Real-Life Conversations · Lesson 2 of 6
At a Restaurant
Ask what a dish is, whether it's spicy, order it, and pay — the whole meal, start to finish.
You handled a café; a restaurant is the same skills, one notch richer. The secret weapon: you don't need to read every dish — you just need to ask.
Getting seated & the menu
두 명이요
du myeong-iyo
Two people.
The answer to 몇 분이세요? (how many?) — native number + 명 counter, from Course 2.
메뉴 주세요
menyu juseyo
The menu, please.
메뉴판 주세요 (“the menu board”) is just as natural.
Two questions that unlock any menu
이거 뭐예요?
igeo mwoyeyo?
What is this?
Point and ask. 뭐 = what. Works for any dish you can't read.
이거 매워요?
igeo maewoyo?
Is this spicy?
The single most useful food question in Korea. 맵다 → 매워요.
Ordering
이거 주세요
igeo juseyo
This one, please.
Point + 주세요 — you've had this since Course 2. Add a count: 이거 하나 주세요.
물 좀 주세요
mul jom juseyo
Some water, please.
That warm little 좀 from Course 3 again.
Enjoying & paying
맛있어요!
masisseoyo!
It's delicious!
Say it to the staff — it's genuinely appreciated. 맛없어요 is the opposite (rarely needed).
계산서 주세요
gyesanseo juseyo
The bill, please.
At the counter you can also just say 계산이요 (“checking out”).
Try it
You can't read a dish and want to know if it'll burn your mouth. Two questions.Show answerAnswer
The meal was great and you're ready to pay. Two lines.Show answerAnswer
What you just learned
- 이거 뭐예요? / 이거 매워요? unlock any menu without reading it.
- 이거 (하나) 주세요 orders; 물 좀 주세요 asks for water.
- 맛있어요! and 잘 먹었습니다 are the warm bookends of a Korean meal.
- 계산서 주세요 / 계산이요 gets you the bill.
Quick check
Did it stick?
Three quick questions — instant answers, no grades, no pressure.
1.You can't read a dish. How do you ask what it is?
2.이거 매워요? asks…
3.To ask for the bill, say…
Want the why behind the words?
The reading path explains the culture and logic that make Korean click — a perfect companion to these lessons.