What happens when a nalari (a flash punk or ne'er-do-well, from 날리다 meaning slapdash or roughly done) from Cali such
as myself manages to bluff his way into a position at Hongik University, home to South Korea's top art school? He teaches his
bright young students how to speak English like a damn nalari, of course!
This past Spring semester I was getting bored with the textbooks I had to use in my three English classes (two required Freshman
English classes and one elective Living English or conversation class for beginners), so near the end of the term I asked the
students to tell me their favorite or most commonly used expressions (or idioms) in Korean. Since I had already introduced them
to the distinction between langue (language or system) and parole (speech or usage) pioneered by Swiss linguist Ferdinand de
Saussure (1857-1913), they knew that words can have different meanings or connotations based on the cultural context in which
they arise. For instance, 50 or 100 years ago the word gae or dog may have had roughly the same semantic meaning in both
Korean and English (excepting wide variation in local species, of course), but implied radically different concepts depending on
which cultural codes were used to interpret it: Man's Best Friend for Yanks or Brits, and Tasty Stamina-Boosting Delicacy for
traditional Koreans. If today the word dog connotes the idea of cute canine pet for many modern Koreans, that's merely indicative
of how Westernized and Americanized Korea has become in the past few decades; nevertheless, Westerners like Bridget Bardot
are simply being ethnocentric when they use their own coded or culturally determined understanding of the word dog to lecture the
many modern Koreans who still enjoy a bowl of dog-meat soup every now and then. They are mistaking their own cultural codes
for the universally given, when in fact they are often quite finite and particular.
The reason why many Koreans have a hard time speaking basic English even after studying it for years is because they've focused
too much on the langue part of English and not enough on the parole dimension (when one only concentrates on the grammar and
vocabulary of a language in a vacuum-like environment, it's not too different from studying abstract math or science). Even more
problematic, they often use a Korean-style parole to speak the English language, which is where things quickly fall apart. An obvious
example of this phenomenon is Konglish, which is the English langue filtered through a Korean-style parole, and thus a word like
apart which is an adverb or adjective in English is used as a noun in Konglish to mean a residential set of rooms in a high-rise
building (아파트); obviously, the word is shortened for ease of use in Korean, but as a result the purely descriptive function of the
word in English is effaced and becomes a concrete physical thing in Konglish (there are no doubt many philosophical implications
for this particular example, but there is not space enough to go into them here). Another simple example is when a tourist from, say,
Australia asks a simple yes-or-no question to a local Korean who has spent 12 years studying English intensively and can read
entire Agatha Christie novels in the original, and yet the latter is entirely flummoxed and has the hardest time coming up with the
appropriate response (of which there are exactly two); the problem, of course, is that Koreans tend to disfavor direct yes-or-no
answers, which is fine in Korean but a real pain in the ass for the average native English speaker. One might say, then, that genuine
fluency in a language comes only when one has mastered both the langue and parole dimensions of that language, merging them
organically and intuitively into one.
Each class was divided into two groups and asked to come up with 8 expressions per group, or 16 in total (there were 14 or 15
students per class). Their task was to translate them into English and then use each equivalent English expression in an entertaining
dialogue of their joint creation. Since they were hip to the langue-parole dialectic, they all knew that a direct translation of each
expression would often be insufficient, and I suggested that a literal and figurative translation for each expression would be the best
approach. When translating from one language to another, one must first understand the literal or semantic content of each statement,
and then identify the embedded intention that is the raison d'etre for that statement (effective communication, Derrida notwithstanding,
involves the clear transmission and recognition of the intention contained in any given statement, be it a word, phrase, sentence,
paragraph or even a whole book). The point of the figurative translation, then, would be to convey the spirit and flavor of the original
Korean expression and thereby best convey the main thrust or intention of that expression to a native English speaker (who might
not speak a word of Korean him or herself). As an example, I broke down the common Korean expression "Chesu opso!" (재수 없소):
It literally means unlucky or without fortune, but saying that to a native English speaker would hardly make sense, and most likely
elicit befuddlement when in fact the expression is commonly used as a dis or exclamation of profound irritation. Thus, an appropriate
figurative translation would be either "You're such a loser!" "You're so lame!" or sometimes just "Fuck!" in certain extreme
circumstances. In an ancient Eastern culture like Korea's that has traditionally valued divination and being in cosmic balance
with the universe, accusing someone of having bad fortune would be a grave insult, whereas, say, in a relatively young and more
practical-minded country like America that generally celebrates winners above all else, calling someone a loser is perhaps the
ultimate put-down. In such a fashion does the figurative translation creatively fuse both the langue and parole aspects of the original
Korean expression.
(I should note that I'm all too aware of the "tall-poppy syndrome" that prevails in other English-speaking countries like England and
Australia, whereby those at the so-called lower levels of society relish cutting down those who've successfully reached the top, but
I doubt few in such countries would appreciate being called a loser either, and in any case one could argue that relentless American-
style globalization means that even in England and Australia a brash "culture of winning" is, for better or worse, steadily gaining the
upper hand.)
Below you will find 44 unique Korean expressions and their English equivalents that were most popular among my dear and hard-
working students at Hongdae (there are not 48 because the expressions "Jjajungna!" and "Chuketta!" were repeated in all three
classes, although surprisingly there was little overlap otherwise). It is certainly the case that many of these expressions are rather
rough and quite inappropriate in polite company, but I should be clear that the assignment was formulated in strictly neutral terms
and did not specifically ask for naughty or off-color language (OK, I admit that my model example was perhaps somewhat leading,
but then again, "Chesu opso!" is hardly uncommon itself). Considering that over half of the original Korean expressions are somehow
related to stress (26 by my count), it is apparent that these kids are under a great deal of pressure in their everyday lives; indeed, 20
or 21 of the expressions can be seen as conveying or embodying the classic Korean sentiment of han or bitterness and regret,
belying the standard view that younger Koreans these days have moved beyond han and can no longer relate to it as a defining
emotion or aspect of their own reality. It is also interesting to note that just 5 or 6 of the expressions touch on the theme of sex or
physical attraction, which could mean either that younger Koreans are not as sexually liberated or out-of-control as their elders tend
to fear or, more likely, they're just too busy to put much thought into the creative linguistic expression of matters sexual (to be sure,
the Korean language is traditionally quite reticent in this area, but I know of dozens of Korean sex expressions myself that the
students passed over for whatever reasons). In any case, less than a third of the expressions are purely positive or joyous in
nature, which is troubling when you consider that their time in university should be among the best years of their lives (blame it
on globalization and a climate of ever-increasing competition that does not favor slacking off or just having fun, even at Korea's top
art school). How representative are the expressions below? Well, there were just as many business and engineering students as
there were those studying architecture or art, and quite a few from the provinces as well, so I'd say that for educated South Koreans
in their early-mid twenties, it's a fairly typical sampling circa 2006. Clearly, there is an inner nalari lurking in the minds and hearts of
many apparently straight-laced and otherwise proper-seeming young Koreans, and that can only be a good thing as far as I'm
concerned.
The trickiest thing here was fashioning snappy, natural dialogues that could easily be converted back and forth between Korean and
English, since punning and that sort of thing is hard to pull off in translation; I've modified some of the dialogues myself as a result,
but in most cases they are the creative work of the students themselves. Of course, one can easily observe marked stylistic
differences between the English and the Korean: for starters, many of the Korean expressions below employ natural imagery,
reflecting Korea's long history as an agrarian society (food is also a recurring theme, which makes sense when we recall how
poor Korea was until quite recently, and in fact many Korean sex terms and expressions also use food metaphorically, be it
"pounding ddok" or "peeling the bean"). On the other hand, English has a far more diversified vocabulary based on a history that
has unfolded on multiple continents and is informed by considerable racial and ethnic complexity: a word like "pimp," for example,
has entered the mainstream American vernacular (as in MTV's "Pimp My Ride") and signifies "cool" only because African-Americans
once had limited economic opportunities due to institutionalized racism and discrimination, and so the outlaw pimp who defied the
white man's system and achieved success on his own terms achieved a kind of mythical, heroic status for many (cf Iceberg Slim
et al); in Korea, however, the notion of the pimp as some kind of rebel hipster is nonsensical, at least for now, given the country's
relative lack of racial strife throughout its history (as well as a fairly young urban culture, which is crucial to the pimp ethos). At the
same time, a rustic barb like "daggy" would be unfamiliar to most Americans, since it most likely originates from the antipodean
sheepherding culture of Australia and New Zealand (a dag is a little clump of shit hanging from the hair around a sheep's ass; the
closest term I can recall from my own Yank upbringing is dingleberry, mainly used in reference to the human posterior). In general,
we can say that apart from its rich diversity, English slang tends to be rather more ribald and extreme than that of Korean, which is
why it will probably be a while before Korean women say "Eat me!" when they're really pissed off at someone else. Once again,
one must look at parole to understand fully how such an expression plays out differently in disparate cultural contexts: Given the long
history of feminism in the West, many women there use the expression "Eat me!" in ironic contradistinction to the male-dominant
expression "Bite me!" (or "Blow me!"), thereby signaling that they're just as tough and able to play with the so-called big boys. In
Korea, on the other hand, with its much shorter history of contact with the feminist movement, a local man hearing such an
expression from a woman might be shocked initially, but would perhaps be more inclined to interpret it not as a dismissive retort,
but as a pleasantly unexpected invitation.
Finally, I should say that I have not been Stateside for over a decade, and so many of my renderings into English below no doubt
date me as a hip-hop-inflected Gen-Xer who came of age during the 1980s (word up to Too $hort and Schoolly D!), and is now
unfamiliar with much of the current hip lingo spoken there. On the other hand, however, I've also lived in London and Melbourne
during that time, and thanks to the global media and my many English-speaking friends here in this part of the world, I haven't quite
been living a cave since I first moved to Japan in 1994. In any case, I've tried to keep my translations into English slang fairly
standard, and if a few expressions like "the bomb" or "fresh" seem out-of-date nowadays, that's because their Korean equivalents
are also a bit dated, and anyway, sometimes retro nostalgia just gets the better of me. Who knows, I might even spark a trend to
revive them as ironically hip, if not internationally then at least here in Korea. Now that wouldn't that be funky fresh? Peace and props
to all my students, as well as to Ki-hoon, Jong-ah, Ji-hyun, Soon-ho, Jun-sop, Jong, Naomi, Sally, Matt, Kevin, Brendan and
especially Ryung-jin for all their input and full-on flavor.
Be the nalaris, y'all!
INTENSIFY
1. 겁나 (Kopna) Literal Translation: Scared or afraid of
Figurative Translation: Bloody/damn (Also: helluva/helluv/hella)
A: Scott's a bloody handsome chap, isn't he?
B: Oh, be quiet. You just want to get an A in his class.
A: 스캇 겁나 잘생기지 않았어?
B: 조용해. 너 A받고 싶어서 그러는 거잖아.
2. 좆나 (Chot'na) LT: Stiffening cock (lit., "the cock comes")
FT: Fuckin'
A: Did you see Korea's football match against Angola last night?
B: Yes, of course.
A: Park Ji-sung was fuckin' great!
B: No, he wasn't. He sucked!
A: 너 어제 한국 대 앙골라 축구 봤어?
B: 당근이지.
A: 박지성 좆나 잘 하더라.
B: 아니. 완전 구리던데.
3. 졸라 (Cholla) LT: Corruption of "좆나" (lit., "the cock comes")
FT: Freakin'/frickin'/friggin'/effin'
A: What's wrong with Ah-young? She's always freakin' tired!
B: Yeah, she must be on a diet or something. She's skinnier than a refugee from Somalia!
A: 아영이 한테 뭔 일 있어? 괜찮은거야? 맨날 졸라 피곤해 해!
B: 응, 요즘 아영이가 다이어튼가 뭔가 한데, 어쩜 소말리아 망명객 보다 더 말랐어!
ANGER (MIS)MANAGEMENT
1. 시팔! (Ship'al!) LT: Corruption of "씹할" ("fucking" or "doing the pussy")
FT: Fuck!
A: Look! A pigeon shit on your head!
B: Fuck! That's the third time today!
A: 야! 니 머리에 비둘기가 똥 쌌다!
B: 시팔! 오늘만 세번째야!
2. 열받다 (Yolbat'ta) LT: Take or receive heat
FT: Steamed/all burned up
A: How was your date yesterday?
B: I waited for her for two hours, but she never came.
A: You must have been steamed. I warned you about Edae girls, didn't I?
A: 어제 개랑 데이트한거 어땠냐?
B: 두시간이나 기다렸는데 안왔어.
A: 좆나 열받았겠다. 내가 이대애들 그렇다고 그랬자나, 안 그래?
3. 짜증나! (Jjajungna!) LT: Irritating/Annoying!
FT: What a pain (in the ass/neck)! (Or: Pain in the ass!)
A: You can only speak English in Scott's Living English class.
B: What a pain in the ass!
A: 스캇의 생활영어 수업에선 영어만 말해야 한대.
B: 짜증나!
4. 썅! (Ssyang!) LT: Corruption of "상" (vulgar, ignoble or common)
FT: Shit!
A: Oh Ryung-jin, you're going to pay for what you've done.
B: Shit! Stop hitting me!!
A: 오륭진. 니가 한 짓이 어떤 건지 알어?
B: 썅! 그만 때려!
5. 젠장! (Jenjang!) LT: Type of punishment during the Choson Era using a long rod
FT: Damn! (Also: Damn it!/Goddamn!/Hell!)
A: Dude, what's up? You stink!
B: Damn it! I stepped in dogshit!
A: 야, 뭐야? 너 냄새 나자나!
B: 젠장! 나 개똥 밟았어!
6. 빌어 먹을 (Pilo mok'ul) LT: Begging to eat
FT: Hell! (Also: Damn!/Damn it!/Goddamn!)
A: Hell! I dropped my cellphone in the toilet!
B: That sucks. Does it still work?
A: No, it's covered with shit!
A: 빌어 먹을! 핸드폰 화장실에 빠뜨렸어!
B: 좃 같네. 아직도 되냐?
A: 아냐, 똥으로 덮여 있어.
7. 뚜껑 열린다 (Ttu'kkong yollinda) LT: Opening the (pot) lid or (bottle) cap
FT: Blow one's top
A: I saw your girlfriend with another guy on Saturday night.
B: That fucking bitch! I'll kill them both!!
A: Hey, don't blow your top. She's no good anyway.
A: 나 지난 주 토요일 밤에 니 여자친구가 딴놈이랑??같이 있는 거 봤어.
B: 이런 쌍년 같으니라구! 둘다 죽여버리겠어!
A: 이봐 뚜껑 닫어. 어쨌든 걔 별로??좋은 애 아녔자나.
8. 개새끼야! (Kaesae'kkiya!) LT: Hey, puppy!
FT: You son-of-a-bitch!/Yo, bitch!
A: Uh, Sam-shik, I spilled beer on your laptop...
B: What?! You son-of-a-bitch!!
A: Dude, chill out! You only use it to look at porn anyway!
A: 어, 삼식아... 나 니 노트북에 맥주 쏟았어...
B: 뭐? 이 개새끼야!
A: 야, 워~워~ 너 어차피 야동 볼 때 밖에 안 쓰자나!
DIS ME DEADLY
1. 잘~한다 (Chal~handa) LT: (You're) doing well./(You) do (it) well.
FT: Good one./Smooth move.
A: Dude, I crashed my dad's car last night after drinking three bottles of soju.
B: Good one. That was brilliant!
A: 야, 나 어제 저녁에 소주 세병 마시고 아빠 차로 사고냈다.
B: 잘~한다. 대단하셔 아주 그냥.
2. 놀고 있네 (Nolgo ittne) LT: (You're) playing around
FT: Yeah, right./As if.
A: I want to marry Lee Hyo-ri and father her children.
B: Yeah, right. Dream on, loser.
A: 나 이효리와 결혼해서 애 낳고 싶은데.
B: 놀고 있네. 꿈깨, 병신아.
3. 엿먹어! (Yotmok'o!) LT: Eat (traditional Korean) taffy! (Corruption of "염")
FT: Bite me! (For women: Eat me!)
A: Can you get me a date with your smokin' hot sister?
B: Bite me, bitch!
A: 니 동생 졸라 쌔끈한데. 나 걔랑 데이트 시켜 줄래?
B: 엿먹어, 쌍놈새끼야!
4. 내맘 이지 (Naemam i'ji) LT: It's my mind, OK?
FT: Mind your own (damn) business./It's my deal.
A: Why don't you go out with a prettier girlfriend?
B: Why don't you mind your own business?
A: 더 예쁜 여자친구랑 사귀는 게 어때?
B: 내맘이거든?
5. 짜져! (Jjajyo!) LT: Squeeze yourself!/Get (or be) squeezed!
FT: Piss off!/Get lost!
A: Give me some of that chocolate!
B: Piss off!
A: 그 초코렛 내놔.
B: 짜져!
6. 즐 (Chul) LT: Enjoy (yourself)!/Have fun!
FT: Take a hike! (Also: Take it easy!/Have a good one!/Go fly a kite!)
A: Do you think Moon Hee-joon is a good singer?
B: Does Kim Jong-il love democracy? Does Andre Kim like women?
A: What're you talking about? Moon Hee-joon's a genius!
B: Oh, take a hike!
A: 문희준은 좋은 가수라고 생각하지 않냐?
B: 김정일이 민주주의를 사랑하냐? 앙드레김이 여자 좋아하냐?
A: 무슨 소리야? 문희준은 천재라구!
B: 즐!
7. 어쩌라고 (O'jjorago) LT: What else can I do?
FT: Whatever!
A: The most beautiful women in Korea are from Changwon, my lovely hometown.
B: Whatever!
A: 한국에서 가장 아름다운 여성들은 내 사랑스러운 고향 창원에 있습니다.
B: 어쩌라고!
8. 안습 (Ansup) LT: Tears in the eye (lit., "eye moisture")
FT: How touching./How sweet.
A: When our substitute, Richard, was teaching Scott's class, he always ignored all the other students
and only looked at Ah-young.
B: Oh, how sweet!
A:??리차드가 스캇 대신에 수업 가르칠 때, 다른 애들은 보지도 않고 수업 내내 아영이만 쳐다봤대~
B:??아~ 안습...
9. 됐거든 (Dwaetgo'dun) LT: That's enough/fine/OK.
FT: Enough already. (Also: Talk to the hand.)
A: Do you have any Beatles' CDs?
B: Yeah, I have Rubber Soul and Revolver.
A: Can I borrow Rubber Soul, and I'll lend you Moon Hee-joon's latest CD?
B: Enough already!
IT'S ALL GOOD
1. 시원하다! (Shiwonhada!) LT: Refreshing!
FT: What a relief!/Feels great!/Righteous!
M: Are you OK, honey? Is something wrong?
W: Oh, I can't stand it anymore... Poooot!!!
M: Jeez, did you just fart?
W: Sorry, dear, but it felt so great!
M: 자기야, 괜찮은 거야? 무슨 일 있어?
W: 아~더이상 못참겠다... 뿡~~!!
M: 맙소사, 너 지금 방귀 뀐거야?
W: 미안해, 자기야, 그래도 너무 시원하다!
2. 물 좋다 (Mul cho'ta) LT: The water is good.
FT: A (total) babefest. (For queens of a certain age: It's raining men!)
A: Hey, have you been to Club Harlem?
B: Yeah, it's a total babefest!
A: 야, 할렘클럽 가봤냐?
B: 어, 거기 좆나 물 좋아.
3. 간지 난다 (Kanji nanda) LT: Showing feeling or sense (from the Japanese "kanji," feeling or sense)
FT: Stylin'/pimpin'/rockin'
A: We saw Jo In-sung in Myong-dong yesterday!
B: You did?! He's so stylin'!
A: 우리 어제 명동에서 조인성을 봤다!
B: 정말? 걔 진짜 간지자나!
4. 죽인다 (Chukin'da) LT: (It/she/you) kill(s) me.
FT: The bomb.
A: Hey, check out that babe!
B: Oh my God, she's the bomb! Her shirt looks like it's about to explode!
A: 야! 저 빵빵한 여자 좀 봐!
B: 이야~! 죽인다! 셔츠가 터질것 같애!
5. 까리하다 (Kkarihada) LT: Corruption of 깔 or 깔끔하다 (clean, smart, neat, tidy, trim)
FT: Fresh
A: Hey, man, check out my new nipple ring!
B: Dude, that's so fresh! Now I can hang you up on the wall with it!
A: 얌마??새로 젖꼭지 뚫은거 봐라!
B: 오~ 까리한데! 인제 니놈 새끼를 벽에 걸 수 있겠구나!
6. 죽여준다 (Chugyojunda) LT: (It's/she's/you're) killing me.
FT: That's hot! (Also: killer/wicked)
A: Wow, check her out! She's hot!
B: Dude, that's a guy. Been a while, has it?
A: 우와, 저 여자 좀봐! 죽여준다!
B: 이봐, 저건 남자야. 궁했구나?
LAME-O-RAMA
1. 구리다 (Kurida) LT: Smelly or stinky
FT: Tacky/daggy (Also: lame/dorky/geeky/weak)
A: How was the party last night?
B: It was so tacky. There were a bunch of greasy foreign English teachers there, and some cheesy dork from Kwangju.
A: 어제밤 파티 어땠어?
B: 진짜 구렸어. 느끼한 외국 영어 강사들이 득실거렸고, 광주에서 왔다는 찐따도 있었어.
2. 토나와 (T'ona'wa) LT: Vomit is coming up. (Lit., "Vomit comes")
FT: (I'm gonna) barf.
A: Ch'an asked me to go out with him tomorrow night.
B: Barf! He's so daggy!
A: 찬이가 나보고 내일 밤에 만나쟤.
B: 토나와! 걔 완전 찌질이야!
3. 개념 없다 (Kaenyom opta) LT: No idea/concept
FT: (Totally/so) clueless
A: George W. Bush is a great American president.
B: Are you serious? He's totally clueless!
A: 조지 부시는 위대한 미국 대통령 입니다.
B: 장난해? 걔 진짜 개념없어!
4. 후까시 잡다 (Hukkashi japta) LT: Puffing or blowing (oneself) up (from the Japanese "fukasu," to puff up or blow up)
FT: Acting tough (or macho)./Tryin' to be a pimp.
A: George Bush must think he's a cowboy or something.
B: Yeah, he needs to stop tryin' to be a pimp.
A: 조지 부시는 지가 카우보이 쯤 되는줄 알아.
B: 그래, 걔 후까시 좀 그만 잡지.
5. 깬다 (Kkaenda) LT: to break (something)
FT: let down
A: Our new teacher, Scott, looks more like a flaky slacker than a real English instructor.
B: Yeah, he's such a let down.
A: 새 선생님 스콧있자나, 진짜 영어 선생보다는 게으른 백수로 보여.
B: 응, 걔 정말 깬다.
BAD BEHAVIOR
1. 싸가지 없다 (Ssagaji opta) LT: Lacking buds or sprouts
FT: What a jerk/bitch. (Also: ass/asshole/asswipe/dick/dickhead)
A: Ryung-jin stole my girlfriend!
B: Did he really? What a jerk!
A: 륭진이가 내 여자친구 뺐었어!
B: 걔가 정말 그랬어? 졸라 싸가지 없다!
2. 호박씨 깐다 (Hobakssi kkanda) LT: (She's) peeling pumpkin seeds
FT: (She's) playing games./She's playin' (him/you). (Also: Butter wouldn't melt [in her mouth])
A: Yesterday she told me, "I need you" and then today she told him, "I love only you."
B: Damn! She's playin' you both.
A: 어제 걔가 나한테 "니가 필요해" 라고 말했거든, 근데 오늘은 그 놈한테 "너만 사랑해" 라고 말했대.
B: 야! 그년 호박씨 까는거야.
3. 헐! (Hol!) LT: Corruption of "헉" (Onomatopoeic exclamation of error or surprise)
FT: Oops!/Whoops!
A: Hey, did you hear the big news?
B: No, what's up?
A: Moon Hee-joon was nominated "Singer of the Year."
B: Oops!
A: 야, 너 그 소식 들었냐?
B: 아니, 무슨 일인데?
A: 문희준이 “올해의 가수”로 뽑혔데.
B: 헐!
4. 쪼개다 (Jjogaeda) LT: to split, break or divide (something)
FT: to smirk or snicker
A: Jae-hyoung, you speak English like a native!
B: Hey, Kang Su-jin, wipe that smirk off your face!
A: 올~! 재형군, 너 영어를 아주 원어민 처럼 하는데!
B: 야 강수진 쪼개지 말라구~!
5. 배 아퍼 (Bae ap'o) LT: (My) stomach hurts
FT: I could kill you/her/him!
A: Ah-young has a new boyfriend, and he drives a Porsche!
B: Damn, I could kill her!
A: Yeah, so could her father!
A: 아영이한테 새 남자친구가 생겼는데 포르쉐를 몰고다닌데!
B: 오~! 아영이 정말 부럽고 재수없다.
A: 맞아~~ 그래서 아영이네 아빠까지도 부럽고 재수없네..
FEEL THE PAIN
1. 죽겠다! (Chukketta!) LT: I'm going to die!
FT: I'm beat/knackered. (Also: stuffed/spent/wasted/fucked/toast)
A: What's up, dude?
B: I'm so beat. I was out all night last night.
A: Here, have a bottle of Bacchus!
A: 어이, 무슨 일 이야?
B: 죽겠어. 어제 밤새 놀았어.
A: 자, 여기 바카스 한 병 마셔!
2. 빡세다 (Bbakseda) LT: doubly tough or difficult
FT: What a bitch!/Such a bitch!
A: For homework, Scott wants us to fix all the grammar mistakes in George W. Bush's latest press conference.
B: What a bitch! It'll take forever!
A: 숙제로, 스캇이 조지 부시가 지난 기자회견에서 말한 틀린 문법들을 전부 고쳐오래.
B: 빡세다! 평생걸릴거야!
FREAK OUT CITY
1. 엄마야! (Ommaya!) LT: Hey, Ma!/Mommy!
FT: Gosh! (Also: Golly!/Yikes!/Oh, my!)
A: I met my ex-boyfriend on a group blind date last night.
B: Gosh! That must have been awkward.
A: Yeah, I'll never do a group blind date again.
A: 나 어젯밤 미팅에서 옛날 남자친구 만났어.
B: 엄마야! 너 되게 난처했겠다.
A: 그래, 나 다시는 미팅 안 해.
2. 맙소사 (Mapsosa) LT: Good God!/Goodness gracious!/Oh, no!
FT: Oh my God!
A: Hey, Jong-woo, are you ready for our Freshman English final tomorrow?
B: Jae-hyoung, the final was yesterday. Where were you, anyway?
A: Oh my god!!
A: 종우야, 너 내일있는 기말 고사 영어시험준비 했어?
B: 야 재형아, 기말고사 어제였어, 너 어디 있었던 거야?
A: 맙소사!
3. 골 때린다 (Kol ddaerinda) LT: To have one's skull hit or knocked
FT: Bullocks!/Nonsense! (Also: Ridiculous!/Unfuckingbelievable!)
A: Jae-hyoung wants to order marijuana seeds online.
B: Are you serious? Unfuckingbelievable!
A: 재형이가 온라인으로??대마초 씨앗을 주문하고 싶어한대.
B: 진심이야? 졸라 골때린다!
FANTABULICIOUS
1. 심봤다! (Shimbwatta!) LT: I found wild ginseng!
FT: Yesss!?(Also: Jackpot! Or, for oldtimers: Eureka!)
A: Our Living English class has been cancelled today, because Scott has the flu.
B: Yesss!
A: 스캇이 독감 걸려서 오늘 생활영어수업 쉰댄다.
B: 심봤다!
2. 좋았어 (Cho'asso) LT: That was good.
FT: Good job!
A: I knocked out Myoung-bo in the parking lot last night.
B: Good job! He's so full of himself.
A: 어젯 밤에 명보 주차장에서 한 방 먹였다!
B: 좋았어! 그 새끼 너무 잘난 척 한단 말야.
3. 쩔어 (Jjol'o) LT: to get pickled or salted (for preservation)
FT: to be wasted
A: Hae-in, you seemed to really enjoy the school festival!
B: Yeah, I drank nonstop from Wednesday to Friday! I was so wasted!
A: 해인아, 너 학교 축제 때 진짜 잘 놀더라!
B: 응, 수요일 부터 금요일까지 쭉 마셨어! 완전 쩔었어!??
4. 아싸! (Assa!) LT: Onomatopoeic exclamation of joy
FT: Awesome!/Yeah!
A: Hey, check out my new scar on my arm!
B: Awesome! How did you get it?
A: I got it from a fight with a Nigerian guy in It'aewon.
B: Dude, you're such a stud! |
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