저는 힘이 세요
jeoneun him-i seyo
To say I am strong in Korean, meaning you have great physical strength, say 저는 힘이 세요 (jeoneun him-i seyo).
저는 힘이 세요 talks about physical power or muscle strength. For strength in a wider sense, such as mental toughness, Korean uses 강해요 instead, as in 저는 강합니다.
What does it mean word for word?
저는 means I, 힘이 means strength or power with the subject particle and 세요 means is strong. Literally the sentence says my strength is strong.
Which one should you use?
힘이 세요 is about physical strength, while 강해요 is often used for abstract strength. 저는 강한 사람입니다. means I am a strong person. 나는 강해. is an informal I am strong, and 나는 매우 강해. adds 매우, meaning very.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
저는 힘이 세요 is polite. 저는 강합니다. and 저는 강한 사람입니다. are formal. 나는 힘이 세, 나는 강해. and 나는 매우 강해. are informal.
How does it change in a sentence?
The base form of the phrase is 힘이 세다. Use 나는 힘이 세 instead of 저는 힘이 세요 with people of equal or lower status in an informal setting.
How do you pronounce it?
Say jeoneun him-i seyo. The m of him links into the next syllable, so it sounds like hi, mi.
Did you know?
- While English uses 'strong' for both a person and their voice, in Korean, saying someone has a 'strong voice' would typically use 목소리가 크다, which literally translates to 'the voice is big'.
- The word 힘 is used in the common phrase 힘내세요, which tells someone to 'find their strength' or 'cheer up' during a hard time.
- Because Korean-speaking cultures place high value on social hierarchy, using the informal 나는 힘이 세 to a stranger might sound like you are unintentionally challenging their authority or being overly aggressive.
Examples in context
- 저는 힘이 세요.jeoneun himi seyo.I am strong.
- 운동을 해서 저는 힘이 세요.undongeul haeseo jeoneun himi seyo.I am strong because I exercise.
Example conversation
Minji and Hyunwoo are helping move heavy boxes.
- 민지 Min-ji현우 씨, 이 상자 좀 도와줄 수 있어요?hyeonu ssi, i sangja jom dowajul su isseoyo?Hyunwoo, can you help me with this box?
- 현우 Hyeon-woo네, 저는 힘이 세요.ne, jeoneun himi seyo.Yes, I am strong.
- 민지 Min-ji정말 든든하네요.jeongmal deundeunhaneyo.That's really reassuring.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo걱정 마세요, 제가 다 옮길게요.geokjeong maseyo, jega da omgilgeyo.Don't worry, I will move them all.
