How to say ‘I met a wonderful friend, thank you’ in Korean

If you’re learning Korean and want to express gratitude for meeting a wonderful friend, you may wonder how to say ‘I met a wonderful friend, thank you’ in Korean. A user asked if ‘멋진 친구들도 만났어. 고마워’ is the correct translation, and in this article, we’ll break down the correct Korean expression for this phrase.

Understanding the Korean Phrase

The phrase ‘멋진 친구들도 만났어. 고마워’ is generally correct, but there are some nuances to understand. The structure of this phrase can be broken down into two parts:

• ‘멋진 친구들도 만났어’ means ‘I met a wonderful friend’ or ‘I met wonderful friends,’ with ‘친구들’ being the plural form for ‘friends.’
• ‘고마워’ means ‘thank you’ in an informal, casual way.

This phrase is acceptable in casual or informal settings, especially if you’re speaking with close friends or people you feel comfortable with.

Formal vs. Informal Korean

In Korean, there are different levels of formality when speaking to others, and the way you express gratitude changes depending on who you’re addressing. The phrase ‘고마워’ is informal and would not be appropriate in more formal settings or when speaking to someone of higher status. A more formal way to say ‘thank you’ would be ‘고맙습니다’ or ‘감사합니다.’

Corrected Translation for Formal Context

If you wanted to use a more formal version of the phrase, it would be: ‘멋진 친구들을 만났습니다. 감사합니다.’ This version uses ‘만났습니다’ and ‘감사합니다,’ which are both polite forms used in formal situations.

Common Phrases with ‘Friend’ in Korean

When expressing thanks for meeting a friend in Korean, there are other variations of the phrase you could use:

• ‘좋은 친구를 만났어요. 고마워요.’ – This is a polite but casual expression meaning ‘I met a good friend, thank you.’
• ‘멋진 친구를 만났습니다. 감사합니다.’ – This is a more formal version meaning ‘I met a wonderful friend, thank you.’

Summary

To answer the original question, ‘멋진 친구들도 만났어. 고마워’ is indeed correct for informal situations, but it is important to adjust the level of formality depending on your audience. In formal situations, you would use ‘만났습니다’ and ‘감사합니다’ instead. Understanding the differences in formality is essential for speaking Korean appropriately in various settings.