몸이 아파요Health, Needs, and Reasons
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Describe basic symptoms and parts of the body using everyday polite Korean.
- Give a reason for a situation or request using -아/어서.
- Express obligation or necessity using 해야 해요.
- Tell someone not to do something using -지 마세요.
- Write and understand short health-related messages, such as a note to a teacher or a message to a friend.
- Combine reason, obligation, and prohibition language with ability and request patterns from Chapter 13.
- Maintain accurate Hangeul, spacing, particles, and everyday polite speech level while working with health, needs, and reasons.
Communication Scenario
라일라 woke up this morning with a headache and a sore throat. She needs to tell her Korean class instructor that she cannot come to class today, explain why, and say what she needs to do instead — rest and see a doctor. She also wants to ask her classmate 수진 not to worry and not to visit her apartment, since she does not want 수진 to catch her cold. To do this, 라일라 needs a way to give a reason, state an obligation, and tell someone not to do something — language that Chapter 13's ability and request patterns do not yet provide on their own.
- This chapter introduces reason with -아/어서, obligation with 해야 해요, and prohibition with -지 마세요, along with vocabulary for symptoms, body parts, and health needs.
- Every task below builds on identity, family, dates, food, routines, location, shopping, plans, directions, and ability/request language already active from Chapters 1–13.
- By the end of this chapter you will be able to explain why you cannot do something, say what you need to do, and tell someone what not to do, all in everyday polite Korean.
Core Vocabulary
These items support this chapter's communicative focus: describing symptoms, giving reasons, and stating needs. Vocabulary from earlier chapters remains active and continues to appear in this chapter's tasks.
몸 — Body
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 몸 | body |
| 머리 | head |
| 배 | stomach |
| 목 | throat / neck |
| 팔 | arm |
| 다리 | leg |
증상 — Symptoms
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 아프다 | to hurt / to be sick |
| 감기 | a cold (illness) |
| 열이 나다 | to have a fever |
| 기침하다 | to cough |
| 피곤하다 | to be tired |
병원과 건강 관리 — Clinic and health care
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 병원 | hospital / clinic |
| 의사 | doctor |
| 약 | medicine |
| 약국 | pharmacy |
| 쉬다 | to rest |
이유와 필요 — Reason and need
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 걱정하다 | to worry |
| 쉬어야 하다 | to need to rest (base form) |
| 일찍 | early |
| 푹 | deeply, thoroughly (as in resting well) |
Productive load: approximately 30 items, counting this chapter's vocabulary together with reason, obligation, and prohibition patterns practiced below.
Pronunciation Focus
This chapter's main pronunciation target is the batchim linking that occurs when 아파요 and 아파서 follow the stem 아프-, and the pronunciation of the doubled consonant in 아파요's related forms as they combine with endings introduced in this chapter.
When a consonant-final stem is followed by -아/어서, the batchim links forward, so 아파서 and 피곤해서 are pronounced as smooth, connected syllables rather than as separated words. This is the same liaison pattern practiced since Chapter 8, now applied to this chapter's reason clauses. The phrase 해야 해요 is also pronounced as a single connected phrase, with the two 해 syllables kept distinct but linked smoothly in natural speech.
Read the following aloud, listening for the linked sound between each syllable.
머리가 아파서 · 피곤해서 · 쉬어야 해요 · 가지 마세요
받침 점검: continue distinguishing 아/어서 reason clauses from the -아요/어요 polite ending introduced in Chapter 6, as covered in this chapter's grammar section.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns
문법 1 — Giving a reason: -아/어서
Communicative purpose: explain why something is happening or why you are making a request.
-아/어서 attaches to a predicate stem to connect a reason to a result. Choose 아서 or 어서 the same way you would choose between -아요 and -어요, following the vowel pattern first practiced in Chapter 6. Unlike the everyday polite ending, -아/어서 connects two clauses and does not itself carry a separate speech-level ending; the final verb of the sentence carries the speech level.
| Dictionary form | Vowel pattern | -아/어서 form |
|---|---|---|
| 아프다 | ㅡ stem | 아파서 |
| 피곤하다 | 하다 verb | 피곤해서 |
| 가다 | ㅏ stem | 가서 |
- 머리가 아파서 오늘 학교에 못 가요. My head hurts, so I can't go to school today. 아프다 → 아파서
- 피곤해서 일찍 자야 해요. I'm tired, so I need to go to bed early. 피곤하다 → 피곤해서
Chapter 11 introduced 그래서 to connect two separate sentences with "so." -아/어서 instead attaches directly to a predicate stem to join a reason and a result within one sentence, as in 머리가 아파서 못 가요. The meaning is similar, but -아/어서 creates a single connected sentence rather than two separate ones.
문법 2 — Obligation: 해야 해요
Communicative purpose: say that something is necessary or that you must do it.
Obligation is expressed with -아/어야 하다, most often heard as 해야 해요 for 하다 verbs. The pattern attaches to a predicate stem using the same vowel choice as -아/어서, followed by 야 해요.
| Dictionary form | Vowel pattern | -아/어야 해요 form |
|---|---|---|
| 쉬다 | ㅣ stem | 쉬어야 해요 |
| 가다 | ㅏ stem | 가야 해요 |
| 먹다 | consonant-final | 먹어야 해요 |
- 오늘은 집에서 쉬어야 해요. I need to rest at home today.
- 약을 먹어야 해요. I need to take medicine.
문법 3 — Prohibition: -지 마세요
Communicative purpose: politely tell someone not to do something.
-지 마세요 attaches to a predicate stem to tell someone not to do an action. It builds on the polite instruction ending -(으)세요 from Chapter 12, but reverses the meaning to a negative instruction. The stem does not change according to vowel pattern; only -지 is added before 마세요.
| Dictionary form | -지 마세요 form |
|---|---|
| 가다 | 가지 마세요 |
| 걱정하다 | 걱정하지 마세요 |
| 오다 | 오지 마세요 |
- 걱정하지 마세요. Please don't worry.
- 오늘 제 방에 오지 마세요. 감기가 있어요. Please don't come to my room today. I have a cold.
Chapter 6 introduced 안 for simple negation, and Chapter 13 introduced 못 for inability. -지 마세요 is different from both: it is a polite instruction telling someone else not to do something, not a statement about the speaker's own action. Compare 안 가요 ("I'm not going"), 못 가요 ("I can't go"), and 가지 마세요 ("Please don't go").
Practice — Building reason, obligation, and prohibition sentences
- Change 아프다 and 피곤하다 into their -아/어서 forms.
- Write one sentence using 해야 해요 to say what you need to do when you are sick.
- Change 가다 and 걱정하다 into their -지 마세요 forms.
- Combine a reason and an obligation into one longer sentence, following the Language Building Block above.
Model Dialogue
Setting: 라일라 calls 수진 to explain that she is sick and cannot meet today.
내용 이해 — Comprehension questions:
- Why didn't 라일라 go to school today?
- What does 라일라 say she needs to do?
- Why does 라일라 ask 수진 not to come over?
- Find one sentence using -아/어서 and one sentence using -지 마세요 in the dialogue.
Listening
Ask your instructor, a language partner, or a text-to-speech tool to read the following passage aloud. Listen twice without reading, then complete the tasks below.
민준의 하루
저는 민준이에요. 어제 밤에 열이 나서 잠을 잘 못 잤어요. 그래서 오늘 아침에 배도 아프고 머리도 아파요. 오늘은 회사에 못 가요. 그래서 회사에 전화해야 해요. 이따가 병원에 가서 의사를 만나야 해요. 오늘은 밖에 나가지 마세요. 저는 집에서 푹 쉴 거예요.
듣기 과제 — Listening task: Listen and answer in English.
| 질문 | 답 |
|---|---|
| Why couldn't 민준 sleep well last night? | ______ |
| What does 민준 need to do today? | ______ |
| What does 민준 say people should not do today? | ______ |
받아쓰기 — Dictation: Your partner or instructor reads two sentences from the passage above, once each at natural speed. Write what you hear in Hangeul, then check your spacing and particle accuracy.
- (a sentence with -아/어서)
- (a sentence with 해야 해요)
Reading
Below is a short message that 지훈 wrote to his Korean class instructor to explain his absence. Read it and answer the questions below.
지훈의 메시지
선생님, 안녕하세요. 죄송해요. 오늘 배가 많이 아파서 학교에 못 가요. 병원에 가야 해요. 숙제는 내일까지 보낼게요. 걱정하지 마세요, 심하지 않아요. 내일 학교에서 뵐게요.
This message recycles apology language from Chapter 1 and request/obligation patterns from this chapter and Chapter 13.
내용 이해 — Comprehension questions:
- Why can't 지훈 come to school today?
- What does he say he needs to do?
- When will he send his homework?
- Identify one sentence in the message that uses -아/어서.
Writing Workshop
This chapter's writing task is a short absence message, 결석 메시지 ("Absence Message"), combining a reason sentence with -아/어서, an obligation sentence with 해야 해요, and at least one prohibition or reassurance with -지 마세요.
- Greet your reader. Use a greeting or address term from earlier chapters, such as 선생님 or a friend's name.
- Explain your symptom and reason. Use -아/어서 to connect a symptom to why you cannot come.
- State what you need to do. Use 해야 해요.
- Add a reassurance or prohibition. Use -지 마세요 to tell your reader not to worry or not to visit.
- Close politely. Use a closing expression appropriate to everyday polite speech.
- Revise. Check your draft against the editing checklist below.
체크리스트 — Editing checklist:
- Every sentence uses only Hangeul and only systems activated through Chapter 14.
- Speech level is consistent everyday polite -아요/어요, -아/어서, 해야 해요, and -지 마세요 throughout.
- -아/어서 is chosen correctly based on the vowel pattern of the stem.
- 해야 해요 correctly follows the -아/어야 pattern for the verb used.
- -지 마세요 is attached directly to the stem without a vowel change.
- Spacing between nouns, particles, and predicates follows the patterns modeled in Chapters 1–13.
Speaking Practice
통제 연습 — Controlled practice: 왜 아파요?
Working with a partner or alone, take turns asking and answering 왜 학교에 못 왔어요? using a symptom and -아/어서 for at least three different reasons.
의사소통 과제 — Communicative task: 부탁과 걱정
Work with a partner. One person explains that they are sick, states what they need to do, and asks the other person not to worry or not to visit. The other person responds with concern and a wish for recovery.
혼자 하는 연습 — Solo alternative
Record yourself describing a time you were sick: what hurt, why you could not do something, what you needed to do, and one thing you asked someone not to do, in five to six connected sentences.
Culture and Communication
In many South Korean schools and workplaces, it is common and expected to notify an instructor or supervisor directly, briefly and politely, when illness prevents attendance, often by message rather than only by phone call; a short message explaining the reason and expressing an intention to make up missed work, such as 지훈's message above, is a typical and courteous approach.
The expression 빨리 나으세요 ("Get well soon") is a common and warm response to hearing that someone is sick, and it is common courtesy in many everyday South Korean conversations to reassure a sick friend that they should rest and not to worry about obligations while they recover.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Error: 아프다 → 아프서
Correction: 아파서 — the ㅡ in 아프다 drops and combines with 아, following the same contraction pattern practiced with -아요/어요 since Chapter 6.
Error: 머리가 아파서. (stopping the sentence there)
Correction: 머리가 아파서 학교에 못 가요. — -아/어서 connects a reason to a result clause; the sentence should continue to a final predicate that carries the speech level.
Error: 저는 오늘 안 가요. (when the intended meaning is telling someone else not to come)
Correction: 오지 마세요. — -지 마세요 is a polite instruction directed at the listener, while 안 marks the speaker's own negation.
Error: 쉬어 해요.
Correction: 쉬어야 해요. — the obligation pattern requires 야 between the -아/어 form of the stem and 해요.
Chapter Review
Section A — 어휘 (Vocabulary)
1. List three symptoms using the health vocabulary from this chapter.
2. Give the Korean words for "hospital," "medicine," and "pharmacy."
Section B — 문법 (Grammar)
1. Change 아프다 and 피곤하다 into their -아/어서 forms.
2. Write one sentence using 해야 해요 and one sentence using -지 마세요.
3. Correct the errors:
- 아프다 → 아프서.
- 쉬어 해요.
Section C — 독해 이해 (Reading Comprehension)
1. According to 지훈's message, why can't he come to school, and what does he plan to do?
2. When will he send his homework?
Section D — 쓰기 (Writing)
1. Write a five-to-six sentence absence message following the Writing Workshop steps and checklist.
Section E — 말하기 (Speaking)
1. With a partner, explain a health problem, state what you need to do, and make one reassurance or prohibition, without notes.
누적 복습 — Cumulative review
This chapter recycles identity, family, dates, food, routines, location, shopping, plans, directions, and ability/request language from Chapters 1 through 13, and adds reason with -아/어서, obligation with 해야 해요, and prohibition with -지 마세요. If any earlier item felt uncertain while completing this chapter, return to its source chapter before continuing to Chapter 15.
Practical Performance Task
수행 과제
결석 메시지 — Explaining an Absence
You will complete a short exchange about health, needs, and reasons, in speech and in writing, using only the systems activated through Chapter 14.
- Written: Write your absence message from the Writing Workshop, including at least one reason sentence, one obligation sentence, and one prohibition or reassurance.
- Spoken: Tell a partner why you cannot do something today, what you need to do instead, and one thing they should not do, with a partner or recorded alone.
- Reflection: Write one English sentence identifying which part of this chapter — the -아/어서 vowel pattern, the 해야 해요 obligation pattern, or the difference between -지 마세요 and 안/못 — still feels least automatic, and one specific thing you will review before Chapter 15.
| Criterion | What is evaluated |
|---|---|
| Reason accuracy | Correct -아/어서 formation and appropriate connection to a result clause |
| Obligation accuracy | Correct -아/어야 해요 formation for the verb used |
| Prohibition accuracy | Correct and appropriate use of -지 마세요 versus 안 and 못 |
| Vocabulary accuracy | Appropriate use of symptom, body-part, and health vocabulary |
| Cohesion | Ideas presented in a clear, logical order with consistent speech level |
| Hangeul and spacing accuracy | Accurate spelling and level-appropriate spacing throughout |
| Scope discipline | No structures used beyond Chapters 1–14 |
Answer Key
Grammar Practice
1. 아파서, 피곤해서
2. Sample: 오늘은 집에서 쉬어야 해요.
3. 가지 마세요, 걱정하지 마세요
4. Sample: 머리가 아파서 오늘 쉬어야 해요.
Model Dialogue — Comprehension
- 라일라 didn't go to school because her head and throat hurt.
- She says she needs to go to the hospital later and rest at home now.
- She doesn't want 수진 to catch her cold.
- -아/어서 — 머리가 아프고 목도 아파서 오늘 못 갔어요.; -지 마세요 — 오지 마세요.
Listening comprehension
- 민준 couldn't sleep well because he had a fever.
- He needs to call his company and go to the hospital to see a doctor.
- He says people should not go outside today.
Reading comprehension
- 지훈 can't come to school because his stomach hurts a lot; he plans to go to the hospital.
- He will send his homework by tomorrow.
- -아/어서 sentence: 오늘 배가 많이 아파서 학교에 못 가요.
Chapter Review — Section B
- 아파서, 피곤해서
- Sample: 약을 먹어야 해요. / 걱정하지 마세요.
- (a) → 아파서. (b) → 쉬어야 해요.
Section D — Sample absence message
선생님, 안녕하세요. 오늘 목이 아프고 열이 나서 학교에 못 가요. 병원에 가야 해요. 오늘은 집에서 푹 쉬어야 해요. 걱정하지 마세요, 심하지 않아요. 내일 학교에서 뵐게요.
Check that: at least one sentence uses -아/어서; at least one sentence uses 해야 해요; at least one sentence uses -지 마세요; speech level is consistent everyday polite throughout; particles and spacing are accurate.
Looking Ahead
지금 할 수 있는 것 — What you can do now
You can describe symptoms and needs, give a reason for a request, state an obligation, and politely tell someone not to do something. This completes Unit III, where you have moved through plans, directions, ability, and problem-solving.