Korean for a One-Month Stay: Apartment, Post Office, Convenience Store, Pharmacy
A short trip needs a few dozen phrases. Living somewhere for a month needs a different set: renting a room, meeting the neighbors, sending a package, shopping for groceries, and dealing with the pharmacy when you catch a cold. This guide collects useful sentences for each of those five situations, with romanization and English, and explains the patterns that keep repeating.
If you haven't yet covered the basics for arrival, see Korean for Travelers: Airport and Taxi Phrases.
Five patterns you'll use everywhere
1. ~(으)면 되나요? (myeon doenayo?): "Do I just ...?" or "How should I ...?" This is the question pattern for when you don't know the procedure. 여기에 서명하면 되나요? means "Do I sign here?" and 관리비는 어떻게 내면 되나요? means "How should I pay the maintenance fee?" The same shape shows up at the post office: 여기에 올리면 되나요? It is the most useful pattern in this guide.
2. ~(으)ㄹ게요 (-lgeyo): "I'll ...". It states a decision you are making now. 여기로 할게요 (I'll take this one), 카드로 계산할게요 (I'll pay by card), 따로 버릴게요 (I'll throw it out separately).
3. 생각보다 ~네요 (saenggakboda ~neyo): "It's more ... than I thought." The ending -네요 expresses a small surprise or discovery. 생각보다 넓네요 (it's bigger than I thought) and 생각보다 빠르네요 (it's faster than I thought).
4. ~부터 (buteo): "from / since". 내일부터 가능해요 (I can start from tomorrow), 다음 주 월요일부터 가능해요 (from next Monday), 어제부터 목이 아프고 열이 나요 (since yesterday).
5. ~고 있어요 (go isseoyo): "I'm ...-ing". 찾고 있어요 (I'm looking for), 생각하고 있어요 (I'm thinking). You'll also keep meeting two patterns from the airport guide: ~주세요 ("please") and ~도 돼요? ("is it okay if ...?").
1. Renting a room
| Korean | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 한 달 정도 지낼 원룸을 찾고 있어요 | han dal jeongdo jinael wonrumeul chatgo isseoyo | I'm looking for a studio to stay in for about a month |
| 월세 오십만 원 정도로 생각하고 있어요 | wolse osimman won jeongdoro saenggakhago isseoyo | I'm thinking around 500,000 won a month |
| 한번 보여주시겠어요? | hanbeon boyeojusigesseoyo? | Could you show it to me? |
| 생각보다 넓네요 | saenggakboda neomneyo | It's bigger than I thought |
| 보증금은 오백만 원 준비했어요 | bojeunggeumeun obaengman won junbihaesseoyo | I've prepared a 5,000,000 won deposit |
| 여기에 서명하면 되나요? | yeogie seomyeonghamyeon doenayo? | Do I sign here? |
| 관리비는 어떻게 내면 되나요? | gwallibineun eotteoke naemyeon doenayo? | How should I pay the maintenance fee? |
| 다음 주 월요일부터 가능해요 | daeum ju woryoilbuteo ganeunghaeyo | I can move in from next Monday |
Notice 보여주시겠어요?. It is built on 보여주세요 ("please show me"), but with -시겠- added, which makes the request softer and more formal. This is how you ask for something politely when dealing with a landlord or a real estate agent.
Money and the number 만
Korean counts large numbers in units of 만 (man), which means 10,000, not 1,000. That is why 오십만 원 is 50 × 10,000 = 500,000 won, and 오백만 원 is 500 × 10,000 = 5,000,000 won. Smaller prices don't need 만: 이천오백 원 is 2,500 won. For money, Korean uses the number set 일, 이, 삼, 사, 오, 육, 칠, 팔, 구, 십, 백, 천, 만.
2. Meeting the neighbors
| Korean | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 네, 안녕하세요. 잘 부탁드려요 | ne, annyeonghaseyo. jal butakdeuryeoyo | Yes, hello. Nice to meet you |
| 저는 마이크예요, 302호에 살아요 | jeoneun maikeuyeyo, samgongiho-e sarayo | I'm Mike, I live in unit 302 |
| 종량제 봉투는 어디서 사요? | jongnyangje bongtuneun eodiseo sayo? | Where do I buy this special bag? |
| 네, 음식물은 따로 버릴게요 | ne, eumsingmureun ttaro beorilgeyo | Yes, I'll throw the food waste out separately |
| 경비실이 어디예요? | gyeongbisiri eodiyeyo? | Where's the security office? |
The title 씨 after a name, as in 수진 씨, is a polite way to address someone you know but aren't very close to. 302호 means "unit 302": 호 is the counter for room or unit numbers. Note that the question about the special trash bag, 종량제 봉투, refers to the official bags that many Korean cities require for household waste. Ask your neighbors or building staff which one applies to you.
3. At the post office
| Korean | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 미국으로 소포를 보내고 싶어요 | migugeuro soporeul bonaego sipeoyo | I'd like to send a package to the US |
| 옷이랑 책이에요 | osirang chaegieyo | Clothes and books |
| 여기에 올리면 되나요? | yeogie ollimyeon doenayo? | Do I put it here? |
| 빨리 가는 걸로 할게요 | ppalli ganeun geollo halgeyo | I'll go with the fast one |
| 영어로 써도 돼요? | yeongeoro sseodo dwaeyo? | Can I write it in English? |
| 카드로 계산할게요 | kadeuro gyesanhalgeyo | I'll pay by card |
4. At the convenience store
These lines come from a part-time job scene, so some are things you would say as a worker and some are things a clerk says to you. Both are worth recognizing.
| Korean | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 저기, 여기 알바 구하세요? | jeogi, yeogi alba guhaseyo? | Excuse me, are you hiring a part-timer here? |
| 네, 일할 수 있는 비자가 있어요 | ne, ilhal su inneun bijaga isseoyo | Yes, I have a visa that allows me to work |
| 내일부터 가능해요 | naeilbuteo ganeunghaeyo | I can start from tomorrow |
| 그 우유는 이천오백 원이에요 | geu uyuneun icheon obaek wonieyo | That milk is 2,500 won |
| 신분증 좀 보여 주세요 | sinbunjeung jom boyeo juseyo | Please show me your ID |
| 영수증 있으세요? | yeongsujeung isseuseyo? | Do you have the receipt? |
| 카드는 여기에 꽂아 주세요 | kadeuneun yeogie kkoja juseyo | Please insert the card here |
Note that 신분증 좀 보여 주세요 is something a clerk may ask you, for example when you buy alcohol, so it is good to recognize it.
5. At the hospital and pharmacy
| Korean | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 진료 접수하고 싶어요 | jillyo jeopsuhago sipeoyo | I'd like to register for a consultation |
| 여권은 여기 있어요 | yeogwoneun yeogi isseoyo | Here's my passport |
| 어제부터 목이 아프고 열이 나요 | eojebuteo mogi apeugo yeori nayo | My throat has hurt since yesterday, and I have a fever |
| 알레르기는 없어요 | allereugineun eopseoyo | I don't have any allergies |
| 내일 일해도 돼요? | naeil ilhaedo dwaeyo? | Is it okay if I work tomorrow? |
| 며칠 동안 먹어야 해요? | myeochil dongan meogeoya haeyo? | For how many days do I have to take it? |
| 영수증도 같이 주세요 | yeongsujeungdo gachi juseyo | Please give me the receipt too |
Pronunciation notes
- 있는 is "inneun". The ㅆ at the bottom of 있 sounds like a "t", and before ㄴ it turns into an "n". So 일할 수 있는 is "ilhal su inneun". See Batchim: Korean Final Consonants Explained.
- 첫날 is "cheonnal". Same idea: the final ㅅ of 첫 becomes a "t" sound, then an "n" before ㄴ.
- 괜찮을 is "gwaenchaneul". The ㅎ in 괜찮 is not pronounced here, so the ㄴ slides over to the next block.
- 영어로 is "yeongeoro". The ㅇ at the bottom of 영 is "ng", and 어 starts with the silent ㅇ.
Practice
Say these five aloud, then check the tables above.
여기에 서명하면 되나요? 여기로 할게요 생각보다 넓네요 카드로 계산할게요 내일 일해도 돼요?
Tip: don't memorize full sentences first. Learn the five patterns, then swap in nouns you need.
Next: Polite vs Casual Korean explains when to use 요 and when you can drop it.