Lesson 9. All About Greetings

Chapter 2. Survival Korean · Week 2 · Prerequisites: Lessons 1–8 (all of Hangul) · Est. time: ~30 min (review included)

Learning Objectives

• Greet and say goodbye appropriately for the situation
• Distinguish 안녕히 가세요 ("go" goodbye) from 안녕히 계세요 ("stay" goodbye)
• Give and respond to thanks and apologies
• Understand the basic mindset of polite speech

Warm-up Review

• What is the actual pronunciation of 감사합니다? (→ [감사함니다] — nasalization)
• Read 어서 오세요 aloud. Where would you hear this phrase? (→ It's the greeting shops use when you walk in)

Main Lesson

Starting with Chapter 2, the strategy changes. We set grammar theory aside for now and lead with "chunks" — whole phrases you memorize and use immediately. The grammar behind them comes later.

1. When you meet

안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo) is the all-purpose greeting you can use any time of day. Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening are all covered by this one phrase.

When meeting someone for the first time, follow up with: 만나서 반갑습니다 [반갑씀니다] (mannaseo bangapseumnida) — Nice to meet you.

Adding a light bow of the head (a slight nod forward) makes it feel much more natural.

2. Saying goodbye — the key distinction

Korean has two "goodbyes," and the choice depends entirely on who is leaving and who is staying.

Situation	Expression	Literal meaning
The other person is leaving (they go)	안녕히 가세요	"Go peacefully"
The other person is staying (they stay)	안녕히 계세요	"Stay peacefully"

Memory tip: 가세요 comes from 가다 (gada, "to go"); 계세요 comes from 계시다 (gyesida), the honorific form of 있다 (itda, "to stay/be"). Leaving a cafe: the customer (the one leaving) says "안녕히 계세요!" while the clerk (the one staying) says "안녕히 가세요!" If both people are leaving — say, parting ways on the street — both say 안녕히 가세요.

3. Thanks and apologies

• 감사합니다 [감사함니다] (gamsahamnida) / 고맙습니다 [고맙씀니다] (gomapseumnida) — both mean "thank you," with almost no difference in meaning. 감사합니다 is slightly more formal.
• 죄송합니다 [죄송함니다] (joesonghamnida) — I'm sorry (polite). / 미안해요 (mianhaeyo) — sorry (a bit lighter).
• 괜찮아요 [괜차나요] (gwaenchanayo) — It's okay / No problem. It works both as a reply to an apology and as a soft way to decline something ("no thanks, I'm fine").
• How do you respond to a thank-you? In Korean, people commonly say 네 (ne) or 아니에요 (anieyo, literally "it's nothing").

4. The polite-speech mindset

• Sentences ending in -요 (-yo) or -습니다 (-seumnida) are polite speech. With strangers, in shops, and with anyone older than you, always use polite speech.
• Casual speech (반말, banmal) is only for close friends. At this stage, if you stick to polite speech, you can never go wrong.

Common Mistakes

1. Saying "안녕히 계세요" to the person who is leaving — that's backwards! To the one leaving, say 가세요.
2. Saying "안녕하세요" when parting — 안녕하세요 is only for meeting. When parting, use 안녕히 가세요/계세요.
3. Freezing up trying to translate "You're welcome" literally — a simple 아니에요 is all you need.
4. Pronunciation: reading 감사합니다 letter by letter as [합니다] — it's actually [함니다] (nasalization, Lesson 8).

Key Expressions & Vocabulary

Korean	Pronunciation	English
안녕하세요	annyeonghaseyo	Hello (any time of day)
만나서 반갑습니다	[반갑씀니다] mannaseo bangapseumnida	Nice to meet you
안녕히 가세요	annyeonghi gaseyo	Goodbye (to the one leaving)
안녕히 계세요	[계세요/게세요] annyeonghi gyeseyo	Goodbye (to the one staying)
감사합니다	[감사함니다] gamsahamnida	Thank you (formal)
고맙습니다	[고맙씀니다] gomapseumnida	Thank you
죄송합니다	[죄송함니다] joesonghamnida	I'm sorry (polite)
미안해요	mianhaeyo	Sorry (casual-polite)
괜찮아요	[괜차나요] gwaenchanayo	It's okay / No problem
어서 오세요	eoseo oseyo	Welcome (shop greeting)
네 / 아니요	ne / aniyo	Yes / No

Examples & Dialogue

Dialogue 1 — First meeting

A: 안녕하세요! annyeonghaseyo! Hello! B: 네, 안녕하세요. 만나서 반갑습니다. ne, annyeonghaseyo. mannaseo bangapseumnida. Hello. Nice to meet you.

Dialogue 2 — Leaving a cafe

Customer: 감사합니다. 안녕히 계세요! gamsahamnida. annyeonghi gyeseyo! Thank you. Goodbye (you're staying)! Clerk: 안녕히 가세요! annyeonghi gaseyo! Goodbye (you're leaving)!

Dialogue 3 — Apology

A: 아, 죄송합니다! a, joesonghamnida! Oh, I'm sorry! B: 괜찮아요. gwaenchanayo. It's okay.

Practice

A. Choose the right greeting

1. You visited a friend's house and now you are leaving. To your friend: (가세요 / 계세요)?
2. A friend visited your house and is now leaving. To your friend: (가세요 / 계세요)?
3. You ran into a friend on the street and now both of you are leaving. To each other: (가세요 / 계세요)?
4. It's 9 a.m. and you run into your teacher. What's your first word?

B. How do you respond? 5. "감사합니다!" — Give one natural reply. 6. "죄송합니다!" — Your reply? 7. You walk into a shop and the clerk says "어서 오세요!" What does it mean?

C. Write the real pronunciation 8. 감사합니다 → [ ? ] 9. 괜찮아요 → [ ? ] 10. 반갑습니다 → [ ? ]

Mission

Situation-card role play — Imagine you've drawn three situation cards. Say the appropriate greeting for each out loud and record yourself.

1. Card 1: You walk into a cafe and the clerk greets you. Greet them back.
2. Card 2: Class is over and you're parting from your teacher (who is staying).
3. Card 3: You accidentally step on someone's foot on the subway. Apologize, and act out the other person's reply too.

Say at least two sentences per card, and practice the slight bow along with them — that's a pass.

Coming Up Next

Lesson 10: Introducing yourself — "저는 ___예요/이에요." What comes right after the greeting: your name, nationality, and job in three sentences.

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Show Answer Key

A. 1. 안녕히 계세요 (your friend is staying) 2. 안녕히 가세요 (your friend is leaving) 3. Both say "안녕히 가세요" 4. 안녕하세요 (the all-purpose greeting, regardless of time of day) B. 5. 네 / 아니에요 6. 괜찮아요 7. "Welcome" — the shop-entrance greeting. A light nod or a simple "네" is plenty as a reply C. 8. [감사함니다] (nasalization) 9. [괜차나요] (liaison) 10. [반갑씀니다] (tensification + nasalization)