잘 지냈어
jal jinaesseo
The English phrase "wassup" can be translated into Korean as 잘 지냈어 (jal jinaesseo).
잘 지냈어 is an informal greeting used to ask someone how they have been doing.
How do you pronounce it?
jal jinaesseo
When do people say it?
In an informal setting, a common way to respond to this greeting is to say 응, 잘 지냈어, which means "Yeah, I've been doing well".
Did you know?
- In Korea, it is common to greet someone by asking if they have eaten recently, 밥 먹었어?, instead of asking how they have been with 잘 지냈어.
- While 잘 지냈어 asks how you have been, a much more common way for very close friends to say 'wassup' is to simply ask 뭐 해?, which literally means 'what are you doing?'
- The verb 지내다 used in this phrase can also refer to 'spending time' or 'living' in a specific place, meaning the phrase literally asks how you have been living your life.
Example conversation
Two friends meet at a cafe after a long time.
- 서연 Seo-yeon민준아, 그동안 잘 지냈어?Minjun-a, geudong-an jal jinaesseo?Minjun, how have you been?
- 민준 Min-jun응, 나는 잘 지냈어. 서연 너는?Eung, naneun jal jinaesseo. Seoyeon neoneun?Yeah, I've been doing well. How about you, Seoyeon?
- 서연 Seo-yeon나도 아주 잘 지냈어.Nado aju jal jinaesseo.I've been doing very well too.
- 민준 Min-jun다행이다. 우리 이야기 좀 하자.Dahaeng-ida. Uri iyagi jom haja.That's good. Let's catch up.
