What does it mean word for word?
The phrase consists of 목소리 (voice), followed by the subject marker 가 and the verb 예뻐요 (is beautiful/pretty).
Which one should you use?
While 목소리가 예뻐요 is used to describe a lovely or sweet tone, you can also say 목소리가 좋아요 to say 'your voice is good', which is a more common and neutral way to express that a voice is pleasant.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The default form 목소리가 예뻐요 is in the polite style, making it appropriate for most social situations. For a more profound, poetic or formal tone, you can use 목소리가 아름다워요. In highly formal settings, 당신의 목소리가 아름답습니다 is also used. To speak informally to close friends or people younger than you, you can use 너의 목소리 진짜 예뻐 or drop the polite ending to say 목소리가 예뻐.
How do you pronounce it?
moksoriga yeppeoyo
What mistakes should you avoid?
In natural Korean, the possessive is usually omitted when the context is clear.
Did you know?
- The word 목소리 (voice) literally translates to 'neck sound'. This reflects a linguistic tendency in Korean to associate the physical origin of a sound with the sound itself.
- If you want to praise a voice for being deep, resonant, or 'cool', you would not use 예뻐요. Instead, you would use 멋있어요, which is the same word used to say a person is 'cool' or 'handsome'.
- Using the formal pronoun 당신 (you) in 당신의 목소리가 아름답습니다 can actually sound confrontational or overly dramatic in spoken life, as it is rarely used in natural conversation.
Examples in context
- 오늘 밤에 당신의 노래를 듣고 정말 감동받았어요. 당신의 목소리가 정말 아름답습니다.I was really impressed listening to your song tonight. Your voice is truly beautiful.
- 목소리가 예뻐요.moksoriga yeppeoyo.Your voice is beautiful.
- 노래할 때 목소리가 예뻐요.noraehal ttae moksoriga yeppeoyo.Your voice is beautiful when you sing.
- 그녀는 목소리가 예뻐요.geunyeoneun moksoriga yeppeoyo.She has a beautiful voice.
Example conversation
Hyunwoo is complimenting Seoyeon after she finishes singing a song.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo서연 씨, 목소리가 예뻐요.Seoyeon ssi, moksoriga yeppeoyo.Seoyeon, your voice is beautiful.
- 서연 Seo-yeon정말요? 감사합니다.Jeongmallyo? Gamsahamnida.Really? Thank you.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo진심이에요.Jinsimieyo.I mean it.
- 서연 Seo-yeon현우 씨가 그렇게 말해주니 기뻐요.Hyunwoo ssi ga geureoke malhaejuni gippeoyo.I'm happy you said that, Hyunwoo.
