Breakdown of ibeon hakgie hangugeo gwamogeul suganghaeyo.
Questions & Answers about ibeon hakgie hangugeo gwamogeul suganghaeyo.
- 이번 = “this”
- 학기 = “semester”
- -에 = time particle meaning “in/at/on”
Putting them together, 이번 학기에 literally means “in this semester.” In Korean, longer time expressions (years, months, semesters) usually take -에 to mark when something happens. Shorter ones (오늘, 내일) often drop it.
- 과목 refers to an academic subject or course as a category (e.g. “the Korean course,” “a math course”).
- 수업 refers more to the actual class or lesson sessions you attend (e.g. “the class meets Monday,” “I attend class”).
You “take” (수강하다) a 과목, and you “attend/listen to” (듣다) a 수업.
Korean often omits the subject when it’s contextually obvious. Here, it’s clear you’re talking about yourself (“I take a Korean course this semester”), so 저는 (“as for me”) isn’t strictly necessary. You could say:
저는 이번 학기에 한국어 과목을 수강해요.
- 수강하다 is a 하다-verb (“to take/register for a course”).
- Drop -다 from 하다, then add -해요 for present polite style.
→ 수강 + 해요 = 수강해요
- 수강하다 (Sino-Korean, formal) literally means “to register for/take a course.”
- 수업을 듣다 (native Korean) literally means “to listen to class.”
Both are used to say “take a class,” but 수강하다 is more common in academic or administrative contexts.
They’re the same verb meaning but in different speech levels:
- 수강해요 = polite, everyday conversation (해요체)
- 수강합니다 = more formal/polite (합니다체), often in announcements or formal writing
Korean follows S-O-V (subject-object-verb). Time expressions usually come before the verb but are somewhat flexible. For example:
- 한국어 과목을 이번 학기에 수강해요.
- 이번 학기에 수강해요, 한국어 과목을.
All are grammatically correct, but putting the time first (as in the original) is the most neutral and common order.