9 Korean phrases for meeting your partner's parents, and what to call them
The first dinner with a partner's parents is the most formal evening most learners will ever have in Korean. The register jumps to 합니다 endings, the humble verbs come out, and how you address the parents matters more than anything else you say.
The nine phrases below are in that formal register and run in the order of the evening: the door, the gift, the table, the goodbye. They are the same whether the parents are a boyfriend's or a girlfriend's.
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처음 뵙겠습니다.
cheoeum boepgetseumnida.
It's an honour to meet you.
Literally: I see you for the first time (humbly).
뵙다 is the humble form of 보다 (to see), and this is the sentence that goes with the deep bow at the door. 안녕하세요 alone would be too light for the occasion.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
말씀 많이 들었습니다.
malsseum mani deureotseumnida.
I've heard so much about you.
The natural second line. 말씀 is the honorific word for someone's words, so it also signals that you are already speaking up to them.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
어머님, 아버님.
eomeonim, abeonim.
Mother, Father (respectful).
How you address your partner's parents, both before and after a wedding. The 님 is what makes them theirs rather than yours; 어머니 and 아버지 without it are for your own.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
작은 선물 준비했습니다.
jageun seonmul junbihaetseumnida.
I brought a small gift.
Literally: I prepared a small present.
Fruit, red ginseng (홍삼) or a health supplement are the safe choices. Hand it over with both hands and call it small even when it was not.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
잘 먹겠습니다.
jal meokgetseumnida.
Thank you for the meal.
Literally: I will eat well.
Said before the first bite, and only after the parents have lifted their spoons. Waiting for them is the part they will notice.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
정말 맛있습니다.
jeongmal masitseumnida.
This is really delicious.
Say it about a specific dish, not the meal in general, and the parent who cooked will put more of it in front of you. Accepting the second helping is part of the compliment.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
오늘 초대해 주셔서 감사합니다.
oneul chodaehae jusyeoseo gamsahamnida.
Thank you for having me today.
The thank-you on the way out. 주셔서 (because you did it for me) is the grammar that turns a thank-you into recognition of a favour.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
잘 부탁드립니다.
jal butakdeurimnida.
Please look kindly on me.
Literally: I ask well of you (humbly).
No English equivalent. It asks the parents to accept you into their care, and it belongs at the end of the evening or after a serious conversation about the relationship.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
다음에 또 찾아뵙겠습니다.
daeume tto chajaboepgetseumnida.
I'll come and see you again.
찾아뵙다 is the humble verb for visiting someone senior, and 또 promises a next time. This is the last thing you say at the door before 안녕히 계세요.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase →
The pattern across all of them is humility: 뵙다 instead of 보다, 드리다 instead of 주다, 말씀 instead of 말. You can get the vocabulary slightly wrong and still make a good impression if the humble forms are there and the bow is deep enough.