How to Talk About Your Spouse and Children

Dialogue

Want to Understand & Master the Korean Dialogue 100%?

Get a breakdown of the dialogue and translations instantly with the Premium line-by-line Audio. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.

Select your level

Or sign up using Facebook

By clicking Join Now, you agree to our Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and to receive our email communications, which you may opt out at any time.

Already a Member?

Vocabulary (Review)

Learn New Words FAST with this Lesson’s Vocab Review List

Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.

Select your level

Or sign up using Facebook

By clicking Join Now, you agree to our Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and to receive our email communications, which you may opt out at any time.

Already a Member?

Lesson Notes

Unlock In-Depth Explanations & Exclusive Takeaways with Printable Lesson Notes

Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.

Select your level

Or sign up using Facebook

By clicking Join Now, you agree to our Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and to receive our email communications, which you may opt out at any time.

Already a Member?

Lesson Transcript

Welcome to Can Do Korean by KoreanClass101.com.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to talk about your spouse and children in Korean.

For example, "This is my husband, son, two daughters, and me." is

남편, 아들, 딸 둘, 저예요. (Nam-pyeon, a-deul, ttal dul, jeo-ye-yo.)

Yeon-a Yu is studying with her Korean teacher, Seon-yeong Sim.

The teacher notices a picture on Yeon-a's computer and asks about the people visible in it.

Before you hear their conversation, let's preview some of its key components.

남편 (nam-pyeon)

"husband"

남편 (enunciated)

남편

아들 (a-deul)

"son"

아들 (enunciated)

아들

딸 (ttal)

"daughter"

딸

Listen to the conversation, and focus on the response.

Ready?

연아 씨 가족이에요? (Yeon-a ssi ga-jog-i-e-yo?)

네, 남편, 아들, 딸 둘, 저예요. (Ne, nam-pyeon, a-deul, ttal dul, jeo-ye-yo.)

Once more with the English translation.

연아 씨 가족이에요? (Yeon-a ssi ga-jog-i-e-yo?)

"Is this your family, Yeon-a?"

네, 남편, 아들, 딸 둘, 저예요. (Ne, nam-pyeon, a-deul, ttal dul, jeo-ye-yo.)

"Yes. This is my husband, son, two daughters, and me."

Let's break down the conversation.

Do you remember how the teacher asks,

"Is this your family, Yeon-a?"

연아 씨 가족이에요? (Yeon-a ssi ga-jog-i-e-yo?)

First is 연아 씨(Yeon-a ssi), meaning "Yeon-a." 연아 씨

This starts with Yeon-a's name in Korean, "연아(Yeon-a)." 연아. 연아.

After this is 씨 (ssi), a polite suffix attached to a person’s name. 씨. 씨

씨 is commonly used among people of equal social status, age or position.

This suffix can be used with any gender, and can be attached to a person’s given name or their full name, but not the last name alone.

Together, 연아 씨(Yeon-a ssi), "Yeon-a." 연아 씨.

After this is 가족(ga-jok), "family". 가족 (enunciated). 가족.

Together, 연아 씨 가족(Yeon-a ssi ga-jok) "Yeon-a’s family," but it translates as "your family." 연아 씨 가족.

In Korean, it’s more common and polite to address a person by their name and polite suffix rather than directly with words like "you" or "your."

After this is 이에요(i-e-yo). In this case, it’s like the "is" in "Is this your family?" 이에요. 이에요.

이에요 is the polite spoken form of the verb 이다(i-da) meaning "to be." 이다

Note: there are two forms of the polite spoken form of the verb "to be," 이에요 follows words that end in a consonant, like 가족.

All together, it's 연아 씨 가족이에요? (Yeon-a ssi ga-jog-i-e-yo?) This literally means "Yeon-a family this is? " but it translates as "Is this your family?"

연아 씨 가족이에요? (Yeon-a ssi ga-jog-i-e-yo?)

Remember this question. You’ll hear it again later.

Let’s take a closer look at the response.

Do you remember how Yeon-a Yu says,

"Yes. This is my husband, son, daughters, and me."

네, 남편, 아들, 딸 둘, 저예요. (Ne, nam-pyeon, a-deul, ttal dul, jeo-ye-yo.)

There are two parts to the response.

The first part is 네(Ne), "yes." 네 (enunciated). 네.

It answers the teacher's yes-no question, "Is this your family?"

In the second part, Yeon-a lists the different members of her family while pointing to each family member.

남편, 아들, 딸 둘, 저예요. (nam-pyeon, a-deul, ttal dul, jeo-ye-yo.)

"This is my husband, son, two daughter, and me."

First is 남편(nam-pyeon), "husband," but it translates as "my husband," in this context. 남편 (enunciated). 남편.

After this is 아들(a-deul), "son." 아들 (enunciated). 아들

Next is 딸 둘(ttal dul), "two daughters." 딸 둘.

First is 딸(ttal), "daughter." 딸 (enunciated). 딸.

Next is the native Korean number 둘 (dul), "two," 둘 (enunciated). 둘.

It follows 딸, daughter, and is used to indicate the number of daughters.

Together it's 딸 둘(ttal dul), "two daughters." 딸 둘.

Note, to say two sons, 아들 둘(a-deul dul). "Two sons." 아들 둘.

Next is 저(jeo), translating as "me," in this case. 저 (enunciated). 저

Finally, 예요 (ye-yo). In this case, it's like the "is" in "This is..." 예요. 예요.

예요 is from the verb 이다(i-da) meaning "to be." 이다.

Note: there are two forms of the polite spoken form of the verb "to be," 예요 follows words that end in a vowel, like 저.

All together, 남편, 아들, 딸 둘, 저예요. (Nam-pyeon, a-deul, ttal dul, jeo-ye-yo.)

Which literally means "Husband, son, two daughters, me this is," but it translates as "This is my husband, son, two daughters and me."

남편, 아들, 딸들, 저예요. (Nam-pyeon, a-deul, ttal dul, jeo-ye-yo.)

Note: "This" is understood from context, as the speaker is answering a question about the group of people in the picture.

In addition, this Korean sentence doesn’t include a specific word meaning "my," as here, it’s understood from context, as the speaker is answering a question.

The pattern is:

{family member}, {family member}, {family member}, 저예요 (jeo-ye-yo).

This is {family member}, {family member}, {family member}, and "me."

To use this pattern, simply replace {family member} with each of your family members.

Imagine your family members are your wife, your son, your daughter, and you.

아내(a-nae), "wife." 아내 (enunciated). 아내.

Say

"This is my wife, son, two daughters, and me."

Ready?

아내, 아들, 딸 둘, 저예요. (A-nae, a-deul, ttal dul, jeo-ye-yo.)

"This is my wife, son, two daughters, and me.".

아내, 아들, 딸 둘, 저예요. (A-nae, a-deul, ttal dul, jeo-ye-yo.)

In the conversation, the teacher says, "연아 씨 가족(Yeon-a ssi ga-jok)," which translates as "Yeon-a’s family."

The possessive-marking particle, 의(ui), which would follow 연아 씨(Yeon-a ssi), "Yeon-a," is omitted, as it’s understood from context.

Think of 의 as a way to indicate possession, like the ‘s in Yeon-a’s family. The word it follows possesses the thing that comes after it.

The phrase including 의 is as follows: 연아 씨의 가족(Yeon-a ssi-ui ga-jok).

의 marks 연아 씨, Yeon-a, as the possessor.

However, in spoken Korean, the possessive-marking particle, 의, is often omitted.

연아 씨의 가족 becomes 연아 씨 가족, as seen in the dialogue.

Again, the key pattern is

{family member}, {family member}, {family member}, 저예요 (jeo-ye-yo).

This is{family member}, {family member}, {family member}, and "me."

Let's look at some more examples.

Listen and repeat or speak along with the native speakers.

남편, 아들, 딸 둘, 저예요. (Nam-pyeon, a-deul, ttal dul, jeo-ye-yo.)

"This is my husband, son, two daughters, and me."

남편, 아들, 딸 둘, 저예요. (Nam-pyeon, a-deul, ttal dul, jeo-ye-yo.)

아내, 아들, 딸 둘, 저예요. (A-nae, a-deul, ttal dul, jeo-ye-yo.)

"This is my wife, son, two daughters, and me."

아내, 아들, 딸둘, 저예요. (A-nae, a-deul, ttal dul, jeo-ye-yo.)

아내, 딸, 저예요. (A-nae, ttal, jeo-ye-yo.)

"This is my wife, daughter, and me."

아내, 딸, 저예요. (A-nae, ttal, jeo-ye-yo.)

남편, 아들, 저예요. (Nam-pyeon, a-deul, jeo-ye-yo.)

"This is my husband, son, and me."

남편, 아들, 저예요. (Nam-pyeon, a-deul, jeo-ye-yo.)

남편, 아들 둘, 저예요. (Nam-pyeon, a-deul dul, jeo-ye-yo.)

"This is my husband, two sons, and me."

남편, 아들 둘, 저예요. (Nam-pyeon, a-deul dul, jeo-ye-yo.)

Let's review.

Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then repeat after the native speaker, focusing on pronunciation.

Ready?

Do you remember how to say "yes"?

네. (ne.)

And how to say "me"?

저 (jeo)

Do you remember how to say "daughter"?

딸. (ttal.)

And how to say "two daughters?"

딸 둘 (ttal dul)

And do you remember how to say "son"?

아들. (a-deul.)

Do you remember how to say "husband"?

남편. (nam-pyeon.)

Do you remember how Yeon-a says,

"Yes. This is my husband, son, two daughters and me."

네, 남편, 아들, 딸 둘, 저예요. (Ne, nam-pyeon, a-deul, ttal dul, jeo-ye-yo.)

Do you remember how to say "family"?

가족. (ga-jok.)

가족 (ga-jok.)

And how to say Yeon-a’s name in Korean?

연아. (Yeon-a.)

Do you remember how the teacher addresses Yeon-a?

연아 씨 (Yeon-a ssi)

Do you remember how Seon-yeong asks,

"Is this your family?"

연아 씨 가족이에요? (Yeon-a ssi ga-jog-i-e-yo?)

Do you remember the word for "wife"?

아내. (a-nae.)

Let's practice.

Imagine you're Yun-seok's colleague, Sang-hun.

And you have a wife, 아내(a-nae) and a daughter, 딸(ttal).

Respond to Yun-seok’s question referring to the photo.

Don’t forget to include the word "yes" at the beginning of the response.

Ready?

상훈 씨 가족이에요? (Sang-hun ssi ga-jog-i-e-yo?)

네, 아내, 딸, 저예요. (Ne, a-nae, ttal, jeo-ye-yo.)

Listen again and repeat.

네, 아내, 딸, 저예요. (Ne, a-nae, ttal, jeo-ye-yo.)

Let’s try another.

Imagine you’re Yun-seok Yu.

You have a wife, 아내(a-nae), a son, 아들(a-deul), and two daughters, 딸 둘(ttal dul).

Ready?

윤석 씨 가족이에요? (Yun-seok ssi ga-jog-i-e-yo?)

네, 아내, 아들, 딸 둘, 저예요. (Ne, a-nae, a-deul, ttal dul, jeo-ye-yo.)

Listen again and repeat.

네, 아내, 아들, 딸 둘, 저예요. (Ne, a-nae, a-deul, ttal dul, jeo-ye-yo.)

Let’s try one more.

Imagine you're Yun-seok's friend, Hyeon-suk Hwang.

You have a wife, 남편(nam-pyeon) and son, 아들(a-deul).

Ready?

현숙 씨 가족이에요? (Hyeon-suk ssi ga-jog-i-e-yo?)

네, 남편, 아들, 저예요 (Ne, nam-pyeon, a-deul, jeo-ye-yo.)

Listen again and repeat.

네, 남편, 아들, 저예요 (Ne, nam-pyeon, a-deul, jeo-ye-yo.)

In this lesson, you learned how to talk about your spouse and children in Korean. This plays an essential role in the larger skill of talking about family. Let’s review the family members.

Do you remember the word for "younger sister"?

여동생 (yeo-dong-saeng)

And the word for "younger brother"?

남동생 (nam-dong-saeng)

Do you remember the word for "mother"?

어머니 (eo-meo-ni)

Do you remember how to say "father"?

아버지 (a-beo-ji)

Imagine you're Ben Morris, and you have a mother, 어머니(eo-meo-ni), father, 아버지 (a-beo-ji), and a younger sister, 여동생(yeo-dong-saeng).

Respond to your classmate, who sees a picture in your wallet, and asks for the people in it.

Ready?

벤 씨 가족이에요? (Ben ssi ga-jog-i-e-yo?)

네, 아버지, 어머니, 여동생, 저예요. (Ne, a-beo-ji, eo-meo-ni, yeo-dong-saeng, jeo-ye-yo.)

Listen again, and repeat.

네, 아버지, 어머니, 여동생, 저예요.

Now imagine you're Ben's mother, Karen Morris, and your friend asks about the people in the picture on your phone. You have a husband, 남편(nam–pyeon), son, 아들(a-deul), and a daughter, 딸(ttal).

카렌 씨 가족이에요? (Ka-ren ssi ga-jog-i-e-yo?)

네, 남편, 아들, 딸, 저예요. (Ne, nam-pyeon, a-deul, ttal, jeo-ye-yo.)

Listen again, and repeat.

네, 남편, 아들, 딸, 저예요. (Ne, nam-pyeon, a-deul, ttal, jeo-ye-yo.)

Well done! This is the end of the lesson and the Can Talk About Family unit of this course.

Remember, these Can Do lessons are about learning practical language skills.

What's next?

Show us what you can do.

When you're ready, take your assessment.

You can take it again and again, so try anytime you like.

Our teachers will assess it, and give you your results.

Keep practicing — and move on to the next lesson!

Comments

Hide