What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 한국어 실력을 늘리고 싶어요 literally translates to 'I want to increase (늘리고) Korean (한국어) skill (실력을).'
Which one should you use?
While the default form 한국어 실력을 늘리고 싶어요 is polite, you can use 한국어를 더욱 능숙하게 하고 싶습니다, 한국어 실력을 향상시키고 싶어요, or 저는 한국어 실력을 향상시키고자 합니다. to express this more formally. For informal settings, you can use 나는 한국어를 더 잘 하고 싶어, 한국어 실력을 업그레이드하고 싶어, or 내 한국어 실력을 키우고 싶어.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The default form 한국어 실력을 늘리고 싶어요 uses the polite ending '-어요', making it suitable for speaking to teachers, strangers or in formal settings. In informal settings, such as speaking to close friends or people younger than you, use 나는 한국어를 더 잘 하고 싶어, 한국어 실력을 업그레이드하고 싶어, or 내 한국어 실력을 키우고 싶어.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the sentence highly formal, you can replace the polite '-어요' ending with '-습니다', resulting in 한국어 실력을 늘리고 싶습니다.
How do you pronounce it?
hangugeo sillyeogeul neulligo sipeoyo
Did you know?
- While English speakers 'improve' or 'raise' their skills, the verb 늘리다 in this phrase literally means to 'increase' or 'extend' something like length or volume.
- In the informal version 한국어 실력을 키우고 싶어, the verb 키우다 is used, which is the same verb used for 'raising' a child or 'growing' a plant.
- While 업그레이드하고 싶어 means 'want to upgrade', the word 업그레이드 is a direct phonetic loan from the English word 'upgrade' written in the Korean alphabet.
Examples in context
- 혼자서 한국어 실력을 늘리고 싶어요.Honjaseo hangugeo sillyeogeul neulligo sipeoyo.I want to improve my Korean skills by myself.
- 더 빨리 한국어 실력을 늘리고 싶어요.Deo ppalli hangugeo sillyeogeul neulligo sipeoyo.I want to improve my Korean skills more quickly.
Example conversation
Seoyeon and Minjun are talking about language learning.
- 서연 Seo-yeon민준 씨, 저는 한국어 실력을 늘리고 싶어요.Minjun ssi, jeoneun hangugeo sillyeogeul neulligo sipeoyo.Minjun, I want to improve my Korean.
- 민준 Min-jun그럼 저랑 같이 연습해요.geureom jeorang gachi yeonseup-haeyo.Then let's practice together.
- 서연 Seo-yeon정말요? 도와주셔서 감사해요.jeongmallyo? dowajusyeoseo gamsahaeyo.Really? Thank you for helping me.
- 민준 Min-jun천만에요. 내일부터 시작해요.cheonmaneyo. naeilbuteo sijakhaeyo.You're welcome. Let's start from tomorrow.
