Negotiating prices, especially for bulk purchases, requires specific language skills. This guide provides essential Korean phrases for shoppers looking to buy multiple pillows and inquire about potential discounts from a store clerk. Learn how to ask about prices, quantities, and discounts effectively.
Table Of Content
Core Expression
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Expression: 베개를 대량으로 구매하면 할인이 되나요?
Pronunciation: be-gae-reul dae-ryang-eu-ro gu-mae-ha-myeon ha-rin-i doe-na-yo?
Meaning: If I buy pillows in bulk, can I get a discount?
Asking About Discounts and Prices
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Expression: 혹시 대량 구매 할인이 있나요?
Pronunciation: hok-si dae-ryang gu-mae ha-rin-i it-na-yo?
Meaning: Do you happen to offer bulk purchase discounts? -
Expression: 베개 [수량]개 사면 얼마인가요?
Pronunciation: be-gae [su-ryang]-gae sa-myeon eol-ma-in-ga-yo?
Meaning: How much is it if I buy [number] pillows? (e.g., 베개 10개 – be-gae yeol-gae – 10 pillows) -
Expression: 개당 가격은 얼마예요?
Pronunciation: gae-dang ga-gyeok-eun eol-ma-ye-yo?
Meaning: What is the price per item? -
Expression: 좀 더 할인해 주실 수 있나요?
Pronunciation: jom deo ha-rin-hae ju-sil su it-na-yo?
Meaning: Could you give me a little more discount? -
Expression: 많이 사면 깎아주시나요?
Pronunciation: ma-ni sa-myeon kka-kka-ju-si-na-yo?
Meaning: Do you give a discount if I buy a lot? (Slightly more casual) -
Expression: 총 얼마예요?
Pronunciation: chong eol-ma-ye-yo?
Meaning: How much is it in total? -
Expression: 예산이 좀 부족해서요.
Pronunciation: ye-san-i jom bu-jok-hae-seo-yo.
Meaning: My budget is a bit tight. (Used when negotiating) -
Expression: 가격 협상이 가능한가요?
Pronunciation: ga-gyeok hyeop-sang-i ga-neung-han-ga-yo?
Meaning: Is the price negotiable? -
Expression: 최종 가격이 얼마인가요?
Pronunciation: choe-jong ga-gyeok-i eol-ma-in-ga-yo?
Meaning: What is the final price? -
Expression: 정가인가요?
Pronunciation: jeong-ga-in-ga-yo?
Meaning: Is this the fixed price? -
Expression: 할인율이 어떻게 되나요?
Pronunciation: ha-rin-yul-i eo-tteo-ke doe-na-yo?
Meaning: What is the discount rate?
Discussing Pillow Details
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Expression: 이 베개 재고가 충분히 있나요?
Pronunciation: i be-gae jae-go-ga chung-bun-hi it-na-yo?
Meaning: Do you have enough stock of this pillow? -
Expression: 베개 종류가 더 있나요?
Pronunciation: be-gae jong-ryu-ga deo it-na-yo?
Meaning: Are there other types of pillows? -
Expression: 이 베개 소재가 뭐예요?
Pronunciation: i be-gae so-jae-ga mwo-ye-yo?
Meaning: What material is this pillow made of? -
Expression: 메모리폼 베개인가요?
Pronunciation: me-mo-ri-pom be-gae-in-ga-yo?
Meaning: Is this a memory foam pillow? -
Expression: 솜 베개도 있나요?
Pronunciation: som be-gae-do it-na-yo?
Meaning: Do you also have cotton pillows? -
Expression: 베개 크기가 어떻게 되나요?
Pronunciation: be-gae keu-gi-ga eo-tteo-ke doe-na-yo?
Meaning: What is the size of the pillow? -
Expression: 세탁 가능한 베개인가요?
Pronunciation: se-tak ga-neung-han be-gae-in-ga-yo?
Meaning: Is this pillow washable? -
Expression: 다른 색상도 있나요?
Pronunciation: da-reun saek-sang-do it-na-yo?
Meaning: Are there other colors available? -
Expression: 이 베개가 제일 인기가 많나요?
Pronunciation: i be-gae-ga je-il in-gi-ga man-na-yo?
Meaning: Is this pillow the most popular one? -
Expression: 품질 보증 기간이 있나요?
Pronunciation: pum-jil bo-jeung gi-gan-i it-na-yo?
Meaning: Is there a quality guarantee period?
General Shopping Phrases
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Expression: 좀 둘러볼게요.
Pronunciation: jom dul-leo-bol-ge-yo.
Meaning: I’ll just look around for a bit. -
Expression: 이거 얼마예요?
Pronunciation: i-geo eol-ma-ye-yo?
Meaning: How much is this? -
Expression: 카드로 계산할게요.
Pronunciation: ka-deu-ro gye-san-hal-ge-yo.
Meaning: I’ll pay by card. -
Expression: 현금으로 계산할게요.
Pronunciation: hyeon-geum-eu-ro gye-san-hal-ge-yo.
Meaning: I’ll pay with cash. -
Expression: 영수증 주세요.
Pronunciation: yeong-su-jeung ju-se-yo.
Meaning: Please give me the receipt. -
Expression: 포장해 주실 수 있나요?
Pronunciation: po-jang-hae ju-sil su it-na-yo?
Meaning: Could you wrap this up/package this? -
Expression: 배달도 해주시나요?
Pronunciation: bae-dal-do hae-ju-si-na-yo?
Meaning: Do you also offer delivery? -
Expression: 교환이나 환불 규정이 어떻게 되나요?
Pronunciation: gyo-hwan-i-na hwan-bul gyu-jeong-i eo-tteo-ke doe-na-yo?
Meaning: What is the exchange or refund policy? -
Expression: 재고가 없으면 주문할 수 있나요?
Pronunciation: jae-go-ga eop-seu-myeon ju-mun-hal su it-na-yo?
Meaning: If it’s out of stock, can I order it? -
Expression: 감사합니다.
Pronunciation: gam-sa-ham-ni-da.
Meaning: Thank you.
Cultural Tips
Haggling Culture: While haggling is common in traditional markets (시장 – si-jang), it’s generally not practiced in department stores, chain stores, or supermarkets where prices are fixed (정찰제 – jeong-chal-je). Asking for a bulk discount is acceptable, but aggressive haggling might be seen as impolite in fixed-price environments.
Bulk Discounts: Asking for a discount on large quantities (대량 구매 – dae-ryang gu-mae) is often acceptable, especially in smaller shops or wholesale markets. Frame your request politely, focusing on the quantity you intend to purchase.
Politeness is Key: Always use polite language (존댓말 – jon-daen-mal), especially suffixes like -요 (-yo) or -ㅂ/습니다 (-p/seum-ni-da), when speaking with store clerks. Phrases like “혹시” (hok-si – perhaps/by any chance) can soften your request for a discount.
Service (서비스): Sometimes, instead of a direct price reduction, stores might offer a small extra item or “service” (서비스 – seo-bi-seu) as a gesture of goodwill for large purchases. This is also a form of discount.
Building Rapport: A friendly demeanor can sometimes go a long way. Engaging in brief, polite conversation before asking for a discount might make the clerk more receptive, though this depends on the store and situation.
Real Conversation Example
Situation: A customer (A) wants to buy 20 pillows for a guesthouse and asks a clerk (B) at a bedding store about a bulk discount.
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Expression: A: 안녕하세요. 이 베개 좀 보려고 하는데요.
Pronunciation: A: an-nyeong-ha-se-yo. i be-gae jom bo-ryeo-go ha-neun-de-yo.
Meaning: A: Hello. I’d like to take a look at this pillow. -
Expression: B: 네, 어서 오세요. 이 메모리폼 베개 찾으시나요? 편하고 인기 많아요.
Pronunciation: B: ne, eo-seo o-se-yo. i me-mo-ri-pom be-gae cha-jeu-si-na-yo? pyeon-ha-go in-gi ma-na-yo.
Meaning: B: Yes, welcome. Are you looking for this memory foam pillow? It’s comfortable and very popular. -
Expression: A: 네, 좋아 보이네요. 혹시 이 베개를 20개 정도 구매하려고 하는데, 재고가 있나요?
Pronunciation: A: ne, jo-a bo-i-ne-yo. hok-si i be-gae-reul seu-mu-gae jeong-do gu-mae-ha-ryeo-go ha-neun-de, jae-go-ga it-na-yo?
Meaning: A: Yes, it looks good. I’m thinking of buying about 20 of these pillows, do you happen to have them in stock? -
Expression: B: 20개요? 네, 창고에 재고 확인해 볼게요. 잠시만요… 네, 20개 있습니다.
Pronunciation: B: seu-mu-gae-yo? ne, chang-go-e jae-go hwa-gin-hae bol-ge-yo. jam-si-man-yo… ne, seu-mu-gae it-seum-ni-da.
Meaning: B: 20? Yes, let me check the stock in the warehouse. Just a moment… Yes, we have 20 available. -
Expression: A: 다행이네요. 그럼 혹시 베개를 대량으로 구매하면 할인이 좀 되나요?
Pronunciation: A: da-haeng-i-ne-yo. geu-reom hok-si be-gae-reul dae-ryang-eu-ro gu-mae-ha-myeon ha-rin-i jom doe-na-yo?
Meaning: A: That’s fortunate. Then, by any chance, if I buy the pillows in bulk, can I get a bit of a discount? -
Expression: B: 네, 20개 정도 구매하시면 저희가 10% 정도 할인해 드릴 수 있습니다.
Pronunciation: B: ne, seu-mu-gae jeong-do gu-mae-ha-si-myeon jeo-hui-ga sip-peo-sen-teu jeong-do ha-rin-hae deu-ril su it-seum-ni-da.
Meaning: B: Yes, if you purchase around 20, we can offer about a 10% discount. -
Expression: A: 아, 10%요. 감사합니다. 그럼 20개 계산해 주세요.
Pronunciation: A: a, sip-peo-sen-teu-yo. gam-sa-ham-ni-da. geu-reom seu-mu-gae gye-san-hae ju-se-yo.
Meaning: A: Oh, 10%. Thank you. Then please ring up 20 pillows. -
Expression: B: 네, 알겠습니다. 카드로 하시겠어요, 현금으로 하시겠어요?
Pronunciation: B: ne, al-get-seum-ni-da. ka-deu-ro ha-si-get-seo-yo, hyeon-geum-eu-ro ha-si-get-seo-yo?
Meaning: B: Yes, understood. Will you be paying by card or cash?
Practice Tips
Practice makes perfect~! Try role-playing the conversation with a friend or language partner. Focus on pronouncing the numbers and the core discount phrases clearly. You can also practice modifying the sentences for different items or quantities. Don’t be afraid to use these phrases next time you’re shopping in Korea, especially if you’re buying multiple items. Good luck!
