제 생일은
je saeng-il-eun
The English phrase 'my birthday is' is translated into Korean as 제 생일은 (je saeng-il-eun).
This phrase is used to introduce the date of your own birth.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of three parts: 제 (je), which is the humble form of 'my'. 생일 (saeng-il), which literally means 'birth day'. And the particle 은 (eun), which is a topic marker attached to 생일 to indicate that the birthday is the topic of the sentence.
Which one should you use?
제 생일은 is the polite and formal version of the phrase, whereas 내 생일은 is the informal version.
How does it change in a sentence?
The particle 은 is attached to the end of 생일 to mark it as the topic of the sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
je saeng-il-eun
Did you know?
- Eating seaweed soup, known as 미역국 (miyeok-guk), is a widespread birthday custom in Korea to honor the mother who ate it during childbirth.
- In Korea, you might be asked for your lunar birthday rather than your solar one. Many people still celebrate based on the traditional lunar calendar, which can make their actual date of birth shift every year on the Western calendar.
- Traditionally, a child's first birthday is a massive celebration called 돌 (dol), where guests place various objects before the baby to predict their future career.
Examples in context
- 제 생일은 10월 20일이에요.My birthday is October twentieth.This sentence is useful for practicing how to state your birthday with the phrase 제 생일은.Tatoeba #13222154 by atitarev, translation #8382797 by CK
- 안녕, 내 생일은 6월 15일이야!Hey, my birthday is on June 15th!
- 제 생일은 5월 1일이에요.je saeng-ireun o-wol ha-nil-ieyo.My birthday is May 1st.
- 제 생일은 내일이에요.je saeng-ireun nae-il-ieyo.My birthday is tomorrow.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hyun-woo and Min-ji are talking about their birthdays.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo민지 씨, 생일이 언제예요?Min-ji ssi, saeng-il-i eon-je-ye-yo?Min-ji, when is your birthday?
- 민지 Min-ji제 생일은 3월 15일이에요.je saeng-il-eun sam-wol sip-o-il-i-e-yo.My birthday is March 15th.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo정말요? 저랑 비슷하네요.jeong-mal-yo? jeo-rang bi-seut-ha-ne-yo.Really? It's similar to mine.
- 민지 Min-ji현우 씨 생일은 언제예요?Hyeon-u ssi saeng-il-eun eon-je-ye-yo?When is your birthday, Hyun-woo?
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
