Lesson 7
In this lesson, let us learn how to say “to” someone, and “from” someone. Before you learn these expressions, please remember that when it comes to particles that link words together, there aren’t always direct (and correct) translations between English and Korean. So it is important to understand the characteristics and roles of these particles and words, rather than just memorizing the similar counterparts in English.
To say, “to someone” or “from someone”, you can use the words 한테 [han-te] and 한테서 [han te-seo]. There are words that have the same characteristics, which are 에게 [e-ge] and 에게서 [e-ge-seo], but since 에게 and 에게서 are mainly used in written language, let us focus on 한테 and 한테서 in this lesson.
한테 [han-te] = “to” someone, “from” someone
한테서 [han-te-seo] = “from” someone
Notice the difference?
Yes, just like you are thinking now, 한테 and 한테서 have mixed meanings and functions. And especially 한테 can mean ‘to’ and ‘from’. So, the meaning can only be completely understood through looking at the context.
Although 한테 and 한테서 have the meaning of “to” or “from”, you can only use them about people. You can not use these words about objects or places.
- “to a friend” = friend + 한테 ( O )
- “to Seoul” = Seoul + 한테 ( X )
Examples
저한테 [jeo-han-te] = to me, from me
친구한테 [chin-gu-han-te] = to a friend, from a friend
누구한테 [nu-gu-han-te] = to whom, from whom
저한테서 [jeo-han-te-seo] = from me
친구한테서 [chin-gu-han-te-seo] = from a friend
누구한테서 [nu-gu-han-te-seo] = from whom
** When used with a verb that already expresses a passive voice, 한테 can mean “by” as well. For example, 맞다 [mat-tta] means “to be correct” but in another meaning, it can be “to be beaten” or “to be hit”. So A한테 맞다 can be translated as “to be beaten by A”.