Koreans don't say "How are you?"

[@nanannn000]

As a Korean, I feel that "잘 지냈어?" is something we say when we haven’t been in touch for a while and meet again. It doesn’t matter if it’s been a week, two weeks, or a month. Instead of setting a specific time frame like a few months, it’s more about the feeling of not seeing or talking to each other for a certain period. If we stay in touch like every day and see each other very often, we might ask more specific questions like "주말 잘 보냈어?", "주말은 어떻게 보냈어?, "밥 먹었어?", "어제 뭐 했어?".. "It seems like you guys are interested in this, so I will add a bit more detail here! I explain the natural usage from the perspective of a Korean, so it may differ from what you learn in grammar books or at school. Also, please remember that language use can vary depending on intention and context!I hope it will be helpful!" ++ We don’t say '잘 지냈어요?' to someone we see like every 2-3 days. Instead, we might ask something more specific, like '어제 뭐 했어요?' or '밥은 먹었어요?' However, if about a week has passed with no contact, we might ask '잘 지냈어요?' to casually check if anything significant happened during that time. More specifically, this means '일주일 동안/한 주 동안 잘 지냈어요?' which implies asking if they had a good week without any issues or concerns. However, '잘 보냈어요?' GENERALLY requires a specific noun(object) in front of it, such as '하루,' '주말,' '일주일', '크리스마스,' '방학,' or '휴가.', and you can also ask "일주일 잘 보냈어요?" "지난 한 주 잘 보냈어요?" "주말 잘 보냈어요?" This phrase is typically paired with these kinds of time expressions and is more commonly used with people who are familiar with each other’s schedules. So, when you part ways with someone you’ll see again soon, you might say, '(오늘 하루/주말/크리스마스/방학/휴가..) 잘 보내세요~, or simply '내일 봬요.' , '다음 주에 봬요.' or '조만간 봬요." When parting, if you say '잘 지내~' or '잘 지내세요~', since there’s no specific time mentioned, it’s generally used with people you won’t see for a long time or with someone you’re not sure when you’ll meet again. When checking in on someone, '잘 지내세요?' means '요즘 잘 지내세요?' and is therefore usually used with people you haven’t contacted recently or with someone you’re seeing after a long time.

[@탕수육-u8s]

한국인의 밥사랑 ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

[@user-id1mb9rf7q]

감사합니다. 그건 저에게 도움이 됐어요.

[@talktomeinkorean]

Great point!!

[@eavesdropenglish]

@@nanannn000 Very helpful! Years ago I taught myself “주말 잘 보냈어요.” to say, “Have a nice weekend.” Thanks for helping me learn I can also use it to ask if someone had a nice weekend. Not surprising as I know other statements can become questions based on intonation and how often my Korean students use this question style in English. Just surprising it’s taken me this long to acquire it. 주말 잘 보냈어요!

[@beachboyo05]

@@eavesdropenglish Hi! But why use past tense 'send' to wish someone a good weekend ahead?

[@marydevonshire4655]

Funny thing about languages. I was learning Lakota (a native American language) and the first thing I learned to say was "good morning." ( I couldn't possibly write that out phonetically so you'll just have to guess how that sounds.) I greeted one my husband's native co workers in Lakota one day and he was shocked and pleasantly surprised. I asked if I said it correctly and he said "well enough." I told him how pretty that greeting sounded and he said "If you translate it word for word into English, you are actually just acknowledging that the person you are saying "good morning" to is "still alive today." Gosh, what a morbid greeting!

[@SallyWork-hz5wi]

Lol!😂

[@talktomeinkorean]

ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 재미있네요!

[@sushimaccheese]

I often feel there's this awkward silence after saying 안녕하세요 , it feels something's missing, because I'm so used to say "How are you" following a "Hi" or a "Hello" 😅🤭 Love this video, 현우 선생님, great observation & explanation of the cultural differences, great content, well done!! 감사합니다.

[@talktomeinkorean]

정말 감사합니다!!

[@charlycheer]

lol at you running away hahaha 😂

[@talktomeinkorean]

ㅋㅋㅋ

[@eavesdropenglish]

Great video, Hyunwoo. I teach greetings like, “How are you?” and “What’s going on?” to my Korean students. It’s a cultural difference that really affects language and politeness perceptions. We always talk about these exact differences and how to tell the difference between when a question is a greeting and when it is a real question (tone, speed, situation and body language).

[@talktomeinkorean]

Thank you! Cultural differences are so interesting!

[@fransmith3255]

Haha! I learned to never reply that I hadn't eaten yet, when asked if I'd eaten, in the first week I came to Korea. In my case I was actually on the way to buy lunch when an older lady asked me that (as a kind of welcome to the town I live in, I suspect) and just replied honestly. She got very puzzled and after a second started looking around for a restaurant. I had to hastily tell her that I was just going to eat now, which was the reason for my reply. Always reply that you have eaten if asked by a Korean person, particularly someone you don't know well. 🤣🤣🤣

[@cybrpunk]

If you say no, is it a guarantee you'll hang out with them for a meal in that moment? I can see this being useful if you like someone. 😅

[@fransmith3255]

@@cybrpunk Hehe, Korean people asking if you've eaten is very similar to western people asking "How are you?" It's polite, it's normal, but we never expect a reply. In fact, my boss asked me if I'd eaten when I arrived at work yesterday actually, and of course I replied that I had eaten (and would have whether I had or not). It kind of comes across as a kind of tender caring when people ask that question - it's kind of asked with a smile and a particular kind gentle attention, at least in my experience. 🥰🤣

[@talktomeinkorean]

So true hahaha

[@strongpowerty9377]

@@fransmith3255 Wanting no real answer to 'How are you?' seems to be mostly in the US the case (from what i've read from natives) but in many other western countries you're very much expected to answer honestly if someone asks you that.

[@fransmith3255]

@@strongpowerty9377 No, that's completely untrue. It's in other western countries too. Just the same. Most staff in shops or service will automatically ask "How are you?" on sight without expecting an answer. If you read that from America, American people are often very naive about other countries and cultures outside America, even other western countries, often only really knowing their own culture. Many kinds of thinking are quite different in America compared to most other western cultures, but not this particular one.

[@martinamaresova756]

In my native language (Czech 🇨🇿), it's similar to Korean. If you ask "How are you?", you actually expect an answer, because you didn't see the other person for a while. It's not a question for strangers.

[@jacobr6503]

I mean, I don’t ask people how they are unless I’m interested how they truly are how’s their life going. So small talk, such as asking “how are you?” in a sense of not even responding is a big no no for me:d. Why do you ask if you don’t care and don’t wanna listen to it? I see no point in that. And if someone says “just to be polite” nah, it throws me off my balance.

[@anna8282]

Same in Finland.

[@elimik31]

Same in Germany, it was a culture shock when I visited the US and strangers (e.g. supermarked staff) asked me how I am. However this is a common question between friends and the answer often involves what's going on in your life lately, something I don't share with strangers. Still it seems that it might be a more common questiod than in Korea.

[@erinaceusconcolor]

Same in Hungary

[@astute820]

You are a very clear teacher for native English speakers. Thank you!

[@hazcatsophia]

“How are you?” IS a greeting in English. An answer is not always expected.

[@amitychu9511]

What interests me more in Korean language is that "You're Welcome" is not super commonly heard. Either in drama, series or in real life, being a nation who cares about politeness so much.

[@MI_keith]

I'm just offering my own opinion, as I like the topic, but I would say its more about respect than politeness. When we say you're welcome, it's like saying, "I'm glad I could do that for you." Whereas in Korea, certain actions may be expected due to status. Please, feel free to disagree or correct me!🤔 Edit: I stand corrected, but thanks for the discussion!

[@jess0219]

It's about humility. I've been taught that saying "You're welcome" in Korean can be perceived as sort of boastful/arrogant. Instead of saying "You're welcome", they respond with "아니에요", which is like humbly brushing it off and saying, "Oh, no, it was nothing". So in their culture, it is very much polite to not say "You're welcome". Someone please correct me if I'm wrong! 🙂

[@amitychu9511]

@@jess0219 or responding with 영광입니다 as in "It's my pleasure", which is slightly more humble than "I've done it for you but You're welcome" sorta vibes 😆.

[@youngjunelawrence]

영광입니다 is close to "it's an honor to ~" 😊

[@sofiat3970]

@@jess0219oh kind of like how "no problem" "no worries" is becoming more popular over "you're welcome" (or at least i find it more comfortable)

[@stillwithyou7072]

This is a great video. Gives great background and so helpful.

[@talktomeinkorean]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mariamaria-un7zj]

You are great and I hope to learn korean really soon

[@talktomeinkorean]

Thank you! I hope you enjoy the videos : )

[@meredithk12]

I love this. Thank you for explaining 🥲

[@Camelepiz]

As an introvert, it’s a relief not to worry about small talk. ☺️. Oh, another variation on “How are you?” is the Boston accented “Howahya?” which needs no response. ;)

[@caleb40426]

same in my native language Chinese. We don't say "how are you" as well. It really depends on the situation and the relationship between the two speakers about what to say. Every language has its unique way of thinking that's the charm of it

[@kmessam7658]

Thank you for this explanation. It was extremely informative.

[@talktomeinkorean]

감사합니다!

[@rsainz1296]

Thanks for letting us know. I won’t ask this.😊😊. Learning different cultures is interesting.

[@madiisunttv]

This was such a struggle to me when I lived in Korea! I wanted to make small talk with coworkers, but it felt strange asking if they’d eaten instead of how they were doing. I personally like how in English the “how are you” dialogue lets you check the vibe a bit more rather than just diving into conversation topics.

[@kdtatayoo]

우와! 우리 선생님 천상 한국어 선생님이시네요!! 선생님이랑 항상 잘 이해했어요!! 감사합니다 선생님!!

[@ihateMCC]

This was very helpful! Thank you, Hyunwoo!

[@talktomeinkorean]

Glad to help! 😊

[@anni4683]

Your videos are so helpful! I've lived in Japan for a while and my Japanese isn't too bad. Now started learning Korean. Is there a Korean equivalent to the Japanese "genki"?

[@frankikatz]

Omg when I lived in Korea this was such a struggle for me 😂 because I just didn’t know how to get into deeper topics with casual acquaintances. I want to know about peoples lives and what is going on for them, and this is usually my jumping off point in English! Such a struggle

[@johnbreckenfeld5113]

I often (naturally) ask my Korean friends, “잘 지냈어요?“ and they just laugh and say ”네네“. It seems to be a friendly ice breaker for us.

[@talktomeinkorean]

If it works for you and your friends, there's no reason to change it :)

[@nerrelloader4226]

This was most interesting. Thank you. In Australia we always say "hi, how are you", we don't expect people to reply with anything other than "I'm well, thanks, how are you"; and so our greeting continues into whatever conversation we start from there. I guess we are talkers. LOL.

[@jess0219]

This a painful lesson that I learned early in my Korean language journey! 😅 I had signed up for Hello Talk and started chatting with native Koreans. I made the mistake of asking "잘 지냈어요?" to my language partner, and he fussed at me. I was so embarrassed - it made a deep impression on me! Because of his response, I will never make that mistake again! (I'm sure I'll make others, though 😆)

[@manda3892]

omg haha i start so many hello talk convos with 안녕하세요 followed by 잘 지냈어요? and so far no one has pointed out that it was weird 😅

[@hannahmuench9963]

Haha I did the same thing! No one corrected me until one person explained why it was a strange thing to say to someone you just met. I'm glad she did explain it so I didn't just keep saying it obviously

[@AnnG-js]

Спасибо за важные нюансы языка, которыми вы делитесь! 😊 감사합니다 선생님.

[@talktomeinkorean]

감사합니다!!

[@justpeachy4393]

Asking 'how are you?' only to get 'I'm fine, you?' is actually sort of pointless when you think about it. It's just an automatic habit for me

[@jeff__w]

The _real_ takeaway is it's often better not to ask "How do you say x?" (x here being "How are you?") but rather "We say x in this situation. What do you say?" (and, in this situation, for Korean, the answer is, “Well, we don't say anything”).

[@talktomeinkorean]

Correct!

[@bishnuthapa8612]

안녕하세요🙏선생님❤

[@AmberlashMusic]

This makes me think of the members of BTS just sort of robotically saying "I'm fine thank you, and you?" 🤣 Thank you for more cultural insight behind this. 💜

[@talktomeinkorean]

🤣

[@Strwberrgyu]

어머 저 처음이네요~!!💗

[@talktomeinkorean]

1등 축하드립니다!!

[@Strwberrgyu]

@@talktomeinkorean 선생님 감사합니다~!! 그런데 선생님, 우리 "How are you?" 위해 "오늘은 어땠어요/어때요?" 아니면 "오늘 어땠어/어때?" 이렇게 말할 수도 있어요?

[@bishnuthapa8612]

I am from Nepal🙏🇳🇵❤🇰🇷

[@crush3630]

The first time seeing a Nepalian person in the comments.. 안녕!!

[@bishnuthapa8612]

@crush3630 Really,first time did you seen.But i did join with this chanal since two years ago😍

[@crush3630]

@@bishnuthapa8612 not in this channel.. kkk in whole KZbin comments🙈

[@Ariber1]

I like the clear and simple way of communication. It reminds me totally of Hebrew, which I believe, also originated in the Far East.

[@paulamusik2509]

I am really surprised by this because my Korean teacher and my Korean friends use 잘 지냈어(요)? a lot, also when I just haven’t seen them for a week or something. But maybe they are just so westernized already that they are just to asking “how are you?” more haha

[@talktomeinkorean]

Yeah, I think they are just looking for something to replace "How are you?" with in Korean : )

[@Mudskipper9876]

Very good advice. Also, I love your American vs. Korean elevator experience video.

[@talktomeinkorean]

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed that one! : )

[@Kntgtenuf3]

Thank you for this! I don't ask 'how are you?' even in english 😂. So not saying it at all, is perfect! 😅

[@Siok-f5l]

Thank you so much !!!

[@katzda]

If there is no translation, you have to look for what you really are trying to say. In this case, I think the question is "how was your day" if you're maybe interested to know about that, or "how was your week?" Its kind of obvious that a literal translation of "how are you" doesn't have to exist if we are attempting to be just as shallow such as "I'm just saying stuff, maybe superficially I pretend to care or what.. feel free to answer just as superficially."

[@gregsgame5]

My Korean tutor will ask me "잘 지냈셨어요?" at the beginning of our weekly lessons.

[@nataliameylunas117]

Same here, but she is not a native Korean, though she has been living in Korea for 9 years

[@Datmoor]

Same

[@anawatl28]

It’s okay to ask if you haven’t seen someone in some time.

[@anna8282]

Same, hubby's (native) Korean teacher asks him that every week. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@talktomeinkorean]

It's acceptable IF the other person feels like it's been a long time, every time you meet them : )

[@frederiqueremy5068]

Thank you for this brilliant cultural insight. You are right: we need to forget our own language patterns in order to better communicate in a foreign language. I always try to find a 'wassup?' equivalent in Korean, and end up saying '와섶?' 😂😂😂

[@janetcox4873]

You're so American im your explanations, lol. So looomg and wordy. You'd be a great professor.

[@LeonardVun]

Hyunwoo쌤, running away? 😂have you been running these days? I have the same sun tan watch hand too 😉

[@talktomeinkorean]

I'm glad I'm not the only one with the sun tan watch :D

[@lilianalisbeth5471]

우와! 선생님 스페인어 발음이 정말 잘하네요!! 👍

[@taylorgoodenough3872]

I personally love this. I hate that we ask how are you in English because there is also a subtext of not really truly wanting to know how someone is and for me the small tall is awkward sometimes. I knew I loved Korean for more than one reason! Haha

[@AndreaFuu83]

In Spanish we have "¿Como estas?" as a way of greeting, just like in English and it's true that sometimes for us (Korean learners) It is so difficult not to translate exactly from our native language to Korean, because many times there are no equivalents. But it is fun, language teach you so much about the culture.

[@gentleken7864]

I'm not sure I totally agree with this as being weird between Koreans because now I've noticed that Koreans are slowly adapting the '잘 지내시죠?' or some such into their daily speaking. At my school, I welcome the students with the principal and VP every day and maybe a couple of other teachers as well and they after the usual 안녕하세요? will add 잘 지내시죠? when talking to each other. I've been here nearly 17 years and have noticed that before it was rare to add the 'how are you?' but I think Korean may be slowly adopting this western style small talk into common parlance.

[@youngjunelawrence]

He explained. 1:43

[@gentleken7864]

@@youngjunelawrence 'but you only sound natural saying these when it's at least been a few months' is why I posted. The principal, vp and other teachers will see each other every day. But will say this once a week or so, was my point.

[@youngjunelawrence]

@@gentleken7864 I think that just 잘 지내시죠 became 안녕하세요 in that case. They just answer 잘 지내시죠 by 잘 지내시죠 as like 안녕하세요 by 안녕하세요. Interesting.. Because it is hard to reply as 잘 못 지내요. as like 안녕 못 해요. Literally, 잘 지내시죠 has almost same meaning with 안녕하세요. So I suggest 어떻게 지내세요 instead. This will may induce more various answers.

[@gentleken7864]

@@youngjunelawrence My point was after the 안녕하세요? Koreans, who I know, will say '잘 지내시죠?' or another similar thing, including 잘 지내셨어요? to others they've already met during the week, but might just ask how they're doing once a week like this. Especially amongst teachers who are close given that teaching is a stressful job here and they want to check that person is okay. Just 안녕하세요? seems quite formal nowadays between friends, but still in a hierarchy, hence the more friendly 'how are you?' after. I understand the variations, not just the 죠 ending and wasn't just limiting it to that. But that to me is the more friendly way of ending the sentence and I hear it more often. Like I said previously, it seems to be something that is becoming normal in Korean since I first came here. @nanannn000 in another comment kind of says this too.

[@talktomeinkorean]

It depends on the person, but in the case of your school principal and VP, I would say it's their personal style of communication. Saying 잘 지내시죠? to someone they see every day sounds like a really unique approach, entirely a personal preference : )

[@CatherineFrideyEnchante]

My Korean teacher and I say “잘 지내셨어요?“ at the start of our weekly lesson.

[@josephz6]

Hyunwoo teacher, you are very cool. please stay young like this forever.! My support inclines forever.

[@talktomeinkorean]

정말 감사합니다!!!

[@startiny1024]

안녕하세요? 혹시 '잘 지내세요?'와 '잘 지냈어요?'는 사용할 때 차이점은 없나요? 저는 누구를 처음 만났을 때 '잘지내세요?'라고 해야 한다고 들었어요 ^^* 그리고 '잘 지냈어요?'를 아는 사람에게만 사용할 수 있다고 들었어요 ^^ 이건 맞나요? 영상 잘 봤어요 ~ 감사합니다 ^^

[@applepie1717.]

잘 지냈어요? : 지금까지 잘 지내셨어요? 잘 지내세요? : '여전히' 잘 지내시고 있어요? 모르는 사람을 처음 만났을 땐 두 문장 다 어색해요 '잘 지냈어요?' 는 아는사람에게만 사용하는게 당연한게 모르는사람한테 사용을 못하기 때문이에요 '잘 지내세요?' 는 정기적으로 전화상으로 건강체크를 할 때, 처음 인삿말로 '잘 지내세요?' 하는거 뺴고는 쓸 일이 없는거 같아요 그래서 그냥 상관 하지 않고 '잘 지냈어요?' 를 쓰는게 맞는거같아요

[@ukibear17]

Oh that’s very interesting 🐻🤓👍 my native korean university teacher asked that question every week… 🙉

[@jo3rL]

That's great! I hate answering/ responding to the question "How are you?" 😅

[@matthewjay660]

Teacher, I always ask, "Did you eat yet?" 🇺🇸🤝🇰🇷

[@pyejammiesfanfic640]

I’m British and we don’t say, ‘How are you? that often especially if you know someone. I find it an annoying opening gambit because I never know if they really want an answer. ‘How do you do?’ Is very outdated now. We might say, ‘It’s lovely to see you again’ or if you’re meeting them for the first time, ‘It’s nice to meet you’ so just saying, ‘Anyeonghaseo’ is a lot easier.

[@lizziedoyle8530]

Would love more information on alternate topics of conversation. I go to a Korean Catholic church and have made some friends there that I chat to after mass- but what do I say if I can’t say how are you?? I feel if I just chat about clothing and weather every time it might get a bit formulaic and awkward. I like “how are you” bc 1. I genuinely want to know if they’re happy, mid, sad, stressed, tired, sick etc and 2. It leads so naturally into other topics like anecdotes or opinions. Lmk if anyone has advice!

[@talktomeinkorean]

Like you mentioned, the fact that "How are you?" is used to genuinely ask if they are happy, sad, stressed, etc. is the reason that it's not used very commonly in Korean-speaking culture, which I also think is really interesting. I will see if I can prepare another video on alternate topics of small talk and conversation!

[@lizziedoyle8530]

Wow, fascinating 😄. Yes would love that if you can!!

[@lizziedoyle8530]

I meet some Korean friends once a week (after a Korean Catholic mass) Would it be natural and polite to say: “지난 주 뭐 했어요?” Or something like “had a busy week?” “Was work good?” Something like that? I speak to a mix of age ranges there as well, so do you have any advice for what I shouldn’t ask elders when having a chat?

[@talktomeinkorean]

Yeah, you can say 지난주에 뭐 했어요? Or 지난주에 별일 없었죠? : )

[@alyanahzoe]

@@talktomeinkorean 어때 “잘 지냈어”?

[@lizziedoyle8530]

Thank you very much for taking the time to reply! I’ll put this into practice!😉🙏

[@Anthony-fz9ye]

I say “잘 있어?“ or “잘 지내?” anyway. Or ”요즘 별일 없지?“ or “요즘 어떻게 지내?“ to make it more open

[@Miami799]

안녕하세요 현우선생님, 왼녕하세요 현우선생님, 왼팔에 손목 시계 표시 있어요. On your left arm there is a wrist watch mark. *At least I think it is that. There is a skin color difference. By the way, you are an excellent teacher. I've been watching you since like 2009.

[@talktomeinkorean]

오랫동안 봐 주셔서 감사합니다!!! ^^

[@JX2209]

One of my main struggles while learning Korean is that I come from a culture where small talk is deeply appreciated and engrained in our brains, thus just saying "hey" feels odd, almost as if something is missing 😅😅

[@Verbalaesthet]

Yes, I also tried to find a translation for how are you because in my mothertongue we also say it. This video would have been useful had I seen it many years ago. ^^

[@Running555ni_ght]

Yes, thank you for bringing this up. I do have contact to a Korean community in my home town, and I always as how have you been although we only saw last week. So, I am going to change this to pap meokeosseoyeo

[@talktomeinkorean]

Sounds like a good plan :)

[@talktomeinkorean]

You can simply stick to 안녕하세요, too :)

[@Running555ni_ght]

@@talktomeinkorean 네, 감사합니다

[@HeartOfTwinkle]

Ohh... I see 😅 thank you for explaining this ^^ Greek people do this as well in a similar way,I can say! Sometimes instead of asking "how are you" we just ask "what's up"? We do this to ask how people are doing but also to ask "are you going somewhere"? But of course as well we don't really want to hear details about where they're actually going 😂 Plus yes,we might say "what's up" when we see you every single day but if we know you've been sick or you've been through something we ask "how are you doing today?"

[@talktomeinkorean]

That's very similar to Korean culture!

[@jacobr6503]

I hate small talks, so it works perfectly for me 😆. But ofc, w friends I ask questions, I’m curious and want to know how their day’s going

[@tony-ud6xg]

The funny thing is, in Eglish we ask “how are you?” But we usually don’t really care. A brutally honest conversation would be similar to this: Joe: Hey, Tina. How are you (but I really don’t care. I just want to appear concerned.) Tina: Hey, Joe. Been a while, you’re looking good (for an alcholic at 9:00 on a Sunday morning.) How are you? Joe: I had a mild heart attack last night. Tina: (whatever.) bye,see you around. Take care. Joe: Yeah, you, too.

[@talktomeinkorean]

ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 재미있는 대화네요

[@hazelhyman1680]

We say 'How do you do?' (usually when you shake hands too) in English- which is quite formal , bit never expects a true response.... Even 'Hi!' is a corruption of 'How do you do/How are you doing?' - but NEVER expects an explanatory response, because the majority of people don't consider the origins of 'Hi!'- To the question 'How do you do?' we usually automatically say ''Fine thank you' and tend HOPE the person doesn't swing into a long story of illness! 'How's it going?'- also risky, because they may just say 'Fine' or they might, again launch off for ages! We are quite good with an alternative, though: Hello-- Nice to see you again / Good to see you again / It's been a while!....... It's a shame Koreans aren't into small talk - I do it all the time! *** Yesterday, I stopped by two ladies who were obviously a bit lost, and launched right in with 'You look a bit lost!' and helped them find their way with smiles on their faces and some extra local info they were glad of. I will tell complete strangers (ladies only) that I love their dress/coat/hair (and get that towards me, too); I will chat to old ladies (getting pretty old myself now, too!) -and think it might have been the first time that person had actually spoken to someone that day. (I read Korea has a problem with old people being lonely) I chat to people at the bus-stop, on the bus, in a lift, anywhere, really (do note, I am NOT annoying and clingy with people - a passing remark will do - aiming often to give others a smile)..... The only thing that would stop me trying to chat with Koreans would be my distinct lack of language ability!! Otherwise, I think I would have to wear a t-shirt printed with : English lady. Enjoys chatting with people. Please take no offence! (You never know, that could...... even...... start.....a conversation!! ;-) -*-*-*- looking back at my writing -- I just got caught up in small talk right here!

[@nurkamiliailyana]

I've been asking '오늘 어때어요?' A lot even though the other person didn't actually sick ㅋㅋㅋㅋ i just meant to say 'how was your day?' And they just answer it by telling me what they do and how their day was

[@FidgetThePepperTheGhost]

I've tried the 잘 지내세요 quite a lot on language exchange websites as an opening because asking "How are you" is such a natural opener to me when you don't know anything else about a person to ask about, since a lot of people don't put much on their profiles. The response is usually: being ignored. But when a person does respond they are usually people who seem familiar with the English habit of asking "how are you" It's definitely an interesting culture difference because, in online spaces, English speakers often complain about people who only start a conversation with "hello". Even "how are you" is annoying to some people because they want you to prove you're interesting enough to talk to in the first minute of your interaction.

[@talktomeinkorean]

Yes, it's a really big cultural difference!

[@elsamirre5322]

When I started to learn English, I was taught that the answer for "how do you do?" is "how do you do?". I'm French and when someone asks "ça va?" I answer "ça va" even if I have a toothache and my dog just died. Because this is just a greeting. The person doesn't actually care. Isn't "밥 먹었어?" the same king of greeting? Like, the person would be annoyed if you answered that you haven't eaten?

[@kookjeon8388]

그렇다면 “어디 가세요?”를 들을 때 어떻게 대답하면 좋을까요?

[@isra_arsi]

For me, because of time differences when I wake up and come online it's usually late afternoon or late night in Korea so first thing i send to start a conversation is usually 오늘 하루 잘 보냈낭? But I still feel weird asking that everyday, i ask it like twice a week😅

[@Hifzamazhar-ge6dk]

How to introduce ourself in Korean..with casually....🍂

[@anna8282]

Well, I'm not a native English speaker, in my country we just greet eachother with the equivalent of "good day" or "hello" and that's it. And we don't do small talk in general. 😆 We ask "how are you" (or actually more like "what's up" or "how's it going") only if we already know eachother, haven't seen eachother for a while and really want to know, so also a real answer is expected. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@talktomeinkorean]

That makes sense! It's interesting to see how different cultures approach greetings. 😁

[@peaceonearth8693]

To break the ice for small talk. Here's what you do. Make a comment on something that you and the other person are both experiencing. For example, if there is a band playing and you and the other person are both hearing or seeing it. Make an observation or a question about the band to the other person. Now, they have a reference subject to respond to. They might say, yes I saw them a few months ago and I think they are great. Key: Make a comment or question about something that you are both experiencing right now. (Or, something that is so big in culture that you must both be experiencing it.).

[@talktomeinkorean]

That's a great way to start a conversation. 😊

[@iki-gy2gb]

Thank you but when Korean ask 밥 먹었어요? What is the answer for that?

[@film42tv]

Pure Korean efficiency 😅… I usually say ‘alrite?’…. So how are you today anyway?

[@gstreams8430]

Ano ba tawag dun sa pag pronounce ng words nila? Sana nilalagyan nya nun para madali mag bigkas nung korean words.

[@talktomeinkorean]

You mean romanization for Hangeul words? : ) We don't incorporate them for every word here because the romanized pronunciations are not correct, but you can learn Hangeul quite easily through our course! courses.talktomeinkorean.com

[@SallyWork-hz5wi]

In the US, asking the question, "How are you?" is generally used as a greeting just to acknowledge the other person. We don't Really want to know how they're doing, and if they start to tell you how they're doing we try to, as politely as possible, extricate ourselves from the situation we placed ourselves in by asking, "How are you?" 😅

[@strongpowerty9377]

But is this the same throughout the whole country or does this differ in some regions? Is it for example less true for north/east/south/west than for the opposite side (hope its understandable haha)?

[@iamwhoeveryouwantmetobe]

It's so interesting tho 'cause in our country we also don't use "How are you?" unless something happened to that person or we haven't seen that person for weeks or even months. We often say "Hello" or "Hi" when greeting someone. Fun fact: We use the English "Hello" or "Hi" because we don't have a translation for that in our language, our "Hello" or "Hi" is basically the same as how we translate "How are you?" which is very confusing. However, it sounds really awkward to use my native language to greet someone. (And the fact that that's the first thing they teach you when learning our languageㅠㅠ)

[@LemonLoafEucharist]

I usually just say “ㅇㅇ 님/씨 안녕하세요!” And since most of the Korean people I talk to are language exchange partners I ask “how long have you been learning English?”, or I mention something about them that caught my eye etc etc.

[@talktomeinkorean]

That's a good approach!

[@bishnuthapa8612]

❤❤❤

[@AIison.ishtar]

I see! And if someone asked you, how would you reply to 어디 가세요? Would you just ask it back?

[@lets_studykorean]

Or in farsi, we say چطوری؟اوضاع احوال؟حالت چطوره؟خوبی؟

[@lets_studykorean]

It's like 어떻게 지내요? 잘 지냈어요? 잘 지내고 있어요? , we usually try to use some expressions to make our conversation more softer!

[@kyivstuff]

What about “잘 있었어”? I just started learning Korean and found this on the Internets.

[@boris8787]

For some silly reason Western culture these days expects an ANSWER to a RHETORICAL question. In the good old days people would simply say - "how do you do" or "howdy" and the other person would say exactly the same in return.

[@froggtoggs261]

I just learned 반가워요. Roughly “glad to see you”When would that be used?

[@alyanahzoe]

“반가워요” means “nice to meet you”.

[@shannondelacruz452]

So what I'm hearing is that my social awkwardness that leads me to barely even say hi (usually a slight head nod and smile almost slightly mouthing "hi" back in response) will actually serve me well in this particular circumstance

[@talktomeinkorean]

Haha, correct!

[@janap.8455]

for me, being from Slavic country in Europe, it's even more interesting, because in English people use "How are you? - I'm fine" concept only as a politeness without deeper meaning. My native tongue is Czech and we complain a lot as Czech nation, so both Koreans and native English speakers would be absolutely puzzled that I would answer honestly, that I'm fine or not fine and why and what happened in my life etc. 😅 also if we ask you how are you, we genuinely care, we really want to know how are you, so we expect honest answer as well. (*this is my personal experience, feel free to disagree*)

[@talktomeinkorean]

That's so interesting! Thank you for sharing : )

[@kersanax007]

I exchange letters with koreans and have always asked them 잘 지냈어, guess ill stop lol. I was wondering why most of the time they didn't answer it haha.

[@crush3630]

I always go like.. "아 한국 사람이세요? 안녕하세요! 전 ...등등" 😂 because I don't have any Korean friends.. Japanese, by the way, is similar to Korean in that way.. You shouldn't ask how the person is just talking about whether and whatnot😅 "아 오늘 날시가 좋내요~ -어 그져... 등등"

[@talktomeinkorean]

Going directly into self-introduction is also a good tactic if you are meeting someone for the first time : )

[@theodorepiercey7670]

🌹💜🙏

[@MarkH-f3f]

I live in the biggest Korean area in NYC, Queens in hte Bayside to Flushing area. and more even. I often try to or hope to converse a little in Korean. I will talk to neighbors' dogs in Korean and still they do not try to speak much to me, lol .....My neighbors who barely speak English won't say much or nothing at all and it is VERY frustrating. I am surprised how long they can stand around and not speak a word, even knowing I am learning Korean. I don't understand why Korean people dont have fun sort of testing me. The Grandmas will sometimes flirt with me, lol. If Korean people here talk much, they speak or try to speak English. Lol. I even went to SKorea and people are so hard to strike up talk with. The Hotel people or sometimes in a Cafe a worker will talk but?

[@talktomeinkorean]

모르는 사람과 이야기하는 건 진짜 어려운 것 같아요 ^^ 특히 한국어 문화권에서는요.

[@SaiyArtzie]

I've heard from some Korean friends that Koreans also use "밥 먹었어요?" as a way of asking "How are you?", so I've been using it myself from time to time. However, I've noticed it may lead to unexpected replies when it's not actually asked around mealtime. While it shows care and implies "How are you?", it’s still understood literally as "Did you eat?"

[@talktomeinkorean]

Yeah, you can say 밥 먹었어요? casually and 식사하셨어요? more formally :)

[@HughMyronM8]

Is it common in Korean to ask if someone has eaten as a greeting?

[@talktomeinkorean]

Fairly common : )

[@c00l0ne]

Can you say “whats up”! ? 😂

[@lorraineperez1845]

In ENGLISH IT IS NOT COMMON TO ASK SOMEONE " WHERE ARE YOU GOING" AS PART OF A Greeting..UNLESS IT IS FAMILY, A CLOSE FRIEND , OR PART OF A FAMILY..

[@lorraineperez1845]

I , Personally Would NOT APPRECIATE JUST ANYONE TO ASK ME WHERE I'M GOING..THANK-YOU!!

[@theodorepiercey7670]

The language is often not completely understandable for the average person

[@aevelizee]

헝가리어러도 "잘 지내"라고 인사를 잘 안 해요. (그래도 요즘엔 영국 문화를 채택하면서 젊은 사람드리 가끔 좀 써여.) 그런데 아줌마들이 저를 보다가 "이제 가니?" 아니면 "이제 오니?"라고 자주 말씀하시요. 물런 대답하지 않아도 돼는데 저는 이 말 좀 웃긴 것 같아요. 🤭

[@NarrativeLegends]

i found this hilarious.. a lot of things can't be directly translated .. english has a lot of filler conversation people don't even care they just ask "how are you" in a very disingenuous way lol

[@ray382vk]

they say "Did you eat?"

[@kryptokoryo]

Here in the Philippines, when someone says "How are you?" it means he/she wants to borrow money from you. 진짜 짜증나네! 😤

[@goga9916]

😄

[@SetayeshFaramarzi]

I didn't get it 😐😐 why is it so hard?