Bedeutung
Praise for someone who has performed a task or action well.
Kultureller Hintergrund
The 'Cham Jal-haesseoyo' (Truly Well Done) stamp is an iconic part of Korean childhood. It usually features a red ink design with a smiling face or a thumbs up. Adults often use the phrase nostalgically. Hierarchy is strict. A junior praising a senior with '잘했어요' can be seen as 'gap-jil' (abuse of power/arrogance) in reverse, as it implies the junior is in a position to judge the senior. Fans often use '우리 [Idol Name] 잘했다' (Our [Idol] did well) on social media to show support after a performance or a difficult time. It carries a strong sense of protective affection. When praised with '잘했어요', the standard cultural response is to be humble. Instead of 'Thank you,' many Koreans will say '아니에요, 운이 좋았어요' (No, I was just lucky).
The 'Sarcasm' Warning
If you say '잘~ 했어요' with a long, drawn-out 'jal' and a flat tone, it means 'You really messed up.' Watch your tone!
Accepting Praise
Don't just say 'Thank you.' In Korea, it's more polite to say '아니에요' (No, it's nothing) first to show humility.
Bedeutung
Praise for someone who has performed a task or action well.
The 'Sarcasm' Warning
If you say '잘~ 했어요' with a long, drawn-out 'jal' and a flat tone, it means 'You really messed up.' Watch your tone!
Accepting Praise
Don't just say 'Thank you.' In Korea, it's more polite to say '아니에요' (No, it's nothing) first to show humility.
The Boss Rule
Seriously, do not say this to your boss. Use '수고하셨습니다' or '역시 대단하세요' instead.
Teste dich selbst
Which form should you use to praise your younger brother?
동생이 시험을 잘 봤어요. 뭐라고 할까요?
Since it's your younger brother (informal relationship), '잘했어' is the most natural and warm choice.
Match the phrase to the correct person.
Who can you say '잘했어요' to?
In Korean culture, '잘했어요' is used for those in a lower or equal social position, like a student.
Complete the sentence with the correct form of 'to do well' in the past tense.
오늘 발표 정말 ( ).
The speaker is praising a completed action (the presentation), so the past tense '잘했어요' is required.
Fill in the blank in the dialogue.
A: 저 한국어 시험 100점 받았어요! B: 와, 진짜 ( )!
B is likely a friend or close acquaintance praising A's achievement. '잘했어' fits the informal, excited tone.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Who to say '잘했어요' to
Safe ✅
- • Students
- • Children
- • Close Friends
- • Pets
- • Juniors at work
Unsafe ❌
- • Boss
- • Teachers
- • Grandparents
- • Strangers (older)
- • In-laws
Aufgabensammlung
4 Aufgaben동생이 시험을 잘 봤어요. 뭐라고 할까요?
Since it's your younger brother (informal relationship), '잘했어' is the most natural and warm choice.
Who can you say '잘했어요' to?
In Korean culture, '잘했어요' is used for those in a lower or equal social position, like a student.
오늘 발표 정말 ( ).
The speaker is praising a completed action (the presentation), so the past tense '잘했어요' is required.
A: 저 한국어 시험 100점 받았어요! B: 와, 진짜 ( )!
B is likely a friend or close acquaintance praising A's achievement. '잘했어' fits the informal, excited tone.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Häufig gestellte Fragen
10 FragenYes! It's very common to say '잘했어!' to pets when they follow a command.
잘했다 is the 'diary' or 'plain' form, often used as an exclamation to oneself or in writing. 잘했어요 is the polite form for speaking to others.
Only if you are in a position of helping them (e.g., you are showing them how to use a machine) and they succeed. Otherwise, it might feel a bit too personal.
Usually, '좋은 생각이에요' (That's a good idea) is better. '잘했어요' is for actions already performed.
Add '정말' (really) or '진짜' (truly): '정말 잘했어요!'
No, '잘' and '하다' are native Korean words. However, the concept of praise is related to {稱讚|칭찬} (ching-chan).
It's a way of saying 'You did well to endure it' or 'You've been through a lot.' It's very comforting.
No, because they didn't 'do' anything to win. Use '축하해요!' (Congratulations!) instead.
Use '오늘 수업 정말 좋았습니다' (Today's class was really good) or '감사합니다'. Never use '잘했어요'.
Yes, Korean verbs and adjectives do not change based on gender.
Verwandte Redewendungen
수고하셨습니다
similarThank you for your hard work
대단해요
similarThat's amazing
최고예요
builds onYou're the best
성공했어요
specialized formI/You succeeded
못했어요
contrastDid poorly / Couldn't do it
