Order at a café in Korean
Learn to order a drink in Korean, choose a size or option, and ask the price politely using -주세요 and 얼마예요? in a realistic café exchange.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
In this lesson you will learn a complete, polite café interaction in Korean: greeting the staff, ordering a drink, choosing a size or option such as hot or iced, and asking the price. The two patterns that carry most of the work are noun + 주세요 (juseyo), which means 'please give me ___', and 얼마예요? (eolmayeyo?), which means 'How much is it?'. Both are polite and safe for beginners. You will also hear how a Korean café worker typically responds, so you can recognize the answer even if you do not speak quickly yet.
By the end, you can…
- order a drink politely using a noun plus 주세요.
- specify a size or option such as large, hot, or iced.
- ask the price politely with 얼마예요?
- understand a simple total and a request for payment method.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
아메리카노 한 잔 주세요.
One Americano, please.
a-me-ri-ka-no han jan ju-se-yo
The most common polite way to order a coffee. 한 잔 means 'one cup'.
큰 사이즈로 주세요.
Please make it a large size.
keun sa-i-jeu-ro ju-se-yo
Use -(으)로 to show the chosen option. 작은 사이즈로 주세요 means 'please make it a small size'.
따뜻한 걸로 주세요.
Please make it a hot one.
tta-tteu-tan geol-lo ju-se-yo
걸로 is a natural spoken contraction of 것으로. For iced, say 차가운 걸로 주세요.
얼마예요?
How much is it?
eol-ma-ye-yo
A polite, standard question for the price. You can also point at the menu while saying it.
카드로 될까요?
Can I pay by card?
ka-deu-ro doel-kka-yo
A polite way to check the payment method. 현금으로 될까요? means 'Can I pay in cash?'
감사합니다.
Thank you.
gam-sa-ham-ni-da
A safe, polite closing when you receive your drink or your change.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
Noun + 주세요 is the core ordering pattern. 주세요 comes from 주다 ('to give') plus the polite ending -세요, so 아메리카노 주세요 literally means 'please give me an Americano'. Add a counter for clarity: 한 잔 주세요 ('one cup, please'), 두 잔 주세요 ('two cups, please'). To choose an option, attach -(으)로: 큰 사이즈로 주세요 ('please make it a large size'), 아이스로 주세요 ('please make it iced'). The choice of 로 or 으로 depends on the preceding noun: use 로 when the noun ends in a vowel or in the consonant ㄹ, and use 으로 after other consonants, as in 작은 사이즈로 주세요 (vowel-final 사이즈) versus 따뜻한 걸로 주세요 (ㄹ-final 걸).
When to use it
Use these phrases in cafés, bakeries, and drink shops where you order at a counter. Start with a short greeting such as 안녕하세요, then say your drink plus 주세요. If the menu shows sizes, add 큰 사이즈로 주세요 or 작은 사이즈로 주세요. For temperature, say 따뜻한 걸로 주세요 ('hot, please') or 차가운 걸로 주세요 ('cold, please'). After the staff confirms, ask 얼마예요? to check the price. If you need to pay by card, ask 카드로 될까요? In many small shops, paying at the counter right after ordering is normal.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
안녕하세요. 아메리카노 한 잔 주세요.
Hello. One Americano, please.an-nyeong-ha-se-yo. a-me-ri-ka-no han jan ju-se-yo네, 따뜻한 걸로 드릴까요, 아이스로 드릴까요?
Sure, would you like it hot or iced?ne, tta-tteu-tan geol-lo deu-ril-kka-yo, a-i-seu-ro deu-ril-kka-yo아이스로 주세요. 큰 사이즈로 주세요.
Iced, please. Please make it a large size.a-i-seu-ro ju-se-yo. keun sa-i-jeu-ro ju-se-yo네, 아이스 아메리카노 큰 사이즈 한 잔이요. 4,500원입니다.
Okay, one large iced Americano. That will be 4,500 won.ne, a-i-seu a-me-ri-ka-no keun sa-i-jeu han ja-ni-yo. sa-cheon-o-baek-won-im-ni-da카드로 될까요?
Can I pay by card?ka-deu-ro doel-kka-yo네, 카드 여기에서 하시면 됩니다. 잠시만 기다려 주세요.
Yes, you can pay by card here. Please wait a moment.ne, ka-deu yeo-gi-e-seo ha-si-myeon doem-ni-da. jam-si-man gi-da-ryeo ju-se-yoA little context goes a long way
In most Korean cafés you order and pay at the counter first, then wait for your drink; staff may call your number or name. A short 안녕하세요 when you approach is friendly and normal. 주세요 is polite enough for everyday service, while 감사합니다 works when you receive your drink. Prices are in won, and card payment is widely accepted, but asking 카드로 될까요? is still a natural, considerate check in smaller shops.
One thing to watch for
Saying 얼마입니까? or just 얼마? in a casual café, or using the plain verb 주다 without the polite ending.
Try this instead: For everyday polite service, use 얼마예요? and attach 주세요 to the item: 아메리카노 한 잔 주세요. 얼마입니까? is grammatically correct but sounds formal and stiff in a café, and bare 얼마? can sound abrupt. If you want extra politeness, 괜찮으시면 얼마예요? is possible, but 얼마예요? is already appropriate.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you order one iced Americano politely?
Show a sample answer
아이스 아메리카노 한 잔 주세요.
This uses the noun plus 한 잔 주세요 pattern. You could also say 아이스 아메리카노 주세요 if the quantity is obvious, but adding 한 잔 is clearer.
2The staff asks 따뜻한 걸로 드릴까요, 아이스로 드릴까요? You want it hot. What do you say?
Show a sample answer
따뜻한 걸로 주세요.
This repeats the option with -(으)로 plus 주세요. 아이스로 주세요 would be correct if you wanted it iced, so the answer depends on your real choice.
3You want to know the price politely. What question do you ask?
Show a sample answer
얼마예요?
얼마예요? is the standard polite price question. 얼마입니까? is also correct but more formal; 얼마예요? fits a café interaction better.
Order with noun + 주세요, choose options with -(으)로 주세요, and ask the price with 얼마예요? Keep it short, polite, and clear.
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