Korean Job Discussion Forums

[IncognitoHFX]

So I'm taking it pretty seriously. I bought three books at "What the Book" in Itaewon yesterday afternoon, brought them home and have been trying to memorize as much as possible. I've also been hyperfocussed on Koreans speaking and have been surprised at how many words I can pick up given I've only been here a few months.

My question is this: I know a couple Westerners who are fluent. In one case, it took the guy about five years of light study (being married to a Korean probably helped). In another case, the guy said he learned it in two years of self-study.

If I go on at this rate, and do a lot of self-study, engage in conversations et cetera, how long do you think it would take me to get "over the hump" and begin to speak Korean (not fluent but functional and conversational)?

My guesstimate is a year, but I've met a couple people around who claimed that they had been trying for five-six years and haven't seemed to get past "annyoung haseyo". Maybe it depends on the person's natural capability to learn a language. Or maybe they were just trying to find excuses for being lazy.

Also, is this the best way to learn? I don't have the time really to take any classes. My schedule is pretty erratic with most of my weekends being booked up.

Thanks.

[jindodog]

learning korean is hard....that said i dont think you should not try your hardest to learn the language. Before i came to korea i thought i was pretty good, or at least better than average at picking up language. However, korean has frustrated me more than i ever imagined.

if self-study is your only choice, i guess that's the best way for you...although if you are very serious, and really don't have time to take a class, you should consider a language exchange with a korean.

I think you can get far with self-study, but most importantly, it's how often you actually go out and use the stuff you study. for me, i could read korean all day long, but as soon as it comes to having a conversation with someone i'm flustered and all that comes outta my mouth is gobbledy-gook.

Its great to have some korean friends who you can chat with as well, the words I know best I have learned from speaking with friends and using them regularly in conversation, not from exercises i did silently in a book.

anyways, good luck.

[grainger]

http://stage6.divx.com/user/theulisma/videos/tag:ahn+chakhee?page=4

I found these to be quite helpful for the day to day stuff.

[mrsquirrel]

I have tried and got pissed off and tried and got pissed off and tried and got pissed off.

I have resigned myself to a life of grunting.

[Betty Rubble]

I know you said you don't have time to take classes, but the Korean Cultural Center offers free classes in the evenings once per week. Having a class to attend helped me stay motivated and you've got to love the price. Also, the classes were well organized and small.

http://www.kfcenter.or.kr/

[billybrobby]

In my opinion, you can't really measure it in terms of the amount of time that passes from when you begin studying until you get to your goal but rather the total number of hours you spend using (and to a lesser extent studying) the language. So it's up to you, right? It's almost solely a matter of how much you use it, which means it's almost solely a matter of discipline and motivation. How smart and talented does one really need to be to learn a language?

[DanielP]

Hey buddy,
I've been here for six months, and have been self-studying/practicing Korean for like, 30 mins study/day.

I am fluent enough to where I can get K-girls who speak no English to laugh with me, and I can chat with Koreans for a few minutes in pure Korean.


It's not the studying/day that needs to go up, but using it in the streets right after.

I recommend, for example, learning 5-10 words a day, or a grammatical structure, and then practicing it with the people. Like, structure the opportunity to practice it.

For example:

Shiksa Haesoyo? (Have you eaten? How are you?)
I'd learn that phrase, and then say high to people, and follow up with that sentence. For the most part, the people are nice and actually impressed.

Give it a try and see how it works for you.

Daniel P

[Morton]

Betty: thanks for the link. I am now registered for the basic 1 course starting in September.

[Oreovictim]

I study a little, but it's weird: some of the (western) foreigners think that I know a crap load; I don't.

I do have a Chinese friend who has been here for two years. She studies about 6 hours a day. Talk about discipline.

[jg]

[PeteJB]

Studying 6 hours per day is alright, if you don't mind having a heart attack at the end of it (from becoming a fatass)