OPIC preparation for AL: 장소

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Q. I’d like to know about the place where you live. Do you live in an apartment or a house? What does it look like? How many rooms does it have? Describe it in as much detail as possible.

The place where I live is an apartment in the suburban area. It is close to Seoul and is convenient to get to the downtown. Also, my apartment is not too far from a subway station and there is a small hill to walk nearby.

At first glance, it looks like a typical three and half apartment. It has two bathroom and there is a small kitchen area and large living room. However, what sets my apartment apart from the others is the living room toward the South. The sun arise from the East and go to the West by the South. Therefore, the living room is warm even in winter during the day and it still has the heat during the night. Also, the glass wall lets a lot of light in, which make the room brighter and more welcoming than the average one-room studio.

This is the first apartment I’ve had with my wife since I got married. The place is perfect that I would’ve liked, and it is really cozy and the rent isn’t too steep, so I’m not complaining.

suburban area 교외, 근교 / at first glance 첫눈에는 / set something apart ~을 ~와 다르게 보이게 하다. / cozy  아늑한  / steep 너무 비싼, 터무니 없이 비싼

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- breeze 식은죽 먹기

ex) My home is small, so cleaning it is a breeze. 내집은 작아서, 청소하는 것은 식은 죽 먹기이다.

- hang up 걸다

ex) I hung up a lot of paintings in my apartment. 나는 아파트에 그림을 많이 걸어 놓았다.

- cramped (방 등이) 비좁은, 경련을 일으킨

ex) My room is cramped but cozy. 내 방은 비좁지만 아늑하다.

- suit ones taste 취향에 맞다

ex) My new place suits my tastes better than my old one. 내 새로운 집은 옛날 집보다 더 내 취향에 맞는다.

- around the clock 24시간 내내

ex) The new apartment is across from a convenience store that is open around the clock. 새로운 아파트는 24시간 여는 평의점 건너편에 있다.

- apartment lease 아파트 임대차 계약

- be almost up 거의 만기가 되다

ex) A few months ago, my apartment lease was almost up.

ex) Time was almost up, so I answered the final question.

- real estate agent 부동산 중개인

- lump sum deposit rental 전세

ex) The price of lump sum deposit rentals is very high.

- three bedroom apartment 침실이 3개인 아파트

ex) I live in three bedroom apartment with my family.

- storage closet (수납용) 벽장

ex) Other rooms in the apartment are the living room, the kitchen, the bathroom, the storage closet, and the balcony.

- local eateries 동네 식당

- keep it down 소음을 줄이다, 조용히 하다

ex) We try to keep it down at night, to be considerate.