나한테 말해
nahante malhae
In Korean, 'talk to me' is expressed as 나한테 말해 (nahante malhae).
This phrase is a request for someone to tell you something or start a conversation.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 나한테 말해 breaks down into 나 (I/me), 한테 (to/towards) and 말해 (tell/speak).
Which one should you use?
While 나한테 말해 is the default, you can use 나랑 얘기해 to mean 'talk to me' in a casual way, where 얘기해 specifically translates to 'talk' or 'speak'. Additionally, adding the auxiliary verb -줘 to the end to create 나한테 말해줘 changes the nuance to 'tell me (as a favor/for my sake)'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For a polite way to say 'Please speak to me' or 'Please tell me', use 저에게 말씀해주세요. If you are speaking to someone older or in a higher social position, use 저한테 말씀해 주세요 to be polite.
How does it change in a sentence?
Replacing the particle 한테 with 에게 in the phrase 나에게 말해 makes it slightly more formal or written in style, though the meaning remains the same.
How do you pronounce it?
nahante malhae
Did you know?
- The word 말 meaning 'speech' or 'word' is a homonym for the word meaning 'horse'. In some contexts, 말 can refer to either depending on the situation.
- The auxiliary verb -줘 in 나한테 말해줘 literally translates to 'give'. Adding it turns 'tell me' into 'give me the favor of telling me', which is a very common way to sound warmer and more natural.
- If you are talking to someone you are very close with, you might use 말해봐, where -봐 literally means 'try'. This turns 'talk to me' into 'try telling me'.
Examples in context
- 선생님, 저에게 말씀해주세요.Teacher, please talk to me.
- 저기, 나랑 얘기해.Hey, talk to me.
- 나한테 말해 줘.nahant-e mal-hae jwo.Please talk to me.
- 무슨 일인지 나한테 말해.museun il-inji nahant-e mal-hae.Tell me what happened.
- 걱정 말고 나한테 말해.geokjeong malgo nahant-e mal-hae.Don't worry and just talk to me.
Example conversation
Dohyun notices Minji looks upset.
- 도현 Do-hyeon민지야, 무슨 일 있어?Minji-ya, museun il isseo?Minji, is something wrong?
- 민지 Min-ji그냥 조금 힘든 일이 있어.geunyang jogeum himdeun iri isseo.I'm just having a hard time.
- 도현 Do-hyeon걱정되니까 나한테 말해.geokjeong-doenikka nahante malhae.I'm worried, so talk to me.
- 민지 Min-ji알았어, 지금 다 이야기할게.arasseo, jigeum da iyagihalge.Okay, I'll tell you everything now.
