예약과 서비스Appointments and Services
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Make an appointment by phone or message, stating the service you need and a preferred day and time.
- Propose, accept, or decline a specific time using patterns such as -(으)ㄹ 수 있어요? and -는 게 어때요?.
- Change or cancel an existing appointment politely.
- Use 에게/한테 productively to say who receives an action, such as calling, telling, or giving something to someone.
- Interact in a service encounter at a place such as a clinic, hair salon, or restaurant, including waiting, confirming, and following up.
- Read and listen to short exchanges about appointments and services.
- Write a short message requesting, confirming, or changing an appointment.
Communication Scenario
Chapter 6 solved 라일라's boiler, window, and noise problems. Now that her apartment feels more settled, 라일라 needs to take care of several appointments: a haircut before the new semester starts, a check-up at a nearby clinic, and dinner reservations for a friend's birthday. Each of these requires proposing a time, responding to the other person's availability, and sometimes changing plans at the last minute. This chapter builds on the request and softening patterns from Chapter 6 and expands 에게/한테 — until now mostly recognized in passing — into a system 라일라 can use on her own.
- This chapter introduces time-negotiation language and the productive use of 에게/한테.
- Everyday polite speech level, softening, and the request pattern -아/어 주세요 continue from Chapters 1 through 6.
- Assessment in this chapter focuses on making, confirming, and changing an appointment clearly and politely.
Core Vocabulary
The vocabulary below supports making, changing, and confirming appointments, and interacting in common service settings. Approximately 30–50 productive items are expected for this chapter; the table shows a representative core set.
| Korean | Meaning | Use / Pattern | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 예약 | reservation, appointment | 예약이 있어요. | Sino-Korean |
| 예약하다 | to make a reservation | action verb; 예약해요 | Sino-Korean compound |
| 예약을 바꾸다 | to change a reservation | 예약을 좀 바꿀 수 있어요? | |
| 예약을 취소하다 | to cancel a reservation | 예약을 취소하고 싶어요. | |
| 시간이 되다 | to be available (time-wise) | 그때 시간이 돼요? | literally "time becomes" |
| 가능하다 | to be possible | descriptive verb; 가능해요 | Sino-Korean |
| 미루다 | to postpone | action verb; 미뤄 주세요 | |
| 병원 | hospital, clinic | 병원에 가요. | Sino-Korean |
| 진료 | medical examination | 진료 예약이 있어요. | Sino-Korean |
| 미용실 | hair salon | 미용실에서 머리를 잘라요. | Sino-Korean compound |
| 머리를 자르다 | to get a haircut | action verb phrase; 르 irregular | 자르면, 잘라요 |
| 식당 | restaurant | 식당을 예약해요. | Sino-Korean |
| 자리 | seat, table, spot | 두 명 자리 있어요? | native Korean |
| 직원 | staff member, employee | 직원한테 물어봐요. | Sino-Korean |
| 손님 | customer, guest | 손님, 잠깐만 기다려 주세요. | address term |
| 기다리다 | to wait | action verb; 기다려요 | |
| 번호표 | number ticket (queue) | 번호표를 뽑아요. | native + Sino compound |
| 확인하다 | to confirm, check | action verb; 확인해요 | Sino-Korean |
| 다음 주 / 이번 주 | next week / this week | 다음 주 화요일 괜찮아요? | time expression, recycled |
| 오전 / 오후 | morning (a.m.) / afternoon (p.m.) | 오후 3시 어때요? | Sino-Korean |
| 다른 시간 | a different time | 다른 시간 있어요? | |
| 신청하다 | to apply, sign up | action verb; 신청해요 | Sino-Korean |
| 전화하다 | to make a phone call | action verb; 전화해요 | Sino-Korean compound |
| 문자를 보내다 | to send a text message | 문자를 보내 주세요. | recycled 보내다 |
| 알려 주다 | to let someone know | 결과를 알려 주세요. | |
| 물어보다 | to ask, inquire | 직원한테 물어봐요. | |
| 에게 / 한테 | to (a person), for (a person) | 친구한테 전화해요. | animate recipient particle, recycled and expanded |
| 저한테 / 제게 | to me | 저한테 알려 주세요. | 제게 is more formal |
| -(으)ㄹ 수 있어요? | Is it possible to…? | 다섯 시에 올 수 있어요? | ability pattern, recycled, applied to negotiation |
| -는 게 어때요? | How about…? | 수요일에 하는 게 어때요? | proposal pattern |
Receptive support in this chapter includes a small, clearly marked set of additional service-related nouns encountered in the reading and listening passages. These items are not required for independent production.
Pronunciation Focus
This chapter reinforces native-Korean hour counting with 시 and reviews liaison before vowel-initial particles, using appointment vocabulary. It introduces no new sound-change rule.
Hours are counted with the native Korean number series plus 시, so 한 시, 두 시, 세 시, 네 시 use the native forms 한, 두, 세, 네 rather than the Sino-Korean numbers used for minutes. Minutes use Sino-Korean numbers plus 분, as in 세 시 십오 분. Learners commonly try to use Sino-Korean numbers for the hour as well; this is a fixed pattern rather than a free choice.
오후 세 시에 예약할 수 있어요? · 다음 주 화요일이 어때요? · 직원한테 물어봤어요
Grammar and Sentence Patterns
This chapter activates two new productive systems: time-negotiation patterns for proposing, accepting, and declining appointment times, and the productive use of 에게/한테 to mark the recipient of an action. Requests, softening, and everyday polite speech level continue from earlier chapters.
New: proposing a time with -(으)ㄹ 수 있어요? and -는 게 어때요?
To ask whether someone is free at a certain time, use the recycled ability pattern -(으)ㄹ 수 있어요? as a negotiation question. To suggest a time more gently, use -는 게 어때요? ("how about…?").
| Pattern | Example | Gloss |
|---|---|---|
| -(으)ㄹ 수 있어요? | 화요일 오후에 올 수 있어요? | Can you come Tuesday afternoon? |
| -는 게 어때요? | 수요일 세 시에 하는 게 어때요? | How about doing it Wednesday at three? |
| 다른 시간 있어요? | 그 시간은 안 돼요. 다른 시간 있어요? | That time doesn't work. Do you have another time? |
[time expression] + 에 + [predicate stem]-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요?
The time expression takes 에 as in earlier chapters; the verb stem adds -(으)ㄹ 수 있어요? to ask about possibility rather than general ability.
오전 열 시에 갈 수 있어요?
Can you go at ten in the morning?
New: 에게/한테 as a productive recipient particle
에게/한테 marks the person who receives an action, such as a phone call, a message, information, or an object. 한테 is more common in everyday speech; 에게 appears more often in writing. Until this chapter, 에게/한테 has mostly been recognized in dialogues and readings. From this chapter forward, learners are expected to produce it independently.
- 친구한테 전화했어요. I called my friend. 한테 + 전화하다 (recipient of the call)
- 직원한테 물어봤어요. I asked the staff member. 한테 + 물어보다
- 저한테 알려 주세요. Please let me know. 저한테 (formal 저 + 한테) + 알려 주다
- 집주인한테 문자를 보냈어요. I sent the landlord a text message. recycles 집주인 from Chapter 6
에게/한테 is used only for people and animals, marking the recipient of an action such as calling, telling, giving, or sending. 에 marks locations and times, and is not used for people in this way. Compare 학교에 가요 ("I go to school," a place) with 친구한테 가요 ("I go to my friend," a person). Do not substitute 에 for 에게/한테 when the target of the action is a person.
Review: polite requests with -아/어 주세요
- 예약 좀 확인해 주세요. Please check the reservation. softening 좀 + -아/어 주세요, recycled from Chapter 6
- 예약을 바꿔 주시겠어요? Could you change the reservation? softened request with -아/어 주시겠어요
Review: softening a change request
Softening openers such as 죄송하지만 remain important when asking to change or cancel a plan.
- 죄송하지만, 예약을 미룰 수 있어요? I'm sorry, but could I postpone the appointment? softening opener + -(으)ㄹ 수 있어요?
Practice — Building time-negotiation sentences
- Choose a service (haircut, clinic visit, dinner reservation) and propose a specific day and time.
- Ask whether the other person is available at that time using -(으)ㄹ 수 있어요?.
- If the first time does not work, suggest another time using -는 게 어때요? or 다른 시간 있어요?.
- Add one sentence using 에게/한테 to say who you contacted or who should contact you.
Model Dialogue
Setting: 라일라 calls a hair salon to make an appointment before the semester starts.
내용 이해 — Comprehension questions:
- What service does 라일라 want?
- What time does 라일라 first propose, and why doesn't it work?
- What time do they agree on instead?
- What does 라일라 ask the staff member to send, and to whom?
Guided Practice
Complete each task using vocabulary and patterns from this chapter and earlier chapters.
- Write a sentence proposing a day and time for an appointment using -(으)ㄹ 수 있어요?.
- Write a sentence suggesting an alternative time using -는 게 어때요?.
- Write a sentence using 에게/한테 to say who you will call or message.
- Write a softened request to change or cancel a reservation using 죄송하지만.
- Write a sentence confirming an appointment using 확인하다.
Listening Practice
Ask your instructor, a language partner, or a text-to-speech tool to read the following passage aloud. Listen twice without reading, then complete the tasks below.
병원 예약
수진은 요즘 목이 좀 아파요. 그래서 병원에 전화해서 예약하고 싶어요. 수진은 이번 주 목요일 오전에 갈 수 있는지 물어봤어요. 하지만 그 시간에는 자리가 없었어요. 직원은 금요일 오후 두 시가 가능하다고 했어요. 수진은 금요일 오후 두 시로 예약했어요. 직원은 수진한테 예약 확인 문자를 보내 준다고 했어요.
듣기 과제 — Listening task: Listen and answer in English.
| 질문 | 답 |
|---|---|
| Why does 수진 want to go to the clinic? | ______ |
| What time does 수진 first ask for, and what happens? | ______ |
| What time does 수진 finally book, and what will the staff member send her? | ______ |
받아쓰기 — Dictation: Your partner or instructor reads two sentences from the passage above, once each at natural speed. Write what you hear in Hangeul, then check your spacing, particles, and speech-level consistency.
- (the sentence describing why 수진 wants to go to the clinic)
- (the sentence describing the confirmed appointment time)
Reading Practice
Below is a short message that 라일라 sent to a friend to arrange a birthday dinner reservation. Read it and answer the questions below. No romanization is provided.
생일 저녁 예약
민수야, 안녕! 이번 주 토요일 저녁에 시간 있어? 네 생일이니까 식당을 예약하고 싶어. 학교 앞에 있는 식당이 괜찮은 것 같아. 저녁 여섯 시나 일곱 시, 어느 게 편해? 다른 시간이 더 좋으면 알려 줘. 내가 식당에 전화해서 예약할게. 그리고 지영이한테도 물어볼게. 답장 기다릴게!
This passage recycles polite everyday speech level, time expressions, position and location vocabulary from earlier chapters, the request pattern, and productively uses 한테 twice. Only vocabulary and grammar activated through Chapter 7 are used. Note: this message is addressed to a close friend, so it uses casual intimate endings such as -야, -게, and -지 rather than -아요/어요; learners should recognize this register shift receptively but are not expected to produce casual/intimate endings productively at this stage.
내용 이해 — Comprehension questions:
- What occasion is 라일라 planning for?
- What two times does 라일라 propose?
- Who else does 라일라 say she will contact, and how?
Writing Workshop
This chapter's writing task is a short message requesting or changing an appointment: 예약 메시지 ("An Appointment Message").
- Open politely. Greet the reader and identify yourself if needed.
- State the purpose. Say what service or plan you want to arrange.
- Propose a time. Use -(으)ㄹ 수 있어요? or -는 게 어때요?.
- Use 에게/한테. Include at least one sentence naming who you are contacting or who should contact you.
- Add a softened change request, if needed. Use 죄송하지만 to ask about postponing or canceling.
- Close politely. Thank the reader and ask for confirmation.
- Revise. Check your draft against the editing checklist below.
체크리스트 — Editing checklist:
- The message names a specific service or plan (haircut, clinic visit, reservation, etc.).
- At least one time-negotiation pattern (-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요? or -는 게 어때요?) is used.
- At least one 에게/한테 phrase is used correctly to mark a recipient.
- Speech level is consistent everyday polite -아요/어요 throughout.
- Only Hangeul is used; no romanization appears in the final draft.
- No grammar, particle, or vocabulary item beyond Chapter 7 appears in the text.
Speaking Practice
통제 연습 — Controlled practice: 시간 제안하기
Practice proposing three different appointment times aloud, each with -(으)ㄹ 수 있어요? or -는 게 어때요?, until the pattern feels automatic.
의사소통 과제 — Communicative task: 예약 전화하기
With a partner, role-play the Model Dialogue situation for a different service (clinic, restaurant, or another shop of your choice). One partner plays the customer proposing times; the other plays the staff member, who should decline at least one proposed time and offer an alternative.
혼자 하는 연습 — Solo alternative
Record yourself calling to make an appointment for a real or imagined service, proposing a time, responding to a schedule conflict, and confirming a final time.
Culture and Communication
In South Korea, appointments for clinics, hair salons, and restaurants are commonly made by phone, but booking through a mobile app or website is increasingly common as well, especially among younger customers and in larger cities. Confirmation texts, like the one in the Model Dialogue, are a widely used way for businesses to remind customers of their appointment time.
Many clinics, government offices, and busy service counters in South Korea use a numbered ticket system, often called 번호표, to manage waiting customers in order. Announcements calling the next number are common in these settings, and asking a staff member how long the wait will be is a normal and polite question, not an imposition.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Error: 친구에 전화했어요. (using the location/time particle 에 with a person)
Correction: Use 친구한테 전화했어요. 에게/한테 marks a person as the recipient of an action; 에 is reserved for places and times.
Error: 삼 시에 만나요. (using the Sino-Korean number 삼 with 시)
Correction: Use the native Korean number: 세 시에 만나요. Hours use native Korean numbers; only minutes use Sino-Korean numbers.
Error: Responding to a declined time with only 그럼 언제요?, which can sound abrupt.
Correction: Soften the follow-up, as in 아, 그러면 다른 시간 있어요?, to keep the exchange polite.
Chapter Review
Section A — 어휘 (Vocabulary)
1. List three appointment-related words and two service-location words from this chapter.
Section B — 문법 (Grammar)
1. Combine a time expression and -(으)ㄹ 수 있어요? into one correct question.
2. Correct the error: 선생님에 전화했어요.
Section C — 독해 이해 (Reading Comprehension)
1. According to 라일라's message, what two times does she propose, and who else will she contact?
Section D — 쓰기 (Writing)
1. Write your appointment message following the Writing Workshop steps and checklist.
Section E — 말하기 (Speaking)
1. Role-play or record a phone call proposing an appointment time, responding to a schedule conflict, and confirming a final time.
누적 복습 — Cumulative review
This chapter recycles everyday polite speech level, softening with 좀 and 죄송하지만, the request pattern -아/어 주세요, and time expressions from earlier chapters, while adding time-negotiation patterns and the productive use of 에게/한테. If any earlier system still feels uncertain, review the relevant chapter before continuing.
Practical Performance Task
수행 과제
예약하기 — Making an Appointment
You will propose an appointment, respond to a schedule conflict, confirm a final time, and use 에게/한테 correctly, in both written and spoken form.
- Written: Write your appointment message from the Writing Workshop.
- Spoken: Present the same content aloud as a phone call, as in the Model Dialogue, including at least one time change.
- Reflection: Write one English sentence identifying which part of this chapter — vocabulary, time negotiation, 에게/한테, or service-encounter language — you feel most confident using.
| Criterion | What is evaluated |
|---|---|
| Appointment purpose | A specific service or plan is clearly named |
| Time negotiation | At least one -(으)ㄹ 수 있어요? or -는 게 어때요? is used correctly |
| Schedule conflict | At least one alternative time is proposed after a decline |
| 에게/한테 use | At least one 에게/한테 phrase correctly marks a recipient |
| Polite request | At least one -아/어 주세요 or -아/어 주시겠어요 request is used correctly |
| Speech-level consistency | Everyday polite -아요/어요 maintained throughout |
| Hangeul and spacing accuracy | Accurate spelling and level-appropriate spacing throughout, no romanization |
| Scope discipline | No structures used beyond this chapter and earlier chapters |
Answer Key
Grammar Practice — Building Time-Negotiation Sentences
1. Sample answer: 금요일 오후 네 시에 갈 수 있어요?
2. Sample answer: 토요일 오전이 어때요?
3. Sample answer: 직원한테 전화할게요.
4. Sample answer: 죄송하지만, 예약을 미룰 수 있어요?
Model Dialogue — Comprehension
- 라일라 wants a haircut.
- She first proposes Friday at three in the afternoon, but that time is fully booked.
- They agree on four o'clock.
- She asks the staff member to send a confirmation text to her phone number.
Listening comprehension
- 수진 wants to go because her throat has been hurting.
- She first asks about Thursday morning, but there is no available slot.
- She books Friday at two in the afternoon, and the staff member will send her a confirmation text.
Reading comprehension
- 라일라 is planning a birthday dinner for her friend 민수.
- She proposes six o'clock or seven o'clock in the evening.
- She says she will also contact 지영.
Chapter Review — Section B
1. Sample answer: 오후 두 시에 갈 수 있어요?
2. Correction: 선생님한테 전화했어요.
Section D — Sample appointment message
안녕하세요. 저는 3층에 사는 준호예요. 다음 주 화요일 오전에 병원 예약을 하고 싶어요. 열 시에 갈 수 있어요? 다른 시간이 더 좋으면 저한테 알려 주세요. 확인 문자를 보내 주시겠어요? 감사합니다.
Check that: a specific service is named, at least one time-negotiation pattern and one 에게/한테 phrase appear correctly, a polite request appears, speech level is consistent, and no structures beyond this chapter appear.
Looking Ahead
지금 할 수 있는 것 — What you can do now
You can propose, accept, decline, and change an appointment time, use 에게/한테 to say who receives an action, and interact politely in a service encounter, all in consistent everyday polite speech level.