '작년에' (in last year), indicates the time within that year when something happened. Things that happened last year are expressed with the past tense (-았/었-), and the year two years before this year is called '재작년' (the year before last).

'내년에 ~겠다' (will ~ next year) expresses a plan or schedule for a year that has not yet come. Choices that describe a time or plan not mentioned in the passage do not match the content of the passage.

'먼저' (first), '그 다음에' (after that), and '-(으)ㄴ 후에' (after doing) show the order of several actions. In questions asking about tomorrow's tasks in order, arrange the actions one after another by following these connecting expressions.

Counting Units for Books, Stamps, and Shoes

When expressing a quantity, a unit suited to the object being counted is attached after the number. This unit is called a unit dependent noun. Even the same number uses different units depending on the shape and nature of the object, so you must learn separately which unit is used for each item. Before a unit, use the attributive form of a native Korean number such as '한, 두, 세, 네', and write the number and the unit with a space between them.

The units used for each kind of object are distinguished as follows.

• 권 — Used when counting bound items such as books or notebooks. Books are counted by volume, not as individual sheets of paper, so counting them with '장' is wrong. Example) 소설책 세 권을 빌렸다.

• 켤레 — Used when counting items that come in matching pairs, such as shoes or socks, as a unit of one pair made of two pieces. It must be distinguished from '짝', which means a single piece of a pair. When all the pieces are matched, the number of 켤레 equals the number of 짝 divided by two. Example) 운동화 두 켤레를 샀다.

• 장 — Used when counting thin, flat items such as paper, stamps, and tables. Even individual items arranged in several rows are counted by their total number, not by the number of rows. Example) 우표 한 장을 편지에 붙였다.

• 대 — Used when counting machine-operated items such as cars or machines. Example) 주차장에 자동차 두 대가 있다.

• 마리 — Used when counting animals. Example) 고양이 세 마리가 마당에 있다.

Since 구두(dress shoes) is a pair of shoes, it is counted with '켤레'. Counting it with '장', '대', or '마리' is wrong. The principle is to choose the unit based on the shape and nature of the object.

Expressions for Periods and Dates

A period is expressed by attaching a number to a unit that measures length of time, such as '일, 주, 개월, 년', and it is often used together with '동안' (for, during). To convey the meaning correctly, you must distinguish words that express a point in time from words that express a length of time.

The following expressions are frequently used for periods and dates.

• 개월 — A period unit used for counting months. It is used with Sino-Korean numbers, as in '삼 개월' and '칠 개월', and it is distinguished from '월' (the name of a month). Example) 이 공사는 칠 개월 만에 끝났다.

• 달 — A period unit used with native Korean numbers. To express three, use '석 달', not '삼 달'. Example) 방학이 두 달 남았다.

• 년 — A period unit used for counting years. It is written with Sino-Korean numbers, as in '일 년' and '이 년'. Example) 그는 이 년 동안 같은 회사에서 일했다.

• 주 — A period unit used for counting weeks. Example) 보고서를 이 주 안에 제출해야 한다.

• 시·시간·분 — '시' (o'clock) indicates a single point in time, as in '열한 시', while '시간' (hour, as a duration) indicates length, as in '한 시간'. One hour is 60 minutes, so short lengths are counted in '분' (minutes). Example) 회의가 한 시간 동안 이어졌다.

• 동안 — Attached after a word expressing a length of time to show that the period continues. Example) 주말 동안 집에서 쉬었다.

• 걸리다 — Used to say how much time something requires. Therefore, a question about duration is asked as '얼마나 걸려요?' (How long does it take?), and the answer is given as a period, such as '일주일 정도' (about one week). Example) 집에서 학교까지 걸어서 이십 분쯤 걸린다. '언제 와요?' (When are you coming?) asks about a point in time, so it is not used where a duration is being asked.

• -ㄴ 지 — Attached to the past attributive form of a verb, with '지' following it, to show the period that has passed from the time something began until now. It is usually used with '얼마나 되다' (how long has it been). Example) 운전을 배운 지 얼마나 되었어요?

• 전·후 — As in '1년 전', '전' (ago, before) indicates a past point in time counted back from now. Conversely, '후' (after, later) indicates a point after now, and '앞으로 ~ 더' (from now on, further) indicates a period that will continue further into the future. Example) 이 주 후에 시험을 본다.

• 박·일 — Nights and days are written together, as in '이 박 삼 일', to express the duration of an overnight trip. The number of nights is one fewer than the number of days. Adding '정도' (about) or '쯤' (around) makes the period approximate. Example) 강원도에서 일 박 이 일 여행을 했다.

• 영업·휴일 — '쉬다' (to rest, be closed) is used to mean that a shop does not operate and closes its doors, while '영업' (business operation) means that a shop conducts business. 'A부터 B까지' (from A to B) includes both the dates A and B, and '~까지만' (only until) limits the period to that point.

• 공휴일·쉬는 날 — 공휴일 (public holiday) is a day of rest designated by the country. As in '쉬는 날' (a day off), the attributive form '쉬는' of the verb '쉬다' modifies the following noun '날'. Example) 연휴에는 쉬는 날이 이어져서 좋다.

Time, Frequency, and Degree Adverbs

Time, frequency, and degree adverbs are adverbs that indicate when an action takes place, how often it takes place, and how strong a state or action is. In fill-in-the-blank questions, the key is to choose the adverb that matches the meaning of the sentences before and after it, so you should learn the meaning of each adverb together with the expressions it commonly agrees with.

Time adverbs that indicate when an event occurred are distinguished by whether it has already happened, has not yet happened, or will happen later. '벌써'(already) means that something has already become that way, and '아직'(not yet) means that such a thing has not happened until now, so it is often used with negative expressions such as '아직 ~지 못했다'(have not yet been able to ~). '나중에'(later) refers to a time after now, so it is used as in '지금은 어려우니 나중에 하겠다'(It is difficult now, so I will do it later). '늦게'(late) means doing something later than the usual time, and '일찍'(early) means doing something earlier than usual, so they refer to opposite times. '빨리'(quickly) means doing something in a hurry, and '천천히'(slowly) means doing something at a slow, leisurely pace. These two adverbs express the speed of an action as manner adverbs, and they are used with opposite meanings.

Frequency adverbs show how often the same action is repeated. '항상'(always) means always, without exception, so it is used when talking about something one does every time regardless of the weather or circumstances. '자주'(often) means repeated many times, and '가끔'(sometimes) means occurring now and then, once in a while. '자주' and '가끔' are used in contrast according to how many times something happens. '계속'(continuously) means continuing without stopping in the middle, and it is used in the sense of '중단 없이 ~하다'(to do something without interruption). The interrogative expression for asking about frequency is '얼마나 자주'(how often). When asked with this expression, the answer is given as a number of times, such as '일주일에 한 번 정도'(about once a week), and it must be distinguished from questions asked with '언제'(when) or '누가'(who).

Degree adverbs show how strong a state or action is. '굉장히'(extremely, very much) means very strongly and is used with affirmative predicates. In contrast, '별로'(not much) means not many, and '전혀'(not at all) means not in the least, so they must be followed by a negative expression. Learn these collocations together, such as '별로 좋아하지 않다'(do not like very much) and '전혀 모르다'(do not know at all).

Seasonal Vocabulary

The basic seasonal vocabulary consists of four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter, and the word '계절'(season) refers to these four. When a superordinate term is needed to refer collectively to one of spring, summer, autumn, or winter, '계절'(season) is used.

The question asking about a favorite season is phrased as '무슨 계절이 좋아요?'(What season do you like?), and the answer is given by naming the season, as in '저는 여름을 좋아해요'(I like summer).

Each season has weather vocabulary that goes with it. Spring is warm and flowers bloom, summer is '무덥다'(hot and humid), autumn is '선선하다'(cool and pleasant) and the leaves change color, and winter is cold and snows. '무덥다'(hot and humid) means being hot and humid to the point of sweltering heat, and '선선하다'(cool and pleasant) means being moderately cool and refreshing.

Summer is a season when work is difficult because of the heat, so people go on vacation to mountains, beaches, rivers, and other places to escape the heat. Therefore, '휴가를 가다'(to go on vacation) and '더위를 피하다'(to escape the heat) are expressions to learn together with summer.

The period of heavy rain during summer is called '장마'(monsoon rain), and in Korea this period is called '장마철'(rainy season). After the rainy season ends, hot weather often continues, and it frequently becomes the hottest time of the year.

Humidity is the amount of water vapor contained in the air, and when humidity is high, the air feels hotter or colder even at the same temperature. In Korea, summer humidity is high, so it feels hotter than the actual temperature, and in winter, strong winds blow, so it feels colder.

Seasonal weather serves as a standard that divides people's activities. Summer is a season when people travel a lot because the weather is good and pleasant, while winter is a poor season for travel because it is too cold.

When reading a table or bar graph that shows numerical values by season, match each season name with the height of its bar and find the highest value. The season with the tallest bar is the season with the most.

Comparing Numerical Values on Graphs

Bar graphs, pie charts, and tables are materials designed to compare numerical values by item. Graph questions ask about one of the following: the item with the most, the item with the least, a ranking, or the proportion of a particular range, so you must first check the units and item names. The item with the tallest bar is the maximum value, and the item with the shortest bar is the minimum value.

• '가장 많다'(most) / '가장 적다'(least) — Means that the value is the largest or smallest among several items. In a bar graph, compare the heights of the bars; in a pie chart, compare the largest slices. Example) Find the classroom with the fewest students among three classrooms.
• '다음으로 많다'(next most) / '두 번째'(second) — Refers to the value that is next largest after first place. If the difference between first and second place is small, the end positions of the bars must be compared precisely. Example) Choose the fruit with the second-highest sales among three kinds of fruit.
• '이상'(or more) / '이하'(or less) / '미만'(under) — '이상' and '이하' include the reference value, whereas '미만' does not include the reference value. When several ranges are grouped together and asked about, such as '8시간 이하'(8 hours or less) in a pie chart, add up the proportions of all the relevant ranges to make the judgment.
• '절반'(half) / '반 이상'(more than half) — Half means 50% of the whole, and more than half means a value exceeding 50%. If the proportion of one range is less than 50%, you cannot say that this range alone is half. Example) 30% of the whole is not half.
• '단위'(unit) — First check whether the value the bar indicates is in minutes, hours, or percent. Since 1시간 equals 60분, reading the two units mixed together will lead you to choose an incorrect option.
• '눈금 읽기'(reading the scale) — If the end of a bar lies between scale marks, read the value based on the nearest scale mark. When the values in the answer choices are close to each other, align the end of the bar with the scale marks and read it accurately.
• '범례'(legend) — First check which item the colors or patterns indicate. If there are several bars for the same company or the same month, compare only the bar for the item the question asks about.
• Totals and '기타'(others) — When the proportions in a pie chart are added together, they make 100%. '기타' groups the remaining items together, so when discussing rankings by country, exclude '기타' from the country ranking.