좋은 저녁 되세요
joeun jeonyeok doeseyo
In Korean, "have a good evening" is said as 좋은 저녁 되세요 (joeun jeonyeok doeseyo).
This phrase is used as a parting greeting when leaving a social setting, a shop or a conversation during the evening hours.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "be a good evening": 좋은 means "good", 저녁 means "evening" and 되세요 means "please be".
Which one should you use?
While 좋은 저녁 되세요 is common, 좋은 저녁 보내세요 (meaning "spend a good evening") is often considered more grammatically natural by some native speakers because it avoids the literal sense of the person "becoming" the evening.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase can be made more formal by changing the ending to the –하십시오 style (되십시오) for use with much higher-ranking individuals or in very formal settings: 좋은 저녁 되십시오.
How do you pronounce it?
joeun jeonyeok doeseyo
Did you know?
- The word 저녁 also means 'dinner' in Korean, so the phrase can subtly evoke the pleasure of a good evening meal.
- The phrase 좋은 저녁 되세요 is almost exclusively used when parting, whereas English speakers might occasionally use 'have a good evening' as a greeting upon arrival.
- The term 저녁 appears in records as early as 1511 in the 'Samgang haengsildo', showing the word has remained stable for over five centuries.
Examples in context
- 좋은 저녁 되세요.joeun jeonyeok doeseyo.Have a good evening.
- 모두 좋은 저녁 되세요.modu joeun jeonyeok doeseyo.Have a good evening, everyone.
- 선생님, 좋은 저녁 되세요.seonsaengnim, joeun jeonyeok doeseyo.Have a good evening, teacher.
Example conversation
Minji and Hyunwoo are leaving a cafe in the evening.
- 민지 Min-ji현우 씨, 먼저 갈게요.Hyunwoo ssi, meonjeo galgeyo.Hyunwoo, I am leaving first.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo네, 민지 씨도 좋은 저녁 되세요.Ne, Minji ssi-do joeun jeonyeok doeseyo.Yes, have a good evening too, Minji.
- 민지 Min-ji감사합니다. 내일 봐요!Gamsahamnida. Naeil bwayo!Thank you. See you tomorrow!
- 현우 Hyeon-woo네, 내일 봐요.Ne, naeil bwayo.Yes, see you tomorrow.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 저녁, CC BY-SA 4.0.
