The 4 Words that Start 95% of Korean sentences
1. μλ π₯
You might be scratching your head. Doesn't μλ mean "no"?
Yeah no yeah, it does.
But in this case, it's a lot like the no I used just now.
Depending on the intonation, it can take a variety of different meanings.
Anything from "so", "oh what!", "but", "no way" to "you know I've been thinking..."
It's like a magical word that serves as a recipient for any emotion you're feeling and sets the stage before starting to talk.
π― μλ!!! λ΄μΌ λ²μ¨ μμμΌμ΄μΌ!? -> What?! Tomorrow is Monday already?!
π‘ μλ. μ§κΈ κ·Έκ±Έ λ§μ΄λΌκ³ ν΄? -> Seriously! You're joking, right?
π³ μλ~~ κ·Έκ² μλλΌ... -> Oh nose. That's not what I meant...
2. κ·Όλ° π£
Short for κ·Έλ°λ° which literally translates to "But".
Buuuut when used as a sentence starter, κ·Όλ° doesn't necessarily need to contradict what's been said before.
It's used more like the english "by the way..." or "hey, you know what?"
π€ κ·Όλ°... μ€λ λ μ¨ μ§μ§ μ’λ€ -> By the way... The weather is gorgeous today.
π κ·Όλ° μ°λ¦¬ λ¦μ§ μμμ΄? -> Hey... aren't we late?
π κ·Όλ° νμ λ무 λΉμΈμ§ μμ? -> But... aren't cabs too expensive?
3. μ§μ§ π₯
μ§μ§'s literal translation is "real" or "true".
You've probably heard this used as "a lot" or "really".
μ΄ λΌλ©΄ μ§μ§ 맀μ means "This ramen is very spicy".
λ μ§μ§ μ΄λ» means "You're really pretty".
But μ§μ§, when used as a sentence starter, means something along the lines of "For real" or "Like"
π₯μ§μ§. μμ¦ μ μ΄λ κ² νλ€μ§? -> "For real, why is life so hard these days"
π§
μ§μ§ μ°λ¦¬ μ¬νμ΄λ κ°κΉ? -> "For real, should we just go on a trip?"
4. μμ§ν π
This is the equivalent of the english "honestly".
Honestly, I have no idea why people use this to start sentences.
It's not like I'm accusing them of lying.
But to be honest, I don't mind them using it.
I honestly think it helps sentences flow better and it doesn't bother me one bit.
π± μμ§ν νκ΅λ§μ μ§μ§ μ΄λ €μ΄κ²κ°μ -> Honestly, I think Korean is pretty difficult.
Bonus. Mix & Match π³π
The beauty of these words is that you can mix and match them to your heart's desire.
Here are some combinations that are used a lot:
π₯μλ π₯μ§μ§ -> No, for real though...
π₯μλ πμμ§ν -> Like, honestly...
π₯μλ π£κ·Όλ° π₯μ§μ§ πμμ§ν -> No. But for real, though. Honestly...
π₯ μλ π₯μ§μ§ πμμ§ν... -> No. To be super honest...
π£ κ·Όλ° πμμ§ν... -> But tbh...
Try sneaking in one of these in your next conversation with you Korean friend and see if they notice!
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