Casual Speech (반말 / 해체)

Quick Reference

• 반말 (해체): -아/어/해 endings (no 요)
• Informal, casual speech used with close relationships
• Use with: close friends (same age), younger people, children, family (depending on family culture)
• NOT for: strangers, elders, superiors, formal situations
• Requires mutual agreement or clear social permission
• Conjugates same as 해요체 but drops the 요

Detailed Explanation

What is 반말?

반말 (literally "half speech") refers to informal, casual speech. It's called 해체 in formal linguistic terms. This level removes the politeness marker -요 and uses casual endings.

Key characteristic: No -요 ending, creates intimacy and casualness

Relationship indicator: Using 반말 signals: - Close friendship - Family bonds - Higher social position speaking to lower - Adult speaking to child - Comfortable, intimate relationship

Formation Rules

반말 follows the same vowel harmony as 해요체, but removes -요:

1. ㅏ/ㅗ stems → -아

가다 → 가 (go)
오다 → 와 (come)
보다 → 봐 (see)
자다 → 자 (sleep)

2. Other vowels → -어

먹다 → 먹어 (eat)
서다 → 서 (stand)
읽다 → 읽어 (read)

3. 하다 verbs → 해

공부하다 → 공부해 (study)
일하다 → 일해 (work)
좋아하다 → 좋아해 (like)

4. Descriptive verbs (adjectives): Can use plain -다 form in casual statements

크다 → 크다 / 커 (is big)
예쁘다 → 예쁘다 / 예뻐 (is pretty)
좋다 → 좋다 / 좋아 (is good)

Conjugation Patterns

Present tense statements: - 가 (go/goes) - 먹어 (eat/eats) - 해 (do/does)

Present tense questions: - Verb stem + -니? / -냐? (more casual) - 가니? / 가? (Are you going?) - 먹니? / 먹어? (Are you eating?)

Past tense: - Add -았/었/했 (same as 해요체 but no 요) - 갔어 (went) - 먹었어 (ate) - 했어 (did)

Future tense: - Verb stem + -(으)ㄹ 거야 - 갈 거야 (will go) - 먹을 거야 (will eat)

Commands (해라체): - Verb stem + -아/어/해 - 가! (Go!) - 먹어! (Eat!) - Same form as statements but with commanding tone

Question Endings in 반말

Several ways to form questions in 반말:

1. Rising intonation: - 가? (Going?) - 먹어? (Eating?)

2. -니? / -니 (softer): - 가니? (Are you going?) - 뭐 하니? (What are you doing?)

3. -냐? (more direct, often masculine): - 가냐? (Are you going?) - 뭐 하냐? (What are you doing?)

4. -어? (casual, common): - 어디 가? (Where are you going?) - 좋아? (Is it good?)

When to Use 반말

Appropriate contexts: - Close friends of same age - Speaking to younger siblings - Adults to children - Within couples - Among close peers who agreed to use 반말 - Between teammates in sports/clubs (among peers)

Permission needed: - Usually the older person suggests: "반말 하자" (Let's speak casually) - Between same-age people: "우리 반말 할까?" (Should we speak casually?) - Once established, maintain consistency

NOT appropriate: - Strangers, regardless of age - Elders, even if comfortable - Workplace superiors - Service workers - Formal situations - First meetings

반말 vs 해요체

Feature	반말	해요체
Ending	-아/어/해	-아요/어요/해요
Formality	Casual	Polite
Distance	Close	Respectful distance
Use	Friends, family	Most situations
Example	뭐 해?	뭐 해요?

Switching from 해요체 to 반말:

Initial meeting: 어디 가세요? (Where are you going?) - very polite
After rapport: 어디 가요? (Where are you going?) - polite
Close friends: 어디 가? (Where are you going?) - casual

Common 반말 Expressions

Greetings: - 안녕! (Hi! / Bye!) - 잘 가! (Bye! - to person leaving) - 잘 있어! (Bye! - to person staying) - 오랜만이야! (Long time no see!)

Questions: - 뭐 해? (What are you doing?) - 어디 가? (Where are you going?) - 왜? (Why?) - 진짜? (Really?) - 뭐 먹을래? (What do you want to eat?)

Statements: - 나 배고파. (I'm hungry.) - 좋아. (Good. / I like it.) - 몰라. (I don't know.) - 알았어. (I got it. / Okay.) - 나 갈게. (I'll go.)

Responses: - 응 / 어 (Yeah) - 아니 (No) - 그래 (Okay / Yes / That's right) - 알았어 (Got it)

Pronouns in 반말

First person: - 나 (I) - casual - 내 (my) - casual

(Compare: 저/제 in polite speech)

Second person: - 너 (you) - casual - 네 / 니 (your) - casual

(Compare: No direct "you" in polite speech, use name + 씨)

Examples: - 나 내일 학교 가. (I'm going to school tomorrow.) - 너 뭐 해? (What are you doing?) - 이거 내 거야. (This is mine.)

Tone and Context

Tone matters: - Same words can sound friendly or rude depending on tone - 가! can be "Go!" (friendly) or "Get out!" (rude) - Context and relationship determine interpretation

Situations where 반말 might sound rude: - Using with someone older (even if close) - Using too soon in a relationship - Using in professional settings - Using with strangers - Wrong context (formal situation)

Examples

Between close friends:

A: 야, 오늘 뭐 해?
B: 집에서 쉬려고. 너는?
A: 나 영화 보러 갈 건데, 같이 갈래?
B: 좋아! 몇 시에?
A: 3시에 보자.
B: 알았어. 어디서 만날래?
A: 극장 앞에서 만나자.

A: Hey, what are you doing today?
B: I'm planning to rest at home. How about you?
A: I'm going to watch a movie, want to come?
B: Sounds good! What time?
A: Let's meet at 3.
B: Got it. Where should we meet?
A: Let's meet in front of the theater.

Older person to younger (parent to child):

엄마: 숙제 다 했니?
아들: 아직 안 했어.
엄마: 빨리 해. 저녁 먹기 전에 끝내야지.
아들: 알았어, 엄마.

Mom: Did you finish your homework?
Son: Not yet.
Mom: Hurry up and do it. You need to finish before dinner.
Son: Okay, Mom.

Between couple:

A: 배고프지?
B: 응, 뭐 먹을래?
A: 치킨 먹자!
B: 좋아! 주문할게.
A: 나 콜라도 마시고 싶어.
B: 알았어. 같이 시킬게.

A: You're hungry, right?
B: Yeah, what do you want to eat?
A: Let's eat chicken!
B: Sounds good! I'll order.
A: I also want to drink cola.
B: Got it. I'll order it together.

Teammates (same age):

A: 오늘 연습 어땠어?
B: 힘들었어. 넌?
A: 나도. 내일도 해야 돼?
B: 응, 내일도 있어.
A: 알았어. 같이 가자.

A: How was practice today?
B: It was tough. How about you?
A: Me too. Do we have to do it tomorrow too?
B: Yeah, we have it tomorrow too.
A: Got it. Let's go together.

Cultural Notes

1. Establishing 반말: - Usually needs explicit agreement - Common phrase: "우리 이제 반말 하자" (Let's speak casually now) - Older person typically initiates

2. Age hierarchy: - Even one year difference can affect 반말 use - Korean age vs international age matters - Same-age friends: 친구 (can use 반말)

3. Gender dynamics: - Historically, men used 반말 more freely - Modern usage more equal between genders - Still some gender differences in question endings

4. Family variations: - Some families use 해요체 with parents - Others use 반말 with everyone - Varies by family culture and region

5. Workplace culture: - Usually maintain 해요체 at work - Might use 반말 outside work if close - Depends on company culture

Common Mistakes

1. Using 반말 too early: ❌ Meeting someone: 안녕! 뭐 해? ✓ Meeting someone: 안녕하세요! 뭐 하세요?

2. Mixing 반말 and 해요체: ❌ 너 어디 가요? ✓ 너 어디 가? (all casual) ✓ 어디 가요? (all polite)

3. Using 반말 with elders: ❌ To older person: 뭐 해? ✓ To older person: 뭐 하세요?

4. Wrong pronouns: ❌ In polite speech: 너 뭐 해요? ✓ In polite speech: 뭐 해요? (omit pronoun or use name)

Practice

1. Convert to 반말: 뭐 해요?

2. Convert to 반말: 어디 갔어요?

3. What does "반말 하자" mean?

4. Complete: 너 내일 학교에 ______? (Are you going to school tomorrow?) [가다, casual question]

5. Is it appropriate to use 반말 with a stranger your age?

6. Convert to 반말: 저는 배고파요.

7. What's the casual form of 저 (I)?

8. Complete: 영화 ______? (Did you watch the movie?) [보다, past, casual]

9. Create a short dialogue between two close friends using 반말.

10. Explain when it's appropriate to switch from 해요체 to 반말.

Show Answers

1. 뭐 해? 2. 어디 갔어? 3. "Let's speak casually/informally" - It's a suggestion to drop formalities and use 반말 with each other. 4. 가? or 가니? 5. No, it is not appropriate. Always start with 해요체 with strangers, regardless of age. Only use 반말 after establishing a relationship and getting mutual agreement. 6. 나 배고파. or 나는 배고파. 7. 나 (I) and 내 (my) Compare to polite: 저 (I) and 제 (my) 8. 봤어? 9. Example dialogue: A: 야, 주말에 뭐 했어? B: 아무것도 안 했어. 그냥 집에서 쉬었어. 너는? A: 나 친구들이랑 놀러 갔어. B: 어디 갔는데? A: 홍대에 갔어. 너도 다음에 같이 가자. B: 좋아! 언제 갈래? A: 다음 주말에 어때? B: 완벽해. 연락해! A: Hey, what did you do on the weekend? B: I didn't do anything. I just rested at home. How about you? A: I went out with friends. B: Where did you go? A: I went to Hongdae. You should come with us next time. B: Sounds good! When should we go? A: How about next weekend? B: Perfect. Contact me! 10. It's appropriate to switch from 해요체 to 반말 when: **Conditions:** - Both people are similar age (same age or close) - You've established some rapport and comfort - The older person suggests it first (usually with "반말 하자") - Or same-age friends mutually agree (우리 반말 할까?) - The relationship has developed to a comfortable level **Process:** - Start with 해요체 when you first meet - Build rapport over time (could be one meeting or several) - Wait for social cues or explicit permission - Once agreed, maintain 반말 consistently in casual contexts **Never switch if:** - The person is clearly older (more than a year or two) - You're in a professional/work relationship - The other person hasn't reciprocated or agreed - You're in a formal setting When in doubt, maintain 해요체. It's better to be too polite than too casual.