내 말 들어봐
nae mal deureobwa
In Korean, the phrase for "listen to me" is 내 말 들어봐 (nae mal deureobwa).
내 말 들어봐 is used when you are about to explain something important or when you feel the listener is not paying attention to your point. A casual variation is 나 좀 들어봐, which also means "listen to me."
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 내 말 들어봐 is composed of 내 (my), 말 (words/speech) and 들어봐 (try listening).
Which one should you use?
내 말 들어봐 functions as an invitation to listen, whereas 내 말 들어 is a direct command that can sound much more aggressive or bossy. Adding 좀 to create 내 말 좀 들어봐 makes the request sound more natural or slightly more pleading in casual conversation.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For formal or polite settings, use 제 말 좀 들어보세요.
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding 좀 (a little/please) makes the request sound more natural or slightly more pleading in casual conversation.
How do you pronounce it?
nae mal deureobwa
Did you know?
- The word 말 in 내 말 들어봐 means both 'speech' and 'word' but it is also the word for 'horse' in Korean.
- If you want someone to 'listen' to your advice or a command, Koreans use 말을 듣다 which literally means 'to hear words' but functions as 'to obey'.
- The grammar of 내 말 들어봐 includes a 'try' auxiliary verb 봐, which turns a command into a suggestion to 'try' listening.
Examples in context
- 나 좀 들어봐, 내일 공원에서 만나자.Listen to me, let's meet at the park tomorrow.
- 저번 주에 있었던 일 좀 들어봐.Listen to what happened last week.
Example conversation
Dohyun is trying to explain a situation to Subin.
- 도현 Do-hyeon수빈아, 내 말 들어봐.Subina, nae mal deureobwa.Subin, listen to me.
- 수빈 Su-bin지금 바빠서 나중에 얘기해.jigeum bappaseo najunge yaegihae.I'm busy right now, let's talk later.
- 도현 Do-hyeon아니, 진짜 급한 일이야.ani, jinja geupan iriya.No, it's a really urgent matter.
- 수빈 Su-bin알았어, 말해봐.arasseo, malhaebwa.Alright, tell me.
