Learn the key pattern to ask about well-being
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| Let's take a closer look at the conversation. |
| First, do you remember how Mark asks, |
| "How have you been?" |
| 잘 지냈어요? (Jal ji-naess-eo-yo?) |
| First is 잘 (jal), meaning "well," in this context. 잘 (jal) |
| Next is 지냈어요(ji-naess-eo-yo), literally, "[You] spent time," but translates as "have [you] been." 지냈어요(. 지냈어요 |
| 지냈어요 is the past polite informal of the verb 지내다 (ji-nae-da), meaning "to spend, as in to spend time." 지내다. |
| Note the word for "you" is inferred as this is a two-person conversation, and therefore, it's omitted. In Korean, it is common to exclude personal pronouns, such as "you," when it is clear from context. |
| Altogether, 잘 지냈어요? (Jal ji-naess-eo-yo?), literally, "Well [you] spent time," but translates as "How have you been?" |
| Pay attention to the rising intonation. 잘 지냈어요? (Jal ji-naess-eo-yo?) |
| The rising intonation indicates that this is a question. |
| Cultural note: this phrase is used when you haven't seen someone in a while. In everyday conversation, other topics are often discussed to ask about one's well being or start small talk. |
| Let's take a closer look at the response. |
| Do you remember how Sang-hun says, |
| "Yes, I've been well." |
| 네, 잘 지냈어요. (Ne, jal ji-naess-eo-yo.) |
| First is 네 (ne), "yes." 네 (ne). 네 (ne). |
| Next is 잘 지냈어요. (Jal ji-naess-eo-yo.) |
| First is 잘 (jal), "well." 잘 (jal) |
| Next is 지냈어요(ji-naess-eo-yo.) In this context, literally, "[I] spent time," but translates as, "[I] have been…" 지냈어요. 지냈어요 |
| Note the word for "I" is inferred, as the speaker is answering a question. In Korean, it is common to exclude personal pronouns, such as "I," when it is clear from context. |
| Altogether, 네, 잘 지냈어요. (Ne, jal ji-naess-eo-yo.), literally, "Yes, well [I] spent time," but translates as "Yes, I've been well." 네, 잘 지냈어요. (Ne, jal ji-naess-eo-yo.) |
| Relationships are important to speech level in Korean. |
| The speech level in the conversation between Mark and Sang-hun indicates they have a good relationship, as the speech level is polite, informal. |
| In informal situations, such as conversations between close friends and classmates: |
| 잘 지냈어? (Jal ji-naess-eo?) How have you been? Informal. 잘 지냈어? (Jal ji-naess-eo?) |
| 잘 (jal), "well." 잘 (jal) |
| Next is 지냈어(ji-naess-eo). translating as "have [you] been." in a more informal speech level. 지냈어 |
| 지냈어 is the past informal form of the verb 지내다 (ji-nae-da), "to spend." 지내다. |
| Altogether, 잘 지냈어? (Jal ji-naess-eo?) How have you been? Informal. 잘 지냈어? (Jal ji-naess-eo?) |
| When talking to someone of higher social status, such as a superior at the office, seniors, etc., you can say, |
| 잘 지내셨어요? (Jal ji-nae-syeoss-eo-yo?) How have you been? 잘 지내셨어요? (Jal ji-nae-syeoss-eo-yo?) |
| 잘 (jal), "well." 잘 (jal) |
| Next is 지내셨어요(ji-nae-syeoss-eo-yo). translating as "have [you] been." in a more formal speech level. 지내셨어요. 지내셨어요 |
| 지내셨어요 is the past honorific form of the verb 지내다(ji-nae-da) , "to spend." 지내다. |
| Altogether, 잘 지내셨어요? (Jal ji-nae-syeoss-eo-yo?) How have you been? 잘 지내셨어요? (Jal ji-nae-syeoss-eo-yo?) |
| The phrases you learned in this lesson are an important part of your language learning journey. However, as mentioned before, these phrases are often used with someone you haven't met in a while to ask how things have been. |
| When seeing a friend you meet often, you might just use a simple greeting, such as |
| 안녕하세요 (an-nyeong-ha-se-yo), "hello." 안녕하세요(break down each syllable and read slowly). 안녕하세요. |
| Note, 안녕하세요 is from the verb 안녕하다 (an-nyeong-ha-da) meaning, "to be peaceful, well." 안녕하다 |
| Literally, 안녕하세요 means something like "be well," or "Please be well." |
| Note: 안녕하세요 is the most common greeting in Korean and can be used at all times of the day. It can translate as "hello," "good morning," "good afternoon, etc," depending on the content. You can use this phrase with someone who you are familiar with or unfamiliar with and at all speech levels. |
| In addition, questions, as a form of small talk, are a common way to greet someone in Korea. For example, a common question to greet someone in Korean is, "Did you eat?" 밥 먹었어요? (Bap meog-eoss-eo-yo?). In this case, the question acts as a greeting, like, "How are you?" in English, rather than a sincere question about whether or not you actually ate. |
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