Learning Korean

[ChocoBun]

Hi everyone that is maybe learning Korean! I have a question that has been in the back o my head ever since I started-which form am I learning? I know that there are informal and formal forms of speech, so as someone learning Korean, this is very important and key information. Thanks!

[Hydroptere (Overlord Hydroptère)]

lol! how should one know which form are you learning, if you do not say which courses are you taking?

[zschuah]

Hello, there are 3 politeness levels in Korean, as far as I know.

Very formal: Sentences that end with '습니다’
Standard formal: Sentences that end with '이에요, 예요, 요’
Informal: Sentences that do not have the endings listed above.

Usually at the beginner stage, you will be taught the standard formal and informal forms, with a dash of very formal phrases (such as 감사합니다, 죄송합니다, 만나서 반갑습니다, 잘 먹겠습니다, 잘 먹었습니다 etc.)

For example,
Have you eaten yet? I am hungry! Where do you want to eat?

Standard formal
아직 먹었어요? 저 배고파요! 어디에서 먹을래요?
Informal
아직 먹었어? 나 배고파! 어디에서 먹을래?

Hope this helped!

[AndreasWaerholm19 (Andreas Wærholm19)]

Also there is honorific style, which is only used when spoken about someone else, or to/about elders.
~세요.
I think there’s 5 different styles (if not more), but I only know the names for in Korean for 만말 (informal) and 존댓말 (honorific).

[AndreasWaerholm19 (Andreas Wærholm19)]

If you are referring to the official Memrise courses, they are mostly ~요 style. Standard polite style. Maybe some honorific too. But it is not a good course, as they have mixed in informal pronouns like 당신 and 나.
TTMIK is way more comprehensive.