Driving & Cars

Korean Basic Conversation 4

Chapter 3 · Driving & Cars: Renting, Fuel, Repairs & Traffic Rules

🚗 Driving & Cars — 운전과 자동차

In this chapter you rent a car, fill it up, follow the navigation, deal with traffic and parking, and talk about a breakdown. The grammar: first steps with passive verbs (막히다 "be blocked", 주차되다 "be parked") and -는 바람에 ("because of something unwelcome that happened"). For the full explanation of the passive see Korean Grammar 3 2 (Passive Suffixes) and Korean Grammar 3 3 (Passive with 되다 and 받다); for the reason pattern see Korean Grammar 3 7 (Reasons and Results).

① Renting a Car — 렌터카 빌리기

A:안녕하세요. 어제 인터넷으로 렌터카를 예약했는데요.Hello. I booked a rental car on the internet yesterday.

B:네, 성함을 말씀해 주세요. 운전면허증도 보여 주시겠어요?Yes, please tell me your name. Could you also show your driving licence?

A:여기 있어요. 국제운전면허증도 가져왔어요.Here it is. I've also brought an international driving permit.

B:보험은 기본으로 들어 있고요, 사고가 나면 이 번호로 연락해 주세요.Basic insurance is included, and if there's an accident, please call this number.

A:기름은 어떻게 해요? 가득 채워서 반납해야 해요?What about fuel? Do I have to return it with a full tank?

B:네, 받으신 대로 가득 채워서 반납해 주세요. 하이패스 단말기는 차에 달려 있어요.Yes, please return it full, as you received it. The Hi-pass device is fitted in the car.

Hard words: 예약하다 ye-ya-ka-da book · 국제운전면허증 guk-je-un-jeon-myeon-heo-jeung international driving permit · 반납하다 ban-na-pa-da return · 가득 ga-deuk full · 단말기 dan-mal-gi device

② At the Petrol Station — 주유소에서

A:휘발유 가득 넣어 주세요.Fill it up with petrol, please.

B:잠깐만요. 이 차는 휘발유예요, 경유예요?One moment. Is this car petrol or diesel?

A:잘 모르겠어요. 렌터카라서요.I'm not sure. It's a rental car.

B:주유구 뚜껑 안쪽에 쓰여 있어요. 아, 경유라고 되어 있네요.It's written inside the fuel cap. Ah, it says diesel.

A:큰일 날 뻔했네요! 그럼 경유로 5만 원어치 넣어 주세요.That was a close call! Then please put in 50,000 won of diesel.

B:네, 카드로 계산하시겠어요? 세차도 하시겠어요?Yes. Will you pay by card? Would you like a car wash too?

Hard words: 휘발유 hwi-ba-ryu petrol · 경유 gyeong-yu diesel · 주유구 ju-yu-gu fuel inlet · 뚜껑 ttu-kkeong cap · -어치 -eo-chi worth · 세차 se-cha car wash

③ On the Motorway — 고속도로에서

A:길이 너무 막히네요. 사고가 났나 봐요.The road is really jammed. There must have been an accident.

B:연휴라서 그래요. 비가 오는 바람에 더 막히는 것 같아요.It's because of the holiday. And the rain seems to make it even worse.

A:다음 휴게소에서 좀 쉴까요?Shall we take a break at the next service area?

B:좋아요. 거기 호두과자가 유명하대요.Good. I hear their walnut cakes are famous.

A:요금소가 보이네요. 하이패스 차로로 가면 되죠?I can see the toll gate. We go in the Hi-pass lane, right?

B:네, 속도를 줄이고 천천히 지나가세요.Yes, slow down and go through slowly.

Hard words: 막히다 ma-ki-da be jammed · 연휴 yeon-hyu long holiday · 휴게소 hyu-ge-so service area · 요금소 yo-geum-so toll gate · 차로 cha-ro lane

④ Following the Navigation — 내비게이션

A:내비게이션이 삼백 미터 앞에서 우회전하라고 하네요.The navigation says to turn right in 300 metres.

B:잠깐만요. 방금 지나친 것 같아요.Wait. I think we just missed it.

A:그럼 다음 신호등에서 유턴하세요.Then make a U-turn at the next traffic light.

B:여기서는 유턴이 안 돼요. 표지판을 보세요.You can't make a U-turn here. Look at the sign.

A:앞 교차로에서 좌회전해서 다시 돌아가요.Let's turn left at the next junction and go round again.

B:네, 내비게이션이 길을 다시 찾고 있어요.Yes, the navigation is finding a new route.

Hard words: 우회전 u-hoe-jeon right turn · 좌회전 jwa-hoe-jeon left turn · 유턴 yu-teon U-turn · 표지판 pyo-ji-pan road sign · 교차로 gyo-cha-ro junction

⑤ Parking and Fines — 주차와 과태료

A:제 차가 안 보여요. 여기에 주차했는데요.I can't see my car. I parked it here.

B:거기는 주차 금지 구역이에요. 아마 견인됐을 거예요.That's a no-parking zone. It has probably been towed.

A:정말요? 표지판이 나무에 가려져 있어서 못 봤어요.Really? The sign was hidden by a tree, so I didn't see it.

B:구청에 전화해 보세요. 과태료를 내야 차를 찾을 수 있어요.Call the district office. You have to pay the fine to get the car back.

A:그리고 어제는 속도위반 단속 카메라에 찍힌 것 같아요.And yesterday I think I got caught on a speed camera.

B:그럼 곧 우편으로 고지서가 올 거예요. 앞으로는 속도를 지키세요.Then a notice will arrive by post soon. From now on, keep to the speed limit.

Hard words: 견인되다 gyeon-in-doe-da be towed · 가려지다 ga-ryeo-ji-da be hidden · 과태료 gwa-tae-ryo fine · 단속 dan-sok enforcement · 고지서 go-ji-seo notice, bill

⑥ Between Friends (casual) — 차가 고장 났어

A:야, 차가 갑자기 서 버렸어. 시동이 안 걸려.Hey, the car suddenly stopped. It won't start.

B:배터리가 나간 거 아냐? 보험사에 긴급출동 부르자.Isn't it the battery? Let's call the insurance company's emergency service.

A:그래. 지난주에 정비소에 갔을 때 괜찮다고 했는데.Okay. When I went to the garage last week they said it was fine.

B:비상등 켜고 차 밖에서 기다리자. 위험하니까.Let's turn on the hazard lights and wait outside the car. It's dangerous.

Hard words: 시동 si-dong engine start · 배터리 bae-teo-ri battery · 긴급출동 gin-geup-chul-dong emergency call-out · 정비소 jeong-bi-so garage · 비상등 bi-sang-deung hazard lights

🔑 Key Phrases — 중요한 표현

English	Polite (-요)	Casual (friends)
Fill it up, please.	가득 넣어 주세요.	가득 넣어 줘.
The road is jammed.	길이 막혀요.	길이 막혀.
Turn right here.	여기서 우회전하세요.	여기서 우회전해.
I can't park here.	여기는 주차할 수 없어요.	여기 주차 못 해.
The car broke down.	차가 고장 났어요.	차가 고장 났어.
I was late because of the rain.	비가 오는 바람에 늦었어요.	비가 오는 바람에 늦었어.

🔤 Three Verbs — 동사

Verb	Dictionary	Polite present	Past	-는 바람에
to drive	운전하다	운전해요	운전했어요	운전하는 바람에
to park	주차하다	주차해요	주차했어요	주차하는 바람에
to be jammed / blocked	막히다	막혀요	막혔어요	막히는 바람에

🧰 Grammar Tools — 문법

1. Passive verbs: first steps

In a passive sentence the thing that is affected is the subject: 길이 막혔어요. "The road is blocked." There are two main ways to make a passive. Some verbs take a suffix -이-, -히-, -리- or -기- before the ending: 막다 → 막히다 (block → be blocked), 열다 → 열리다 (open → be opened), 보다 → 보이다 (see → be seen). Verbs ending in 하다 swap it for -되다: 주차하다 → 주차되다 (park → be parked), 견인하다 → 견인되다 (tow → be towed). The suffix is learnt word by word, so treat each passive verb as a new word.

Active	Passive	Example
막다 block	막히다 be blocked	사고로 길이 막혔어요. The road is blocked because of an accident.
보다 see	보이다 be visible	표지판이 안 보여요. I can't see the sign.
닫다 close	닫히다 be closed	문이 안 닫혀요. The door won't close.
주차하다 park	주차되다 be parked	차가 길에 주차되어 있어요. A car is parked in the road.
견인하다 tow	견인되다 be towed	제 차가 견인됐어요. My car was towed.

Often the doer is not mentioned. When it is, a person takes 에게/한테 and a thing or cause takes 에: 단속 카메라에 찍혔어요. "I was caught on the enforcement camera." (찍다 → 찍히다)

2. -는 바람에: "because of an unwelcome event"

Add -는 바람에 to a verb stem to give a reason that caused a bad or unexpected result. Whatever the tense of the reason, the clause ends in -는 바람에, and the result is normally in the past: 비가 오는 바람에 길이 막혔어요. (Because it rained, the road got jammed.) The reason is something that happened, often outside your control, and the result is not wanted. The two clauses may have different subjects.

Reason	Result	Meaning
사고가 나는 바람에	두 시간 늦었어요.	An accident happened, so I was two hours late.
눈이 많이 오는 바람에	차가 움직일 수 없었어요.	It snowed so much that the car couldn't move.
길을 잘못 드는 바람에	약속에 늦었어요.	I took the wrong road and was late for the appointment.

Watch out: -는 바람에 cannot give an order or a suggestion The result of -는 바람에 is something that already happened and is unwelcome. You cannot end the sentence with a command or a "let's": say 비가 오는 바람에 길이 막혔어요, but for advice use -니까: 비가 오니까 천천히 가세요. Compare -느라고 in Korean Basic Conversation 4 1: -느라고 needs the same subject and a busy activity, whereas -는 바람에 may have different subjects and an event.

3. Traffic and car words

Korean	English
직진 / 좌회전 / 우회전 / 유턴	straight on / left turn / right turn / U-turn
신호등 / 교차로 / 차로	traffic light / junction / lane
주차 금지 / 속도위반	no parking / speeding
안전벨트를 매다	to fasten the seat belt
고장 나다 / 시동이 걸리다	to break down / for the engine to start

📰 Reading — 읽기

Read the text, then check the English and the word list. Then answer the true/false questions.

힘들었던 운전 여행

지난 연휴에 가족과 함께 렌터카를 빌려서 바다에 갔어요. 아침 일찍 출발했지만 고속도로에서 사고가 나는 바람에 길이 많이 막혔어요. 두 시간이나 늦게 도착했어요. 휴게소에 들러서 호두과자를 먹으면서 잠깐 쉬었어요. 그런데 숙소 앞에 차를 세웠더니 주차 금지라고 해서 근처 주차장으로 옮겼어요. 돌아오는 길에는 비가 오는 바람에 앞이 잘 보이지 않았어요. 천천히 운전해서 무사히 돌아왔어요. 힘들었지만 즐거운 여행이었어요.

English: During the last long holiday I rented a car and went to the sea with my family. We set off early in the morning, but because there was an accident on the motorway, the road was badly jammed. We arrived two hours late. We stopped at a service area, ate walnut cakes and rested for a while. Then when we stopped the car in front of the accommodation, we were told it was a no-parking place, so we moved it to a car park nearby. On the way back, because it rained, we couldn't see well ahead. We drove slowly and got home safely. It was hard, but it was an enjoyable trip.

Words: 출발하다 set off · 숙소 accommodation · 옮기다 move · 무사히 safely

1. The family rented a car for the trip.

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True: 렌터카를 빌려서.

2. The road was jammed because of an accident.

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True: 사고가 나는 바람에 길이 많이 막혔어요.

3. They could park in front of the accommodation.

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False: it was a no-parking place, so they moved the car.

4. On the way back it was difficult to see because of the rain.

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True: 비가 오는 바람에 앞이 잘 보이지 않았어요.

📖 Vocabulary — 어휘

20 key words for driving.

#	Korean	Say it	English	Type
1	렌터카	ren-teo-ka	rental car	noun
2	주유소	ju-yu-so	petrol station	noun
3	휘발유	hwi-ba-ryu	petrol	noun
4	경유	gyeong-yu	diesel	noun
5	고속도로	go-sok-do-ro	motorway	noun
6	하이패스	ha-i-pae-seu	Hi-pass (electronic toll)	noun
7	내비게이션	nae-bi-ge-i-syeon	navigation	noun
8	휴게소	hyu-ge-so	service area	noun
9	신호등	sin-ho-deung	traffic light	noun
10	주차장	ju-cha-jang	car park	noun
11	속도위반	sok-do-wi-ban	speeding	noun
12	과태료	gwa-tae-ryo	fine (administrative)	noun
13	정비소	jeong-bi-so	garage, repair shop	noun
14	운전면허증	un-jeon-myeon-heo-jeung	driving licence	noun
15	보험	bo-heom	insurance	noun
16	운전하다	un-jeon-ha-da	drive	verb
17	주차하다	ju-cha-ha-da	park	verb
18	막히다	ma-ki-da	be jammed, blocked	verb
19	반납하다	ban-na-pa-da	return (a rental)	verb
20	견인되다	gyeon-in-doe-da	be towed	verb

As Heard in Dramas — "안전벨트 매!" Characters in car scenes often say 안전벨트 매! ("Fasten your seat belt!") in 반말, and 운전할 줄 알아? ("Do you know how to drive?"). After a night out you will also hear a character call a 대리운전 (a driver hired to drive your own car home) rather than drive after drinking.

Real Korean Tip — Driving in Korea Cars drive on the right. Many motorway toll gates have a Hi-pass lane for cars with an electronic device, and the rest areas (휴게소) are well known for their food. Before long holidays such as 설날 and 추석, traffic is heavy and journeys can take far longer than usual. Drink-driving is taken very seriously and penalised strictly.

Register — Giving Directions Navigation voices and staff give directions politely with -세요 and -십시오: 직진하세요 ("go straight"), 우회전하십시오. With friends in the car you will hear short forms: 여기서 좌회전해.

✍️ Try It Yourself — 연습

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

1. Say "The road is jammed because of the rain."

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비가 오는 바람에 길이 막혔어요.

2. Say "My car was towed."

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제 차가 견인됐어요.

3. At the petrol station, say "Fill it up with diesel, please."

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경유 가득 넣어 주세요.

4. Say "I can't see the sign."

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표지판이 안 보여요.

5. Tell a friend casually "The car suddenly stopped."

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차가 갑자기 서 버렸어.

6. Why is 비가 오는 바람에 천천히 가세요 wrong, and what should you say?

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-는 바람에 cannot be followed by a command. Say 비가 오니까 천천히 가세요.