πŸ› οΈ

Productivity: To work, To study, To make

Keywords
μΌν•˜λ‹€ / κ³΅λΆ€ν•˜λ‹€ / λ§Œλ“€λ‹€
Lesson #
S
Done
Section
Basic Vocabulary
🧭
TL;DR β€” 5 Words for This Lesson
  • μΌν•˜λ‹€ β€” to work
  • κ³΅λΆ€ν•˜λ‹€ β€” to study
  • λ§Œλ“€λ‹€ β€” to make / to create
  • κ°€λ₯΄μΉ˜λ‹€ β€” to teach
  • μš΄λ™ν•˜λ‹€ β€” to exercise
πŸ¦‹
Iru's Note: This is our first lesson focused entirely on action verbs! These five verbs describe how people spend their day β€” working, studying, making things, teaching, and exercising. They'll come up constantly when you talk about routines and schedules.
Example sentence using all 5 words: "μ €λŠ” νšŒμ‚¬μ—μ„œ μΌν•˜κ³ , μ €λ…μ—λŠ” ν•œκ΅­μ–΄λ₯Ό κ³΅λΆ€ν•΄μš”. μ£Όλ§μ—λŠ” μš΄λ™ν•˜κ±°λ‚˜ μΉœκ΅¬μ—κ²Œ μš”κ°€λ₯Ό κ°€λ₯΄μΉ˜κ³ , 가끔 λ§›μžˆλŠ” μŒμ‹μ„ λ§Œλ“€κΈ°λ„ ν•΄μš”!"
When you're ready, the next lesson is <mention-page url="
😴
Rest: To sleep, To rest, To dream"> β€” Rest: To sleep, To rest, To dream.

🎯 Big Picture

Welcome to your first verb-focused vocabulary lesson! Unlike the adjectives from recent lessons, these are action verbs (동사) β€” words that describe things people do. They show up in almost every conversation about daily life, work, school, and hobbies, and they introduce a new conjugation pattern: the γ„Ή-irregular.

πŸ“– Core Vocabulary Family

1. μΌν•˜λ‹€ (to work)

Describes working at a job or doing work in general.
  • μ €λŠ” μΉ΄νŽ˜μ—μ„œ μΌν•΄μš”. (I work at a cafe.)
  • μ˜€λŠ˜μ€ μ§‘μ—μ„œ μΌν–ˆμ–΄μš”. (I worked from home today.)
Grammar note: μΌν•˜λ‹€ is a regular ν•˜λ‹€ verb: μΌν•˜ + μ—¬μš” β†’ μΌν•΄μš”.

2. κ³΅λΆ€ν•˜λ‹€ (to study)

Describes studying a subject or preparing for something academic.
  • μ €λŠ” 맀일 ν•œκ΅­μ–΄λ₯Ό κ³΅λΆ€ν•΄μš”. (I study Korean every day.)
  • μ‹œν—˜ λ•Œλ¬Έμ— λ„μ„œκ΄€μ—μ„œ κ³΅λΆ€ν–ˆμ–΄μš”. (I studied at the library because of the exam.)
Grammar note: Regular ν•˜λ‹€ verb: κ³΅λΆ€ν•˜ + μ—¬μš” β†’ κ³΅λΆ€ν•΄μš”. The thing being studied takes 을/λ₯Ό (ν•œκ΅­μ–΄λ₯Ό κ³΅λΆ€ν•˜λ‹€).

3. λ§Œλ“€λ‹€ (to make / to create)

Describes making or creating something β€” food, objects, plans, and more.
  • μ €λŠ” κΉ€μΉ˜μ°Œκ°œλ₯Ό λ§Œλ“€μ–΄μš”. (I make kimchi stew.)
  • μΉœκ΅¬μ™€ ν•¨κ»˜ μ˜μƒμ„ λ§Œλ“€μ—ˆμ–΄μš”. (I made a video together with a friend.)
Grammar note: λ§Œλ“€λ‹€ is a γ„Ή-irregular verb. Before -μ–΄μš” it's regular (λ§Œλ“€ + μ–΄μš” β†’ λ§Œλ“€μ–΄μš”), but the γ„Ή drops before endings starting with γ„΄, γ…‚, γ……, or (으)μ‹œ: λ§Œλ“œμ„Έμš”, λ§Œλ“œλŠ”, λ§Œλ“­λ‹ˆλ‹€.

4. κ°€λ₯΄μΉ˜λ‹€ (to teach)

Describes teaching a subject or skill to someone.
  • μ €λŠ” ν•™μƒλ“€μ—κ²Œ μ˜μ–΄λ₯Ό κ°€λ₯΄μ³μš”. (I teach English to students.)
  • ν˜•μ΄ μ €μ—κ²Œ μš΄μ „μ„ κ°€λ₯΄μ³ μ€¬μ–΄μš”. (My older brother taught me how to drive.)
Grammar note: κ°€λ₯΄μΉ˜λ‹€ ends in γ…£. The γ…£ + μ–΄ contracts to μ—¬: κ°€λ₯΄μΉ˜ + μ–΄μš” β†’ κ°€λ₯΄μ³μš”.

5. μš΄λ™ν•˜λ‹€ (to exercise)

Describes exercising or working out.
  • μ €λŠ” 맀일 아침에 μš΄λ™ν•΄μš”. (I exercise every morning.)
  • ν—¬μŠ€μž₯μ—μ„œ μš΄λ™ν•˜λŠ” 것을 μ’‹μ•„ν•΄μš”. (I like exercising at the gym.)
Grammar note: Regular ν•˜λ‹€ verb: μš΄λ™ν•˜ + μ—¬μš” β†’ μš΄λ™ν•΄μš”. Can also be split as μš΄λ™μ„ ν•˜λ‹€.

πŸ—£οΈ How They Work in a Sentence

  1. ν‰μΌμ—λŠ” νšŒμ‚¬μ—μ„œ μΌν•˜κ³ , μ£Όλ§μ—λŠ” μ§‘μ—μ„œ ν•œκ΅­μ–΄λ₯Ό κ³΅λΆ€ν•΄μš”. (On weekdays I work at the company, and on weekends I study Korean at home.)
  1. μ–΄λ¨Έλ‹ˆκ°€ λ§›μžˆλŠ” μŒμ‹μ„ λ§Œλ“€μ–΄ μ£Όμ…”μ„œ 정말 κ°μ‚¬ν–ˆμ–΄μš”. (I was really grateful because my mother made delicious food for me.)
  1. μ„ μƒλ‹˜μ΄ ν•™μƒλ“€μ—κ²Œ μš΄λ™ν•˜λŠ” 방법을 κ°€λ₯΄μ³ μ€¬μ–΄μš”. (The teacher taught the students how to exercise.)

🧱 General Formation Rule

  • ν•˜λ‹€ verbs (μΌν•˜λ‹€, κ³΅λΆ€ν•˜λ‹€, μš΄λ™ν•˜λ‹€): stem + μ—¬μš” β†’ ν•΄μš” (μΌν•΄μš”, κ³΅λΆ€ν•΄μš”, μš΄λ™ν•΄μš”).
  • λ§Œλ“€λ‹€ is γ„Ή-irregular: stem + μ–΄μš” β†’ λ§Œλ“€μ–΄μš” (normal), but the γ„Ή drops before γ„΄/γ…‚/γ……/(으)μ‹œ: λ§Œλ“œμ„Έμš” (not λ§Œλ“€μ„Έμš”), λ§Œλ“œλŠ” (not λ§Œλ“€λŠ”), λ§Œλ“­λ‹ˆλ‹€ (not λ§Œλ“€μŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€).
  • κ°€λ₯΄μΉ˜λ‹€ (and other verbs ending in γ…£ like 가리킀닀, λ§ˆμ‹œλ‹€): γ…£ + μ–΄ β†’ μ—¬: κ°€λ₯΄μ³μš”.
  • The thing being studied/made/taught takes the object marker 을/λ₯Ό: ν•œκ΅­μ–΄λ₯Ό κ³΅λΆ€ν•˜λ‹€, μŒμ‹μ„ λ§Œλ“€λ‹€, μ˜μ–΄λ₯Ό κ°€λ₯΄μΉ˜λ‹€.
  • ~μ—μ„œ μΌν•˜λ‹€ = to work at (a place); ~μ—κ²Œ κ°€λ₯΄μΉ˜λ‹€ = to teach (someone).
πŸ”Ž
Cross-check: For official definitions and usage examples, search μΌν•˜λ‹€, κ³΅λΆ€ν•˜λ‹€, λ§Œλ“€λ‹€, κ°€λ₯΄μΉ˜λ‹€, and μš΄λ™ν•˜λ‹€ on ν‘œμ€€κ΅­μ–΄λŒ€μ‚¬μ „ (stdict.korean.go.kr) or korean.go.kr.

πŸ” Synonym Alert

  • μΌν•˜λ‹€ vs κ·Όλ¬΄ν•˜λ‹€ β€” μΌν•˜λ‹€ is the general, everyday word for "to work," while κ·Όλ¬΄ν•˜λ‹€ is more formal and often used in business contexts (e.g., 근무 μ‹œκ°„ = working hours, 9μ‹œλΆ€ν„° 6μ‹œκΉŒμ§€ κ·Όλ¬΄ν•΄μš” = I work from 9 to 6).
  • λ§Œλ“€λ‹€ vs μš”λ¦¬ν•˜λ‹€ β€” λ§Œλ“€λ‹€ is a general word for "to make" (food, objects, plans, videos, etc.), while μš”λ¦¬ν•˜λ‹€ specifically means "to cook." μŒμ‹μ„ λ§Œλ“€λ‹€ and μš”λ¦¬ν•˜λ‹€ can both mean "to cook," but λ§Œλ“€λ‹€ is broader.

⚠️ Pitfalls to Dodge

  1. Don't say λ§Œλ“€μŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€ or λ§Œλ“€μ„Έμš” β€” the γ„Ή drops before γ…‚/μ‹œ: the correct forms are λ§Œλ“­λ‹ˆλ‹€ and λ§Œλ“œμ„Έμš”.
  1. Don't say κ°€λ₯΄μΉ˜μ–΄μš” β€” γ…£ + μ–΄ contracts to μ—¬, so the correct form is κ°€λ₯΄μ³μš”.
  1. Don't confuse κ°€λ₯΄μΉ˜λ‹€ (to teach) with 가리킀닀 (to point at) β€” they look and sound similar but mean very different things!
  1. κ³΅λΆ€ν•˜λ‹€ takes 을/λ₯Ό for the subject (ν•œκ΅­μ–΄λ₯Ό κ³΅λΆ€ν•΄μš”), not 에 β€” ν•œκ΅­μ–΄μ— κ³΅λΆ€ν•΄μš” is incorrect.
  1. μš΄λ™ν•˜λ‹€ and μš΄λ™μ„ ν•˜λ‹€ are both correct and interchangeable β€” but don't say μš΄λ™μ— ν•˜λ‹€.
μΌν•˜λ‹€, κ³΅λΆ€ν•˜λ‹€, λ§Œλ“€λ‹€, κ°€λ₯΄μΉ˜λ‹€, μš΄λ™ν•˜λ‹€λ‘œ ν•˜λ£¨ 일과λ₯Ό 자유둭게 말해 λ³΄μ„Έμš”! πŸ› οΈπŸ“šπŸ’ͺ
Try this exercise
Fill in the blanks with the correct word from this lesson (μΌν•˜λ‹€/κ³΅λΆ€ν•˜λ‹€/λ§Œλ“€λ‹€/κ°€λ₯΄μΉ˜λ‹€/μš΄λ™ν•˜λ‹€), conjugated appropriately.
  1. μ €λŠ” μΉ΄νŽ˜μ—μ„œ ___ (work)μš”.
  1. μ €λŠ” 맀일 ν•œκ΅­μ–΄λ₯Ό ___ (study)μš”.
  1. μ €λŠ” κΉ€μΉ˜μ°Œκ°œλ₯Ό ___ (make)μš”.
  1. μ €λŠ” ν•™μƒλ“€μ—κ²Œ μ˜μ–΄λ₯Ό ___ (teach)μš”.
  1. μ €λŠ” 맀일 아침에 ___ (exercise)μš”.
  1. μ–΄μ œλŠ” μ§‘μ—μ„œ ___ (worked)μ–΄μš”. (past tense)
  1. μ‹œν—˜ λ•Œλ¬Έμ— λ„μ„œκ΄€μ—μ„œ ___ (studied)μ–΄μš”. (past tense)
  1. 이 μŒμ‹μ€ μ–΄λ–»κ²Œ (make)? (question form: μ–΄λ–»κ²Œ ?)
  1. μ„ μƒλ‹˜μ΄ μš΄μ „μ„ ___ (taught) μ€¬μ–΄μš”. (past tense)
  1. ν—¬μŠ€μž₯μ—μ„œ ___ (exercising)λŠ” 것을 μ’‹μ•„ν•΄μš”. (modifier form)
Answer Key
  1. 일해 2. 곡뢀해 3. λ§Œλ“€μ–΄ 4. κ°€λ₯΄μ³ 5. μš΄λ™ν•΄ 6. μΌν–ˆ 7. κ³΅λΆ€ν–ˆ 8. λ§Œλ“€μ–΄μš” 9. κ°€λ₯΄μ³ 10. μš΄λ™ν•˜
πŸ“¦
Vocabulary Box: μΌν•˜λ‹€(to work), κ³΅λΆ€ν•˜λ‹€(to study), λ§Œλ“€λ‹€(to make, γ„Ή-irregular), κ°€λ₯΄μΉ˜λ‹€(to teach), μš΄λ™ν•˜λ‹€(to exercise)
⚠️
Pitfalls Recap: λ§Œλ“€λ‹€ β†’ γ„Ή drops before γ„΄/γ…‚/γ……/μ‹œ (λ§Œλ“­λ‹ˆλ‹€, λ§Œλ“œμ„Έμš”, λ§Œλ“œλŠ”) Β· κ°€λ₯΄μΉ˜λ‹€ β†’ κ°€λ₯΄μ³μš” (γ…£+μ–΄β†’μ—¬) Β· don't confuse κ°€λ₯΄μΉ˜λ‹€ with 가리킀닀 Β· κ³΅λΆ€ν•˜λ‹€ takes 을/λ₯Ό, not 에.
πŸ”₯
Want more reps? Head to the Practice Hub below for 50 more questions on these words plus 10 bonus vocabulary words!
Β 
πŸ“¦
Practice Hub β€” Time to put μΌν•˜λ‹€, κ³΅λΆ€ν•˜λ‹€, λ§Œλ“€λ‹€, κ°€λ₯΄μΉ˜λ‹€, and μš΄λ™ν•˜λ‹€ to work! Along the way, you'll pick up 10 bonus words: μ²­μ†Œν•˜λ‹€, μš”λ¦¬ν•˜λ‹€, 놀닀, μ—°μŠ΅ν•˜λ‹€, λ°œν‘œν•˜λ‹€, νšŒμ˜ν•˜λ‹€, μΆœκ·Όν•˜λ‹€, ν‡΄κ·Όν•˜λ‹€, μ•Όκ·Όν•˜λ‹€, μˆ™μ œν•˜λ‹€.

Exercise 1 β€” Word Recall: Korean β†’ English πŸ‡°πŸ‡·βž‘οΈπŸ‡¬πŸ‡§

  1. μΌν•˜λ‹€
Answer Key
to work
  1. κ³΅λΆ€ν•˜λ‹€
Answer Key
to study
  1. λ§Œλ“€λ‹€
Answer Key
to make / to create
  1. κ°€λ₯΄μΉ˜λ‹€
Answer Key
to teach
  1. μš΄λ™ν•˜λ‹€
Answer Key
to exercise
  1. μ²­μ†Œν•˜λ‹€
Answer Key
to clean
  1. μš”λ¦¬ν•˜λ‹€
Answer Key
to cook
  1. 놀닀
Answer Key
to play / to hang out
  1. μ—°μŠ΅ν•˜λ‹€
Answer Key
to practice
  1. λ°œν‘œν•˜λ‹€
Answer Key
to present / give a presentation

Exercise 2 β€” Word Recall: English β†’ Korean πŸ‡¬πŸ‡§βž‘οΈπŸ‡°πŸ‡·

  1. to have a meeting
Answer Key
νšŒμ˜ν•˜λ‹€
  1. to go to work
Answer Key
μΆœκ·Όν•˜λ‹€
  1. to leave work
Answer Key
ν‡΄κ·Όν•˜λ‹€
  1. to work overtime
Answer Key
μ•Όκ·Όν•˜λ‹€
  1. to do homework
Answer Key
μˆ™μ œν•˜λ‹€
  1. to work
Answer Key
μΌν•˜λ‹€
  1. to study
Answer Key
κ³΅λΆ€ν•˜λ‹€
  1. to make
Answer Key
λ§Œλ“€λ‹€
  1. to teach
Answer Key
κ°€λ₯΄μΉ˜λ‹€
  1. to exercise
Answer Key
μš΄λ™ν•˜λ‹€

Exercise 3 β€” Conjugation Practice πŸ”§

Conjugate each verb into the polite present tense (-μ•„μš”/μ–΄μš”/ν•΄μš”).
  1. μΌν•˜λ‹€ β†’ ?
Answer Key
μΌν•΄μš”
  1. κ³΅λΆ€ν•˜λ‹€ β†’ ?
Answer Key
κ³΅λΆ€ν•΄μš”
  1. λ§Œλ“€λ‹€ β†’ ?
Answer Key
λ§Œλ“€μ–΄μš”
  1. κ°€λ₯΄μΉ˜λ‹€ β†’ ?
Answer Key
κ°€λ₯΄μ³μš” (γ…£+μ–΄β†’μ—¬)
  1. μš΄λ™ν•˜λ‹€ β†’ ?
Answer Key
μš΄λ™ν•΄μš”
  1. λ§Œλ“€λ‹€ + μŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€ form β†’ ?
Answer Key
λ§Œλ“­λ‹ˆλ‹€ (γ„Ή drops before γ…‚)
  1. λ§Œλ“€λ‹€ + (으)μ„Έμš” form β†’ ?
Answer Key
λ§Œλ“œμ„Έμš” (γ„Ή drops before μ„Έμš”)
  1. λ§Œλ“€λ‹€ β†’ modifier form (+ μ‚¬λžŒ, "the person who makes")?
Answer Key
λ§Œλ“œλŠ” μ‚¬λžŒ (γ„Ή drops before λŠ”)
  1. μΌν•˜λ‹€ β†’ past tense?
Answer Key
μΌν–ˆμ–΄μš”
  1. κ°€λ₯΄μΉ˜λ‹€ β†’ -κ³  μžˆλ‹€ form (is teaching)?
Answer Key
κ°€λ₯΄μΉ˜κ³  μžˆμ–΄μš”
πŸ“š
Quick Reference: μΌν•˜λ‹€(to work)/κ³΅λΆ€ν•˜λ‹€(to study)/λ§Œλ“€λ‹€(to make, γ„Ή-irregular)/κ°€λ₯΄μΉ˜λ‹€(to teach, γ…£+μ–΄β†’μ—¬)/μš΄λ™ν•˜λ‹€(to exercise) β€” γ„Ή drops before γ„΄/γ…‚/γ……/(으)μ‹œ.

Exercise 4 β€” Sentence Translation: English β†’ Korean ✍️

  1. I work at a cafe.
Answer Key
μ €λŠ” μΉ΄νŽ˜μ—μ„œ μΌν•΄μš”.
  1. I study Korean every day.
Answer Key
μ €λŠ” 맀일 ν•œκ΅­μ–΄λ₯Ό κ³΅λΆ€ν•΄μš”.
  1. I make kimchi stew.
Answer Key
μ €λŠ” κΉ€μΉ˜μ°Œκ°œλ₯Ό λ§Œλ“€μ–΄μš”.
  1. I teach English to students.
Answer Key
μ €λŠ” ν•™μƒλ“€μ—κ²Œ μ˜μ–΄λ₯Ό κ°€λ₯΄μ³μš”.
  1. I exercise every morning.
Answer Key
μ €λŠ” 맀일 아침에 μš΄λ™ν•΄μš”.
  1. I need to clean my room.
Answer Key
방을 μ²­μ†Œν•΄μ•Ό ν•΄μš”.
  1. My mother cooks well.
Answer Key
μ–΄λ¨Έλ‹ˆλŠ” μš”λ¦¬λ₯Ό μž˜ν•΄μš”.
  1. I have a meeting at 3 o'clock.
Answer Key
3μ‹œμ— νšŒμ˜ν•΄μš”.
  1. I go to work at 9 and leave work at 6.
Answer Key
9μ‹œμ— μΆœκ·Όν•˜κ³  6μ‹œμ— ν‡΄κ·Όν•΄μš”.
  1. I worked overtime yesterday.
Answer Key
μ–΄μ œ μ•Όκ·Όν–ˆμ–΄μš”.

Exercise 5 β€” Mixed Review: Matching πŸ”€

Match each verb with the noun it most naturally pairs with.
  1. κ³΅λΆ€ν•˜λ‹€ ↔ ?
Answer Key
μˆ™μ œ / ν•œκ΅­μ–΄ (homework / Korean)
  1. λ§Œλ“€λ‹€ ↔ ?
Answer Key
μŒμ‹ / μ˜μƒ (food / video)
  1. κ°€λ₯΄μΉ˜λ‹€ ↔ ?
Answer Key
학생 / μ˜μ–΄ (students / English)
  1. μš΄λ™ν•˜λ‹€ ↔ ?
Answer Key
ν—¬μŠ€μž₯ (gym)
  1. μ²­μ†Œν•˜λ‹€ ↔ ?
Answer Key
λ°© / 집 (room / house)
  1. λ°œν‘œν•˜λ‹€ ↔ ?
Answer Key
회의 / ν”„λ‘œμ νŠΈ (meeting / project)
  1. μΆœκ·Όν•˜λ‹€ ↔ ?
Answer Key
νšŒμ‚¬ (company)
  1. μš”λ¦¬ν•˜λ‹€ ↔ ?
Answer Key
μŒμ‹ / 저녁 (food / dinner)
  1. μ—°μŠ΅ν•˜λ‹€ ↔ ?
Answer Key
ν”Όμ•„λ…Έ / 발음 (piano / pronunciation)
  1. 놀닀 ↔ ?
Answer Key
친ꡬ (friends)
μΌν•˜λ‹€, κ³΅λΆ€ν•˜λ‹€, λ§Œλ“€λ‹€, κ°€λ₯΄μΉ˜λ‹€, μš΄λ™ν•˜λ‹€λ‘œ ν•˜λ£¨ 일과λ₯Ό 자유둭게 말해 λ³΄μ„Έμš”! πŸ› οΈπŸ“šπŸ’ͺ