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Study in the app →Korean · TOPIK Band 1 · Chapter 37
길을 가르쳐 주세요 Please show me the way
Finding your way in the city and making polite requests. Vocabulary: 도시, 동네, 지하철, 편의점, 사거리, 지도, 천천히, 다시, 기다리다, 열다. Key grammar: the request form "-아/어 주세요" (please do ~ for me). Unlike chapter 19’s "noun + 주세요" (물 주세요, please give me water), to ask for an action you add "아/어" to the verb stem and then "주세요" (same 아/어 vowel harmony as chapter 18): "천천히 말해 주세요" (please speak slowly), "문을 열어 주세요" (please open the door), "잠깐 기다려 주세요" (please wait a moment). English speakers use "noun + 주세요" even for actions: to ask for directions "길을 주세요" (= give me the road) ✗ → "길을 가르쳐 주세요" ✓. Culture corner: Korean city neighborhoods, the subway, convenience stores, and calling out with "저기요". Hangul corner: liaison in "말해" [마래], "열어" [여러].
Dialogue
길을 주세요 / 길을 가르쳐 주세요
- Michael 저기요, 지하철역을 찾아요. 길을 주세요. Excuse me, I’m looking for the subway station. Give me the road. (slip: an action needs verb + 아/어 주세요, not noun + 주세요 — "길을 가르쳐 주세요")
- Jieun "길을 주세요"는 길을 나에게 달라는 뜻이에요. 행동을 부탁할 때는 "가르쳐 주세요": "길을 가르쳐 주세요". "길을 주세요" means "give the road to me". To request an action, use "가르쳐 주세요": "길을 가르쳐 주세요".
- Michael 아, 알겠어요. 지하철역까지 길을 가르쳐 주세요. Ah, I see. Please show me the way to the subway station.
- Jieun 이 사거리에서 왼쪽으로 가세요. 편의점 옆에 지하철역이 있어요. Turn left at this intersection. The subway station is next to the convenience store.
- Michael 조금 빨라요. 다시 천천히 말해 주세요. That’s a bit fast. Please say it again slowly.
- Jieun 네. 이. 사거리에서. 왼쪽. 편의점. 옆. 이제 됐어요? Sure. This. Intersection. Left. Convenience store. Next to it. Got it now?
Dialogue
편의점에서 — At the convenience store
- Minsu 저기요, 물 한 병 주세요. 그리고 봉투도 열어 주세요. Excuse me, one bottle of water please. And please open a bag too.
- Jieun 네, 여기 있어요. 봉투 열었어요. 또 필요한 거 있어요? Here you go. I’ve opened the bag. Do you need anything else?
- Minsu 이 동네에 지하철역이 있어요? 지도를 보여 주세요. Is there a subway station in this neighborhood? Please show me the map.
- Jieun 여기 지도예요. 사거리에서 오른쪽으로 5분 걸어가면 돼요. Here’s the map. Walk right at the intersection for five minutes and you’re there.
- Minsu 고맙습니다. 정말 친절하시네요. Thank you. You’re really kind.
Vocabulary
| 汉字 | Pinyin | POS | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 도시 | dosi | n. | city |
| 동네 | dongne | n. | neighborhood |
| 지하철 | jihacheol | n. | subway |
| 편의점 | pyeonuijeom | n. | convenience store |
| 사거리 | sageori | n. | intersection, crossroads |
| 지도 | jido | n. | map |
| 천천히 | cheoncheonhi | adv. | slowly |
| 다시 | dasi | adv. | again |
| 기다리다 | gidarida | v. | to wait |
| 열다 | yeolda | v. | to open |
Grammar
부탁의 "-아/어 주세요" Requests: "-아/어 주세요" (please do ~ for me)
19과에서 "명사 + 주세요"를 배웠어요: "물 주세요"(물을 나에게 주세요). 하지만 어떤 "행동"을 부탁할 때는 동사에 붙여요: 동사 어간 + "아/어"(18과의 모음 조화와 같아요) + "주세요". ㅏ/ㅗ면 "아 주세요"(앉다→앉아 주세요, 닫다→닫아 주세요), 다른 모음이면 "어 주세요"(열다→열어 주세요, 기다리다→기다려 주세요), "하다"는 "해 주세요"(말하다→말해 주세요, 가르치다→가르쳐 주세요). 뜻은 "저를 위해 ~해 주세요"예요: "천천히 말해 주세요", "문을 열어 주세요", "다시 설명해 주세요". 영어권 학습자는 행동에도 명사 방식을 써요: 길을 물어보려고 "길을 주세요"(=길을 나에게 줘) ✗ → 행동이니까 "길을 가르쳐 주세요" ✓.
In chapter 19 you learned "noun + 주세요": "물 주세요" (please give me water). But to request an "action", you attach it to a verb: verb stem + "아/어" (the same vowel harmony as chapter 18) + "주세요". If ㅏ/ㅗ → "아 주세요" (앉다→앉아 주세요 please sit, 닫다→닫아 주세요 please close), other vowels → "어 주세요" (열다→열어 주세요 please open, 기다리다→기다려 주세요 please wait), "하다" → "해 주세요" (말하다→말해 주세요 please say, 가르치다→가르쳐 주세요 please teach). It means "please do ~ for me": "천천히 말해 주세요" (speak slowly), "문을 열어 주세요" (open the door), "다시 설명해 주세요" (explain again). English speakers use the noun way even for actions: to ask for directions "길을 주세요" (= give me the road) ✗ → it is an action, so "길을 가르쳐 주세요" ✓.
- 천천히 말해 주세요. Cheoncheonhi malhae juseyo. Please speak slowly.
- 지도를 보여 주세요. Jidoreul boyeo juseyo. Please show me the map.
- 잠깐 기다려 주세요. Jamkkan gidaryeo juseyo. Please wait a moment.
- 편의점이 어디예요? 길을 가르쳐 주세요. Pyeonuijeomi eodiyeyo? Gireul gareuchyeo juseyo. Where is the convenience store? Please show me the way.
Culture
한국의 도시 생활 Life in a Korean city
Korean cities are walkable and alive late into the night. Within a small "동네" (neighborhood) you find shops, restaurants, and convenience stores clustered together, and the subway ties the whole city together. The small phrases you use to ask for directions or for help reveal the courtesy of the city.
The 동네: a walkable city
The basic unit of a Korean city is the "동네". A few minutes’ walk from home you find a supermarket, bakery, café, clinic, and hair salon. So many people shop on foot every day and go out to eat. Every alley has a small shop, and in the evening neighbors go for walks. It is a city you can live in comfortably without a big car.
The subway: the lines that tie the city
Big cities like Seoul and Busan have an excellent subway. Colour-coded lines reach every corner of the city. With a single "T-money" card you transfer between subway and bus. On the subway people talk quietly and leave the priority seats empty. When you’re lost, you can just ask "저기요, 이 역이 어디예요?" (Excuse me, where is this station?).
Convenience stores and "저기요"
Korean cities have a huge number of convenience stores. Open 24 hours, they sell everything — water, 김밥, umbrellas, even phone chargers. To call a clerk, or a server in a restaurant, you say "저기요" — a polite phrase used instead of raising your hand or shouting. And when someone helps you, you always say "감사합니다" (thank you). These small words keep a busy city gentle.
In short: Korean cities are lived on foot, tied together by the subway, and kept awake at night by convenience stores. And small words like "저기요", "가르쳐 주세요", and "감사합니다" gently connect strangers. It’s fine to get lost in the city — ask politely and someone will surely help.
hangul
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