Basic Responses
Answer yes/no, show whether you understood, ask someone to slow down or repeat, and keep any conversation moving.
Survival responses you'll use constantly
These six words and phrases won't teach you new grammar — they're the glue that keeps any conversation going once you're past introductions. 네 and 아니요 answer yes/no questions, 알겠어요 and 몰라요 respond to what you do or don't understand, and 잠시만요 buys you a moment when you need one. Keep them ready — you'll reach for them constantly, in almost every conversation you have in Korean.
네 means 'yes,' but Koreans also use it as a listening filler — a quick 'mm-hm' dropped in while someone talks, even before you've agreed to anything. Don't be surprised to hear it repeated rapid-fire during a phone call.
The polite 'no.' Shorter, casual versions exist between close friends, but 아니요 is always safe in 해요체.
Say this when someone gives you information or an instruction and you followed it. It's an acknowledgment, not an agreement — you can 알겠어요 something you don't like.
An honest, everyday phrase — not rude. Useful when you're asked something you genuinely can't answer, like directions in a neighborhood you don't know.
Say this when you need a second to think, when you're answering the phone, or when you're squeezing past someone in a crowded space like a subway car. It covers both 'wait a moment' and 'excuse me, coming through.'
Say this any time you didn't catch what someone said. It's arguably the single most useful phrase a beginner can know — it turns every confusing moment into one more chance to understand, instead of a dead end.
A stranger asks something quickly and you need a moment to catch up
Say it out loud
Listen, then repeat aloud. Matching the rhythm matters more than perfection.
You just finished Unit 1!
Put it all together and you can now survive a first meeting in Korean end to end: greet someone, introduce your name and where you're from, thank them or apologize when needed, and keep the conversation moving even when you don't catch every word. That's a real, complete interaction — not just isolated words. Unit 2 moves on to numbers and time, so you'll soon be able to handle prices, ages, and schedules too.