3 ways to learn Korean grammar without expensive textbooks
The language learning journey is vastly different for everyone. Some of you may enjoy diving into grammar rules, tenses, conjunctions, and etc, but I don’t. I hate learning about grammar.
Whether I like it or not though, grammar is an essential part of learning any language. So when I started my Korean learning journey, I had to figure out a way to learn grammar without wanting to die the whole time.
Not only that, I also wanted a way to learn without having to spend hundreds of dollars on expensive textbooks.
The fact that I was able to do this is still a shock to me. But let me attempt to explain how I did it and how you can too.
( The methods I used are great if your focus is just being able to speak Korean conversationally or fluently. But if you are preparing for the TOPIK exam I recommend a more structured approach.)
Vocabulary first, Grammar later
If you’ve already started worrying about all the grammar rules you think you need to learn, stop right there. Before you start learning grammar you need a good foundation. And by a foundation, I mean a mental library of useful vocabulary words and phrases.
At this stage, I spent hours on Quizlet reviewing vocabulary sets, and even more time on Tumblr pouring through Korean learning blogs, full of useful phrases.
Remember that it does you no good to know a ton of grammar structures if you don’t know any vocabulary words to use with them. So, find a resource that you like using and build your foundation.
Use phrases like mad libs
When I look back on everything I did to learn Korean grammar, I realize that phrases arguably played the biggest role. And when used correctly they can have the same effect for you too.
So how do you use phrases the right way?
Basically, you use them like mad libs. Take a simple phrase like 저 오늘 도서관으로 갔어요. (I went to the library today.) and plugin different vocabulary words you’ve learned. Ex: 저 오늘 시장으로 갔어요. ( I went to the market today.)
Easy right? It may not seem like you’re doing much but you’re actually teaching yourself to recognize grammar patterns. When combined with the vocabulary you’ve been learning, you’ll be able to form complete sentences that can be used on many different occasions.
Watch more TV
Eventually, Tumblr blogs won’t be enough to keep you satisfied. As you progress you’ll need more complex phrases to keep consistently improving. When this happened to me, I started watching more K-dramas.
To get the most out of your K-dramas, I recommend shadowing. Which is just a fancy term in the language-learning realm that means repeating what you hear. Most of you have probably been doing this before you even knew what it was called. If so, that’s great!
What the textbooks are missing…
Repeating what you hear is invaluable in helping you learn how native Korean people speak in their daily life. This is something that most textbooks often miss. (Except for a select few) While the information in textbooks is obviously grammatically correct, no one speaks like a textbook in their day-to-day life.
Bringing out the big guns
With Korean grammar being as complex as it is, there will most likely be times when you need a more in-depth explanation for certain grammar points. For those times I would recommend the most popular resource for Korean learners, Talk to me in Korean.
Although they do sell textbooks and workbooks for a reasonable price, their audio lessons are short, to the point, and easy to fit into a busy schedule.
That’s It
So that was my attempt to explain how I’ve been learning Korean grammar without expensive textbooks.
If you’re anything like me and detest even the thought of spending hours pouring over grammar textbooks, I hope this article gave you some ideas of a better way to learn.
