Korean Job Discussion Forums

johnt11 · Joined: 17 Nov 2006 Location: Busan

Im wanting korean lessons in leeds before i leave for korea in February.

Anyone have any ideas or know anyone hwo could help?

Hyeon Een · Joined: 24 Jun 2005

Go to the Leeds University International Student Centre, and a couple of the student unions and put up a sign saying "Korean language exchange partner wanted" or "help me learn Korean" with you cellphone and email address.

If there are any other Universities in Leeds do the same there =)

Also you could visit the East Asian studies department and ask a prof there for leads to Koreans in Leeds =)

Then, when you find a Korean language exhange partner buy a book. Survival Korean is a good beginner book. Get a Korean to help you learn how to read and pronounce the korean alphabet properly (hangul). It isn't too hard, but its more than a lot of foreigners in Korea manage to do. Then start going through the lessons in whatever book you choose. Try to find a book that focuses on the "요" endings rather than the "입니디" endings as they'll be more useful most of the time. If you can't read those characters, find a Korean to help you before you choose a book(to read this message). Or just tell them you want to learn the "yo" rather than the "im-ni-da" sentence endings.

uberscheisse · Joined: 02 Dec 2003 Location: japan is better than korea.

johnt11,

http://korean.sogang.ac.kr/

this site will help you get acquainted with basic korean. once you have that site mastered you could survive a life of ex-pat semifluency for years.

korea's really easy to deal with, language-wise. get that alphabet down. if you're super-serious about the place, learn more... but even in the provincial cities it's easy.

crazy tigger · Joined: 06 Aug 2006

Hey, I live near Leeds, if you find someone could you let me know please?

tzechuk · Joined: 20 Dec 2004

A friend did his MA in Korean studies at Sheffield University (I am not sure if it is Sheffield or Sheffield Hallam actually) but Sheffield isn't too far from Leeds.. you could perhaps take a look. I know they offer Korean language.

JZer · Joined: 13 Jan 2005 Location: South Korea

I wish Hyeon Een would have been more clear to the OP. You want a book that will teach you informal Korean as opposed to the formal style one uses when talking to elders. There ae exceptions but most of the time you add yo to the stem to form the informal verb and im ni da to form a formal verb which you would use when speaking to elders.