반말 too early
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반말 drops polite 요: 가, 뭐 해?
Safe path: stay in 해요체 until the other person invites lower speech or you are clearly equals/close.
Age, workplace rank, and setting matter more than English “friendliness.”
Mistake: 반말 on day one of language exchange with an older partner.
Level: beginner. Read both sides of the contrast, say the examples out loud, then write one correct and one incorrect sentence and fix it.
Cross-link: open the related grammar or tools page the same day so the fix sticks in your study graph.
Examples
말 놔도 돼요?
Is it okay if we speak casually?
편하게 말해요.
Speak comfortably. (often an invitation)
Common mistakes
- Translating the English pair word-for-word without checking which Korean form carries the real distinction.
- Treating the two forms as free synonyms after memorizing only one example.
Keep learning
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Repair the pattern with corrected examples, then reinforce the right form through short review and speaking practice.
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