How to Say “I’m a little nervous” in Korean: 조금 긴장돼요

조금 긴장돼요

jogeum ginjangdwaeyo

Situation: Feelings & cheeringLevel: Beginner (TOPIK 1–2)

Meaning

I’m a little nervous.

긴장 means “tension” or “nervousness,” and 되다 makes it a feeling that comes over you naturally. Handy before interviews or presentations.

Romanization follows the Revised Romanization system and is a guide to pronunciation.

Syllables: 6 · Words: 2

It is pronounced just as it is written.

Syllable	Letters (consonant + vowel + final)	Romanization
조금
조	ㅈ+ㅗ	jo
금	ㄱ+ㅡ+ㅁ	geum
긴장돼요
긴	ㄱ+ㅣ+ㄴ	gin
장	ㅈ+ㅏ+ㅇ	jang
돼	ㄷ+ㅙ	dwae
요	ㅇ+ㅛ	yo

A ㅇ at the start of a syllable is silent; at the end of a syllable it sounds like “ng”.

Style: Polite (해요체)Sentence type: Statement or set phrase

Ends in -요. The everyday polite style, and a safe choice with shop staff, colleagues, strangers and anyone older than you.

These words from the TOPIK vocabulary lists appear in the phrase (shown in dictionary form).

Korean	Part of speech	Meaning	Level
조금	adverb	a little	TOPIK level 1

Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.

Question 1 What does “조금 긴장돼요” mean?

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Answer: I’m a little nervous

Question 2 How do you say “I’m a little nervous” in Korean?

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Answer: 조금 긴장돼요 jogeum ginjangdwaeyo

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