9 Korean Phrases for Table Manners and Pouring Drinks

Quick answer: To pour a drink for someone older in Korea, hold the bottle with both hands and say 제가 따라 드릴게요 (jega ttara deurilgeyo) — "Let me pour for you." When they pour for you, hold your glass with both hands and say 감사합니다. Before eating, say 잘 먹겠습니다; when you stand up, 잘 먹었습니다.

Here's the one idea to take away: at a Korean table, the sentences are short and easy. The hard part is the timing and the hands. Nobody expects a beginner to be fluent, but everyone notices whether you waited for the eldest person to lift their spoon and whether you poured with one hand or two. Learn these nine lines, do the matching gesture, and you will look like someone who was raised well — which is exactly what Koreans mean by 예의 (manners).

All of these are in 해요체 or 합쇼체 (polite styles), because that's what you use at a table with anyone older than you.

1. 잘 먹겠습니다 — "I'll eat well" / "Thank you for this food"

잘 먹겠습니다. — Thank you for the meal. (said before eating)

Say it right before your first bite, with a small nod toward whoever is paying or whoever cooked. It is not religious and it is not optional-feeling — a Korean who sits down and starts eating in silence at someone else's expense sounds a bit rude. With close friends your own age, the 반말 version is 잘 먹을게.

2. 먼저 드세요 — "Please start first"

할머니, 먼저 드세요. — Grandma, please start first.

At a table with elders, the oldest person picks up their spoon first. If you're the youngest and someone hasn't started, this is the line that unsticks everything. 드세요 is the honorific form of 먹다, so it already carries respect; you never say 먹으세요 to an elder.

3. 제가 따라 드릴게요 — "Let me pour for you"

선배님, 제가 따라 드릴게요. — Let me pour for you.

This is the core pouring phrase. Hold the bottle in your right hand and support your right forearm (or the bottom of the bottle) with your left — one-handed pouring to an elder reads as careless, the way staying seated for a handshake would in English. In a stiffer setting like a company dinner, the 합쇼체 version 제가 따라 드리겠습니다 sounds a notch more formal. It works for soju, beer, water, barley tea — anything in a bottle.

4. 한 잔 받으세요 — "Please have a glass"

부장님, 한 잔 받으세요. — Sir, please have a glass.

Say this as you lift the bottle toward them; they will raise their glass and you pour. 받다 means "to receive," so the phrase literally invites them to receive a drink. Note the spacing: 한 잔 is a number plus a counter, so it takes a space. It sounds warm and slightly ceremonial — it's the sound of someone showing respect, not just topping up a glass.

5. 잔이 비었네요 — "Your glass is empty"

어, 잔이 비었네요. 한 잔 더 드릴까요? — Oh, your glass is empty. Shall I pour you another?

Here's a rule that surprises visitors: in Korea you generally wait until a glass is empty before refilling it. Topping up a half-full glass, normal in much of Europe, feels pushy here. The junior person at the table is the one who keeps an eye on empty glasses, so noticing out loud is itself good manners. The ending -네요 is the "I just noticed this" ending, which is why it sounds natural rather than nagging.

6. 감사합니다 — what you say while receiving, with both hands

아, 네. 감사합니다. — Oh — thank you.

When an elder pours for you, lift your glass with both hands (one holding it, one lightly under it), say 감사합니다, and let them finish pouring before you set it down. Holding the glass out one-handed while looking elsewhere is the single most common mistake foreign guests make. One more small thing: when you drink in front of someone much older, Koreans turn the head slightly away from them. It takes half a second and older Koreans absolutely register it.

7. 저는 술을 잘 못 마셔요 — "I can't really drink"

죄송해요, 저는 술을 잘 못 마셔요. 음료수 마실게요. — Sorry, I'm not much of a drinker. I'll have a soft drink.

잘 못 마셔요 ("I can't drink well") is much softer than 안 마셔요 ("I don't drink"), which can sound like a refusal of the whole occasion. Nobody will push after this, especially if you still hold your glass up for the toast. If you want to accept one and stop there: 오늘은 한 잔만 할게요 — I'll just have one today. You can also let an elder pour and simply touch the glass to your lips; that counts.

8. 많이 드세요 / 천천히 드세요 — "Eat plenty" / "Take your time"

많이 드세요. — Please eat plenty.

천천히 드세요. — Take your time.

많이 드세요 belongs to whoever invited or is paying, and it's said once the food lands. 천천히 드세요 is what you say when you've finished and others are still eating — it tells them not to rush on your account. Both are fixed, friendly, impossible to overuse. If the side dishes run low, this is also the moment to ask for a refill — see how to ask for more 반찬.

9. 잘 먹었습니다 — "Thank you for the meal" (after eating)

잘 먹었습니다. — That was a great meal, thank you.

Say it to the person who paid, standing, with a small bow — and say it again to the staff on your way out of the restaurant. A warmer variant is 맛있게 먹었습니다 (I enjoyed it). Leaving a Korean meal without one of these feels, to a Korean ear, like walking out of a friend's house without saying goodbye. If you want more of the vocabulary that goes with the food itself, the words on every Korean menu are a good next step.

FAQ

How do you say "let me pour you a drink" in Korean?

Say 제가 따라 드릴게요, or 제가 따라 드리겠습니다 in a more formal setting like a work dinner. Hold the bottle with your right hand and support your arm with your left. If you want to invite the other person to hold out their glass first, say 한 잔 받으세요.

Do I have to drink alcohol if a Korean elder pours for me?

No. Accept the glass with both hands, say 감사합니다, and either sip once or explain with 저는 술을 잘 못 마셔요 ("I'm not much of a drinker"). Accepting the gesture matters more than emptying the glass. Most Koreans today will immediately offer you a soft drink instead.

What do Koreans say before and after a meal?

Before eating, 잘 먹겠습니다; after eating, 잘 먹었습니다. Both are polite 합쇼체 and are used with anyone — a host, a boss, restaurant staff. With close friends you can use 잘 먹을게 and 잘 먹었어. These are two of the first phrases worth memorizing.

Practice

Say these out loud, then check.

1. Your boss's glass is empty. What do you say before pouring?
2. You've finished eating and want to thank the person who paid.
3. An older colleague offers you soju but you don't drink much. Decline politely in one sentence.
4. You're the youngest at the table and nobody has started eating. What do you say to the oldest person?
5. Someone is pouring for you. What do you say, and what do your hands do?