Easy Korean Level 4 - Unit 7: It's okay. I'm okay. / 괜찮아요

The phrase 괜찮아요 is one of the most versatile and frequently used expressions in Korean.

The dictionary form is 괜찮다 (to be okay/alright/fine).

Let's look at the different situations where you can use "괜찮아요."

1. "I'm okay" (Declining an offer)

If someone offers you something or tries to help you, and you want to politely decline, you can say "괜찮아요." It means "No, thank you, I'm fine."

• A: 커피 더 드릴까요? (Shall I give you more coffee?)
• B: 아니요, 괜찮아요. (No, I'm fine / No, thanks.)

2. "Are you okay?" (Checking on someone)

If someone falls down or looks sick, you can ask if they are alright.

• A: (Falls down) 아얏! (Ouch!)
• B: 괜찮아요? (Are you okay?)
• A: 네, 괜찮아요. (Yes, I'm okay.)

3. "It's okay / It doesn't matter" (Giving permission or reassurance)

If someone apologizes to you, or asks if they can do something, you can say it's fine.

• A: 늦어서 죄송해요. (I'm sorry for being late.)

• B: 괜찮아요. (It's okay. / Don't worry about it.)

• A: 여기 앉아도 돼요? (Can I sit here?)

• B: 네, 괜찮아요. (Yes, it's fine.)

4. "It's good / Not bad" (Evaluating something)

You can use it to say the quality of something is quite good.

• 이 영화 어때요? (How is this movie?)
• 오, 괜찮아요! (Oh, it's good! / It's not bad!)

Conjugation Forms

• Polite (Present): 괜찮아요
• Casual (Present): 괜찮아
• Formal (Present): 괜찮습니다
• Polite (Past): 괜찮았어요
• Polite (Future): 괜찮을 거예요