#조송합니다

[ttmikstudy]

Lesson 4 Summary

I’m Sorry/ Excuse me/ Just a second/ Here it is.

조송합니다 = I am sorry. 

Etymology

조송 = Apology/ Being sorry. 

합니다 = I do/ I am doing. 

Therefore, 조송 + 합니다 = I am being sorry. 

Note: 

“I’m sorry” is not always “ 조송합니다 “. 조송합니다  applies exclusively to situations in which you are at fault, and never to mean “I am sorry to hear that.” Make sure you remember this or you might end up in some awkward situations! 

조송합니다 can, however, apply to situations when you want to say “excuse me”, as in “excuse me, could you please move” or “excuse me, I just bumped into you.” Just remember that you are not actually saying “excuse me”, but “sorry”, as “excuse me” is a different word altogether. 조송합니다 can only be used as “excuse me” in that specific scenario; where you are saying sorry for being in someone’s way or interrupting them in some way. If you are trying to say “excuse me” to get someone’s attention,저기요 is used. 

저기요 = Excuse me. 

Etymology 

저기 = Over there. ( 저 means “there” as in “that thing over there” and ”기“ means doing or being.) Therefore, literally means 저기요 “hey you, over there”.

Note: This can only be used when you are trying to get someone’s attention, for instance, if you are calling for a friend’s attention across the room or calling over a waiter. It is never used to mean “excuse me” as in “you are in my way” or “I just bumped into you”, in that case 조송합니다  is used. 

Just a second

If you have said “저기요” to waiter, they may say something like “잠시만요” or “잠깐만요” back to you. These both mean “just a second” and there is pretty much no distinction between the two, so they can be used interchangeably. You could also hear them say “이거요” which means “here is is.” 

Note: 이거요 literally translates to “this thing here” (”이”means “this” as in something that is close to you and “거” means thing) but colloquially it has a different meaning. 

That’s it for Lesson 4. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to message me and I’ll answer as best I can!  안녕! 

Please note!

All of these lessons teach 존댓말, which is formal or honorific language. This is the type of formality that is safe to use with everyone. As far as levels of formality go, this is like a polite average, i.e. it is not informal or extremely formal, but a comfortable medium. Most words and phrases that are taught in these lessons will change slightly when used in a different formality, but this will be taught in a much later lesson!