What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 오늘 meaning "today", 하루 meaning "a day" or "one day" and 어땠어? which is the informal past tense of the verb "to be" (to be in a certain state), meaning "how was it?"
Which one should you use?
오늘 하루 어땠어? and 오늘 어떻게 지냈어? are informal ways to ask how someone spent their day. 오늘 하루 어땠어요? is a polite version of the same question, while 오늘 하루 어떠셨어요? and 오늘 하루 어떻게 보내셨어요? are more formal ways to ask how someone's day was or how they spent their day.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The default form 오늘 하루 어땠어? is informal and should only be used with close friends or people younger than you. You can make the phrase polite by adding 요 to the end, resulting in 오늘 하루 어땠어요?, which is suitable for people you are not close with or who are older than you. For even more formal situations, use 오늘 하루 어떠셨어요? or 오늘 하루 어떻게 보내셨어요?
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the past tense form 어땠어 to ask about a day that has already passed or is currently ending.
How do you pronounce it?
oneul haru eottaesseo?
Did you know?
- In many Korean social contexts, rather than asking 'how was your day', people often skip the subject and simply ask if you 'ate well', which serves a similar social function of checking in on someone.
- While English speakers often ask 'how was your day', Koreans might instead ask how you 'spent' your day using the verb 보내다, which literally means 'to send'.
- The word 오늘, meaning 'today', etymologically translates to 'the day that has come' because it is derived from an ancient form meaning 'which has come' plus 'day'.
Examples in context
- 오늘 하루 어땠어?oneul haru eottaesseo?How was your day?
- 오늘 하루 어땠어? 별일 없었지?oneul haru eottaesseo? byeollil eopseotji?How was your day? Nothing unusual happened, right?
Example conversation
Hyunwoo meets Jieun at a cafe in the evening.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo지은아, 오늘 하루 어땠어?jieuna, oneul haru eottaesseo?Jieun, how was your day?
- 지은 Ji-eun그냥 평소처럼 바빴어.geunyang pyeongso-cheoreom bappasseo.I was just busy as usual.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo고생 많았네.gosaeng mananne.You worked hard.
- 지은 Ji-eun고마워, 현우야.gomawo, hyeon-uya.Thanks, Hyunwoo.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 오늘, 하루, CC BY-SA 4.0.
