5 Korean Phrases You Need to Survive Shopping with Your Korean Girlfriend
Ok, first things first, any well trained boyfriend of a Korean girl knows that when you enter Aritzia or Madewell you immediately look for a chair near the dressing rooms.
After your Korean girlfriend casually leafs through a few of the cashmere sweaters on the display table, she’ll make her way deeper into the store. This is where you jump in. This is where you say,
“Hey, give me your purse and jacket, I’m going to go sit over there.”
Beeline over to the chair with her stuff. You’ll probably see another guy with a few Bloomingdales shopping bags scrolling on his phone. Sit down and take out your phone. If you’ve thought ahead, you brought your headphones so you can re-watch that Chance the Rapper video.
Anyway, being close to the dressing room is strategic. You don’t have to get up when your Korean girlfriend asks you for your opinion on the seven articles of clothing she’s picked out to try on. Don’t worry, even though she brought seven items into the dressing room, she’s only going to step out of the dressing room for your opinion on two of them.
Why should you take this advice from me? I’ve been trained by my own Korean mother since I was ten. Here’s evidence:
Here are the phrases you need to know.
1. Go ahead, buy it
그것을 사
(gguh guht ser sa)
Even though she’s already made up her mind, your Korean girlfriend will ask you if she should get the solid black blouse she’s been trying on for 15 minutes. She’s looking for confirmation. This is where you say, “go ahead, buy it.”
2. I didn’t like it either
나도 그것을 좋아하지 않았어
(na doh gguh guht ser jo ah ha ji ahn aht suh)
Walking out of Westfield mall, your Korean girlfriend will say, “I’m so glad I didn’t buy that rain jacket. I almost bought it, but it just didn’t fit right. That trench coat I got fits so much better. I’m glad we did that last look around the store.”
“Yeah, I didn’t like that jacket either”
It doesn’t matter if you liked the coat or not, again, your Korean girlfriend is looking for validation.
3. Are you finished?
다 끝났어?
(da kkuht naht suh?)
This literally means “are you finished?”, but it also means, “are you ready to go?”. This is appropriate when you’re at Nordstrom Rack and your Korean girlfriend has already picked through the sales rack and grabbed seven items she’s ready to buy within 15 minutes. Your eyes will meet as she’s lingering around the cheap sunglasses, this is where you say, “ready to go?”
4. It looks good!
멋있어!
(muh shee suh!)
Notice that it is “it looks good!” not “it looks good.” Tone is key. There are two scenarios where this phrase is essential. The first one is when she comes out of the dressing room and you genuinely like what she’s wearing. The second is a defensive strategy when your girlfriend can’t decide between two pairs of pants. She’s trying them on, coming out to show you and looking in the mirror at every imaginable angle. Inevitably, she’ll ask you, “what do you think?” This is where you say,
“It looks good!”
If you say “it looks good!” in an excited tone, it will reduce the waiting time by 20 minutes.
After you say this, she’ll either say “Yeah! I’ll just get these,” or “really? I liked the other ones” to which you reply, “Yeah! The other ones look good, too!” Then after a final try on, you’ll be out of the store.
If you say, “it looks good.” you have at least 20 more minutes of deliberation.
She’s unconvinced by your tone and further exacerbates her indecision. She may ask the sales associate for a different size or color. And this process will start again. She’ll then ask you for your opinion on the new pair of pants she made the sales associate retrieve and since you’ve learned your lesson, you say, “it looks good!” but she doesn’t believe you because you dropped the ball the first time she asked. She’ll say, “Let’s just leave.” So after all that, she decides not to buy any of the pants. You’re on edge because you’re not sure if she’s now mad at you because she’s a little quiet walking out of the store. This is where the pull out the next phrase.
5. Do you want to get something to eat?
밥 먹을래?
(bop muk uhl leh?)
Say this immediately as you two are walking out of the store empty handed. This will make everything better. Decision fatigue is a real thing. You two are probably both hangry. Now, after you say this, she will either say, “Yeah” or “I’m not that hungry,” these both mean she’s hungry. At this point, it is critical you say, “Let’s go to CPK.” Do not ask, “what do you want to eat?” That question will end up with both of you even more frustrated and in an Uber home in silence. Ask if she wants to go to CPK because that place is the lowest common denominator for acceptable places to eat at any time. Lots of options, passable quality, and decently priced. She’ll either say yes or suggest a different place, if she does, just say yes and get some food. You’ll both be much happier afterward and will be able to get on with the day.
Made it all the way here? Maybe you’d like these other tips:
December 25th, 2016 — Columbia, Missouri
