Lesson 63 (Intermediate 1A Lesson 1): Introducing Oneself, Again

We got back the test via KakaoTalk before the lesson. It's been a week but I've been busy so I've not sat down to look at it. This post is also more than a week late. It's fortunate that there's no class this week due to CNY, so I can get a breather.

The lesson started with going through common mistakes, but it wasn't a lot, so I would conclude that I did much worse on the listening component than the rest.

In this lesson, we started by looking at the topics in the 2A textbook. Then, we covered the entire Chapter 1 handout, and the homework was thus the entire worksheet. I suspect that the next lesson will cover the textbook, but there's also another additional one sheet which seems to be some kind of dialogue.

The teacher said that this is a warm-up chapter that's easier than the last one, which is why we were going so fast.

Grammar

1. N(이)라고 하다

This is used to introduce yourself in a formal manner (an alternative way of doing so instead of saying "I am..."), or used to indirectly quote something that one has heard from others.

The verb here is translated "to be called". So this is the equivalent of introducing yourself as "I am called (name)" rather than saying "I am (name)".

As you can tell from the form, you would have to add 이 after words that have Batchim.

It's not only for people's names, but also for things, such as when you are telling people what something is called in another language.

Examples:

• 저는 나나라고 해요.
• 이것은 한국어로 '가방'이라고 합니다.

Some related points is how to include in your introduction where you are from:

• 저는 독일에서 온 한스라고 해요. (I am Hans [who comes] from Germany.)
  • 온 is "from"
  • I translated it using "to be" instead of "to be called" because in English it is awkward to say "I am called Hans from Germany" as it sounds like your name is "Hans from Germany".

The other thing is the verb 부르다 (to call), which in the present tense in conjugated to 불러요. You would use it ask others to call you by a certain name, or to say how your friends call you, for example:

• 그냥 리키라고 부르세요. (Just call me Ricky.)
• 친구들은 저를 리키라고 불러요. (My friends call me Ricky.)

2. V-(으)려고

Grammar is getting a bit more challenging, less due to conjugation, but the situation and context of use.

This is used to indicate that someone has the intention to do something. It looks very similar to V-(으)려고 하다, and it was briefly mentioned when we learnt V-(으)러 가다/오다 in Lesson 59.

When talking about "intention", it means it is for something planned, something done with purpose. You wouldn't use it to give a simple reason or explanation.

If you are giving a simple reason, you would use A/V-아서/어서/해서.

Examples:

• 내일 아침에 먹으려고 빵을 샀어요.
• 한국 사람하고 한국어로 한국어를 이야기하려고 공부해요.

3. V-거나

This is used to indicate a series of options. It is essentially "or", used for linking verbs, the way V-고 links verbs with the meaning of "and". (We will see the version of "or" for linking nouns in the next grammar point.)

Examples:

• 저는 주말에 텔레비전을 보거나 책을 읽어요.
• 아침에 빵을 먹거나 우유를 마셔요.

4. N-(이)나

This is used to indicate options among a group of similar things. It has to be the same verb.

Examples:

• 물이나 주스를 마셔요.
• 딸기나 바나나를 살 거예요.
• 운동이나 쇼핑을 해요.

For the last example, it's allowed because it's the same "action" although 운동하다 and 쇼핑하다 are technically two different verbs. But these verbs are formed using nouns (운동 and 쇼핑) and they can also be written as 운동을 하다 and 쇼핑을 하다.

Vocabulary

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