How Are You In Korean - Rocket Languages

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If someone asks "How are you?" in Korean, how do you reply? And how do you ask them in return? Maybe you feel great, or you’re having a really bad day—either way you’ll know how to explain after this free Rocket Korean audio lesson. If you’re traveling to Korea or getting to know people closer to home, these words and phrases are essential for your Korean language survival kit.

By the end of this lesson you’ll know the formal and informal ways to ask people how they are to ensure you make a good first impression. And just in case you need to apologize, you’ll learn how to say "sorry" in Korean as well!

Feeling confident with these basic Korean words and phrases will make such a positive difference to your experiences with Korean people. Remember, a stranger is just a friend you haven’t met yet!

Resources for further reading:

- Learn Korean online the simple way

- Top 10 hacks to help you learn Korean efficiently

How Are You in Korean

When speaking to aquaintances of the same age or family, use these phrases:

Practice Your Pronunciation With Rocket Record

Rocket Record lets you perfect your Korean pronunciation. Just listen to the native speaker audio and then use the microphone icon to record yourself. Once you’re done, you’ll get a score out of 100 on your pronunciation and can listen to your own audio playback. (Use a headset mic for best results.) Problems? Click here!잘 지내셨어요?Jal jinaesyeosseoyo?Have (you) been well?0%Lit.어떻게 지내셨어요?Eotteoke jinaesyeosseoyo?How have (you) been?0%Lit.To a close friend of the same age, you might say:오랜만이야.Oraenmaniya.Long time no see.0%Lit.When you're talking to strangers or more senior persons, use these phrases:오랜만입니다.Oraenmanimnida.Long time no see.0%Lit.

After this, you’d want to ask how they’ve been, or if they’ve been well.

If someone asks you one of these questions, would you know how to answer? Here’s one possible answer:

잘 지냈습니다.Jal jinaesseumnida.(I) have been well.0%Lit.In informal situations, when speaking to someone of a similar age and status to you, you can use one of the following phrases:네. 잘 지냈어요.Ne. Jal jinaesseoyo.Yes. (I) have been well.0%Lit.그저 그래요.Geujeo geuraeyo.(I) am okay.0%Lit.늘 그렇죠.Neul geureocho.Same as always.0%좀 피곤한데요.Jom pigonhandeyo.(I) am a little tired.0%좋아요.Joayo.Good.0%안 좋아요.An joayo.Not good.0%If someone tells you that they are not feeling well, you could say the following:죄송합니다.Joesonghamnida.(I) am sorry (to hear that).0%Lit.If someone is feeling great you might want to say the following:듣기 좋네요.Deutgi jonneyo.Nice to hear.0%A common follow-up question after stating how you are is, “And you?”그쪽은 어떻게 지내세요?Geujjogeun eotteoke jinaeseyo?And you?0%Lit.넌 어때?Neon eottae?And you?0%Lit.

Koreans have a strong family bond and when people meet their close friends or people younger than themselves, they’ll ask how their family is. Remember never to greet older or more senior people in this way!

Here are some example questions and answers that you might hear:

부모님은 잘 계셔?Bumonimeun jal gyesyeo?Are (your) parents doing well?0%Lit.네, 잘 계심니다.Ne, jal gyesimnida.Yes, they are doing well.0%Lit.부모님은 건강하셔?Bumonimeun geonganghasyeo?Are (your) parents healthy?0%Lit.건강하십니다.Geonganghasimnida.(They) are healthy.0% Remember, if you don’t understand something, you should always say so!이해를 못 했습니다.Ihaereul mot haesseumnida.(I) didn't understand.0%Lit.

And hopefully the person you’re speaking to will speak slower.

To finish off today’s lesson, I’d like to leave you with three important phrases that you absolutely must know. They are:

미안해요.Mianhaeyo.(I) am sorry.0%사랑해요.Saranghaeyo.(I) love (you).0%Lit.실례합니다.Sillyehamnida.Excuse me.0%

That’s it for this lesson. I do hope you enjoyed it. Remember that if you want to retain your new Korean knowledge, it requires a little practice. Sure, practice is not always the most fun thing to do, but the rewards are well worth it!

For more on the use of Korean questions check out these lessons:

• Asking questions in Korean. Get the correct sentence structure and more!
• Learn the correct use of "When?" in Korean.

안녕히 가세요! (Annyeonghi gaseyo!) "Goodbye!"

Sujung Lee: Rocket Korean

Make It Stick With The Rocket Activities

Reinforce your learning with activities that test your recall, listening and speaking skills!ActivitiesFlashcardsReinforce your memory using Flashcards23 leftListeningListen to the phrase, then record yourself saying the phrase23 leftSpeakingRecord yourself saying the phrase out loud23 left

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