3 · 40 words
Quantities and measures
Units, sizes and limits, simple arithmetic, and the verbs for more and less.
Korea uses metric units, said as English loanwords with Sino-Korean numbers: 오 킬로그램, 삼십 도. Speech shortens them freely — 킬로, 센티, and 프로 for per cent. Watch the verb pairs 늘다 and 늘리다, 줄다 and 줄이다: the first of each says that something grows or shrinks, the second that somebody makes it do so. And 이상 and 이하 include the number itself, which 미만 does not.
The words
View
Verb (10)
재다to measureVerb3
간호사가 제 키와 몸무게를 쟀어요.The nurse measured my height and weight.
더하다to addVerb3
삼에 오를 더하면 팔이에요.Three plus five is eight.
곱하다to multiplyVerb3
칠에 삼을 곱하면 이십일이에요.Seven times three is twenty-one.
늘다to increase, grow; to improveVerb3
한국어 실력이 많이 늘었어요.My Korean has improved a lot.
Something grows by itself; 늘리다 is to make it grow.
줄다to decrease, shrinkVerb3
날씨가 추워지자 손님이 많이 줄었어요.As the weather got colder, there were far fewer customers.
늘리다to increase, expand (something)Verb3
회사가 직원 수를 두 배로 늘렸어요.The company doubled the number of staff.
줄이다to reduce, cut down onVerb3
건강을 위해 설탕을 줄이고 있어요.I am cutting down on sugar for my health.
합치다to combine, put togetherVerb3
두 반을 합치니까 학생이 마흔 명이 됐어요.When the two classes were combined, there were forty pupils.
넘치다to overflowVerb3
물을 너무 많이 부어서 컵이 넘쳤어요.I poured in too much water and the cup overflowed.
측정하다to measure (formal, technical)Verb3
체온을 측정한 다음에 들어가세요.Please have your temperature taken before going in.
This list belongs to The scaffolding — 30 lists and 1195 words that can also be practised as a whole.
Practise this list
Multiple choice and gaps, drawn from exactly these 40 words. Whatever you get wrong comes back tomorrow.