5 Conversational bridges
Conversations don’t consist just of complete sentences. Speakers need ways to link their utterances, to indicate surprise, to get people’s attention, and so forth.
The appropriate use of these ‘bridges’ makes for more authentic and natural- sounding speech and contributes to smoother communication.
5.1 Fillers
Fillers provide a way to hesitate without ‘losing the floor’ during a conversation. They give speakers a chance to clear their throat, to politely get people’s
attention when beginning an utterance, or to think of the right word.
• ⁎⩂┞₢, ⁎⩂┞₦ ‘so; let’s see’ ⌊㧒 䊊㯞 ⽊⓪ ⋶㧎◆…⁎⩂┞₢, ἆ㍳㦚 䞮Ỷ┺ 㧊 Ⱖ㧎Ṗ?
Tomorrow is our quiz day…so, are you saying that you will be absent from class? 㡗㭒Ṗ 㰖⋲ 㭒㠦 ᾦ䐋 ㌂ἶ⯒ ╏䟞㠊. ⁎⩂┞₦ ゚Ṗ Ⱔ㧊 㡾
㑮㣪㧒㧊㠞⋮ ⽦. Youngjoo got into a car accident last week. Let’s see, I think it was Wednesday,
when it rained a lot.
• ⁎⩒ ‘well; then’
⁎⩒ ⡦ 㡆⧓䞮㧦. Well, let’s get in touch again.
⁎⩒ Ⲓ㩖 Ṗ ⽊Ỷ㔋┞┺. Well, excuse me, I will get going first.
• ⁎ 㢲…㰖㣪㧬㞚㣪 ‘you know,…’ ㌂㰚 㧊Ⲫ㧒⪲ ⽊⌊㭚₢? 㞚┞Ⳋ..⁎ 㢲… 㣪㯮 㥶䟟䞮⓪ Ệ 㧞㰖?
な⪲⁎㧎Ṗ ⶪṖ 䞮⓪ Ệ. Ệ₆┺ 㢂Ⰺ₢? Shall I send you photos by e-mail? Or you know, the thing that is popular
these days? Blog or something. Shall I upload the photos there? • ⁎⧮ ‘so…’ to introduce a question
⁎⧮, 㣪㯮 㠊⠑Ợ 㰖⌊? So, how are you doing these days?
⁎⧮, 㠎㩲 ⟶⋶ ㌳ṗ㧊㟒? So, when are you going to leave?
• ⁖㗚㣪 ‘well; let’s see’
A: 㧊⻞㠦 ㌞⪲ 㡺㔶 ὒ㧻┮㦖 㠊⟶㎎㣪? B: ⁖㗚㣪, ㌂⧢㦚 ᾟ㧻䧞 䘎䞮Ợ ╖䟊 㭒㔲⓪ ṯ㞚㣪.
A: What’s your new section chief like? B: Well, it seems like he makes people very comfortable.
• ⶦ ‘well; you know’
A: 㹾 㧞⓪◆ 㭧ἶ㹾⯒ ⡦ ㌖㠊? B: ⶦ, ⌊Ṗ 㝆⩺ἶ ㌆ ộ㧊 㞚┞⧒ ☯㌳ 㭒⩺ἶ.
A: You bought a used car again even though you already have a car? B: Well, it was not for me to use but to give to my younger sister.
A: 㣪㌞ 㧦∎ ㌊㧊 㳚㍲ ἶ⹒㧊㠦㣪. B: ⋶㞂䞮㔶◆㣪, ⶦ.
A: It bothers me that I keep gaining weight these days. B: You’re slender, I think.
• ⶦ㡞㣪ⶦ㟒 ‘you know’
Ṗ㫇㡂䟟㦚 Ṛ┺ Ṛ┺ 䞮Ⳋ㍲ 䞲⻞☚ ⴑ Ṫ㰖 ⶦ㡞㣪. We’ve been planning on our family trip, saying ‘we’re going, we’re going,’
but haven’t made it even once, you know.
䂲ῂ ㌳㧒㦚 ₲シ䟞㰖 ⶦ㟒. My friend’s birthday slipped my mind, you know.
• ⶦ⧒ ⁎⩊₢㣪 ‘How shall I put it?’
㡗䢪Ṗ 㩲㧧゚⓪ Ⱔ㧊 ✺㡂㍲ ⽒ỆⰂ⓪ Ⱔ㰖Ⱒ, ⶦ⧒ ⁎⩊₢, ⌊㣿㦖 㠜┺ἶ⋮ 䞶₢…
The movie offers a lot to see, thanks to the high production cost, but how shall I put it, shall I say that it lacks substance…
• ⁎Ợ ⶦ▪⧒, ⁎Ợ ⶦ㰖㣪 ‘What do you call it?’ A:
㤆Ⰲ 㧊⻞㠦 䞒㍲ Ṗ㍲ ⶦ 䞶₢? B: 䞮㧊䌏☚ 䞮ἶ ⡦ ⁎Ợ ⶦ㰖, ┺ ㏣㠦 ✺㠊Ṗ㍲ ⶒἶ₆ ῂἓ䞮⓪ Ệ.
㓺⏎䋊Ⱇ㧎Ṗ? A: What shall we do when we go on summer vacation this time?
B: Let’s do hiking and also what do you call it when we go into the ocean and watch the fish. Is it snorkeling?
• 㠊…, 㠦…, 㦢 ‘uh…’ 䌗㧊 㧞⓪◆㣪, 㠊…, ☞ 㫖 ア⩺ 㭚 㑮 㧞㠊㣪?
I have a favor to ask of you, uh…can you lend me some money?
• 㠊❪ ‘well; now; let me see’ 㠊❪ 䞲 ⻞ ⲏ㠊 ⽒₢?
Well, shall I try it the food? 㠊❪ Ṗ ▪ 㧮 䞮⋮ ⽊㧦.
Now, let’s see who’s doing it better. • 㧦 ‘well; here; here you are’
㧦 㧊㩲 㔲㧧䞶₢㣪? Well, shall we begin?
㧦 㔳₆ 㩚㠦 ❃㔲┺. Here, let’s eat before it gets cold.
• 㩖… ‘well; excuse me’ 㩖 䢏㔲 㰚䢎 㞚⻚┮ 㞚┞㎎㣪?
Excuse me, are you Jinho’s father by any chance?
• 㧞㰖㣪, 㧞㧬㞚㣪 ‘well; excuse me’
㠎┞, 㧞㰖, 㠎┞Ṗ ㌞⪲ ㌆ 㢍 ⌊㧒 㫖 ア⩺ 㭚⧮? Sis, well, can I borrow your new clothes tomorrow?
䡫, 㧞㧬㞚㣪, 㰖⋲ ⻞ 䡫㧊 䌗䞲 㧒 ┺ ⴑ ⊳⌞⓪◆, 㔲Ṛ 㫖 ▪ 㭚 㑮 㧞㠊㣪?
Brother, well, I haven’t finished the work that you asked me to do. Can you give me some more time?
• 㩖₆㣪, 㩖₆ 㧞㧬㞚㣪 ‘well; excuse me’
㩖₆ 㧞㧬㞚㣪, ⌊㧒 ㊮㰖 㞠㦒Ⳋ 㹾 䞲 㧪 䞮㔺⧮㣪? Well, if you’re not busy tomorrow, would you like to have a cup of tea with me?
㩖₆…䢏㔲 䞲ῃ㧊㎎㣪? Excuse me, are you Korean by any chance?
• 㩖₆ Ⱖ㧊㠦㣪Ⱖ㧊㟒 ‘you see, you know,…’ 㠚Ⱎ, 㩖₆ Ⱖ㧊㠦㣪, 㩲Ṗ 㣿☞㧊 ┺ ⟾㠊㪎 ṖỆ✶㣪.
Mom, you know, I’m running out of spending money.
5.2 Transition expressions
The following expressions are used in speaking or writing, particularly when there is a need to indicate a ‘logical’ relation between one sentence and another,
to change the subject, or to mark a contrast.
• According to rumor
㏢ⶎ㠦 㦮䞮Ⳋ 㧊 㧧䛞㦖 䞲ῃ㡗䢪 ㌂㌗ 㾲ἶ㦮 䆪⹎❪㡗䢪⧒ἶ 䞲┺. According to rumor, this movie is the best comedy in Korean movie history.
• Against one’s will
㌳㧒 ⳾㧚㦚 㫆㽦䞮Ợ Ṗ㰖⩺ἶ 䟞⓪◆ ⽎㦮 㞚┞Ợ ′⳾Ṗ 䄺㪢㠊㣪. I was planning on a small birthday party, but against my will it became large.
