It's pretty uncommon to hear Korean actors and singers speaking English, and fluently at that. It's typically the odd English sentence in Still, sixty years is not that long ago, and many Koreans have held onto the idea that the ability to speak English is worth its weight in gold.
Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Home Grammar Translation Vocabulary. Some people even report staying there for several years with no problems knowing hardly any Korean. The vast majority of English speaking tourists will go to the capital Seoul, which is good since this is where you will find the most English speakers.
Staff in all the main hotels will all speak decent English, as will some younger people you meet on the street. Like the Japanese though, some South Koreans get scared and shy of being approached and asked to speak English and some may run off!
Similarly, you should be fine in bigger shops and department stores — staff will usually speak at least basic English or be able to call over someone who does. Restaurants are a mixed bag, but many have pictures on their menus anyway so you can just point at what you want to order if need be.
Sometimes menus are in English as well, though not always. The major tourist spots in Seoul, like Insadong , Myeongdong and Hongdae also have information centers to help out any tourists who are stuck or lost, with all the staff there speaking English. These are the go-to place if you are not sure where you need to go. Tourist attractions will also have descriptions in English as well as Korean. For getting taxis, drivers will rarely speak English so it is always a good idea to keep your hotel card to give to the driver, and also get the hotel staff to write down the destinations of where you want to go in Korean to give to the driver to avoid any confusion.
The signage around the capital is very good though, often being in English as well as Korean. The metro system in Seoul can be a little more tricky, often being reported as being OK but not quite as tourist friendly as the ones in Tokyo for example. You may be surprised to learn where someone is from. Eodi chulsiniseyo? Naneun busan-eseo wass-eo. This is a very common question in South Korea. Eodieseo ilhaeyo? Jeoneun ganhosaibnida. It would be worth it to familiarize yourself with some of the more popular musical acts that are hot in South Korea right now.
Eotteon eumag eul johahaeyo? Naneun jaejeuga joa. This conversation starter can open up some serious floodgates and may be a bit more appropriate to ask if your Korean language skills are upper-beginner or intermediate level in fluency. This is simply because there are so many unique answers you could receive! Sigan isseul ttae mwo haseyo? Naneun chugguwa jeogeulling-eul hae! Are you going to add some of these stellar icebreakers to your go-to Korean phrase list?
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Swahili Je,unaongea Kiingereza? Other interesting topics in Korean. Ready to learn Korean? Language Drops is a fun, visual language learning app. Learn Korean free today.
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