Writing a Short Diary
Write about your day, describe activities, and express feelings.
Writing a Korean diary is the highest-yield single exercise you can do at this level. It forces you to convert thoughts directly into Korean rather than translating from English, and it surfaces gaps in your vocabulary that reading would never reveal. A basic diary entry covers: time and weather (오늘은 비가 왔다 — today it rained), main activities (학교에 갔다 — I went to school), feelings (기분이 좋았다 — I felt good), and a brief reflection.
Use the plain narrative form (-다 / -었다) rather than polite speech, since you're writing for yourself. Common verbs: 일어나다 (wake up), 가다 (go), 만나다 (meet), 먹다 (eat), 자다 (sleep). Aim for one short paragraph per day, written immediately before bed. Three weeks of daily diary writing typically does more for your Korean output than three months of passive study, because every entry forces you to make linguistic choices and discover what you don't yet know.
~(으)ㄹ 것이다 — Future / Plan / Intention
Verb stem + (으)ㄹ 거예요 (polite) or (으)ㄹ 것이다 (written). Expresses future plans or predictions. 가다 → 갈 거예요 (I will go), 먹다 → 먹을 거예요 (I will eat).
~게 되다 — Come to / End up doing (change)
Verb stem + 게 되다 describes a change in situation or state, often unplanned. 한국어를 좋아하게 됐어요 (I came to like Korean). 이사하게 됐어요 (I ended up moving).
Cultural & Language Note
Korean diary writing conventionally uses the plain 한다체 rather than polite endings — you are not addressing anyone, so 갔다 rather than 갔어요. This is the same instinct behind Japanese diary style using 常体. Switching to the plain style is often the first time learners write Korean without a listener in mind.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
게 되다 expresses a change of state that happened to you rather than a choice you made — 한국에 살게 됐어요 implies circumstances led there. Learners use it for deliberate decisions where a plain past tense is correct. Mixing 해요체 and 한다체 within one diary entry is also a common inconsistency.