보고 싶어요 내 사랑
bogo sipeoyo nae sarang
The English phrase "I miss you, my love" is translated into Korean as 보고 싶어요 내 사랑 (bogo sipeoyo nae sarang).
This phrase expresses a longing for a romantic partner. While the full phrase includes "my love", in actual romantic conversations, Korean speakers are much more likely to use the shorter, informal expression 보고 싶어.
What does it mean word for word?
The component 보고 싶어요 literally means "want to see [you]".
How does it change in a sentence?
You can change the level of politeness by altering the verb ending. Dropping the 요 from 보고 싶어요 results in the informal 보고 싶어, which is more common between romantic partners. Changing the ending to 보고 싶습니다 makes the expression highly formal and polite.
How do you pronounce it?
bogo sipeoyo nae sarang
Did you know?
- The syllable 내 was once used to mean 'smoke', but it was eventually replaced by the word 연기 because 내 had too many homophones.
- Because Korean uses the verb 'to see' to express missing someone, the phrase is often used even when the speaker knows they cannot actually see the person.
- While 내 사랑 means 'my love', Korean couples often omit the word 'love' entirely and use nicknames or just the verb to avoid sounding overly poetic or cinematic.
Example conversation
Ji-eun and Do-hyun are talking on the phone before meeting.
- 지은 Ji-eun보고 싶어요 내 사랑.bogo sipeoyo nae sarang.I miss you, my love.
- 도현 Do-hyeon저도 정말 보고 싶어요.jeodo jeongmal bogo sipeoyo.I miss you so much too.
- 지은 Ji-eun언제 만날 수 있을까요?eonje mannal su isseulkkayo?When can we meet?
- 도현 Do-hyeon내일 바로 만나요.naeil baro mannayo.Let's meet tomorrow.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 내, 보고, CC BY-SA 4.0.
