A Korean convenience store is not really a convenience store. It is a small restaurant with a shop attached — hot water for instant noodles, a microwave, a counter by the window, and enough hot food to make dinner out of.
The Korean you need there is minimal, but three of the sentences come from the staff, at speed, while you are holding a basket.
The three questions at the counter
봉투 드릴까요? — Do you need a bag?
Bags cost money and staff always ask.
- 네, 주세요. — Yes, please.
- 아니요, 괜찮아요. — No, it's fine.
데워 드릴까요? — Shall I heat it up?
Asked when you buy 도시락 (lunch box) or anything else microwaveable.
- 네, 데워 주세요. — Yes, please heat it.
- 아니요, 괜찮아요. — No, it's fine.
포인트 적립하세요? — Do you want points?
Loyalty points. Unless you have a Korean membership card, 아니요, 괜찮아요 again.
Three questions, and 괜찮아요 answers two of them.
Getting instant noodles
This is the main event. Cup ramyeon, hot water dispenser, seating counter.
- 뜨거운 물 어디 있어요? — Where's the hot water?
- 여기서 먹어도 돼요? — Can I eat here?
- 얼마나 걸려요? — How long does it take?
The answer to that last one is almost always 삼 분 — three minutes. It is printed on the lid, but asking is a good excuse to use a real sentence.
Chopsticks, forks, and hot water are self-service, usually near the seating counter. Nobody will stop you or charge you.
Choosing something
~로 할게요 — I'll go with ~
- 이걸로 할게요. — I'll take this one.
- 저는 이걸로 할게요. — I'll go with this one.
This is more natural than 이거 주세요 when you have been comparing options, and it is what Koreans actually say when they finally decide.
The signs: 1+1 and 2+1
1+1 means buy one, get one free. 2+1 means buy two, get one free.
The catch is that it usually applies to the same product, and sometimes to any product in a marked group. If you take one item on a 1+1 shelf and pay, you have paid double for nothing — the staff will often remind you, but not always.
- 이거 원 플러스 원이에요? — Is this 1+1?
Koreans read the numbers in English here: won peulleoseu won.
Worth knowing on the shelves
| Korean | What it is |
|---|---|
| 도시락 | lunch box meal |
| 삼각김밥 | triangular rice ball |
| 컵라면 | cup noodles |
| 유자차 | citron tea |
| 이온음료 | sports drink |
| 숙취해소음료 | hangover drink |
| 물티슈 | wet wipes |
숙취해소음료 is a genuinely Korean product category and it sits by the register for obvious reasons.
A full visit
You: (at the counter) 이걸로 할게요. Staff: 봉투 드릴까요? You: 아니요, 괜찮아요. Staff: 데워 드릴까요? You: 네, 데워 주세요. You: 여기서 먹어도 돼요? Staff: 네, 저기 자리 있어요.
See it happen
Episode 4 of K-PATTO is set in a convenience store at night. Emma tries cup ramyeon for the first time:
그럼 저는 이걸로 할게요. — Then I'll go with this one. 저 라면 한 번밖에 안 먹어 봤어요. — I've only tried ramyeon once. 이거 얼마나 걸려요? 여기서 먹어도 돼요? — How long does this take? Can I eat it here?
Every line has audio, and the episode ends where most convenience store trips do — at the window counter. The first ten episodes are free at K-PATTO.