Chapter 1

Korean Workplace Culture

Understand hierarchy, honorific speech, and common workplace customs so daily interactions feel natural instead of confusing.

Study Notes

Korean workplaces are hierarchy-conscious — always use polite/honorific speech with supervisors and elders.
선배 (senior) and 후배 (junior) describe relative seniority, not necessarily age — it usually refers to who joined first.
Company dinners (회식) are a normal part of workplace bonding; it's fine to attend, and fine to politely decline alcohol.

Vocabulary

회식

hoesik

Culture

Company dinner / team meal

오늘 저녁에 회식이 있어요.

Oneul jeonyeoge hoesigi isseoyo.

“There's a company dinner tonight.”

선배

seonbae

Culture

Senior colleague

저 선배는 3년 전에 입사했어요.

Jeo seonbaeneun samnyeon jeone ipsahaesseoyo.

“That senior colleague joined the company three years ago.”

후배

hubae

Culture

Junior colleague

그 후배는 이번 달에 들어왔어요.

Geu hubaeneun ibeon dare deureowasseoyo.

“That junior colleague started this month.”

존댓말

jondaetmal

Culture

Honorific / polite speech

사장님께 존댓말을 써야 해요.

Sajangnimkke jondaetmareul sseoya haeyo.

“You must use honorific speech with the boss.”

명절

myeongjeol

Culture

Traditional holiday

추석은 큰 명절이에요.

Chuseogeun keun myeongjeorieyo.

“Chuseok is a major traditional holiday.”

Grammar

-이/가

Beginner

Marking the subject of a sentence

-이 follows a noun ending in a consonant and -가 follows a noun ending in a vowel, marking that noun as the subject of the sentence.

사장님이 사무실에 있어요.

Sajangnimi samusile isseoyo.

“The boss is in the office.”

-(으)시-

Intermediate

The honorific infix

Inserting -시- before a verb ending shows respect toward the subject of the sentence — used when talking about (or to) a supervisor or elder.

사장님께서 오셨어요.

Sajangnimkkeseo osyeosseoyo.

“The boss has arrived. (honorific)”

Conversation Practice

Being Invited to a Company Dinner

A senior colleague invites you to dinner after work

Senior

오늘 저녁에 회식이 있어요. 올 수 있어요?

Oneul jeonyeoge hoesigi isseoyo. Ol su isseoyo?

“There's a company dinner tonight. Can you come?”

You

네, 갈 수 있어요. 몇 시예요?

Ne, gal su isseoyo. Myeot siyeyo?

“Yes, I can come. What time?”

Senior

저녁 7시예요.

Jeonyeok ilgopsiyeyo.

“It's 7 p.m.”

You

알겠습니다. 감사합니다.

Algesseumnida. Gamsahamnida.

“Understood. Thank you.”

Listening Practice

Explaining a Workplace Custom

A senior colleague is explaining a workplace custom to a new worker. Listen for what is expected.

Transcript

Senior: 우리 회사에서는 선배한테 존댓말을 써요.At our company, we use polite speech with seniors.

New worker: 사장님한테도 그래요?Is it the same with the boss?

Senior: 네, 사장님한테는 더 정중하게 말해야 해요.Yes, you should speak even more respectfully to the boss.

Comprehension Check

1. Who should be addressed with polite speech, according to the senior?

2. How should the boss be spoken to, compared to seniors?

Reading Practice

A Note About Company Dinners

한국 회사에서는 회식이 자주 있어요.Company dinners happen often at Korean companies.

회식은 동료들과 친해지는 시간이에요.A company dinner is a time to get closer with coworkers.

술을 못 마시면 정중하게 말해도 괜찮아요.If you can't drink alcohol, it's fine to politely say so.

Comprehension Check

1. What is the purpose of a company dinner, according to the passage?

2. What can you do if you can't drink alcohol?

Chapter Quiz

1. What does "선배" mean?

2. What is "존댓말"?

3. Which particle marks "사장님" as the subject in "사장님이 사무실에 있어요"?

4. What is "회식"?