Is it possible to be able to speak conversational Korean in just a few months time?

Question

I'm really curious. My friends and I would like to take Korean lessons but we only have less than two months of free-time. From your experience/observation, can someone understand and speak basic and conversational korean after studying for like a month or so?

Answer 1

It really depends on how much you would like to be able to converse about, and how much you effort are willing to put in. You can learn quite a bit in two months if you spend each day going over your notes, talking to yourself, internalising vocabulary and grammatical forms...but one thing is for sure: two months is just the right amount of time for you to learn how much there is that you still need to know. If you are not living in Korea/surrounded by Korean speakers, you will probably still be making grabs for the dictionary every minute to look up daily conversational phrases that slip your mind every now and then. It is possible that you will hardly be able to understand native speakers in real-life contexts, because all you have been listening are the simulated conversations between yourself and your classmates, who are novices just like you are. You might be speaking, but your grammar may not be right all the time (grammar is the greatest hurdle to overcome when you're learning Korean). But the good thing is that you will be able to communicate enough to introduce yourself, befriend people, have them understand your limitations in the language, and ask politely that they help you with it. I think that's very important for someone who wishes to know the language at a conversational level!

What I just shared may not apply to you. Everyone learns at different rates (and there are other factors still - what is your native language? Is Korean your first agglutinative language? How much Korean have you heard prior to learning?) But anything is possible if you believe in yourself, so don't let it put you off from learning the language in any way! I would advise that you continue your study of Korean for as long as you can. No one will ever truly learn a language by picking it up abruptly and dropping it just as abruptly because he/she has no time for it. There are many ways to keep a language. Reading, listening to the radio, conversing with friends/yourself, penning daily journal entries are just a few things you can do. It should come naturally to you if you love the language enough.

Korean is a beautiful language, and learning it will be an experience like no other - that I can promise you. Good luck! ^^

Answer 2

No, no... no.... no.. the answer is no.

I was there for three years and spent a good amount of time trying get skilled in Hanguelmal and while I did achieve a basic use of it, most Koreans make a near zero attempt to try to understand what a foreigner is trying to say when they use Korean. It's just not common enough for them to bother.

While you could easily get the alphabet down and how to read and write, because Korean is taken from Chinese and has english mixed in through it there's no way you're going to have conversational level use from only a month's study due to your lack of pronouncian skill not to mention 0 exposure to how people actually talk there versus what you get from the courses.

I know this isn't cheery news but it's fact, if you still want to stufy it great, it'd be better than not studying but don't expect to be laughing along when you're watching the latest episode of X맨 with your new Korean friends. :(

Answer 3

I had an easy time learning the alphabet and it's easy to sound signs out cause there's only a few letters. And it's certainly easy enough to learn some pharses, but true conversational fluencey? I don't think so unless you're truly commited. The biggest problem is lack of good resourses. For langauges like French there are hundreds of very good school books, but for Korean I never found a truly good, well, organized, and clear book to learn from, just small dictionaries and phrase books.

Also, I know English and French. Korean congajation and such was very different and there aren't as clear patterens so that really slowed me down too.

Answer 4

Most native Korean speakers take over a year to speak conversational English. Those are Korean students who immigrated to the US and go to school with Americans kids while enrolled in 4 or 5 ESL classes. Most take over 2 years to speak fluent English although by the end of the first year, students can generally understand complex English sentences. You can cut it to a single year or so if you're forced learn English due to lack of other Korean students in your classes.

If the reverse logic holds, then it would take you about one year, if not more, to speak conversational Korean. In other words, GOOD LUCK!

Answer 5

Korean text book (in English) I recommend is KOREAN (hangugoh) textbook series published by Seoul National University Language Institute. Follow the link for more resources on Korean learning.

Answer 6

If you're a native English speaker, Korean is considered one of the hardest languages in the world to learn by the Department of State. (One of the 4 "superhard" languages out of more than 70 languages they teach.)

So, in all likelihood, no.

Answer 7

The whole language isn't too dificult though. It also does matter on what your learning rate is and stuff like that. You guys probably cant speak too well but you should be able to speak basic stuff. If your really determined you might be able to do it though. :)

Answer 8

ummm....yea i think its possible but you will have to work hard and try to speak with more native speakers

Answer 9

Absolutely, it simply takes a desire and practice, practice, practice.