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Dating & Relationships
Meeting Your Partner’s Parents: Korean Phrases for the Big Moment
Every phrase below is tappable — press it and your browser speaks it aloud, so you can practise sounding polished before the moment that actually matters.
Meeting the parents in Korea almost always happens over a meal — formality and table manners both matter here.
The First Greeting
This is where formality matters most — these lines stay firmly in the respectful register.
처음 뵙겠습니다
cheoeum boepgesseumnida
Nice to meet you for the first time (very formal, correct for this moment)
말씀 많이 들었습니다
malsseum mani deureosseumnida
I’ve heard a lot about you
잘 부탁드립니다
jal butakdeurimnida
Please look after me kindly (a standard, humble closing line)
Worth knowing: a slight bow accompanies this greeting naturally — the deeper and more deliberate the bow, the more respect it signals for a first meeting like this.
At the Dinner Table
Meals are where most of the real conversation and impression-making happens.
잘 먹겠습니다
jal meokgesseumnida
I will eat well (said before the meal starts)
정말 맛있어요
jeongmal masisseoyo
This is really delicious
잘 먹었습니다
jal meogeosseumnida
I ate well (said after finishing — genuinely important to say)
제가 따라 드릴게요
jega ttara deurilgeyo
Let me pour for you (offering to pour a drink is a polite gesture)
Worth knowing: 잘 먹겠습니다 and 잘 먹었습니다 aren’t optional politeness — skipping them at either end of a meal genuinely reads as odd, especially with someone’s parents watching closely.
Handling the Questions
Parents ask direct questions early — these answers keep things smooth and respectful.
직업이 뭐예요?
jigeobi mwoyeyo?
(they ask) What’s your job?
잘 챙겨주셔서 감사해요
jal chaenggyeojusyeoseo gamsahaeyo
Thank you for taking such good care (of your child)
앞으로 자주 뵐게요
apeuro jaju boelgeyo
I’ll be seeing you often from now on
These phrases are just the start
A single meeting can be rehearsed — an ongoing relationship with your partner’s family needs real Korean underneath it, not just prepared lines.
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