Korean Phone Conversations: Key Phrases

Phone calls remove facial expressions and gestures, so clear openings, identification, confirmation, and closing phrases matter. Korean calls also use one greeting that beginners should keep separate from face-to-face speech: 여보세요.

Answering the phone

For an ordinary personal call, begin with:

여보세요? (yeoboseyo?)

여보세요 is used when answering or establishing an ordinary phone connection. It is not a normal face-to-face greeting. In person, the everyday polite default is 안녕하세요.

Business lines may answer with the company or department name instead of only 여보세요. The key is to identify the organization or speaker clearly rather than treating one formula as universal in every call.

Study 여보세요 with examples and a short dialogue.

Identify yourself early

After the connection is established, say who you are or confirm who answered:

• 저 에릭인데요. — This is Erik.
• 민지 씨 맞으세요? — Is this Minji?
• 민지 씨 계세요? — Is Minji there?
• 민지 씨 좀 바꿔 주세요. — Could you put Minji on?

Using -인데요 introduces yourself while leaving room for the other person to respond. On a formal business call, add your company, team, or reason for calling.

Check whether now is a good time

A considerate caller can ask:

• 지금 통화 괜찮으세요? — Is now a good time to talk?
• 지금 잠깐 시간 있으세요? — Do you have a moment now?
• 나중에 다시 전화할까요? — Shall I call again later?

This is especially useful when the call was not scheduled.

Catching up

• 요즘 잘 지내요? — How have you been lately?
• 오랜만이에요. — It has been a while.
• 바빴어요? — Have you been busy?
• 저도 잘 지냈어요. — I have been well too.

Keep the same speech level through the exchange. A call conducted in 해요체 should not suddenly close with casual 안녕 unless both speakers already use 반말 together.

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?
• 12시 어때요? — How about twelve?

The proposal ending -(으)ㄹ까요? invites the other person into the decision rather than simply announcing a plan.

Explaining why you missed a call

The cause-and-result pattern -아서/어서 is common in phone contexts:

• 바빠서 전화를 못 받았어요. — I was busy, so I could not answer.
• 회의 중이어서 전화를 못 받았어요. — I was in a meeting, so I could not answer.
• 늦게 전화해서 죄송해요. — I am sorry for calling late.

Confirming shared information

The ending -지요 / -죠 can check or confirm something both speakers are expected to know:

• 내일 만나죠? — We are meeting tomorrow, right?
• 강남역에서 보죠? — We are meeting at Gangnam Station, right?
• 제가 다시 전화하면 되죠? — I should call again, right?

A natural phone-call flow

A: 여보세요? — Hello?

B: 여보세요. 저 지영인데요. 민수 씨 맞으세요? — Hello. This is Jiyoung. Is this Minsu?

A: 네, 맞아요. 지영 씨, 오랜만이에요. — Yes, it is. Jiyoung, long time no see.

B: 그러게요. 잘 지냈어요? — I know. Have you been well?

A: 네, 잘 지냈어요. 지영 씨는요? — Yes, I have. How about you?

B: 저도요. 이번 토요일에 시간 있어요? 같이 점심 먹을까요? — Me too. Are you free this Saturday? Shall we have lunch together?

A: 좋아요. 몇 시에 만날까요? — Sounds good. What time shall we meet?

B: 12시 어때요? — How about twelve?

A: 좋아요. 강남역에서 봐요. — Good. See you at Gangnam Station.

B: 네, 토요일에 봐요. 그럼 끊을게요. — Okay, see you Saturday. I will hang up now.

A: 네, 감사합니다. — Okay, thank you.

Connection and repair phrases

Closing the call

Useful polite closings include:

• 네, 알겠습니다. — Okay, I understand.
• 그럼 토요일에 봐요. — Then I will see you Saturday.
• 나중에 다시 전화할게요. — I will call again later.
• 그럼 끊을게요. — I will hang up now.
• 전화해 주셔서 감사합니다. — Thank you for calling.

Close at the same speech level used throughout the conversation.

Practice on Chamelingo

First, compare 여보세요 and 안녕하세요. Then use the phone-greeting practice to choose the opener, identify the caller, and continue a short call.

You can also review time and plan-making vocabulary before practicing longer Unit 12 dialogues with audio, ordering, completion, and response-selection exercises.