Korean · Upper intermediate (B2) · Chapter 2 of 12
Work in depth
회사 생활Hoesa saenghwal
Work in Korean: the full honorific system with 께서, 드리다 and 여쭤보다, soft feedback, guesses with -나 보다 and deals with -는 대신에.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Use honorific and humble forms correctly with people above you
- Give and take feedback softly with -는 것 같아요 and -면 좋을 것 같아요
- Guess from evidence with -나 보다 / -(으)ㄴ가 보다
- Negotiate with -는 대신에 (in return for)
Listen
At an advertising agency in Seoul, team leader Kim Jiseon and designer Cho Minjae discuss a client who hasn't replied, then go to see director Lee. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Jiseon
민재 씨, 거래처에서 아직 연락 없어요? 디자인 보낸 지 벌써 일주일 됐잖아요.
Minjae ssi, georaecheoeseo ajik yeollak eopseoyo? Dijain bonaen ji beolsseo iljuil dwaetjanayo.
Minjae, still no word from the client? It's already been a week since we sent the design.
Minjae
네, 아직 답이 없어요. 거래처 과장님이 요즘 많이 바쁘신가 봐요. 어제 전화 드렸는데 회의 중이시라고 해서 메시지만 남겼어요.
Ne, ajik dabi eopseoyo. Georaecheo gwajangnimi yojeum mani bappeusinga bwayo. Eoje jeonhwa deuryeonneunde hoeui jungisirago haeseo mesijiman namgyeosseoyo.
No, no answer yet. The manager at the client's must be very busy at the moment. I called him yesterday, but they said he was in a meeting, so I just left a message.
Jiseon
그렇군요. 그런데 마감이 이번 주 금요일이잖아요. 계속 기다리기만 하면 일정을 맞추기 어려울 것 같아요.
Geureokunyo. Geureonde magami ibeon ju geumyoirijanayo. Gyesok gidarigiman hamyeon iljeongeul matchugi eoryeoul geot gatayo.
I see. But the deadline is this Friday, remember. If we just keep waiting, I think it'll be hard to stay on schedule.
Minjae
그럼 제가 오늘 오후에 과장님께 다시 연락드려 볼게요. 그리고 팀장님, 제가 수정한 디자인은 검토해 보셨어요?
Geureom jega oneul ohue gwajangnimkke dasi yeollakdeuryeo bolgeyo. Geurigo timjangnim, jega sujeonghan dijaineun geomtohae bosyeosseoyo?
Then I'll try to contact the manager again this afternoon. And have you had a chance to look over my revised design?
Jiseon
네, 봤어요. 전체적으로 깔끔하고 좋은 것 같아요. 다만 글씨가 조금 작은 것 같아서, 제목을 좀 더 크게 하면 좋을 것 같아요.
Ne, bwasseoyo. Jeonchejeogeuro kkalkkeumhago joeun geot gatayo. Daman geulssiga jogeum jageun geot gataseo, jemogeul jom deo keuge hamyeon joeul geot gatayo.
Yes, I have. On the whole it looks clean and good. The only thing is, the lettering seems a little small, so it might be good to make the title a bit bigger.
Minjae
아, 저도 그 부분은 고민이 되기는 했어요. 바로 수정하겠습니다. 그런데 혹시 마감을 하루만 미룰 수 있을까요? 다른 보고서도 목요일까지 내야 해서요.
A, jeodo geu bubuneun gomini doegineun haesseoyo. Baro sujeonghagetseumnida. Geureonde hoksi magameul haruman mirul su isseulkkayo? Dareun bogoseodo mogyoilkkaji naeya haeseoyo.
Ah, I did have my doubts about that part too. I'll fix it right away. But could we possibly push the deadline back by just one day? I've also got another report to hand in by Thursday.
Jiseon
음, 마감은 제가 결정할 수 있는 게 아니라서 부장님께 여쭤봐야 돼요. 그럼 이렇게 해요. 제가 보고서 정리를 도와주는 대신에, 민재 씨는 디자인 수정을 오늘 안에 끝내 줄래요?
Eum, magameun jega gyeoljeonghal su inneun ge aniraseo bujangnimkke yeojjwobwaya dwaeyo. Geureom ireoke haeyo. Jega bogoseo jeongnireul dowajuneun daesine, Minjae ssineun dijain sujeongeul oneul ane kkeunnae jullaeyo?
Hmm, the deadline isn't something I can decide, so I'll have to ask the director. So let's do this: I'll help you put the report together, and in return, could you finish the changes to the design today?
Minjae
좋아요. 디자인은 오늘 퇴근 전까지 꼭 끝낼게요. 부장님께는 팀장님이 말씀드려 주시는 거죠?
Joayo. Dijaineun oneul toegeun jeonkkaji kkok kkeunnaelgeyo. Bujangnimkkeneun timjangnimi malsseumdeuryeo jusineun geojyo?
Deal. I'll definitely finish the design before I leave today. And you'll be the one to tell the director, right?
Jiseon
부장님, 잠깐 말씀드릴 게 있습니다. 한빛식품 광고 말인데요, 거래처에서 아직 피드백이 없어서 일정이 조금 늦어지고 있습니다.
Bujangnim, jamkkan malsseumdeuril ge itseumnida. Hanbitsikpum gwanggo marindeyo, georaecheoeseo ajik pideubaegi eopseoseo iljeongi jogeum neujeojigo itseumnida.
Director, there's something I need to tell you. It's about the Hanbit Foods advert: the client still hasn't given us any feedback, so we're falling a little behind schedule.
Director Lee
그래요? 그쪽도 요즘 많이 바쁜가 보네요. 마침 내일 그쪽 사장님을 뵙기로 했으니까, 제가 직접 말씀드려 볼게요.
Geuraeyo? Geujjokdo yojeum mani bappeunga boneyo. Machim naeil geujjok sajangnimeul boepgiro haesseunikka, jega jikjeop malsseumdeuryeo bolgeyo.
Really? They must be very busy at the moment too. As it happens, I'm meeting their CEO tomorrow, so I'll mention it to him myself.
Jiseon
감사합니다. 그리고 제안이 하나 있는데요, 디자인 마감을 다음 주 월요일로 미루면 어떨까요? 그 대신 금요일까지 수정한 디자인을 먼저 보여 드리겠습니다.
Gamsahamnida. Geurigo jeani hana inneundeyo, dijain magameul daeum ju woryoillo mirumyeon eotteolkkayo? Geu daesin geumyoilkkaji sujeonghan dijaineul meonjeo boyeo deurigetseumnida.
Thank you. And I have a suggestion: how about moving the design deadline to next Monday? In return, we'll show you the revised design first, by Friday.
Director Lee
좋아요, 그렇게 하세요. 보고서도 다 되면 저한테 먼저 보내 주세요. 두 분 다 수고 많았어요.
Joayo, geureoke haseyo. Bogoseodo da doemyeon jeohante meonjeo bonae juseyo. Du bun da sugo manasseoyo.
Fine, do that. And when the report is done, send it to me first. Thank you both for your hard work.
Understand
Honorifics: raising them, lowering yourself
Korean shows respect in two directions. Honorific forms raise the person you talk about: -(으)시- (-(eu)si-) in the verb, (kkeseo) instead of 이 / 가 (i / ga), (kkeseoneun) instead of 은 / 는 (eun / neun), and (kke) instead of (hante), to. Humble forms lower yourself when your action goes towards someone you respect: you (deurida) instead of (juda), you (yeojjwoboda) instead of (mureoboda), you (boepda) instead of (mannada). (jeohui) is the humble “we”, for your team or company when you speak to outsiders or superiors.
Both can be in one sentence: (bujangnimkkeneun timjangnimi malsseumdeuryeo jusineun geojyo?), you'll tell the director, right? Minjae is humble towards the director, (malsseumdeuryeo), and respectful to his team leader, (jusineun). Some nouns also have honorific forms: (seongham) for (ireum), name; (yeonse) for (nai), age; (daek) for (jip), home; (malsseum) for (mal), words.
In shops and cafés you'll hear (keopi naosyeotseumnida), your coffee is ready. This is very common, but it's wrong: -시- honours the coffee, not the customer. The correct form is (keopi nawatseumnida). Use -시- only for people.
| Plain | Honorific (about them) | Humble (your action towards them) |
|---|---|---|
| (itda), to be | (gyesida) | — |
| (meokda), to eat | (deusida) | — |
| (malhada), to say | (malsseumhasida) | (malsseumdeurida) |
| (juda), to give | (jusida) | (deurida) |
| (mureoboda), to ask | (mureobosida) | (yeojjwoboda) |
| (mannada), to meet | (mannasida) | (boepda) |
| (deryeogada), to take along | — | (mosigo gada) |
- 사장님께서 회의실에 계십니다.Sajangnimkkeseo hoeuisire gyesimnida.The CEO is in the meeting room.
- 할머니께 꽃을 드렸어요.Halmeonikke kkocheul deuryeosseoyo.I gave my grandmother flowers.
- 내일 오전에 찾아뵙겠습니다.Naeil ojeone chajaboepgetseumnida.I'll come and see you tomorrow morning.
Soft feedback and deals
Direct criticism sounds harsh in Korean, especially at work. Wrap it in -(으)ㄴ / -는 것 같아요 (-(eu)n / -neun geot gatayo), it seems: (geulssiga jogeum jageun geot gatayo), the lettering seems a little small. Turn orders into suggestions with -(으)면 좋을 것 같아요 (-(eu)myeon joeul geot gatayo), it would be good if … Praise first with (jeonchejeogeuro), on the whole, then add the problem with (daman), the only thing is. When you receive criticism, -기는 했어요 (-gineun haesseoyo) admits the point gracefully: (jeodo gomini doegineun haesseoyo), I did wonder about that too.
(daesin) means “instead of” after a noun: (keopi daesin cha), tea instead of coffee. After a verb, -는 대신(에) (-neun daesin(e)) means “instead of doing” or, when you negotiate, “in return for”: (jega dowajuneun daesine), in return for my help. (geu daesin) starts a new sentence: in return, …
| Direct | Softer |
|---|---|
| (Jemogi jagayo.) | (Jemogi jom jageun geot gatayo.) |
| (Keuge haseyo.) | (Keuge hamyeon joeul geot gatayo.) |
| (Igeon byeolloyeyo.) | … (Jokineun handeyo, daman …) |
| (Magameul mirwo juseyo.) | (Hoksi magameul mirul su isseulkkayo?) |
It seems …: -나 보다
-나 보다 (-na boda) is a guess based on something you've seen or heard: (bappeusinga bwayo), he must be busy (he hasn't answered for a week). Verbs and / (itda / eopda) take -나 봐요 (-na bwayo), in the past -았 / -었나 봐요 (-an / -eonna bwayo); adjectives take -(으)ㄴ가 봐요 (-(eu)nga bwayo), and nouns 인가 봐요 (inga bwayo). In everyday speech you'll also hear -나 봐요 after adjectives.
Unlike -(으)ㄴ / -는 것 같아요 (-(eu)n / -neun geot gatayo), -나 보다 is not for your own opinions, only for what you conclude from evidence. About yourself, it's for something you've only just realised: (jega mani pigonhaenna bwayo), I must have been really tired.
| Word | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| verb | -나 봐요 (-na bwayo) | (hoeuihana bwayo), they must be in a meeting |
| verb, past | -았 / -었나 봐요 (-an / -eonna bwayo) | (toegeunhaenna bwayo), he must have gone home |
| / (itda / eopda) | -나 봐요 (-na bwayo) | (jibe eomna bwayo), she can't be at home |
| adjective | -(으)ㄴ가 봐요 (-(eu)nga bwayo) | (bappeunga bwayo), they must be busy |
| noun | 인가 봐요 (inga bwayo) | (hyugainga bwayo), he must be on holiday |
More in the grammar: Honorifics: -(으)시-, 께서, 드리다 · Guesses: -(으)ㄹ 것 같다, -겠-, -나 보다
New words
- 거래처georaecheoclient, business partner · a company you do business with; (ajik dabi eopseoyo), there's no answer (, dap) yet
- 마감magamdeadline · (magami eonjeyeyo?), when's the deadline?
- 일정iljeongschedule · (iljeongeul matchuda), to keep to the schedule
- 팀장님timjangnimteam leader · used instead of a name: title + (nim)
- 수정하다sujeonghadato revise, to correct · (sujeonghan dijain), the revised design; (kkalkkeumhada), to be neat, clean; (bubun), part
- 검토하다geomtohadato review, to look over · (geomtohae bosyeosseoyo?), have you had a look?
- 미루다mirudato put off, to postpone · (haru miruda), to put off by a day
- 보고서bogoseoreport (document) · (bogohada), to report; (bogoseo jeongni), putting a report together; (kkeunnaeda), to finish (something)
- 여쭤보다yeojjwobodato ask (someone you respect) · humble form of (mureoboda)
- 부장님bujangnimdirector, head of department · above (gwajangnim), manager, and (timjangnim)
- 대신daesininstead; in return · (keopi daesin), instead of coffee; -는 대신에 (-neun daesine)
- 말씀드리다malsseumdeuridato tell, to say (to someone you respect) · humble form of (malhada); (machim), as it happens; (jikjeop), in person, myself
- 피드백pideubaekfeedback · (pideubaegeul juda), to give feedback; (gwanggo), advert; (gwanggo hoesa), advertising agency
- 제안jeansuggestion, proposal · (jeanhada), to suggest
Practise
1.You want to say “I'll tell the director”. Which sentence is correct?
2.You work in a café. Which sentence is correct Korean?
3.Jiseon can't decide alone. Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.I think I'll have to ask the director.
4.Match the Korean with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
5.The lights in Minjae's office are off and his bag has gone. What do you say?
6.Your colleague's presentation has too much text. Which comment is the most tactful?
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
부장님, 잠깐 말씀드릴 게 있습니다.
Bujangnim, jamkkan malsseumdeuril ge itseumnida.
Director, there's something I need to tell you.
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.