Learn Korean: 잘 + Verb + 게요

Let’s take a look at the Korean sentence pattern잘 + Verb + 게요. 잘 means well (the adverb for good) and we use it to say that someone is good at doing something as in 난 피아노 찰 쳐 (I can play the piano well). But did you know that we can use it to express gratitude? Yes, and we attach the verb ending (으)ㄹ게요 to the stem of the verb to achieve that nuance. When someone buys you coffee for example, you can say 잘 마실게요. Literally, it means I will drink this well which is kind of weird actually. The person is showing gratitude for the coffee so he or she will enjoy drinking it.

잘 마실게요.

Thank you. (I will drink the coffee you gave me)

잘 쓸게요.

Thank you. (I will use this facial wash you gave me)

잘 먹을게요.

Thank you for the food.