Location and Duration

I have been following Talk to Me In Korean (TTMIK) in Facebook and I really like their lessons, I am thinking of buying their PDF lessons in bulk but some of it I have already encountered.   I will be posting some of my favorite lessons from TTMIK.

You know how easy it is in English to express duration and location.  This is done by simply using the combination of from and to.    The Korean equivalent for this is 에서 (-eoseo) and  부터 (-buteo) for the word from and 까지 (kkaji) for the word ‘to’ or ‘until’.  While 에서 and 부터 means the same, 에서 is used more to denote location while 부터 is more associated with time.

The way these are used is that it is attached directly after the noun or pronoun as shown on the samples below:

• 인천에서  (Incheoneseo) – from Incheon
• 오늘부터 (oneulbuteo) – from today
• 집까지 (jipkkaji) – to home/house
• 내일까지 (naeilkkaji) – to tomorrow or until tomorrow

Therefore it is not appropriate to see 인천부터 (Incheonbuteo) even if 부터 would mean from, neither would it be right to say 오늘에서 (oneuleseo).

I love this type of lessons especially that it clarifies usage of words.