This is the first post using my phone. Lol, I’m testing this app that ive downloaded. I don’t think I can post those posts that contains lots of pics, so I will be using it to post short updates or random things.
Well, let’s start with this thing that has been bugging me – the difference btw these two korean expressions: 처음뵙겠습니다 and 만나서반갑습니다.
When I checked google translate, it gave me the meaning as “nice to meet you” for both expressions. I checked another book and it says that 처음뵙겠습니다 means “nice to meet you for the first time” while 만나서반갑습니다 is just “nice to meet you”.
So does that mean that if I meet someone for the first time I use 처음뵙겠습니다, and then for all subsequent meetings I can use 만나서반갑습니다 or the shorter form 반갑습니다 ?
Hmm…what I don’t understand is do I still need to say “nice to meet you” during the second, third, etc meeting? So when do I use both expressions then?
I’m really confused (-_-)
Reika no rakuen 
I’m Korean and I know the language, so I can answer your questions. 처음뵙겠습니다 literally means “It’s is first time meeting you”. It is very similar to how Japanese say “Hajimemashide” in Japanese.
Although it’s literal translation is “it is my first time meeting you” this phrase implies “it is my pleasure meeting you” That’s why Google translated “nice to meet you” because of its intension.
Now 만나서 반갑습니다 literally means “it is nice to meet you” 만나서 (for meeting) 반갑 (pleasure, happy…)
Although Google is right about the translation of the two phrases, it is more common and formal to use 처음뵙겠습니다 when you meet someone for the first time in Korea.
I hope this cleared your confusion. Have a nice day.
Also 만나서 반갑습니다 is usually used only for the first time just like in English. You don’t say “Nice to meet you” after meeting someone for second, third times in English, either. Same goes for 만나서 반갑습니다.
oh, so the meanings are like that.
Thank you very much for clearing my confusion. ^^
Thanks. Why don’t all textbooks just give literal meanings? ‘pleasure-meet’, (or ‘pleasure to meet’) is perfectly intelligible, and requires no idiomatic processing for a first approximation. The meaning is implicit in the context, and all the books need do is add the affective/social content of a given phrase.