Talk to Me in Korean Review: Lessons, Books and Podcast

This Talk To Me In Korean review covers a brand with free online lessons, paid books and audio material that works well for learners who like a conversational teaching style. It maps what the brand offers, checks it against six clear criteria and tells you who it suits, where it stops and how to build a plan around it.

Key facts

• Talk To Me In Korean is a Korean-teaching brand with free online lessons, paid books and audio material.
• Its conversational style suits learners who like to hear an explanation, and it covers many levels.
• It helps with TOPIK grammar and vocabulary but is not an exam course (exam facts: topik.go.kr).
• No scores or star ratings are given. Prices and content change, so check the official site.

Last updated: 2026-10-09.

Talk to Me in Korean Review: the Essentials

Quick verdict. Talk To Me In Korean is a strong source of explanations, especially for learners who enjoy a friendly, spoken teaching style. It is a library, not a course that manages your study, so you need a plan and some extra practice. Use the free lessons first and add a book only if you want a fixed path.

The name is also a useful phrase. If you want someone to speak to you in Korean, you can say it.

What Is It?

Talk To Me In Korean is a Korean-teaching brand run from Korea. It is known for lessons presented as friendly explanations, by teachers who speak both Korean and English. This page describes the kind of material available and tells you what to verify, because content and prices change.

The product map has four parts.

The online lessons are the part most learners meet first. They are arranged by level, so you can start at the beginning or pick up where you are. The books follow a similar teaching style but give you a fixed order, exercises and a printed or downloadable format. Check the official site for the current titles and structure.

How Did We Choose?

The review uses the same six criteria as every app and brand review on this site. There are no scores, no star ratings and no affiliate links, and the page makes no claim of hands-on testing of the current lessons or books. It states general strengths and limits, and tells you how to test them.

1. What it is. The category and structure of the offer.
2. Korean content depth. How far the levels go and how deep the explanations are.
3. Audio and speaking. Hearing Korean and saying it.
4. Grammar explanations. Whether it tells you why a form is used.
5. Price model. What is free and what is paid.
6. Fit by level. Which learners it suits.

What Does It Do Well?

Explanations in a spoken style. Many learners find grammar easier to understand when it is explained the way a teacher would say it. A conversational lesson takes a pattern, gives the reason for it and shows a few natural sentences. You can hear how the teacher says them, which helps with rhythm.

A wide level ladder. The lessons run from complete beginner upward, so you can stay with one source for a long time. A source that grows with you saves you from switching teaching styles.

Natural, useful phrases. The teaching often focuses on what people actually say. Here is an example of a request that is useful from day one.

Free access to a large library. For a learner on a budget, a big free library is a major advantage. You can start today and see if the style suits you.

Books for those who prefer paper. If you like to hold a book, write in margins and follow a fixed order, the paid books give you that. A book also works offline.

Audio you can use anywhere. Audio lessons turn commutes and walks into study time. Listening to explanations is not the same as listening to natural Korean, but it is a good use of spare time.

Where Does It Fall Short?

You plan your own review. A library does not tell you when to repeat. Without a plan, it is easy to listen to a lesson, enjoy it and forget it. Add a flashcard deck and a weekly review.

Exercises are limited in free lessons. The free lessons teach more than they test. You need a way to practise: workbook exercises, writing your own sentences or a drill tool.

Free and paid parts are not always obvious. Before you buy, check which lessons are free and what a book adds. A book can be a good choice, and it can also repeat free content in a different order.

Audio-heavy lessons need the text. If you cannot see the words, you may not remember spelling. Use the written notes or a book alongside.

It is not an exam course. TOPIK has a specific format, described on topik.go.kr. The lessons help with grammar and vocabulary, but you will need practice in exam format.

Style is a matter of taste. Some learners love a chatty teacher. Others want a quicker, more formal reference. Listen to two lessons before you decide.

What a Conversational Explanation Should Cover

To judge any lesson in this style, compare it with a checklist. Take the request pattern -아/어 주세요, "please do (it) for me", the pattern behind the sentences above. A strong lesson says what the pattern means, shows how it is built, gives several verbs and notes where politeness matters.

The rule is: take the polite-style form of the verb, which ends in -아/어, and add 주세요. The ㅡ in 쓰다 drops, 가르치다 and 보이다 contract to 가르쳐 and 보여, and 하다 becomes 해. A spoken lesson can also point out the feeling: 주세요 is polite and soft, which is why it is useful for beginners. If the lesson covers the form, four examples and the politeness note, it is doing its job. If it only plays a dialogue and moves on, you will need written notes to fix the form.

How to Listen to an Explanation Lesson

Audio explanations ask for a different kind of listening from a podcast of native speech. Try three passes.

1. First pass: listen without notes. Follow the idea. Do not stop to write.
2. Second pass: listen with the written notes. Pause after each example, say it aloud and fix the spelling.
3. Third pass, the next day: listen again and try to say the rule before the teacher does.

After the third pass, write two sentences that use the pattern. The point of the delay is to move the pattern from "I understood it" to "I can say it". If you only do the first pass, you will remember that you liked the lesson, not what it taught.

Building Review around Free Lessons

A library of lessons needs a review system. This simple notebook layout works for any lesson source.

Review each lesson's line after two days, four days and eight days. It takes about two minutes per lesson and prevents the common problem of enjoying lessons and forgetting them. If you collect new words, put them in a flashcard deck and let a spaced-repetition schedule handle the repeats.

Should You Buy a Book?

Free lessons can take you a long way. A book makes sense in certain situations. Ask yourself these questions.

• Do I want a fixed order? A book gives it. A library lets you wander.
• Do I learn better on paper? Many people remember more when they write in margins.
• Do I need exercises with an answer key? Workbooks provide practice that free lessons may lack.
• Do I want to study offline? A book works without a connection.
• Is the material new to me? Compare the table of contents with what you already know. A book that repeats free lessons is less useful.

If you answer yes to two or three, a book is probably worth buying. If you answer no to all of them, keep using the free lessons. Whatever you buy, read a sample and check the level against your own. The Korean books section explains what to look for in a textbook.

Turning Lessons into Speaking

A teacher who speaks conversationally gives you a head start in speaking, but only if you use it. Use these steps after each lesson.

1. Repeat the dialogue lines aloud, copying the teacher's rhythm. Aim for five lines.
2. Change one word in each line. If the lesson used 말해 주세요, try 가르쳐 주세요 or 써 주세요.
3. Build a mini-conversation of three lines with yourself playing both parts. Say it twice.
4. Use one phrase in real life that day: with a partner, a tutor or even a pet.

The phrases in the request pattern are good practice because they are polite and useful when you travel or study. A beginner who can say 천천히 말해 주세요 and 다시 말해 주세요 ("Please say it again") can keep a conversation going when the other person speaks too fast. Add the polite thanks, 감사합니다, and you can handle many first conversations.

Comparing with a Classroom or Tutor

A library of lessons is not the same as a class. Know what you are choosing.

The sensible approach is to use the library for most of your study and to add a tutor or exchange partner for feedback once a week or once a fortnight. Even four or five sessions in a month can correct habits that a library cannot see.

A Three-Lesson Test

Instead of trusting a review, test the brand with three lessons. This takes about an hour.

1. A beginner lesson on a basic pattern. Listen once. Could you explain the pattern afterwards in a sentence?
2. A lesson at the level you are working on. Is the explanation clear without extra reading?
3. A lesson two levels above your own. Does it feel like a natural next step or a jump?

After each lesson, write three sentences using the pattern, and compare them with the examples. Then answer: Do I enjoy this teacher's style? Would I come back tomorrow? If both answers are yes, you have found a good main source.

Comparison with Alternatives

For websites that serve a similar purpose, see the guide to the best Korean learning websites. For other books, see the Korean books section, and for audio shows see Korean podcasts.

Where It Fits by Level

The pattern is typical for any single source: strongest in the early levels, supplemented from A2. Choose your next resource before you need it.

Who It Suits

The Audio Learner

You learn best by listening, and you like explanations that sound like a conversation. This brand is a good fit. Use the audio on commutes, then spend ten minutes with the written notes to fix spelling. Shadow the phrases aloud.

The Textbook Learner

You want a book, a fixed order and exercises. Look at the paid books for your level. Preview the contents and compare them with the grammar lessons here to see what is new. Pair the book with a flashcard deck.

The Learner with a Budget of Zero

Use the free lessons in order, a free dictionary and the free lessons on this site. Spend nothing until you can name something a paid product gives you that you cannot find free.

The TOPIK Candidate

Use the lessons for grammar and vocabulary, then add exam-style practice. Read the TOPIK section for a plan, and check topik.go.kr for dates and rules.

A Weekly Plan around the Brand

This plan assumes 35 minutes a day, six days a week, which is 3 hours 30 minutes a week.

• Three days (35 min): one lesson with notes, then 10 minutes of flashcards from the lesson's words.
• Two days (35 min): repeat an earlier lesson with the text hidden, then write five sentences.
• One day (35 min): speak. Shadow the lesson's phrases for 15 minutes, then practise with a partner or record yourself.

Over eight weeks this comes to 28 hours. At that point, take a step back: can you use the last six patterns without notes? If yes, move on. If not, repeat before adding more.

Questions to Ask before You Commit to Any Single Source

Whichever brand or site you choose as your main source, put it through the same short interview. It costs nothing and prevents months of drift.

• Can I describe what I will be able to do after eight weeks? If the answer is vague, the plan is vague.
• What will I do when I forget a lesson? Have a review system ready, such as the notebook above.
• Where will I get listening practice that is not a lesson? Name a source now.
• Who will correct my Korean? If the answer is "nobody", plan to find someone.
• What is the cheapest next step? Often it is a free lesson, not a purchase.

Write the answers on one page and read them again after a month. Changing the plan is fine; changing it by accident is not.

Common Mistakes with Talk to Me in Korean

• Listening without writing. You will recognise the lesson but not remember it. Write at least three sentences per lesson.
• Jumping levels. The next lesson is not always the right one. Make sure you can use the previous patterns.
• Buying every book. One book at a time is enough. Finish it first.
• Using it as background audio. Explanations need attention. Save background listening for natural Korean.
• Ignoring speaking. Say the phrases aloud, such as 감사합니다, every time.

For a wider view of tools, see the guide to Korean learning apps.

FAQ