Making Requests and Saying No

At work and at school, you'll constantly find yourself asking for things and turning them down. Let's learn how to do both politely.

Polite Requests

'-아/어 주시겠어요?' (-a/eo jusigesseoyo?) and '-아/어 주실 수 있어요?' (-a/eo jusil su isseoyo?) are both polite ways to make a request.

죄송하지만, 잠깐 도와주실 수 있어요?

joesonghajiman, jamkkan dowajusil su isseoyo?

Sorry to bother you, but could you help me for a moment?

이 서류를 내일까지 보내 주시겠어요?

i seoryureul naeilkkaji bonae jusigesseoyo?

Could you send this document over by tomorrow?

Refusing Gently

When you say no, it lands more softly if you apologize first and then give a reason. Try opening with '죄송하지만' (joesonghajiman, sorry, but...).

죄송하지만, 오늘은 시간이 안 될 것 같아요.

joesonghajiman, oneureun sigani an doel geot gatayo.

Sorry, but it doesn't look like I'll have time today.

도와드리고 싶지만, 지금은 일이 너무 많아요.

dowadeurigo sipjiman, jigeumeun iri neomu manayo.

I'd love to help, but I have way too much on my plate right now.

이번에는 어려울 것 같고, 다음에 꼭 도울게요.

ibeoneneun eoryeoul geot gatgo, daeume kkok doulgeyo.

This time looks tough, but I'll definitely help next time.

Offering an Alternative

After saying no, offering an alternative with '대신에 ~' (daesine ~, instead...) comes across as more cooperative.

오늘은 어렵지만, 내일 오전은 가능해요.

oneureun eoryeopjiman, naeil ojeoneun ganeunghaeyo.

Today's tough, but tomorrow morning works.

제가 못 하는 대신 다른 분을 소개해 드릴게요.

jega mot haneun daesin dareun buneul sogaehae deurilgeyo.

Since I can't do it, let me introduce someone else instead.

부탁 하나만 드려도 될까요?

butak hanaman deuryeodo doelkkayo?

May I ask you a favor?

Function	Expression	English
Request	-아/어 주시겠어요?	Could you ~?
Refusal	죄송하지만 ~	Sorry, but ~
Softening	~ 것 같아요	It seems ~ (softer)
Alternative	대신에 ~	Instead, ~
Asking understanding	양해 부탁드립니다	Please bear with me

💡 Tip: In Korean, rather than flatly saying '안 돼요' (an dwaeyo, no / it won't work), it's more polite to soften it to something like '어려울 것 같아요' (eoryeoul geot gatayo, it might be difficult).

Take the quiz