잘 다녀오세요
jal danyeo-oseyo
In Korean, 'come back safely' is expressed as 잘 다녀오세요 (jal danyeo-oseyo).
This phrase is used to wish someone a safe trip when they are leaving. It is appropriate for temporary departures such as a trip, work or even a simple daily errand, rather than a permanent departure.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 잘, meaning 'well' or 'safely'. 다녀오다, which means 'to go and come back'. And the polite ending -세요, which functions as 'please do'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The level of formality changes the verb ending: 잘 다녀와 is the informal version, 잘 다녀오세요 is the polite version and 잘 다녀오십시오 is the very formal version.
How do you pronounce it?
jal danyeo-oseyo
When do people say it?
When someone says this to you, a common polite response is 네, 잘 다녀올게요, which means 'Yes, I will go and come back well'.
Did you know?
- In Korea, it is common to say 잘 다녀오세요 to a child leaving for school, as the journey is viewed as a round trip that begins and ends at home.
- The verb 다녀오다 is actually a combination of two distinct actions: 'to go' and 'to come'. While English uses 'go' and 'return' as separate stages, this Korean verb treats the entire round trip as a single continuous movement.
- The word 잘 is a native Korean term and is not borrowed from Chinese, unlike many other formal or academic words in the language.
Examples in context
- 회사 출장 잘 다녀오십시오Please come back safely from the business trip
- 유럽 여행 잘 다녀와Come back safely from your Europe trip
- 잘 다녀오세요.jal danyeo-oseyo.Come back safely.
- 여행 잘 다녀오세요!yeohaeng jal danyeo-oseyo!Have a safe trip!
- 학교 잘 다녀오세요.hakgyo jal danyeo-oseyo.Have a good day at school (Go and come back safely).
Example conversation
Jihoon is leaving for a business trip and Seoyeon is seeing him off.
- 서연 Seo-yeon지훈 씨, 출장 잘 다녀오세요.Jihoon-ssi, chuljang jal danyeo-oseyo.Jihoon, have a safe business trip.
- 지훈 Ji-hun네, 서연 씨. 금방 다녀올게요.ne, Seoyeon-ssi. geumbang danyeo-olgeyo.Yes, Seoyeon. I'll be back soon.
- 서연 Seo-yeon조심히 가세요.josim-hi gaseyo.Go carefully.
- 지훈 Ji-hun감사합니다.gamsahamnida.Thank you.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 잘, CC BY-SA 4.0.
