시간을 보내다

To use this phrase, just take 시간 (time) and add the verb 보내다 (to send). You will almost always add an adverb before the verb to describe the experience. For example, use 즐겁게 (happily) or 알차게 (fruitfully). If you are with someone, use the particles ~와/과 or ~이랑 to mean 'with.' You might say 친구랑 시간을 보내요 to mean 'I spend time with a friend.' It works perfectly in past, present, and future tenses. It is as flexible as a yoga instructor! Just remember to conjugate 보내다 based on who you are talking to.

Use it when you are talking about your weekend plans with a coworker. It is also perfect for describing a lovely date you went on. You can even use it in professional emails to thank someone for their time. 'Thank you for the time today' fits very well in a business context using this phrase. Use it when reflecting on your childhood or a recent vacation. It is great for social media captions, like 'Spending a peaceful Sunday.' Basically, if time is passing and you are doing something, you are 'sending' it.

Be careful! Do not use 보내다 when you are talking about spending money. For money, you must use the verb 쓰다 (to use/spend). If you say you 'sent' money using this phrase, people might think you literally mailed cash! Also, do not use it for 'taking time' in terms of duration. If a task takes two hours to finish, use the verb 걸리다. For example, 두 시간 걸려요 means 'It takes two hours.' Finally, if you are just 'killing time' because you are bored, there is a more specific slangy term called 시간을 때우다.

Koreans are famous for the 'Pali-Pali' (hurry-hurry) culture where everything moves fast. However, 시간을 보내다 often focuses on the quality of that time. The word 보내다 is actually quite poetic when you think about it. It suggests that time is a guest you are hosting in your life. You are seeing the time off as it passes by. Modern Koreans also value 소확행, which means 'small but certain happiness.' Spending time on small joys, like a good cup of coffee, is a huge part of modern Korean life.

좋은 시간 보내세요 is the most common parting phrase you will hear. It literally means 'Please send a good time,' but we translate it as 'Have a good time!' If you want to say you wasted time, you can use 시간을 허비하다. If you are making time in your busy schedule for someone, use 시간을 내다. If you want to sound more productive, use 알찬 시간을 보내다, which means spending time in a meaningful or 'full' way. Each variation adds a little extra flavor to your sentence.