Learning Korean can be a rewarding experience, especially as you progress to higher proficiency levels. If you’ve already grasped the basics and are moving towards an A2 level, you’re on the right path to achieving conversational fluency. At the A2 level, you should be able to communicate effectively in everyday situations, understand frequently used expressions, and describe your background, immediate environment, and matters in areas of immediate need.

In this article, we’ll explore some essential Korean words and phrases that A2 learners should know. We’ll break them down into categories to make it easier for you to remember and use them in context.

Basic Verbs and Their Conjugations

Verbs are the backbone of any language, and Korean is no exception. At the A2 level, you should know some basic verbs and how to conjugate them in different tenses.

1. **하다** (hada) – to do
– Present: 해요 (haeyo)
– Past: 했어요 (haesseoyo)
– Future: 할 거예요 (hal geoyeyo)

2. **가다** (gada) – to go
– Present: 가요 (gayo)
– Past: 갔어요 (gasseoyo)
– Future: 갈 거예요 (gal geoyeyo)

3. **오다** (oda) – to come
– Present: 와요 (wayo)
– Past: 왔어요 (wasseoyo)
– Future: 올 거예요 (ol geoyeyo)

4. **먹다** (meokda) – to eat
– Present: 먹어요 (meogeoyo)
– Past: 먹었어요 (meogeosseoyo)
– Future: 먹을 거예요 (meogeul geoyeyo)

5. **보다** (boda) – to see/watch
– Present: 봐요 (bwayo)
– Past: 봤어요 (bwasseoyo)
– Future: 볼 거예요 (bol geoyeyo)

Common Nouns

At this level, you should expand your vocabulary to include nouns that are commonly used in daily life.

1. **사람** (saram) – person
2. **시간** (sigan) – time
3. **집** (jib) – house
4. **학교** (hakgyo) – school
5. **회사** (hoesa) – company
6. **친구** (chingu) – friend
7. **가족** (gajok) – family
8. **음식** (eumsik) – food
9. **물** (mul) – water
10. **차** (cha) – car

Useful Adjectives

Adjectives help you describe things more vividly. Here are some that are useful at the A2 level.

1. **좋다** (jota) – good
– Example: 이 음식이 좋아요 (I eumsigi joayo) – This food is good.

2. **나쁘다** (nappeuda) – bad
– Example: 그 영화가 나빠요 (Geu yeonghwaga nappayo) – That movie is bad.

3. **크다** (keuda) – big
– Example: 이 방이 커요 (I bangi keoyo) – This room is big.

4. **작다** (jakda) – small
– Example: 그 고양이가 작아요 (Geu goyangiga jagayo) – That cat is small.

5. **많다** (manta) – many/much
– Example: 사람들이 많아요 (Saramdeuri manayo) – There are many people.

6. **적다** (jeokda) – few/little
– Example: 물이 적어요 (Muri jeogeoyo) – There is little water.

7. **비싸다** (bissada) – expensive
– Example: 이 옷이 비싸요 (I osi bissayo) – This clothing is expensive.

8. **싸다** (ssada) – cheap
– Example: 그 책이 싸요 (Geu chaegi ssayo) – That book is cheap.

Everyday Expressions

Knowing some common expressions can make your interactions much smoother and more natural.

1. **안녕하세요** (annyeonghaseyo) – Hello
2. **감사합니다** (gamsahamnida) – Thank you
3. **죄송합니다** (joesonghamnida) – I’m sorry
4. **괜찮아요** (gwaenchanaeyo) – It’s okay
5. **잘 지내세요?** (jal jinaeseyo?) – How are you?
6. **네** (ne) – Yes
7. **아니요** (aniyo) – No
8. **여기요** (yeogiyo) – Excuse me (to get attention)
9. **얼마예요?** (eolmayeyo?) – How much is it?
10. **도와주세요** (dowajuseyo) – Please help me

Numbers and Counting

Counting and understanding numbers is essential for various aspects of daily life, such as shopping, telling time, and understanding dates.

1. **일** (il) – 1
2. **이** (i) – 2
3. **삼** (sam) – 3
4. **사** (sa) – 4
5. **오** (o) – 5
6. **육** (yuk) – 6
7. **칠** (chil) – 7
8. **팔** (pal) – 8
9. **구** (gu) – 9
10. **십** (sip) – 10

For higher numbers, you simply combine these:
– **십일** (sipil) – 11
– **이십** (isip) – 20
– **삼십** (samsip) – 30

Days of the Week

1. **월요일** (woryoil) – Monday
2. **화요일** (hwayoil) – Tuesday
3. **수요일** (suyoil) – Wednesday
4. **목요일** (mogyoil) – Thursday
5. **금요일** (geumyoil) – Friday
6. **토요일** (toyoil) – Saturday
7. **일요일** (iryoil) – Sunday

Time Expressions

Understanding time expressions will help you manage your day and communicate more effectively about schedules and plans.

1. **지금** (jigeum) – now
2. **오늘** (oneul) – today
3. **어제** (eoje) – yesterday
4. **내일** (naeil) – tomorrow
5. **아침** (achim) – morning
6. **점심** (jeomsim) – noon/lunch
7. **저녁** (jeonyeok) – evening
8. **밤** (bam) – night
9. **시간** (sigan) – hour
10. **분** (bun) – minute

Pronouns

Pronouns are essential for referring to people without constantly using their names.

1. **나** (na) – I (informal)
2. **저** (jeo) – I (formal)
3. **너** (neo) – you (informal)
4. **당신** (dangsin) – you (formal)
5. **그** (geu) – he
6. **그녀** (geunyeo) – she
7. **우리** (uri) – we
8. **그들** (geudeul) – they

Questions Words

Knowing how to ask questions is crucial in any language. Here are some question words you should know at the A2 level.

1. **무엇** (mueot) – what
– Example: 이것은 무엇입니까? (Igeoseun mueosimnikka?) – What is this?

2. **어디** (eodi) – where
– Example: 어디에 갑니까? (Eodie gamnikka?) – Where are you going?

3. **언제** (eonje) – when
– Example: 언제 옵니까? (Eonje omnikkka?) – When are you coming?

4. **왜** (wae) – why
– Example: 왜 그랬어요? (Wae geuraesseoyo?) – Why did you do that?

5. **어떻게** (eotteoke) – how
– Example: 어떻게 지내세요? (Eotteoke jinaeseyo?) – How are you?

6. **누구** (nugu) – who
– Example: 이 사람은 누구예요? (I sarameun nuguyeyo?) – Who is this person?

Travel and Transportation

Knowing travel and transportation-related vocabulary will be incredibly useful if you’re navigating a Korean-speaking environment.

1. **여행** (yeohaeng) – travel
2. **비행기** (bihaenggi) – airplane
3. **기차** (gicha) – train
4. **버스** (beoseu) – bus
5. **택시** (taeksi) – taxi
6. **지하철** (jihacheol) – subway
7. **역** (yeok) – station
8. **표** (pyo) – ticket
9. **길** (gil) – road
10. **지도** (jido) – map

Shopping and Eating Out

Here are some words that will come in handy when you’re shopping or eating out.

1. **가게** (gage) – store
2. **시장** (sijang) – market
3. **식당** (sikdang) – restaurant
4. **메뉴** (menyu) – menu
5. **가격** (gagyeok) – price
6. **계산서** (gyesanseo) – bill
7. **음료수** (eumnyosu) – beverage
8. **주문하다** (jumunhada) – to order
9. **맛있다** (masitda) – delicious
10. **배고프다** (baegopeuda) – hungry

Health and Emergencies

Being able to express health concerns and understand emergencies is crucial.

1. **병원** (byeongwon) – hospital
2. **약국** (yakkuk) – pharmacy
3. **약** (yak) – medicine
4. **아프다** (apeuda) – to be sick/hurt
5. **구급차** (gugeupcha) – ambulance
6. **응급실** (eunggeupsil) – emergency room
7. **의사** (uisa) – doctor
8. **간호사** (ganhosa) – nurse
9. **통증** (tongjeung) – pain
10. **도와주세요** (dowajuseyo) – Please help me

Basic Grammar Tips

At the A2 level, it’s important to start understanding the basic grammar rules that will help you form sentences correctly.

1. **Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) Order**: Unlike English, Korean sentences usually follow a Subject-Object-Verb order.
– Example: 나는 사과를 먹어요 (Naneun sagwareul meogeoyo) – I eat an apple.

2. **Particles**: Korean uses particles to indicate the role of a word in a sentence.
– **이/가** (i/ga) for the subject
– **을/를** (eul/reul) for the object
– **에** (e) for time and location

3. **Honorifics**: Use honorifics to show respect.
– **-세요** (-seyo) is a common honorific ending.
– Example: 들어오세요 (Deureooseyo) – Please come in.

4. **Negative Sentences**: To make a sentence negative, add **안** (an) before the verb or **-지 않다** (-ji anta) after the verb stem.
– Example: 나는 안 가요 (Naneun an gayo) – I’m not going.
– Example: 가지 않아요 (Gaji anayo) – I don’t go.

5. **Past Tense**: To form the past tense, add **-았/었어요** (-at/eosseoyo) to the verb stem.
– Example: 먹다 (meokda) becomes 먹었어요 (meogeosseoyo) – ate.

By familiarizing yourself with these words and phrases, you’ll be well on your way to mastering the A2 level in Korean. Consistent practice, immersion, and real-life usage will further enhance your language skills. Happy learning!