🇰🇷 Korean · A1 · Communicating
Phone calls
Vocabulary
- 여보세요hello (on the phone)
- 전화phone call / telephone
- 통화phone conversation
- -고 있다to be doing (progressive)
- 잠깐만요just a moment
- 메시지message
- 다시 전화하다to call back
- 연결되다to be connected
- 끊다to hang up
- 받다to answer / to receive
- 바꿔 주세요please put through
- 통화 중busy / on the phone
Phone Calls in Korean
Korean phone calls start with 여보세요 (hello on the phone). The key grammar is -고 있다 for describing what someone is doing right now.
-고 있다 — progressive (right now):
- 지금 통화하고 있어요 → I am on the phone right now
- 밥을 먹고 있어요 → I am eating right now
- 기다리고 있어요 → I am waiting
Answering the phone:
- 여보세요? → Hello? (answering)
- 누구세요? → Who is this?
- 잠깐만요 → One moment please
- 지금 자리에 없어요 → They are not here right now
Making calls:
- 민수 씨 있어요? → Is Minsu there?
- 바꿔 주세요 → Put me through please
- 나중에 다시 전화할게요 → I will call again later
- 메시지 남겨 드릴까요? → Shall I take a message?
Expressions
- 여보세요?Hello? (answering the phone)
- 지금 통화하고 있어요.I am on the phone right now
- 잠깐만요.Just a moment please
- 민수 씨 있어요?Is Minsu there?
- 나중에 다시 전화할게요.I will call again later
- 메시지 남겨 드릴까요?Shall I take a message?
Common mistakes
헬로?여보세요?In Korean phone calls always use 여보세요, not English "hello" or 헬로
메시지 남기다 드릴까요?메시지 남겨 드릴까요?The connective form of 남기다 is 남겨, not 남기다 — use the 아/어 stem before 드리다
Quick quiz
Question 1 of 5
How do you say “to be doing (progressive)” in Korean?
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