TOPIK I Core Vocabulary · Shopping & Money ①

Shopping & money — 사다, 팔다, 돈, 얼마, 싸다

You can use these five words in a shop right away. 사다 and 팔다 are opposites. Learn them as a pair.

01사다sada

to buy · to get something by paying money for it.

Forms 사요 · 삽니다 · 샀어요 (past)

Examples 옷을 사다 (to buy clothes) · 가게에서 사다 (to buy at a shop)

어제 새 신발을 샀어요. I bought new shoes yesterday.  |  새 = new · 신발 = shoes  |  The place where you buy takes 에서. It shows where an action happens

02팔다paldaㄹ drop

to sell · to give things or services and get money for them. The opposite is 사다.

Forms 팔아요 · 팝니다 (the ㄹ drops out) · 팔았어요

Note Verbs that end in ㄹ lose it before -ㅂ니다. You also see this in 살다 → 삽니다 and 놀다 → 놉니다.

Examples 과일을 팔다 (to sell fruit) · 싸게 팔다 (to sell cheaply)

저 가게에서 과일을 팔아요. That shop sells fruit.  |  저 = that (far from both of us) · 과일 = fruit

03돈don

money · what people use to pay for things and services.

Examples 돈이 없다 (to have no money) · 돈을 내다 (to pay) · 돈을 벌다 (to earn money)

지금 돈이 조금밖에 없어요. I only have a little money right now.  |  조금 = a little  |  -밖에 always takes a verb in the not form. With 없어요 it means only that much

04얼마eolma

how much · asks about a price or an amount.

Examples 얼마예요? (how much is it?) · 얼마나 걸려요? (how long does it take?)

이거 얼마예요? How much is this?  |  이거 is the casual spoken form of 이것 (this)  |  This is the most common way to ask a price in a shop

05싸다ssada

to be cheap · low in price. The opposite is 비싸다.

Note 싸다 describes a low price. It does not always mean low quality.

Examples 값이 싸다 (the price is low) · 싸게 사다 (to buy cheaply)

이 옷은 생각보다 싸요. These clothes are cheaper than I expected.  |  -보다 = than  |  If the price is high, say 비싸요

Quick check3 questions

Fill in each blank in Korean. Every answer appears above.

1. 저 가게에서 과일을 __________. (That shop ______ fruit.)
2. 이거 __________예요? (______ is this?)
3. 이 옷은 생각보다 __________. (These clothes are ______ than I expected.)

Show answers

1. 팔아요   2. 얼마   3. 싸요

팝니다 also works for 1

Study tip Learn 이거 얼마예요? as a set phrase for asking a price. If you cannot understand the answer, say 좀 써 주세요. It means Please write it down.