First chats with Koreans

The first minutes of a conversation with a Korean person often follow a pattern. Some of the questions sound personal in English but work as greetings in Korean, and others come early because the other person wants to know how to talk to you. If you know the pattern ahead of time, you can stop worrying about the next question and listen to the answer.

Questions that mean hello

밥 먹었어요? (bap meogeosseoyo) means “have you eaten?” Around mealtimes Koreans use it the way English speakers use “how’s it going?”, and the answer can be short: 네, 먹었어요 (ne, meogeosseoyo, “yes, I have”) or 아직요 (ajigyo, “not yet”). If you say 아직요 to a friend, the next line may be an invitation to eat together.

어디 가요? (eodi gayo, “where are you going?”) is what someone asks when you run into each other on the street. The person is saying hello, and a loose answer is fine: 집에 가요 (jibe gayo, “going home”) or 잠깐 볼일 보러요 (jamkkan bollil boreoyo, “just running an errand”).

잘 지냈어요? (jal jinaesseoyo, “have you been well?”) comes when you haven’t seen someone for a while. Answer 네, 잘 지냈어요 (ne, jal jinaesseoyo) and ask the same question back with the person’s name and 는요: 민수 씨는요? (“and you, Minsu?”).

Questions that come early

몇 살이에요? (myeot sarieyo, “how old are you?”) may come in the first few minutes. Age decides how politely each of you should speak, so the question is practical, and the person asking means nothing rude by it.

어디에서 왔어요? (eodieseo wasseoyo) asks “where are you from?” 미국에서 왔어요 (migugeseo wasseoyo) is “I’m from the US.”

한국어 왜 배워요? (hangugeo wae baewoyo, “why are you learning Korean?”) is the question you can count on. Prepare two sentences for it. K-pop and K-dramas are good answers, because the other person’s next question is likely to be which group or which drama, and you already have plenty to say about that.

한국 음식 뭐 좋아해요? (hanguk eumsik mwo joahaeyo, “what Korean food do you like?”) is easy to answer if you have one favorite ready, and a second dish you want to try.

Answer with one fact and one extra

A one-word answer ends the topic. One fact plus one small extra gives the other person something to ask about. 미국에서 왔어요. 뉴욕에 살아요. (migugeseo wasseoyo. nyuyoge sarayo, “I’m from the US. I live in New York.”) is enough to start a conversation about New York.

The same works for why you are learning Korean: 드라마 좋아해요. 자막 없이 보고 싶어요. (deurama joahaeyo. jamak eopsi bogo sipeoyo, “I love dramas. I want to watch them without subtitles.”) Now the other person knows what to ask next.

Three phrases for when you freeze

Learn these three before anything else:

• 천천히 말해 주세요 (cheoncheonhi malhae juseyo, “please speak slowly”)
• 다시 한 번만 말해 주세요 (dasi han beonman malhae juseyo, “could you say that once more?”)
• 잠깐만요, 생각 좀 할게요 (jamkkanmanyo, saenggak jom halgeyo, “one second, let me think”)

When you say one of these, the other person slows down or waits, and you get the time you need. The phrases also tell the other person that you want to stay in Korean.

For a word you don’t know, ask in Korean with the English word inside: umbrella가 한국어로 뭐예요? (umbrella-ga hangugeoro mwoyeyo, “how do you say umbrella in Korean?”). The answer comes back in Korean, and you have learned a word without switching languages.

Prepare the first five minutes

The first five minutes are the most predictable part of any conversation, so they are the easiest part to prepare. Say your answers to the questions above out loud a few times. Then try them with someone who answers: a language exchange partner, a Korean classmate or a partner on a Pick Up Korean call.

When the greetings come at normal speed and your answers come out without a long pause, you can spend the rest of the conversation on what you actually want to talk about.