Hello, everyone!
Today we will show you some ways in which we learn Korean as advanced language learners (with Topik levels 4 and 5). Maybe you are also at that point in your language journey where you are an advanced or an almost advanced learner. You finished multiple textbooks, know almost all the grammar there is out there and don’t know where to go from here. Don’t worry! We will show you multiple fun ways to learn Korean at this level.

1.Debates / Conversations

I, Seolhwa, started using my Preply online lessons for speaking practice lately. Not just any speaking practice, but having real debates with my Korean teacher. She would provide a debate theme on an advanced topic such as 인공지능 (AI) 조기 영어교육 (early English education), 사형제도(the death penalty), 안락사 (euthanasia) and so on, then each of us would come with our opinion on the topic and arguments for our choice. Then, we would read about the chosen theme from the book 한국 토론 70 which provides for each topic an explanaition of the topic, as well as pro and con arguments. This method is really good because I can practice talking about advanced topics while I learn advanced vocabulary that it is not used in daily conversation.

2. Reading native literature

Reading… we can’t emphasize enough how easy you can acquire vocabulary while reading books or other materials intended for native speakers. It might not be easy reading in Korean at the beginning, but take it easy. Have a small goal like 1-2 pages every day and increase it gradually.
Alternating between intensive and extensive reading is important too. Intensive reading is when you stop to search every new word in a dictionary while extensive reading is just reading for entertainment with no new word searching. Switch between the two in order to not lose motivation.

3.Reading articles

If you need to take an advanced language exam such as Topik II or plan to study in Korea, reading and listening to news articles might be exactly what takes your vocabulary to the next level. Look on Naver for news on any topic you might be interested in (IT, ecology, the galaxy, it could be anything). Read / listen to the article, then find the words you don’t know. Write them down in a notebook and ask chatGPT to give you example sentences for each word. Additionally, you can ask chatGPT to ask you questions about the text you just read / heard in order to test your comprehension and even write a summary of the text and have chatGPT correct it.

4.Learn with Youtube Videos

If you want to learn Korean in an advanced way using YouTube, you can watch videos on various topics such as the importance of sleep, autism, emotional management, and more. This method has been helping me, Teri, improve my listening and speaking skills while expanding vocabulary at the same time. You can do this on your own, with a teacher/tutor or friend!

Step-by-step guide:
1. Choose Educational Videos in Korean
Select videos that discuss different subjects like psychology, health, or science. These topics will expose you to more specialized vocabulary and natural speech patterns.
2. Write Down New Words and Their Meanings
While watching, take notes on words you don’t know. Look up their meanings and write example sentences to understand their usage.
• Example:
• 수면 (睡眠) – Sleep
• 나는 수면의 중요성에 대한 영상을 봤어요. (I watched a video about the importance of sleep.)
• 자폐증 (自閉症) – Autism
• 자폐증을 이해하는 것은 매우 중요해요. (Understanding autism is very important.)
3. Repeat Key Sentences from the Video
Pause the video and repeat sentences out loud. Try to match the speaker’s pronunciation and intonation. This will improve both your speaking and listening skills.
4. Listen and Write Down Dialogues
For extra practice, transcribe short sections of the video. This will help you recognize sentence structures and new expressions.
5. Review and Practice Regularly
Go back to your notes, revise new words, and use them in conversations. Watching videos on different topics will expose you to a wide range of vocabulary and expressions.

Conclusion

We hope at least one of the study techniques will help you on your way to fluency. Keep studying and you will be fluent in no time! 화이팅