Korean Phone Conversations

Phone calls are harder than face-to-face conversation in any language — you can't see facial expressions or gestures. Chapter 12 covers phone conversation patterns, which follow specific cultural conventions in Korean.

Answering the Phone

The universal Korean phone greeting:

여보세요? (yeoboseyo?)

This is only used on the phone. Never say 여보세요 in person. It comes from 여기 보세요 (look here) and is uniquely reserved for phone calls.

Common Phone Patterns

Asking to Speak to Someone

• [Name] 씨 있어요? — Is [Name] there?
• [Name] 씨 좀 바꿔 주세요 — Could you put [Name] on?
• 저 [Your Name]인데요 — This is [Your Name]

Catching Up

• 요즘 잘 지내요? — How have you been lately?
• 요즘 잘 지내지요? — You've been well, right? (expecting yes)
• 오랜만이에요 — It's been a while
• 바빴어요? — Have you been busy?

Making Plans

• 이번 주말에 시간 있어요? — Do you have time this weekend?
• 토요일에 같이 밥 먹을까요? — Shall we eat together on Saturday?
• 몇 시에 만날까요? — What time shall we meet?
• 어디에서 만날까요? — Where shall we meet?

Grammar: -아서/어서 for Reasons

Chapter 12 reinforces the cause-effect pattern in phone contexts:

• 약속이 있어서 못 갔어요 (I had plans so I couldn't go)
• 바빠서 전화를 못 받았어요 (I was busy so I couldn't answer)
• 늦어서 죄송해요 (I'm late so I'm sorry)

Grammar: -지요 / -죠 (Confirmation)

This ending seeks agreement or confirms shared knowledge:

• 요즘 잘 지내지요? (You've been well, right?)
• 내일 만나죠? (We're meeting tomorrow, right?)
• 맛있죠? (It's delicious, isn't it?)

Phone Call Flow

A typical Korean phone call follows this structure:

A: 여보세요? (Hello?)

B: 여보세요, 민수 씨? 저 지영이에요. (Hello, Minsu? This is Jiyoung.)

A: 아, 지영 씨! 오랜만이에요. 잘 지냈어요? (Oh, Jiyoung! It's been a while. Have you been well?)

B: 네, 잘 지냈어요. 민수 씨는요? (Yes, I've been well. How about you?)

A: 저도 잘 지냈어요. (I've been well too.)

B: 이번 토요일에 시간 있어요? 같이 점심 먹을까요? (Do you have time this Saturday? Shall we have lunch together?)

A: 좋아요! 몇 시에 만날까요? (Sure! What time shall we meet?)

B: 12시 어때요? (How about 12?)

A: 좋아요. 어디에서 만날까요? (Good. Where shall we meet?)

B: 강남역 근처 어때요? (How about near Gangnam Station?)

A: 좋아요! 그러면 토요일에 봐요. (Great! Then see you Saturday.)

B: 네, 토요일에 봐요! 안녕! (Yes, see you Saturday! Bye!)

Useful Phone Phrases

Practice on Chamelingo

Chapter 12 has full phone conversation dialogues with audio — you'll practice both sides of the call through dialogue ordering (arranging lines in correct sequence), dialogue completion (filling in your side of the conversation), and response selection (choosing the appropriate reply). The AI tutor Soyeon is great for phone practice in voice mode — she naturally leads casual phone conversations about making plans, catching up, and the kind of small talk that makes Korean phone calls feel natural.

Brush up on phone-specific expressions, time words, and plan-making phrases in our vocabulary reference so you can handle calls without freezing up.