Korean Beginner Phrases with Audio and Printable Practice: Your First Conversation Kit
Learn a polite Korean first-conversation kit: greet, introduce yourself, say you're learning Korean, ask for repetition, and thank someone. Includes Hangul, Revised Romanization, audio-ready lines, and printable practice for saving as a PDF.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
This lesson gives you a small, coherent Korean kit for a first conversation. You will greet someone, introduce yourself without name placeholders, say you are learning Korean, ask for repetition, and thank them. Korean has polite speech levels; for a first meeting with staff or a new acquaintance, the polite -yo style is a safe default. You will see Hangul with Revised Romanization, and each line is speakable as-is. Use the practice items to check recall, then print or save the page as a PDF for offline review.
By the end, you can…
- greet someone politely and introduce myself in Korean without using a name placeholder.
- say I am learning Korean, ask someone to repeat, and thank them politely.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
안녕하세요.
Hello. / Good day.
an-nyeong-ha-se-yo
The standard polite greeting for most first meetings and service situations. It works at any time of day.
저는 학생이에요.
I am a student.
jeo-neun hak-saeng-i-e-yo
A complete self-introduction. Replace 학생 with another role only if you actually hold it, for example 저는 회사원이에요 (I am an office worker).
저는 한국어를 배워요.
I am learning Korean.
jeo-neun han-gu-geo-reul bae-wo-yo
Use this to explain why your Korean is limited. It is polite and natural in conversation with staff or new acquaintances.
다시 말해 주세요.
Please say that again.
da-si mal-hae ju-se-yo
A direct but polite request when you did not catch what someone said. It asks for repetition, not for slower speech.
감사합니다.
Thank you.
gam-sa-ham-ni-da
The most common polite thanks. It is appropriate with staff, teachers, and people you have just met.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The polite -yo ending makes a sentence suitable for a first conversation. 저는 한국어를 배워요 (I am learning Korean) ends in -yo, and so does 저는 학생이에요 (I am a student). The subject marker 는 (neun) attaches to 저 (jeo, I) in these sentences. The object marker 를 (reul) attaches to 한국어 (Korean language). You do not need to change the verb for different people in this polite style, so the same form works when you speak to a staff member or a new friend. To ask a yes-or-no question politely, you can usually raise your intonation at the end: 한국어를 배워요? (Are you learning Korean?).
When to use it
Use 안녕하세요 when you first approach someone or enter a small shop. Use 저는 학생이에요 or another real role to introduce yourself; do not insert a placeholder name. If you need a name, say 제 이름은 민수예요 (My name is Minsu) with a real name. Use 저는 한국어를 배워요 to set expectations before asking for help. If you miss something, say 다시 말해 주세요 rather than repeating the same question louder. Finish with 감사합니다 when the exchange ends. These lines are polite and safe in most public and service situations, though very formal settings may use different titles and honorifics.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
안녕하세요.
Hello.an-nyeong-ha-se-yo안녕하세요. 무엇을 도와드릴까요?
Hello. How can I help you?an-nyeong-ha-se-yo. mu-eo-seul do-wa-deu-ril-kka-yo?저는 한국어를 배워요. 다시 말해 주세요.
I am learning Korean. Please say that again.jeo-neun han-gu-geo-reul bae-wo-yo. da-si mal-hae ju-se-yo.네, 천천히 말할게요.
Okay, I will speak slowly.ne, cheon-cheon-hi mal-hal-ge-yo.A little context goes a long way
Korean politeness is built into verb endings and some nouns, not just into please and thank you. The -yo style you learn here is polite and widely usable, but it is not the most formal level. In very formal settings, people may use different endings and honorific titles. When you are unsure, keep your sentences short, use -yo, and show that you are trying. Staff may switch to English to be helpful; you can still continue in Korean if you prefer.
One thing to watch for
Dropping the polite ending when asking a new acquaintance to repeat something.
Try this instead: Use 다시 말해 주세요 for a polite request. 다시 말해 is familiar speech and can sound too casual with someone you have just met. Both 저는 한국어를 배워요 and 저는 한국어를 배우고 있어요 naturally describe learning Korean; the latter can describe an ongoing course of study, not only this exact moment.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1You did not catch what a staff member said. Which phrase do you use to ask them to repeat it?
Show a sample answer
다시 말해 주세요.
This is the polite request for repetition. You could also say 다시 한번 말해 주세요 (Please say it one more time), which is also correct and slightly more explicit.
2Introduce yourself as a student in polite Korean without using a name placeholder.
Show a sample answer
저는 학생이에요.
This sentence uses 저는 (I) plus 학생 (student) plus the polite ending 이에요. If your real role is different, replace 학생 with that role, for example 저는 회사원이에요.
3Say that you are learning Korean, using the polite present form.
Show a sample answer
저는 한국어를 배워요.
저는 한국어를 배워요 is a natural polite statement. 저는 한국어를 배우고 있어요 is also natural for ongoing learning, including a course of study over time; it is not restricted to activity at this exact moment.
Keep this five-line kit ready: 안녕하세요, 저는 학생이에요, 저는 한국어를 배워요, 다시 말해 주세요, 감사합니다. Print or save the page as a PDF and practice the lines aloud until they feel natural.
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