S2 Ep5: A Short Text | A daily life of a Korean high-schooler

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시즌2, 5화. 짧은 글 | 어느 한 한국 고등학생의 일상

Season 2, Episode 5, A short text | A daily life of a Korean high-schooler

Today’s episode was created based on a request from a listener named “Nik Aqilah”

Then now, shall we listen to the text?

 

Korean Script

저는 매일 6시 30분에 일어나요. 그 후 아침을 먹고 이를 닦고 세수를 해요. 그리고 7시 30분에 집 근처 버스정류장에서 버스를 타고 학교에 가요. 모든 학생들은 8시까지 학교에 도착해야 돼요.

우리 학교는 오전에 50분씩 4교시 수업을 해요. 중간에 10분씩 쉬는 시간이 있어요. 저는 쉬는 시간에 친구들과 함께 간식을 먹고 수다도 떨어요. 그리고 12시에 점심시간이 시작되요. 저는 점심 식사로 급식을 먹어요. 저희 학교 급식은 정말 맛있어서 친구들이 아주 좋아해요.

점심을 먹은 후 오후에는 3~4교시 정도 더 해요. 그리고 야자*를 신청한 친구들은 학교에서 저녁 급식을 먹어요. 만약 야자를 안 신청했으면 집에 갈 수 있어요. 저는 야자를 신청해서 10시까지 학교에서 공부를 해요. 야자 시간에는 학교 숙제도 하고 혼자 공부할 수 있어요. 

사실 고등학교의 공부 양이 많아서 조금 피곤해요. 나중에 수능 시험이 끝나면 푹 쉬고 싶어요. 

*야간 자율 학습

 

Translation

I wake up every day at 6:30 AM. Then, I eat breakfast, brush my teeth and wash my face. And at 7:30 AM, I get on the bus from the bus stop near my house and go to school. All students must arrive at school by 8 o’clock.

Our school has four classes of 50 minutes each in the morning. There is a 10-minute break in between the classes. During breaks, I eat snacks and chat with my friends. And lunchtime starts at noon and I school meal for lunch. Our school lunches are so delicious that our friends really like them.

After lunch, in the afternoon, there are 3 or 4 more classes.

 

For friends who applied for the after-school self-study program, have dinner at school.

If you haven’t applied for the after-school self-study program, you can go home. I signed up for an after-school self-study program, where I studied at school until 10 PM.  During the after-school self-study program, you can do homework and study on your own.

 

It is tiring since there are lots of things to study in high school.  I want to take a decent break after the Korean SAT exam is over.

 

How was it?  Were you able to understand it? It was about the daily life of a high school student in Korea. 

Now let’s break down some valuable expressions together. 

저는 매일 6시 30분에 일어나요. 그 후 아침을 먹고 이를 닦고 세수를 해요. 그리고 7시 30분에 집 근처 버스정류장에서 버스를 타고 학교에 가요. 모든 학생들은 8시까지 학교에 도착해야 돼요.

What time do you usually get up? 보통 몇 시에 일어나요? Based on what we heard here, the writer wakes up at 6:30 every day—여섯시 삼십분. Well, you can also read this time as 여섯시 반. Both are correct.

Then she has breakfast, brushes her teeth, and washes her face. Well, I’m pretty sure that would be most people’s daily routine in the morning. What about yours? Is there anything different from this?

Okay, and then she goes to the bus stop near her home at 7:30 to go to school. 집 근처 버스정류장, a bus stop near home. This is an excellent expression to apply for many actual situations. You can say “the coffee shop near the supermarket 마트 근처 카페,” “The convenience store near my school 우리 학교 근처 편의점” the key is using 근처.  Try to apply this one to various locations. Feel free to share with us on our social media.

Okay, and the next one. 모든 학생들은 8시까지 학교에 도착해야 돼요. All students should arrive at the school by 8. What about in your country? What time should the high school students be in school?  Depending on the school, it varies in Korea, but the average arrival time is 8 AM in Korea.  

Please share this with us on our social media. I guess it can be very different depending on the country.

All right, then let’s move on to the next part.

우리 학교는 오전에 50분씩 4교시 수업을 해요. 중간에 10분씩 쉬는 시간이 있어요. 저는 쉬는 시간에 친구들과 함께 간식을 먹고 수다도 떨어요. 그리고 12시에 점심시간이 시작되요. 저는 점심 식사로 급식을 먹어요. 저희 학교 급식은 정말 맛있어서 친구들이 아주 좋아해요.

She said a class 수업 at the writer’s school is 50 minutes long and there is 10 minutes break 쉬는 시간 after each class. There are four class slots 4교시 in the morning 오전. I’m also pretty sure that the class system would be different depending on the country. What about the class system in your country? Try to use these expressions and explain the class system in your country in Korean.

And do you remember what she does during the break? Yes, she said she eats snacks and chat with her friends. 간식을 먹고 수다도 떨어요.  Students don’t have to go to different classrooms in the Korean education system; instead, teachers relocate to classes during the break.

Students have their assigned seats, and they can just relax and take a break between each class. So they go to a convenience store in school 매점을 가요 or have a little chat with friends 친구들과 수다를 떨어요.  And after the four classes in the morning, lunchtime 점심시간 starts at noon 열두시. Korean students usually apply for the meal service called 급식. As far as I know, students in other countries prepare their lunchboxes 도시락 for lunch, right?

I’m in my 30’s now, but when I was in middle school, I also used to take my 도시락 lunchbox. However, 급식 the meal service started when I was in high school. 급식 back then, the quality and the taste weren’t something that you are excited about. But 급식 nowadays got a lot better, and it also tastes pretty good. Just saying this makes me realize my age and jealousy of the current high school students. hahaha 

So what is your lunch at school? 도시락? Or 급식? Feel free to share with us on our social media and try to use Korean. 

All right, now let’s hear the next part.

점심을 먹은 후 오후에는 3~4교시 정도 더 해요. 그리고 야자*를 신청한 친구들은 학교에서 저녁 급식을 먹어요. 만약 야자를 안 신청했으면 집에 갈 수 있어요. 저는 야자를 신청해서 10시까지 학교에서 공부를 해요. 야자 시간에는 학교 숙제도 하고 혼자 공부할 수 있어요. 

That’s actually most of the high school class system in Korea. 점심을 먹은 후 오후에는 3-4교시 정도 더 해요. After having lunch, we have 3 to 4 classes in the afternoon. It varies depending on the day and the school. So basically, if you have four classes on Monday through Thursday, and you have three classes on Friday and so on. Also, some schools can have more or fewer classes according to parents & students and faculties’ decisions. So mostly the school finishes at 4 or 5.

And also I want to give you a tip for reading. If you’re going to say 3 to 4 things, you can just say the two numbers in a row. For example, 3-4(3 to 4) classes 세네 수업, 3-4 pm 세네 시, 3-4 animals 세네 마리.

Good tip, huh? And then there’s a word 야자 which stands for 야간 자율 학습. It means an after-school self-study program. Have you guys ever stayed at the school until 10 PM to study?

Well, I did, and many students in Korea still do. To be honest, I really hated it. I think I was always tired back then because of 야자. I had to get up at 6:30 AM, and the earliest I could go to bed was at 1 AM. On top of 야자, after-school self-study program, I also had to go to학원 which is a place to do the extracurricular studies. Ewwww, I’m not sure how I survived.

Anyway, 야자 after-school self-study program. It’s an abbreviation that most people use instead of the whole word. Do you also want to try 야자? Share your opinions and thoughts with us in Korean. 

All right, then now let’s move on to the last part.

사실 고등학교의 공부 양이 많아서 조금 피곤해요. 나중에 수능 시험이 끝나면 푹 쉬고 싶어요. 

She said 사실 고등학교의 공부 시간이 많아서 조금 피곤해요.

It is tiring since there are lots of things to study in high school.

Yes, Korean students in high school are always tired due to lack of sleep, without a doubt.  고등학교 means high school. Then let’s see other words related to this. Okay, there’s kindergarten 유치원, and elementary school 초등학교 and middle school 중학교, and university 대학교. If you memorize associated vocabulary altogether, it’s much easier.

And the last sentence just makes me sad. 나중에 수능 시험이 끝나면 푹 쉬고 싶어요. 나중에 later or after수능 시험 means SAT exam in Korean, 끝나면 if I’m done with, or If it’s over, 푹 쉬고 싶어요 I want to take a decent break when SAT exam is over.

Oh~~~ Well, that would be most Korean high school senior student’s wishes. 

All right, what about your high school life? Or How was your high school life? Feel free to explain to us in Korean on our website or social media.