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Korean Basic Conversation 2

Chapter 5 · Your Home & Neighbourhood

🏠 Your Home & Neighbourhood — 집과 동네

Where do you live, what is your home like and what is around it? This chapter teaches you to talk about rooms, furniture, floors, rent and the neighbourhood. It is also where the training wheels come off: from this chapter, dialog lines have no romanization underneath. Instead, each dialog ends with a short Hard words note for the new or tricky words, and the tables still carry the full "Say it" column. If you get stuck on a line, read it aloud syllable by syllable from the Hangul; you learned to do exactly that in Korean Alphabet 1.

eo = ㅓ (short, open "uh") eu = ㅡ (unrounded "oo") kk, tt, pp, jj = tense (tight, unaspirated) consonants [ ] = how the word is actually said, where it differs from the spelling

① Where Do You Live? — 어디에 살아요?

A: 어디에 살아요? Where do you live?

B: 서울 마포구에 살아요. I live in Mapo-gu, in Seoul.

A: 아파트예요? Is it an apartment?

B: 아니요, 원룸이에요. 작지만 깨끗해요. No, it's a studio flat. Small, but clean.

Hard words: 마포구 ma-po-gu · 원룸 won-rum · 깨끗해요 kkae-kkeu-tae-yo

② Floors and Rooms — 몇 층이에요?

A: 집이 몇 층이에요? What floor is your flat on?

B: 오 층이에요. 엘리베이터가 있어요. The fifth. There's a lift.

A: 방이 몇 개예요? How many rooms are there?

B: 방이 두 개, 화장실이 한 개 있어요. Two bedrooms and one bathroom.

Hard words: 층 cheung · 엘리베이터 el-li-be-i-teo · 화장실 hwa-jang-sil · 개 gae (counter)

③ Inside the Flat — 거실에 뭐가 있어요?

A: 거실에 뭐가 있어요? What's in the living room?

B: 소파랑 텔레비전이 있어요. A sofa and a television.

A: 침실에는요? And in the bedroom?

B: 침대 옆에 책상이 있어요. 옷장도 있어요. There's a desk next to the bed. And a wardrobe.

Hard words: 거실 geo-sil · 텔레비전 tel-le-bi-jeon · 침대 chim-dae · 책상 chaek-ssang · 옷장 ot-jjang

④ The Neighbourhood — 집 근처에 뭐가 있어요?

A: 집 근처에 뭐가 있어요? What's near your home?

B: 지하철역하고 편의점이 있어요. There's a subway station and a convenience store.

A: 마트도 가까워요? Is the supermarket close too?

B: 네, 걸어서 오 분이에요. 그리고 공원도 있어요. Yes, five minutes on foot. And there's a park too.

Hard words: 근처 geun-cheo · 편의점 pyeo-nui-jeom · 가까워요 ga-kka-wo-yo · 걸어서 geo-reo-seo · 공원 gong-won

⑤ Rent — 월세예요, 전세예요?

A: 그 집은 월세예요, 전세예요? Is that flat rented monthly, or with a deposit-only lease?

B: 월세예요. 한 달에 오십만 원이에요. Monthly rent. It's 500,000 won a month.

A: 비싸요? Is that expensive?

B: 서울에서는 보통이에요. In Seoul it's normal.

Hard words: 월세 wol-se · 전세 jeon-se · 오십만 원 o-sip-man won · 보통 bo-tong

⑥ Two Friends (casual) — 놀러 와!

A: 새 집은 어때? How's the new place?

B: 넓고 밝아! 그런데 역에서 좀 멀어. Spacious and bright! But it's a bit far from the station.

A: 얼마나 걸려? How long does it take?

B: 걸어서 십오 분쯤. 괜찮아! 놀러 와! About fifteen minutes on foot. It's fine! Come over!

Hard words: 넓고 neol-go · 밝아 bal-ga · 멀어 meo-reo · 놀러 와 nol-leo wa

🗝️ Key Phrases — 중요한 표현

Situation	Polite	Casual
Where do you live?	어디에 살아요? eo-di-e sa-ra-yo?	어디 살아? eo-di sa-ra?
What's near your home?	집 근처에 뭐가 있어요? jip geun-cheo-e mwo-ga i-sseo-yo?	집 근처에 뭐가 있어? jip geun-cheo-e mwo-ga i-sseo?
What floor is it on?	몇 층이에요? myeot cheung-i-e-yo?	몇 층이야? myeot cheung-i-ya?
How many rooms?	방이 몇 개예요? bang-i myeot gae-ye-yo?	방이 몇 개야? bang-i myeot gae-ya?
Is it far from the station?	역에서 멀어요? yeo-ge-seo meo-reo-yo?	역에서 멀어? yeo-ge-seo meo-reo?
Come over (to hang out)!	놀러 오세요! nol-leo o-se-yo!	놀러 와! nol-leo wa!

🔤 Three Verbs for Home — 동사

Verb	Everyday polite (-요)	Formal (-ㅂ니다)	Casual
to live (살다)	살아요 sa-ra-yo	삽니다 sam-ni-da	살아 sa-ra
not to exist; not to have (없다)	없어요 eop-sseo-yo	없습니다 eop-sseum-ni-da	없어 eop-sseo
to walk (걷다)	걸어요 geo-reo-yo	걷습니다 geot-sseum-ni-da	걸어 geo-reo

살다 drops its ㄹ before ㅂ (삽니다, not 살습니다). 걷다 is a ㄷ-irregular verb like 듣다 in Chapter 2: ㄷ becomes ㄹ before a vowel (걸어요). 걸어서 ("on foot") is a ready-made phrase you will use for distances.

🧱 Five Tools for Talking About Home

1. 있어요 and 없어요 — what exists where

To say that something is in a place, use place + 에 + thing + 이/가 + 있어요: 집 근처에 공원이 있어요 ("there is a park near my house"). The opposite is 없어요: 우리 집에는 엘리베이터가 없어요 ("our building has no lift"). Ask 뭐가 있어요? ("what is there?") and 어디에 있어요? ("where is it?"). Two things together are linked with (이)랑 or 하고: 소파랑 텔레비전, 지하철역하고 편의점 (랑 is more casual).

2. Position words

You met 앞, 뒤, 옆, 위 and 아래 in Korean Basic Conversation 1, Chapter 10. Add four more, all followed by 에: 침대 옆에 책상이 있어요.

English	Korean	Say it	English	Korean	Say it
in front of	앞	ap	inside	안	an
behind	뒤	dwi	outside	밖	bak
next to	옆	yeop	between	사이	sa-i
above; on	위	wi	near	근처	geun-cheo
below; under	아래 / 밑	a-rae / mit	across from	맞은편	ma-jeun-pyeon

3. 에 or 에서?

에 goes with being, existing and living somewhere: 서울에 살아요, 집에 있어요. 에서 goes with doing something somewhere: 집에서 쉬어요 (rest at home), 서울에서 일해요 (work in Seoul). Compare 집에 있어요 ("I am at home") with 집에서 게임을 해요 ("I play games at home"). More in Korean Grammar 1, chapter 4.

4. Floors and counting rooms

Floors use Sino-Korean numbers + 층: 일 층 (1st/ground), 이 층, 오 층, 십 층; below ground is 지하: 지하 일 층. Rooms and objects are counted with 개 and native numbers: 방이 두 개 (two rooms), 화장실이 한 개 (one bathroom). Rents go with 만 원 (10,000 won): 오십만 원 is 500,000 won (Korean Basic Conversation 1, Chapter 9).

5. Describing a home

English	Korean	Say it
spacious	넓어요	neol-beo-yo
cramped; narrow	좁아요	jo-ba-yo
clean	깨끗해요	kkae-kkeu-tae-yo
bright	밝아요	bal-ga-yo
close; near	가까워요	ga-kka-wo-yo
far	멀어요	meo-reo-yo
convenient	편해요	pyeon-hae-yo
noisy	시끄러워요	si-kkeu-reo-wo-yo

가까워요 and 시끄러워요 are ㅂ-irregular words (가깝다, 시끄럽다); learn them as they are for now and see Chapter 6 for the pattern.

Rooms and furniture — 방과 가구

English	Korean	Say it
living room	거실	geo-sil
bedroom	침실	chim-sil
kitchen	부엌	bu-eok
bathroom; toilet	화장실	hwa-jang-sil
entrance hall (where shoes come off)	현관	hyeon-gwan
bed	침대	chim-dae
desk	책상	chaek-ssang
wardrobe	옷장	ot-jjang
sofa	소파	so-pa

📖 Vocabulary — 어휘

#	Korean	Say it	English	Type
1	집	jip	house; home	noun
2	아파트	a-pa-teu	apartment (in a block)	noun
3	원룸	won-rum	studio flat; one-room flat	noun
4	방	bang	room	noun
5	거실	geo-sil	living room	noun
6	부엌	bu-eok	kitchen	noun
7	화장실	hwa-jang-sil	bathroom; toilet	noun
8	침대	chim-dae	bed	noun
9	책상	chaek-ssang	desk	noun
10	동네	dong-ne	neighbourhood	noun
11	근처	geun-cheo	nearby; vicinity	noun
12	이웃	i-ut	neighbour	noun
13	층	cheung	floor; storey	counter
14	월세	wol-se	monthly rent	noun
15	전세	jeon-se	deposit-only lease	noun
16	넓다	neop-tta	to be spacious	adjective
17	좁다	jop-tta	to be narrow; cramped	adjective
18	가깝다	ga-kkap-tta	to be near	adjective
19	멀다	meol-da	to be far	adjective
20	편하다	pyeon-ha-da	to be comfortable; convenient	adjective

전세 and 월세 Korean housing has a system that surprises foreigners. With a 월세 (monthly rent) you pay a deposit (보증금) and rent every month, as in many countries. With a 전세 the tenant pays one very large refundable sum instead of monthly rent and gets it back when the lease ends. When people ask 월세예요, 전세예요? they are asking which of the two applies.

Shoes Off at the 현관 The 현관 is the entrance hall, a small lowered area where shoes come off before you step up into the home: 신발을 벗어요. Visitors do the same, and the floor inside is often heated (온돌), which is why you will notice that Korean homes and drama characters are comfortable on the floor. Most people live in 아파트 (blocks in large complexes), not in houses.

As Heard in Dramas — 드라마에서 Dramas love two kinds of homes: the 옥탑방 (a small room on a building's roof) and the 반지하 (a "half-basement" flat). Both stand for modest living, and the contrast with a grand 아파트 is a regular plot device. Another word to learn: 집들이, a housewarming party, when friends and colleagues visit a new home.

Grammar Pointer The particles 에 and 에서 are in Korean Grammar 1, chapter 4. Position words were first taught in Korean Basic Conversation 1, Chapter 10; the count words (개, 층) follow the number systems of Korean Grammar 1, chapter 9. The ㅂ-irregular words (가까워요, 시끄러워요) come with their pattern in Korean Basic Conversation 2, Chapter 6.

✍️ Try It Yourself — 연습

Say each answer out loud first, then click to check.

1. Say "I live in Seoul. It's an apartment."

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서울에 살아요. 아파트예요.

2. Say "There's a convenience store near my house."

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집 근처에 편의점이 있어요.

3. Say "My flat is on the fifth floor, and there are two rooms."

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오 층이에요. 방이 두 개 있어요.

4. Say "There's a desk next to the bed."

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침대 옆에 책상이 있어요.

5. Ask "Is it far from the station?" and answer "It's five minutes on foot."

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역에서 멀어요? — 걸어서 오 분이에요.

6. Invite a friend casually: "Come over to my place!"

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우리 집에 놀러 와!