그럼요 (geureomyo) — The One Word That Clears Away the Other Person's Hesitation
그럼요
그럼요 (geureomyo) is the word you use to tell someone who has just asked you something that the answer “goes without saying” — in short, it means “of course.” When someone asks cautiously, 혹시 이거 만져 봐도 될까요? (hoksi igeo manjyeo bwado doelkkayo?) — “Would it be okay if I touched this?” — answering with just 네 (ne) does grant permission, but it leaves the other person’s carefulness sitting right there where it was. Lay 그럼요 (geureomyo) on top of it and you hand over a bit of ease along with the yes: 당연히 되죠, 그런 걸 왜 물으세요 (dangyeonhi doejyo, geureon geol wae mureuseyo) — “Of course you can; why would you even ask?” In Korea, the places you hear this word most are exactly the places where strangers trade small kindnesses in a few seconds: in front of a market stall, at the meetup spot for a secondhand sale, at the door of an elevator.
The form is simple. The interjection 그럼 (geureom) plus the all-purpose polite ending -요 (-yo). So it splits into 그럼 (geureom) for a friend, and 그럼요 (geureomyo) for a customer, a neighbor, or an acquaintance older than you. This is that same -요 (-yo) that attaches even to words that aren’t nouns and does nothing but add politeness — as in 저요 (jeoyo), 빨리요 (ppalliyo), 그럼요 (geureomyo).
Its uses fall into three broad branches.
First, permission. When someone asks ~해도 될까요? (~haedo doelkkayo?), “May I…?”, this is your answer. Second, confirmation and assurance. To questions like 이거 진짜 잘 돼요? (igeo jinjja jal dwaeyo?) “Does this really work well?” or 오늘 만든 거 맞아요? (oneul mandeun geo majayo?) “Was this made today?”, it nails the answer down as 틀림없다 (teullimeopda) — “no doubt about it.” Third, agreement and backing someone up. You use it to affirm, with some force, that what the other person just said is right.
Its temperature is half certainty, half warmth. And there is one subtlety here that learners easily miss. 그럼요 (geureomyo) is for “when someone has asked about something they didn’t really need to ask about.” Underneath it lies the sense of 그건 물어볼 필요도 없는 일이에요 (geugeon mureobol piryodo eomneun irieyo) — “that’s not even something you need to ask.” Which is why it doesn’t attach to things the speaker doesn’t know either — that is, to genuine requests for information. Answer 내일 비 와요? (naeil bi wayo?) “Will it rain tomorrow?” with 그럼요 (geureomyo) and you sound like someone who decides the weather personally.
A Real Conversation
Setting: Saturday afternoon, on a bench in front of an apartment complex. Emily has come to look at a bicycle listed for sale secondhand. The two are meeting for the first time.
에밀리: 안녕하세요, 사진 보고 연락드린 사람이에요. 혹시 한번 타 봐도 될까요? Hi, I’m the one who messaged you about the photo. Would it be okay if I take it for a spin?
준경: 그럼요. 타 보고 정하셔야죠. 안장 높이도 맞춰 드릴게요. Of course. You should try it before you decide. I’ll adjust the seat height for you too.
에밀리: 와, 생각보다 훨씬 가볍네요. 근데 앞바구니도 그대로 주시는 거예요? Wow, it’s way lighter than I expected. But does the front basket come with it?
준경: 그럼요. 원래 한 세트인데요, 뭐. 브레이크도 지난달에 새로 갈았어요. Of course. It’s a set, after all. I replaced the brakes last month too.
준경: 아, 혹시 계좌이체 괜찮으세요? 제가 현금이 없어서 거스름돈을 못 드려요. Oh, is a bank transfer alright? I don’t have cash, so I can’t give you change.
에밀리: 그럼요, 지금 바로 보낼게요. 계좌번호만 찍어 주세요. Of course, I’ll send it right now. Just text me the account number.
The same word came up three times, and each time the grain of it was a little different. The first was permission, the second assurance, the third a cheerful yes to a favor being asked. All three have something in common: each one arrived at a moment when the other person felt apologetic or hesitant.
When It Sounds Off
✗ (to an interviewer at a job interview) 네, 그럼요. 주말 근무도 가능합니다. ✓ (to an interviewer at a job interview) 네, 물론입니다. 주말 근무도 가능합니다. → 그럼요 (geureomyo) belongs to the 해요체 (haeyoche) style, which is soft and assumes some closeness between people. In settings that call for formality — interviews, presentations, official reports — it sounds too light, and at worst a little too familiar for its own good. The right partner for those rooms is 물론입니다 (mullonimnida).
✗ 그럼요 우리 내일 두 시에 만나요. ✓ 그럼 우리 내일 두 시에 만나요. → This is where learners get confused most. 그럼 (geureom) has two faces. One is the answer meaning “of course”; the other is the shortened form of 그러면 (geureomyeon), meaning “in that case / then.” The second one never takes -요 (-yo). When it sits at the front of a sentence to carry the talk forward, it is always 그럼 (geureom).
Example Sentences by Situation
1. When a neighbor asks a favor, hesitantly
The elevator doors are about to close and the person from next door comes running with an armload of stuff. 죄송한데 문 좀 잡아 주실 수 있을까요? (joesonghande mun jom jaba jusil su isseulkkayo?) “Sorry, could you hold the door for a second?”
그럼요, 천천히 오세요. (Geureomyo, cheoncheonhi oseyo.) Of course, take your time.
Here the word does more than grant permission. It clears away the 죄송한데 (joesonghande), the “sorry,” that the other person put on the front of the request. In Korean, requests often come packaged with an apology, and undoing that apology is the job of the person receiving it.
2. When a customer asks at a shop
In front of a side-dish shop, a customer looks over the display and asks: 이거 오늘 만든 거예요? (igeo oneul mandeun geoyeyo?) “Was this made today?”
그럼요, 아침에 막 무친 거예요. (Geureomyo, achime mak muchin geoyeyo.) Of course, I seasoned it just this morning.
This is the form that comes out of shopkeepers’ mouths more than any other. It lands far more solidly than a single 네 (ne), because it’s a word that sells certainty.
3. When someone you haven’t seen in years falters
An older college friend who’s gotten in touch after ten years asks carefully: 나 기억하죠? (na gieokhajyo?) “You remember me, right?”
그럼요, 그걸 어떻게 잊어요. (Geureomyo, geugeol eotteoke ijeoyo.) Of course, how could I forget?
Here gladness is the main character. It’s the answer that takes, right away, the hand the other person held out while thinking, “what if they’ve forgotten me?”
Similar Expressions, Polite and Casual
| Expression | Temperature / strength | Where it’s used |
|---|---|---|
| 그럼요 (geureomyo) | Warm and full of certainty | 해요체 (haeyoche). Customers, neighbors, first meetings, older acquaintances |
| 그럼 (geureom) | Same meaning, casual | Friends, people younger than you. At the front of a sentence it’s a different word: “in that case” |
| 물론이죠 (mullonijyo) | Clear-cut, mildly formal | Consultations, meetings, explaining something |
| 물론입니다 (mullonimnida) | Formal, public | Interviews, presentations, reports |
| 당연하죠 (dangyeonhajyo) | Strong and emphatic | Close relationships. Can come out as “why are you even asking?” |
| 그렇고말고요 (geureulgomalgoyo) | Emphatic agreement | When you strongly back up what someone said. Sounds somewhat older |
| 네 (ne) | Neutral, minimal | Anywhere. No temperature at all |
Even among ways of saying “yes,” where you place each one differs. 당연하죠 (dangyeonhajyo) is a notch stronger, so in a spot where the other person asked in earnest, hoping to confirm something, it can land like a mild scolding. 그럼요 (geureomyo) is half a step softer than that — and between strangers, that half step is quite large.
Cultural Background — A Word That Sells Certainty
In Korean markets and neighborhood shops, 그럼요 (geureomyo) goes back and forth dozens of times a day. Customers always ask the same things. Is it fresh? Is it from today? Can I exchange it? And every time, the seller answers that yes, obviously. It’s a word that sells reassurance along with the goods, so whether or not a shop offers up this one word shapes the impression it leaves.
In dramas, too, this word tends to stick to the generous characters. The landlady who rents out rooms, the owner of the restaurant you always go to, the neighborhood elder who knows the whole story. When they answer the main character’s request in barely three syllables, the audience knows immediately what kind of person they are. The cold character, in the same situation, cuts it off with a single 네 (ne). A whole personality rides on one line of dialogue.
That’s also why the reactions a foreign learner gets change so noticeably once they start using this word. Grammatically it occupies the same slot as 네 (ne), but socially it opens up a much wider space, because it lifts the burden off the person doing the asking. Just remember, as we saw above, that in formal settings you have to shift up a notch to 물론입니다 (mullonimnida). Once you can swap these two in and out depending on the situation, you’ve got half of saying “yes” in Korean in hand.
Today’s Quiz
Which of the following is the most natural place to use 그럼요 (geureomyo)?
① When an interviewer you’ve just met asks, 주말 근무도 가능하신가요? (jumal geunmudo ganeunghasingayo?) “Would you be able to work weekends as well?” ② When a neighbor asks, 죄송한데 택배 좀 잠깐 맡아 주실 수 있을까요? (joesonghande taekbae jom jamkkan mata jusil su isseulkkayo?) “Sorry, could you hold a package for me for a bit?” ③ When a friend asks, 야, 내일 비 온대? (ya, naeil bi ondae?) “Hey, is it supposed to rain tomorrow?”
Answer: ②
① is a setting that calls for formality, so 물론입니다 (mullonimnida) or “네, 가능합니다” is what fits. ③ asks about something the speaker doesn’t know either, so you can’t answer “obviously” — and besides, a casual-speech question pairs with 그럼 (geureom). A spot like ②, where someone asks a favor hesitantly and granting it is the obvious thing to do — that is exactly where 그럼요 (geureomyo) belongs.
Definitions and example sentences are from the National Institute of Korean Language’s Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr); that portion of this post, including our translations, is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 KR.