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Requesting is a very useful function of language.  Like, I didn't like using the Korean imperative (as polite as it may be).  I was more comfortable with the request.

Let's use the Korean word hada (which means: "do").

By dropping the infinitive ending "da" & adding a suffix (lae, laeyo, shilaeyo), without tone, you can say, ((sb)) "Want to do" ((sth)).

By using a rising tone at the end (just like English), you can say, ((sb)) "Want to do?" ((sth)).

Interjection:  I mentioned in the previous lesson that Korean is a subject-pro-drop language.  It is also an object-pro-drop language, which means the object of the sentence can be dropped, when previously mentioned, and therefore is known.

This form "Want to do" can function as an question OR a request.  See table below

Some examples:

1.  to one's wife:  "Bap halae?"

          word-for-word translation:  "Rice do-want?"

          literal translation:  "Do you want to do rice?"

          free translation:  "Do you want to make rice?"

          illocution:  "Will you make rice?" (request)

          nuance:  a little rude, if you ask me, but many Korean men use this form, or the even ruder form "bap jueo" (Give rice!);  However, to be fair, they do say it sweetly, and softly (prosodic features are generally nice).

2.  to one's wife:  "Bap haejulae?"

          word-for-word translation:  "Rice do-give-want?"

          literal translation:  "Do you want to give [for me] the doing of rice?"

          free translation:  "Would you make rice for me?"

          nuance:  a lot more polite; it's the form I would use.

          applied linguistic note:  SOME (not all) older Koreans insist upon using middle form to one's spouse, by adding the "yo" on the end.  But, the X-generation of Koreans do not insist upon it.  There appears to be a variation in usage based upon social status, and region.

3.  to waitress:  "Bap julaeyo?"

          word-for-word translation:  "Rice give-want?"

          literal translation:  "Do you want to give rice?"

          free translation:  "Would you give rice?"

          nuance:  This form is very polite to a waitress, but not polite to one's mother-in-law.  Most Koreans say, "Bad juseyo." (Please give rice.), but I find that using the request rather than the imperative makes the waitress very happy, and she happily serves you the rice.  And isn't that what we all should be doing... is spreading a little cheer here and there?  Then again, if everyone used the request instead of the imperative, it wouldn't make the waitress any happier than normal, would it?  In my case, I prefer to have my food served without bugs, hair, and/or saliva in it.  Plus I like good service.  That's why I use the more polite forms to waiters/waitresses.

To one's mother-in-law or boss's wife, if (and only if) one is offered rice, AND if one eats all and wants more, one can say, "Bap jeom deo jushilaeyo?"

          word-for-word translation:  "Rice a little more give want?"

          literal translation:  "Do you want to give me a little more rice?"

          free translation:  "Would you give me just a little more rice, please?"

Sometimes, one must use a completely different word in order to be "honorific" in one's speech.

For instance, see the table below:

*NOTE:  These are the infinitive forms of the verbs.  So, they must be conjugated with honorific suffixes!  See lesson five to learn how to do so.

You cannot separate language and culture.  Culture is imbedded in the language.  In no other language that I know, except perhaps Japanese, is that more true, than in the Korean language.

Of course, the Confucian value system has influenced the honorifics (or perhaps the Koreans had a similar value system long before Confucius came along).  I don't know, and I don't know anyone who does.  But, the point is, the values of the Korean people have influenced their language.

Furthermore, the usage of titles and pronouns is very, VERY important (to Koreans).  Knowing when to use which titles and which pronouns (if at all) is very helpful when speaking Korean.

For instance, in English, we throw around the second person pronoun "you" with no though about honorifics or about possibly offending somebody with its use.  [Of course it is the honorific form, and the more familiar "thou" has become completely obsolete].  Korean has four forms of the pronoun "you".  Terms (metalanguage) for the four forms does NOT exist in English, so I'll have be creative...

After learning these, I was under the natural assumption that the honorific form could be used toward strangers, much like the "usted" form in Spanish.  Oh, how wrong I was!

One day, I went into a bakery with a Korean friend to buy some bread.  I saw a picture of a little girl, and I asked the shop owner, "Dangshin-eui ddal imnigga?" [Is that your daughter?]  I used the honorific form of the verb, even.  My Korean friend said that I was so rude.  I said, "What are you talking about?  I used the honorific form!  Why am I rude?"

My Korean friend explained that in Korean, one only addresses one's betrothed or spouse with the "dangshin" title.  I said, "How was I supposed to know that?  Nobody taught me that!"  Not even the book that I was using to learn Korean mentioned anything about that.  In fact, I think you won't find any book on the market that teaches Korean that will tell you that.

So, I asked my friend, "What am I supposed to say, then?  How do I address people?"  He replied, "With the titles ajeoshi and ajuma."

Now, the bilingual dictionaries all translate ajeoshi as uncle and ajuma as aunt.  This is SOOOOOOOO wrong.  [See my Bilingual Dictionary Errors Page for more egregious errors.]

NO KOREAN would EVER call their blood uncle or aunt by either of those titles.  In fact, to do so would be so extremely rude that they would get a beating for doing so.  So,  we cannot trust the bilingual dictionaries.

Ajuma  is a title for a woman, who is married (or has been), AND has a child approximately your same age (give or take 10 years).  [From my research, the word is composed of 2 morphemes: aju (just like) + ma (mother).  So, it refers to a woman who is just like one's mother].

Ajeoshi  is a title for a man, who is older than one's self AND married AND has a child approximately your same age (give or take 10 years).  [The word is obviously composed of 2 morphemes: ajeo (?) + shi (kin).  If I had to guess, I'd guess that ajeo is a variation of aju.  So, my best guess is it literally means:  just like kin.]

Those explanations of ajuma & ajeoshi are quite apropos, because in Korean culture, all women and men who are near the same age as one's parents are considered like kin.

OTHER TITLES:

Samchon:  /sahm-chone/  [literally means one's father's brother]  can be used for a man who is not a blood relative, but is a close friend of one's father.

Imo:  /ee-moh/  [literally means one's mother's sister] can be used for a woman who is not a blood relative, but who is a close friend of one's mother or simply a female mentor.

Hyeongnim:  /hyung-neem/  [literally means elder brother of a male + respectful suffix "nim"]  can be used only by males to an older male, who is not old enough to be an ajeoshi.  NOTE:  because of the suffix, it is considered very formal.  To be informal, just drop the suffix.  Generally, from my observations, children do not use the suffix to older children.  But, men use it to older men.

Obba:  /oh-BBah/  [literally means elder brother of a female] can be used by females to an older male, who is not old enough to be an ajeoshi.  NOTE:  considered informal.  If females wish to be formal, I think they use the title seon-seng-nim  /sun-seng-neem/ [literally means: firstborn].

Jamaenim:  /jahmay-neem/  [literally means elder sister + respectful suffix "nim"]  can be used to a woman who is older but not old enough to be an ajuma.  NOTE: it is considered very formal.  It appears to be used by both men and women.

Nuna:  /noo-nah/  [literally means elder sister of a male]  can be used by any male to any older female, who is not old enough to be an ajuma.  NOTE:  considered informal.

Eoni:  /uh-nee/  [literally means elder sister of a female] can be used by any female to any older female, who is not old enough to be an ajuma.  NOTE:  considered informal.

You will notice that all of the titles mentioned above are for persons older than oneself.  If one is addressing a person younger, one may use the person's name.

However, if one does not know the name of his/her younger interlocutor, there are some titles that can be used:

Agashi:  /ah-gah-shi/  [composed of 2 morphemes:  aga (baby) + shi (kin)]  can be used by any adult male to any younger adult female.  NOTE: I've never heard a female Korean use the word, so I guess it is forbidden.  It is generally used by older men to younger women.

Aideul:  Sounds like "Idle"  [literally means children]  can be used to a group of children (obviously younger than oneself.

Ai:  Sounds like "I"  [singular of above]

Aga:  /ah-gah/  [literally means baby]  can be used to babies and toddlers (obviously younger than oneself.

Aegi:  /ay-gee/  [variation of aga]

A VERY IMPORTANT TITLE TO LEARN:

Seon Seng Nim.

Seon means first (from Chinese);  Seng means born (from Chinese);  Nim is a suffix of respect, much like Sir or Ma'am (It is pure Korean).

It has two usages:

1.  To any person who is older and respected as a kind of mentor.

2.  To any teacher (regardless of age).

Incidentally, in China, it (xian sheng) is used only in the first sense.

For teachers (in China), lao shi is used as a title of respect.  Lao means elder and Shi means teacher, I believe.

If you want to eat:  I suggest you start learning the vocabulary on my KOREAN FOOD page.

Here's some other useful words/phrases in Korean language when  eating out in Korea.

I was watching a Korean lesson on YouTube about how to say, "No" in Korean.  It was done by some Korean American girls who obviously are confused about their parents' language, because their primary language (English) is so different from that of their parents.  Basically, it was WRONG!  In that situation, they should have used "Shirheoyo" instead of "Andoeyo".

So, I've decided to add this lesson:  The many ways to say "No" in Korean.

1.  A-NI-O    /ah-nee-oh/
          USAGE:  ONLY used as an answer for a yes/no question.

2.  AN-DOE-(YO)    /ahn-dweh-yo/
          USAGE:  if you really understand the true meaning of the word, you can figure out the correct usage; the correct meaning is:

          [It] "is unbecoming,"   or   [It] "does not become" [one to do that].

SAMPLE USAGE:
(translation into Korean in blue)

3.  SHIRHEO-(YO)    /shee-rruh-yo/

          USAGE:  again, if you really understand the meaning of the word, you can figure out the correct usage; the correct meaning is:

          [It] "is hated".

SAMPLE USAGE:
(translation into Korean in blue)