얘들아
yaedeura
In Korean, the phrase for "guys" is 얘들아 (yaedeura).
얘들아 is a casual way to address a group of friends or peers.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
얘들아 is strictly informal and should only be used with close friends or people younger than you. For more formal situations, you might use 여러분 to mean "everyone" or "ladies and gentlemen" or 신사분들 to address a group of gentlemen. If you are referring to a group of friends informally, you might also use 친구들 (buddies/friends) or 친구들아 (hey, friends/guys). In specific informal contexts, a female addressing a group of male friends might use 오빠들 (older brothers).
How do you pronounce it?
yaedeura
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using 얘들아 to address people older than you or in a professional setting, as it can sound rude or overly condescending.
Did you know?
- The word 얘들아 is actually a contraction of 이 아이들아, which literally translates to 'these children'.
- In very high-tension arguments, 얘들아 can be used sarcastically to infantalize a group of people to make them seem naive.
- The suffix -들아 is a plural vocative marker, a grammatical feature that does not exist in English.
Examples in context
- 여러분, 오늘 저녁에 같이 식사하지 않을래요?Guys, would you like to have dinner together tonight?
- 얘들아, 점심 먹으러 가자!yaedeura, jeomsim meogeureo gaja!Guys, let's go eat lunch!
- 얘들아, 이것 좀 봐.yaedeura, igeot jom bwa.Guys, look at this.
- 얘들아, 준비 다 됐어?yaedeura, junbi da dwaesseo?Guys, are you all ready?
Example conversation
Hyunwoo and Subin are meeting a group of friends at a cafe.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo얘들아, 여기서 기다리고 있었어?yaedeura, yeogiseo gidarigo isseosseo?Guys, were you waiting here?
- 수빈 Su-bin응, 현우 너 왜 이렇게 늦었어?eung, hyeonu neo wae ireoke neujeosseo?Yeah, Hyunwoo, why are you so late?
- 현우 Hyeon-woo미안, 차가 너무 막혔어.mian, chaga neomu makhyeosseo.Sorry, the traffic was really bad.
- 수빈 Su-bin괜찮아, 이제 다 왔으니까 들어가자.gwaenchana, ije da wasseunikka deureogaja.It's okay, everyone's here now so let's go in.
