To be honest, I like to study on my own and in my own tempo so I don’t struggle to hard if a teacher is too fast or not. But everyone is different so it’s no wonder if some people are learning better within a group or by themself. 
2 Likes
I only do free online courses (like the ones I mentioned). 
As for Duolingo, try to not just go through all the lessons, but repeat the lessons you already learned. A lot. Even every day if you have the time, but at least once a week or so.
But just like @rose_shn I’m also comfortable with learning alone, so I invested in some good books as well.
For vocabulary and some basic sentences you might also like:
And there’s quite a lot of material out there on YouTube:
This is another free course. The accompanying book is not downloadable for free anymore, but you can still read it online and the videos are also on YouTube:
http://www.koreanfromzero.com/lessons/?#/1/intro/
Still, I would say that investing in a good book is great for making sense of the grammar. 
3 Likes
No worries, there are teachers or tutors who are really nice, patient and they will go slower if you ask! I picked young teachers (pro) and tutors (around 20 or less than 30 yo).
If you know 2 languages, you can become a tutor without diploma. You or I can become tutors. If you have tried nssa academy or nssa subbing or tutoring with irmar, it feels… the same for me.
I think what made me jump into that is: someone saying, you can theorize about learning or how to swim, but then to learn it, you have to jump in the pool and practice. Just go speak! I think learning languages goes into that category. It doesn’t exclude books or videos or pictures
I don’t say that self learning doesn’t involve practicing conversations, but exchanging and learning with a native is really motivating for me and I feel more enthusiastic and confident than learning alone.
They’re like languages partners. You can laugh with them, say “I don’t understand” without fear or ask questions. They invite you to do so, like the nssa.
Also, we’re not bound to practice with them every day or week. If you just want 1 session a month or a year to see how far you can go or practice what you’ve been learning for a long time as a self learner, that is pretty doable too! You’re free to continue or not.
For now, I’m mixing both: self learning + practice conversations with a native.
The effects I saw on me:
- I am not ready to wake up at 6:45 a.m. to self study, but I am ready for a language exchange with a partner. Even eager lol
- I do more self studying sessions and more often so I can practice better with my partner. I put more efforts into making sure I’ve memorized things I learn alone in case I will see that in the future with my partners lol I have fun exchanging with them.
Motivation is key for me 
PS: another alternative, you can tutor people on the same website and earn money so you can buy sessions for yourself. You pick your timetable. Or you can find a language partner for free and in exchange you teach him his language. A lot of people are asking for an English partner.
3 Likes
Oh yes, for Duolingo, I keep repeating it. I have also print their lessons and the alphabet to learn it when I have time at work. I’ve started watching the video you sent me. Korean Unnie. Also, I’m trying to find a good book, TTMIK, a lot of people mention it. But also, I am not an native english speaker, so I’m learning Korean from English while being French because I find way more courses from English than French haha. But sometimes I have to remember that it’s not in French but in English, so I have a double job :’)
2 Likes
Same here. I’m learning Korean (and Japanese) from English, while being Dutch.
2 Likes
Nice job, and good luck haha!
1 Like
I don’t know much about all of this, I need to do some research but honestly, the fact that you can exchange and tutor seems interesting !
1 Like
Thanks. You too! 
1 Like
One of my personal favorites is https://www.howtostudykorean.com/. It teaches you both grammar and vocabulary and it’s completely free (even thought you can purchase workbooks to practice, but it’s completely optional)
4 Likes
I heard so many good opinion on this site but I find him weird lol. Maybe when I’ll get better in Korean.
1 Like
just had a little doubt…what exactly is the difference between particles ‘-께’ and ‘-거야’ ??
1 Like
Hi!
Tell me if I misunderstood, but I suppose you mean the future particles ‘-ㄹ게’ and ‘-ㄹ거야’ at the end of verbs. I’ll try to give a simple answer, but someone else might elaborate on it. Both endings indicate a future that is sure to happen but there is a slight difference between the two:
-ㄹ게 carries a promise with it. The speaker says “I will do this” as in “I will ensure that this is done”, “I am committing to realising this task”, “I intend to make sure I do this”.
-ㄹ거야 is more factual: “this will happen”. It’s less dependent on the person’s will to make it happen and more related to the order of things.
In other words, the -ㄹ거야 future is bound to happen, while the -ㄹ게 future will happen because the speaker will make sure of it.
Now, sometimes -ㄹ거야 can seem like it’s used like -ㄹ게, to indicate an intent. But to me -ㄹ게 in this case is more often used to talk about a favour from the speaker to the listener, while -ㄹ거야 would mean the speaker considers that action normal or a given. For instance, the meaning conveyed in these two sentences is slightly different depending on context:
"I will go clean up the kitchen while you study" as in: I will clean up in your stead so you can catch up on your studies. (-ㄹ게)
vs
"I will clean up the kitchen while you study" (because it’s my turn to clean this week). (-ㄹ거야)
I hope that helps! Let me know.
7 Likes
It might be easier to explain if you give specific examples in Korean.
3 Likes
thanks for the detailed explanation! I did understand what you were trying to say 
@ajumma2 sorry I didn’t make it very clear, I didn’t know whether I’d be using the correct grammar and confuse you more😬 I just knew that ‘-ㄹ께’ was future tense so when I heard ‘-ㄹ거야’ I got confused
2 Likes
so complicated:worried:
what’s the difference between 대한민국 and 한국? both are used to refer to South Korea, right?
2 Likes
Yes, the first is Republic of Korea and the second is Korea but both refer to South Korea. Don’t get confused with DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) which refers to 조선민주주의인민공화국 or North Korea (북한).
3 Likes
oh, okay thanks…but WOW that’s a LONGG name for North Korea!! 
2 Likes