Time & Daily Routine
Talk about time and simple daily routines politely.
Telling time in Korean famously mixes the two number systems. Hours use native Korean numbers with the modification rule: 한 시 (1:00), 두 시 (2:00), 세 시 (3:00). Minutes use Sino-Korean numbers: 오 분 (5 minutes), 십 분 (10), 삼십 분 (30). Combined: 세 시 삼십 분 (3:30). This mixed system feels strange at first but becomes automatic after a few weeks of practice.
Daily routine vocabulary follows the standard verb conjugation: 일어나다 (to wake up) → 일어나요, 자다 (to sleep) → 자요, 먹다 (to eat) → 먹어요. You can chain time expressions with daily activities to describe your whole day: 아침 일곱 시에 일어나요. 여덟 시에 아침을 먹어요. 아홉 시에 일해요. The particle 에 marks the time point ('at seven o'clock'), and Koreans expect this particle in time expressions — leaving it out sounds noticeably broken.
에 (Time Marker)
Use 에 after time expressions to indicate when something happens.
아/어요 (Polite Present)
Use 아/어요 to make polite present tense sentences.
Cultural & Language Note
The particle 에 marks a point in time much as Japanese に does — 세 시에 and 三時に line up neatly. But Korean omits 에 with words like 오늘, 어제, and 내일, exactly as Japanese omits に with 今日 and 明日. The parallel holds even at the level of which words take the particle and which do not, which is a useful shortcut for Japanese speakers.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Attaching 에 to 오늘 or 내일 is the most frequent error here — 내일에 만나요 is wrong; it is simply 내일 만나요. The 아/어요 conjugation also trips learners up because the vowel of the stem decides the ending: stems with ㅏ or ㅗ take 아요, everything else takes 어요, and 하다 becomes the irregular 해요.