How to Say “How have you been” in Korean: 잘 지냈어요?

잘 지냈어요?

jal jinaesseoyo?

Situation: Greetings & basicsLevel: Beginner (TOPIK 1–2)

Meaning

How have you been?

A natural follow-up to 오랜만이에요. The past tense asks about the time you were apart.

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

Syllables: 5 · Words: 2

Said aloud, it sounds like [잘 지내써요].

Syllable	Letters (consonant + vowel + final)	Romanization
잘	ㅈ+ㅏ+ㄹ	jal
지냈어요
지	ㅈ+ㅣ	ji
냈	ㄴ+ㅐ+ㅆ	[내] nae
어	ㅇ+ㅓ	[써] sseo
요	ㅇ+ㅛ	yo

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

Linking: when a syllable ending in a consonant (patchim) is followed by a syllable that starts with a vowel, the consonant moves over to the next syllable. 냈어 → [내써]

Style: Polite (해요체)Sentence type: Question

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

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Question 1 What does “잘 지냈어요?” mean?

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Answer: How have you been

Question 2 How is “잘 지냈어요?” pronounced?

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Answer: [잘 지내써요]

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