감기 걸렸어요
gamgi geollyeosseoyo
To say "I caught a cold" in Korean, you use 감기 걸렸어요 (gamgi geollyeosseoyo).
This phrase is used to say that you have become sick with a common cold.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 감기 (cold) and 걸렸어요 (caught/contracted).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The default form 감기 걸렸어요 uses the polite ending '-어요', making it suitable for most daily social interactions. In casual speech with friends or younger people, you can drop the '-요' to say 감기 걸렸어. In highly formal settings, such as a news report or a formal speech, the form 감기에 걸렸습니다 is used.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb 걸렸어요 is the past tense of 걸리다 (to be caught/to take time), used here to indicate the onset of the illness.
How do you pronounce it?
gamgi geollyeosseoyo
Did you know?
- The verb 걸리다 used in 감기 걸렸어요 is the same word used to describe a picture hanging on a wall or a person being caught in a trap.
- The word 감기 is derived from the Chinese characters for 'feeling' and 'qi'. It literally describes the body reacting to the energy or atmospheric flow of the environment.
- Koreans often suggest drinking 유자차 (citron tea) as a specific remedy when someone says 감기 걸렸어요.
Examples in context
- 심하게 감기에 걸렸어요I caught a bad cold.
- 조금 감기에 걸렸어요I caught a slight cold.
- 너무 추워서 감기 걸렸어요.neomu chuwoseo gamgi geollyeosseoyo.I caught a cold because it was too cold.
- 다들 조심하세요, 저 감기 걸렸어요.dadeul josim-haseyo, jeo gamgi geollyeosseoyo.Everyone be careful, I caught a cold.
Example conversation
Two colleagues talking in the office.
- 민지 Min-ji현우 씨, 얼굴이 안 좋아 보여요.Hyeon-u ssi, eolguri an joa boyeoyo.Hyun-woo, you don't look well.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo네, 저 감기 걸렸어요.Ne, jeo gamgi geollyeosseoyo.Yes, I caught a cold.
- 민지 Min-ji약은 드셨어요?Yageun deusyeosseoyo?Did you take some medicine?
- 현우 Hyeon-woo아직 못 먹었어요.Ajik mot meogeosseoyo.I haven't taken any yet.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 감기, CC BY-SA 4.0.
