Learn how to turn down an invitation from your boss politely
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Becky: Hi everyone, and welcome back to KoreanClass101.com. This is Business Korean for Beginners, Season 1 Lesson 25 - Declining an Invitation. Becky here. |
| Kyejin: 안녕하세요. 김계진입니다. |
| Becky: In this final lesson of the series, you’ll learn how to politely decline an invitation from your boss. The conversation takes place in an elevator. |
| Kyejin: It's between Linda and her boss, Mr. Park. |
| Becky: The speakers are in a boss-subordinate relationship, so Linda will be speaking formal Korean since she’s the subordinate, and the boss will not be speaking formally. Okay, let's listen to the conversation. |
Lesson conversation |
|---|
| Kyejin, please read Linda’s lines only. |
| Linda: 먼저 들어가 보겠습니다. |
| Park: 응 수고! 오늘 금요일이니까 같이 한 잔 하러 갈까? |
| Linda: 아, 죄송해요. 정말 가고 싶은데 오늘은 약속이 있어서요. |
| Park: 그렇구나. 그럼 어쩔 수 없지 뭐. |
| Linda: 다음에는 꼭 참석하겠습니다. 그럼 먼저 들어가 볼게요. |
| Becky: Listen to the conversation one time slowly. |
| Linda: 먼저 들어가보겠습니다. |
| Park: 잠깐만! 오늘 금요일이니까 같이 한 잔 하러 갈까? |
| Linda: 아, 죄송해요. 정말 가고 싶은데 오늘은 약속이 있어서요. |
| Park: 그렇구나. 그럼 어쩔 수 없지 뭐. |
| Linda: 다음에는 꼭 참석하겠습니다. 그럼 먼저 들어가 볼게요. |
| Becky: Listen to the conversation with the English translation. |
| Linda: I'm leaving now. |
| Park: Thank you for your hard work! It’s Friday today, why don’t we go out and have some drinks? |
| Linda: Oh... I’m sorry. I really want to join, but I have another appointment today. |
| Park: Oh I see, that’s too bad…but okay. |
| Linda: Yes…I’ll make sure to join in next time. See you then. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Becky: It’s a bit surprising that Mr. Park was trying to invite Linda when she was ready to leave. After all, it was Friday! |
| Kyejin: Right, but it’s common at some companies. For example, you might get a message from your senior about having drinks together just a few minutes before you leave. |
| Becky: And I heard that seniors also invite their junior staff to drinks even on the weekends. |
| Kyejin: That’s not common, but it happens sometimes. |
| Becky: Is it necessary to say yes when I’m invited to this kind of event, even if it’s made at the last minute? |
| Kyejin: Well, it’s not mandatory, but Korean people think it’s also a part of their job. We say 일의 연장, which means “the extension of the work.” Although it’s after work, many think it’s better to join to maintain a good relationship with your senior. |
| Becky: I heard that in South Korea it’s considered important to go out for drinks with coworkers after work in order to communicate and be social. |
| Kyejin: That’s right. While drinking, everyone can talk more casually, and can get closer to each other. |
| Becky: But if you already have plans, or would rather spend time with your family, how can you turn the invitation down nicely? |
| Becky: Well, first, tell the person that it’s a shame that you can’t join them. Second, say why you can’t make it, which doesn't have to be true if you’re just trying to get out of going. And last, ask the person to invite you again next time. |
| Becky: Thanks for the great tips, and let’s get into more about these expressions in the lesson focus. Okay, now onto the vocab. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Becky: Let’s take a look at the vocabulary from this lesson. The first word is.. |
| : The first word is: |
| Kyejin: 잠깐만 [natural native speed] |
| Becky: just a moment |
| Kyejin: 잠깐만 [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Kyejin: 잠깐만 [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Kyejin: 금요일 [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Friday |
| Kyejin: 금요일 [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Kyejin: 금요일 [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Kyejin: 한 잔 [natural native speed] |
| Becky: one glass |
| Kyejin: 한 잔 [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Kyejin: 한 잔 [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Kyejin: 한 잔하다 [natural native speed] |
| Becky: to have a drink together (literally, to have a glass of something) |
| Kyejin: 한 잔하다 [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Kyejin: 한 잔하다 [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Kyejin: 약속 [natural native speed] |
| Becky: appointment, promise |
| Kyejin: 약속 [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Kyejin: 약속 [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Kyejin: 어쩔 수 없다 [natural native speed] |
| Becky: can't help it, to have no other choice |
| Kyejin: 어쩔 수 없다 [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Kyejin: 어쩔 수 없다 [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Kyejin: 참석하다 [natural native speed] |
| Becky: to attend |
| Kyejin: 참석하다 [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Kyejin: 참석하다 [natural native speed] |
| : And last: |
| Kyejin: 꼭 [natural native speed] |
| Becky: surely, certainly, absolutely |
| Kyejin: 꼭 [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Kyejin: 꼭 [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES |
| Becky: Let's have a closer look at some of the words and phrases from this lesson. The first phrase is.. |
| Kyejin: 한 잔 하다 |
| Becky: meaning “to have a drink” or literally “to have a glass of something.” |
| Kyejin: It’s a common phrase for saying “to have a drink” in Korean. For example, if you want to ask someone to join you for a drink, you can say.. 한 잔 하러 갈까? |
| Becky: “Let’s have a drink together.” or literally “Shall we go to have a glass of something?” |
| Kyejin: Of course, here “a glass of something” means “a glass of alcohol.” |
| Becky: And sometimes people use a shorter one too. |
| Kyejin: That’s right. 한 잔 can be used to mean “drink of alcohol” so you can say 한잔 어때? |
| Becky: Literally “How about one glass?” or “How about having a drink?” |
| Kyejin: This idiom sounds casual, so it’s better to use it with your junior or someone you speak to casually. |
| Becky: Meaning it’s better not to use this with your boss. |
| Kyejin: That’s right, unless it’s in a casual situation. But you’ll hear this word sometimes from your boss, so make sure you know what it means. |
| Becky: Okay, what's the next phrase? |
| Kyejin: 어쩔 수 없지 뭐. |
| Becky: meaning "that’s too bad…but okay." |
| Kyejin: When you turn down someone’s invitation or offer, you might hear this expression. |
| Becky: It literally means “There’s nothing to do” so using this, you can say... “That’s too bad, but okay.” |
| Kyejin: For example, if your friend asked, “한 잔 하러갈까?” |
| Becky: “Let’s drink together.” |
| Kyejin: And.. you said “미안해. 오늘 중요한 약속이 있어.” |
| Becky: Meaning “I’m sorry but I have an important thing to do tonight.” |
| Kyejin: Then, the other person will say.. 어쩔 수 없지 뭐. |
| Becky: Meaning “That’s too bad, but it’s okay.” Okay, now onto the lesson focus. |
Lesson focus |
| Becky: In this lesson you’ll learn how to decline an invitation politely. |
| Kyejin: In the dialogue, Linda said 아, 죄송해요. 정말 가고 싶은데 오늘은 약속이 있어서요. |
| Becky: meaning “Oh... I’m sorry. I really want to join, but I have another appointment today.” Let’s break this sentence down. |
| Kyejin: 아, 죄송해요. |
| Becky: which means “oh, I’m sorry.” |
| Kyejin: 정말 가고 싶은데 |
| Becky:This means “I really want to join but,” or literally “I really want to go.” |
| Kyejin: 약속이 있어서요. |
| Becky: This means “because I have an appointment.” |
| Kyejin: The verb here ends with the particle 어서요 which we learned in a previous lesson. It means “Because..” |
| Becky: Here, we have the word meaning “appointment.” |
| Kyejin: Right, 약속 is the word for an appointment. Instead, you can use another word, for example, 선약. |
| Becky: It means “an appointment” but literally “the appointment that was planned in advance.” |
| Kyejin: 선 is the word meaning “first, beforehand” and 약 means “the appointment” so it sounds like it’s an appointment that you cannot easily change. |
| Becky: Or if you have another reason, for example, “I don’t feel good” you can say.. |
| Kyejin: 몸이 안 좋아서요. |
| Becky: “because I’m not feeling good” or literally “because my body is not good.” So using this word, how can we turn down the invitation politely? |
| Kyejin: You can say.. 아 죄송해요. 정말 가고 싶은데 몸이 안 좋아서요. |
| Becky: “Oh... I’m sorry. I really want to join, but I’m not feeling well today.” |
| Kyejin: After that, your boss might say.. 어쩔 수 없지 뭐.. |
| Becky: “That’s too bad, but it’s okay.” Then, what should we say? |
| Kyejin: It’s better to mention that you will join in next time. It will give the impression that you really wanted to go today but cannot. You can say you will join next time so that person invites you again. To put all of these meanings into one sentence, you can say.. 다음에는 꼭 참석하겠습니다. |
| Becky: Meaning “I’ll join next time” or literally “I’ll attend next time.” Can you break this down, Kyejin? |
| Kyejin: Sure. First, we have 다음 |
| Becky: Meaning “next.” |
| Kyejin: Then the particle 에는 meaning “in” or “at.” Then, we have the adverb 꼭 |
| Becky: Which means “certainly” or “absolutely” |
| Kyejin: Then, 참석하겠습니다. |
| Becky: “I will join” or literally “I will attend.” |
| Kyejin: The verb 참석하다 means “to attend” as in 회의에 참석하다. “to attend a meeting.” |
| Becky: So altogether, once again.. |
| Kyejin: 다음에는 꼭 참석하겠습니다. |
| Becky: “I will join next time.” |
| Kyejin: If you want to say “Please invite me next time” to make sure you don’t miss out on the next chance, you can say... 다음에도 꼭 불러주세요. |
| Becky: “Please call me next time.” |
| Kyejin: Here, we have the word 불러주세요 which means “call me please.” |
Outro |
| Becky: Okay, that’s all for this lesson and for this series. We hope you enjoyed it and found it useful. Don’t forget to leave us a message at KoreanClass101.com if you have any questions or comments. Thank you for listening, everyone, and we’ll see you in another series! Bye! |
| Kyejin: 다음 시간에 만나요. |
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