❌ things to avoid when speaking Korean

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Hi, friends! I'm back with another language learning video to talk about what NOT to do when wanting to improve your speaking skills~ I hope you find it helpful~!
c h a p t e r s
0:00 hi hi
0:50 let's talk about cringing and kboos
3:28 learning in context
5:53 not everyone is your friend
8:10 your real enemy
//
안녕하세,유~! 안녕하세요~! Hey, you! It's Natalia and I'm here to encourage you to believe in your ability to learn Korean~!
📸 Instagram: @Nataliaa_Garza
↳ / nataliaa_garza
📮 Business Inquiries: [e-mail]
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☀️ f a q
Where do you live?
↳ Seoul, South Korea
What do you do in Korea?
↳ I work in marketing
How old are you?
↳ 27 years old
When did you start learning Korean?
↳ January 2016
What level of Korean do you know?
↳ Advanced
When did you study abroad in Korea?
↳ Spring and fall semesters of 2016 (exchange student)
↳ Fall 2021 - Summer 2022 (Korean language student)
Where did you study in Korea?
↳ Soonchunhyang University ( 2016 exchange/internship program)
↳ Korea University (2021-2022 Korean language school)
What level are you in at KLC?
↳ Fall Semester 2021 - Level 5
↳ Winter Semester 2021/2022 - Level 6
↳ Spring/Summer Semesters 2022 - Research Class
Can you teach me Korean?
↳ No, I don't teach or tutor Korean.
//
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[@kcsun9823]

I'm a native Korean speaker. All the tips you provided in the video, they are really in the point where Korean learners should be aware of. Especially the last one is crucial. In language learning, the fear of making mistakes has been a common issue among language learners. Making mistakes doesn't mean dwelling on what could have been, it simply means you can get to learn where you can even be better at the language. Even native speakers make mistakes in their own langauge! 영상 잘 봤어요! 여러분 화이팅~

[@nayyab5812]

Hi how are you

[@mayah1680]

all I understood in the last sentence was "everyone fighting" which I'm proud of >:)

[@Nicnacsqt]

hi, would you recommend learning korean in applications such as in google store or appstore? I want to learn like I'll be able to understand text and speeches in korean but I don't know where to start.

[@Nicnacsqt]

I found this on google, is this accurate to the basics of korean? www.howtostudykorean.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/HowtoStudyKorean-Unit-0-PDF.pdf

[@kcsun9823]

@@Nicnacsqt Learning Korean through language-learning apps can be a good starting point. As a Korean individual who has learned both Japanese and English, I personally never used any apps for language learning. However, I highly recommend checking out 'Learn Korean with GO! Billy Korean.' Billy Korean, an American, speaks Korean almost like a native speaker and provides excellent teaching on his KZbin channel. I watch his videos to familiarize myself with specific grammar points that might be asked by non-native Korean speakers.

[@TheReviewHuman]

Whenever I'm afraid to speak out in Korean, I think of my nephew who's still learning how to speak well at 3 years old. Whenever he makes a mistake with a word, we tell him, and he doesn't get embarrassed! He just goes, "oh!" and repeats the correct word. He doesn't get scared of talking again in fear of correction, but just takes it in stride and gets better. Also, I find laughing at myself and finding my mistakes funny helps too. Thanks for the video!!

[@NataliaGarza]

As we grow up we come to fear being wrong and it prevents us from trying new things 🥲🥲 We had it right when we were kids and didn’t mind being wrong haha

[@SnehaSingh-wx1pq]

Wow such a great and beautiful example of how we shouldn't get embarrassed about the mistakes we make 😊❤️✨

[@kasicomi]

For anyone that is scared to say 언니 or 오빠 I'm from Canada but I am the only non Korean person at my work. I am also the youngest one. And let me tell you, they LOVE when I call then 언니 or 오빠! Don't be scared. Just do it.

[@NataliaGarza]

Ahaaha they really do love it 😂😂 It makes them so happy 😂😂

[@SomedayKorean]

I actually had a bad experience with the term "오빠" that gave me a bit of trauma related to using kinship terms... one of my first friendships that I developed with a Korean in a language exchange-y friendship caused it. This was about 7 years into my Korean learning journey, but I had mostly been studying in isolation up to this point. We were chatting in Korean after a few months helping each other with Korean/English, and we were texting (in Korean) in a joking kind of way when it came up. After helping him with an English assignment, I was joking that I was like his English teacher, and then he replied with "no, no, no, I'm actually older here, technically you should be the one calling me 오빠". This was back when I was still in America, and I actually felt so honored in that moment, like I had developed a friendship good enough with someone to be invited to use kinship terms with them despite being American -- it kind of felt like acknowledgement that I spoke enough Korean, and "got" Korean society enough to be invited into using that term. But then he immediately followed up that text that basically said "just kidding, omg don't call me 오빠, that would be so weird" and all those good feelings of being accepted and acknowledged immediately crashed down to the ground. Like, why?? Why would that be "so weird"?? He said it was because we were in America, which didn't really make sense to me because we were speaking in Korean. I hadn't been planning on randomly starting to call him 오빠 until he brought it up, but to have him offer it, realize he was joking, and then have him say it would be "weird" made me SO self-conscious about using it after that, so I have hardly used kinship terms since then, even with really close friends that are older than me, because my inner self is afraid that they won't want me to. I don't find it "cringe" (unless it's actually being used in a cringe context), and I don't mind at all when younger Koreans call me 언니 or 누나, but I'm paranoid about using them myself. The fun ending to this story is that I actually ended up writing a 70+ page thesis during my masters degree on this topic, including a survey about what Koreans think about using kinship terms with Americans. The results? Some people think it feels weird, while others think it's totally normal. The mixed results didn't really help my fear of using kinship terms 😅

[@nalbinalbii888]

it’s okay, i haven’t been speaking korean that long but i think it depends how long you’ve been talking, and i think because you’re in america it makes sense? if you were both in korea maybe it’d have been different! but i also feel iffy about using 오빠, and so far the only people who told me to call them oppa have been weirdos LOL

[@SomedayKorean]

@@nalbinalbii888 My Korean skills were good enough that I don't think that was the problem. We ended up becoming closer friends after I coincidentally moved to the same city as him in Korea a few years later, and I noticed some other ways that he kind of has different formality rules with foreigners than other Koreans, so I think he's just a weird case haha. Whether or not you're in Korea or America, if you're speaking Korean and can't use kinship terms, you arrive at the same problem: there's not really a good alternative. If someone's older than you, it sounds SO direct and wrong to just call them by their name if you're speaking casually to each other, and Name + 씨 is super awkwardly formal between friends, so if they say "don't call me 오빠/언니" then it's like... what the heck do you want me to call you??

[@nalbinalbii888]

@@SomedayKorean ahhh i see ㅠㅠ usually tho, to people you first met, like you’d call them 이름+씨 right? like similar age, taking casually, you’d use that right?

[@SomedayKorean]

@@nalbinalbii888 that's kind of the neutral one, unless they have another title. Like if you know them from school/work and they were there before you, there's 선배님 or other work titles. Name + 님 is also used in some specific contexts as well. But I'd say Name + 씨 is kind of known as the general-use "polite address form" if you're unsure of what else to use. But if by "talking casually" you mean 반말, then no, people don't usually use 씨 with 반말. In that case it's usually the name for same age/younger, or kinship terms/선배 etc for older. When I mentioned speaking casually, using 반말 is what I meant.

[@annabel.okonkwo]

That made me rethink my decisions of calling my also older male korean friend 오빠. And were online friends so we don't really talk much. Anyway!! I have a really close relationship with him (I would like to think so) and he's helped me wirh some problems I had and when I overthink he made me feel better!!! Away from the sad stuff he's also really funny and I talk informally to him in the little bits of korean I know and he doesn't seem to mind. But, I'm not sure how he feels about some random girl he met online calling him 오빠 😅 I think I done it a few times but he doesn't really comment on it. One time he asked me to call him 형. Not sure why tho 😭🤔. Maybe he wasn't comfortable with 오빠 but I don't ask him that for fear of making our relationship awkward 🥲 idk where I was going with this rant

[@4yoon]

the self sabotage section…GIRL! im so scared to speak and ive been learning seriously for about 2 years. i started taking online classes to focus specifically on speaking to help😭 its hard being an adult learner cus i cant help but judge myself so harshly sometimes

[@NataliaGarza]

I know the feeling~ Before coming to Korea I was taking speaking specific classes too 🥲🥲 they were so helpful but also exposed how much I needed to work on 🫠

[@deckcadetmiles]

I didn't reallize 언니/오빠 was still such a big deal. I know about the "OPPAR" meme from a few years back, but I use 언니 a lot. As for choosing 존댓말 over 반말, I completely agree. I still use 존댓말 with my closest 언니 and I've been to her house and met her family many times. With the age gap, it always felt inappropriate to ask and she never suggested it thankfully. This is all great advice. Self-sabotage is a real issue. It's okay to use the wrong word, people are understanding. Plus, I think another good tip is that it's okay to repeat yourself. Sometimes I say things wrong the 1st time, so the listener doesn't understand, but once I reword it, they do.

[@Re-yh6kr]

I’m picking up Korean again after taking breaks back to back due to not being “disciplined” or “motivation” I really wanna learn Korean to speak and make new friends and visit the country one day so this is really giving me the motivation to keep pushing forward and just DOING IT

[@sonja1]

I'll be 40 this year and only just started learning Korean a month ago. I don't have anyone to talk to really, but I'll say everything out loud as many times as possible. Thanks for this video and greetings from Germany 👋🏻

[@bdeamer88]

I’m glad I came across this comment. I’m 36 and will be going to Korea in a few months. I always wonder if I’m too old to retain a new language. I know I won’t be fluent but I’d love to be able to speak to my wife’s family a little.

[@kdramaloverboy6223]

I just started learning Korean 3 days ago and i can now write my friends' names in Hangeul. Guys do not give up😂😂😂

[@LyssaRei]

7:36 this applies to a lot of people, not just Korea. As an American who is Spanish, I moved to a Spanish area when I was young(middle school) and it’s super common to get this feeling..and I have to say they are much more “straightforward” about it. It’s the worst feeling to improve and always be treated the same no matter what. Even after I learned and improved for 2 whole years, no one noticed and just still evaluated me as the “American girl that can’t speak Spanish”.(keep in mind this was middle school, so they are harsh haha) What I’m getting at is that unfortunately a lot of people say this no matter what and it makes language learning so much less motivating.

[@hopegate9620]

I actually started speaking after 2 years of studying Korean when I stumbled into one of your videos where you mentioned italki. And not that I hadn't already seen a lot of those before, but I had that realization that after two years I still had never had a single conversation in Korean. And now after almost 3 months of weekly italki classes I can actually talk without many problems. Sure, it's often not perfectly grammatically correct or the most natural way of saying things, but at least it's understandable enough so that I can talk with people.

[@judyhopps277]

you're so on point.. thank you so much for this!

[@nyxadkins8389]

Honestly really needed to hear that last one. Im not really in a place where I can practice my speaking much outside of a friend who has been learning for even less time than I have. And we both really struggle with trying to use what korean we do know when situations do occur that we could use it. We always worry about embarrassing ourselves or coming across like koreaboos even though we know we are making an actual effort to learn the language. So that was a nice reminder.

[@sunnyskies..]

Thank you so much for this, it really has helped me feel more comfortable speaking Korean

[@JamesTermy]

I will not want to speak in 반말 at first because that's a whole another group of speech to learn, so it seems the lack of experience of this will avoid the situation to need to ask to use it, or justify me to continue to speak in 존댓말 even if they allow me to speak casually. (I will however want to learn it though eventually to understand kdramas).

[@mayi4403]

So true!!! I actually don’t know how to speak 반말.

[@hilaryroberts4348]

Wow! These are really helpful tips! 감사합니다! ❤

[@NataliaGarza]

I'm glad you found them helpful~!

[@happytobe-me]

OMG! I felt sooo offended when women who were clearly older than me were calling me 언니 - I thought I must look like I'm 30 or something 🤣😅 I'm so glad I found this video and I'm not offended anymore 🥹 (also, people have thought I was younger than I am so 😌)

[@robbinsnest6163]

I've gotten addicted to k-dramas recently, and never once have I cringed at unni and oppa. Honestly, I think they're fun words to say😊 I love languages, but I am fluent in only my native tongue😅 that doesn't stop me from using random words and phrases I've learned from k- dramas, anime and Chinese dramas 😁

[@cheduyu]

Looking at the thumbnail etc I felt like this will be a very judgmental personal opinions, but decided to watch with an open mind. OH MY you are SPOT on. I struggled so much with "onni" and formal language. Like you're two years older than me come on let's just use names and speak chilled out. But, the more Korean I learned, the more I am involved with the culture - I've come to love the dynamics that the titles bring. Every relationship is different, but the generalized "onni pays, onni looks after you" type of thing, it took time (I am from a highly individualistic culture), but now feels warm to me. When I'm someone's onni - I struggeld with "why am I expected to pay/take care of them, they earn their own money". Now I love spoiling my "kids". It's half half with Korean friends and western friends that I have, they are two different worlds and I enjoy both equally. Diversity and having various experiences is so nice. Also this fear of speaking - I'm with you, you just gotta get over it and start talking. From day one. Yes, you will sound like a child, but, just push through it or stay the same forever. I do get self conscious, I do get anxious sometimes (advanced learner) - BUT I choose to celebrate the tiniest things. Do they look really confused, did they maybe struggle to understand me? Propably. I'm still gonna celebrate the fact that I am speaking in a difficult language, I am brave enough to try, etc. I do mentally the "fighting" gesture at the tiniest possible things (in life as well), when I need it. Celebrate the things (cheer yourself up: good job buddy you did it!, we got this! etc), celebrate your progress, celebrate just everything as much as you can.

[@E_L_L_A_5]

Thank you for the wonderful message. i just realising that i need to get out in my comfort zone. because i feel that way i don't want to make a mistake. that's why i got scared to practice a conversation but in writing i can do it. I'm still hoping that one day i can stand out on myself talking in Korean language also.

[@neminaree]

these were really great tips

[@NataliaGarza]

Thank you for sharing which part of the video you found most helpful~!! I hadn’t really thought about it like that when it comes to giving advice on speaking 🤔🤔 I just knew I had some things I wanted to share and then they all ended up being related to speaking

[@user-pc7xh5vm3x]

한국어 검색하다가 여기까지 왔네요 3년전 영상 보다가 아직도 활동하시는 지 궁금해서 봤더니 아직도 한국을 사랑하시고 활발히 활동하시고 계시네요!!

[@Emily-dc3ut]

This is an awesome video!!! But seriously how did you just call me out in a dozen different ways here 😂 I've been studying for about 5 months and have definitely been holding myself back when it comes to speaking. I live in korea, and I've even had korean friends tell me to talk to them in korean and I still chickened out!!! 😢 this is my New Year's Resolution--I am going to speak more and use what I learn. 힐 수 있어요 😤

[@jackiegarcia4171]

Two videos in one week! Ah! Love it ❤️

[@NataliaGarza]

I know 😂😂 a typical month’s worth of content in 2 days 😂😂

[@tiffanyodowd9096]

I have been studying Korean and Korean Language for about 7 months now and I was looking for some motivation for this moment of feeling discouraged. This helped a lot, so I felt I needed to say thank you for that! :)

[@NataliaGarza]

You got this~!

[@nifLefty]

The fear of being wrong becomes stronger and stronger as we grow, mainly because of school, yes school, because school causes you to go from curious about everything to systematically only having time to be curious about what you dont care about eg maths or english or french or geography or whatever you may have, which causes your curiousity to die down, school also tends to be very harsh on kids who are wrong especially when rewards are involved for being right, which causes kids to be afraid of being wrong because they want the reward too, this causes a fear of being wrong when learning languages, you fear you are speaking the language the wrong way because you want to speak the language the right way, and if you speak wrong then the rewars (connecting with others that speak the certain language) will be further out of your reach despite those people most likely being happy to assist you when it comes to getting something wrong, i learned english when i was younger and cared less about what other thought but internet and school causes others to fear being wrong so now im scared to try other languages (maybe a bit lazy too) im starting with Spanish since both my mum and dad are spanish so ill be able to comfortably be corrected, next im probably going to learn korean which explains why i am here and then only God knows what other languages i will learn cause i dont

[@Jisungsnoona668]

I’m so glad you mentioned that the phrases unnie and oppa in Korean aren’t actually cringey because there are so many people that will just think it’s cringey if a girl calls a guy oppa in Korean, tbh the main reason is because there are so many Korea boos and K-pop fans that make it look and sound cringey with the way they use it and say it.

[@calmontes651]

Thank you for the insights!

[@NataliaGarza]

Glad it was helpful! 🩵

[@BeeBeeBeeLol]

I'm bilangual, I speak both spanish and english. having been raised around almost exclusively spanish speaking family, I grew up speaking spanish. Then I was obviously indoctrinated(not in a bad sense, just in a general sense) into schooling and transitioned to speaking english. anyone can say, especially as an english speaker, that there's always going to be new things to learn. The same goes for spanish, i'm still learning spanish and I'd rather make a mistake when i'm speaking to my elders and have them correct me and fix phrasing more than anything. I can fully speak conversationally in spanish with people more than my siblings because I force myself to make mistakes whereas my siblings either don't try to speak it at all or don't want to out of fear of messing up. I've began my journey of learning Korean this year and for the most part have picked up words from kdramas and have moved to online studying and vocab memorizing with flashcards and such. I've also been looking into how grammar works and I can tell it's going to be an uphill battle but i'm willing to walk it because I already do the same in learning english and spanish.

[@xx_note.to.self_xx4504]

in the Netherlands you're taught english starting at the age of 7 or something (every school is different, but that's my experience) so for me it's been 11 years already. since it's a subject in school however, people are very hard to judge every single mistake you make so you're really discoraged to practice. it's like a competition. so my speech SUCKS, which is such a shame tbh. i personally recommend a studybuddy if you can find one to help get over the fear of being judged for practicing if you, too, have that. i practice Korean and German with my sister and it really helps with feeling more comfortable trying, even if the both of you fail miserably.

[@Linda_Ann-ex9cm]

Thank you for this video. My motivation is a planned vacation to Korea spring of 2025, so I have time to learn. I decided I wanted to embrace as much as I can getting ready for my trip & to be able to enjoy my stay. I appreciate you letting us know about story learning & will definitely go online & sign up. Blessings to you.

[@toyosi2590]

literally same!! good luck to you ❤

[@Linda_Ann-ex9cm]

@@toyosi2590 ❤️❤️ Good luck to you as well.

[@edwardsgift1375]

I started learning Korean 5 days ago and was about to give up because I felt like I wasn't making any progress but decided to give it one more try after watching this video, thank you.

[@dexterittty]

omg i wish i had discovered this channel before!! I've been studying korean for about 8 months and this week i had a test and it was terribleeeee. i mean i was so scared to say something weird or sound wrong that i almost didn't answer my 선생님 . the most annoying part is to know that, itf it was a writing test, i would have gotten like an A. buuut anyways thank you so much for the tips! time to put the,m in action now 😂

[@melissadun207]

ok i really needed the last one !! thanks **cries**

[@NataliaGarza]

화이팅하세요~!! 💕

[@PirateToyhouse]

I JUST SUBSCRIBED TO YOUR CHANNEL LIKE 2 HOURS AGO AND NOW THIS- 😭 ✋

[@NataliaGarza]

Ahaha hi~ hello~ welcome~

[@PirateToyhouse]

@@NataliaGarzaThanks I guess-! 😂

[@heycoolscythe]

9:18 Feeling called out but you're so right 🫠

[@annakateSD]

Someone once told me (I forget who) that you don't "level up" until you make 100 mistakes... that kind of gave me permission to go ahead and speak- knowing I'll make mistakes, which get me closer to doing it better next time.

[@SUGAs_Shadow85]

Sometimes you have to have that hard talk with yourself. It's not toxic. Sometimes, you have to let yourself know that it's time to double down ❤

[@maggie5126]

I’m very very very beginner (still learning Hangul & I barely have any vocab) and my biggest sabotage is gonna be that my sister is my only person to practice with and speaking formally to her specifically so I can get good with the words is gonna make me feel so strange 😭.

[@myuniverselove]

I love this.

[@BRHOFLO]

I love your Koya plushie in the background!

[@barkhawwaly8309]

I can't explain how much i enjoy listening to you and thank you for the information even though I'm here to learn english 😄

[@NataliaGarza]

Ahahaaha in that case I hope it was good listening practice for you~ 🩵

[@GMiller75]

In Scotland we say hen and hun so the eunni and oppa seems very similar in its usage. Number 3 is definitely my biggest flaw. I don't like speaking incase it is pronounced wrong or I don't know the word in Korean but it's something I am working on. I'm trying to write and translate it in Korean first so that I hear it in my head before trying to verbalise it. Trying to remember words and phrases though is hard.

[@princessemisery]

8:30 everyone LISTEN! THIS PART IS IMPORTANT! Of all the points that are here this is the main part.

[@irisliney761]

hiii. your video was so good. and i realize my future path kinda alike yours. i am in the the US learning korean for the pupose of living and working in korea in the future. i major in marketing too, what a coincidence. can you do a video about how you landed a job as a marketer in Seoul and also the living cost, generally your life there, please!!! it will be a biggg help for me!!! thank you so much.

[@ren_9353]

I honestly really think the korean language is so beautiful and I really really want to learn it. But I'm 30 already, I don't think I will ever move to Korea, so the beginning is really difficult for me. I always feel like without moving or at least visiting Korea often, it will be really difficult for me to learn the language. Also thinking about how old I will be already once I'm maybe slightly decent at understanding/talking really discourages me. I know it's mostly just in my head and it's really dumb reasons not to start, but it's still really holding me back. I will try to start now and hope I can do it. I really like the language.

[@DojoonAndHisWetWooSungPoster]

People always think I'm a koreaboo because I like K-pop and am learning Korean. Its so annoying 😭

[@NataliaGarza]

I understand your pain ㅠㅠ

[@NataliaGarza]

Hey guys~! StoryLearning's Black Friday offer is valid until 11:59 PM EST on Monday, November 27th!! Get StoryLearning's Korean Uncovered course, reading master class, and reading study plan template for $97 USD here! ↳ storylearning.com/NataliaBlackFriday

[@kover9902]

I been blocked😢

[@paulwalther5237]

They sent an email to me last spring saying they would have an intermediate level course by November and I could purchase early. I didn’t purchase early. I wonder if the whole project got cancelled?

[@storylearning]

@@paulwalther5237 Thanks for your comment Paul. You're right, we announced our intermediate Korean course in the Spring and we're currently working on it with our Korean teacher and Korean course team. It's going to be released publicly in early 2024. The intermediate course is not available as part of Black Friday this year, since we never include brand new programmes in these kinds of offers.

[@josephinenoh]

looovvvvveee this!!!

[@NataliaGarza]

Haha glad you enjoyed it~ 🩵

[@tstone1056]

Wow, that #3 totally called me out 😭

[@AlongfortheThrill]

I've been in class for a year and a half once a week, and only know vocabulary and not that much. I have chronic migraines, so I learn very slowly. I'm totally chicken shit about saying anything because if they respond in Korean its really embarrassing because I would understand a couple words if I'm lucky.😅

[@paulwalther5237]

I love this style of video. Honest critique from the point of view of someone who made the plunge into Korean society way more than I ever will. I’d be lucky to be the guy that lives there to teach English for a year or two and leaves 😞. I figured 언니 and 오빠 weren’t cringe in Korea or nobody would say them and they wouldn’t be picked up on by foreigners. But they still seem a little cringe knowing that 😂. I’m sure that would go away if I actually started speaking. When you say don’t use 방말, do you mean just use 요 or take it to the next level? (I haven’t studied more polite forms than 요 yet 😂. I think the Matt vs Japan community gave us all the idea that outputting before we can speak fluently was bad so shockingly nobody is speaking because you can’t become fluent without speaking and making lots of mistakes first. I’ve studied a few languages already and I HATE outputting as a beginner so much but if you plan on speaking the fastest way by far to get better is to speak. Even if you input for years and years you are still going to be horrible at outputting when you first try so just get over it. (This is what I tell myself). I already have to tell people I’ve been studying Korean for 4 years now and I sound like I’ve been studying for 1 year 😭. I know a guy who studied Japanese using the immersion method per Matt vs Japan and if you believe him he can understand native podcasts but if he tries to output he makes mistakes I didn’t make after a couple months of classroom study and frankly it’s funny to hear what mistake he’s going to make next (I probably shouldn’t say that).

[@Entropic_Alloy]

Matt vs Japan community saying outputting before fluency is "bad" is ridiculous because how are you going to get better at pronunciation and communicating except by talking? He is so uptight about wanting to sound like a native, compared to Kaufman who says to enjoy it because no one is going to kill you over mistakes.

[@paulwalther5237]

@@Entropic_Alloy Yeah I don’t agree with the no outputting or you’ll develop bad habits thing either. Not a single bit. Some people think talking to non natives is also bad because you’ll copy their mistakes. It’s rubbish. But his other ideas are really solid and his videos are great. Especially that 2 or 3 hour one from way back before he got big just talking about how he learned Japanese from start to finish or until that point anyway. Language learning is really subjective and personal to each person so I don’t think there’s anyone on KZbin who I can point to and say I agree 100% with them.

[@depotemkin]

@@Entropic_Alloy yes!

[@tomnook6751]

0:07 the Koya pillow in the background, i wish I had one of those😭💜

[@NataliaGarza]

I don't think they sell them anymore because they're the OG design from 2017 ㅠㅠ Mine was the display one at the store

[@Frustrated_Army]

My goal is this year is learning Korean! And i wanna do it but am afraid cuz what if i dont learn it well online😅? But i will try my best at it! And watch videos to avoid mistakes❤! Hopefully i can speak a little korean by 2025😊

[@nifLefty]

Thats the only reason my english is so fluent, because i ignore those that made fun of it and listened to those that corrected me and acted on it

[@user-vb8uf9sg8d]

Do you have any tips for learning medical stuff or where is a good direction to go to? I saw some chick on tiktok do a full health evaluation in Korea for a great price and I want to learn how to speak with medical terms so the doctors can understand me over there

[@elli_er]

Thank you for this interesting video! I'm going to Incheon for a 2-month internship starting in May so I'm now frantically trying to learn the basics to get by somewhat. Korean is not required for the internship but I'd like to at least leave a good impression and keep up with some simple conversations. StoryLearning seems like a great way to accomplish that so I'm thinking about buying it, though almost 300$ is too much money for me. Using the link in the video description, the website still displays the black friday discount. Can anyone tell me if it's still working when purchasing it via the link?

[@gaelcarreon]

I noticed that in Korea there’s a lot of something I don’t really know how to explain but that thing about being “respected” more if you act like a Korean and stuff. Well, I wanted to ask if that could happen in the inverse way, for example in my school I had once a Korean classmate but he was just like another Mexican (I’m form Mexico). Maybe it’s because Mexico and the west in general has less conduct conventions? Or maybe it does have?

[@NataliaGarza]

If I’m understanding you correctly, then I think so. I have a Korean friend here that I always forget is Korean and not Korean-American because he speaks and acts like an American. It’s not until he talks about growing up here that I remember he’s Korean Korean haha

[@emsterhibberd]

Honestly like I would just start talking to myself in Korean but I think my biggest thing is that since I’m self teaching, if I AM making mistakes I don’t have anyone to tell me how to correct it so I’ll keep saying something wrong over and over again and then it will be harder for my brain to fix it later on because I’ll be in that habit 😭

[@genniferwest]

I move to Pusan next month. Teach me!!!!

[@tati79ana]

Noted 🫡

[@LindaDeeTee]

How does the 운니/오빠 think work for older adults? If/when I get to visit Korea, I'll be over 50. What's appropriate as an older Korean-learner/visitor?

[@neetusingh5910]

Hello sister, i have heard people saying that they go to korea to learn the language, can i ask you how can i get into a korean college, i wish to learn the language as well as get admission in a good university for my post graduation. Help me please!

[@lisamaxwell5876]

my husband who is Korean finds 오빠 cringey and he asked me to never use it with him....but then again he doesn't use 형 with his brother and I've only ever heard him use 누나. I tend to not use them either and I realized I don't use names either.....I guess I use titles more because I'm not close with coworkers etc. on the subject of informal language...I was with a friend who was in a shop and accidentally used 반말 with the shop owner and though their age was similar and it was completely an accident with ONE word because said friend used formal with the rest of the conversation/interaction......the shop owner complained so much in Korean about it. My friend didn't know the shop owner complained and I mentioned it afterward but I did think "oh come on it was one word, shes a foreigner.." I wish people would not say things like that...oh I didn't want to tell people how long ive studied because theyd be disappointed or itd be embarrassing....because it doesnt help people who are picking things up more slowly. I know you dont want to discourage people but hearing that doesnt help with confidence I mean I use Korean on the daily at work and Ive been here for years my listening, reading, writing is pretty decent....my speaking sucks and I use it daily.....part of that is because my pronunciation is horrible but one person can understand and the next cant....it's attitude on the listeners part too.....when im alone with my mother in law she can understand me fine. when my husband is with me she cant understand a thing because she doesnt want to try and just assumes that she cant understand and it has been that way for years. I often find one Korean repeating what I said in Korean to another Korean.....so clearly people are understanding and one person just didn't try/didnt want to understand/wasnt patient/already assumed I wouldnt be able to speak Korean..........on top of my mistakes/problems with pronunciation

[@emilie_doudou]

The last one is so real 😭😭

[@femmefatale2643]

I have a question too that i suck at sentence making what should i do to make it good?i really need help in this

[@cc.carter.christian]

Toxic or not, that might actually be the advice I need to actually start speaking 😂 I cannot still sound like this next year

[@corgisrule21]

언니 and 오빠 only make me cringe when people use them incorrectly (the latter one more-so) 😂 idk why you would cringe at them if people were using the words appropriately and like you said, every day humans use them all the time there. 😅💜

[@itsme______1]

rather than cringe over 오빠 and 언니 it just didnt feel right for me to use it...I have been in Seoul for a year as an exchange student and I had korean friends who said that it doesn't feel awkward at all if you use these 호칭, but for some reason it just didnt feel right probably because unconsiously connected to these koreaboo stereotypes,, but as time went by I kinda regret not having used 호칭 with my friends from the very start, because now it will be weird if I start using them with my friends even thou I actually want to do it

[@alexcaparrosvilches644]

Gurl, look at you in your old videos....😊

[@NataliaGarza]

I'm not sure what you mean 😅😅😅

[@Entropic_Alloy]

... I feel like Westerners made 언니, 누나, 형, and 오빠 weirder than it needs to be.

[@Nanjol]

My native language is Arabic and my English is hugh level but not when I speak 😂 so that point is really important for me because I don't want to be like this in Korean too 🥲

[@celRMoon]

Is there a way to find koreans in any app just to be friends with and learn korean with them as I'm not good at making friendships

[@Idkk_000]

When can you talk in 반말 with someone? I totally understand why you wouldn’t just ask someone you don’t know that much to talk casually. And i understand how you said that they sometimes have low expectations of you and say you can talk informally. But then how do you know you can talk 반말 with someone. Like how do you know that when they say you can speak casually with them that they really mean it? Thank you

[@tina0918]

would you guys say that StoryLearning is also for lower-upper intermediates??

[@x1n-]

The satisfaction when the likes went from 999 to 1k when I liked this weejoooooo aaaaaa

[@indiajones678]

How long did it take you to learn Korean

[@monimiyo7784]

i would go even further and say do not use 반말 at all. not until you're totally used to 존댓말. because it is not only learning to use the ~요 but to get fully used to use 습니다. especially because there are soo many formal situations where you need to use it. also leave outside the idea that when being angry or having a discussion, using 반말 is good. is not. the amount of foreigners i see using it when angry is insane and it's just rude. i always say, being rude to their language culture is the least you want to do. just discovered you and loving your videos ^^

[@real_cherita]

I always see kpop stans devouring anyone who dares to say 언니 or 오빠, saying that it’s “cringe” when it’s literally someone’s culture? There’s nothing to be ashamed of if you’re being respectful and not fetishizing anyone.

[@sana-gq2ur]

❤❤❤

[@messsee.editzs]

I speak english and german, I'm now learning korean to go to korea. I am low key kind of scared that I'm going to get dirty looks because I am going with my german grandpa, but in Germany we call grandpa "oppa". So imagine you're a korean citizen watching a young girl all this old dude 오빠 😭

[@sonofnyx9437]

They can hear that ur not saying 오빠 lol don’t worry

[@user-hw1vv4qg4d]

i love the penguin plush where is it fromm

[@NataliaGarza]

I actually won it in a claw machine 😓

[@ZobiWanKenobi96]

realistically i KNOW 오빠 is a NORMAL word, but can I bring myself to say it? no hahahah it is cuz of the koreaboo angle and also I've heard some korean guys they don't like it when foreigners specifically use it. also it's almost like I don't want a guy to think we're close hahaha!! Maybe this year my goal can be to try and say it to someone hahaha

[@kiwiipeachii8980]

No use it please if you are speaking korean. If anything, koreans get offended if you don't use it when you are suppose to.

[@Koakoa45]

The term Koreaboo is really bad. We don't call Koreans who wear American clothes, listen to American music, learning English Ameriboos. I live in deep south on Gulf of Mexico in America and I can't image talking to a stranger like I talk to my friends or younger family. Being from somewhere that we have a culture of respect, I understand talking formal and informal. But we do same thing here with out of state visitors when they are confused or try to use Ma'am and Sir, we just excuse the mistakes and think it is cute LOL Sadly I am 2 years into Korean and can't speak but maybe 10 words - maybe. I tried once talking Korean to a Korean and he told me I was terrible and I should just give up, then he proceeded to make fun of me for months. I stopped trying to even learn for almost a year. Now I have no one to talk to so who knows if I am saying it right.

[@hannasizemore8028]

I've been studying 2 years and I sound . . . slightly less like a beginner than I did 6 months ago. 😛

[@norahassan2372]

I didn't really understand the thing of oppa i mean i understand it for close young male around a girl so girl can call them oppa but why is it sensitive??

[@user-yy6ju4tx7k]

How essential has your iPad been in your studies?

[@mimmi8677]

오빠 means grandpa in my language which makes it even harder And also the part with speaking, formal and informal is so true because even if people give me the right to speak informal to them I can’t because I’ve learned it since growing up (talking about my mother language here) I’m still a beginner in Korean btw😅

[@TJMartinek]

haha, jokes on them I don't even know plain speech yet. lol

[@catm9486]

That's what I was thinking😂

[@dprlive3401]

Time to trauma dump okay I’ve been watching your vids for so long also lol …. So I’ve been studying since 5th grape up until my sophomore year in Oct or Nov I’m now a junior I stopped because I was on hello talk in this bad community my old friend group accused me of bullying. They said I told people they couldn’t speak Korean but I all I could remember was telling people what they could improve in a nice way another thing that I did which I apologized for was for making fun of this girl who lives in Korea who can’t speak Korean and she lived there for 7-8 years she is learning Chinese also and 6 months after I said that she called me telling me ppl were Turing against me and they didn’t like me they made this whole group and I apologized to her and they called me a Korea boo for calling my mom 엄마 and getting her to speak Korean they also got mad at me for using a translator they also called me a koreaboo for not letting them in my hellotslk room cause I was learning Korean but all they wanted to do was speak English they said I constantly let the Korean guys in the room but Korean girls never came up. I also had this incident where I had this Korean guy friend he spoke so many languages including English so I was helping him pick a fit for Lotte world and we were having a great time one of my weird friends sent a pic to me or meme and I was like “what the heck” and he said “what’s wrong” and I sent the pic to him he didn’t say anything about it at that time but he told my whole friend group and he made it weird so I left for a while and when I came back everyone was getting on me and being mean to me and they made me apologize and those girls also bully and hurt ppl think they are doing right and serving justice I don’t understand if they had a problem with me they should have told me at the moment while I did it and it’s almost 2024 and they still talk about it like it’s yesterday I apologized to everyone but they all still don’t like me but i hold on to this and I feel guilty everyday and this added on to my depression which I already had my thing is, is that I’ve been studying for so long and I stopped and forgot everything and I’m scared to learn again. No one was really learning on hellotalk and hilokal I need someone who’s serious I want to start so bad but idk what to do

[@user-fr8mi2js6y]

Do Korean people speak English ? And is it ok to speak with them in English or no?

[@waterbottle19383]

If ur in big cities with a lot of tourists, most people can probably speak a pretty basic amount of english.

[@FerielFeriel-jf5sv]

❤❤

[@NataliaGarza]

🤍🤍🤍

[@Bubbyzmom]

Yessss my problem is … if my husband starts giggling when I speak Korean, I quit… lololo

[@sneguguhappiness8071]

Hey I get it about unni🔥♥️🫂but ohh my gosh oppa I won't like that it doesn't sound cringe 😭

[@See_The_Stars]

I just like the language. I don't like most kpop songs or dramas. Mostly drama. Songs are more of a meh. One time I told someone I wanted to learn korean and they were so fucking rude about it. Saying I only wanted to learn the language because of k pop. Overal made me not wanna learn it.

[@user-mc5ch1rs4d]

Is it 'Anni'? I thought it was 'onni' or 'Unni' (not sure)

[@Freezerrfr]

아니 (ani) = no. 언니 (onni/eonni) = older sister/friend who’s a girl for a girl

[@user-mc5ch1rs4d]

Thank you. Don't know why she says Anni instead of Onni/Eonni in this video

[@Freezerrfr]

@@user-mc5ch1rs4d She said Eonni. Listen again

[@strawberry_sh0rtc4k3]

Guys I feel like no one ever talks ab this when It comes to learning Korean, but I'm starting to feel like a koreaboo... and I reallyy don't wanna be one. The thing is that I don't wanna b Korean, I'm not claiming to be Korean but I still feel kinda attacked. Like is it weird that I like kdramas or kpop?

[@waterbottle19383]

Enjoying korean pop culture is wayy different than being a korea boo. you have nothing to worry about

[@sakura_bunnies]

I don't feel comfortable calling ppl 오빠/older brother 😅😅

[@bigdaddy7244]

1:01 I never cringed at it😭

[@yours__]

koreaboo literally made me avoid calling my cousins "oppa" permanently (hopefully it's temporary) 🙏