What you'll learn
- Read a 16-sentence story about a job interview, with two styles side by side.
- Use 면접을 보다 and 질문에 대답하다 as fixed pairings.
- Say "I was nervous, but" with 긴장했지만.
- Recognise reported speech in a natural last line: 알려 준다고 해요.
Before you start: you should know the polite past tense, the contrast ending -지만 and the formal question ending -습니까. The lesson takes about 25 minutes. If you are not yet at that level, try Easy Korean Sentences to Read first.
What Happens in This Korean Story about a Job Interview?
In this Korean story about a job interview, a young person goes to a first interview after a sleepless night. They travel by subway, wait with other candidates and feel their heart pound when their turn comes. Three interviewers ask why they applied, and they answer calmly in formal Korean. Afterwards, they hear that the result will come next week, feel worried and go home to rest. Play the narration once, then read along with the table.
오늘 처음으로 면접을 봤어요. 어제는 너무 긴장해서 잠을 잘 못 잤어요. 아침 일찍 일어나서 정장을 입었어요. 회사까지 지하철로 사십 분쯤 걸렸어요. 대기실에서 다른 지원자들을 만났어요. 모두 조용히 앉아서 기다렸어요. 제 차례가 되었을 때 가슴이 크게 뛰었어요. 면접관 세 분이 앉아 계셨어요. 저는 인사를 하고 의자에 앉았어요. 면접관이 "왜 이 회사에 지원했습니까?" 하고 물었어요. 저는 "이 회사에서 일하고 싶어서 지원했습니다."라고 대답했어요. 긴장했지만 질문에 차분하게 대답했어요. 면접이 끝나고 면접관들이 "수고하셨습니다."라고 말했어요. 결과는 다음 주에 알려 준다고 해요. 지금은 결과가 걱정되지만 최선을 다했어요. 이제 집에 가서 푹 쉴 거예요.
| # | Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 오늘 처음으로 면접을 봤어요. | Today I had an interview for the first time. |
| 2 | 어제는 너무 긴장해서 잠을 잘 못 잤어요. | Yesterday I was so nervous that I could not sleep well. |
| 3 | 아침 일찍 일어나서 정장을 입었어요. | I got up early in the morning and put on a suit. |
| 4 | 회사까지 지하철로 사십 분쯤 걸렸어요. | It took about forty minutes to the company by subway. |
| 5 | 대기실에서 다른 지원자들을 만났어요. | In the waiting room I met the other candidates. |
| 6 | 모두 조용히 앉아서 기다렸어요. | Everyone sat quietly and waited. |
| 7 | 제 차례가 되었을 때 가슴이 크게 뛰었어요. | When my turn came, my heart pounded hard. |
| 8 | 면접관 세 분이 앉아 계셨어요. | Three interviewers were seated. |
| 9 | 저는 인사를 하고 의자에 앉았어요. | I greeted them and sat on the chair. |
| 10 | 면접관이 "왜 이 회사에 지원했습니까?" 하고 물었어요. | The interviewer asked, "Why did you apply to this company?" |
| 11 | 저는 "이 회사에서 일하고 싶어서 지원했습니다."라고 대답했어요. | I answered, "I applied because I want to work at this company." |
| 12 | 긴장했지만 질문에 차분하게 대답했어요. | I was nervous, but I answered the question calmly. |
| 13 | 면접이 끝나고 면접관들이 "수고하셨습니다."라고 말했어요. | When the interview ended, the interviewers said, "Thank you for your effort." |
| 14 | 결과는 다음 주에 알려 준다고 해요. | They say they will tell me the result next week. |
| 15 | 지금은 결과가 걱정되지만 최선을 다했어요. | I am worried about the result now, but I did my best. |
| 16 | 이제 집에 가서 푹 쉴 거예요. | Now I will go home and rest well. |
Sentences 10, 11 and 13 put spoken words inside quotation marks. That is the part to compare with the narrator's own style.
What Makes This Story Easy or Hard to Read?
The story is easy because it follows the day in order and the sentences are short. It is harder in four places: the formal quoted speech, the word 보다 in 면접을 봤어요, the honorific in 앉아 계셨어요 and the reported speech in sentence 14.
| Feature | In the story | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed pairing | 면접을 보다 | 보다 here means "take" |
| Formal quote | 지원했습니까, 지원했습니다 | -습니다 style in speech |
| Honorific | 앉아 계셨어요, 수고하셨습니다 | The interviewers are respected |
| Contrast | 긴장했지만, 걱정되지만 | -지만 after a past or present stem |
| Reported speech | 알려 준다고 해요 | "They say they will tell me" |
| Sino-Korean nouns | 면접, 질문, 대답, 결과 | Two-syllable workplace words |
The pattern to notice: when the narrator speaks about their own actions, the ending is -어요 (봤어요, 앉았어요). When the interviewers speak, or when the narrator quotes formal speech, the ending is -습니다 or -습니까. For the formal style, see Korean formal speech. Hear the formal answer from sentence 11, where 지원했습니다 is said [지원핻씀니다].
Which New Words Should You Preview?
Preview these words before you read. They carry most of the story.
| Word | Revised Romanization | Meaning | Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 면접 | myeonjeop | interview | 1, 13 |
| 긴장하다 | ginjanghada | be nervous, be tense | 2, 12 |
| 정장 | jeongjang | suit | 3 |
| 지원자 | jiwonja | candidate, applicant | 5 |
| 차례 | charye | turn | 7 |
| 가슴 | gaseum | chest, heart | 7 |
| 면접관 | myeonjeopgwan | interviewer | 8, 10 |
| 지원하다 | jiwonhada | apply | 10, 11 |
| 질문 | jilmun | question | 12 |
| 대답하다 | daedapada | answer | 11, 12 |
| 차분하게 | chabunhage | calmly | 12 |
| 수고하셨습니다 | sugohasyeotseumnida | thank you for your effort | 13 |
| 결과 | gyeolgwa | result | 14, 15 |
| 걱정되다 | geokjeongdoeda | be worried | 15 |
| 최선 | choeseon | one's best | 15 |
Romanization here is only a reading aid. Say the Hangul first. In predicates like 대답하다, the ㅂ and ㅎ join into an aspirated sound: 대답했어요 is said [대다패써요] and written daedapaesseoyo. Nouns keep their h, so 면접 and 결과 have none.
Five interview words with Sino-Korean roots. Five words in the story are Sino-Korean nouns, each built from two syllables: 면접, 질문, 대답, 결과 and 긴장. Three of them become verbs when you add 하다: 질문하다 (ask a question), 대답하다 (answer) and 긴장하다 (be nervous). The other two usually take a different verb: 면접을 보다 (take an interview) and 결과가 나오다 (the result comes out). Learning the five together helps you spot the same syllables in other workplace words.
Read the Story in Three Passes
Read the story three times, each pass with one job.
- Pass 1: read silently. Find where the narrator goes (회사), who they meet (지원자들, 면접관) and what they wait for (결과). Do not look anything up.
- Pass 2: read with the table. Check only the words you could not guess. Then re-read each Korean sentence before checking the English.
- Pass 3: read aloud with the narration. Play a sentence, pause and repeat it, then read the story aloud without audio.
Use it as a model for rhythm. The extensive reading page explains how to turn stories like this one into a routine.
Comprehension Questions
Answer these in English or in short Korean. The answers are in the practice section.
- How did the narrator feel the night before?
- How did the narrator get to the company?
- How many interviewers were there?
- What question did the interviewer ask?
- When will the narrator hear the result?
If you can answer all five, you have followed the story. If one answer escapes you, find the sentence number in the table.
What Grammar Appears in the Story?
Five patterns carry the story.
1. 면접을 보다. 보다 means "see", but with 면접 and 시험 it means "take": 면접을 봤어요, 시험을 봤어요. Learn the pairing as one unit.
2. -지만 after a past stem. 긴장했지만 means "I was nervous, but". The tense goes before -지만: 긴장하다 → 긴장했다 + 지만. In sentence 15, 걱정되지만 is in the present, because the worry is still there.
3. Direct quotation with -라고. Sentences 10, 11 and 13 report exact words. The quote ends with a closing mark, and the particle is 라고 or 하고: "…지원했습니다."라고 대답했어요. This quotes the sentence as spoken.
4. Reported speech with -ㄴ/는다고 해요. Sentence 14 does not quote. It reports what someone says: 알려 준다고 해요. Start with the plain form 알려 준다, then add -고 해요.
| Plain statement | Reported form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 알려 준다 | 알려 준다고 해요 | They say they will tell me |
| 가다 → 간다 | 간다고 해요 | They say they go |
| 먹다 → 먹는다 | 먹는다고 해요 | They say they eat |
For the full set of forms, see Korean indirect speech.
5. Honorific -(으)시-. The narrator uses 앉아 계셨어요 and 수고하셨습니다 for the interviewers, who are respected. The narrator never uses -(으)시- for their own actions (앉았어요).
Worked Example: Reading the First Paragraph
Take sentences 1 and 2 and read them together: 오늘 처음으로 면접을 봤어요. 어제는 너무 긴장해서 잠을 잘 못 잤어요.
- Find the time. 오늘 is "today", and 처음으로 is "for the first time".
- Find the fixed pairing. 면접을 봤어요: 보다 is "take" here, in the past. "Today I took an interview", which sounds natural as "I had an interview".
- Read sentence 2. 어제는 is "yesterday, as for". 긴장해서 is the reason: "because I was nervous".
- Read the result. 잠을 잘 못 잤어요: 잠을 자다 is "sleep", and 못 means "could not". The spoken form is [자믈 잘 몯짜써요].
Put it together: "Today I had an interview for the first time. Yesterday I was so nervous that I could not sleep well."
오늘 처음으로 면접을 봤어요.
oneul cheoeumeuro myeonjeobeul bwasseoyo
Today I had an interview for the first time.
긴장했지만 질문에 차분하게 대답했어요.
ginjanghaetjiman jilmune chabunhage daedapaesseoyo
I was nervous, but I answered the question calmly.
결과는 다음 주에 알려 준다고 해요.
gyeolgwaneun daeum jue allyeo jundago haeyo
They say they will tell me the result next week.
What Mistakes Do Learners Make Here?
Learners often make four mistakes.
| Learners often assume | Actually | Because |
|---|---|---|
| 면접을 했어요 means "I had an interview" | Say 면접을 봤어요 as the candidate | The candidate "takes" the interview, and the company "does" it |
| 질문을 대답했어요 is right | Say 질문에 대답했어요 | 대답하다 takes 에 for what you answer |
| 알려 준다고 해요 is a direct quote | It is a report of what they say | A direct quote uses 라고 and the exact words |
| The narration style is right for an interview | Use -습니다 style in a formal interview | The formal style is expected |
The second row is easy to miss. In English you "answer a question", with no particle, but in Korean the thing answered is marked 에: 질문에 대답하다. A related trap is 못 잤어요 in sentence 2. Write it spaced, 못 잤어요, with RR mot jasseoyo, and say it [몯짜써요].
Practice and Answer Key
Part A: true or false.
- The narrator slept well the night before.
- The narrator went to the company by subway.
- There were three interviewers.
- The narrator was nervous but answered calmly.
- The result came the same day.
Part B: choose the style. Which is better for a job interview, 지원했어요 or 지원했습니다? Which fits a note to a friend?
Part C: write three sentences. Say what happened at an event today. Use one 면접을 봤어요 or 시험을 봤어요, one -지만 sentence, and one -ㄴ/는다고 해요 sentence about what someone else says.
Practice · 3
Which verb goes with 면접?
Show answer
보다
면접을 보다 is the fixed pairing for the person who is interviewed.
What is the correct way to say 'I answered the question'?
Show answer
질문에 대답했어요
대답하다 takes 에 for what you answer.
What does 알려 준다고 해요 mean?
Show answer
They say they will tell me
-ㄴ/는다고 해요 reports what someone says.
Answers
- Comprehension: 1 very nervous, so they could not sleep well; 2 by subway, about forty minutes; 3 three; 4 why the narrator applied to the company; 5 next week.
- Part A: 1 false, 2 true, 3 true, 4 true, 5 false (next week).
- Part B: 지원했습니다 for an interview; 지원했어요 for a friend.
- Part C: for example, 오늘 시험을 봤어요. 어려웠지만 열심히 풀었어요. 선생님이 내일 결과를 알려 주신다고 해요. Check that the third sentence has the plain form plus -고 해요.
If Part A went wrong, re-read sentences 2, 4 and 14.
Where to Go Next
Read the next story, Korean Story Moving to a New City, where B1 sentences describe plans and wishes. For more reading at your level, see the full set of Korean short stories for beginners. For interview phrases that you can say, see business Korean phrases.
This Korean story about a job interview covers one candidate's first interview. It does not teach resume writing, salary talk or the full set of workplace titles. A good next step is to write your own answer to 왜 이 회사에 지원했습니까? in two sentences, using the -습니다 style.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Is the Verb 보다 Used for an Interview?
면접을 보다 is a fixed pairing. The verb 보다 (see) also means "take" in 시험을 보다, "take an exam". The person who is interviewed says 면접을 봤어요. The company that interviews a candidate more often says 면접을 진행하다 or 면접을 하다. Learn the pairing as one unit and do not translate it word by word.
What Does -다고 해요 Mean?
-다고 해요 reports what someone says, so 알려 준다고 해요 means "they say they will tell me". Take the plain statement 알려 준다 and add -고 해요. It is B1 grammar, shown here in a natural last line before you meet it in a full lesson. The speaker is not the narrator but the company.
Which Style Do I Use in a Real Interview?
In a formal interview, answers usually use the formal -ㅂ니다/습니다 style, as in 지원했습니다. The narration in this story uses the polite 해요 style because it is a personal account. Follow the style the interviewer uses, and ask a Korean teacher or a colleague who knows the field when in doubt.
How Do I Say 'I Was Nervous'?
Say 긴장했어요, "I was tense, I was nervous". For a stronger feeling of shaking, say 떨렸어요, "I was trembling" or 가슴이 뛰었어요, "my heart was pounding". All three are natural. Use 긴장돼요 when you feel nervous right now.
