mteric wrote:In conversation, one of my biggest problems is understanding what people say in Korean, partly because of how fast it is said, and partly because my vocabulary is still really limited. ^^ So when that happens, what is the best way to say "I don't understand" in Korean?
My dictionary shows 모르겠어요 as a possibility... is this a good phrase to use?
모르겠어요 or 몰라요 is not quite fit in your situation, because it could mean that you don't know the answer upon hearing a question.
It sounds more like you got the question but not the answer.
한국말 잘 못 알아 들어요( I have difficulty in hearing (understanding) Korean) or 한국말 잘 몰라요(I don't know Korean well) is better.
몇시에 집에 와요?
모르겠어요 가 봐야 알지요
선생님이 뭐라 하시던?
잘 못알아 들어서 모르겠어요
왜 안절부절이냐?
그런말 몰라요 쉬운말로 해봐요
왜 서성거리냐구요?
그말도 몰라요
Why are you restless?
아 이제 알겠네요
I am a forever ESL student.