This can be applied to other nouns as well when the speaker is aware of some object, but is unsure of what specific object is in question.
For example. Just when you thought you might actually be understanding this confusion, we have to look at another word with a similar meaning. Although this overlap leads to confusion, it also allows each word to be used interchangeably in most cases, which makes using them easier than you think. In my opinion, it is just as important to realize how not to use each of these words when asking a question. Let me brief that for you:. However, Do use this when asking about the type of characteristics or properties of something Do use this when giving somebody options to choose from.
You would most likely say this when standing on a street or somewhere similar , where you have a selection of options to choose from. This table is equally confusing, but it helped me organize my thoughts, so I thought I would present it here as well.
This is a good start, but there are other specific situations when you might use one of these words. Notice the difference in the placement of the particles. Just like most other question words, particles are not typically attached. Just to show you, these would be understandable, and it probably just depends on the speaker who says them:. The difference between the first three sentences and the last three sentences is the first three are questions and the last three are statements.
Remember when you are asking a question that the intonation needs to rise at the end of the sentence. For example, notice the difference between these two questions:. How many pieces did you eat? Speaker is making a distinction between countable objects. How much did you eat? Speaker is not making a distinction between countable objects.
Although correct and understandable, I highly suggest you refrain from using this style of sentence. When the speaker is making a distinction between countable objects, the counter should be used as you learned in the previous section.
I just want to point out that it is possible to use most of these question words by themselves to ask for more information about a situation. There was a lot of content in this lesson and the one before it Lesson Make sure you review those concepts a lot, because they are very important! Assuming that the situation is not set up in a way that would be grammatically appropriate to compare yourself with somebody else, it would be very awkward for you to say the following:.
Again, this is just a nuance, and cannot be expressed in translation to English. The only way it can be explained is through descriptions. Nobody would ever say that without anything prompting a person to say it.
Instead, you would just say:. You are also not stating a general fact. You are just indicating the subject of the sentence. How can I know that nothing is being compared? Both of them can be used to express more than one nuance.
The only way you can distinguish between the particular nuances being used is by understanding the situation in which they are used. At this point I would like to dive a little bit deeper into this purpose of stressing the subject of a sentence. Like I said, to have this purpose, it would need some sort of back-story indicating why the speaker would need to stress the subject. However, imagine two students in a class arguing about who gets to sit in the front row the best seats in the class.
After arguing for a few minutes, the class president can come in and say:. I waited until Lesson 22 to talk about this usage because now you know how to ask questions. The same thing can be done with other question words, as long as the question is asking for the subject.
In some situations, they could be exactly the same. Ask a Korean person to distinguish between the following:. They will tell you that — depending on the situation — they could be exactly the same. It entirely depends on the nuance that the speaker is trying to make. Korean people literally write their doctoral theses on this topic. Nonetheless, here we go:. I can only assume that the purpose of this is what is described in number 2 above. One last time before we put this to bed for a while: Your understanding of this will progress along with your understanding of Korean in general.
Through Lesson 2, 17 and 22 I hope you have a better understanding of this. However, I know that you will still be confused. There may also be some notes near the question words if there are special cases. Make sure you know how to answer this one. We have two great resources on how to learn Korean dates and Korean numbers. You can put this question word in various parts of the sentence, but typically it is placed just before the verb.
To reply, you need to know the name of your country in Korean. You can find a list of countries in Korean on this page.
The former is informal, and the latter is a standard version you can use with anyone. You can place this word anywhere before the verb. Most of the time, it appears in front of the verb. How much time will it take from your home to Hongdae? This is especially useful when you plan to shop or perhaps buy some Korean food.
Big congratulations! You have just learned the commonly used Korean question words! Now you can immediately go and start asking all the burning questions not only to your friends who speak English but also to those who speak Korean. Make sure to put the sample sentences to use so you can practice the language right away.
If you want to know more about Korean, we have a guide to teach you the best way to learn Korean. Is that correct to introduce myself? Is there any website where you can ask questions to Korean individuals in regards to the language? Like spelling and grammar….
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