✅ Day 18: Polite Requests – Please Give Me, Please Do It
Day 18: Polite Requests – Please Give Me, Please Do It
Hello again, Korean buddy! 👋
Today you’ll learn one of the most important skills for using Korean in real life: how to ask politely for something.
Whether you're at a restaurant, shopping, asking a friend, or talking with someone older, these polite phrases will help you speak kindly and naturally. 🙇♂️
🔑 Core Phrases for Polite Requests
There are two main forms you need to learn:
- 주세요 → Please give me
- 아/어 주세요 → Please do [something]
📋 Vocabulary + Example Table
| English | Korean | Romanization | Example (Polite Request) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water | 물 | mul | 물 주세요 mul ju-se-yo |
| Kimchi | 김치 | gim-chi | 김치 주세요 gim-chi ju-se-yo |
| Help (verb) | 도와주다 | do-wa-ju-da | 도와주세요 do-wa-ju-se-yo |
| Wait (verb) | 기다리다 | gi-da-ri-da | 기다려주세요 gi-da-ryeo-ju-se-yo |
| Teach (verb) | 가르쳐주다 | ga-reu-chyeo-ju-da | 가르쳐주세요 ga-reu-chyeo-ju-se-yo |
| Do (verb) | 하다 | ha-da | 해주세요 hae-ju-se-yo |
📌 How to Use 주세요 – Please Give Me
주세요 is used when you want to ask for a thing (noun).
- 물 주세요 → Please give me water
- 김치 주세요 → Please give me kimchi
- 책 주세요 → Please give me the book
Want to be more polite or softer?
- 물 좀 주세요 → Please give me some water
📌 How to Use 아/어 주세요 – Please Do Something
This form is used when asking someone to do an action for you.
### 🔤 Examples: - 도와주세요 → Please help me do-wa-ju-se-yo - 앉아 주세요 → Please sit down an-ja ju-se-yo - 문을 열어주세요 → Please open the door mun-eul yeo-reo-ju-se-yo💡 If the verb stem ends in ㅏ or ㅗ → use 아 주세요 If it ends in other vowels → use 어 주세요
🗣️ Real-Life Dialogues
📍 Situation 1: Restaurant
A: 메뉴 있어요?
me-nyu it-sseo-yo?
→ Do you have a menu?
B: 네, 여기 있어요.
ne, yeo-gi it-sseo-yo
→ Yes, here it is.
A: 김치 좀 주세요.
gim-chi jom ju-se-yo
→ Please give me some kimchi.
📍 Situation 2: Asking for Help
A: 저기요, 도와주세요!
jeo-gi-yo, do-wa-ju-se-yo
→ Excuse me, please help me!
B: 네, 뭐 도와드릴까요?
ne, mwo do-wa-deu-ril-kka-yo?
→ Sure, how can I help?
✍️ Practice – Fill in the blanks
- __________ 주세요 → Please give me water
- __________ 주세요 → Please help me
- __________ 주세요 → Please wait a moment
✅ Show Answers
- 물 주세요 → mul ju-se-yo
- 도와주세요 → do-wa-ju-se-yo
- 기다려주세요 → gi-da-ryeo-ju-se-yo
🎯 Mini Quiz – Translate These
- Please give me coffee
- Please open the door
- Please teach me Korean
✅ Quiz Answers
- 커피 주세요 → keo-pi ju-se-yo
- 문을 열어주세요 → mun-eul yeo-reo-ju-se-yo
- 한국어를 가르쳐주세요 → han-guk-eo-reul ga-reu-chyeo-ju-se-yo
🚫 Bonus – How to Say "Please Don’t"
To politely ask someone NOT to do something, use:
- Verb + 지 마세요 → Please don’t [verb]
🧠 Challenge Yourself
Make 3 polite request sentences:
- One using 주세요
- One using 아/어 주세요
- One using 지 마세요
Example:
- 물 주세요
- 문을 닫아주세요
- 사진 찍지 마세요
🔜 What’s Next?
You now know how to request things and actions in Korean with confidence and politeness!
In the next lesson, we’ll take all your knowledge and build real Korean conversations that flow naturally.
📘 Day 19: Real-Life Korean Dialogues – Everyday Situations
✅ Conclusion
Well done! Today you unlocked one of the most useful patterns in Korean. Now you can confidently ask for what you want in restaurants, stores, and everyday life — all while being polite and respectful.
Keep reviewing and try using these phrases out loud. You’re speaking more like a native every day! 😊
See you in Day 19 — it’s going to be a big step forward! 🚀