Korean Job Discussion Forums

[DanseurVertical]

Earlier today I walked into a convenience store, and upon entering the clerk looked directly at me and greeted me. The clerk is much older than I am, probably middle 60s. I had never seen him before, and I did not recognize his greeting.

What stuck out, however, is that it ended in -se, without "yo". So I was thinking, is he intending to insult me? Or does he think I'm not worthy of his respect because I'm much younger than he is? But that seemed ridiculous, since he's a clerk working at a convenience store, where I'm a customer, and I'm just a random foreigner. I puzzled for a moment and left.

Any ideas of what he might have said and why?

[highstreet]

Older people don't have to use the formal speech when talking with people much younger than them.

He probably said, 어서오세요, but if you drop the 요 it doesn't make sense. So I'm guessing he said the 요 and you just didn't hear it.

[DanseurVertical]

[hapkido1996]

I've heard it a few times. I asked my girlfriend about it once. She said that it's an old, obsolete form. Only old people use it. It's more polite than leaving off both the 세 and the 요, and it's not intended to be diminutive or insulting.

반말 isn't rude when an older is speaking to a younger person, anyway. It's normal and just as polite as speaking 존댄말 to an elder, a guest or a stranger. No need to take offense at it.

[Chet Wautlands]

Where are you living? When I lived in Gyeongsangnam-do 어서오세요 often turned into 어소있스.. or something of that sort.

[DanseurVertical]

[DanseurVertical]