Shopping - how to reply elderly grandma

[jolieZ]

A korean grandma ask me something in Big W today and I didn't understand her.
She was holding an album. Come to think of it i think she was asking me where she could check the price with the barcode scanner machine.

Does anyone know how to ask please,
1. How much does it cost?
2. Sorry I don't understand Korean?
3. Sorry I don't know

thanx!

[John]

yeah I can say all three of those phrases, unfortunately I have a hard time spelling in Korean and I refuse to use romanization. I am sure someone will come along soon to help ya out though.

[James]

I'm not very good yet (and I hope someone corrects this if needed) but here goes:
1. How much does it cost? = 얼마예요? (eol ma ye yo?)
2. Sorry. I don't understand Korean. 마안합니다. 한국말을 이해 못합니다.
(mi an ham ni da. han goong mareul i hae mot ham ni da)
3. Sorry. I don't know. 마안합니다. 모르겠습니다.
(mi an ham ni da. mo reu ges seum ni da.)

[austinfd]

They look OK to me...

But I think that it is relatively uncommon to say "i don't UNDERSTAND Korean"

I think instead, a Korean would say "I don't know Korean" (English as the case may be!)

And since you're gonna say all these sentences, you can't really say "I don't know Korean" - it isn't true!

So for #2, I would say "마안합니다. 한국말을 잘 못해요" ( I don't speak Korean well)

[Keith]

both are acceptable, but I think your right Austin,

saying "한국말 잘 못 해요" sounds more natural to me

[steved]

Or you could go with "한국말을 조금 밖에 몰라요" (But that one might backfire.)

[rooraa]

한국말 잘 못 해요
-> "korean well not possible to do"
^^ that's how i translated it in my mind

I bet I'll be saying that sentence a lot!

but about 못, I sometimes see it by itself and othertimes, attached to a word, can it be free sometimes (like in a sentence, it's not part of any word) or is it always by itself? I know what I just said was quite confusing but if you understood me.....help?

I have a problem with spacing, like for numbers to say "one house" it would be 한 집 and not 한집, right?