You have read the greetings lesson and you know the phrases on the page, but saying them out loud to a real person is a different skill. This workshop gives you three spoken situations built around the exact phrases from the lesson: 안녕하세요, 처음 뵙겠습니다, 안녕히 가세요, and 안녕히 계세요. You will practise choosing the right goodbye based on who is leaving, introducing yourself after a formal greeting, and handling a casual friend after a polite stranger. Speak every line aloud, even alone in your room, because the mouth needs repetitions the eyes do not.
Before you speak: decide who is leaving
The single most useful preparation for this session is a quick mental check before any goodbye: am I the one walking away, or is the other person? If you are leaving and they are staying, the lesson gives you 안녕히 계세요. If they are leaving and you are staying, it gives you 안녕히 가세요. Say each one aloud several times with that picture in your head, one person stepping out of the room and one person staying behind. Beginners often freeze at the door because they never rehearsed the choice, only the words. Practise the pair back to back so the contrast becomes automatic: 안녕히 계세요 when you go, 안녕히 가세요 when they go. Also warm up 안녕하세요 and 처음 뵙겠습니다 slowly, since the first-meeting phrase is longer and easy to rush.
The harder turn: staying polite while sounding natural
The real challenge in a first meeting is not the greeting itself but the seconds after it. Once you have said 안녕하세요 and 처음 뵙겠습니다, silence can feel awkward, and beginners either repeat the greeting or switch to English. In the lesson dialogue, the polite opening is followed by a name, then by a short exchange that includes a comment about the weather before the goodbye. You can copy that shape: greet, give your name, then offer one short neutral observation or question so the other person has something to answer. The second hard moment is the goodbye when the conversation ends suddenly. If you have not decided who is leaving, you may say the wrong one. Slow down for half a second, check the situation, then speak. A brief pause sounds thoughtful; the wrong goodbye sounds confused.
Listen once, then say the phrase yourself. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Checking available voices…
안녕하세요
Hello / Good day
an-nyeong-ha-se-yo
안녕
Hi / Bye (casual)
an-nyeong
좋은 아침이에요
Good morning
jo-eun a-chim-i-e-yo
안녕히 가세요
Goodbye (to someone leaving)
an-nyeong-hi ga-se-yo
Read one side aloud, then answer in your own words. The goal is to make the exchange yours.
안녕하세요. 처음 뵙겠습니다. 저는 마이클입니다.
Hello. Nice to meet you. I am Michael.안녕하세요, 마이클 씨. 저는 수진입니다. 만나서 반갑습니다.
Hello, Michael. I am Sujin. Nice to meet you.수진 씨, 만나서 반갑습니다. 잘 부탁드립니다.
Sujin, nice to meet you. Please take care of me.네, 잘 부탁드립니다. 오늘 날씨가 좋네요.
Yes, please take care of me too. The weather is nice today.네, 정말 좋네요. 그런데 이제 가봐야 해서요. 안녕히 계세요.
Yes, it's really nice. But I have to go now. Goodbye (stay well).네, 안녕히 가세요. 다음에 또 뵙겠습니다.
Yes, goodbye (go well). See you again next time.Your turn
Try each prompt out loud. Choose a guided start, the full sequence, or a challenge pass after your first attempt.
Meeting a friend's grandmother for the first time
You are at your friend's home. Your friend's grandmother opens the door and your friend introduces you. She is an elder you have never met, and the setting is polite and calm. You are standing in the doorway with your shoes still on.
Your task: Greet her aloud in Korean, then use the formal first-meeting phrase, then give your name. Say all three parts without stopping: the polite greeting, the first-meeting phrase, and your name. Then add one short polite sentence such as a comment that the weather is nice, using the pattern from the dialogue where the weather is mentioned before the goodbye.
Leaving a small shop after browsing
You have been looking around a small neighborhood shop for several minutes. You did not buy anything. The shopkeeper is standing behind the counter and will stay in the shop after you leave. You are near the door with your bag on your shoulder.
Your task: Say the polite goodbye that matches the situation, speaking clearly as you head for the door. Then, before you step out, add one short polite closing line from the lesson dialogue, and make sure the goodbye you chose is the one for when you are the person leaving.
A close friend leaves your apartment
A close friend has been at your apartment for the evening. It is late, they have their coat on, and they are the one heading out the door. You are staying home. You have known each other for years and normally speak casually.
Your task: Say the goodbye that fits the situation, since your friend is the one leaving and you are staying. Then repeat the same goodbye once more, this time imagining you are both leaving at the same time, and notice whether the phrase still works. Say both versions aloud and compare them.
Common questions
Can I use the casual greeting with a friend's grandmother if my friend says it is fine?
The lesson marks 안녕 as one for close friends, people younger than you, or children, and it warns against using it with strangers or superiors. A first meeting with an elder is exactly the situation 안녕하세요 is designed for, so start polite and let her invite something more casual if she wants.
What if I say the wrong goodbye at the door?
It happens to beginners constantly, and the fix is simple: pause, correct yourself out loud, and say the right one. The lesson pairs the two goodbyes by who is leaving, so rehearse that contrast before the situation arises. A quick self-correction sounds far better than silence or a rushed mumble.
Sources and further reading
- korean: hello and goodbyeChecked September 2026
Practice real time conversations on Yapr for faster learning.
Take today's Korean into a conversation with a Yapr AI tutor. Speak, make mistakes, and try again.
Practice on Yapr