Korean -을래요 and 에다가: Making a Reservation

Korean -을래요 states what you’ll have or asks what someone wants — 창가 자리로 할래요 (I’ll take a window seat), 뭐 먹을래요? (what will you have?) — while 에다가 marks the spot you write or place something onto: 여기에다 성함을 쓰세요 (write your name here). Put them together and you can run a whole reservation, on the phone or at the counter.

In the last lesson you locked in a trip. Now you’ll handle the booking itself — picking a seat, giving a name, settling the headcount. These two patterns are exactly what a reservation conversation runs on, whether you’re calling a 식당 (restaurant), a 미용실 (salon), or a 병원 (clinic). By the end you’ll be able to open the call, state what you want, and read back the details the way Koreans actually do it.

Words for booking a table

These show up the moment you call a restaurant or a salon.

-을래(요): I’ll have it / will you?

When you state your own intention or check the other person’s, reach for -(으)ㄹ래요. Attach -ㄹ래요 after a vowel (하다 → 할래요), -을래요 after a consonant (먹다 → 먹을래요). A rising tone turns it into a question.

The statement form announces a choice you’ve made — 창가 자리로 할래요 — and the question form asks the listener what they want: 뭐 먹을래요? Note the polite honorific 드실래요? (from 드시다) when offering food to a guest. This is the casual-polite intention ending you’ll hear all over cafés and counters. To decline, just add 안: 저는 안 먹을래요 (I won’t have any). One caution: -을래요 sounds friendly and a touch informal, so when you need to be more deferential — say, asking an older staff member — soften it to 하시겠어요? (would you like to?), which is exactly what the staff says back to you in the dialogue below.

How do you say where to write something?

To mark the spot you write on or place something onto, Korean uses 에다가 (often shortened to 에다). It attaches to a place word and adds a vivid “right onto this spot” feel.

Plain 에 can do the same job (여기에 쓰세요), so think of 에다가 as the more pointed “onto this exact spot.” Don’t confuse it with 에서, which marks where an action happens (식당에서 먹어요). The 가 is freely dropped: 여기에다 쓰세요. You’ll also need the verbs that surround a booking: to change the time, 시간을 변경하고 싶어요; to cancel, 예약을 취소할래요; and to double-check it’s still there, 예약을 확인하고 싶어요. Put 에다가 to work whenever you note those details down — 달력에다가 적어요 (jot it on the calendar) — so nothing slips through.

Booking by phone

Here’s a full restaurant reservation — both patterns in action across the call:

See the split: -을래요 carries your choice (창가 자리로 할래요), and 에다가 marks where the staff writes it down (여기에다 적어 둘게요). With 예약하고 싶은데요 to open softly and 명 to count heads, that’s a complete, natural booking.

FAQ

What is the difference between -을래요 and -을까요? -을래요 expresses YOUR intention — “I’ll do it” — or asks the listener’s: 저는 비빔밥 먹을래요 = I’ll have bibimbap; 뭐 먹을래요? = what will you have? -을까요? instead floats a suggestion or asks for an opinion: 비빔밥 먹을까요? = shall we have bibimbap? So -을래요 = I’ve decided / what do you want; -을까요 = shall we / what do you think. On the phone, 창가 자리로 할래요 firmly states your choice.

Is 에다가 the same as 에 or 에서? 에다(가) marks the surface or spot you put or write something onto, and it’s a bit more vivid than plain 에: 여기에다가 성함을 쓰세요 = write your name right here. 에 alone can do the same job (여기에 쓰세요), so 에다가 just adds a “onto this exact spot” feel. 에서 is different — it marks where an action happens (식당에서 먹어요 = eat at the restaurant), not where you place something. The 가 in 에다가 is often dropped: 여기에다 쓰세요.

How do I count people when reserving? Use the counter 명 with native Korean numbers: 한 명 (1), 두 명 (2), 세 명 (3), 네 명 (4), 다섯 명 (5). For a reservation you say 몇 명이에요? (how many people?) and answer 네 명이에요 (four people). A polite, softer way to make the request is 네 명 예약하고 싶은데요 (I’d like to book for four) — the -는데요 ending leaves the sentence open and friendly.

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Next: describing memories — 벽에 사진이 걸려 있어요 and -어 있다. Previous: making travel plans — -기로 하다. Full path: curriculum hub.