Learn how to ask about well-being
Now Playing: Lesson Audio
Get a breakdown of the dialogue and translations instantly with the Premium line-by-line Audio. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.
| Welcome to Can Do Korean by KoreanClass101.com. |
| In this lesson, you’ll learn how to ask about well-being in Korean. |
| For example, "How have you been?" is |
| 잘 지냈어요? (Jal ji-naess-eo-yo?) |
| Yeon-a Yu is in the office breakroom. |
| She greets Sang-hun Song, a colleague, and asks about his well-being. |
| Before you listen to the conversation, let's preview some of its key components. |
| 잘 (jal) |
| "well" |
| 잘 |
| 잘 |
| Listen to the conversation and focus on the question. |
| Ready? |
| 잘 지냈어요? (Jal ji-naess-eo-yo?)) |
| 네, 잘 지냈어요. (Ne, jal ji-naess-eo-yo.) |
| Once more with the English translation. |
| 잘 지냈어요? (Jal ji-naess-eo-yo?) |
| "How have you been?" |
| 네, 잘 지냈어요. (Ne, jal ji-naess-eo-yo.) |
| "Yes, I’ve been well." |
| Let's break down the conversation. |
| First, do you remember how Yeon-a 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 been." 지냈어요 (slow version - breakdown by syllable). 지냈어요 |
| 지냈어요 is the past polite form 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 dialogue. |
| 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) (enunciated). 네 (ne). |
| Next is 잘 지냈어요. (Jal ji-naess-eo-yo.) |
| The words in the response are the same as in the question. However, the intonation of the response is different. |
| Listen again. |
| 잘 지냈어요. (Jal ji-naess-eo-yo.) |
| There is no rising intonation. |
| First is 잘 (jal), "well." 잘 (jal) |
| Next is 지냈어요(ji-naess-eo-yo.) In this context, literally, "I spent time," but translates as, " have been…" 지냈어요 (slow version - breakdown by syllable). 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, 잘 지냈어요. (Jal ji-naess-eo-yo.), literally, "Well I spent time," but translates as "I have been well." |
| 잘 지냈어요. (Jal ji-naess-eo-yo.) |
| Relationships are important to speech level in Korean. |
| The speech level in the conversation between Yeon-a and Sang-hun indicates they have a good relationship, as the speech level is polite, informal. |
| In casual conversations, such as conversations between close friends and classmates: |
| 잘 지냈어? (Jal ji-naess-eo?) How have you been? Casual. 잘 지냈어? (Jal ji-naess-eo?) |
| First is 잘 (jal), "well." 잘 (jal) |
| Next is 지냈어(ji-naess-eo). translating as "have you been." in a more casual 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? Casual. 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 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 above, 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 context. 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?). |
| You may notice that Koreans use this question as often as greetings. |
| Let's look at some more examples. |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with the native speakers. |
| 잘 지냈어요? (Jal ji-naess-eo-yo?) |
| 네, 잘 지냈어요. (Ne, jal ji-naess-eo-yo.) |
| 잘 지냈어요? (Jal ji-naess-eo-yo?) |
| "How have you been?" |
| 네, 잘 지냈어요. (Ne, jal ji-naess-eo-yo.) |
| "Yes, I’ve been well." |
| 잘 지내셨어요? (Jal ji-nae-syeoss-eo-yo?) |
| 아주 잘 지냈어요. (A-ju jal ji-nae-sseo-yo.) |
| 잘 지내셨어요? (Jal ji-nae-syeoss-eo-yo?) |
| "How have you been?" |
| 아주 잘 지냈어요. (A-ju jal ji-nae-sseo-yo.) |
| "I've been great." |
| 안녕하세요. (An-nyeong-ha-se-yo.) |
| 안녕하세요. (An-nyeong-ha-se-yo.) |
| 안녕하세요. (An-nyeong-ha-se-yo.) |
| "Good afternoon." |
| 안녕하세요. (An-nyeong-ha-se-yo.) |
| "Good afternoon." |
| 잘 지냈어?(Jal ji-nae-sseo?) |
| 잘 지냈어. (Jal ji-nae-sseo.) |
| 잘 지냈어? (Jal ji-nae-sseo?) |
| "How have you been?" |
| 잘 지냈어. (Jal ji-nae-sseo.) |
| "I've been well." |
| 잘 지내요? (Jal ji-nae-yo?) |
| 네, 잘 지내요. (Ne, jal ji-nae-yo.) |
| 잘 지내요? (Jal ji-nae-yo?) |
| "How are you?" |
| 네, 잘 지내요. (Ne, jal ji-nae-yo.) |
| "Yes, I'm well." |
| Did you notice how the last speaker used a different question? |
| 잘 지내요? (Jal ji-nae-yo?) |
| 잘 지내요? (Jal ji-nae-yo?) |
| How are you? |
| First is 잘 (jal), meaning "well," in this context. 잘 (jal) |
| Next is 지내요(ji-nae-yo). "you spend time," in this context. 지내요 (slow version - breakdown by syllable). 지내요 |
| 지내요. is the polite informal form of the verb 지내다 (ji-nae-da), meaning "to spend, as in to spend one’s time." 지내다. |
| Note the word for "you" is inferred because this is a two-person conversation, and it’s omitted. In Korean, it is common to exclude personal pronouns such as "you", when it is clear from context. |
| Altogether, 잘 지내요? (Jal ji-nae-yo?), literally, "Well you spend time," but translates as "How are you?" 잘 지내요? (Jal ji-nae-yo?) |
| Pay attention to the rising intonation. 잘 지내요? (Jal ji-nae-yo?) |
| This is a phrase to say when you haven't met someone for a long time. It's not a daily expression. |
| Yeon-a responds with 네(Ne), yes, followed by the same words in the question, 잘 지내요(jal ji-nae-yo). |
| Notice the intonation: 잘 지내요. |
| All together, 네, 잘 지내요. (Ne, jal ji-nae-yo.) "Yes, I’m well." |
| Let's review. |
| Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then repeat after the native speaker, focusing on pronunciation. |
| Ready? |
| Do you remember the word for "well?" |
| 잘 (jal) |
| 잘 |
| Do you remember how Yeon-a Yu asks, |
| "How have you been?" |
| 잘 지냈어요? (Jal ji-naess-eo-yo?) |
| 잘 지냈어요? (Jal ji-naess-eo-yo?) |
| Do you remember how to say, "Yes."? |
| 네. (Ne.) |
| 네. |
| Do you remember how Sang-hun Song says, |
| "Yes, I've been well." |
| 네, 잘 지냈어요. (Ne, jal ji-naess-eo-yo.) |
| 네, 잘 지냈어요. (Ne, jal ji-naess-eo-yo.) |
| Do you remember the casual way to ask, |
| "How have you been?" |
| 잘 지냈어? (Jal ji-nae-sseo?) |
| 잘 지냈어? (Jal ji-nae-sseo?) |
| And how to say "hello."? |
| 안녕하세요. (An-nyeong-ha-se-yo.) |
| 안녕하세요. |
| Let's practice. |
| Imagine you're Sang-hun Song, Yeon-a Yu’s close colleague. Ask Yeon-a how he’s been using polite, informal Korean. |
| Ready? |
| 잘 지냈어요? (Jal ji-naess-eo-yo?) |
| 네, 잘 지냈어요. (Ne, jal ji-naess-eo-yo.) |
| Listen again and repeat. |
| 잘 지냈어요? (Jal ji-naess-eo-yo?) |
| 잘 지냈어요? (Jal ji-naess-eo-yo?) |
| Let’s try another. |
| Imagine you're the Yu family’s Korean teacher, Seon-yeong Sim. Start your afternoon class by saying, "Hello." |
| Ready? |
| 안녕하세요. (An-nyeong-ha-se-yo.) |
| 안녕하세요. (An-nyeong-ha-se-yo.) |
| Listen again and repeat. |
| 안녕하세요. (An-nyeong-ha-se-yo.) |
| 안녕하세요. (An-nyeong-ha-se-yo.) |
| Let’s try one more. |
| Imagine you're Seo-young Sin, No-a’s classmate. |
| Ask No-a, "How have you been?" using informal Korean. |
| Ready? |
| 잘 지냈어? (Jal ji-nae-sseo?) |
| 응, 잘 지냈어. (Eung, jal ji-naess-eo) |
| Listen again and repeat. |
| 잘 지냈어? (Jal ji-nae-sseo?) |
| 잘 지냈어? (Jal ji-nae-sseo?) |
| Well done! This is the end of the lesson and the Can Ask About Well-Being unit of this course. |
| Remember, these Can Do lessons are about learning practical language skills. |
| What's next? |
| Show us what you can do. |
| When you're ready, take your assessment. |
| You can take it again and again, so try anytime you like. |
| Our teachers will assess it, and give you your results. |
| Keep practicing — and move on to the next lesson! |
Comments
Hide