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mogyoireneun jeomsimsigane gyosireseo chingudeulgwa iyagihaeyo.

목요일에는 점심시간에 교실에서 친구들과 이야기해요.mogyoireneun jeomsimsigane gyosireseo chingudeulgwa iyagihaeyo.
On Thursday, I chat with friends in the classroom during lunch.
FromLesson 19inHardcore Korean
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Questions & Answers about mogyoireneun jeomsimsigane gyosireseo chingudeulgwa iyagihaeyo.

Why do we say 목요일에는 instead of just 목요일에 in this sentence?
  • 목요일에 marks the time “on Thursday” neutrally.
  • Adding -는 as in 목요일에는 makes “Thursday” the topic or contrast point (“As for Thursdays, …”).
  • It emphasizes that this action happens regularly on Thursdays (maybe unlike other days).
Why are there two time/location markers (-에 in 점심시간에 and -에서 in 교실에서)?
  • 점심시간에 uses -에 to mark when the action takes place: “at lunchtime.”
  • 교실에서 uses -에서 to mark where the action takes place: “in the classroom.”
  • Korean separates time (-에) and action-location (-에서).
Could we use 교실에 이야기해요 instead of 교실에서 이야기해요?
  • 교실에서 이야기해요 is correct for “talking in the classroom” (action happens there).
  • 교실에 이야기해요 would mean “talk to (about) the classroom” or “talk at/to the classroom,” which sounds odd.
  • Use -에서 for location of an action.
Why is it 친구들과 이야기해요 instead of 친구들과 말해요?
  • Both 말하다 and 이야기하다 mean “to speak” or “to talk,” but:
    • 말하다 often refers to the act of saying something (one-way speech).
    • 이야기하다 implies a back-and-forth conversation or chatting.
  • Talking with friends suggests a conversation, so 이야기해요 is more natural.
What’s the difference between 친구들과, 친구들하고, and 친구들이랑?

All three mean “with friends,” but differ in style:

  • 친구들과: more formal or written style (uses the pair particle -과/와).
  • 친구들하고: neutral, common in spoken Korean.
  • 친구들이랑: colloquial, informal (very casual).
What does the ending -해요 signify? Could we say something else?
  • -해요 is the polite present tense ending in the 요-style.
  • Alternatives:
    • 이야기한다: plain/formal style (often in writing or narration).
    • 이야기해: casual (used with close friends, dropping 요).
    • 이야기합니다: very formal (respectful, business contexts).
Can I reorder the phrases (time, place, comitative) in the sentence?
  • Korean is flexible with adverbial phrases, but common order is: time → place → comitative → verb.
  • You could say 목요일에는 교실에서 점심시간에 친구들과 이야기해요, but it sounds less natural.
  • Keeping related elements together (e.g., 점심시간에 교실에서) makes the sentence flow better.

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“How do speech levels work in Korean?”
Korean has multiple speech levels that indicate formality and politeness. The most common are the formal polite (‑습니다/‑ㅂ니다), informal polite (‑아요/‑어요), and casual (‑아/‑어) forms. Which level you use depends on who you're speaking to and the social context.

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