Chapter 1 - Introduction in Korean (인사)

January 10, 2025

Chapter 1 - Introduction in Korean (인사)

01. 안녕하십니까?

In the last blog posts, we have learned all the basic Korean consonants, vowels, etc... and how to pronounce them step by step. Now it's time to start learning how to speak Korean from very basic; "Introduction". You might already know the word "안녕하십니까/ 안녕하세요?", yes let's start learning by started speaking it. I've created some characters speaking dialogues so you can learn Korean phrases more easly.

이름 부르기 (How to call names)

- 이시영 선생님, 이 선생님 (Teacher Lee Si Young, Teacher Lee)
- 김이수 씨 . 이수 씨 (Kim Lee Soo-shi, Lee Soo-shi)

When to use 씨(shi)?

In Korea when you call someone's name whom you meet for the first time and you are not sure whether he or shi is older than you or not, at that time you call his or her name by adding 씨(shi) at the end of the name.

So...what about -님 (nim)?

To understand more easily, let's say '님' is the honorific form of '씨'. When you call someone who is older than you or who is a senior at work, you have to use '님' instead of '씨'.

For Example:

선생님 - Teacher
요리사님 - Chef

Practice Grammer (문법 연습)

- 입니다

If you have always been into Korean Language, you might probably have noticed there are 2 different forms of speaking. Which are Honorific and Formal forms. For the Hornorific form, there are 2 different forms to use which are " 입니다/ 습니다. and - 이에요/ 예요".

"입니다/ 습니다." is mostly used for elderly people, meaning you have to use that form to anyone older than you.

For "- 이에요/ 예요", this form is not a 100% Hornorific form yet it is also not an informal form.

You can use it when you speak to someone for the 1st time -> someone who looks slightly younger or when you are not sure whether the person whom you are talking to is older than you or not.

If you are a foreigner who just started learning Korean, I suggest to use "- 이에요/ 예요" when you speak to anybody in Korea. Most of the international students in Korea always try their best so they try to speak in Hornoric form, It is so confusing for fresher international students, and that always leads them to speak in informal (반말) form.

Actually, it is so rude to use Korean when you meet them for the first time. Most of the time, they are kind and try to understand. When there is a good person, there is also a bad person. It is rare to see someone who gets angry just because a foreigner speaks in an informal form.

First, we are going to learn how to use - 입니다 grammar.

What is " -입니다 "?

'이다' is attached to the end of a noun to make the noun function like a verb, is used to express the identity or state of a subject, or to designate an object. '입니다' is used to politely speak to the listener.

이것은 제 연필입니다. This is my pencil.
저기가 우리 학교입니다. That is my school.
그분은 가수입니다. That person is a singer.

What is " 은/는 "?

This particle is used with a noun to denote the topic or theme of a sentence. When the noun ends in a consonant, use ' -은 '. When the noun ends in vowel, use ' -는 '.