Unit 10: It's delicious, It's awful (맛있어요, 맛없어요)

We learned the words 있어요 (to have/exist) and 없어요 (to not have/not exist) in Unit 8. In this unit, we will see how these words are combined with the word for "taste" to describe food!

1. 맛 (mat) = Taste / Flavor

The Korean word for taste or flavor is 맛 (mat).

2. 맛있어요 (ma-si-sseo-yo) = It's delicious

If a food "has taste," it means it is delicious! So, we combine 맛 (taste) + 있어요 (exists/have) to make the word for delicious.

• 맛 + 있어요 = 맛있어요 (It is delicious.)

Pronunciation Tip: Even though it is spelled 맛-있-어-요, the 'ㅅ' at the bottom of 맛 carries over to the next vowel sound. So it is pronounced [마시써요 - ma-si-sseo-yo].

Examples: * 이거 맛있어요. (This is delicious.) * 김치 맛있어요. (Kimchi is delicious.) * 삼겹살 맛있어요? (Is pork belly delicious?)

3. 맛없어요 (ma-deop-seo-yo) = It tastes awful / It's not good

If a food "does not have taste," it doesn't just mean it is bland—it means it tastes bad! We combine 맛 (taste) + 없어요 (does not exist/don't have) to make this word.

• 맛 + 없어요 = 맛없어요 (It is not delicious / It tastes awful.)

Pronunciation Tip: The 'ㅅ' sound in 맛 changes to a 'ㄷ' (d/t) sound here. So it is pronounced [마덥써요 - ma-deop-seo-yo].

Examples: * 이거 맛없어요. (This tastes awful.) * 커피가 맛없어요. (The coffee is not good.)

4. 잘 먹겠습니다 (jal meok-get-sseum-ni-da)

Before you eat a meal (especially if someone else prepared it or is paying for it), you should say:

• 잘 먹겠습니다. = I will eat well. (Thank you for the meal!)

This is similar to the Japanese phrase "Itadakimasu."

5. 잘 먹었습니다 (jal meo-geot-sseum-ni-da)

After you finish eating, you should say:

• 잘 먹었습니다. = I have eaten well. (Thank you for the food!)

Summary

• 맛있어요 = It's delicious.
• 맛없어요 = It tastes awful.
• 잘 먹겠습니다 = I will eat well. (Before a meal)
• 잘 먹었습니다 = I have eaten well. (After a meal)