울고 있어요?
ulgo isseoyo?
To ask "are you crying?" in Korean, you use 울고 있어요? (ulgo isseoyo?)
This phrase is used to ask if someone is currently in the act of shedding tears.
Which one should you use?
울고 계세요? is used for higher levels of respect and 울고 있어? is the casual version used for peers or subordinates.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The form 울고 계세요? is a highly respectful way to ask the question, used when addressing an elder or someone of much higher social status.
How do you pronounce it?
ulgo isseoyo?
Did you know?
- In Korean, the word 울다 for 'to cry' is often used metaphorically to describe a 'crying' or 'whining' sound made by a machine or a musical instrument.
- While 울고 있어요? asks about the act of crying, Koreans often use the word 서럽다 to describe a specific kind of crying caused by a sense of unfairness or sorrowful injustice.
- Koreans use the phrase 눈물이 나다, which literally means 'tears are coming out', to describe crying when they want to sound more passive or avoid admitting they are emotionally overwhelmed.
Examples in context
- 죄송하지만, 왜 울고 계세요?I'm sorry, but why are you crying?
- 지금 울고 있어요?jigeum ulgo isseoyo?Are you crying right now?
- 도현 씨, 울고 있어요?Dohyeon-ssi, ulgo isseoyo?Dohyeon, are you crying?
Example conversation
Dohyun notices Jieun looks sad in the park.
- 도현 Do-hyeon지은 씨, 울고 있어요?Jieun ssi, ulgo isseoyo?Jieun, are you crying?
- 지은 Ji-eun아니요, 그냥 눈이 좀 매워요.aniyo, geunyang nuni jom maewoyo.No, my eyes are just stinging a bit.
- 도현 Do-hyeon정말 괜찮은 거예요?jeongmal gwaenchaneun geoyeyo?Are you really okay?
- 지은 Ji-eun네, 걱정해 줘서 고마워요.ne, geokjeonghae jwoseo gomawoyo.Yes, thanks for worrying about me.
