Prices
Read won prices out loud, ask how much something costs, and ask whether card payment is accepted.
Prices use sino-Korean — back to lesson one's numbers
Good news: prices don't need the counting numbers you just learned. Money always uses 한자어 숫자 — the 일, 이, 삼, 백, 천, 만 set from two lessons ago — never 하나, 둘, 셋. So a price like 5,000 won is 오천 원, built from 오 (5) + 천 (1,000) + 원 (won), exactly like the phone numbers and place-value words you already know.
원 (won) attaches directly after the number, no counter word needed. 원 ends in a consonant, so the copula here is 이에요, not 예요.
오 (5) + 천 (1,000) = 오천. This is the everyday price of a coffee or a simple snack at many Korean cafés and convenience stores.
만 alone means 10,000 — no 일 needed in front, same rule as 백 and 천. This is where Korean's 10,000-based number grouping starts to really matter, since a lot of everyday prices sit in the 만 range.
만 (10,000) + 오천 (5,000) = 만 오천, stacked together with no 'and' needed. This is the pattern for reading almost any Korean price once you're comfortable with 백/천/만.
얼마예요? and 카드 돼요? — the two questions you'll ask constantly
얼마예요? means 'how much is it?' — 얼마 (how much) ends in a vowel, so it takes 예요, not 이에요. Once you hear the price, 카드 돼요? ('is card okay?') checks whether you can pay by card, using 되다 ('to work/be possible') in its 해요체 form 돼요. A simple 네, 돼요 answers 'yes, that's fine.'
The single most useful shopping phrase in Korean. Point at what you want and ask this — you'll get a price back in sino-Korean numbers + 원.
Cash-only shops still exist in Korea, especially small markets, so this is worth checking before you order. A nod or 네 usually means you're fine.
Paying at a café counter
Say it out loud
Listen, then repeat aloud. Matching the rhythm matters more than perfection.