How to Say “I can’t speak Korean well yet” in Korean

한국어를 아직 잘 못해요

hangugeoreul ajik jal motaeyo

Situation: Introductions & meeting peopleLevel: Beginner (TOPIK 1–2)

Meaning

I can’t speak Korean well yet.

아직 means “still” or “not yet.” A humble way to hint that you would like people to speak slowly.

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

Syllables: 10 · Words: 4

In natural speech, sounds link and shift across words. The table below reads each word separately, as it sounds when said on its own.

Syllable	Letters (consonant + vowel + final)	Romanization
한국어를
한	ㅎ+ㅏ+ㄴ	han
국	ㄱ+ㅜ+ㄱ	[구] gu
어	ㅇ+ㅓ	[거] geo
를	ㄹ+ㅡ+ㄹ	reul
아직
아	ㅇ+ㅏ	a
직	ㅈ+ㅣ+ㄱ	jik
잘	ㅈ+ㅏ+ㄹ	jal
못해요
못	ㅁ+ㅗ+ㅅ	[모] mo
해	ㅎ+ㅐ	[태] tae
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. 국어 → [구거]
Aspiration: ㅎ next to ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ or ㅈ blends with it into ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ or ㅊ. 못해 → [모태]

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
아직	adverb	still, yet	TOPIK level 2

Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.

Question 1 What does “한국어를 아직 잘 못해요” mean?

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Answer: I can’t speak Korean well yet

Question 2 How do you say “I can’t speak Korean well yet” in Korean?

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Answer: 한국어를 아직 잘 못해요 hangugeoreul ajik jal motaeyo

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