So you find yourself in ‘conversation’ with a Korean-speaker (whether that be in South Korea or elsewhere) and you’ve impressed them with a wonderful phrase or two that you learnt here at UnitedKpop… But then they continue to try and chat with you in Korean and you’re completely lost! How do you let them know you don’t speak Korean?
한국어 잘 못 해요
(han-gug-eo jal mot hay-yo)
This snappy phrase is worth its weight in gold!
한국어 – This means ‘Korean language’ or just ‘Korean’.
잘 – This is the Korean word for ‘well’.
못 – This word is used in front of the verb to indicate that the verb can’t be done. It negates the verb.
해요 – This comes from the verb 하다 (ha-da) and is conjugated in the formal present tense. On its own it means ‘to do’ but it can be added to lots of other verbs. Technically, here we could use 말하다 (mal-ha-da) which means ‘to speak’ but it is more natural to just use 하다.
If you say this phrase, it will tell the other person obviously that you don’t speak Korean but also that perhaps they need to start speaking English or find someone who does. A personal anecdote; my friend who visited Seoul last year was mistaken for a Korean in a mini-mart and the owner began speaking to her and asking her questions in Korean! She was so surprised and caught off guard that she responded with a feeble, “네…” followed with a nervous laugh and hastily made her way out of the shop. If only she’d have known this golden phrase! From my own experience, I panicked once when dialling the number of a department of SBS and the person on the other end of the phone answered with, “안녕하십니까?” I think I just about managed to stutter this phrase out (though I have no idea why I didn’t expect them to answer the phone in Korean) and I was promptly answered with a thick, “One moment please,” and then a new, English-speaking voice came through the phone seconds later. Magic..!
