Lesson 1

Unit 1. 잠시만요 vs. 잠깐만요

Translations:
잠시만요 = Just a second. / Wait a second. / Excuse me.
잠깐만요 = Just a second. / Wait a second. Excuse me.

They are basically interchangeable, but 잠시만요 tends to be used more often in a more formal setting than 잠깐만요. Both are used when you ask someone to wait for a moment while you are doing something. However, 잠시만요 is more often used as “Excuse me” than 잠깐만요 whereas 잠깐만요 is more often used as “Wait!” to stop someone.

Example #1
A: 빨리 가자! = Hurry up and let’s go!
B: 잠시만요. = Just a second. / 잠깐만요 = Just a second.

In this context, 잠시만요 and 잠깐만요 are interchangeable, but 잠시만요 feels slightly more polite and less casual.

Example #2
You can use 잠시만요 when you want to pass through in the subway, in a store, etc.. If you say 잠깐만요 in such settings, you may sound like you want to talk to the other person about something.
잠시만요. = Excuse me.”

Example #3
When you are speaking casual and informal language (반말) with friends, you can drop the -요 at the end and just say 잠시만 or 잠깐만. You can shorten 잠깐만 even further and just say 잠깐, too, but you cannot shorten 잠시만 to 잠시, as 잠시 has a slightly different meaning.

잠시만. = Just a second. Wait.
잠깐만. = Just a second. Wait.
잠깐. = Just a second. Wait.
잠시 = for just a second (잠시 can only be used as an adverb and therefore as part of a sentence. e.g. 잠시 갔다 올게. = I’ll come back in a second.)

Unit 2. 지금 vs. 이제

Translations:
지금 = now, at present, currently
이제 = and now, then now, from now on

•지금 = now (the plain form of saying ‘now’)
•이제 = and now, as late as now (when you are comparing the past and the present, when you mention a change in situation (상황 변화), when you were waiting for something for a while (이제야))
•이제 (겨우) = only (when you are talking about someone’s age or progress, you can use 이제 겨우 or just 이제 to mean “just,” “only,” or “merely.”)

Example #1
지금 몇 시예요? = What time is it now? (just checking the time)
이제 몇 시예요? = What time is it now? (you can’t wait for a certain time, you are repeatedly asking)

Example #2
이제 뭐 해요? = Now what are we/you doing next? (after finishing something)
지금 뭐 해요? = What are you doing now?

Example #3
A: 아들이 중학생이라고 했나요? = Did you say your son was a middle school student?
B: 아니요. 이제 겨우 10살이에요. = No. He is only 10 years old now.

Unit 3. 그리워요 vs. 보고 싶어요

Translations:
그리워요 = I miss (someone). / I miss (a place). / I miss (doing something).
보고 싶어요 = I miss you. / I want to see (something/someone).

보고 싶어요 (originally meaning “I want to see”) means that you miss someone, and 그리워요 means that you miss someone or something. So you can only use 보고 싶어요 about people or pets, whereas 그리워요 can be used for things, places, and even food. Another difference is that 그리워요 (or the original verb form 그립다) is considered to be a more poetic expression, therefore it is often used in song lyrics or poems to talk about people who are missed.

Example #1
“I miss Korea.”
한국이 그립다. (natural)
한국이 보고 싶다. (awkward)

“I miss my school days.”
학창 시절이 그립다. (natural)
학창 시절이 보고 싶다. (wrong)

Example #2
“friends that I miss”
그리운 친구들 (poetic)
보고 싶은 친구들 (colloquial)

Example #3
“Mom, I miss you.”
엄마, 보고 싶어요. (natural)
엄마, 그리워요. (wrong and unnatural)