The first month of 2012 is coming to an end, but there are always methods to freshen up anyway. One of them, of course, is by learning five new phrases in Learn Korean with Soshi’s January edition. The “codes” for typing the Korean characters are placed below each phrase, so make sure you know how to type them out by reading this post on the forum. If you’re a new reader and feel like five phrases aren’t enough, check out the previous editions here. Enjoy!

괜찮아? (Gwaenchanha?) = Are (you) okay?
How to type: rhoscksgdk?

Kyungsan cried when a 3-day-old baby lion approached him and Mommy Tiffany was quick to bring the lion away from him. She then attempted to comfort Kyungsan, asking questions like “괜찮아?”. 괜찮아 means okay (괜찮- “to be okay” + intimate sentence ending -아). The subject isn’t directly stated, but it is implied instead.

An example situation where the phrase 괜찮아? would be used:
7-year-olds Yuri and Yoona loved to run around the playground because they believed it was secretly the place where aliens land at night. Although they never had permission to explore the place at late hours, they would always meet each other once a new day started to find any form of evidence. Yoona went through some of the bushes to find a fragment of a UFO but was startled to find a thorn scrape her skin. Yuri immediately hurried over and asked, “괜찮아?”

늘 미안해요 (Neul mianhaeyo) = (I’m) always sorry
How to type: smf aldksgody

While talking about the times when the girls feel sorry for doing the wrong actions towards their families, Jessica expressed that they were always sorry. 늘 means always, 미안해요 means to be sorry (미안하- “to be sorry” + polite sentence ending -어요).

An example situation where the phrase 늘 미안해요 would be used:
Taeyeon cringed when her parents asked for a picture with her as a memorabilia from the holidays, but she refused politely while she positioned herself to take a picture of the rest of her family instead. She saw her dad’s face twitch into disappointment for a slight second and regretted her action that instant. Having her picture taken wasn’t a hard task, but for some reason, she wanted to avoid the camera lens for one day. Mom, Dad, 늘 미안해요, she thought silently and snapped the picture. It felt oddly relieving to be able to move around without visual evidence to haunt her a few days later.

빨리 와 (Ppalli wa) = Come quickly
How to type: Qkffl dhk

During Girls’ Generation’s early debut days, Yoona was occupied with her drama which led her to miss some of their scheduled performances. Sunny expressed how they want Yoona back by saying “빨리 와”. 빨리 means fast (adverb), and 와 means to come (오- “to come” + intimate sentence ending -아).

An example situation where the phrase 빨리 와 would be used:
Hyoyeon called Seohyun’s name out for the nth time, eyes still fixed on the gift Yonghwa had sent in. The younger girl was busy tidying up the dining table, which was messy after the girls rushed to their respective schedules that morning. Impatient, Hyoyeon shouted “빨리 와” once again.

어서오세요 (Eoseo-oseyo) = Welcome
How to type: djtjdhtpdy

After Hyungdon knocked on the door to Girls’ Generation’s dorm, Yuri and Sooyoung went up to the door to greet him but he scurried away immediately. Yuri chased him down the stairs, and prevented him from entering the elevator. She immediately expressed her greetings with “오서오세요”. The whole phrase means welcome, and has a variety of general uses: from people greeting you when you enter a shop to welcoming a relative.

An example situation where the phrase 오서오세요 would be used:
Hyoyeon ran through the streets, hoping her best friend was still in the restaurant. The intended meeting time was two hours ago, but the delay in her schedules forced Hyoyeon to stay a bit longer in the recording studio. She heard someone greet her with “오서오세요” upon entering the restaurant and was surprised to find that her best friend had actually been imitating the waitress’s voice. She pulled her best friend into a hug, apologized for the delay, and picked a spot for them to have their dinner.

가위 바위 보 (Gawi bawi bo) = Rock, paper, scissors
How to type: rkdnl qkdnl qh

This last one isn’t exactly a phrase, but a little game that the nine girls have played a lot. 가위 means scissors, 바위 means rock, 보 means paper. It is translated as “rock, paper, scissors” because that is how you would usually say the phrase in English.

An example situation where the phrase 가위 바위 보 would be used:
Yoona and Sooyoung eyed each other quietly before focusing their gaze on the last sandwich on the table. Before they started to argue over the piece of food, both reached out their hands at the same time only to pull it back once they realized what the other just did. They let out a sigh, and Yoona made a proposal. “가위 바위 보?” Sooyoung agreed right away.

Thank you to everyone who corrected “오서오세요”. It’s been fixed and changed into “어서오세요”.

Written by: spiceshoe@soshified
Contributors: michaelroni@soshified, minigiglo@soshified
Banner by: Chef@soshified

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