Korean for Beginners: Describe Your Typical Day with Time Expressions
Learn to say what you do every day in Korean using the present tense and time markers like 7시에 (at 7 o'clock). Build simple daily routine sentences and tell regular activities apart from weekend plans.
By PookieFriends & plans · Yapr Learn
In this lesson you will learn how to describe your typical day in Korean, from waking up to going to work. Korean uses the present tense for habitual actions, and time expressions like 아침 7시에 (at 7 a.m.) come before the verb. You will practice the polite -아요/어요 endings and the particle 에 for time. By the end, you can say 'I wake up at 7, then go to work' and similar routine sentences. This lesson focuses on regular activities, not weekend plans, so you can talk about what you usually do every day.
By the end, you can…
- say what time I wake up, eat, and go to work in Korean.
- use time expressions like 7시에 and 아침에 correctly.
- use the present tense -아요/어요 to describe daily habits.
- connect two actions with 그리고 or -고.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
저는 아침 7시에 일어나요.
I wake up at 7 in the morning.
jeo-neun a-chim il-gop-si-e i-reo-na-yo
Use 저는 for polite 'I'. 아침 7시에 means 'at 7 a.m.'; 일어나요 is the polite present tense of 'wake up'.
그다음에 회사에 가요.
Then I go to work.
geu-da-eum-e hoe-sa-e ga-yo
그다음에 means 'after that, then'. 회사에 가요 means 'go to work/company'. Use this to link your next action.
저는 보통 8시에 아침을 먹어요.
I usually eat breakfast at 8.
jeo-neun bo-tong yeo-deol-si-e a-chim-eul meo-geo-yo
보통 means 'usually'. 아침을 먹어요 literally 'eat breakfast'. The object particle 을 marks 아침.
오후 6시에 집에 와요.
I come home at 6 p.m.
o-hu yeo-seot-si-e ji-be wa-yo
오후 means 'p.m./afternoon'. 집에 와요 means 'come home'. Use this for your evening routine.
저는 매일 한국어를 공부해요.
I study Korean every day.
jeo-neun mae-il han-guk-eo-reul gong-bu-hae-yo
매일 means 'every day'. 공부해요 is the polite present tense of 'study'. Use this to talk about daily habits.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
To describe a typical day, put the time expression before the verb: [time] + [subject] + [verb]. For example, 저는 7시에 일어나요 (I wake up at 7). The particle 에 attaches to time words like 7시 (7 o'clock), 아침 (morning), and 오후 (afternoon). To connect two actions, use -고 on the first verb stem: 일어나고 (wake up and) or 그리고 (and then). Example: 저는 7시에 일어나고 회사에 가요 (I wake up at 7 and go to work).
When to use it
Use the present tense -아요/어요 for actions you do regularly, such as every day or usually. For example, 매일 아침을 먹어요 (I eat breakfast every day). If you want to talk about a specific future plan or weekend plan, you would use a different form like -(으)ㄹ 거예요. This lesson stays on regular routines, so use -아요/어요 with time words like 보통 (usually), 매일 (every day), and 아침에 (in the morning).
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
민수 씨는 아침에 몇 시에 일어나요?
Minsu, what time do you wake up in the morning?min-su ssi-neun a-chim-e myeot si-e i-reo-na-yo?저는 보통 7시에 일어나요. 그리고 8시에 아침을 먹어요.
I usually wake up at 7. And I eat breakfast at 8.jeo-neun bo-tong il-gop-si-e i-reo-na-yo. geu-ri-go yeo-deol-si-e a-chim-eul meo-geo-yo.그럼 회사에는 언제 가요?
Then when do you go to work?geu-reom hoe-sa-e-neun eon-je ga-yo?9시에 회사에 가요. 오후 6시에 집에 와요.
I go to work at 9. I come home at 6 p.m.a-hop-si-e hoe-sa-e ga-yo. o-hu yeo-seot-si-e ji-be wa-yo.A little context goes a long way
In Korean, polite speech (존댓말) is standard when talking to acquaintances, coworkers, or elders. Using -아요/어요 is safe and friendly for beginners. When talking about your own routine, 저는 (jeo-neun) is humble and polite; 나는 (na-neun) is casual and used with close friends or children. Time expressions like 아침, 오후 are common, but 7시에 is more specific. Koreans often use the 12-hour clock with 오전/오후, so 7시에 can mean 7 a.m. or 7 p.m. depending on context.
One thing to watch for
저는 7시에 일어나요 그리고 회사에 가요.
Try this instead: In Korean, it is more natural to connect actions with -고 or use 그리고 at the start of a new sentence, not in the middle without a pause. Say: 저는 7시에 일어나고 회사에 가요 (I wake up at 7 and go to work) or 저는 7시에 일어나요. 그리고 회사에 가요 (I wake up at 7. And I go to work).
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'I wake up at 7' in polite Korean?
Show a sample answer
저는 7시에 일어나요.
This uses 저는 (I), 7시에 (at 7), and 일어나요 (wake up). The time particle 에 is required. You could also say 나는 7시에 일어나요 in casual speech, but 저는 is safer for beginners.
2Translate: 'I usually eat breakfast at 8.'
Show a sample answer
저는 보통 8시에 아침을 먹어요.
보통 means 'usually', 8시에 means 'at 8', and 아침을 먹어요 means 'eat breakfast'. You can also say 아침을 먹어요 or 아침 식사를 해요, but 아침을 먹어요 is most common.
3Make a sentence: 'I go to work at 9 and come home at 6.'
Show a sample answer
저는 9시에 회사에 가고 6시에 집에 와요.
This uses -고 to connect 가다 (go) and 오다 (come). You could also split it: 저는 9시에 회사에 가요. 그리고 6시에 집에 와요. Both are correct; -고 is more fluent.
Use time expressions like 7시에 before the verb, and the polite present tense -아요/어요 for daily habits. Connect actions with -고 or 그리고. This lets you describe your typical day clearly in Korean.
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