LEARN + KOREAN / 46 of 125 TOPIK I

Or -거나 vs (이)나

At the café, you can order coffee or tea; later, you can walk or take the bus. Use -거나 to connect two actions and (이)나 to connect two nouns. The ending depends on what kind of choice you’re offering.

deungsaneul hageona undong moime gayo.

I go hiking or go to an exercise group.

tellebijeoneul bogeona soseoreul ilgeoyo.

I watch TV or read a novel.

Hint · 힌트

거나 connects actions; (이)나 connects things. 텔레비전을 보거나 소설을 읽어요 offers a choice of what to do; 우유나 물을 마셔요, below, offers a choice of what to drink. Mixing up which ending attaches to which word type is the easiest slip here.

sanchaekhageona joginggeul haeyo.

I take a walk or jog.

sirieorina toseuteureul meogeoyo.

I eat cereal or toast.

uyuna mureul masyeoyo.

I drink milk or water.

geimina undongeul haeyo.

I play games or exercise.

kapena pyeonuijeomeseo keopireul sayo.

I buy coffee at a cafe or convenience store.

Hint · 힌트

That last sentence reflects how central 편의점 (convenience stores) are to daily life in Korea. They’re everywhere, open 24 hours, and treated as a completely normal place to grab a coffee, not just snacks and essentials.

Vocabulary

Korean	English
등산 deungsan	hiking
운동 모임 undong moim	exercise group
소설 soseol	novel
조깅 joging	jogging
시리얼 sirieol	cereal
토스트 toseuteu	toast
편의점 pyeonuijeom	convenience store
만화책 manhwachaek	comic book
그림을 그리다 geurimeul geurida	to draw a picture
선택하다 seontaekhada	to choose
둘 다 dul da	both
아니면 animyeon	or else, otherwise
어느 것 eoneu geot	which one
다 da	all, everything
아무것도 amugeotdo	nothing at all (with negation)
옵션 opsyeon	option
대안 daean	alternative
둘 중에 dul junge	between the two
상관없다 sanggwaneopda	it doesn't matter
무엇이든 mueosideun	whatever, anything

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