Latest / Learn Korean with Fexingo / Korean Time Words – Hours and Minutes
Transcript
- Lucas: Welcome back to Learn Korean with Fexingo. I'm Lucas. Luna: And I'm Luna. Hey, Lucas, I've been thinking — we know numbers, we know how to count, but I still can't tell time in Korean. Lucas: That's actually a perfect topic for today. Let's learn how to say the hour and minute in Korean. Luna: Yes! I've been late to meetings because I keep looking at my phone and reading the numbers in English. Lucas: Well, let's fix that. First, the word for 'time' is 시, and the word for 'minute' is 분. But to ask 'What time is it?', you say 몇 시예요? Luna: 몇 시예요? Lucas: Perfect. 몇 means 'what number', 시 is 'hour', and 예요 is 'is'. So literally 'what hour is it?'. Luna: Okay, so if I want to say 'It's one o'clock', I say 한 시예요? Lucas: Exactly! 한 시예요. 한 is the native Korean word for one when counting hours. So 한 시예요. Luna: 한 시예요. And two o'clock would be 두 시예요? Lucas: Yes! 두 시예요. So for three o'clock it's 세 시예요, four is 네 시예요. But let's focus on one and two for now. Let's practice. What time is it? Luna: Umm... if it's one o'clock, I say 한 시예요. Lucas: Perfect. And if it's two o'clock? Luna: 두 시예요. Lucas: Great. Now let's add minutes. The word for minute is 분. To say 'thirty minutes', we say 삼십 분. So 'one thirty' is 한 시 삼십 분이에요. Luna: 한 시 삼십 분이에요. That's a mouthful! Lucas: It is, but you'll get used to it. Let's say it together. 한 시 삼십 분이에요. Luna: 한 시 삼십 분이에요. Lucas: Good. Now, how would you ask someone 'What time is it now?' You can say 지금 몇 시예요? Luna: 지금 몇 시예요? Lucas: 지금 means 'now'. So 지금 몇 시예요? Luna: Okay, so I can ask my friend 지금 몇 시예요? and they might answer 한 시예요 or 두 시삼십 분이에요. Lucas: Exactly. Let's imagine a scenario. Let's say you're at a cafe and you want to know the time. You ask the barista: 지금 몇 시예요? Luna: 지금 몇 시예요? And they say 한 시예요. Lucas: Right. Or if it's one thirty, they'd say 한 시 삼십 분이에요. Luna: 한 시 삼십 분이에요. Lucas: You've got it. Now, let's do a quick review. What's 'What time is it?'? Luna: 몇 시예요? Lucas: And 'It's one o'clock'? Luna: 한 시예요. Lucas: 'It's two o'clock'? Luna: 두 시예요. Lucas: And 'one thirty'? Luna: 한 시 삼십 분이에요. Lucas: Excellent. Now, let's put it all together in a little conversation. I'll be the barista, you ask me the time. Luna: Okay. 지금 몇 시예요? Lucas: 한 시 삼십 분이에요. Luna: Ah, so it's one thirty. Thanks! Lucas: See? You just had a real Korean time conversation. Let's do one more. Ask me again. Luna: 지금 몇 시예요? Lucas: 두 시예요. Luna: 두 시예요. Okay, two o'clock. Got it. Lucas: Perfect. You're doing great. Now, remember, you can also use these phrases with friends casually. If you drop the 요, it becomes informal: 몇 시야? 한 시야. But for now, the polite form is perfect. Luna: Good to know. So I'll stick with 예요 for now. Lucas: Absolutely. And don't forget, Fexingo has more resources to practice telling time. Check out the app for interactive exercises. Luna: Yes, I've been using it. It really helps. Lucas: Great. So today we learned how to ask and tell time in Korean. Let's do a final round. Repeat after me: 지금 몇 시예요? Luna: 지금 몇 시예요? Lucas: 한 시예요. Luna: 한 시예요. Lucas: 두 시예요. Luna: 두 시예요. Lucas: 한 시 삼십 분이에요. Luna: 한 시 삼십 분이에요. Lucas: And that's a wrap for today. Keep practicing, and you'll be telling time like a pro. See you next time on Learn Korean with Fexingo. Luna: Bye bye!