Never Give Up! Korean Phrases for Your Driver’s License Challenge
Hello! This is Maeil Hangeul, here to upgrade your Korean skills!
Have you ever tried something difficult over and over again until you finally succeeded? That feeling of accomplishment is the best, right? Today, we’re going to learn some awesome Korean phrases to talk about challenges, failure, and sweet, sweet success.
Lately in Korea, getting a driver’s license has become a huge topic on social media. Many young people share their entire journey—from the frustrating fails to the exciting final pass—in vlogs and posts. It’s a true rite of passage! So, let’s learn how to talk about it like a native.
Core Expressions You Need to Know
Here are three key expressions to share your own stories of triumph!
1. 떨어지다 (tteoreojida)
- Pronunciation [Romanized]: Tteo-reo-ji-da
- English Meaning: To fail (a test); to fall
- Detailed Explanation: The literal meaning of
떨어지다is “to fall.” Just like an apple falls from a tree, you can “fall” from the list of people who passed. It’s a very common and natural way to say you failed an exam or a test. It’s used in casual conversation among friends. The opposite word is붙다(butda), which means “to pass” (literally “to stick”).
2. ~번 만에 (~beon man-e)
- Pronunciation [Romanized]: ~beon man-e
- English Meaning: After ~ attempts
- Detailed Explanation: This is a super useful grammar pattern to express that you succeeded after a certain number of tries. You just attach it to a number word. For example,
세 번(se beon) means “three times,” so세 번 만에means “on the third try” or “after three attempts.” It perfectly captures the feeling of a long-awaited success.
3. 드디어 (deudieo)
- Pronunciation [Romanized]: Deu-di-eo
- English Meaning: Finally, at last
- Detailed Explanation:
드디어is the perfect word to use when something you’ve been waiting for or working hard on finally happens. It adds a sense of relief and excitement to your sentence. You usually place it at the beginning of the sentence or right before the verb. For example, “드디어 합격했어요!” (Deudieo hapgyeo-kaesseoyo!) means “I finally passed!”
Example Dialogue
Let’s see how these expressions are used in a real conversation between two friends, Minjun and Sora.
A (Minjun): 소라야, 운전면허 땄어? 요즘 운전하는 사진 자주 올리네!
(Sora, did you get your driver’s license? You’ve been posting a lot of driving pictures lately!)
B (Sora): 응! 나 진짜 힘들었잖아. 두 번이나 떨어지고, 세 번 만에 드디어 땄어!
(Yeah! It was so tough for me. I failed twice and finally got it on my third attempt!)
A (Minjun): 와, 정말? 고생 많았다! 축하해! 이제 가고 싶었던 그 카페 갈 수 있겠다.
(Wow, really? You went through a lot! Congratulations! Now you can drive to that cafe you wanted to go to.)
B (Sora): 맞아! 이번 주말에 바로 갈 거야!
(That’s right! I’m going this weekend!)
Culture Tip & Trend Deep Dive
In Korea, getting your driver’s license is a major milestone, especially for university students or people just starting their careers. It symbolizes freedom and adulthood.
This is why you’ll see so many “운전면허 합격 후기” (unjeon-myeonheo hapgyeok hugi – driver’s license passing review) videos on YouTube. Creators often share their struggles, saying things like “제가 필기시험을 두 번 떨어졌어요” (I failed the written test twice). By sharing their failures openly, their final success becomes much more relatable and inspiring to their audience. So, if you’re talking to a Korean friend, don’t be shy about sharing your struggles—it often makes for a better story and a stronger connection! Using a phrase like “세 번 만에 붙었어요” will make you sound just like a native sharing their experience.
Let’s Review and Practice!
Great job today! We learned how to talk about failing (떨어지다), succeeding after many tries (~번 만에), and the feeling of final victory (드디어).
Now it’s your turn to practice! Fill in the blanks with the correct expression from today’s lesson.
- I was so nervous for the test, but I _______ passed!
- (A) 먼저 (meonjeo – first)
- (B) 드디어 (deudieo – finally)
- My brother is smart. He passed the exam _______
- (A) 한 번 만에 (han beon man-e – on the first try)
- (B) 떨어졌어요 (tteoreojyeosseoyo – failed)
Leave your answers in the comments! And for a bonus challenge, try making your own sentence about something you finally achieved. We can’t wait to read your success stories
