Phrase in 30 Seconds
Use this essential phrase to ask about the duration of any trip, task, or wait time in Korea.
- Means: 'How long does it take?' regarding time duration.
- Used in: Taxis, restaurants, airports, and when asking about project deadlines.
- Don't confuse: Never use this for price; use '얼마예요?' for money instead.
Explication à ton niveau :
Signification
A question about the duration of a journey or task.
Contexte culturel
The 'Palli-palli' (hurry-hurry) culture makes this phrase extremely common. Koreans value knowing exactly how long something will take so they can optimize their schedule. In Korean business, being vague about time is seen as unprofessional. Using '얼마나 걸립니까?' shows you are concerned with efficiency and deadlines. When meeting friends, '얼마나 걸려?' is often a coded way of asking 'Have you actually left your house yet?' because of the tendency to be slightly late to social gatherings. Korean public transport apps (like KakaoBus or Naver Maps) use the term '소요시간' (time required), which is the formal noun version of this phrase.
Add '정도'
When answering, add '정도' (jung-do) after the time to mean 'about'. It sounds more natural than giving an exact second.
Don't use for distance
If you ask 'How long is the bridge?' using this phrase, people will think you are asking how long it takes to cross it, not its physical length.
Add '정도'
When answering, add '정도' (jung-do) after the time to mean 'about'. It sounds more natural than giving an exact second.
Don't use for distance
If you ask 'How long is the bridge?' using this phrase, people will think you are asking how long it takes to cross it, not its physical length.
Use with '-는 데'
Mastering the 'Verb + -는 데 얼마나 걸려요?' pattern will make you sound much more fluent and specific.
The '5-minute' rule
If a Korean friend says '5분 걸려' (It takes 5 minutes), they might still be at home. It's a common social exaggeration!
Teste-toi
Fill in the blank to ask 'How long does it take to the airport?'
공항까지 _______ 걸려요?
'얼마나' is the correct adverb to use with '걸려요' for duration.
Which sentence is the most natural way to ask a friend how long they will be?
Choose the informal version:
The '-어' ending is the standard informal (반말) form for friends.
Complete the dialogue.
A: 부산까지 기차로 얼마나 걸려요? B: KTX로 두 시간 반 ____.
The question uses '걸려요', so the answer should also use '걸려요' to indicate duration.
Match the phrase to the situation.
You are in a taxi and want to know the arrival time.
'얼마나 걸려요?' is used to ask about the time needed to reach a destination.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Time vs Price
Banque d exercices
5 exercices공항까지 _______ 걸려요?
'얼마나' is the correct adverb to use with '걸려요' for duration.
Choose the informal version:
The '-어' ending is the standard informal (반말) form for friends.
A: 부산까지 기차로 얼마나 걸려요? B: KTX로 두 시간 반 ____.
The question uses '걸려요', so the answer should also use '걸려요' to indicate duration.
You are in a taxi and want to know the arrival time.
'얼마나 걸려요?' is used to ask about the time needed to reach a destination.
🎉 Score : /5
Questions fréquentes
14 questionsNo, for money use '얼마예요?'. '걸려요' is strictly for time.
'걸리다' is common and spoken. '소요되다' is formal and often used in writing or official announcements.
Add '더' (more). '얼마나 더 걸려요?'
Yes, but use the formal '얼마나 걸립니까?' or the polite '얼마나 걸려요?' depending on your office culture.
No, for physical length use '얼마나 길어요?'.
Say '두 시간 걸려요'. Remember to use native Korean numbers for hours (두) and Sino-Korean for minutes.
It can mean 'to be hung', 'to be caught', 'to take time', or 'to catch a cold'.
Yes, that means 'How much time do you need?'. It's similar but focuses on the person's need rather than the task's duration.
Use the past tense: '얼마나 걸렸어요?'.
You can just say '시간이 걸려요' to mean 'It takes time', but '얼마나' is needed for the question 'How long?'.
Because Koreans value speed, this phrase is used to check if something is happening fast enough.
No, for height use '키가 몇이에요?'.
Say '일주일 정도 걸려요'.
In texting, people often just write '얼마나 걸림?' or '얼마나?' if the context is clear.
Expressions liées
시간이 들다
similarTo take time/effort
오래 걸리다
builds onTo take a long time
금방 끝나다
contrastTo finish quickly
소요되다
specialized formTo be required (time/resources)
Où l'utiliser
In a Taxi
Passenger: 기사님, 명동까지 얼마나 걸려요?
Driver: 지금 차가 막혀서 30분 정도 걸려요.
At a Restaurant
Customer: 음식 나오는 데 얼마나 걸려요?
Staff: 15분 정도 기다리셔야 해요.
At the Airport
Traveler: 체크인하는 데 얼마나 걸립니까?
Staff: 지금은 사람이 없어서 금방 끝납니다.
With a Friend
Friend A: 나 지금 가고 있어!
Friend B: 진짜? 얼마나 걸려?
At a Repair Shop
Customer: 핸드폰 고치는 데 얼마나 걸려요?
Technician: 한 시간 뒤에 오세요.
Job Interview
Interviewer: 이 프로젝트를 끝내는 데 얼마나 걸릴 것 같습니까?
Candidate: 제 생각에는 2주 정도 걸릴 것 같습니다.
Mémorise-le
Moyen mnémotechnique
Think of a 'Gull' (걸) flying over the 'Sea' (시 - 시간). How long does the 'Gull' take to cross?
Association visuelle
Imagine a clock hanging on a hook (걸다). The clock is 'caught' on the hook, representing the time 'caught' by your activity.
Rhyme
얼마나 걸려요? (Eol-ma-na geol-ryeo-yo?) 시간이 없어요! (Si-gan-i eops-eo-yo! - I have no time!)
Story
You are at a bus stop in Seoul. You see a giant clock hanging from the bus. You point at the hanging clock and ask the driver, 'How much is hanging?' (얼마나 걸려요?). The driver points to the 10-minute mark.
In Other Languages
In Japanese, 'kakaru' (かかる) also means both 'to hang' and 'to take time', showing a shared linguistic logic in East Asia.
Word Web
Défi
Next time you use Google Maps or a taxi, ask the driver or yourself: '[Destination]까지 얼마나 걸려요?'
Review this phrase 1 hour after learning, then 1 day, then 1 week. Focus on the 'geol' sound.
Prononciation
The 'l' sound in 'eol' is a soft flap, like the 'l' in 'leaf' but with the tongue slightly further back.
The double 'l' sound (ㄹㄹ) is created by the end of 'geol' and the start of 'ryeo'. It sounds like a long 'l'.
Spectre de formalité
얼마나 걸립니까? (General inquiry)
얼마나 걸려요? (General inquiry)
얼마나 걸려? (General inquiry)
얼마나 걸림? (Texting) (General inquiry)
The verb '걸리다' is the passive form of '걸다' (to hang). Historically, it referred to something being suspended or caught. Over time, it was applied to time, suggesting that a certain amount of time is 'caught' or 'occupied' by an event.
Le savais-tu ?
The same verb '걸리다' is used for catching a cold (감기에 걸리다), showing how the concept of being 'caught' by something is very productive in Korean.
Notes culturelles
The 'Palli-palli' (hurry-hurry) culture makes this phrase extremely common. Koreans value knowing exactly how long something will take so they can optimize their schedule.
“In a restaurant, people often ask '얼마나 걸려요?' before deciding to wait.”
In Korean business, being vague about time is seen as unprofessional. Using '얼마나 걸립니까?' shows you are concerned with efficiency and deadlines.
“Asking a partner: '이 프로젝트는 완료까지 얼마나 걸립니까?'”
When meeting friends, '얼마나 걸려?' is often a coded way of asking 'Have you actually left your house yet?' because of the tendency to be slightly late to social gatherings.
“Texting a friend: '지금 어디야? 얼마나 걸려?'”
Korean public transport apps (like KakaoBus or Naver Maps) use the term '소요시간' (time required), which is the formal noun version of this phrase.
“Checking an app: '도착까지 5분 소요'”
Amorces de conversation
한국어 공부하는 데 하루에 얼마나 걸려요?
집에서 가장 가까운 역까지 얼마나 걸려요?
보통 점심 먹는 데 얼마나 걸려요?
Erreurs courantes
얼마 걸려요?
얼마나 걸려요?
L1 Interference
시간이 얼마나 들어요?
시간이 얼마나 걸려요?
L1 Interference
얼마나 길어요?
얼마나 걸려요?
L1 Interference
얼마나 걸려요? (when asking for price)
얼마예요?
L1 Interference
In Other Languages
どのくらいかかりますか？
Japanese uses 'どのくらい' while Korean uses '얼마나'.
¿Cuánto tiempo se tarda?
Spanish often includes the word 'tiempo' (시간) explicitly.
Combien de temps ça prend ?
The verb 'prendre' is active, whereas '걸리다' is intransitive/passive.
Wie lange dauert es?
German focuses on the 'lasting' of the event.
需要多长时间？
Chinese explicitly asks for 'long time' (多长时间).
كم يستغرق من الوقت؟
The Arabic verb 'yastaghriq' has a sense of immersion or consumption.
Quanto tempo leva?
Portuguese uses a verb of movement/carrying.
How long does it take?
English uses 'long' (adjective), Korean uses 'how much' (adverb).
Spotted in the Real World
“거기까지 얼마나 걸려요?”
Gi-hun asks the masked men how long the drive to the secret location will take.
“집까지 얼마나 걸리죠?”
Mr. Park asks his driver (Ki-taek) about the commute time to their home.
“얼마나 더 걸려?”
The lyrics reflect the boredom and waiting in a social setting.
“법원까지 얼마나 걸립니까?”
Woo Young-woo asks her colleague about the travel time to the court.
Facile à confondre
Both start with '얼마' (how much).
Remember: '예요' is for price (is), '걸려요' is for time (takes).
Both ask about 'how much' of a journey.
'멀어요' is for distance (meters/km), '걸려요' is for time (minutes/hours).
Questions fréquentes (14)
No, for money use '얼마예요?'. '걸려요' is strictly for time.
common mistakes'걸리다' is common and spoken. '소요되다' is formal and often used in writing or official announcements.
comparisonsAdd '더' (more). '얼마나 더 걸려요?'
practical tipsYes, but use the formal '얼마나 걸립니까?' or the polite '얼마나 걸려요?' depending on your office culture.
cultural usageNo, for physical length use '얼마나 길어요?'.
basic understandingSay '두 시간 걸려요'. Remember to use native Korean numbers for hours (두) and Sino-Korean for minutes.
grammar mechanicsIt can mean 'to be hung', 'to be caught', 'to take time', or 'to catch a cold'.
basic understandingYes, that means 'How much time do you need?'. It's similar but focuses on the person's need rather than the task's duration.
usage contextsUse the past tense: '얼마나 걸렸어요?'.
grammar mechanicsYou can just say '시간이 걸려요' to mean 'It takes time', but '얼마나' is needed for the question 'How long?'.
basic understandingBecause Koreans value speed, this phrase is used to check if something is happening fast enough.
cultural usageNo, for height use '키가 몇이에요?'.
common mistakesSay '일주일 정도 걸려요'.
practical tipsIn texting, people often just write '얼마나 걸림?' or '얼마나?' if the context is clear.
practical tips
