✨ Introduction (English)

After greetings like “How’s it going?”, the next natural small talk question is:

Q: What’s new?
👉 This means: “Do you have any news?” or “What’s happening in your life?”

Most of the time, people don’t share big news — they just answer casually.

✨ 한국어 설명

“What’s new?” 은 인사 후 자연스럽게 이어지는 질문입니다.
Q: What’s new? (새 소식 있어요?) → “무슨 새로운 일이 있어요?”라는 뜻입니다.

대부분 특별한 일이 없으면 짧게 대답합니다. 가끔은 큰 소식을 공유하기도 합니다.

🗣️ Variations of the Question

• So, what’s new?
• Hey, what’s new?
• Hey David, what’s new?

📝 Answers (Typical & Casual)

• Nothing new. (소식 없어요.)
• Oh, nothing much. (별일 없어요.)
• Not a lot. (그다지 없어요.)

📝 Answers (With Real News)

• It’s my birthday today! (오늘 제 생일이에요!)
• I got a new job. (새로운 직장을 구했어요.)
• I got a new girlfriend. (여자친구가 생겼어요.)
• I bought a new cellphone. (새 핸드폰 샀어요.)

🗣️ Example Dialogue

• A: Hey David, what’s new?
• B: Nothing new. How about you?
• A: Oh, nothing much. Just studying.

📝 Practice Ideas

1. Ask three friends: “What’s new?” — reply with “Nothing much” or one real news item.
2. Practice role-play: What’s new? → I got a new phone!
3. Compare how often Koreans use this kind of phrase vs. native speakers.

📌 Teacher’s Tip:
Don’t worry if there’s nothing exciting to say. Small talk isn’t about “big news” — it’s about staying friendly and keeping the conversation flowing.