잘 지내요
jal jinaeyo
잘 지내요 (jal jinaeyo) is the Korean way to say "I am well."
잘 지내요 is a standard response used to tell someone that you are doing fine and living well when asked about your current status, such as in response to the question 잘 지냈어요? (Have you been well?).
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 잘 (well) and 지내요 (to spend time/live/pass time).
Which one should you use?
You can use the highly formal 잘 지냅니다 in business settings or when speaking to superiors. For a more elaborate formal expression indicating you are taking good care of your health and overall well-being, you can use 매우 건강하게 지내고 있습니다.
How does it change in a sentence?
You can adjust the level of formality by changing the verb ending: dropping the 요 to create 잘 지내 makes the phrase informal, suitable for close friends or people younger than you, while changing the ending to 지냅니다 makes it highly formal.
How do you pronounce it?
jal jinaeyo
Did you know?
- The word 잘 is so versatile that it can be used sarcastically to mean 'not well at all' depending on the speaker's tone and facial expression.
- In Korean culture, asking 잘 지냈어요? can function more as a polite greeting than a genuine inquiry into one's health or life status.
- The word 잘 is an abbreviation of 자루.
Examples in context
- 나는 괜찮아I am fine.
- 나는 잘 지내I am doing well.
- 네, 잘 지내요.ne, jal jinaeyo.Yes, I am doing well.
- 저는 아주 잘 지내요.jeoneun aju jal jinaeyo.I am doing very well.
Example conversation
Two former classmates meet by chance on the street.
- 지은 Ji-eun민준 씨, 그동안 잘 지냈어요?Minjun ssi, geudongan jal jinaesseoyo?Minjun, have you been doing well?
- 민준 Min-jun네, 저는 잘 지내요. 지은 씨는요?ne, jeoneun jal jinaeyo. Jieun ssineyo?Yes, I am doing well. How about you, Jieun?
- 지은 Ji-eun저도 잘 지내고 있어요.jeodo jal jinaego isseoyo.I am doing well too.
- 민준 Min-jun다행이네요. 정말 반가워요.dahaeng-ineyo. jeongmal bangawoyo.That's a relief. It's really nice to see you.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 잘, CC BY-SA 4.0.
