TTMIK Level 2 Lesson 7 “to” someone, “from” someone / 한테, 한테서

TTMIK Level 2 Lesson 7

“to” someone, “from” someone / 한테, 한테서

Lesson Description

안녕하세요! ^_^ In this lesson, we will introduce how to say "to" someone and "from" someone. To say “to someone” or “from someone”, you can use the words 한테 and 한테서. Listen in and learn how to use these words in the right context.

Lesson Notes

In this lesson, let us learn how to say ‘to’ someone, and ‘from’ someone. Before you learn these
expressions, please remember that when it comes to particles that link words together, there
aren’t always direct (and correct) translations between English and Korean. So it is important to
understand the characteristics and roles of these particles and words, rather than just memorizing the similar counterparts in English.

To say “to someone” or “from someone”, you can use the words 한테 and 한테서. There are words that have the same characteristics, which are 에게 and 에게서, but since 에게 and 에게서 are mainly used in written language, let us focus on 한테 and 한테서 in this lesson.

한테 = “to” someone, “from” someone한테서 = “from” someone

Notice the difference?
Yes, just like you are thinking now, 한테 and 한테서 have mixed meanings and functions. And
especially 한테 can mean ‘to’ and ‘from’. So the meaning can only be completely understood
through looking at the context.

Although 한테 and 한테서 have the meaning of “to” or “from”, you can only use them about
people. You can not use these words about objects or places.

- “to a friend” = friend + 한테 ( ㅇ )
- “to Seoul” = Seoul + 한테 ( X )

Examples

저한테 = to me, from me
친 구한테 = to a friend, from a friend
누구한테 = to whom, from whom

저 한테서 = from me
친구한테서 = from a friend
누구한테서 = from whom

** When used with a verb that already expresses a passive voice, 한테 can mean “by” as well.
For example, 맞다 means “to be correct” but in another meaning, it can be “to be
beaten” or “to be hit”. So A에게 맞다 can be translated as “to be beaten by A”.

Sample sentences by our friends

경미: 남자친구한테 차였어요.
= I was dumped by my boyfriend.
남자친구 = boyfriend
차이다 = to be dumped

규환: 너한테서 풍기는 암내가 진국이에요.
= Your armpit smell is terrible.
풍기다 = give off a smell
암내 = armpit smell
진국이다 = to be very strong, to be very hardcore, to be superb

규환: 저한테 암내 나요?
= Do I have a strong armpit smell?
나다 = to give off a smell

란: 그건 전 남자친구한테서 받은 거예요.
= That one? I received it from my ex-boyfriend.
전 남자친구 = ex-boyfriend
받다 = to receive

란: 그 남자한테 얻을 건 별로 없을 거예요.
= You won’t be getting much out of him.
얻다 = to obtain, to acquire, to get
별로 = not so much, not much

석진: 너한테 할 말이 있어.
= I have something to say to you.