12. Purchases and Negotiations in Korean

Chapter 12: Shopping and Negotiating in Korean

Buying and trading are commonplace anywhere in the world, and South Korea is no exception. If you plan to visit or live in Korea, learning the language of shopping and negotiating in Korean will be extremely helpful. This chapter of our entry-level Korean course will prepare you for these situations.

First, let's start with some basic phrases you can use when shopping in Korea. The phrase "이것 얼마예요?" (Igeos eolmayeyo?) means "How much is this?" in korean. Another useful phrase is "저는 이것을 사고 싶어요" (Jeoneun igeoseul sago sip-eoyo), which means "I want to buy this".

If you are looking for something specific, you can ask "______ 어디 있어요?" (______ eodi isseoyo?), which means "Where can I find ______?". Just fill in the blank with the item you're looking for.

Now, let's move on to trading. Bargaining is common in many street markets in South Korea, and knowing how to negotiate in Korean can help you get a better price. The phrase "할인 해 주세요" (Hal-in hae juseyo) means "Please give me a break". You can also say "너무 비싸요" (Neomu bissayo), which means "That's too expensive".

If the seller agrees to give a discount, he can say "할인 해 드릴게요" (Hal-in hae deurilgeyo), which means "I will give a discount". However, if the seller is unable to give a discount, he may say "할인이 안 돼요" (Hal-in-i an dwaeyo), which means "I cannot give a discount".

Also, it is important to know how to understand numbers in Korean to know the price of items. The numbers from one to ten in Korean are: 하나 (hana, one), 둘 (dul, two), 셋 (set, three), 넷 (net, four), 다섯 (daseot, five), 여섯 (yeoseot, six ), 일곱 (ilgop, seven), 여덟 (yeodeolp, eight), 아홉 (ahop, nine), and 십 (sip, ten).

Finally, it's helpful to know a few phrases to use when paying for items. "카드로 결제할게요" (Kadeulo gyeolje-halgeyo) means "I will pay by card". If you want to pay cash, you can say "현금으로 결제할게요" (Hyeongeum-eulo gyeolje-halgeyo), which means "I will pay cash".

In conclusion, learning the language of shopping and negotiating in Korean can be very useful when visiting or living in South Korea. With the phrases and words you have learned in this chapter, you will be prepared to shop and negotiate like a real person. Korean!

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