우리 싸우지 말자! Your Guide to Making Peace in Korean
Hello! It’s your favorite Korean guide, [Maeil Hangeul], here to upgrade your Korean skills!
Have you ever been in a situation where your family can’t agree on something small, like what to eat for dinner or what to watch on TV? It happens to everyone! Today, we’re going to learn some essential Korean phrases to help you navigate these minor disagreements and become the family peacemaker.
These days in Korea, with so many amazing K-dramas and movies on streaming services, a common “argument” in many homes is deciding what to watch together. Learning today’s phrases will not only help you in these situations but also make you sound much more natural and empathetic in Korean. Let’s get started!
Core Expressions for Family Harmony
Here are three key expressions to help you express your opinion politely and find a happy solution.
1. 제 생각은 좀 달라요 (Je saenggageun jom dallayo)
- Pronunciation [Romanization]: Je saeng-ga-geun jom dal-la-yo
- English Meaning: My opinion is a bit different. / I think a little differently.
- Detailed Explanation: This is a wonderfully polite and soft way to disagree. Instead of saying “You’re wrong” (틀렸어), which can sound very strong, this phrase acknowledges the other person’s opinion while gently introducing your own. It’s perfect for family discussions where you want to keep the mood light and respectful. ‘제 생각’ means ‘my thought/opinion,’ ‘은/는’ is a topic marker, ‘좀’ means ‘a bit,’ and ‘달라요’ means ‘is different.’
- 💡 Pronunciation Tip:
- Notice the pronunciation of 생각은 [saeng-ga-geun]. The final consonant ‘ㄱ’ (k) from ‘생각’ moves over to the next syllable when it’s followed by a vowel ‘으’ (eu). This is called liaison (or 연음 – yeoneum), and it makes the pronunciation flow smoothly. Instead of a hard stop like “saeng-gak / eun,” it sounds like “saen-ga-geun.”
2. 그럼 우리 타협하는 거 어때요? (Geureom uri tahyeopaneun geo eottaeyo?)
- Pronunciation [Romanization]: Geu-reom u-ri ta-hyeo-pa-neun geo eo-ttae-yo?
- English Meaning: Then how about we compromise?
- Detailed Explanation: This is the ultimate problem-solving phrase! ‘그럼’ means ‘then’ or ‘in that case,’ ‘우리’ means ‘we/us,’ and ‘타협하는 거 어때요?’ is a pattern that means “how about doing X?”. ‘타협하다’ is the verb ‘to compromise.’ Use this when you see that no one is going to get their way completely and you want to suggest finding a middle ground.
- 💡 Pronunciation Tip:
- Let’s look at 어때요 [eo-ttae-yo]. It’s written with ‘어떠해요’ in its full form, but in speech, it contracts. The ‘ㅎ’ (h) sound is very weak and often combines with the consonant that follows it. Here, ‘ㅎ’ meets ‘ㄷ’ (d), and they combine to create a strong, tense ‘ㄸ’ (tt) sound. This is why it’s not “eod-dae-yo” but a much stronger [eo-ttae-yo].
3. 우리 싸우지 말자 (Uri ssauji malja)
- Pronunciation [Romanization]: U-ri ssau-ji mal-ja
- English Meaning: Let’s not fight.
- Detailed Explanation: This is a friendly, informal phrase used to stop an argument before it gets too serious. It’s perfect for siblings, close friends, or couples. ‘싸우다’ means ‘to fight,’ and the grammar
–지 말자means “Let’s not do (verb).” It has a warm, conciliatory feeling, like saying, “Hey, this isn’t worth fighting over.” - 💡 Pronunciation Tip:
- The key here is the first sound: 싸 (ssa). This ‘ㅆ’ is a “tense consonant.” To make this sound, don’t let any air escape from your mouth, as you would with ‘ㅅ’ (s). It’s a short, tight sound made at the front of your mouth. Practice saying “ssa-u-ji” with a bit of tension at the beginning.
Example Dialogue
Let’s see how these phrases work in a real-life situation. Two siblings, Minjun (A) and Seoyeon (B), are deciding what to watch.
A (Minjun): “오늘 밤에 뭐 볼까? 나는 최신 액션 영화 보고 싶은데.”
(What should we watch tonight? I want to see the new action movie.)
B (Seoyeon): “음… 제 생각은 좀 달라요. 나는 요즘 인기 있는 드라마 ‘눈물의 여왕’ 마지막 회를 보고 싶어요.”
(Hmm… My opinion is a bit different. I want to watch the final episode of the popular drama ‘Queen of Tears’.)
A (Minjun): “아, 또 드라마야? 영화가 훨씬 재밌어!”
(Ugh, a drama again? The movie is way more fun!)
B (Seoyeon): “우리 싸우지 말자. 이건 그냥 작은 거잖아. 그럼 우리 타협하는 거 어때요? 오늘은 드라마를 보고, 내일은 영화를 보는 거야.”
(Let’s not fight. This is just a small thing. Then how about we compromise? We watch the drama today, and the movie tomorrow.)
A (Minjun): “알았어. 좋아. 그렇게 하자.”
(Okay. Sounds good. Let’s do that.)
Culture Tip & Trend Deep Dive
In Korea, family time is very important, and that often includes watching TV together. For huge hit dramas like ‘눈물의 여왕’ (Queen of Tears), many families practice something called 본방사수 (bonbangsasu).
- 본방 (bonbang) means the “original broadcast” (the time it airs on TV for the first time).
- 사수 (sasu) means “to protect or defend at all costs.”
So, 본방사수 literally means “defending the original broadcast,” which is a fun way of saying you absolutely cannot miss watching the episode live as it airs! This culture makes the discussion of “what to watch” a very real and common scenario in Korean households. Using a phrase like “우리 타협하는 거 어때요?” shows that you value family harmony over getting your own way—a very important cultural value!
Wrap-up & Practice!
Great job today! You’ve learned three fantastic phrases to handle small disagreements with family and friends in a polite and friendly way:
- 제 생각은 좀 달라요. (My opinion is a bit different.)
- 그럼 우리 타협하는 거 어때요? (Then how about we compromise?)
- 우리 싸우지 말자. (Let’s not fight.)
Now, it’s your turn to practice!
Quiz: Imagine your friend wants to eat pizza for dinner, but you want to eat Tteokbokki. How would you politely disagree and suggest a compromise? Fill in the blanks!
- To disagree politely: “___________ 좀 달라요.”
- To suggest a compromise: “그럼 우리 ___________ 거 어때요?”
Try to answer the quiz or create your own sentence using today’s expressions in the comments below. We’d love to see what you come up with
