Mallo Bits

3 Tips to Sound Like a Native

Written by Min Sung Kim | Jul 6, 2023 9:00:00 AM
  1. Use filler words

So, erm... yeah, you want to sound more natural when speaking Korean? Yeah, filler words are a big part of sounding more natural in any language and Korean is no exception! Here are some filler words, with examples so you can use them yourself!

  • κ·ΈλŸ¬λ‹ˆκΉŒ... (So...) πŸ‘‰ κ·ΈλŸ¬λ‹ˆκΉŒ... μ œκ°€ ν•˜κ³  싢은 말은...
  • 음... μ–΄... (Erm... Uh...) πŸ‘‰ 음... μ΄κ±°λž‘ 이거 μ£Όμ„Έμš”. μ–΄, μ•„λ‹ˆλ‹€ μ €κ±Έλ‘œ μ£Όμ„Έμš”. 
  • λ„€, μ•„λ‹ˆ, κ·Έλž˜μ„œ (Yeah, no, so) πŸ‘‰ λ„€, κ·Έλž˜μ„œ... μ•„λ‹ˆ, κ·ΈλŸ¬λ‹ˆκΉŒ...

Try mixing and matching these filler words!

2. Stop repeating pronouns

Explicitly using 'I/you/he/she/we/they/etc.' are important in English to get your meaning across. However, in Korean pronouns are usually derived from context.

Try reading along to this dialogue!

λ―Όμ„±: μ•„λ‹ˆ, (λ„ˆ) 크크크 μΉ˜ν‚¨ λ¨Ήμ–΄λ΄€μ–΄?

범진: 응, JMT! (우리) μ˜ν™”λ‚˜ 볼까? 음... (λ„ˆ) μŠ€νŒŒμ΄λ”λ§¨ λ΄€μ–΄?

λ―Όμ„±: 아직! (우리) κ·Έκ±°λ‚˜ 보자.

3. Use the right formality

It sounds very unnatural to use the highest formality to your friends, but also to use the most casual level of formality in the workplace. 

Exercise: Rank these words from most casual to formal

  • μ•ˆλ…•ν•˜μ„Έμš” / μ•ˆλ…• / μ•ˆλ…•ν•˜μ‹­λ‹ˆκΉŒ
  • 이름 / 쑴함 / 성함
  • μ—°μ„Έ / λ‚˜μ΄ / μ—°λ°°