Linguists praise Korean because Hangul is so phonetic. The consonants are designed to basically tell you how to pronounce them if you know what the different strokes mean (which really isn't necessary to learn, but I found it to be extremely interesting).
I think I'd agree with others that Korean is a comparatively easy language to learn, especially as far as Eastern languages go. The main thing Westerners will struggle with is sentence structure like you said, and all those particles.
I definitely agree that the Korean alphabet is mega easy to learn and is the main thing that attracted me to the language. Just being able to sound out any word you see feels so rewarding, or watching a video of someone walking through a Korean market and seeing "Starbucks Coffee" written in Hangul.
We, Koreans, know you guys are having more difficulty learning Korean than other languages. If you don't speak Korean, that's Ok. As the video says, we can appreciate you guys just trying and showing willingness to learn because we know it's difficult for you. Sometimes we consider it adorable and funny for big, tall, hairy people like you guys to try to speak Korean softly and awkwardly.
English native speakers, are SO ignorant ;) Try learning Russian or Polish, say - ANY slavic language and then come and we can talk what is hard to learn. Or Arabic. Or any tonal language. Korean is just different than most Indo_European languages, but still, this is not hard, compared to aforementioned above. Cmon.
@leihoa ignorant, all of us, huh? well, koreans tell us English is very hard, so I guess they are right. just read an article about the most difficult languages to learn for english speakers, and korean is ranked #9. arabic was first. russian or polish didn't make the list, but i respect your opinion.
@stephenworldwide I was not referring to your video, I noticed few comments from, as it seems, English native spkrs. Korean IS difficult because it is so much different. Still, its grammar, vocabulary, tenses are nothing compared to 6-7 cases of EACH noun is declinated in any slavic language (most have over 5 cases or more, Russian 6, Polish 7, etc). Verbs are conjugated, not in 3 ways like in Spanish but in dozens of ways. Same with adjectives. Not to mention pronounciation. Which is hell.
@stephenworldwide and if you have any doubts, please write "hub difficult language Polish" in Google, first link by a guy named "livelonger" or so. Read about... number 2 (17 words for this number in Polish, each different). I am Polish, and the fact that most people avoid learnng my language as a plague:) - it does NOT make me happy , but well... What can I do :)
@stephenworldwide so i think that japanese was easy on prononciation but hard to remenber all the harigana and stuff ! korean is easy even if the prononciation sucks ! anyway if u put your heart and soul u will success , and thanks to you !
@stephenworldwide Definitely not. Most linguists will tell you Korean is the easiest language to learn in the world. I think it might just be harder for English speakers because constructing sentences is Korean is different from the way we do it in English.
@Trixiaoyu Chinese is easier for english speakers definitely. They have the same sentence structure! The only difficult part for chinese is that you have to memorise every word you learned other than that its so much easier than korean.
@WGKeon - "They have the same sentence structure" Only for SIMPLE Chinese sentences. Try learning complicated sentences and over 10,000 Kanji. And what about the 5 tones? And what if the person is not an English speaker?! HAHAHAHAHA!!
@Trixiaoyu Kanji? im talking about chinese. since when chinese has kanji? and what about 5 tones? its not even important -.- and simple and complicated sentence are still the same, theres no difference? my korean friends learn chinese easier than english.
@Trixiaoyu I have read that Korean is the hardest language for an English speaker to learn in the world. Every verb has something like 600 possible endings. Chinese verbs have 1. Chinese grammar is simple, the difficulty lies in the fact that the words aren't related to English ones (although nor are Korean ones either), and the writing system is so hard. Japanese has only thee irregular verbs. Korean is harder than both for an English speaker.
Sound advice! I watched this before coming to Korea. I've been here for almost 4 months now. I learned to read Hanguel in one week during my training. Being here its so helpful to be able to try and read the menus and even the bus stop names. Koreans become more open to you when they see you are trying to learn the language. Its helpful to learn some phrases for the classroom too. Like "Please be quiet"...lol
@TravelingNatural Exactly! I'm sure you experienced the rush of being able to identify stuff on the menu and at the bus stop in hangeul after all that studying. Good for you!
@capitalix calm down buddy. this man is trying and it makes me feel good that somebody who is not korean is trying to learn korean. i support people like stephen here unlike you who will just sit there and diss cuz you think you are the shit. why don't you make a video of you speaking some other language and show everyone how perfect you are at it.
@tokee1234567 and if you go there so often? why were you talking about the experiences you had in 1950's as if the shit still happens all the time today?
@tokee1234567 well I was born and raised there. I bet you haven't talked to any Korean people actually living there about this "difficult" immigration/visa problems
I remember My friend in Korea being so excited when she found out that I could spell the word 바보, ha.
But thanks for giving people great advice! I find it ridiculous that some people are willing to live in another country and culture and not even try to get involved with it!
@melindadaniellec me too, i think they all try and give up when it's too hard, so they find their confort zone with English speaking Koreans and only hang out with foreigners in foreign bars.
What helped me learn are a few text books, busyatom.com, and flash cards. I am still learning. Honestly it is the best thing I felt I could ever try to do. It's my passion and I think that helps me out.
I'm planning to teach in Korea next year so im gonna start learning some basic Korean. Everyone says that hangul is really easy to learn which i hope is true cos at first glance it looks difficult. Anyway great vid! I totally agree with everything u said, how can u go to live in another country for at least a year and not make an effort to try to learn the basics??
I actually picked it up in an hour or two. //feels awesome.
What I did was I was listening to my favorite KPOP song and it had hangul and romanji lyrics. I was like, 'pffft no way, its all lines and bubbles, no way I could learn this.' I paused the video... and stared at it.
For 20 minutes.
Then I started to put stuff together. Where there was a ㅁ, an M was in the romanji. A ㄱ, a G. A ㅏ, an A. My mind was absolutely blown! I learned how to read a language by staring at it!! It was amazing!! ^_^
@awriterandagamer Thanks so much for that insight. It's amazing what you can learn when you get motivated!! Thanks for the tip, but I'm not a KPOP fan, so maybe I will try to use Korean films to learn.
@sam198113 Awesome! As with any language, once you get more familiar with the structure, and you get enough repetitions, you can pick it up faster. It doesn't just sound like "noise", but you can piece a sentence together based on a few words you know. Good for you!
@stephenworldwide that sounds even better~ its good to hear your advice though since a korean tch i knew said i didn't need to learn korean to go to korea...lol but thanks ^^
@Lamppostshines You don't have to learn Korean to live in Korea. I know a few people who've been living here for years and can't read or understand it. But in your free time it's a good idea to learn the basics for the reasons I say in the video. Thanks for watching!
i totally agree with this video! it may not be easy to learn a foreign language, but as long as you try, there is only positive that can come out of that situation. I also feel that it is respectful to try your best to adapt to the culture around you instead of isolating yourself and just sticking "only" to your own culture and way of living. all cultures have something we can share with each other, and learning each others language and way of living benefits us all! thanks for this awesome vid!
I agree with you ... When I visited my cousin in one of English speaking countries, I could just speak in Korean with my cousin .. but the biggest matter for me was that to have to whatever for myself such as ordering food at restaurants or asking direction to someone on the street when I had trip alone...
Wherever we will go, at least We should learn basic world of native language to live. lol
@jiffmartin There's tons, Jeff. I know it's not easy to learn the language, but my point is that people will keep telling you it's easy. So it's surprising how lazy people are who won't dedicate one weekend to get it over with.
You're right in that Korean alphabet is not difficult for beginners to learn. Because it has few phonetic variables, if any. Usually one character corresponds to one phonetic value except for few exceptions. But if you're about to learn Korean beyond that, it would not be easy for you,especially westerners, to learn, because Korean language is very different in many ways from English. Learning Korean would not be like learning French to you westerners.
@dongchulgold This is true. I speak German and know some Spanish. There are only minor grammar differences, but all you really have to do is switch English words with theirs. In Korean, it's like another way of communicating. No matter how much I try to say something exactly like I hear it, a Korean laughs and says it;s not exactly right. Sometimes a Korean friend will applaud my attempts XD
Try to learn Hungarian i think it's just as difficult as Korean:D:D i think that learning Korean outside of Korea is difficult. I can read hangul, but learning words and speak it is hard. i think you have to prepare yourself and concentrate on learning it. so i totally agree with Stephen. i heard so much about korean people and i'm also sure that they are willing to help us.
@Viki92 I've been to Hungary. Speaking German and English definitely helped me when I was there. Koreans love their language and love helping people learn it. But they laugh when you try to speak it ;-(
@stephenworldwide Well in Hungary lots of people speaks German and English (and Spanish too - i belong here), but there are some who doesn't, Sometimes it's bad (when you want to go by subway or just want to find the sights):S (May i ask you why have you been here in Hungary?) Okay maybe Koreans are a bit cruel:D Idk if i have to speak with a foreigner in hungarian language i'm polite so... i mean i have my own mistakes too...:D
@Viki92 I lived in Germany and Austria for a semester of college. I visited Budapest. I remember the taxi drivers try to charge whatever money they can because I couldn't speak the language. That wasn't fun. But I could order food in a restaurant with my German if nobody could speak English. I would like to go back to Vienna or Munich, my favorite cities over there. Prague was also very fun.
@stephenworldwide Yeah, you're right, they're idiots,(ididn't know that they behave like this almost every time...) i'm sorry :(
Vienna is a good place, bears resemblance to Budapest (mainly to Buda). I haven't been to either Munich or Prague, but i'm sure, these are good choices too:)
@liza183 Other people told me it's easy too, so it;s not just my opinion. The speaking part and grammar is so different from English that is really hard to learn, unless you are totally surrounded by Korean and not thinking in English!
@stephenworldwide yeah, I've been told so from many people. There are many Koreans who can speak English although two languages are quite different, so don't give up speaking Korean too! :D
I'm finishing off on livemocha first. Slow and steady wins the race...
I personally enjoy learning Korean. I never felt the need to do it in the country, but I just really wanted to. And the feeling you get when you achieve it, and you stare at hangul and sounds come from your mind, not shapes. It's inspiring to myself.
I'm learning more in the UK now than I did over there! (more spare time).
@stephenworldwide Pah. Choosing my days here If and when I want. up to 10 hour days with no breaks and 6 days off a year in Korea. Good times, good times. But yeah If you have the passion for a language there's no reason to stop if you leave. I want to return at a level of basic conversation. I will do it!
Thanks for this video! I plan on going over in two years to live for at least a year. (This may be a silly question, but: ) Is it fairly easy to find a Korean language class once over there? I definitely would like a formal class so I'm not relying on my self-taught Korean, ha ha.
@jgmoomaw Finding a cheap one is not easy. Universities will charge a lot for them. I know some churches with English services often have lessons. There might be an international center with low cost lessons. You could do a language exchange with someone or a small group. Just ask around, the other foreigners should know...
@stephenworldwide Well, to be honest I used google translate, haha. I just put the words in the order I thought was Korean structure. I have started to learn Korean though. I can read it alright, and have a few basic phrases. I am just starting to learn about sentence structure and vocabulary from CD's and YouTube videos.
I think is great that you put the effort to learn a new language even if it's only for a year. It makes life easier for you and for them. I know people that lived in the U.S.A. for 25 years and don't speak a word of english. that's baffling.
@p00lman Thanks, you mean just chopping so my talking is faster? Not much flashy stuff in this one. You are the master editor!! I am but the learner...
A resource that's really helped me is talktomeinkorean com., they also have a youtube channel with the same name They have a great step by step course, and it's all free. For learning hangul (korean alphabet) i use koreanwikiproject com (just click "learn hangul on the right side), and you'll be reading in no time.
I have to admit my Korea skills are abysmal! I can read hangul and I have enough spoken Korean to buy stuff in a shop or order at a restaurant but my conversational ability is non existent. Gotta work on that! Great vid!
Short Answer, if you can't speak Intermediate to Fluent, you better have someone in Korea to hold your hand. I've been there a few times, and even though I've been studying KOR for about 3 years, I was unable to get into restaurants, etc, and basically there was zero transportation available. That was in Gangnam, Seoul. Maybe I'll go back in another 5 years.
@wesscoast You were in Gangnam, Seoul and studying Korean for three years and you had trouble in restaurants, and there was ZERO transportation? I don't get it. Where you there 60 years ago? I will admit, having a Korean friend guide you around is a treat.
@stephenworldwide Going into the restaurants, they'll kick you out if they see a white face. The one night I was 'on my own' I ended up eating at the Family Mart. The rest of the time, my clients were there, so it was great. The problem is my speaking. I can read/write decently, but since I don't live in Korea, I have very little chance to practice speaking. Yeah, it was like the 1950s
@wesscoast Dude, you have to be kidding. I've lived in Gangnam for four years (and yes, I've eaten here too) and experienced none of what you describe.
@p00lman It's not a big deal, I'm just saying, make sure you can spk Fluent korean before hopping on a plane. It's just kind of a Catch 22, since, Korea is the only place you can get the immersion (experience speaking all day long , etc).. Oh well, I guess you're supposed to pile up on Korean dramas
@wesscoast South Korea is totally different now than the 50's. You can live here and not speak a word of Korean, especially in Seoul, everyone speaks English. They've been learning in school for the past 15-20 years.
@wesscoast well you can't act like you know Korea now since Korea has changed a lot since 1950's. back then Korea was as poor as some African countries like Somalia, but now their technology is advanced as Japan and they are one of Asia's wealthiest countries.
@tokee1234567 That's the thing: you can pour tons of investment into new technology and business, but you can't change people's minds in such a short time. China's no different. Lots of huge buildings, beautiful architecture, but the people need several generations to develop, not just two. Come back in 30 years and maybe itll improve. 98% of Korea is still Korean (tight immigration policy) so it's basically a conformist homogeneous society right now. Hence all the pointing/staring.
@wesscoast that's why you don't know anything about Korea. Korea's immigration laws are the loosest in all of Asia now. people can get citizenships in less than 3-4 years after marriage, and there are mail-order brides coming from South East Asia and tons of illegal immigrants to boot.
@tokee1234567 What? The immigration laws? Don't bother telling about it, tell the English teachers who have to jump through all those hopes just to get a Visa.
The point is: 98%. Yes, you definitely need to learn Korean before going to live there.
@wesscoast getting a visa doesn't mean immigration. what are you talking about? getting a citizenship is easier in Korea than it is in other Asian countries such as Japan and they let basically everyone in with minimal Korean skills. obviously you've been in Korea in the 50's before all this happened
@wesscoast and their view of foreigners changed a lot too. post Korean-war I bet a lot of Koreans were just too busy trying to make their ends meet instead of being curious and trying to interact with foreigners. As I recall, the foreigners who went there for medical aide and ministry had a lot more interaction with Koreans and had positive interactions with them. You were there for business, so probably your interaction with Koreans was different
@tokee1234567 I'll say this... THANK GOD i had my customers there, i'd be totally screwed without them, forget Taxi service from the Hotel... and god only knows what I would have done for food... probably just get room service the whole time... actually looking for places to eat, I was refused entry on a few restaurants, and ended up getting junk food at the Family Mart and walking it back to the damn hotel.
@wesscoast You don't need to speak Korean when you come here, or even if you live here. Like I said in the video, I know people living here over 3 years who can't say more than hello and thank you. It's a limited life of not going out too much on your own, to Korean restaurants and bars where it's older people, but the younger Koreans speak survival English.
@wesscoast Yes, you get stared and pointed at, but at the same time people say "Hello, sorry, excuse me, can I help you, nice to meet you, etc." and they don't even know you. Things have changed.
Yes! Great video. I find so many people who don't even attempt to study. It seems so strange. Even if it weren't useful at all, when will you get an opportunity to learn while immersed like this again?
++ on Hangul being an awesome alphabet. I love it!
@EvannRachel Some people are intimidated or reluctant to take on such a difficult task. They look at the big picture and don't even want to begin the journey. I think people should start just as something to keep them busy, as well as something immensely beneficial. The other smaller benefits like meeting people, learning the culture, studying while immersed, that's all a bonus.
I totally agree with you. :D It was really difficult for me to learn English. (I'm still studying. XD) But it's worth to learn language especially if you are in their country. I went to Austraila for 10 months but I couldn't make Austrailan friends because i couldn't speak English well. :D
E2 teachers (foreigners in Korea on an English-teaching visa) in particular should benefit a lot from learning Korean, because it will allow them to understand better their Korean students' difficulties in learning English and to help them learn English more efficiently.
Well said, many good points!..Aiming for 2012 - but studying basic Korean right now.
When I went to Europe I didn't know how much time I'd be spending in Denmark, But I knew it would be longer than other places..Studied up for a few months & good thing. B/c I wound up renting an apartment there for part of a year. I was not fluent, didn't know complicated grammar. But speaking even a little Danish made all the difference.
@roxanneworld11 How was living in Denmark? I lived in Germany and Austria and I really enjoyed it. Do people speak German as a second language in Denmark, or French, Swedish, etc?
@stephenworldwide Most of the people I knew & met in or near Copenhagen (or universities) said they took a minimum of 12 years of English. Some also knew at least one each of the other languages you mentioned (one friend lived & worked in France in the summers). In the country/small towns I had to use Danish more often.
We could throw a rock at Sweden = I heard that language at times. People traveled &/or commuted both ways easily & often.
Dating advice for a Korean guy plz?
VanillaSnow23 2 weeks ago
Linguists praise Korean because Hangul is so phonetic. The consonants are designed to basically tell you how to pronounce them if you know what the different strokes mean (which really isn't necessary to learn, but I found it to be extremely interesting).
I think I'd agree with others that Korean is a comparatively easy language to learn, especially as far as Eastern languages go. The main thing Westerners will struggle with is sentence structure like you said, and all those particles.
PiroMunkie 2 weeks ago
I definitely agree that the Korean alphabet is mega easy to learn and is the main thing that attracted me to the language. Just being able to sound out any word you see feels so rewarding, or watching a video of someone walking through a Korean market and seeing "Starbucks Coffee" written in Hangul.
PiroMunkie 2 weeks ago
For a person who knows greek,english,spanish.italian and norwegian will it be hard to learn korean???????????
thrainful 3 weeks ago
We, Koreans, know you guys are having more difficulty learning Korean than other languages. If you don't speak Korean, that's Ok. As the video says, we can appreciate you guys just trying and showing willingness to learn because we know it's difficult for you. Sometimes we consider it adorable and funny for big, tall, hairy people like you guys to try to speak Korean softly and awkwardly.
gogomaty 3 weeks ago in playlist stephenworldwide님의 동영상 더보기
English native speakers, are SO ignorant ;) Try learning Russian or Polish, say - ANY slavic language and then come and we can talk what is hard to learn. Or Arabic. Or any tonal language. Korean is just different than most Indo_European languages, but still, this is not hard, compared to aforementioned above. Cmon.
leihoa 1 month ago
@leihoa ignorant, all of us, huh? well, koreans tell us English is very hard, so I guess they are right. just read an article about the most difficult languages to learn for english speakers, and korean is ranked #9. arabic was first. russian or polish didn't make the list, but i respect your opinion.
stephenworldwide 1 month ago
@stephenworldwide I was not referring to your video, I noticed few comments from, as it seems, English native spkrs. Korean IS difficult because it is so much different. Still, its grammar, vocabulary, tenses are nothing compared to 6-7 cases of EACH noun is declinated in any slavic language (most have over 5 cases or more, Russian 6, Polish 7, etc). Verbs are conjugated, not in 3 ways like in Spanish but in dozens of ways. Same with adjectives. Not to mention pronounciation. Which is hell.
leihoa 1 month ago
@stephenworldwide and if you have any doubts, please write "hub difficult language Polish" in Google, first link by a guy named "livelonger" or so. Read about... number 2 (17 words for this number in Polish, each different). I am Polish, and the fact that most people avoid learnng my language as a plague:) - it does NOT make me happy , but well... What can I do :)
leihoa 1 month ago
@leihoa I heard about Polish, and glad I don't have to learn it! My friend is married to a Polish girl and he told me how difficult it is.
stephenworldwide 1 month ago
@leihoa I think Russian and Polish would be very hard
KoreanAspergel 2 weeks ago
i grow up learning arabic , french as my seconde languague , english as my third , i have learned japanese for a year and now Yeay korean... !
hibafk 2 months ago 2
@hibafk Thanks for that, now which one was harder and which was easier for you?
stephenworldwide 2 months ago 2
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hibafk 2 months ago
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@stephenworldwide so i think that japanese was easy on prononciation but hard to remenber all the harigana and stuff ! korean is easy even if the prononciation sucks ! anyway if u put your heart and soul u will success , and thanks to you !
hibafk 2 months ago
HARDEST IN THE WORLD??? Try learning CHINESE!!! or JAPANESE!!
Trixiaoyu 2 months ago
@Trixiaoyu I've been told they are slightly easier for the English speaker, for various reasons. But I don't know, never experienced it, yet.
stephenworldwide 2 months ago
@stephenworldwide Definitely not. Most linguists will tell you Korean is the easiest language to learn in the world. I think it might just be harder for English speakers because constructing sentences is Korean is different from the way we do it in English.
smartskater11 1 month ago in playlist More videos from stephenworldwide
@Trixiaoyu Chinese is easier for english speakers definitely. They have the same sentence structure! The only difficult part for chinese is that you have to memorise every word you learned other than that its so much easier than korean.
WGKeon 2 months ago
@WGKeon - "They have the same sentence structure" Only for SIMPLE Chinese sentences. Try learning complicated sentences and over 10,000 Kanji. And what about the 5 tones? And what if the person is not an English speaker?! HAHAHAHAHA!!
Trixiaoyu 2 months ago
@Trixiaoyu Kanji? im talking about chinese. since when chinese has kanji? and what about 5 tones? its not even important -.- and simple and complicated sentence are still the same, theres no difference? my korean friends learn chinese easier than english.
WGKeon 2 months ago
@WGKeon - Japanese Kanji - Chinese Hanzi THIS -> 漢字 - idiot. :-)
Trixiaoyu 2 months ago
@Trixiaoyu kanji is kanji, hanzi is hanzi. Im chinese, they are different thing.
WGKeon 2 months ago
@WGKeon - This > 漢字 . Idiot.
Trixiaoyu 2 months ago
@Trixiaoyu nvm forget it im talking to an idiot.
WGKeon 2 months ago
@Trixiaoyu I have read that Korean is the hardest language for an English speaker to learn in the world. Every verb has something like 600 possible endings. Chinese verbs have 1. Chinese grammar is simple, the difficulty lies in the fact that the words aren't related to English ones (although nor are Korean ones either), and the writing system is so hard. Japanese has only thee irregular verbs. Korean is harder than both for an English speaker.
Eoaiyer21987rhei 2 months ago
@WGKeon kanji and hanzi refer to the same thing, 漢字. It's just that it is pronounced differently in Japanese and Chinese.
vkvkvk1219 1 month ago
Sound advice! I watched this before coming to Korea. I've been here for almost 4 months now. I learned to read Hanguel in one week during my training. Being here its so helpful to be able to try and read the menus and even the bus stop names. Koreans become more open to you when they see you are trying to learn the language. Its helpful to learn some phrases for the classroom too. Like "Please be quiet"...lol
TravelingNatural 3 months ago
@TravelingNatural Exactly! I'm sure you experienced the rush of being able to identify stuff on the menu and at the bus stop in hangeul after all that studying. Good for you!
stephenworldwide 2 months ago
His Korean sucks! Why he pronounces 한글 like 한굴 ???
There is a big difference between ㅡ and ㅜ
If he would spent one weekend for learning it, he could easily know the difference.
Why he tell other people to learn 한글 if he cant read and spell it himself?
capitalix 4 months ago
@capitalix i can read 한글, but my pronunciation isn't great. at least i'm trying, and that's the message.
stephenworldwide 4 months ago 9
@capitalix calm down buddy. this man is trying and it makes me feel good that somebody who is not korean is trying to learn korean. i support people like stephen here unlike you who will just sit there and diss cuz you think you are the shit. why don't you make a video of you speaking some other language and show everyone how perfect you are at it.
djfmsdldi 3 months ago
@djfmsdldi i should make more videos where i try to speak korean, even of koreans think my pronunciation sucks
stephenworldwide 3 months ago
@capitalix I'm korean. but his pronounciation is not bad. we all know he is not korean.
daji12 3 months ago
@daji12 appreciate it. my korean is coming along....
stephenworldwide 3 months ago
@capitalix
His pronunciation is really good. So shut the fuck up hater.
Tenki09 3 months ago
@Tenki09 thanks, but no need to be so harsh!
stephenworldwide 3 months ago
@capitalix such a negative nancy... maybe you should learn to encourage people to get better, not discourage them from even trying.
melindadaniellec 3 months ago
@tokee1234567 and if you go there so often? why were you talking about the experiences you had in 1950's as if the shit still happens all the time today?
tokee1234567 5 months ago
@tokee1234567 well I was born and raised there. I bet you haven't talked to any Korean people actually living there about this "difficult" immigration/visa problems
tokee1234567 5 months ago
@Yugioh1337 search "TalkToMeInKorean" on youtube
stephenworldwide 6 months ago
wise words.
KeeperNox 6 months ago 2
@KeeperNox thanks!
stephenworldwide 6 months ago
I remember My friend in Korea being so excited when she found out that I could spell the word 바보, ha.
But thanks for giving people great advice! I find it ridiculous that some people are willing to live in another country and culture and not even try to get involved with it!
melindadaniellec 7 months ago 8
@melindadaniellec me too, i think they all try and give up when it's too hard, so they find their confort zone with English speaking Koreans and only hang out with foreigners in foreign bars.
stephenworldwide 7 months ago
@melindadaniellec that means stupid right? or fool? (i started learning last year)
TheAcesniper 5 months ago
@TheAcesniper yes it does! :) haha good luck learning!
melindadaniellec 5 months ago
Thanks for the comment! The more I study and figure things out, the more I enjoy it. At first it was a real drag, now it's fun.
stephenworldwide 7 months ago
What helped me learn are a few text books, busyatom.com, and flash cards. I am still learning. Honestly it is the best thing I felt I could ever try to do. It's my passion and I think that helps me out.
projectgreenstar 7 months ago
I'm planning to teach in Korea next year so im gonna start learning some basic Korean. Everyone says that hangul is really easy to learn which i hope is true cos at first glance it looks difficult. Anyway great vid! I totally agree with everything u said, how can u go to live in another country for at least a year and not make an effort to try to learn the basics??
shaunie200 7 months ago
@shaunie200 Thanks for the comment. Just practice hangul and the sounds and realize that the work is well worth it!
stephenworldwide 7 months ago
i was so excited by the fact that you could read that bus sign xD
your video is really great :)
perhapsoid 7 months ago
@perhapsoid Thanks! I was really excited about that, too!
stephenworldwide 7 months ago
I actually picked it up in an hour or two. //feels awesome.
What I did was I was listening to my favorite KPOP song and it had hangul and romanji lyrics. I was like, 'pffft no way, its all lines and bubbles, no way I could learn this.' I paused the video... and stared at it.
For 20 minutes.
Then I started to put stuff together. Where there was a ㅁ, an M was in the romanji. A ㄱ, a G. A ㅏ, an A. My mind was absolutely blown! I learned how to read a language by staring at it!! It was amazing!! ^_^
awriterandagamer 8 months ago
@awriterandagamer Thanks so much for that insight. It's amazing what you can learn when you get motivated!! Thanks for the tip, but I'm not a KPOP fan, so maybe I will try to use Korean films to learn.
stephenworldwide 8 months ago
@sam198113 Awesome! As with any language, once you get more familiar with the structure, and you get enough repetitions, you can pick it up faster. It doesn't just sound like "noise", but you can piece a sentence together based on a few words you know. Good for you!
stephenworldwide 9 months ago
thankk you for making this vid :) its good to know its only gonnna take 4 hours
Lamppostshines 10 months ago
@Lamppostshines You're welcome! Maybe less than four hours, maybe 2 hours if you learn fast, then some more practice.
stephenworldwide 10 months ago
@stephenworldwide that sounds even better~ its good to hear your advice though since a korean tch i knew said i didn't need to learn korean to go to korea...lol but thanks ^^
Lamppostshines 10 months ago
@Lamppostshines You don't have to learn Korean to live in Korea. I know a few people who've been living here for years and can't read or understand it. But in your free time it's a good idea to learn the basics for the reasons I say in the video. Thanks for watching!
stephenworldwide 10 months ago
i totally agree with this video! it may not be easy to learn a foreign language, but as long as you try, there is only positive that can come out of that situation. I also feel that it is respectful to try your best to adapt to the culture around you instead of isolating yourself and just sticking "only" to your own culture and way of living. all cultures have something we can share with each other, and learning each others language and way of living benefits us all! thanks for this awesome vid!
blesbey 10 months ago
@blesbey Thanks so much for that!
stephenworldwide 10 months ago
I agree with you ... When I visited my cousin in one of English speaking countries, I could just speak in Korean with my cousin .. but the biggest matter for me was that to have to whatever for myself such as ordering food at restaurants or asking direction to someone on the street when I had trip alone...
Wherever we will go, at least We should learn basic world of native language to live. lol
sunah0227 10 months ago
@sunah0227 Thanks for the examples. It helps to learn the basics for more reasons than one!
stephenworldwide 10 months ago
Please bring out those stories!
dentyboy117 10 months ago
@dentyboy117 I will, soon. Check back in a few weeks.
stephenworldwide 10 months ago
@MegaTigerZone You learn a lot from your students. They are the ones mainly poking fun at me!
stephenworldwide 10 months ago
It always amazed me the peole that had been in Korea for over a year and could read no Korean.
jiffmartin 11 months ago
@jiffmartin There's tons, Jeff. I know it's not easy to learn the language, but my point is that people will keep telling you it's easy. So it's surprising how lazy people are who won't dedicate one weekend to get it over with.
stephenworldwide 11 months ago
cool vid thanks
mziwewonga 11 months ago
@mziwewonga Thank you for the comment!
stephenworldwide 11 months ago
What recruiter did you use? Where did you take Korean classes at? I am in the process of finding a job in korea. but still nervous
homewrecker2288 11 months ago
You're right in that Korean alphabet is not difficult for beginners to learn. Because it has few phonetic variables, if any. Usually one character corresponds to one phonetic value except for few exceptions. But if you're about to learn Korean beyond that, it would not be easy for you,especially westerners, to learn, because Korean language is very different in many ways from English. Learning Korean would not be like learning French to you westerners.
dongchulgold 11 months ago
@dongchulgold This is true. I speak German and know some Spanish. There are only minor grammar differences, but all you really have to do is switch English words with theirs. In Korean, it's like another way of communicating. No matter how much I try to say something exactly like I hear it, a Korean laughs and says it;s not exactly right. Sometimes a Korean friend will applaud my attempts XD
stephenworldwide 11 months ago
great advice!
TyYann 11 months ago
@TyYann Thanks Yann!
stephenworldwide 11 months ago
Try to learn Hungarian i think it's just as difficult as Korean:D:D i think that learning Korean outside of Korea is difficult. I can read hangul, but learning words and speak it is hard. i think you have to prepare yourself and concentrate on learning it. so i totally agree with Stephen. i heard so much about korean people and i'm also sure that they are willing to help us.
Viki92 11 months ago
@Viki92 I've been to Hungary. Speaking German and English definitely helped me when I was there. Koreans love their language and love helping people learn it. But they laugh when you try to speak it ;-(
stephenworldwide 11 months ago
@stephenworldwide Well in Hungary lots of people speaks German and English (and Spanish too - i belong here), but there are some who doesn't, Sometimes it's bad (when you want to go by subway or just want to find the sights):S (May i ask you why have you been here in Hungary?) Okay maybe Koreans are a bit cruel:D Idk if i have to speak with a foreigner in hungarian language i'm polite so... i mean i have my own mistakes too...:D
Viki92 11 months ago
@Viki92 I lived in Germany and Austria for a semester of college. I visited Budapest. I remember the taxi drivers try to charge whatever money they can because I couldn't speak the language. That wasn't fun. But I could order food in a restaurant with my German if nobody could speak English. I would like to go back to Vienna or Munich, my favorite cities over there. Prague was also very fun.
stephenworldwide 11 months ago
@stephenworldwide Yeah, you're right, they're idiots,(ididn't know that they behave like this almost every time...) i'm sorry :(
Vienna is a good place, bears resemblance to Budapest (mainly to Buda). I haven't been to either Munich or Prague, but i'm sure, these are good choices too:)
Viki92 11 months ago
Good for you that Hangul is easy. I really agree that speaking Korean and learning Korean is difficult! but you can do it!
liza183 11 months ago
@liza183 Other people told me it's easy too, so it;s not just my opinion. The speaking part and grammar is so different from English that is really hard to learn, unless you are totally surrounded by Korean and not thinking in English!
stephenworldwide 11 months ago
@stephenworldwide yeah, I've been told so from many people. There are many Koreans who can speak English although two languages are quite different, so don't give up speaking Korean too! :D
liza183 11 months ago
I'm finishing off on livemocha first. Slow and steady wins the race...
I personally enjoy learning Korean. I never felt the need to do it in the country, but I just really wanted to. And the feeling you get when you achieve it, and you stare at hangul and sounds come from your mind, not shapes. It's inspiring to myself.
I'm learning more in the UK now than I did over there! (more spare time).
ABombs1 11 months ago
@ABombs1 That's interesting, learning more outside of Korea. I have more free time in Korea than in USA, where I'm working full days.....
stephenworldwide 11 months ago
@stephenworldwide Pah. Choosing my days here If and when I want. up to 10 hour days with no breaks and 6 days off a year in Korea. Good times, good times. But yeah If you have the passion for a language there's no reason to stop if you leave. I want to return at a level of basic conversation. I will do it!
ABombs1 11 months ago
Thanks for this video! I plan on going over in two years to live for at least a year. (This may be a silly question, but: ) Is it fairly easy to find a Korean language class once over there? I definitely would like a formal class so I'm not relying on my self-taught Korean, ha ha.
jgmoomaw 11 months ago
@jgmoomaw Finding a cheap one is not easy. Universities will charge a lot for them. I know some churches with English services often have lessons. There might be an international center with low cost lessons. You could do a language exchange with someone or a small group. Just ask around, the other foreigners should know...
stephenworldwide 11 months ago
@jgmoomaw: stuckintherut posted a few great resources below. :o)
roxanneworld11 11 months ago
Great Video! Learning Korean seems pretty important.
(Ok Im gonna butcher this one)...
동영상 좋아! 학습 한국 중요합니다.
Yeah? No? ehh, Im trying
danjigga 11 months ago
@danjigga Wow, good for you! Great you figured out how to type that on your keyboard, I can't even do that with my laptop!
stephenworldwide 11 months ago
@stephenworldwide Well, to be honest I used google translate, haha. I just put the words in the order I thought was Korean structure. I have started to learn Korean though. I can read it alright, and have a few basic phrases. I am just starting to learn about sentence structure and vocabulary from CD's and YouTube videos.
danjigga 11 months ago
@danjigga Nice. That means you can start with the 2nd beginner course when you arrive.
stephenworldwide 11 months ago
TTMIKFTW
ABombs1 11 months ago
@ABombs1 Yeah! I need to do my video homework for them.
stephenworldwide 11 months ago
Great video! Please share those stories, it should be lots of fun!!
LittleJohnyDance 11 months ago
@LittleJohnyDance I will, I have a few. Thanks!
stephenworldwide 11 months ago
People who think Hangul is heard need to learn about study tools; flash cards & spaced repetition, for example, work well with Hangul exercises
Gwern0 11 months ago
@Gwern0 Yes I needed flash cards to study with. I still can't remember the numbers well (easy stuff) because i don't do repetition drills.
stephenworldwide 11 months ago
maybe, learning how to read hangeul is hard for others bec they are not putting much effort to learn it...
i can read hanguel, but i cannot understand it sometimes...haha
well, you're right! it would come later~^^
anyways, I think foreigners who are not yet studying korean must watch this...^^
krizia1107 11 months ago
@krizia1107 Thanks, maybe this perspective will help them.
stephenworldwide 11 months ago
I think is great that you put the effort to learn a new language even if it's only for a year. It makes life easier for you and for them. I know people that lived in the U.S.A. for 25 years and don't speak a word of english. that's baffling.
CyberDame 11 months ago
@CyberDame One of the reasons I came over here was for the culture. I don't want to be like those people.
stephenworldwide 11 months ago
Dude, awesome editing.
p00lman 11 months ago
@p00lman Thanks, you mean just chopping so my talking is faster? Not much flashy stuff in this one. You are the master editor!! I am but the learner...
stephenworldwide 11 months ago
@p00lman ha, I'm glad someone said something. Agreed
Ev1lWaff3ls 11 months ago
A resource that's really helped me is talktomeinkorean com., they also have a youtube channel with the same name They have a great step by step course, and it's all free. For learning hangul (korean alphabet) i use koreanwikiproject com (just click "learn hangul on the right side), and you'll be reading in no time.
stuckintherut 11 months ago 10
@stuckintherut Yes, TTMIK is great! I watch the videos for fun, Maybe now I will actually do the homework!!
stephenworldwide 11 months ago
@stuckintherut Thanks for that. I'm friends with Hyunwoo and I check out their videos as well!
stephenworldwide 11 months ago
I have to admit my Korea skills are abysmal! I can read hangul and I have enough spoken Korean to buy stuff in a shop or order at a restaurant but my conversational ability is non existent. Gotta work on that! Great vid!
MParquee 11 months ago
@MParquee Thanks! Same with me, it's been about 8 months of study (not diligently!). After two full years, I should be decent.
stephenworldwide 11 months ago
Short Answer, if you can't speak Intermediate to Fluent, you better have someone in Korea to hold your hand. I've been there a few times, and even though I've been studying KOR for about 3 years, I was unable to get into restaurants, etc, and basically there was zero transportation available. That was in Gangnam, Seoul. Maybe I'll go back in another 5 years.
wesscoast 11 months ago
@wesscoast You were in Gangnam, Seoul and studying Korean for three years and you had trouble in restaurants, and there was ZERO transportation? I don't get it. Where you there 60 years ago? I will admit, having a Korean friend guide you around is a treat.
stephenworldwide 11 months ago
@stephenworldwide Going into the restaurants, they'll kick you out if they see a white face. The one night I was 'on my own' I ended up eating at the Family Mart. The rest of the time, my clients were there, so it was great. The problem is my speaking. I can read/write decently, but since I don't live in Korea, I have very little chance to practice speaking. Yeah, it was like the 1950s
wesscoast 11 months ago
@wesscoast Dude, you have to be kidding. I've lived in Gangnam for four years (and yes, I've eaten here too) and experienced none of what you describe.
p00lman 11 months ago
@p00lman It's not a big deal, I'm just saying, make sure you can spk Fluent korean before hopping on a plane. It's just kind of a Catch 22, since, Korea is the only place you can get the immersion (experience speaking all day long , etc).. Oh well, I guess you're supposed to pile up on Korean dramas
wesscoast 11 months ago
@wesscoast Dude, I never speak Korean. Never. And not once have I been ostracized for it.
p00lman 11 months ago
@wesscoast Well, not NEVER, but very rarely. I can speak, but I often pretend I don't. No one cares.
p00lman 11 months ago
@wesscoast South Korea is totally different now than the 50's. You can live here and not speak a word of Korean, especially in Seoul, everyone speaks English. They've been learning in school for the past 15-20 years.
stephenworldwide 11 months ago
@wesscoast well you can't act like you know Korea now since Korea has changed a lot since 1950's. back then Korea was as poor as some African countries like Somalia, but now their technology is advanced as Japan and they are one of Asia's wealthiest countries.
tokee1234567 6 months ago
@tokee1234567 That's the thing: you can pour tons of investment into new technology and business, but you can't change people's minds in such a short time. China's no different. Lots of huge buildings, beautiful architecture, but the people need several generations to develop, not just two. Come back in 30 years and maybe itll improve. 98% of Korea is still Korean (tight immigration policy) so it's basically a conformist homogeneous society right now. Hence all the pointing/staring.
wesscoast 6 months ago
@wesscoast that's why you don't know anything about Korea. Korea's immigration laws are the loosest in all of Asia now. people can get citizenships in less than 3-4 years after marriage, and there are mail-order brides coming from South East Asia and tons of illegal immigrants to boot.
tokee1234567 6 months ago
@tokee1234567 What? The immigration laws? Don't bother telling about it, tell the English teachers who have to jump through all those hopes just to get a Visa.
The point is: 98%. Yes, you definitely need to learn Korean before going to live there.
wesscoast 6 months ago
@wesscoast getting a visa doesn't mean immigration. what are you talking about? getting a citizenship is easier in Korea than it is in other Asian countries such as Japan and they let basically everyone in with minimal Korean skills. obviously you've been in Korea in the 50's before all this happened
tokee1234567 6 months ago
@tokee1234567 You're delusional. I go there like twice a year. I'm pretty sure we're talking about the same country.
wesscoast 5 months ago
@wesscoast and their view of foreigners changed a lot too. post Korean-war I bet a lot of Koreans were just too busy trying to make their ends meet instead of being curious and trying to interact with foreigners. As I recall, the foreigners who went there for medical aide and ministry had a lot more interaction with Koreans and had positive interactions with them. You were there for business, so probably your interaction with Koreans was different
tokee1234567 6 months ago
@tokee1234567 I'll say this... THANK GOD i had my customers there, i'd be totally screwed without them, forget Taxi service from the Hotel... and god only knows what I would have done for food... probably just get room service the whole time... actually looking for places to eat, I was refused entry on a few restaurants, and ended up getting junk food at the Family Mart and walking it back to the damn hotel.
wesscoast 6 months ago
@wesscoast You don't need to speak Korean when you come here, or even if you live here. Like I said in the video, I know people living here over 3 years who can't say more than hello and thank you. It's a limited life of not going out too much on your own, to Korean restaurants and bars where it's older people, but the younger Koreans speak survival English.
stephenworldwide 6 months ago
@wesscoast Yes, you get stared and pointed at, but at the same time people say "Hello, sorry, excuse me, can I help you, nice to meet you, etc." and they don't even know you. Things have changed.
stephenworldwide 6 months ago
Yes! Great video. I find so many people who don't even attempt to study. It seems so strange. Even if it weren't useful at all, when will you get an opportunity to learn while immersed like this again?
++ on Hangul being an awesome alphabet. I love it!
EvannRachel 11 months ago
@EvannRachel Some people are intimidated or reluctant to take on such a difficult task. They look at the big picture and don't even want to begin the journey. I think people should start just as something to keep them busy, as well as something immensely beneficial. The other smaller benefits like meeting people, learning the culture, studying while immersed, that's all a bonus.
stephenworldwide 11 months ago
Well said, keep up the good work sir!!
SeoulSean 11 months ago
@SeoulSean Thanks Sean!
stephenworldwide 11 months ago
I totally agree with you. :D It was really difficult for me to learn English. (I'm still studying. XD) But it's worth to learn language especially if you are in their country. I went to Austraila for 10 months but I couldn't make Austrailan friends because i couldn't speak English well. :D
kyeongeunchoi 11 months ago
@kyeongeunchoi Thankfully, many Koreans here can speak English well enough to be my friend! :-)
stephenworldwide 11 months ago
Always helpful, but never required. Great job!
qiranger 11 months ago
@qiranger Thanks Steve!
stephenworldwide 11 months ago
E2 teachers (foreigners in Korea on an English-teaching visa) in particular should benefit a lot from learning Korean, because it will allow them to understand better their Korean students' difficulties in learning English and to help them learn English more efficiently.
hnklee 11 months ago
@hnklee True! Study Korean and know how your students feel!
stephenworldwide 11 months ago
Well said, many good points!..Aiming for 2012 - but studying basic Korean right now.
When I went to Europe I didn't know how much time I'd be spending in Denmark, But I knew it would be longer than other places..Studied up for a few months & good thing. B/c I wound up renting an apartment there for part of a year. I was not fluent, didn't know complicated grammar. But speaking even a little Danish made all the difference.
roxanneworld11 11 months ago
@roxanneworld11 How was living in Denmark? I lived in Germany and Austria and I really enjoyed it. Do people speak German as a second language in Denmark, or French, Swedish, etc?
stephenworldwide 11 months ago
@stephenworldwide Most of the people I knew & met in or near Copenhagen (or universities) said they took a minimum of 12 years of English. Some also knew at least one each of the other languages you mentioned (one friend lived & worked in France in the summers). In the country/small towns I had to use Danish more often.
We could throw a rock at Sweden = I heard that language at times. People traveled &/or commuted both ways easily & often.
roxanneworld11 11 months ago
wow thats funny I was just studying my hangul then I went to this video lolol
billnyethe1742 11 months ago
@billnyethe1742 good timing!
stephenworldwide 11 months ago