Korean Reading 300 - 004

Hi, everyone. This is the fourth lecture of Korean Reading 300. All right, let’s start with the first sentence of the fourth paragraph.

The first sentence is 당신이 마시는 물은 어떤 맛이 나는가? How does the water you drink taste? 당신이 is ‘you’, and 마시는 came from 마시다, which means ‘to drink’, and the letter, 다 is replaced with 는 in order to modify the noun, 물, which means ‘water’, so 당신이 마시는 물 is ‘the water you drink’, and these three words are the subject of the sentence, so 은 is the subjective case. And 어떤 is ‘how’, and 맛이 나는가? came from 맛이 나다, which means ‘taste’ as intransitive verb, which means it doesn’t need an object. And the letter, 다 is replaced with 는가 in order to express an interrogative expression. So, 당신이 마시는 물은 어떤 맛이 나는가? How does the water you drink taste?

 

The second sentence is 이런 질문은 당신이 생각하는 만큼 어리석은 것은 아니다. This question is not as silly as you may think. 이런 is shortened form of 이러한, which means ‘like this’, and 질문 is ‘question’, so 이런 질문 is ‘this question’, and 은 is the subjective case. And 당신이 생각하는 만큼 is ‘as you may think’, 생각하다 is ‘to think’, and 생각하다 is changed into 생각하는 in order to modify 만큼, which is the same as equivalence comparison, ‘as blah blah as’. 어리석은 것은 아니다 is ‘not silly’. 어리석다 is an adjective, and its meaning is ‘silly’, and the letter, 다 is replaced with 은 것은 아니다, which is the predicate of negation, so 어리석은 것은 아니다 is the same as ‘is not silly’. So, 이런 질문은 당신이 생각하는 만큼 어리석은 것은 아니다. This question is not as silly as you may think.

 

The third sentence is 우리는 우리가 매일 마시는 물맛에 익숙해 있어서 물이 아무 맛도 없다고 생각한다. We are used to the taste of our everyday drinking water, so we think that it has no taste. In this sentence, there are three sets of subject and verb. 우리는 생각한다, 우리가 익숙해 있어서, and 물이 아무 맛도 없다. 우리는 is ‘we’, and 생각한다 is ‘to think’, and 우리가 is also ‘we’, and 익숙해 있어서 came from a verb, 익숙하다, which means ‘to be used to something’, and 물 is ‘water’, and 아무 맛도 없다 is ‘to have no taste’. And 매일 is ‘everyday’, and 마시는 is ‘drinking’, and 맛 is a noun, and its meaning is ‘taste’, so 물맛 is ‘the taste of water’, and 매일 마시는 물맛 is ‘the taste of our everyday drinking water’. And 익숙하다 is changed into 익숙해 있어서 because the letters, 해 있어서 functions as the conjunction, ‘,so’ in English. So, 우리는 우리가 매일 마시는 물맛에 익숙해 있어서 물이 아무 맛도 없다고 생각한다. We are used to the taste of our everyday drinking water, so we think that it has no taste.

 

The fourth sentence is 그러나 당신이 여행을 가서 국내의 다른 지역들의 물을 마셔보면 그것이 사실이 아니라는 것을 발견할 것이다. But if you travel and drink the water in other parts of the country, you will discover it is not true. 그러나 is ‘but’, and 여행을 가서 came from 여행을 가다, which means ‘to travel’, and the letter, 다 is replaced with 서. The letter, 서 means ‘and’. 국내의 is ‘domestic, or of the country’, and 다른 is ‘different, or other’, and 지역 is ‘area, or place’, and 들 means plural, and 의 is a genitive case, so 국내의 다른 지역들의 물 is ‘the water in other parts of the country’, and 을 is the objective case. And 마셔보면 came from 마시다, which means ‘to drink’, but 마셔보면 is combined form of 마시다, and ~여 보다. This ~여 보다 indicates an intention, and so the letter, 다 is removed and the letter 시 is changed into 셔 at the result of combining two letters, 시 and 여. So, you can make a new word, 마셔보다. And when 다 is replaced with 면, this 면 represents the conditional conjunction, ‘if’, so 당신이 마셔보면 is the same as ‘if you drink’. So, 당신이 여행을 가서 국내의 다른 지역들의 물을 마셔보면 is ‘if you travel and drink the water in other parts of the country’. And 그것 is ‘it’, and 이 is the subjective case. 사실 is ‘fact, or truth’, and ~이 아니라는 것 is the noun form of the negative predicate, which means ‘not being blah blah’. And 을 is the objective case of the verb, 발견할 것이다, which came from 발견하다, which means ‘to discover’. And 하다 is replaced with 할 것이다 in order to represent the future tense. So, 그것이 사실이 아니라는 것을 발견할 것이다 is ‘you will discover it is not true’. So, 그러나 당신이 여행을 가서 국내의 다른 지역들의 물을 마셔보면 그것이 사실이 아니라는 것을 발견할 것이다. But if you travel and drink the water in other parts of the country, you will discover it is not true.

 

The fifth sentence is 물은 때로는 맛이 좋고 때로는 맛이 좋지 않다. Sometimes water tastes good and sometimes it tastes bad. 때로는 is an adverb, and its meaning is ‘sometimes’, and 맛이 좋고 is the combined form of 맛이 and 좋다, that is to say, ‘taste’, and ‘good’. 맛이 blah blah 하다 is ‘taste plus adjective’, and 좋다 is an adjective, and its meaning is ‘good’, but, the letter, 다 is replaced with 고 in order to represent ‘and’ 좋지 않다 is the negation of 좋다, so 좋지 않다 is ‘not good’, or ‘bad’. So, 물은 때로는 맛이 좋고 때로는 맛이 좋지 않다. Sometimes water tastes good and sometimes it tastes bad.

 

The sixth sentence is 이것은 물속에 다른 종류의 미네랄이 들어있기 때문이다. This is because different minerals are in the water. 이것 is ‘this’, and 은 is the subjective case. 물속에 is ‘in the water’, and 다른 is ‘different’, and 종류 is ‘a kind’, and 의 is a genitive case, and 미네랄 is written as it sounds, so 다른 종류의 미네랄 is ‘different minerals’, right? And 들어있다 is ‘to be in’, and 다 is replaced with 기, and 때문이다 is placed behind in order to express the conjunction, ‘because’. So, 이것은 물속에 다른 종류의 미네랄이 들어있기 때문이다. This is because different minerals are in the water.

 

The seventh sentence is 미네랄이 사람들의 건강에 좋기 때문에 어떤 광천수는 병에 담겨 비싼 가격에 팔린다. Since minerals are good for people's health, some mineral waters are sold in bottles at high prices. 사람들 is ‘people’, and 의 is a genitive case, and 건강 is ‘health’, and the letter, 에 is the same as ‘for’ in English. And 좋다, which means ‘good’ is changed into 좋기 때문에. This 기 때문에 is the same as ‘because’, so 미네랄이 사람들의 건강에 좋기 때문에 is ‘Since minerals are good for people’s health’. And 어떤 is ‘some, or a certain’, and 광천수 is ‘mineral water’, and 는 is the subjective case. And 병 is ‘a bottle’, and 담겨 came from 담기다, which means ‘to be put in something’, and the letter 에 means ‘in’ in English, so 병에 담겨 is ‘in bottles’. 비싼 came from 비싸다. This is an adjective, and its meaning is ‘expensive’, and the letter, 다 is removed and the final sound, consonant, ㄴ is placed under 싸 in order to modify the noun behind it, 가격, which means ‘price’, so 비싼 가격 is ‘high price’, and 에 is the same as ‘at’ in English. So, 비싼 가격에 is ‘at high prices’, right? And the final word, 팔린다 is a predicate form of 팔리다, which means ‘to be sold’. 팔다 is ‘to sell’, and 팔리다 is a passive form of 팔다, so 팔리다 is ‘to be sold’. So, 미네랄이 사람들의 건강에 좋기 때문에 어떤 광천수는 병에 담겨 비싼 가격에 팔린다. Since minerals are good for people's health, some mineral waters are sold in bottles at high prices.

 

The eighth sentence is 아무 맛도 나지 않는 물은 증류수이다. The water that tastes nothing is distilled water. 아무 맛도 나지 않는 came from 아무 맛도 나지 않다, which means ‘taste nothing’, and the letter, 다 is replaced with 는 in order to modify the noun behind it, 물, so 아무 맛도 나지 않는 물 is ‘the water that tastes nothing’. And 증류수 is ‘distilled water’. So, 아무 맛도 나지 않는 물은 증류수이다. The water that tastes nothing is distilled water.

 

The ninth sentence is 증류수는 물이 수증기가 될 때까지 끓이고 그 수증기가 식어서 다시 물이 되면서 만들어지는 것이다. Distilled water is made by boiling water until it becomes steam, and then the steam being cooled to become water again. 수증기 is ‘steam’, and 될 came from 되다, which means ‘to become’, and the letter, 다 is removed, and the final sound, consonant, ㄹ is placed under, 되 in order to modify the word, 때까지 is ‘until’, so 물이 수증기가 될 때까지 is ‘until water becomes steam’. And 그 is ‘the’, and 식어서 came from 식다, which means ‘to be cooled down’, and the letter, 다 is replaced with 어서 in order to express ‘and’, and 다시 is an adverb, and its meaning is ‘again’ and 되면서 is ‘to become’, and 만들어지는 것이다 is a predicate form of 만들어지다, which means ‘to be made’. This is a passive form of the verb, 만들다, which means ‘to make’, and 만들어지다 is ‘to be made’. So, 증류수는 물이 수증기가 될 때까지 끓이고 그 수증기가 식어서 다시 물이 되면서 만들어지는 것이다. Distilled water is made by boiling water until it becomes steam, and then the steam being cooled to become water again.

All right, we gonna go over the whole paragraph. Are you ready? Here we go.

당신이 마시는 물은 어떤 맛이 나는가? 이런 질문은 당신이 생각하는 만큼 어리석은 것은 아니다. 우리는 우리가 매일 마시는 물맛에 익숙해 있어서 물이 아무 맛도 없다고 생각한다. 그러나 당신이 여행을 가서 국내의 다른 지역들의 물을 마셔보면 그것이 사실이 아니라는 것을 발견할 것이다. 물은 때로는 맛이 좋고 때로는 맛이 좋지 않다. 이것은 물속에 다른 종류의 미네랄이 들어있기 때문이다. 미네랄이 사람들의 건강에 좋기 때문에 어떤 광천수는 병에 담겨 비싼 가격에 팔린다. 아무 맛도 나지 않는 물은 증류수이다. 증류수는 물이 수증기가 될 때까지 끓이고 그 수증기가 식어서 다시 물이 되면서 만들어지는 것이다.

How does the water you drink taste? This question is not as silly as you may think. We are used to the taste of our everyday drinking water, so we think that it has no taste. But if you travel and drink the water in other parts of the country, you will discover it is not true. Sometimes water tastes good and sometimes it tastes bad. This is because different minerals are in the water. Since minerals are good for people's health, some mineral waters are sold in bottles at high prices. The water that tastes nothing is distilled water. Distilled water is made by boiling water until it becomes steam, and then the steam being cooled to become water again.