Speak Korean from Day One!

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Lesson 3

Do You Have It?

Learn How to Ask and Answer with 있어요 / 없어요

Lesson Goal

By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to:

  • ask if something is available
  • answer with 네, 있어요.
  • answer with 아니요, 없어요.
  • use 있어요 and 없어요 in everyday conversations

Today’s Key Expressions

KoreanEnglish
있어요.There is. / I have. / We have.
없어요.There isn’t. / I don’t have. / We don’t have.
물 있어요?Do you have water?
네, 있어요.Yes, we do.
아니요, 없어요.No, we don’t.

Today’s Vocabulary

At a Restaurant

KoreanEnglish
메뉴menu
영어 메뉴English menu
물water
김치kimchi
불고기bulgogi
냅킨napkin

Everyday Things

KoreanEnglish
냉장고refrigerator
책book
펜pen
지우개eraser
휴대폰cell phone
가방bag

What Do 있어요 and 없어요 Mean?

These are two of the most useful expressions in Korean.

있어요 means something exists or is available.

없어요 means something doesn’t exist or isn’t available.

You’ll hear these expressions everywhere in Korea.

For example:

  • 물 있어요?
  • 메뉴 있어요?
  • 냅킨 있어요?
  • 화장실 있어요?

You don’t need to make a long sentence.

Just say:

Noun + 있어요?

It’s simple, natural, and very common.

Let’s Read the Dialogues

These dialogues review expressions from Lessons 1 and 2 while adding today’s new expression.

Dialogue 1 – At Home

KoreanEnglish
A: 이게 뭐예요?What is this?
B: 냉장고예요.It’s a refrigerator.
A: 물 있어요?Is there any water?
B: 네, 있어요.Yes, there is.

In this conversation, you first identify the object.

Then you ask whether there is water inside the refrigerator.

Dialogue 2 – At a Restaurant

KoreanEnglish
A: 메뉴 있어요?Do you have a menu?
B: 네, 여기 있어요.Yes, here it is.
A: 이게 뭐예요?What is this?
B: 불고기예요.It’s bulgogi.

Practice 1

Say these sentences in Korean.

Example

Do you have water?

➡ 물 있어요?

Do you have a menu?

➡

Do you have an English menu?

➡

Do you have a napkin?

➡

Do you have a pen?

➡

Practice 2

Complete the dialogues.

1

A: 물 ____________________? Do you have water?

B: 네, ____________________. Yes, we do.

2

A: 메뉴 ____________________? Do you have a menu?

B: 네, 여기 ____________________. Yes, here it is.

3

A: 냅킨 ____________________? Do you have a napkin?

B: 아니요, ____________________. No, we don’t.

4

A: 펜 ____________________? Do you have a pen?

B: 네, ____________________. Yes, I do.

Speak Korean!

Imagine you’re visiting a restaurant in Korea.

Can you ask these questions?

  • 메뉴 있어요?
  • 영어 메뉴 있어요?
  • 물 있어요?
  • 냅킨 있어요?

Now answer each question with:

  • 네, 있어요.
  • 아니요, 없어요.

Try saying them out loud.

Speaking Tip

🎧 Audio 3-1 | Question vs. Answer Intonation

Did you notice something interesting?

The question and the answer use almost the same words.

Listen and repeat.

↗ 물 있어요? Do you have water?

↘ 네, 있어요. Yes, we do.

↘ 아니요, 없어요. No, we don’t.

The difference is the intonation.

When asking a question, your voice goes up at the end.

When answering, your voice goes down.

Listen to the audio and repeat each sentence three times.

Great Job!

Congratulations!

Today you learned one of the most useful Korean expressions.

Now you can ask whether something is available in Korean.

In Lesson 4, you’ll learn how to talk about everyday actions such as:

  • eat
  • drink
  • go
  • come
  • sleep

See you in the next lesson!

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