Written by 서 창훈, a certified Korean teacher with 14+ years of experience in Japan. He previously worked as a government officer, cybersecurity consultant, and English interpreter. Today, he teaches Korean in real classrooms without complex grammar explanations — instead, he trains students’ brains to speak naturally. His unique method is now the foundation of all his Korean courses.
Want to learn how to say drink in Korean? The most common verb is 마시다 – but how do you actually use it in real sentences?
In this guide, I’ll show you 3 everyday ways to use 마시다 naturally, explain the grammar behind it, and give you simple sentence breakdowns. Whether you’re ordering drinks at a cafe or telling someone to drink water, you’ll know exactly what to say.
Let’s get started!
Original Korean Sentence
저는 커피를 마셔요.
Pronunciation Guide
저는 (jeo-neun) 커피를 (keo-pi-reul) 마셔요 (ma-syeo-yo).
Meaning and Context
저 (I; in a humble way) 는 (topic marker; I’m going to talk about me) 커피 (coffee) 를 (object marker; my object is coffee) 마시 (to drink) 어요 (polite ending; I’m telling you polite and friendly).
English Translation
I drink coffee.
✅ You can say:
물을 마셔요. – I drink water.
차를 마셔요. – I drink tea.
This is a great way to express your daily habits or routines.
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Original Korean Sentence
아침에 우유를 마셨어요.
Pronunciation Guide
아치메 (a-chi-me) 우유를 (u-yu-reul) 마셧써요 (ma-syeot-sseo-yo).
Meaning and Context
아침 (morning) 에 (in) 우유 (milk) 를 (object particle; my object is milk) 마시 (to drink) 었 (past tense) 어요 (I’m telling you polite and friendly).
English Translation
I drank milk in the morning.
Literal Translation
(I) drank milk in morning.
✅ Try it:
주스를 마셨어요. – I drank juice.
물을 너무 많이 마셨어요. – I drank too much water.
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This is just a small taste of my sentence breakdowns.
My “Story Style Breakdown™” method — where I teach grammar through simple, story-like sentence breakdowns—is only inside my course.
Most Korean courses stop at grammar. Mine goes beyond — with stories, breakdowns, and real practice to help you speak.
Original Korean Sentence
이거 마셔!
Pronunciation Guide
이거 (i-geo) 마셔 (ma-syeo)!
Meaning and Context
이 (this) 거 (thing; colloquial form of 이것) 마시 (to drink) 어 (casual command ending; I’m telling you to do this)!
English Translation
Drink this!
Literal Translation
Drink this thing!
✅ Other examples:
물을 마셔! – Drink water!
약을 꼭 마셔! – Be sure to take the medicine!
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Tense / Form | Conjugation | Example |
---|---|---|
Present (polite) | 마셔요 | 커피를 마셔요. |
Past (polite) | 마셨어요 | 물을 마셨어요. |
Future | 마실 거예요 | 내일 마실 거예요. |
Casual command | 마셔! | 이거 마셔! |
Formal command | 마시세요 | 물을 마시세요. |
This is how you conjugate to drink in Korean, whether you’re talking about what you drink now or telling someone to drink up!
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💡 When you want someone to drink up in Korean, just say:
“다 마셔!” – Drink it all!
민지: 아침에 뭐 마셨어?
(What did you drink this morning?)
아멜리아: 물이랑 오렌지 주스를 마셨어요!
(I drank water and orange juice!)
Original Korean Sentence
민지: 아침에 뭐 마셨어?
아멜리아: 물이랑 오렌지 주스를 마셨어요!
Pronunciation Guide
민지: 아치메 (a-chi-me) 뭐 (mwo) 마셧써 (ma-syeot-sseo)?
아멜리아: 무리랑 (mu-ri-rang) 오렌지 (o-ren-ji) 주스를 (ju-seu-reul) 마셧써요 (ma-syeot-sseo-yo)!
Meaning and Context
민지: 아침 (morning) 에 (in) 뭐 (what) 마시 (to drink) 었 (past tense) 어 (I’m asking you casually)?
아멜리아: 물 (water) 이랑 (and) 오렌지 (orange) 주스 (juice) 를 (my object is water and orange juice) 마시 (to drink) 었 (past tense) 어요 (I’m telling you polite and friendly)!
English Translation
What did you drink this morning?
I drank water and orange juice!
Literal Translation
What drank in morning?
(I) drank water and orange juice!
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Now you know how to say drink in Korean using 마시다 in all the key situations:
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