Korean Lessons ᚛ Level 3 - Korean for Beginners #2 (Lessons 61 to 90) ᚛ Lesson 64 - Uses of the neutral style in Korean

Uses of the neutral style in Korean

In the previous chapter, we saw how to conjugate verbs in the neutral style, the written style. Now we'll see which cases it can be used in.

Express narration with a neutral style

The neutral style is used daily in books or documentaries. A narrator isn't addressing any one person in particular but simply telling a story, without a specific listener who requires one of the three styles of politeness that are normally used.

주말에도 회사에 간다.
→ He also goes to work on the weekend.

민지는 철수의 고백을 거절했다.
→ Minji refused Cheolsu's apology.

그 이야기를 듣고 크게 웃었다.
→ He hears this story and laughs hard.

한국 음식은 외국에서 인기가 많다.
→ Korean food is popular in other countries.

여행을 준비할 것이다.
→ He will prepare for his trip.

그는 요리사였다.
→ He was a cook.

어떤 한국 음식이 외국에서 유명한가?
→ In other countries, what type of Korean food is well-known?

There are also many Korean proverbs in this style.

Exclamations with the neutral style

In everyday life, the neutral style is commonly used to exclaim something or announce an agreement, as if one is speaking to oneself while allowing others to hear what is being said.

Note however that if the verb describes your listener, the neutral style cannot be used except in cases when you would use the casual style. If you are expressing your attitude towards some other thing, then the neutral style can be used in any situation.

Situation 1: You are at a restaurant and you taste a dish that you find particularly delicious, so you could exclaim: 맛있다! (= It's delicious!)
You're not addressing a particular person; you're announcing that the dish is delicious.

Situation 2: You are facing your girlfriend / boyfriend, who is particularly pretty / handsome today, so you could exclaim: 예쁘다! (= You're pretty / handsome!) Even though the verb designates your listener, it's really an announcement that you are making to yourself, and the neutral style can be used in this case, in the same way as the casual style.

Exercises

Ce livre numérique imprimable contient l'apprentissage de l'écriture coréenne ainsi que plus de 1000 mots de vocabulaire coréens répartis en 40 catégories. Tous ces mots sont accompagnés de leur prononciation audio réalisée par des Coréens natifs !

De plus, un outil en ligne d'apprentissage du vocabulaire basé sur la méthode scientifique de Leitner par répétition espacée est inclus.

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