하나, 둘, 셋, 지금이야

The line, explained

Before the leap, the countdown. 하나, 둘, 셋, 지금이야 means 'one, two, three, now!', and in an action film it is the last thing anyone says before jumping off a roof or out of a moving car. It is also how you learn the first three Korean numbers, which you will hear at every photo shoot, concert greeting and K-variety game. Counting is a lovely place to begin, because you can practise it out loud right away.

하나 is one, 둘 is two, 셋 is three. These are the native Korean numbers, the ones that existed before Chinese loan words arrived. They continue 넷, 다섯, 여섯, 일곱, 여덟, 아홉, 열, up to ten. Korean also has a second set, 일, 이, 삼, borrowed from Chinese, used for dates, money, minutes and phone numbers. Native numbers are for counting things you can point at, people, ages and, of course, countdowns.

Here is a twist you will meet immediately. When a counter word follows, the first four native numbers lose their last sound: 하나 becomes 한, 둘 becomes 두, 셋 becomes 세, 넷 becomes 네. So it is 한 명 (one person), 두 잔 (two cups), 세 시 (three o'clock). In a countdown there is no counter after them, so you say the full forms: 하나, 둘, 셋. That is why this line is the perfect way to memorise them.

지금이야 means 'it's now' or simply 'now!'. 지금 is 'now', and 이야 is the casual way of saying 'it is' after a noun ending in a consonant; after a vowel it is just 야, as in 나야, it's me. When you say 지금이야 aloud, the ㅁ at the end of 지금 slides into the next syllable, so it sounds like ji-geu-mi-ya. That linking of sounds is something Korean does constantly.

Practise it like the film: slow and tense for ha-na, dul, then quick for set, and shout ji-geu-mi-ya. Then try the photo version: 하나, 둘, 셋, 김치! Count your fingers to ten with the native numbers, and order with the short forms: 커피 두 잔 주세요, two coffees, please. Swap the last word too: 하나, 둘, 셋, 가자! one, two, three, let's go. You now have a countdown for any adventure.