Korean for Dummies (34 page)

also be used as

excuse me

jeongmaryo

jeongmal-yo

Really?

jigap

jee-gap

Wallet/purse (can

be either depend-

ing on the person

talking about it)

sillyehamnida

shil-lae-ham-ni-da

Excuse me

sonnim

son-nim

Guest, sir, ma’am

yeogi

yuh-gi

Over here

Using plastic

Before you can pay your bill using your credit card or debit card of choice, you may want to find out whether the merchant takes your credit card. Most shopping venues and restaurants have a display showing which cards they accept, so it’s a good idea to look around for a sign before presenting your card.

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Paying in installments

If the store accepts your type of card, the store

ilsibullo haedeurilkkayo,
(il-shi-bool-lo

clerk will almost always ask you if you want to

hae-deu-ril-kka-yo; Do you want the full

charge the entire sum on your credit card state—

amount charged at once? )

ment, or if you want to make smaller install-

halburo haedeurilkkayo.
(hal-boo-ro hae—

ments. In Korea you don’t need to be buying a

deu-ril-kka-yo; Do you want to pay in

car to have the option of making installments,

installments?)

you can make installments on things like

the groceries. The cashier will ask you over

halburo myeot gaewollo haedeurilkkayo?

how many months you’d like to make the

(hal-boo-ro myuh-gae-wol-lo hae-deu-ril—

installments.

kka-yo; How many monthly installments do

you want to make?)

If you’ve looked around but can’t find a sign, show the the card you want to pay with and ask
i kadeu badeuseyo?
(
ee ka-deu ba-deu-sae-yo;
Do you take this card?). If they don’t, show them another card and ask,
i kadeuneunnyo?

(
ee ka-deu-neunnyo;
What about this card?). When talking to a customer, waiters and person at the cash register will use formal polite form of Korean.

However, it is perfectly fine for you to use the informal polite form.

Here are a few phrases you may hear or use when you pay with a credit card:
kadeuro jibul hasigetseumnikka?
(ka-deu-ro jee-bool ha-shi-getseum-nikka?: Do you want to pay by credit card?; formal polite)

jeohui eopsoeseoneun i kadeureul batji ansseumnida.
(juh-hee uhp-so-ae-suh-neun ee ka-deu-neun bat-jee ansseum-ni-da
;
Our business doesn’t take this credit card.; formal polite)

jeohui eopsoeseoneun ___, __,___kadeuman batseumnida.
(juh-hee uhp-so-ae-suh-neun ___, __, __kadeu-man bat-sseum-ni-da: Our business takes only __, __, __ cards.; formal polite)

kadeu georaega seungini doeji ansseumnida.
(
ka-deu guh-rae-ga seungin-ee dwae-jee ansseum-ni-da;
The transaction isn’t going through.; formal polite)

hanbeon deo haebwajuseyo.
(
han-bun duh hae-bwa-joo-sae-yo;
Please try it again: informal polite)

dareun kadeuneun eopseusimnikka?
(
da-reun ka-deu-neun uhp-sseu-shimnikka;
Do you have any other cards?; formal polite)

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Chapter 11: Money, Money, Money

201

geuncheoe hyeongeum jigeupgiga innayo?
(
geun-chuh-ae hyun-geum jee-geup-gee-ga in-na-yo;
Is there an ATM nearby?; informal polite)
i chingureul damboro matgyeonoko jamkkan don ppobeureo gatda
olkkeyo.
(
ee chin-goo-reul dam-bo-ro mat-gyuh-no-ko jamkkan don ppo-beu-ruh gaht-get-da-ol-kkae-yo;
I’ll leave my friend here as collateral while I go out to withdraw some money; informal polite) Using personal checks

Using American personal checks in Korea is almost impossible, so make sure to leave your U.S. checkbooks at home.
Supyo
(
soo-pyo;
Korean personal checks) differ from U.S. ones in that they are bank issued and come in sums that you set at the bank. You can’t sign the amount that you want to pay and sign at the bottom. You need to tell the teller how much you want the check to be; then he or she will print out a note with the agreed sum.

The most common denomination of personal checks is 100,000 won, which is roughly the equivalent of $100.

Most banks collect a fee for issuing checks, and if you want to spend the checks, it is necessary to provide photo ID. For this reason, in most cases, it’s best if you stick to using cash and credit cards for most of your transactions in Korea.

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Fun & Games

Please match the following illustrations with corresponding Korean words. See Appendix C for correct answers.

A.

B.

C.

D.

E.

F.

A. ________

B. ________

C. ________

D. ________

E. ________

F.

________

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In This Chapter

Asking and answering “where” questions

Specifying which direction, how many, and how far

Referring to locations, directions with actions

Everyone, even the most street wise, can get lost once in a while. Especially in a foreign country, this happens more often than one would like to

admit. Then how do you get your bearing back? How do you continue on

your trail, or continue your tour through a city? How do you ask someone where the nearest
sikdang
(
shik–dang;
restaurant) is, or
ucheguk
(
oo-chae-gook;
post office) is, or even a
hwajangsil
(
hwajang-shil;
bathroom)? If it is an emergency, you’ll have to get to the nearest
byeongweon
(
byung–wuhn;
hospital), or
gyeongchalseo
(
gyung-chal–suh;
police station).

This chapter will give you a few handy tips that will make it easier to get back on the right track, get you to head in the right direction, even if it’s just returning to the safety and comfort of your hotel, just by asking a few simple questions. After you learn a few, key phrases from this chapter, you should feel a bit more confident in venturing out.

When you are in the large metropolitan areas, the chances of you finding someone who speaks English is generally greater than you would if you were along the countryside. Try to pay particular attention to your surroundings in the more remote areas and the chances of you getting lost will be slightly slimmer.

Asking for Directions

Even the best map reader might need directions from time to time. You may discover yourself needing to find a particular location or needing to use 18_037188-ch12.qxp 6/24/08 11:13 PM Page 204

transportation to get there. The following sections show you how to politely ask someone how to get to places or ask someone to take you somewhere.

Although it’s perfectly acceptable to point in whichever direction you’d like to go to, it is considered extremely rude to point your finger at another person. Pointing your finger at someone is generally done in an accusatory manner, and it should never be done in polite company. If you would like to point someone out in a crowd, instead of pointing your finger at that person, point them out with an open hand.

Finding your way with “where?”

Before you approach a stranger to ask for directions, you have to know the proper way of addressing the person first. Start the conversation with
sillyehamnida
(
shil-lae ham-ni-da;
excuse me) or
sillyehajiman
(
shil-lae-ha-jee-man;
excuse me, but). A more direct, literal translation would be “begging your pardon,” or “begging your pardon, but.”

The key difference between the two phrases is that,
sillyehamnida
can be used as a phrase in itself, say, when you accidentally bump into someone.
sillyehajiman
is used when there’s a request behind it. Such as,
“sillyehajiman,
hwajangsiri eodi itjyo?”
(
shil-lae-ha-jee-man, hwajang-shi-ree uh-dee ee-jyo;
Excuse me, but/Begging your pardon, but can you tell me where the bathroom is?) Next phrase you have to familiarize yourself with if you need to find where you’re going to, is the phrase,
“eodi itjyo?”
(
uh-dee ee-jyo?;
Where is it?).
eodi
(
uh-dee
) is the Korean word for “where?”, and
itjyo
(
ee-jyo?
) is the inquisitive version of the verb
itda
(
ee-da
), which means to exist, or to be. So, the question
“eodi itjyo?”
(
uh-dee ee-jyo?
), literally means, “Where is it?”. Now all you have to do is to find the Korean word for the place you need to get to and add it in the front of the sentence.

Sounds simple enough, right? Well, this is where it gets a little tricky. You have to place one of the connecting syllables
ee
or
ga
between the object/destination of your choice and the question, “Where is it?” To understand which one to use, just follow these two simple rules: If the word or place you’re looking for ends in a consonant, add
ee.

If the word or place you’re looking for ends in a vowel, add
ga
.

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Here are some examples:

hwajangsiri eodi itjyo?
(
hwajang-shil-ree uh-dee ee-jyo;
Where is the bathroom?)

gyeongchalseoga eodi itjyo?
(
gyung-chal-suh-ga uh-dee ee-jyo;
Where is the police station?)

doseosiri eodi itjyo?
(
doh-suh-shi-ree uh-dee ee-jyo?
Where is the library?)

suyeongjangi eodi itjyo?
(
soo-young-jang-ee uh-dee ee-jyo;
Where is the swimming pool?)

je keompyuteoga eodi itjyo?
(
jae kum-pyoo-tuh-ga uh-dee ee-jyo;
Where is my computer?)

chigwaga eodi itjyo?
(
chi-gwa-ga uh-dee ee-jyo;
Where is the dental office?)

Depending on how far the place you need to get to is, you may need to take a
jihacheol
(
jee-ha-chul;
subway), a
beoseu
(
buh-sseu;
bus), or a
taeksi
(
taek-shi;
taxi). Once again, in a large metropolitan area, the maps and guides will be easier to find in English, but out in the countryside, you’ll have to remember how to ask directions in Korean. You may also want to learn how to say,
“yeogiseo meongayo?”
(
yuh-gee-suh mun-ga-yo;
Is it far from here?) or,

“yeogiseo gakgaungayo?”
(
yuh-gee-suh ga-gga-oon-ga-yo;
Is it near to here?)
yeogi
(
yuh-gee
) in Korean means “here.”
meoreoyo
(
muh-ruh-yo
) means far,
gakkawoyo
(
ga-kka-wo-yo
) means near.

Talkin’ the Talk

Jim is lost and trying to get back to his hotel. He walks to a gas station to ask for directions.

Jim:

sillyehamnida. jeo jom dowajusigeseoyo?

shil-lae-ham-nee-da. juh jom do-wah-joo-shi-get-

ssuh-yo?

Excuse me. Can you please help me?

Attendant:

ne, eotteoke dowadeurilkkayo? mweo piryohaseyo?

ne, uh-ttuh-kae do-wa-deu-ril-kka-yo? moo-uh pee-

ryo-ha-sae-yo?

Yes, How can I help you? What do you need?

Jim:

jega gireul ireobeoryeoseoyo. kalteun hoteri

yeogiseo meongayo?

jae-ga geel-eul ee-ruh-buh-ryuh-ssuh-yo. kalteun ho-

te-ree yuh-gee-suh mun-ga-yo?

I’ve lost my way. Is the Carlton Hotel far from here?

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Attendant:

aniyo. byeollo an meoreoyo. jeogi boineun beoseu

jeongnyujang baro oreunjjoge iseoyo.

a-ni-yo. byul-lo an-muh-ruh-yo. juh-gee bo-ee-neun

buh-sseu jeongnyu-jang ba-ro o-reun-jjo-gae

ee-ssuh-yo.

No. It’s not that far. It’s immediately to the right of

the bus stop you see over there.

Jim:

ye. gamsahamnida.

ye. gam-sa-ham-ni-da.

Yes. Thank you very much.

Attendant:

mot chajeusimyeon dasi iriro oseyo. jega taeksireul

bulleo deurilkkeyo.

mot cha-jeu-shi-myun da-shi ee-ree-ro o-sae-yo. jae-

ga taek-shi-reul bool-luh-deu-ril-kkae-yo.

If you can’t find it, come back over here. I will call you

a taxi.

Words to Know

an meoreoyo

an muh-ruh-yo

Not far

beoseu

buh-sseu

jeongnyujang

jung-nyu-jang

Bus stop

gakkawoyo

ga-kka-wo-yo

Near

iriro oseyo

ee-ree-ro o-sae-yo

Come back,

come here

meoreoyo

muh-ruh-yo

Far

mwo piryohaseyo

muh pee-ryo-ha-sae-yo

What do you

need?

oenjjok

wenjjok

Left

oneuljjok

o-reun-jjok

Right