Lesson 108: Past Perfect: ~었~

Examples:
저는 붓을 사러 서울에 갔어요
= I went to Seoul to buy paint brushes

그 화가는 붓으로 그림을 그렸다
= The painter painted with a paintbrush

Examples:
옛날에 돈이 없어서 아주 알뜰했었지만 지금 여유가 생겨서 풍족하게 사고 싶은 것을 사요
= A long time ago we didn’t have any money so we were very thrifty, but now we’ve got some to spare, so we are living well and can buy what we want

하지만 내가 하고 싶은 일을 시작해서 하루하루 잘 버티고 있다. 오늘은 오랜만에 여유가 있게 쉴 수 있는 날이다. 어제부터 오랜만에 쉴 생각을 하니 설레었다.
= But, because I’m starting work that I want to do, every day (day by day) I am enduring it well. Today is a day that I can rest leisurely/comfortably for the first time in a long time. From yesterday, because of the thought of resting for the first time in a while, I am excited.

Common Usages:
시장 선거 = election for mayor

Examples:
사람들이 그 시장이 나쁘다고 했었어요
= People used to say that mayor was bad

시장은 시민들의 안전을 위해 노력하고 있어요
= The mayor is working for the safety of the citizens

Common Usages:
흉터 치료 = scar treatment
흉터 연고 = scar ointment
흉터 제거 = removal of a scar

Example:
제가 어렸을 때 얼굴에 흉터가 있었었어요
= When I was younger I used to have a scar on my face

Examples:
연꽃이 아름다운 연못을 장식하고 있었다
= The lily pads adorned the beautiful pond

거기 가기 전에는 연꽃이 얼마나 예쁜지 몰랐었어요
= Before I went there I had no idea how beautiful the lotus flowers were

Examples:
아빠가 풍경을 보러 제주에 갔어요
= Dad went to Jeju to see the landscape

저의 미술 선생님이 우리가 지금 보는 풍경을 예쁘게 묘사했어요
= Our art teacher beautifully depicted the landscape we are looking at

Common Usages:
애교가 많다 = to have a lot of charm
애교를 부리다 = to give off charm
애교쟁이 = one with a lot of charm

Examples:
보통 막내들이 집에서 제일 애교를 잘 부리고 사랑을 많이 받아요
= Usually, youngest children of families are good at using cuteness to receive lots of attention/love

그녀가 애교가 많아서 그녀를 잠깐 좋아했었어요
= She has a lot of charm, so I used to like her for a little bit

Common Usages:
연금 보험 = pension insurance
연금 수령= receiving pension

Examples:
퇴직하자마자 연금을 받을 수 있습니다
= As soon as you retire, you can receive your pension

그 회사원들이 파업 중인 이유는 월급 문제가 아니라 연금에 대한 문제 때문이다
= The reason why those workers are on strike is not because of wages, but because of a problem with the pension

저는 연금을 받으러 캐나다에 갔어요
= I went to Canada to receive my pension

Notes: It is common to call a person who is really skinny a “멸치.”

Examples:
어렸을 때 멸치를 아예 안 먹었어요
= When I was young I didn’t eat anchovies at all

멸치는 한국 음식에서 중요한 재료 중 하나입니다
= Anchovies are an important ingredient in Korean cuisine

Common Usages;
반지름 = radius

Examples:
원을 그릴 때, 지름을 구해야 해요
= When drawing a circle, you need to measure the diameter

원주를 알면 그 동그라미의 지름을 계산할 수 있어요
= If we knew the circumference, we could calculate the diameter of that circle

Examples:
이길로 가면 지름길이야
= If we go this way, it will be a shortcut

어렸을 때 등교할 때마다 이 지름길로 다녔었어요
= When I was young I used to take this shortcut everytime I went to school

Notes: It is very common in Korea to see a sticker on the back of cars saying “초보” or “운전초보” to warn other drivers that one is learning how to drive.

Common Usages:
초보운전 = beginner driver

Examples:
그 프로그램은 운전 초보를 위한 다양한 정보를 제공해요
= The program provides various lessons for people new to driving

제가 운전을 처음 배웠을 때 초보 운전자 스티커를 붙이고 운전했었어요
= When I first learned how to drive, I drove around with a “beginner driver” sticker (on my car)

Examples:
처음 수영을 배우는 초보자인가 봐요
= It appears that person is a beginner, learning how to swim

그녀는 초보자에게 디지털 녹음을 가르쳤다
= She taught digital recording to beginners

Examples:
그들은 녹음실에서 새 앨범을 녹음하고 있어요
= They are recording a new album in the recording studio

제가 옛날에 이 녹음실에서 노래를 많이 녹음했었어요
= I used to record a lot of songs in this recording studio

Example:
불꽃이 하늘에 솟아 올랐어요 = Flames soared into the sky

Common Usages:
불꽃놀이를 하다 = to light off fireworks

Examples:
제가 고등학교 때 불꽃놀이를 아주 좋아했어요
= When I was in high school I really liked fireworks

The noun form of this verb “존재” translates to “existence”

Common Usages:
존재감 = presence

Examples:
왕비가 존재하는 나라는 현재 별로 많지 않아요
= There aren’t that many nations that currently have a queen

어렸을 때는 정말로 마법사가 존재한다고 생각했어요
= When I was young I thought witches really existed

생태계는 먹이사슬을 바탕으로 존재합니다
= The ecosystem is based on the food chain

오래 전에는 공룡이 실제로 존재했었어요
= A long time ago dinosaurs had once actually existed

The noun form of this verb “녹음” translates to “recording”

Common Usages:
음악을 녹음하다 = to record music
몰래 녹음하다 = to record somebody without them knowing

Examples:
요즘에 거의 모든 핸드폰에 음성 녹음 기능이 있어요
= These days almost all cell phones have a voice recording function

그들은 녹음실에서 새 앨범을 녹음하고 있어요
= They are recording a new album in the recording studio

The noun form of this verb “수비” translates to “defense”

Common Usages:
수비수 = defender

Examples:
우리가 경기에서 수비를 못해서 진 거예요
= We didn’t have a good defense in the game, so we lost

그 팀은 수비를 잘해서 상대팀을 막았어요
= The team defended against the opponent with excellent defense

Examples:
그 고기는 너무 질기다
= The meat is too tough

그전에는 돈이 없어서 싼 질긴 고기밖에 못 먹었었어요
= Before then, we didn’t have any money so we couldn’t eat anything but cheap, tough meat

Example:
옛날에 돈이 없어서 아주 알뜰했었지만 지금 여유가 생겨서 풍족하게 사고 싶은 것을 사요
= A long time ago we didn’t have any money so we were very thrifty, but now we’ve got some to spare, so we are living well and can buy what we want

Example:
옛날에 돈이 없어서 아주 알뜰했었지만 지금 여유가 생겨서 풍족하게 사고 싶은 것을 사요
= A long time ago we didn’t have any money so we were very thrifty, but now we’ve got some to spare, so we are living well and can buy what we want

Examples:
그 계좌에 돈이 아예 없어서 해지했어도 돼요
= There is no money in that account at all, so you could have closed it

이 사건과 저 사건의 관련성이 아예 없어요
= This incident has absolutely no relevance to that matter

어렸을 때 멸치를 아예 안 먹었어요
= When I was young I didn’t eat anchovies at all

3년 동안 취업하려고 했는데 일자리가 아예 없어서 입대했지 뭐
= I tried for three years to get a job, but there just aren’t any positions so I had to join the army