You already know the polite pieces: 안녕하세요, 제 이름은 ...이에요/예요, 저는 ...에서 왔어요, 이름이 뭐예요?, and 어디에서 왔어요? Knowing them is not the same as saying them smoothly to a real person who answers back. This workshop gives you three spoken role-plays of increasing difficulty. In each one you say your greeting and name aloud, state where you are from, and ask your partner the same questions. The first round is supportive and predictable. The second adds a surprise you must respond to without freezing. The third asks you to make a small decision about how the conversation continues. Speak every line out loud rather than reading silently; the goal is mouth-level fluency with the exact polite forms, not new grammar.
Warm up your mouth before the role-plays
Say 안녕하세요 five times slowly, then five times at normal speed. Next, say your own name inside the frame 제 이름은 ...이에요 or ...예요, choosing 이에요 after a consonant-final name and 예요 after a vowel-final name. Then say 저는 ...에서 왔어요 with your actual country or city in place of 미국. Finally, practise the two questions 이름이 뭐예요? and 어디에서 왔어요? with falling then rising intonation, because you will need them as genuine questions, not recitations. If a phrase feels tangled, slow down and repeat just that phrase until the syllables separate cleanly. Keep the -요 endings throughout; they are safe with strangers and new acquaintances.
Keep your turn short and clear
Beginners often try to say too much at once and lose the polite ending. Aim for one idea per turn: greeting, then name, then origin, then a question back. Pause between them. A short, clean 제 이름은 수진이에요 lands better than a long sentence with a dropped ending. When you ask 이름이 뭐예요?, wait for the answer before moving to origin. When you hear a name, you can echo it with the polite title 씨, as in 수진 씨, which the source dialogue uses when Michael addresses Sujin. This echo buys you a moment to think and shows you heard the name. Practise the whole loop aloud at least three times so the sequence becomes automatic rather than translated in your head.
Listen once, then say the phrase yourself. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Checking available voices…
안녕하세요.
Hello.
an-nyeong-ha-se-yo
제 이름은 마이클이에요.
My name is Michael.
je i-reu-meun Ma-i-keu-ri-e-yo
제 이름은 수진이에요.
My name is Sujin.
je i-reu-meun Su-ji-ni-e-yo
저는 미국에서 왔어요.
I am from the United States.
jeo-neun Mi-gu-ge-seo wa-sseo-yo
Read one side aloud, then answer in your own words. The goal is to make the exchange yours.
안녕하세요. 제 이름은 마이클이에요.
Hello. My name is Michael.안녕하세요. 제 이름은 수진이에요.
Hello. My name is Sujin.저는 미국에서 왔어요. 수진 씨는 어디에서 왔어요?
I am from the United States. Sujin, where are you from?저는 한국에서 왔어요. 서울에서 왔어요.
I am from Korea. I am from Seoul.아, 그래요? 반가워요.
Oh, really? Nice to meet you.네, 반가워요. 한국어를 배워요?
Yes, nice to meet you. Are you learning Korean?Your turn
Try each prompt out loud. Choose a guided start, the full sequence, or a challenge pass after your first attempt.
First meeting at a language exchange table
You sit down at a language exchange in a café. A person across the table smiles and says 안녕하세요 first. You are meeting for the first time, so you use polite speech. Your name is Anna, and you are from Canada.
Your task: Greet them with 안녕하세요, then say 제 이름은 안나예요, then say 저는 캐나다에서 왔어요. Ask their name with 이름이 뭐예요? and their origin with 어디에서 왔어요? Say all of it aloud, pausing between each idea.
The name you did not expect
In a small class, the teacher pairs you with a new student. You start with 안녕하세요 and 제 이름은 마이클이에요. The other student replies with a name you have not heard before and a place you do not recognise.
Your task: Introduce yourself fully: 안녕하세요, 제 이름은 마이클이에요, 저는 미국에서 왔어요. Ask 이름이 뭐예요? and listen carefully to the answer. If you did not catch the name or place, repeat 어디에서 왔어요? slowly instead of guessing.
Deciding how the introduction continues
At a work lunch, a colleague you have just met says 안녕하세요 and introduces herself as 수진. She says 저는 한국에서 왔어요. 서울에서 왔어요. You have introduced yourself as Anna from Australia.
Your task: Say 안녕하세요, 제 이름은 안나예요, 저는 호주에서 왔어요. Ask 어디에서 왔어요? even though she already answered, so you practise the question naturally. Then decide aloud whether to continue the small talk or close politely.
Common questions
Should I say 제 이름은 안나예요 or 제 이름은 안나이에요?
Both are heard. 안나 ends in a vowel, so 예요 fits smoothly, and 안나이에요 is also heard and accepted, especially in careful speech. Pick one and keep it consistent while you practise.
What do I do if I do not understand the other person's name or city?
Repeat the relevant question slowly, such as 이름이 뭐예요? or 어디에서 왔어요?, rather than guessing. Asking again politely is normal and keeps the conversation going.
Do I need to switch to casual speech with new people?
No. Beginners should stay with the polite -요 endings with strangers, classmates, and colleagues. Casual 반말 is for close friends, and you can learn it later.
Sources and further reading
- korean: introduce yourselfChecked 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