Lesson 16
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to create sentences with stronger emphasis and richer context. You CAN keep your sentences very simple, but being able to add “really”, “truly”, “a little”, “very”, or “not really” to emphasize a point can really kick your Korean fluency up a notch!
Please take a look at the following five words and how they are used in Korean sentences:
조금 [jo-geum] = a little, a bit, a little bit
정말 [jeong-mal] = really, truly
아주 [a-ju] = very, quite
별로 [byeol-lo] = not really, not particularly
전혀 [jeon-hyeo] = not at all
* 조금, 아주, and 정말 can be used with any sentence, but 별로 and 전혀 can only be used with negative sentences.
조금 = a little, a bit, a little bit
Sample Sentences
조금 비싸요. [jo-geum bi-ssa-yo.]
= It is a little expensive.
조금만 주세요. [jo-geum-man ju-se-yo.]
= Give me only a little bit.
물 조금만 주세요. [mul jo-geum-man ju-se-yo.]
= Give me only a little bit of water.
소금 조금만 주세요. [so-geum jo-geum-man ju-se-yo.]
= Give me only a little bit of salt.
* When pronounced quickly, 조금 often becomes 좀 [jom] (often pronounced like 쫌 [jjom]) and is frequently written this way as well.
** The use of 조금 to mean “quite” or “very” is possible based on the assumption that the other person in the conversation understands what you mean. For example, in the first sample sentence, 조금 비싸요, can mean both “it is a little expensive” or “it is quite expensive” depending on tone and context.
정말 = really, truly
Sample Sentences
정말 빨라요. [jeong-mal ppal-la-yo.]
= It is really fast.
정말 이상해요. [jeong-mal i-sang-hae-yo.]
= It is really strange.
* A word which has almost the same meaning as 정말 is 진짜 [jin-jja]. It is considered a little less formal than 정말.
** Whereas other words introduced here are used to describe the extent to which something is done or to describe the intensity of a certain state (i.e. “very” good, “a little” expensive or
“quite” fast), 정말 and 진짜 can also be used to just express whether or not what is being said is true. (i.e. I “really” did it).
Sample Conversation
A: 제가 방 청소했어요! [je-ga bang cheong-so-hae-sseo-yo!]
= I cleaned up my room!
B: 아... 진짜? [a… jin-jja?]
= Oh, really?
A: 예, 진짜! 보고 싶어요? [ye, jin-jja! bo-go si-peo-yo?]
= Yeah, really! Do you want to see it?
아주 = very, quite
Sample Sentences
아주 맛있어요. [a-ju ma-si-sseo-yo.]
= It is very delicious.
아주 멀어요. [a-ju meo-reo-yo.]
= It is very far away.
* 아주 is the most standard way of saying “very” in the written form, but more often than not,
in spoken Korean, 아주 is replaced with 정말 or 진짜.
별로 = not really; not particularly
* 별로 is always used in negative sentences, regardless of whether the verb that follows has a negative or a positive meaning.
** Rather than just using 별로, sometimes, in Korean, 안 [an], must be added to the sentence to actually make the sentence a negative. Using 별로 when speaking will allow the listener to guess that the end of the sentence will be something in negative form.
Sample Sentences
별로 안 비싸요. [byeol-lo an bi-ssa-yo.]
= It is not so expensive.
별로 재미없어요. [byeol-lo jae-mi-eop-sseo-yo.]
= It is not that interesting.
* 재미없어요 is one word, but because 없어요 is already within the word itself, it is possible to say “별로 재미없어요.”
별로 안 나빠요. [byeol-lo an na-ppa-yo.]
= It is not too bad. (It is not the worst, but it is still bad. Note: this does not mean the same thing as the English phrase “it is not bad”.)
* Even if the word 나쁘다 [na-ppeu-da] has a negative meaning, saying only “별로 나쁘다 [byeol-lo na-ppeu-da]” does not work.
전혀 = not at all
Sample Sentences
전혀 안 바빠요. [jeon-hyeo an ba-ppa-yo.]
= I am not busy at all.
전혀 안 더워요. [jeon-hyeo an deo-wo-yo.]
= It is not hot at all.
* In spoken Korean, the expression 하나도 [ha-na-do] is used more commonly than 전혀.