Korean Phone Calls: 여보세요, -게, and 바꿔 주세요
Korean phone calls start with 여보세요 (hello?), use 바꿔 주세요 to ask for someone, and -게 to say “so that” — 잘 들리게 말해 주세요 (please speak so I can hear).
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Written by Alvin Lim Certified Korean Language Teacher (Level 2)
Korean phone calls open with 여보세요 (hello?), ask for someone with 사장님 좀 바꿔 주세요 (may I speak to the manager?), and use -게 to say “so that” — 잘 들리게 말해 주세요 (please speak so I can hear you). Phone Korean has its own little script, and once you know it, calling a shop, a friend, or an office stops being scary.
In the last lesson everyone gathered to cook. Now the party’s over and you need to make a call — so let’s learn the phrases that only ever come out on the phone.
Ten words for phone calls
These are the exact words a Korean phone conversation runs on.
The phone-call script: 여보세요 and 바꿔 주세요
A Korean call has fixed openers. You answer with 여보세요 — used almost nowhere except the phone. To reach a particular person, say [그 사람] 좀 바꿔 주세요, literally “please switch the line to ___.”
여보세요? = hello? (answering) 사장님 좀 바꿔 주세요 = may I speak to the manager? 잠깐만요, 바꿔 드릴게요 = one moment, I’ll pass you over 잘 안 들려요. 다시 말해 주세요 = I can’t hear well. Please say it again
Notice 바꾸다 literally means “to change/switch” — on the phone it means handing the call to someone else. And 잘 안 들려요 (from 들리다, “to be audible”) is your lifeline whenever the line is bad. To end the call politely: 이제 끊을게요 = I’ll hang up now.
How do you say “do it so that…”?
To express “so that” or “to a certain degree,” attach -게 to an adjective or verb stem. It builds an adverb describing HOW or to WHAT END the action happens.
잘 들리게 말해 주세요 = please speak so it’s easy to hear 크게 말해 주세요 = please speak loudly 조용하게 해 주세요 = please do it quietly 늦지 않게 오세요 = please come so you’re not late
So 크다 → 크게 (loudly/big-ly), 조용하다 → 조용하게 (quietly), and 들리다 → 들리게 (so that it’s heard). On a bad line you’ll combine them constantly: 안 들리니까 크게, 천천히 말해 주세요 = since I can’t hear, please speak loudly and slowly. The -게 form is how Korean glues a manner onto a request.
What does a real phone call sound like?
Here’s a full call — note how 여보세요, 바꿔 주세요, and -게 all show up:
Every phone tool is here: 여보세요 opens it, 사장님 좀 바꿔 주세요 asks for a person, 크게 말해 주세요 and 잘 들리게 use -게 to fix the bad audio, and 부재중 / 메시지 남기다 close it out. Run through this script a few times and real calls will feel routine.
FAQ
What exactly does -게 do? -게 turns an adjective or verb into an adverb meaning “so that / to such a degree.” 크다 (big) → 크게 말하다 = to speak loudly; 조용하다 (quiet) → 조용하게 = quietly; 들리다 (to be heard) → 잘 들리게 = so that it’s audible. It often pairs with 말하다 or another action to describe HOW or to WHAT END you do it: 늦지 않게 오세요 = come so that you’re not late. Think of it as English “-ly” plus “so that.”
How do I ask for a specific person on the phone? Use [person] 좀 바꿔 주세요 — literally “please switch (the line) over to [person].” 사장님 좀 바꿔 주세요 = may I speak to the manager? The 좀 softens it into a polite request. To say who’s calling, add 저는 …인데요: 저는 김민수인데요, 사장님 좀 바꿔 주세요. If the person is out, you’ll hear 지금 안 계세요 (they’re not in right now) or 부재중이에요 (they’re away).
What are the key phone verbs I need? Four cover most calls: 전화를 걸다 = to make a call (place it), 전화를 받다 = to answer, 전화를 끊다 = to hang up, and 바꾸다 = to switch/pass the phone to someone. Add 통화하다 (to be on a call / talk by phone) and 메시지를 남기다 (to leave a message). If you can’t hear, say 잘 안 들려요 (I can’t hear well); if the call drops, 전화가 끊겼어요 (the call got cut off).
Next: declining politely — -기 때문에 and -을 수밖에 없다. Previous: cooking together — -는 것 and -으면서. Full path: curriculum hub.