First Encounter (Part II)

First time meeting part II: Vocabulary

[E] = English
[R] = Romanization
[H] = Hangul

• I'm xxx [E] -- jeo-neun xxx-imnida [R] -- 저는 xxx입니다 [H]
• Pleasure to meet/see you [E] -- bangapseumnida [R] -- 반갑습니다 [H]

Using Them

jeo-neun xxx-imnida(저는  xxx입니다)
When you meet someone, you will have to introduce yourself, and that's for sure. jeo(저) basically has the meaning of "I". And imnida(입니다) basically has the meaning of "am". Literally, the phrase means: I (name) am. Which in the form of English, means I am (name)

E.g.
[H] -- 안녕하세요. 저는 킴한수입니다.
[R] -- annyeong haseyo. jeo-neun Kim HanSu-imnida.
[E] -- Hello. I am Kim HanSu.

Formula: jeo-neun [name]-imnida (저는 [name]-입니다)

Note: 

When you want to tell someone your name, it's up to you to decide. For example, your name is Lyn Lee JungSoo, if you want the person you are meeting to call you Lyn will do, then just say jeo-neun Lyn-imnida (저는 Lyn-입니다). So whatever you want the person to address you, just say that name will do. It's just like saying I am Lyn. So don't worry if there is a standard to this.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

bangapseumnida(반갑습니다)
When you are meeting someone for the first time, you can say bangapseumnida(반갑습니다). However, as bangapseumnida(반갑습니다) means "pleasure/happy to see", you can also use this even though you are not meeting someone for the first time. In order words, you can say this when you saw your friend, probably someone whom you have not seen for quite some time. In English, it would be "It's good to see you".

Note:

The Level Of Politeness

[D] = Dictionary Form

[S] = Standard

[I] = Intimate

1. 반갑다 [H] -- bangapda [R] -- [D]
   
2. 반가워요 [H] -- bangawoyo [R] -- [S]
   
3. 반가워 [H] -- bangawo [R] -- [I]
   

 

First Encounter (Part I)

First time meeting part I: Vocabulary

[E] = English
[R] = Romanization
[H] = Hangul

• Excuse me [E] --- jeogiyo [R] --- 저기요 [H]
• Mr. / Ms. / Mrs. [E] --- ssi [R] --- 씨 [H]
• Hello. [E] --- annyeonghaseyo [R] --- 안녕하세요 [H]
• Nice to meet you. How do you do? [E] --- cheom boepgesseumnida [R] --- 처음 뵘겠슴니다 [H]

Using Them

ssi(씨)
When using ssi(씨), always put the name in front. E.g. the name of the person you are meeting is called Kim HanSu, then it would be Kim HanSu ssi(김한수씨) -- more respectful / HanSu ssi (한수씨) -- respectful.

Formula: [name] + ssi(씨)

Note: 
If you are not in causal terms with the other party, ssi(씨) is still expected. Even though the friend would be someone you have known for a long time. ssi(씨) is a honorific suffix. It can be used to respect anybody, unisex, and no age limit. It is only for the other party, not for ourselves. We do not address ourselves as [name]ssi.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

annyeonghaseyo(안녕하세요)

When you are greeting the person, do not wave your hands! When saying annyeonghaseyo(안녕하세요), accompany it with a bow, a nod of the head is expected. When you are doing a business, a handshake would also be expected sometimes. These two aspect are very important in the Korean Society.

However, if you are meeting a close friend, or someone not for the first time, and you want to say Hi! causally, you need not say annyeonghaseyo(안녕하세요). You can just say annyeong(안녕).

Formula: annyeonghaseyo(안녕하세요) + a bow/ a nod of the head/ handshake

Note: 

annyeong(안녕) = Hi! / See Ya!

In Korean, they are very specific about the level of politeness. Meeting for the first time, it would be best to say annyeonghaseyo(안녕하세요) instead of annyeong(안녕). And as you can see from the above, I said that annyeong(안녕) is also See Ya!. But please note that it is said in a causal way.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

cheom boepgesseumnida(처음 뵙겠슴니다)
When meeting someone for the first time, you will need to say this. This phrase literally means "I'm meeting you for the first time." However, this is just like the English form of saying "Nice to meet you."

E.g.
[H] -- 안녕하세요. 처음 뵙겠슴니다.
[R] -- annyeonghaseyo. cheom boepgesseumnida.
[E] -- Hello. Nice to meet you. 

Formula: annyeonghaseyo(안녕하세요) + cheom boepgesseumnida(처음 뵙겠슴니다)

Note:
You only need to use cheom boepgesseumnida(처음 뵙겠슴니다)  when you are meeting for the first time. If you are meeting for the second time, you do not need to say it again.