Lesson 74 (Intermediate 2 Lesson 1)

I think I’ll use the actual lesson number from now on instead of trying to follow the term A & B system, so this is Lesson 1. And stop with the titles, unless I have a really good one for that week.

I got back the test results a day before this lesson. I did not check the marks until the day itself. It was okay, better than the Beginner 4 train wreck.

But it turns out my definition of a “train wreck” is nothing as bad as my friend’s.

After this lesson, my friend told me this was his last term as he wants to focus on studying for his Master’s. But part of the reason is also because it is getting harder and he is falling behind. He said something along the lines that he felt the teacher took pity on him and gave him a passing mark this time, and the comments written was encouraging him.

I told him I did worse for the Beginner 4, and he told me if the first digit is not a 7, then it is not bad. (I got 80+ so it was definitely “good” by his standards. I do not think it is so much a matter of the raw score alone, but it also depends on the test. Still, I believe I could have done better for the listening back then.)

Ah, well. The class having 5 people will not be good for the pairing, but… I guess that should not be the first thing I think about?

A fresh chapter begins—Chapter 5. This is also about travel. The second travel chapter and we are still in a pandemic.

We covered the first 3 (of 4) grammar points of this chapter in the handout.

Grammar

1. A/V-(으)ㄹ까요?/N일까요?

This is used to ask for the listener’s opinion about something unknown to or wondered about by the speaker.

It should look very familiar, as we have seen V-(으)ㄹ 까요? (“Shall we…?”) way back then.

The usage here is different. When used in this way, the sentence would be more accurately translated “Do you think he/she/…?” rather than “Shall we…?”

Examples

1. 내일 날씨가 맑을까요? (Do you think the weather will be clear tomorrow?)
2. 나나 씨가 이 음식을 좋아할까요? (Do you think Nana will like this food?)
3. 주말인데 식당을 예약할 수 있을까요? (It’s the weekend, do you think I can make a reservation at the restaurant?)

Our next grammar point is how you would answer such a question.

2. A/V-(으)ㄹ 거예요/N일 거예요

This should also look familiar. V-(으)ㄹ 거예요 is the future tense.

But here, this is used to express one’s assumption or opinion about a certain situation in a less direct way. This is frequently used as a response to a question with assumption, that is, A/V-(으)ㄹ까요?/N일까요?

To further express uncertainty, ‘아마’ is used together with A/V-(으)ㄹ 거예요/N일 거예요.

Examples:

1. 내일 비가올 거예요. (I think it will rain tomorrow.)
2. 네, 아마 좋아할 거예요. (Yes, she probably will like it.)
3. 마리코 씨가 이 다라마를 알까요? —아마 모를 거예요. (Do you think Mariko knows this drama? —Maybe she doesn’t.)

3. A/V-(으)니까/N(이)니까

This is used to indicate that the preceding clause is the reason for or basis for the following clause.

It is most frequently used for giving a personal opinion, suggestion, or request.

Examples:

1. 불고기가 맛있으니까 불고기를 드세요. (The bulgogi is delicious, so please eat it.)
2. 집이 여기에서 머니까 빨리 가야 돼요. (Your house is far from here, so you have to go quickly.)

However, it also works for simple statements.

Examples:

1. 구두를 신고 걸으니까 발이 아파요.
2. 월요일이나까 길이 많이 복잡해요.

If you notice, these are sentences where you could also use A/V-아서/어서/해서/N(이)라서.

1. 구두를 신고 걸어서 발이 아파요.
2. 월요일이라서 길이 많이 복잡해요.

So what’s the difference?

The first, of course, is that you can use A/V-(으)니까/N(이)니까 for sentences where the second clause is a suggestion or recommendation. You cannot do this with A/V-아서/어서/해서/N(이)라서 .

Another is that you can use the past tense form with A/V-(으)니까/N(이)니까, but not with A/V-아서/어서/해서/N(이)라서.

• 한국에 살았으니까 한국어를 잘해요. (I can speak Korean well because I lived in Korea.)

With A/V-아서/어서/해서/N(이)라서 you can express the past tense, yes, but it cannot be differentiated from a case with the present tense.

Finally, you should not use A/V-(으)니까/N(이)니까 for providing reasons or excuses for an action in a polite manner.

There's a reason why 만나서 반갑습니다 is a set phrase. Not 만나니까 반갑습니다. Similarly, you will say 늦어서 죄송합니다 and not 늦으니까 죄송합니다.

It’s not grammatically wrong to use it. However, you have to be very careful when using A/V-(으)니까/N(이)니까 for excuses because it can come off as being rude. This is especially if you are speaking with a senior. Between friends, it is generally not an issue.

If you are giving a suggestion and you want to be polite, then instead of using A/V-(으)니까/N(이)니까, you can use A-(으)ㄴ데, V-는데, N인데. This is an extra tidbit from the teacher, not covered in the textbook. The textbook does not mention this at all.

Vocabulary

Homework

The homework was just the workbook. It was honestly more difficult that before, and it took me something like 2 hours to complete.

There were a few sections that required you to create your own answers, so it is no longer just a simple application of the grammar rule with the vocabulary words supplied.

I think I should update my time estimates for the homework to 1.5 hours minimum. It’s still 30 minutes, which is a joke.

Stats

• Students: 5 (One was on a plane to Korea)
• Breakout room activities: Yes, random pairs.