Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
There are several ways to express this depending on the social context. 준비됐어? and 준비 되었어? are informal expressions used among friends or peers. For a polite level suitable for people you are not close with or who are older than you, use 준비됐어요? by adding 요 to the end. In highly formal settings, such as military or business environments, use 준비됐습니까? For even higher levels of formality when addressing someone of higher status or older age, you may use 준비되셨습니까?
How does it change in a sentence?
Removing the question mark and the rising intonation turns the phrase into a statement: 준비됐어 means "I am ready" or "It is ready". Additionally, while 당신은 준비되셨습니까? translates to "Are you ready?", the word 당신은 serves as the pronoun for "you".
How do you pronounce it?
junbidaewsseo?
When do people say it?
When responding to the question in an informal setting, you can say 응, 준비됐어 to mean "Yes, I'm ready". In a polite setting, you should respond with 네, 준비됐어요.
Did you know?
- In Korean, the word for 'ready' is 준비, which is a Sino-Korean word derived from Chinese characters. This means it shares a phonetic root with the Japanese word 準備 (junbi), used in exactly the same way.
- Even though 'you' can be translated as 당신, using it in the phrase 'are you ready?' can actually sound confrontational or aggressive in Korean. It is often safer to use the person's name or title instead of a pronoun.
- While English speakers use 'ready' to mean prepared, the Korean verb 되다 inside this phrase literally means 'to become'. Therefore, you are colloquially asking if the state of 'becoming prepared' has been achieved.
Examples in context
- 준비됐어?junbi-dwaesseo?Are you ready?
- 이제 준비됐어?ije junbi-dwaesseo?Are you ready now?
- 출발할 준비됐어?chulbal-hal junbi-dwaesseo?Are you ready to leave?
Example conversation
Minji is checking if Minjun is ready to go to a movie.
- 민지 Min-ji민준아, 준비됐어?Minjun-a, junbi-dwaesseo?Minjun, are you ready?
- 민준 Min-jun응, 준비됐어.eung, junbi-dwaesseo.Yes, I'm ready.
- 민지 Min-ji가자!gaja!Let's go!
- 민준 Min-jun그래, 가자.geurae, gaja.Okay, let's go.
