LESSON 17

Counting Things

In English we can say either two steers or two head of cattle. In the same way, Koreans say either so dul = two cows, though this is used very infrequently and it’s much more common to hear the second form, so du mari or so du mari = two head of cattle. But expressions like two HEAD of cattle, four SHEETS of paper, a CONTAINER of milk, three PIECES of candy, six ITEMS of laundry are much more common in Korean. The words in capital letters can be called CLASSIFIERS—they tell you something about the shape or looks of the thing you’re counting. Or sometimes they tell you the unit by which you are measuring the thing: three CUPS of sugar, two TABLESPOONFULS of sugar, one POUND of sugar. Most Korean classifiers are used with the native set of numerals, but a few common ones are used with the Chinese set. Here are some useful classifiers:

USED WITH KOREAN NUMERALS

si	시	o’clock
sigan	시간	hours
*dal	달	months
sal	살	years old
saram	사람	people
bun	분	people (polite)
gwon	권	bound volumes
mari	마리	animals, fish
beon	번	times
*jang	장	flat objects, newspapers
*jan	잔	cupfuls
chae	채	buildings
dae	대	vehicles, machines
gae	개	items, units, objects

The starred (*) items count three and four with the special shapes seok and neok instead of se and ne:

seok dal

석 달

three months

neok jang

넉 장

four flat objects

USED WITH CHINESE NUMERALS

bun	분	minutes
(n)yeon	년,연	years
cheung	층	floor (of buildings)
(l)i, (n)i	리	miles, li
won	원	won (currency)

Notice that i bun means two minutes but du bun means two honored persons.

When you are using a noun, a particle and a number expression (a numeral plus a classifier, or a numeral all by itself), there are three possible ways to phrase your sentence, though the first is more common than the second and you will not ever hear the second form with units of time.

Chaek du gwon isseoyo.	책 두 권 있어요.
Chaek-i dul isseoyo.	책이 둘 있어요.

These all mean I have two books. You can say the same thing with a classifier:

Du gwon-ui chaek-i isseoyo. Chaek du gwon-i isseoyo. Chaek-i du gwon isseoyo.

Here are some examples of number expressions in sentences:

Sinmun-eul du jang sasseoyo.

신문을 두 장 샀어요.

I bought two newspapers.

Achim-mada sinmun-eul myeot jang-ina saseyo?

아침마다 신문을 몇 장이나 사세요?

How many newspapers do you buy each morning?

Jadongcha han dae-man isseoyo.

자동차 한 대만 있어요.

We have only one automobile.

Han pun-do eopseoyo.

한 푼도 없어요.

I haven’t a cent.

Gyeongchal se myeong-eul bwasseoyo.

경찰 세 명을 봤어요.

I saw three policemen.

I chaek-eul du beon ilgeosseoyo.

이 책을 두 번 읽었어요.

I read this book twice.

Geu yeongwha-reul se beon bwasseoyo.

그 영화를 세 번 봤어요.

I saw that movie three times.

Jeomwon-ege i cheon won jueosseoyo.

점원에게 이천원 주었어요.

I gave the clerk 2000 won.

I bilding myeot cheung-ina isseoyo?

이 빌딩 몇 층이나 있어요?

How many stories does this building have?

O-seun i cheung-eseo parayo.

옷은 이층에서 팔아요.

They sell clothes on the second floor.

Hanguk-e onji beolsseo sam nyeon jjae eyo.

한국에 온 지 벌써 삼년째에요.

I am (= have been) in Korea already three years (long).

Il nyeon dwi-e Miguk-euro doragayo.

일년 뒤에 미국으로 돌아가요.

I go back (return) to America after a year.

I nyeon jeon-e Busan-eseo salgo isseosseoyo.

이년 전에 부산에서 살고 있었어요.

Two years ago (before) I was living in Pusan.

Ttal-i myeot sal ieyo?

딸이 몇 살이에요?

How old is your daughter?

Yeol yeodeol sal ieyo.

열여덟 살이에요.

She’s 18.

Jeoneun maheun sal ieyo. An(h)ae-neun seoreun ahop sal ieyo.

저는 마흔 살이에요. 아내는 서른 아홉 살이에요.

I’m 40. My wife is 39.