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A whole conversation

Day 30 of 90~10 minPut the first month together in one café conversation
Romanisation help

Today there is no new grammar. Two people meet in a café, talk about their week and say goodbye, and almost every line uses something from the last 29 days. Read each line aloud, and where one trips you up, the note tells you which day to go back to.

Meeting at the café

Sam meets 민지 (Minji), a friend of a friend, for the first time:

annyeonghaseyo. cheoeum boepgetseumnida. jeoneun saemieyo.
Hello. Nice to meet you. I am Sam.
안녕하세요 is day 1. 처음 뵙겠습니다, and 이에요 after a name ending in a consonant, are day 2.
eoneu nara saramieyo? yeongguk saramieyo.
Where are you from? I am British.
Day 3. Sam leaves out 저는 in the answer, because it is obvious who is being talked about.
mwo masil geoyeyo?
What are you going to drink?
마시다 plus ㄹ 거예요, the future from day 27, with 뭐 from day 14.
aiseu amerikano han jan juseyo. eolmayeyo?
One iced americano, please. How much is it?
한 잔 is the shortened native number and the counter for cups from day 9, 주세요 is day 11, and 얼마예요? is day 10.
Why it works

The opening is almost fixed: greeting, set phrase, name, all with the endings from days 1 and 2. 처음 뵙겠습니다 uses the formal -습니다 ending because a first meeting calls for it, and then the conversation settles into the 해요체 of every other line. Notice how often a word disappears: 저는 in Sam's answer, the particle after 뭐. Once the context makes something clear, Korean leaves it out, which is why particles already looked optional on day 14.

Yesterday and the weekend

With drinks in hand, they talk about the week:

eoje mwo haesseoyo? chingureul mannasseoyo. geurigo yeonghwareul bwasseoyo.
What did you do yesterday? I met a friend. And then I saw a film.
The past from day 20, 어제 from day 19, and 그리고 from day 28.
hangugeo gongbu jaemiisseoyo? ne, jaemiisseoyo. geunde jom eoryeowoyo.
Is studying Korean fun? Yes, it is. But it is a bit difficult.
재미있어요 is day 7, 근데 is day 28, and 어려워요 is the ㅂ change from day 25.
jumare mwo hal geoyeyo? busane gago sipeoyo. geunde sigani eopseoyo.
What are you doing at the weekend? I want to go to Busan. But I do not have time.
The future from day 27, -고 싶어요 from day 22, and 없어요 from day 7. 부산 (Busan) is the big port city in the south.
geuraeseo jibeseo swil geoyeyo. il an haeyo.
So I am going to rest at home. I am not working.
그래서 from day 28, 에서 from day 17, and 안 splitting 일해요 from day 21.
Why it works

This part of the conversation moves through three tenses in four lines: 했어요 for yesterday, 쉴 거예요 for the weekend, 안 해요 for the plain present. Each is one ending on the verb, with everything in front of it unchanged, which is why a month of endings already adds up to this much. The small linking words do the rest: 그리고 adds, 근데 turns, 그래서 concludes. Try replacing each answer with your own week before moving on.

Leaving

Minji has to go, and they make a plan:

naeil sigan isseoyo? mianhaeyo. naeireun mot mannayo.
Are you free tomorrow? Sorry. I cannot meet tomorrow.
시간 있어요? is day 7, 미안해요 day 6, and 못 from day 21 turns it down kindly. 은 on 내일 makes it the topic, 'as for tomorrow' (day 3).
geureom toyoire mannayo.
Then let us meet on Saturday.
그럼 (geureom) 'then, in that case'. 토요일에 with 에 is days 19 and 27, and the -요 form as a suggestion is day 13.
joayo. daeume tto mannayo.
Sounds good. See you again next time.
좋아요 on its own means 'sounds good' (day 23). 다음에 (daeume) 'next time' and 또 (tto) 'again' make the standard parting line.
annyeonghi gaseyo. ne, annyeonghi gyeseyo.
Goodbye (to the one leaving). Goodbye (to the one staying).
Day 1. Sam is staying at the table, so Sam says 가세요 to Minji, who is leaving, and Minji answers with 계세요.
Why it works

Turning down tomorrow with 못 rather than 안 keeps the refusal about circumstances, not about Sam, and offering Saturday straight after is what makes it friendly. 만나요 here is not a statement but a suggestion, a job the -요 form has had since day 13. The goodbye pair is decided by who is moving, exactly as on day 1. Both are -(으)세요 forms from day 26: 'go in peace' and 'stay in peace'.

jihacheollo gayo
I go by subway
geunde ireumi mwoyeyo?
By the way, what is your name?
an gal geoyeyo
I am not going to go
meonjeo gaseyo
After you / Please go ahead

📋 Today’s words 12

annyeonghaseyo. cheoeum boepgetseumnida. jeoneun saemieyo.
Hello. Nice to meet you. I am Sam.
eoneu nara saramieyo? yeongguk saramieyo.
Where are you from? I am British.
mwo masil geoyeyo?
What are you going to drink?
aiseu amerikano han jan juseyo. eolmayeyo?
One iced americano, please. How much is it?
eoje mwo haesseoyo? chingureul mannasseoyo. geurigo yeonghwareul bwasseoyo.
What did you do yesterday? I met a friend. And then I saw a film.
hangugeo gongbu jaemiisseoyo? ne, jaemiisseoyo. geunde jom eoryeowoyo.
Is studying Korean fun? Yes, it is. But it is a bit difficult.
jumare mwo hal geoyeyo? busane gago sipeoyo. geunde sigani eopseoyo.
What are you doing at the weekend? I want to go to Busan. But I do not have time.
geuraeseo jibeseo swil geoyeyo. il an haeyo.
So I am going to rest at home. I am not working.
naeil sigan isseoyo? mianhaeyo. naeireun mot mannayo.
Are you free tomorrow? Sorry. I cannot meet tomorrow.
geureom toyoire mannayo.
Then let us meet on Saturday.
joayo. daeume tto mannayo.
Sounds good. See you again next time.
annyeonghi gaseyo. ne, annyeonghi gyeseyo.
Goodbye (to the one leaving). Goodbye (to the one staying).

Check yourself

8 questions. Get 5 right to finish the day.

🖌 Writing practice optional