· 7 lists · 279 words
Greetings, politeness and conversation
The set phrases, the reactions that keep a conversation going, and the words that show respect.
What holds these lists together
Korean politeness lives in the grammar and in the dictionary at the same time. The ending of every sentence shows how you stand with the listener — 고마워요 to most people you meet, 감사합니다 in a shop, an office or a speech, and a bare 고마워 only among friends. On top of that, some everyday words have a respectful twin used for an older or senior person: a grandmother does not 먹다, she 드시다, and she does not 자다, she 주무시다. Many of the set phrases make no sense word for word and are said at a particular moment: 잘 먹겠습니다 before a meal someone has made or paid for, 수고하셨습니다 to somebody who has finished a piece of work. The reactions — 그렇군요, 아이고, 글쎄요 — are learnt whole, as they are said, and the lists climb from the first hello to explaining, persuading and choosing words with care.
The seven lists
Spread across the levels
The category runs across the levels — it is an area, not a difficulty. If you practise it, you can also choose a level at the top of the practice page and then get only the part that sits there.
| Level | Words | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 79 | 28 % |
| 2 | 88 | 32 % |
| 3 | 75 | 27 % |
| 4 | 37 | 13 % |
Practise this category
Multiple choice and gaps, across all seven lists and all 279 words. Whatever you get wrong comes back tomorrow.