Korean Job Discussion Forums

[IncognitoHFX]

I confirmed with my Korean teacher that my pronunciation isn't terrible or anything. I can speak some Korean and it's getting better everyday. My pronunciation has taken a huge leap in the last six months but I'm still having the same problem.

Problem being, with the exception of very basic sentences and requests (stuff ending in -주새요), it's rare for a Korean to understand my sentences. I went to charge my cell phone the other day, and there was a new clerk working in the store. He said I can't charge phones there, but I had done it before so I told him: 전에 했어요... The guy couldn't understand me. I had to repeat myself twenty times.

Next example is with a taxi driver. I wanted him to stop under the bridge, so I said -그 다리에서 밑에 가지 마새요 about five times... he didn't understand. I simplified it, he didn't understand. I ended up just saying "here" about three blocks after we past it.

Then there are the times when I had trouble using a sentence I've been using since my first week here. Like when I try asking for cigarettes at the convenience store and need to repeat myself fourteen times and then finally give up, crawl on the counter and point directly at what I want. That doesn't happen too often but it does happen.

Is it just me, or are Koreans more finicky than most about pronunciation? I've asked a few people about this (it bugs me) and they said it was because they expect me to speak English. Another thing I've been told is that it's because Koreans aren't used to accents. I'm not sure what, but I'm wondering if anyone else is in the same boat...

[the ireland]

it's the accent thing, we are used to English being spoken by countries all over the world, they are only used to it being spoken in Korea so are not used to, or perhaps ignorant of others, especially those with very different accents speaking their language.

I lived on an island and even asking for homeplus or mpark was a difficult task for about 60% of the time, if i didn't say "mpark-eu" or "homeplushee" then I wasn't getting there. what gets me is that there is absolutly nowhere else in the town that sounds like these places so how did they not figure out what i was talking about, it's not like they were caught in two minds over which place i was describing.

I did once get asked by a friendly taxi driver if i was american, when i said no, i'm irish, he asked me did we speak american there? I just said yes, it saved time and heartache!!

[eunjeong]

전에 is used when you are talking about before doing something.
The second one you actually said don't go under the bridge. ^^;;;

[IncognitoHFX]

[T-J]

제가 여기에서 해본적 있는데요

제가 여기에서 해봤는데요

Both of these convey the fact that you have experience doing it there before.

What you said was I did it earlier or before without specifying that you had done it there.

[eunjeong]

[IncognitoHFX]

[T-J]

With the bridge example, you said don't go under the bridge.

저 다리 지나가지 마세요
Don't go past the bridge.

저 다리 밑에 세워 주세요
Please stop under that bridge.

Seems to be a problem with syntax not pronunciation.

[IncognitoHFX]