Basic needs and preferences | Learn Korean in English

Korean lesson set in a contemporary Seoul everyday setting: A beginner practices six useful English phrases about basic needs, wishes, and preferences..

EN → KO / Level: A1

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About This Lesson

Use Basic needs and preferences to practice Korean conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

도움이 좀 필요해요.

doh-oo-MEE jom pee-ryuh-HAE-yoh I need some help.
B

물이 좀 필요해요.

moo-REE jom pee-ryuh-HAE-yoh I need some water.
A

이거 갖고 싶어요.

EE-guh GAT-koh SHEE-puh-yoh I want this one.
B

저거 갖고 싶어요.

JUH-guh GAT-koh SHEE-puh-yoh I want that one.
A

이거 좋아해요.

EE-guh joh-AH-hae-yoh I like this one.
B

그거 안 좋아해요.

guh-guh an joh-AH-hae-yoh I do not like it.

Sentence explanations

  1. 도움이 좀 필요해요.

    I need some help.

    도움
    help; assistance
    좀
    some; a little
    필요해요
    need; be necessary
    More detail

    도움 means “help” or “assistance.” It is a noun. In the reusable pattern 도움이 필요해요, 도움 is the thing that is needed, and 이 marks it as the subject of 필요해요. Korean commonly expresses “need N” with N이/가 필요해요, literally describing N as necessary. The fixed translation identifies the unspoken person who needs it as the speaker; Korean does not state that subject in this sentence. 좀 means “some” or “a little” here. It indicates a modest amount of help and can also make a request sound less blunt. The same placement works with another noun: 물이 좀 필요해요 means “I need some water.” 필요해요 is the polite present form of 필요하다, “to be necessary” or “to be needed.” The -해요 ending gives a polite, conversational style. With a different needed item, keep this predicate and change the noun: 시간이 필요해요 means “I need time.” Together, 도움이 (“help” marked as the needed subject) + 좀 (“some/a little”) + 필요해요 (“is needed”) gives the natural meaning “I need some help.”

  2. 물이 좀 필요해요.

    I need some water.

    물이
    water
    좀
    some; a little
    필요해요
    need; be necessary
    More detail

    물이 means “water” here. 물 is the noun “water,” and 이 is a subject marker used after a noun ending in a consonant. The marker presents water as what is necessary; it does not itself express a quantity. Example: 물이 있어요. — “There is water.” 좀 adds the meaning “some” or “a little” here. With a substance such as water, it presents an unspecified amount rather than stating an exact quantity. It can also soften a request in other sentences, but this utterance supports the amount-related meaning. 필요해요 is the polite present form of 필요하다, “to be necessary” or “to be needed.” In this pattern, the thing marked as the subject is what is needed: 도움이 필요해요 means “Help is needed” or, naturally, “I need help.” The form 필요해요 does not itself mark the speaker as the subject; the fixed translation supplies the intended perspective, “I need.” Together, 물 + subject marking identifies water as the needed thing, 좀 specifies an unspecified amount, and 필요해요 says that it is needed. The complete utterance therefore means “I need some water.”

  3. 이거 갖고 싶어요.

    I want this one.

    이거
    this one
    갖고 싶어요
    want to have
    More detail

    이거 is the colloquial spoken form of 이것, meaning “this thing” or “this one.” It can stand alone as a demonstrative pronoun rather than modifying an expressed noun. In this sentence, it identifies the item meant by “this one.” 이거 contrasts with 저거, “that one,” in the bounded next sentence; 이- generally indicates something near the speaker, while 저- indicates something distant from both speaker and listener. 갖고 싶어요 expresses wanting to have or possess something. In this expression, 갖고 is the shortened spoken form of 가지고, used with 싶다 in the pattern V-고 싶다, “want to V.” 싶어요 is the polite present form of 싶다, so the whole expression is suitable for ordinary respectful conversation. The same pattern appears in 가고 싶어요, “I want to go,” and 먹고 싶어요, “I want to eat.” Together, 이거 identifies the desired item, and 갖고 싶어요 says that the speaker wants to have it. The complete meaning is “I want this one.”

  4. 저거 갖고 싶어요.

    I want that one.

    저거
    that one
    갖고 싶어요
    want to have
    More detail

    저거 means “that one” or “that thing,” referring to something away from the speaker. It is a demonstrative pronoun, so it can stand on its own rather than modifying a following noun. Compare 이거, “this one,” in the preceding example; the choice depends on the demonstrative system’s spatial or discourse contrast, not on the noun’s gender or number. 갖고 싶어요 expresses wanting to have the thing. 갖고 is the commonly used shortened form of 가지고, related to 가지다 (“to have”); 싶어요 is the polite present form of 싶다, which expresses desire. Together, the pattern X-고 싶어요 means “want to X,” while with 갖고 it specifically means “want to have X.” Example: 먹고 싶어요. — “I want to eat.” The subject is normally understood from context; in this sentence, the fixed translation identifies the speaker as the person who wants it. Putting the parts together, 저거 갖고 싶어요. means “I want to have that one,” naturally translated as “I want that one.” The polite ending makes the utterance suitable for a courteous everyday statement.

  5. 이거 좋아해요.

    I like this one.

    이거
    this one
    좋아해요
    like
    More detail

    이거 means “this one” here. It is a shortened spoken form of 이것, referring to something near the speaker or the item being indicated. The related demonstratives are 그거 (“that one,” often near the listener or already mentioned) and 저거 (“that one over there”). Example: 이거 뭐예요? — “What is this?” 좋아해요 comes from the verb 좋아하다, “to like.” The form -해요 is the polite present style: 좋아하다 → 좋아해요. In this sentence, the omitted subject is understood as “I” from the fixed translation. 좋아요 is a different form: it commonly means “is good” or, in another construction, “I like it,” but 좋아해요 explicitly uses the verb “to like.” Example: 저는 음악을 좋아해요. — “I like music.” Together, 이거 좋아해요 means “I like this one.” Korean often omits an obvious subject, and in casual speech the object marker can also be omitted; a fuller version is 저는 이거를 좋아해요 (or the contracted 이걸 좋아해요).

  6. 그거 안 좋아해요.

    I do not like it.

    그거
    that one; it
    안
    not
    좋아해요
    like
    More detail

    그거 means “that one” or “it” here. It is a demonstrative pronoun for an identifiable item associated with “that,” rather than the speaker’s immediate “this.” Korean also uses 이거 for “this one,” as in the preceding sentence. The specific referent is not identified beyond the fixed translation’s “it.” 안 is a separate short negator placed before a verb or adjective. Here it negates 좋아해요, giving “do not like.” This form is common in ordinary conversation. A more formal alternative is 좋아하지 않아요, but that is not the form used in the fixed sentence. 좋아해요 is the polite present form of 좋아하다, “to like.” The verb’s -해요 ending gives a polite everyday style. Korean often omits an understood subject, so this form alone does not identify who likes or dislikes something; the fixed translation establishes the intended first-person meaning, “I do not like it.” Together, 그거 identifies the item, 안 negates the liking, and 좋아해요 expresses liking in polite present style: “I do not like it.”

Grammar Points

N이/가 필요해요

도움이 필요해요.

doh-oo-MEE pee-ryuh-HAE-yoh

I need help.

Korean uses the subject marker 이/가 with 필요해요 to show what is needed.

안 + V-아요/어요

그거 안 좋아해요.

guh-guh an joh-AH-hae-yoh

I don't like it.

Place 안 directly before a verb to make a simple negative statement.

Korean Vocabulary

갖고 싶어요 phrase
GAT-koh SHEE-puh-yoh want to have

이거 갖고 싶어요.

그거 pron
guh-guh it; that one

그거 안 좋아해요.

도움 noun
DOH-oom help 도움이

도움이 좀 필요해요.

물 noun
mool water 물이

물이 좀 필요해요.

안 adv
an not

그거 안 좋아해요.

이거 pron
EE-guh this one

이거 갖고 싶어요.

저거 pron
JUH-guh that one

저거 갖고 싶어요.

좀 adv
jom some; a little

도움이 좀 필요해요.

좋아해요 verb
joh-AH-hae-yoh like

이거 좋아해요.

필요해요 adj
pee-ryuh-HAE-yoh need; be needed

물이 좀 필요해요.

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

I need some help.

Show Answer도움이 좀 필요해요.

I need some water.

Show Answer물이 좀 필요해요.

I want this one.

Show Answer이거 갖고 싶어요.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

need; be needed

Show Answer필요해요

like

Show Answer좋아해요

it; that one

Show Answer그거

this one

Show Answer이거