Editorial Reviews:
Synopsis
New version 29 December 2010: One of the ONLY e-books on the Amazon store to display Korean on ANY Kindle around! As long as your device can display pictures, you're golden.
Coming to Korea?
• Want to teach English in Korea?
• Want to do business in Korea and really understand the way they think?
• Want to chat with a cute / handsome Korean at the club?
• Want to do more than just order a beer or stumble around the major tourist destinations?
It's time to LEARN KOREAN.
But I HATE learning languages! you say. I can understand that - it takes too long, there's too much to learn, or whatever. This e-book will highlight several hundred words and phrases you're definitely going to use. Everything from ordering a beer to telling the doctor where it hurts is here - and logically organized to help you find things later on.
Hi, I'm Chris Backe. I'm an English teacher living in Seoul, South Korea. When I first moved to Korea, I wasn't sure I'd ever pick up the language. Why? Every book that taught you Korean did the same thing: they spent like five seconds on the basic parts of the language, then jumped right into full phrases and lecturing about boring points of grammar. Yawn. Sure, I ended up learning Korean - and I realized there was an easier way: let's learn the stuff you're actually going to use. You will never need to know the phrase 'I am wearing a green sweater', so why learn it? You WILL use the phrase 'Where is the bathroom?', so you WILL learn that one. It's that simple.
Here's the strategy: Use words and phrases, not stupid dialogues. We're going to pair up the words and phrases you're going to use, show you what it looks like in Korean, then show you how to say it in simple English syllables. It's as simple as that. Write it on flashcards, say it over and over again until your brain hurts, practice with your significant other, whatever. Here are the tools - use them in whatever way works for you.
This e-book is not a dictionary - it's designed specifically for people coming to Korea. You'll start with hangeul, the Korean alphabet. You'll learn the letters, how to put them together, and how to make sounds with them. Later on, we'll talk about everything from Korean alcohol to getting off the beaten path.
The biggest difference between this e-book and those produced by Koreans: I am not a professional Korean teacher. That means I'm not going to throw any fancy language terms like 'fricative' or 'nasal consonant' at you. We're going to keep this so simple, even a fifth grader could keep up.
So what else are we going to talk about?
• Getting the pronunciation right - the locals are picky about this
• About formalities and honorifics - a big deal in this historically-Confucian-based society.
• Getting to know people - everyone from co-workers to your students
• The holidays Korea really celebrates - including the ones you WON'T find on most calendars.
• Eating - with a special section for vegetarians and those with allergies
• Korean alcohol - some of the most potent stuff around
• Curses - the words and phrases that'll make the old people blush
• Handling your students (if you're an English teacher)
• Talking to your boss and co-workers (if you're a businessperson)
• Traveling around Korea - how to read the maps, get help, and get around without a guidebook
• What to say when you feel like crap
• Lots of Korean expressions - stuff some locals have never heard from a foreigner's mouth.
And plenty more.
Synopsis
New version 29 December 2010: One of the ONLY e-books on the Amazon store to display Korean on ANY Kindle around! As long as your device can display pictures, you're golden.
Coming to Korea?
• Want to teach English in Korea?
• Want to do business in Korea and really understand the way they think?
• Want to chat with a cute / handsome Korean at the club?
• Want to do more than just order a beer or stumble around the major tourist destinations?
It's time to LEARN KOREAN.
But I HATE learning languages! you say. I can understand that - it takes too long, there's too much to learn, or whatever. This e-book will highlight several hundred words and phrases you're definitely going to use. Everything from ordering a beer to telling the doctor where it hurts is here - and logically organized to help you find things later on.
Hi, I'm Chris Backe. I'm an English teacher living in Seoul, South Korea. When I first moved to Korea, I wasn't sure I'd ever pick up the language. Why? Every book that taught you Korean did the same thing: they spent like five seconds on the basic parts of the language, then jumped right into full phrases and lecturing about boring points of grammar. Yawn. Sure, I ended up learning Korean - and I realized there was an easier way: let's learn the stuff you're actually going to use. You will never need to know the phrase 'I am wearing a green sweater', so why learn it? You WILL use the phrase 'Where is the bathroom?', so you WILL learn that one. It's that simple.
Here's the strategy: Use words and phrases, not stupid dialogues. We're going to pair up the words and phrases you're going to use, show you what it looks like in Korean, then show you how to say it in simple English syllables. It's as simple as that. Write it on flashcards, say it over and over again until your brain hurts, practice with your significant other, whatever. Here are the tools - use them in whatever way works for you.
This e-book is not a dictionary - it's designed specifically for people coming to Korea. You'll start with hangeul, the Korean alphabet. You'll learn the letters, how to put them together, and how to make sounds with them. Later on, we'll talk about everything from Korean alcohol to getting off the beaten path.
The biggest difference between this e-book and those produced by Koreans: I am not a professional Korean teacher. That means I'm not going to throw any fancy language terms like 'fricative' or 'nasal consonant' at you. We're going to keep this so simple, even a fifth grader could keep up.
So what else are we going to talk about?
• Getting the pronunciation right - the locals are picky about this
• About formalities and honorifics - a big deal in this historically-Confucian-based society.
• Getting to know people - everyone from co-workers to your students
• The holidays Korea really celebrates - including the ones you WON'T find on most calendars.
• Eating - with a special section for vegetarians and those with allergies
• Korean alcohol - some of the most potent stuff around
• Curses - the words and phrases that'll make the old people blush
• Handling your students (if you're an English teacher)
• Talking to your boss and co-workers (if you're a businessperson)
• Traveling around Korea - how to read the maps, get help, and get around without a guidebook
• What to say when you feel like crap
• Lots of Korean expressions - stuff some locals have never heard from a foreigner's mouth.
And plenty more.
All this comes to you from a native English speaker, living in Korea, who works with Koreans on a daily basis.
So what are you waiting for? Stop messing around, get it now, and START SPEAKING KOREAN.
This e-book has been specially formatted to work on any Kindle, and contains pictures of the Korean letters (older Kindles can't display them natively, so I've worked around that by inserting pictures of the Korean letters.
