Learn Hardcore Korean: naneun botong harue du beon keopireul masyeo.

나는 combines 나 (the informal “I”) with the topic marker -는, so it literally means “as for me.” In Korean, marking the topic clarifies what you’re talking about, but since it’s obvious from context, native speakers often drop 나는 in casual conversation.

How does 보통 differ from “usually,” and where does it go in the sentence?

보통 is an adverb meaning “usually” or “commonly.” It modifies the verb phrase and typically appears before the time expression or verb:
– 나는 보통 하루에 두 번 커피를 마셔.
Moving 보통 changes emphasis but not the core meaning:
– 나는 하루에 보통 두 번 커피를 마셔.

Why is there an -에 after 하루 in 하루에 두 번?

The particle -에 marks a time unit when expressing frequency “per” or “in” a period. So 하루에 두 번 literally means “two times in one day,” i.e. “twice a day.” Without -에, it sounds less natural for frequency expressions.

Why do we use 두 번 instead of just “two” or “두”?

번 is a counter for occurrences or repetitions (“times”). To say “two times,” you need the counter 번:
– 두 번 = “two times.”
Simply saying 두 would leave out what you’re counting.

Shouldn’t 커피 have an object particle like -를 (커피를)?

Grammatically, you can include -를: 커피를 마셔. However, in casual speech Koreans often drop particles when meaning remains clear. In more formal or written Korean, you’d usually say 커피를 마십니다 or 커피를 마셔요.

What level of politeness is the ending -마셔, and when do you use it?

마셔 is the informal (banmal) present tense form of 마시다 (“to drink”). It’s used with close friends, younger people, or oneself. In polite speech you’d say 마셔요, and in formal settings 마십니다.

Could you reorder the time and frequency expressions? For example, is 하루에 두 번 보통 커피를 마셔 acceptable?

While Korean is relatively flexible, the most natural order is:

Topic/subject (나는)
Frequency adverb (보통)
Time expression with -에 (하루에)
Number + counter (두 번)
Object (optional 커피(를))
Verb (마셔)
Changing that can sound awkward or poetic, so it’s best to stick to the common pattern.