재미있었어?
jaemiisseosseo?
In Korean, 'did you have fun?' is said as 재미있었어? (jaemiisseosseo?)
This phrase is used to ask if someone enjoyed a past activity or experience.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 재미있다 (to be fun/interesting) in its past tense form, which literally translates to 'was it fun?'
Which one should you use?
Other forms include 즐거웠어? and 재미있었어?, which are also informal and more formal versions like 재미있었어요? or the highly formal 즐거우셨습니까?
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the question more polite and suitable for people you are not close with or who are older than you, you can add the suffix –나요 to create 재미있었나요?
How do you pronounce it?
jaemiisseosseo?
When do people say it?
If someone asks you this question informally, a natural response is 응, 재미있었어. If the question is asked using a polite form, a natural response is 네, 재미있었어요.
Did you know?
- Depending on the intonation, 재미있었어? can be used sarcastically to mean 'did you think that was a good idea?' This is common when someone has just made a mistake or experienced a failure.
- If you ask a much older person 재미있었어?, it could be perceived as a rude challenge rather than a friendly question because you are omitting honorific markers.
- While 재미있었어? translates to 'was it fun?', the word 재미 (fun) is often paired with 없다 (to not exist) to describe something boring. In Korean, boredom is not a feeling you have, but a lack of 'fun' existing in the activity.
Examples in context
- 어제 파티 재미있었어?eo-je pa-ti jae-mi-isseosseo?Was the party fun yesterday?
- 여행은 재미있었어?yeo-haeng-eun jae-mi-isseosseo?Did you have fun on your trip?
- 영화 진짜 재미있었어?yeong-hwa jin-jja jae-mi-isseosseo?Was the movie really fun?
Example conversation
Two friends are talking after a weekend trip.
- 도현 Do-hyeon지은아, 여행 재미있었어?Ji-eun-a, yeo-haeng jae-mi-isseosseo?Jieun, did you have fun on your trip?
- 지은 Ji-eun응, 정말 재미있었어!Eung, jeong-mal jae-mi-isseosseo!Yes, it was really fun!
- 도현 Do-hyeon다행이다. 나도 가고 싶어.da-haeng-i-da. na-do ga-go si-peo.I'm glad. I want to go too.
- 지은 Ji-eun도현이 너도 꼭 가봐.Do-hyeon-i neo-do kkok ga-bwa.Dohyeon, you should definitely go.
