| Knowledge
The facts, concepts, principles, and theories to teach. | Practices
The skills, strategies, and applications to teach. | | Knowledge
The facts, concepts, principles, and theories to teach. | Practices
The skills, strategies, and applications to teach. | |
Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge
| - In Korea, describing someone’s physical appearance is a sensitive topic, for example 뚱뚱하다 (fat) can be rude, so use 체격이 좋아요 (has a good build) instead.
- Korean compliments are often indirect and socially motivated, for example instead of saying you are beautiful or tall, they may say 피부가 좋으세요 (‘You have glowing skin’) or 모델 같아요 (‘You look like a model’).
- Body parts in Korean are often used in idioms and emotional expressions, not just literally, some examples are:
- 눈이 높다 (have high standard)
- 입이 무겁다 (good at keeping secrets)
- 입이 짧다 (picky eater)
- 손이 크다 (generous)
- 얼굴이 두껍다 (thick faced) means someone is shameless.
| - Describing people, places and things
| Self-descriptions and describing others - 저는 눈이 커요 (‘I have big eyes’)
- 제 동생은 키가 작아요 (‘My younger sibling is short’)
Describing places / things - 교실이 작아요. 그리고 지저분해요. (‘The classroom is small and messy’)
- 가방이 커요. 그리고 비싸요. (‘The bag is big and expensive’)
Asking and describing - 민수는 어때요? (‘How is Minsu?’)
- 민수는 키가 커요. 그리고 잘생겼어요. (‘Minsu is tall and handsome’)
- 서울은 커요. 그리고 재미있어요. (‘Seoul is big and interesting’)
| | - Describing people places and things in more detail
| Describing people in detail - 저는 날씬하고 머리가 길어요 (‘I am slim and have long hair’)
- 선생님은 손이 크고 다리가 길어요 (‘The teacher has big hands and long legs’)
- 내 동생은 다섯 살이고 고양이를 좋아해요 (‘My younger sibling is 5 years old and likes cats’)
Describing places and things - 교실이 작고 지저분해요 (‘The classroom is small and messy’)
- 옷이 예뻐요. 그런데 작아요 (‘The clothes are pretty, but they are too small for me’).
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| - Korean adjectives (descriptive verbs) share similar conjugation patterns with the verbs:
- -아요 or 어요 or 해요 are used for the present tense (informal polite).
- 그리고 (and) is a conjunction used to connect two or more clauses/sentences (e.g. 저는 눈이 작아요. 그리고 예뻐요 (I have small eyes and am pretty).
- 어때요 is used to ask ‘how is [someone/something]?’ or ‘what do you think about [someone/something]?’.
| - -고 (and) is attached to the verb or adjective stem to connect two or more clauses/sentences.
- -이고 (and) is attached to nouns to connect two or more clauses/sentences.
- 그런데 (but) is a conjunction used to connect two or more clauses/sentences.
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Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge | | - Communicating using time phrases/markers
| - 오늘 아침에 한국어 수업이있어요 (‘I have a Korean class this morning’)
- 다음 주에 캠핑이 있어요 (‘There is camping next week’)
- 우리 가족은 주말에 동물원에 가요 (‘My family is going to the zoo on the weekend’).
| - In street markets, bargaining is possible, but learners should use polite speech form.
- In shops, bargaining is not common.
- In Korea, they have the concept 가성비 (price-to-quality ratio).
| - Communicating about the quantity, quality and cost of things
| - 사과 얼마예요? (‘How much is the apple?’)
- 3,000원이에요 (‘It costs 3000 won’)
- 5개에 10,000 원이에요 (‘It costs 10,000 won for five’)
- 너무 비싸요. 좀 깎아 주세요. (‘It is too expensive. Please give me a discount.’).
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| - Time phrases and relative dates indicate when events happen.
- -에 is used with time expressions to show specific time or date.
| - Numbers beyond 100
- For all numbers above 99, Sino-Korean numbers are used, for example:
- 100 (백), 200 (이백), 300 (삼백)
- 1,000 (천), 2,000 (이천)
- 10,000 (만), 20,000 (이만).
- In Korean, numbers are grouped by ten thousands (10,000 is 만, 100,000 is 십만).
- Students ask and answer about prices using 얼마예요? (‘How much is [something]?’) and understand the connection between Korean currency (원 ‘won’) and New Zealand’s currency (달러 ‘dollar’).
- Students express simple opinions like 비싸요 (expensive) and 싸요 (cheap).
- 너무 (very) is used to emphasize the following verb/adjective (e.g. 너무 예뻐요 ‘very pretty’) but can also be used in a negative context (e.g. 날씨가 너무 추워서 감기에 걸렸어요 ‘I caught a cold because the weather was very/too cold’).
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Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge | - In Korean culture, asking about the weather is a non-invasive way to start a conversation and build rapport as it establishes a connection rather than getting information.
- It is common to link weather to the listener’s wellbeing (e.g. saying the weather is cold can naturally lead to ‘take care not to catch a cold’). This indirectness reflects 정 (Korean norms of harmony) and avoids being abrupt.
| - Communicating about weather
| - 오늘 날씨가 어때요? (‘How is the weather today?’)
- 맑아요 / 흐려요 (‘It is sunny/cloudy’)
- 맑아요. 그리고 따뜻해요 (‘It is sunny. And it is warm.’)
- 맑아요. 그런데 바람이 불어요 (‘It is sunny. However, it is windy.’).
| - Compared to New Zealand, Korea’s travel methods are various (subway, bus, taxi) and highly efficient, cheap, and punctual.
- In Korea, there are formal or written directions in public transport or tourist areas.
- Koreans rely more on visual landmarks or building names than on street names.
| - Communicating about length of time and modes of transportation
| Question words for traveling - [서울] 에 어떻게 가요? (‘How do you get to Seoul?’)
- 비행기를 타고 가요 (‘I go by plane’)
- 비행기로 가요 (‘I go there by plane’) 세 시간 걸려요 (‘It takes 3 hours’)
- 오클랜드에서 서울까지 얼마나 걸려요? (‘How long does it take to get from Auckland to Seoul?’)
- 12시간쯤 걸려요 (‘It takes about 12 hours’).
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| - Conjunctions 그리고 (and), 그런데 (but, however) can be used to connect ideas and describe weather in more detail.
- The weather can be described with simple adjectives, such as 맑아요 (sunny), 흐려요(cloudy), 따뜻해요 (warm).
| - -을/를 타고 가요. is used when using transportation to go to other destinations.
- -로 is used to indicate ‘by means of’, or method of transportation, for example:
- 비행기로 (by plane)
- 배로 (by ship)
- 버스로 (by bus)
- ‘on foot’ is an exception and Koreans use 걸어서.
- -에서 and -까지 indicate a range of movement (e.g. ‘from … to’).
- -에서 is used to specify a starting point of location and -까지 an ending point for the movement (either used together but also used on its own).
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Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge | - Koreans often share events through collective experiences (e.g. school festivals, exams, family gatherings) rather than only individual experiences.
| - Communicating about events and activities that have happened in the past
| - 어제 어디에 갔어요? (‘Where did you go yesterday?’)
- 친구 집에 갔어요 (‘I went to my friend’s house’)
- 뭐 했어요? (‘What did you do there?’)
- 친구하고 같이 영화 봤어요. (‘I watched a movie with my friend’).
| - Expressions often link weather to feelings (e.g. 가을은 책읽기 좋은 계절이에요 (‘Autumn is a good season for reading’).
| - Comparing and contrasting weather and seasons
| Seasons - 봄에는 날씨가 따뜻해요. 그런데 여름에는 날씨가 더워요 (‘The weather is warm in spring but hot in summer’)
- 오늘 날씨가 맑아요. 하지만 바람이 불어요 (‘It is sunny today, however it is windy’).
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| - Past tense of verbs and adjectives (informal polite) conjugation patterns are verb/adjective stem plus one of the following:
- 가다 to go 갔어요 went
- 먹다 to eat 먹었어요 ate 공부하
- 다 to study 공부했어요 studied.
Irregular verbs and adjectives - 듣다-들었어요 (to listen, to hear)
- 쓰다-썼어요 (to write, to use)
- 예쁘다-예뻤어요 (to be pretty)
- 춥다-추웠어요 (to be cold)
- -하고 같이 (together with…) — used with nouns.
| - 하지만 (but) or 그런데 (however) can be used to contrast between two ideas in the same situation.
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Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge | - In Korean culture, being indirect is often preferred and considered more polite when expressing opinions and especially dislikes, for example 수학이 싫어요 (‘I don’t like Maths’) would more often be expressed as 수학이 어려워요 (‘Maths is difficult’).
- It is important to respect others’ opinions and not sound too strong, for example 내가 제일 잘해요 (‘I am the best’) would be seen as arrogant.
- Korean schools teach subjects that may not be taught in New Zealand, such as 도덕 (morals) and 윤리 (ethics).
| - Communicating about hobbies and daily routines
| School-based interactions - 무슨 과목을 들어요? (‘What subjects do you take?’)
- 저는 영어하고, 수학하고, 체육을 들어요 (‘I take English, Maths, and PE’).
- 무슨 과목을 제일 좋아해요? (‘What subject do you like the most?’)
- 수학을 제일 좋아해요 (‘I like Maths the most’)
Hobbies/Sports - 취미가 뭐예요? (‘What is your hobby?’)
- 저는 요리를 좋아해요 or 제 취미는 요리예요 (‘I like cooking’ or ‘My hobby is cooking’)
- 저는 축구를 좋아해요 (‘I like soccer’)
Daily routines - 학교는 3시에 끝나요 (‘School finishes at 3 o’clock’).
| - In Korea, the education system is different to New Zealand. Korean students go to primary school for six years, intermediate for three years and high school for three years.
- In Korea, students are taught in semesters, and school starts in March.
| - Comparing and contrasting routines and daily activities
| - 한국 학교는 두 학기예요. 하지만 뉴질랜드 학교는 4 텀이에요 (‘Korean schools have two semesters, but New Zealand schools have four terms’)
- 한국에서 실내화를 신어요. 하지만 뉴질랜드 학교에서 실내화를 안 신어요 (‘In Korea, students wear indoor shoes, but in New Zealand schools they do not’)
- 저는 아침에 일찍 일어나요. 하지만 내 친구는 늦게 일어나요 (‘I wake up early in the morning, but my friend wakes up late’)
- 나는 운동을 좋아해요 그런데 내 친구는 운동보다 음악을 더 좋아해요 (‘I like exercising, but/however my friend likes music more than exercise’).
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| - 제일 means the ‘most’ or ‘best’ when describing preferences (e.g. 아이스크림이 제일 맛있어요 ‘ice cream is the best’).
- 듣다 literally means 'to listen' (e.g. 음악을 듣다 ‘to listen to music’) but it also means 'to take' when used with subjects or classes (e.g. 한국어를 듣다 ‘to take Korean class’).
- 들어요 is present tense of 듣다. (e.g. 나는 올해 한국어를 들어요 ‘I am taking Korean this year’).
| - Students can express their thoughts more clearly by using comparing expressions, such as ‘하지만 (but), 그런데 (but/however), 보다 더 (more than).
- Students practise making sentence connections and build confidence in speaking about daily activities.
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Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge | - English imperatives (commands, instructions, requests such as ‘wash your hands’) can sound neutral, but in Korean, direct imperatives without 으세요 in the context can sound rude (e.g. 물 줘요 sounds rude compared to 물 주세요).
| - Communicating about basic commands/polite requests
| - 책을 읽으세요 (‘Please read a book’)
- 여기 앉으세요 (‘Please sit here’)
- 김치 좀 주세요 (‘Please give me some Kimchi’).
| | - Using connectives/linking words to link ideas, activities and descriptions
| Daily routine - 아침에 일어나서 제일 먼저 물을 마셔요 (‘I wake up and first drink water in the morning’)
- 그 다음에 세수를 해요 (‘Next, I wash my face’)
- 그리고 나서 아침을 먹어요 (‘And then I eat breakfast’).
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| - -으세요 and 세요 are used to politely make requests, suggestions, or commands in an informal situation and is attached to the verb stem, meaning ‘Please do [something]’.
- 좀 (literally ‘a little’) can often be used to make requests polite and soft.
- This form can be used for classroom and cooking instructions (e.g. 보세요 ‘Please look’, 손을 씻으세요 ‘Please wash your hands’).
| - Time-related connectives, such as 먼저 (first), 그 다음에 (next), 그리고 나서 (and then), can be used to describe daily routine or experiences.
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Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge | | - Expressing a basic opinion, providing simple reasons where appropriate
| - 왜 한국어를 공부해요? (‘Why do you study Korean?’)
- 나는 ‘K-pop’ 을 좋아해요. 그래서 한국어를 공부해요 (‘I like K-pop. Therefore, I study Korean’).
| - In Korean culture, people tend to soften emotional expression, especially in formal or group settings, (e.g. instead of saying 정말 화났어요 ‘I am really angry’, people might say 조금 속상했어요 ‘I was a bit upset’).
| - Describing states and feelings
| Asking about feeling - 오늘 기분이 어때요? (‘How do you feel today?’)
- 좋아요 / 나빠요 / 안 좋아요 (good/bad/not good)
Expressing personal feelings (and giving reasons) - 시험을 잘 봐서 기뻐요 (‘I am glad/happy because I did well on the test’)
- 숙제가 많아서 피곤해요 (‘I am tired because I have a lot of homework’)
Communicating about health - 어떻게 오셨어요? (‘May I help you?’)
- 아프다 (to be sore, in pain) for body parts
- 머리가 아파서 왔어요. (‘I came because I have a headache’)
- 목이 아파서 왔어요 (have a sore throat)
- 배가 아파서 왔어요 (have a stomach ache)
- 기침이 나서 왔어요 (‘I came because I have a cough’)
- 열이 나서 왔어요 (have a fever)
- 콧물이 나서 왔어요 (have a runny nose).
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| - 왜 is a question word meaning ‘why’ and is used when asking the reason or cause for something.
- 그래서 (therefore/so) is used to express a result or consequence, connecting phrases/sentences.
| - -아서/어서 or 해서 is used to connect phrases with reason or cause and is translated as because, so, or therefore.
- When using -아서 or 어서 to indicate a reason — the reason comes first, followed by the result (e.g. 배가 고파서 빵을 먹었어요 ‘Because I was hungry, I ate bread’).
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Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge | - Koreans apologise frequently even in small situations (e.g. when bumping into someone, being slightly late, interrupting).
- Expressing thanks is important, but Koreans sometimes use indirect gratitude too (e.g. 수고했어요 ‘you worked hard’ instead of just ‘thank you’).
- Instead of directly saying 천만에요 (You are welcome) Koreans often say 별말씀을요 (Don’t mention it) or 아니에요 (Not at all).
| - Communicating using an extended repertoire of formulaic expressions, instructions, and short interactions
| Thanks - 초대해 주셔서 감사합니다 (‘Thank you for the invitation’)
- 와 주셔서 감사해요 (‘Thanks for coming’)
- 가르쳐 주셔서 감사합니다 (‘Thanks for teaching me’)
- 저도 고마워요 (‘Thank you too’)
Apology - 지각해서 죄송해요 (‘I am sorry for being late’)
- 괜찮아요. 다음부터 늦지 마세요 (‘It is okay. Don’t be late next time’).
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| - -아/어 주셔서 감사합니다 (or 감사해요) (thank you for) is used to show gratitude for someone’s action.
- In Korean, apologies often include the reason, followed by 죄송합니다/죄송해요 or 미안해요.
- Responses show acceptance 괜찮아요 (It is okay) and sometimes advice is given.
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