Living in Korea Series EP 11: "Renting an Apartment and Paying Bills"

 

Episode 11: "Renting an Apartment and Paying Bills"

 Today’s episode is all about living in Korea—specifically renting an apartment and paying bills. These are essential parts of settling into life here, so let’s learn the vocabulary and phrases to navigate these situations with confidence.

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[1: Key Vocabulary ]

"Here are some important words you’ll need when renting an apartment or handling bills:

• 집 (jip) – House/Home
• 전세 (jeonse) – Key money deposit rental
• 월세 (wolse) – Monthly rent
• 보증금 (bojeunggeum) – Deposit
• 공과금 (gonggwageum) – Utility bills
• 계약서 (gyeyakseo) – Contract

[2: Useful Phrases]

“Here are some practical phrases for renting an apartment and managing bills:

Inquiring About an Apartment:

• '이 집은 월세인가요, 전세인가요?' (I jibeun wolseingayo, jeonseingayo?) – Is this place rented monthly or with a key money deposit?
• '보증금은 얼마인가요?' (Bojeunggeumeun eolma-ingayo?) – How much is the deposit?
• '계약서를 볼 수 있나요?' (Gyeyakseoreul bol su innayo?) – Can I see the contract?

Discussing Utility Bills:

• '공과금은 얼마나 나오나요?' (Gonggwageumeun eolmana naonayo?) – How much are the utility bills?
• '이 금액은 어디로 송금하나요?' (I geumaegeun eodiro songgeumhanayo?) – Where should I transfer this amount?

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[3: Practice Dialogue ]

Scenario 1: Talking to a Landlord About Renting

You:
안녕하세요. 이 집은 월세인가요, 전세인가요?
(Annyeonghaseyo. I jibeun wolseingayo, jeonseingayo?) – Hello. Is this place rented monthly or with a key money deposit?

Landlord:
월세입니다. 보증금은 500만 원이고 월세는 50만 원입니다.
(Wolse-imnida. Bojeunggeumeun obaekman won-igo wolse-neun osipman won-imnida.) – It’s rented monthly. The deposit is 5 million won, and the monthly rent is 500,000 won.

You:
계약서를 볼 수 있나요?
(Gyeyakseoreul bol su innayo?) – Can I see the contract?

Landlord:
네, 여기 있습니다.
(Ne, yeogi itseumnida.) – Yes, here it is.

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Scenario 2: Asking About Utility Bills

You:
공과금은 얼마나 나오나요?
(Gonggwageumeun eolmana naonayo?) – How much are the utility bills?

Landlord:
한 달에 약 10만 원 정도입니다.
(Han dare yak sipman won jeongdoimnida.) – Around 100,000 won per month.

You:
이 금액은 어디로 송금하나요?
(I geumaegeun eodiro songgeumhanayo?) – Where should I transfer this amount?

Landlord:
이 계좌로 보내 주세요.
(I gyejwalo bonae juseyo.) – Please send it to this account.

“You’ve done a fantastic job today! See you next time!  Goodbye!”