Phrase in 30 Seconds
The standard way to say 'watching TV' in Korean, combining the loanword 'television' with the native verb 'to see'.
- Means: To watch programs on a television set.
- Used in: Daily conversations about hobbies, routines, and evening plans.
- Don't confuse: Avoid using '듣다' (to hear) even if you're just listening to the news.
आपके स्तर पर व्याख्या:
मतलब
To view programs on a television set.
सांस्कृतिक पृष्ठभूमि
The '9 PM News' (9시 뉴스) was historically a sacred time in Korean households where everyone gathered to watch. Younger Koreans often use the term '본방사수' (defending the original broadcast) on social media to show support for their favorite idols' shows. It is common for Korean families to have the TV on as 'background noise' during dinner, even if they aren't actively watching. The rise of 'OTT' services (Netflix, Disney+) is slowly changing the phrase to '넷플릭스 보다' (watching Netflix), but '텔레비전 보다' remains the umbrella term.
Drop the marker
In 90% of spoken conversations, just say '텔레비전 봐요' instead of '텔레비전을 봐요'.
Don't say 'Watch'
Don't try to find a word that specifically means 'watch' (like 'watchful'). '보다' is all you need.
Drop the marker
In 90% of spoken conversations, just say '텔레비전 봐요' instead of '텔레비전을 봐요'.
Don't say 'Watch'
Don't try to find a word that specifically means 'watch' (like 'watchful'). '보다' is all you need.
Use '티비'
If you want to sound like a local, use '티비' (Ti-bi) instead of the long '텔레비전'.
Drama Talk
If you don't know what to talk about with a Korean colleague, ask '어제 그 드라마 봤어요?' (Did you see that drama yesterday?).
खुद को परखो
Fill in the blank with the correct form of '보다' in the polite present tense.
저는 매일 저녁에 텔레비전을 _______.
'봐요' is the standard polite present tense form of '보다'.
Which sentence is the most natural for 'I watched TV yesterday'?
어제 뭐 했어요?
'어제' (yesterday) requires the past tense '봤어요'.
Complete the dialogue.
A: 지금 뭐 해요? B: _______.
The question asks 'What are you doing now?', so an action in the present tense is the best answer.
Match the sentence to the situation: '할머니께서 텔레비전을 보십니다.'
When would you say this?
The honorific form '보십니다' is used when speaking about someone older/respected in a formal setting.
🎉 स्कोर: /4
विज़ुअल लर्निंग टूल्स
TV Genres in Korea
Popular
- • 드라마 (Drama)
- • 예능 (Variety)
- • 뉴스 (News)
अभ्यास बैंक
5 अभ्यास저는 매일 저녁에 텔레비전을 _______.
'봐요' is the standard polite present tense form of '보다'.
어제 뭐 했어요?
'어제' (yesterday) requires the past tense '봤어요'.
A: 지금 뭐 해요? B: _______.
The question asks 'What are you doing now?', so an action in the present tense is the best answer.
When would you say this?
The honorific form '보십니다' is used when speaking about someone older/respected in a formal setting.
🎉 स्कोर: /5
अक्सर पूछे जाने वाले सवाल
12 सवालYes, '유튜브를 보다' is very common.
No, it's the standard word, but '티비' is more common in casual speech.
'보다' is everyday speech; '시청하다' is formal/technical.
Use '텔레비전을 보고 있어요'.
Yes, that is the most common way to say it.
Yes, '정주행하다' (Jeong-ju-haeng-ha-da).
Korean doesn't strictly distinguish between 'see' and 'watch' in daily life; '보다' covers both.
Yes, if you are watching it on TV. If you are at the stadium, use '경기(를) 보다'.
Say '밤새도록 텔레비전을 봤어요'.
No, it is a loanword from English.
The honorific form is '텔레비전을 보시다'.
Only if you are looking at the TV set itself, not the programs.
संबंधित मुहावरे
영화를 보다
similarTo watch a movie
유튜브를 보다
specialized formTo watch YouTube
시청하다
synonymTo view/watch (formal)
채널을 돌리다
builds onTo change the channel
본방사수하다
specialized formTo watch a live broadcast
कहाँ इस्तेमाल करें
Talking about hobbies
A: 취미가 뭐예요? (What is your hobby?)
B: 제 취미는 텔레비전을 보는 거예요. (My hobby is watching TV.)
Evening routine
A: 지금 뭐 해? (What are you doing now?)
B: 그냥 텔레비전 봐. (Just watching TV.)
Inviting a friend
A: 우리 집에서 텔레비전 볼래? (Want to watch TV at my house?)
B: 응, 좋아! (Yeah, sure!)
At a doctor's office
Doctor: 하루에 텔레비전을 얼마나 보십니까? (How much TV do you watch a day?)
Patient: 두 시간 정도 봅니다. (I watch about two hours.)
Ordering a TV
Customer: 텔레비전을 보기에 이 사이즈가 적당할까요? (Is this size suitable for watching TV?)
Clerk: 네, 거실용으로 아주 좋습니다. (Yes, it's great for a living room.)
Complaining about a roommate
A: 룸메이트가 밤늦게까지 텔레비전을 봐서 잠을 못 자겠어. (I can't sleep because my roommate watches TV until late at night.)
B: 정말 힘들겠다. (That must be really hard.)
याद करें
स्मृति सहायक
Think of 'Tele-vision' (텔레비전) and 'Bo-da' (보다). 'Bo' sounds like 'Bow'—you bow your head slightly to look at the screen.
दृश्य संबंध
Imagine a giant eye (보다) inside a TV screen (텔레비전) looking back at you.
Rhyme
TV를 봐 (bwa), 기분이 좋아 (jo-a)! (Watch TV, feel good!)
Story
A tired office worker comes home. He sees his 'Television'. He uses his eyes to 'Bo' (see) it. Now he is happy.
In Other Languages
Similar to English 'Watch TV' or Japanese 'テレビを見る'. Most languages use a 'Device + See/Watch' structure.
Word Web
चैलेंज
Try to say 'I watch TV' in Korean every time you turn on your television for the next 3 days.
Review this phrase on Day 1, Day 3, and Day 7 to move it to long-term memory.
उच्चारण
The 'ㄹ' is doubled, so it sounds like 'tel-le'.
Simple 'p' or 'b' sound followed by 'o'.
औपचारिकता का स्तर
텔레비전을 봅니다. (General statement)
텔레비전을 봐요. (General statement)
텔레비전 봐. (General statement)
티비 때려 (slangy/rough: 'hitting the TV') (General statement)
The word '텔레비전' is a transliteration of the English 'television'. It entered the Korean language in the mid-1950s. The verb '보다' is a native Korean word (pure Korean) that has been used since the earliest records of the language to mean 'to perceive with the eyes'.
रोचक तथ्य
The first TV broadcast in Korea was in black and white and lasted only a few hours a day. People used to gather at the local 'manhwabang' (comic book room) or village center just to watch it.
सांस्कृतिक नोट्स
The '9 PM News' (9시 뉴스) was historically a sacred time in Korean households where everyone gathered to watch.
“9시 뉴스를 보려고 집에 일찍 왔어요. (I came home early to watch the 9 PM news.)”
Younger Koreans often use the term '본방사수' (defending the original broadcast) on social media to show support for their favorite idols' shows.
“오늘 우리 오빠 드라마 본방사수! (Watching my 'oppa's' drama live today!)”
It is common for Korean families to have the TV on as 'background noise' during dinner, even if they aren't actively watching.
“그냥 텔레비전 켜 놔. (Just leave the TV on.)”
The rise of 'OTT' services (Netflix, Disney+) is slowly changing the phrase to '넷플릭스 보다' (watching Netflix), but '텔레비전 보다' remains the umbrella term.
“요즘은 텔레비전보다 넷플릭스를 더 많이 봐요. (I watch Netflix more than TV these days.)”
बातचीत की शुरुआत
어제 텔레비전에서 뭐 봤어요?
보통 하루에 텔레비전을 얼마나 봐요?
요즘 한국에서 인기 있는 텔레비전 프로그램이 뭐예요?
텔레비전을 보는 것이 아이들에게 좋다고 생각하세요?
सामान्य गलतियाँ
텔레비전을 들어요
텔레비전을 봐요
L1 Interference
텔레비전을 구경해요
텔레비전을 봐요
L1 Interference
텔레비전을 보아요
텔레비전을 봐요
L1 Interference
텔레비전을 읽어요
텔레비전을 봐요
L1 Interference
In Other Languages
Ver la tele
Spanish often uses the definite article 'la', while Korean uses the object marker '을'.
Regarder la télé
French requires the article 'la'.
Fernsehen
In German, it's a single verb, whereas in Korean it's an object-verb pair.
テレビを見る (Terebi o miru)
Almost no difference other than the specific sounds of the words.
يشاهد التلفاز (yushahid al-tilfaz)
Arabic word order and verb conjugation are significantly different.
看电视 (Kàn diànshì)
Chinese does not use object markers like Korean '을'.
Ver televisão
Often used without an article in Brazil, similar to dropping '을' in Korean.
Watch TV
Korean uses '보다' for both 'see' and 'watch'.
Spotted in the Real World
“가족들이 다 같이 거실에서 텔레비전을 봐요.”
Describing the typical Korean family life in the 1980s.
“TV를 껐네...”
A song about a couple's intimate moment.
“텔레비전 좀 봐.”
A character telling another to pay attention to the news.
आसानी से भ्रमित होने वाले
Learners think '구경하다' (to look around) applies to watching shows.
Use '보다' for content; use '구경하다' only if you are looking at the TV as a physical object in a store.
Learners focus on the audio aspect.
In Korean, if it has a screen, you 'see' (보다) it.
अक्सर पूछे जाने वाले सवाल (12)
Yes, '유튜브를 보다' is very common.
usage contextsNo, it's the standard word, but '티비' is more common in casual speech.
basic understanding'보다' is everyday speech; '시청하다' is formal/technical.
comparisonsUse '텔레비전을 보고 있어요'.
grammar mechanicsYes, that is the most common way to say it.
practical tipsYes, '정주행하다' (Jeong-ju-haeng-ha-da).
cultural usageKorean doesn't strictly distinguish between 'see' and 'watch' in daily life; '보다' covers both.
grammar mechanicsYes, if you are watching it on TV. If you are at the stadium, use '경기(를) 보다'.
usage contextsSay '밤새도록 텔레비전을 봤어요'.
practical tipsNo, it is a loanword from English.
basic understandingThe honorific form is '텔레비전을 보시다'.
grammar mechanicsOnly if you are looking at the TV set itself, not the programs.
common mistakes
