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Conversations With Koreans: Wait, we aren’t friends?

Conversations With Koreans: Wait, we aren’t friends?

“Thank you”, “Hello”, “Give me… please” and some other phrases and words are among a few terms that foreigners simply in Korea learn and included in this is usually the term chingu , translated loosely as “friend”. Foreigners splice this term to their sentences that are english doubt and use it seemingly without understanding what it really means. This will be probably certainly one of my least words that are favorite Korean and I’ll explain why.

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Some years back, I became using Korean lessons four days per week for four hours each day. I happened to be devouring just as much because I was dating a Korean man, most of my friends were Korean and of course I was living in Korea and I wanted to make life just a bit easier as I could of the language. Before you take the classes, I happened to be hesitant and weary of the things I regarded as forced respect inside the guidelines associated with the language, elements of the language that force us to show a respect that I may n’t have for some body. Simply because individuals are older doesn’t mean they always deserve respect as well as that point I’d held it’s place in enough situations to understand that many, frequently, men simply assumed in numerous ways that I should be respectful of them even though they www.hookupdate.net/upforit-review/ disrespected me. Through the classes, I learned how exactly to show my disapproval whenever being disrespected without being downright rude and I also discovered simple tips to be much more assertive in Korean. One of the greatest classes I discovered, however, had been that We have nearly no “friends” in Korea. (From here on out “friend” in parenthesis is the Korean as a type of buddy while a friend that is freestanding function as the English variation.)

My better half, boyfriend at that time, and I also chose to have a meet up at our house and invited our close Korean friends. There were about 10 of us round the dining table and I also had been the foreigner that is only the spot. As of this point, I’d known my boyfriend and all sorts of of his friends for a beneficial 4 or 5 years plus in my tongue that is native would call them my buddies. Following the meals was finished while the plates found, we thought a game title could be fun. Taking what I’d learned from course on the best way to call someone by name, we said, “So-yung-a, do you wish to play a game title?” utilizing the lower form of the language. I experienced been confidence that is gaining the language and utilizing it whenever i possibly could. There was a gasp that is audible after a couple of seconds of silence, So-yung said, “yes,” but two for the more aggressively conservative people in the group told me i really couldn’t say “So-yung-a” to So-yung.

Buddy 1: So-yung is avove the age of you might be.

Buddy 2: You can’t state “So-yung-a” because you’re younger than this woman is.

Me: We’re friends though.

Buddy 1: No, you’re not friends with So-yung.

Me: What can you mean? I’ve known her for many years. She is had by me contact number in my own phone. She is seen by me a whole lot. Our company is friends and my guide says this is certainly an appropriate ending for a friend.

Friend 2: No, you can’t be friends than you are because she is older.

Me personally: we don’t determine what you’re saying.

Buddy 1: you can easily simply be buddies with somebody that’s the age that is same your self.

Me: Well, that doesn’t make any sense. You may be all my buddies and you’re all over the age of i’m.

Buddy 1: We aren’t your pals.

After because I was just told I had no friends and also because the language they were using to express their viewpoint was very aggressive and I don’t handle aggressive situations very well that I went to my room for a little cry mostly. Originating from a teaching standpoint, aggressively attacking a student for making use of a word or a phrase inappropriately hardly ever helps make the student respond in a way that is positive. Frequently, the pupil can be more timid to make use of the language or attempt to make use of terms as time goes on unless they’re completely clear on their meaning. In addition reminded my “friends” later on that We don’t assault them if they misuse a word, if it is excessively rude, We remind myself so it’s not their first language and I also attempt to assist them understand just why it might be taken the wrong method. My “friends” nevertheless, are not therefore patient with my language acquisition. I had taken some things and words in the book for granted not realizing they didn’t mean what it appeared they meant though I had excitingly read through my lesson books and went through discussions in my class. Two regarding the more tolerant people of our team arrived in to calm me and explain in nicer terms just what everybody had gotten so upset about.