Key Facts
- Hangul: 계산하다 (gyesanhada)
- Meaning: to calculate; to pay (the bill)
- Level: A2
- Stem: 계산하
- Class: 하다 type
- Objects: transitive
- Honorific polite: 계산하세요
What Does 계산하다 Mean?
계산하다 has two everyday uses:
- to calculate: work out a sum, as in 가격을 다시 계산했어요 (I calculated the price again).
- to pay the bill: settle up at a shop or restaurant, as in 카드로 계산해요 (I pay by card).
It takes an object with 을/를 (가격을 계산하다), but in the paying sense the object is usually left out. Two related nouns are worth learning with it: 계산서 (the bill) and 계산대 (the cashier counter).
How Do You Pronounce 계산하다?
The dictionary form is romanized gyesanhada. Most forms are read as written. Three sound changes appear in the table below: a final consonant links into the next vowel (했어요 sounds like [해써요]), ㅂ becomes ㅁ before ㄴ (합니다 sounds like [함니다]), and ㄱ is tensed after the future ㄹ (할 거예요 sounds like [할꺼예요]).
Two things you will hear in natural speech: 계 is often said like 게 (ge), which standard pronunciation accepts, and the ㅎ in 하 is often weakened, so 계산하다 can sound close to gyesanada.
Forms whose sound differs from the spelling:
- 계산했어요 [계산해써요]
- 계산할 거예요 [계산할꺼예요]
- 계산하겠어요 [계산하게써요]
- 계산합니다 [계산함니다]
- 계산했습니다 [계산핻씀니다]
- 계산할 것입니다 [계산할꺼심니다]
- 계산했어 [계산해써]
- 계산할 거야 [계산할꺼야]
- 계산하고 싶어요 [계산하고 시퍼요]
- 계산하지 않아요 [계산하지 아나요]
How Do You Use 계산하다 in a Sentence?
제가 계산할 거예요.
I will pay the bill.
Offering to pay: 'I'll get this.' 제가 is the humble form of 'I', and putting it first stresses who is paying. 계산할 거예요 is the polite future.
가격을 다시 계산했어요.
I calculated the price again.
The calculating sense: 가격을 (the price) is the object, 다시 means again, and 계산했어요 is the polite past.
카드로 계산해요.
I pay by card.
The paying sense, with no object: 카드로 (by card) marks the means of payment with 로, and 계산해요 is the polite present.
How Does Gyesanhada Conjugation Work?
계산하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 계산해요 | ||
| Polite past | 계산했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 계산할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 계산하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 계산합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 계산했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 계산할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 계산해 | ||
| Casual past | 계산했어 | ||
| Casual future | 계산할 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 계산하고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 계산하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 계산해서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 계산하면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 계산하는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 계산한 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 계산할 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 계산 안 해요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 계산하지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 계산해요 | as written |
| Polite past | 계산했어요 | [계산해써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 계산할 거예요 | [계산할꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 계산하겠어요 | [계산하게써요] |
| Formal present | 계산합니다 | [계산함니다] |
| Formal past | 계산했습니다 | [계산핻씀니다] |
| Formal future | 계산할 것입니다 | [계산할꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 계산해 | as written |
| Casual past | 계산했어 | [계산해써] |
| Casual future | 계산할 거야 | [계산할꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 계산하고 싶어요 | [계산하고 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 계산하세요 | as written |
| Because / and then | 계산해서 | as written |
| If (conditional) | 계산하면 | as written |
| Modifier, present | 계산하는 | as written |
| Modifier, past | 계산한 | as written |
| Modifier, future | 계산할 | as written |
| Short negative | 계산 안 해요 | as written |
| Long negative | 계산하지 않아요 | [계산하지 아나요] |
Is 계산하다 Regular or Irregular?
계산하다 is a regular 하다 verb. Before endings that start with 아/어, 하 becomes 해, giving 계산해요 and 계산했어요. Endings that start with a consonant attach to 하 unchanged: 계산합니다, 계산하세요, 계산하면. The rule is explained in 하다 to 해요.
Common Mistake with 계산하다
Wrong: ✗ 계산을 주세요.
Correct: ✓ 계산해 주세요.
Why: 계산 on its own is the noun 'calculation', so 계산을 주세요 copies 'give me the check' word for word and sounds odd. Use the verb, 계산해 주세요 ('I'd like to pay, please'), or ask for the bill itself with 계산서 주세요.
계산하다 Versus 지불하다 and 내다
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 지불하다 | 지불하다 is the formal word for paying, used for fees, rent and in writing. At a shop or restaurant counter, 계산하다 is the everyday choice. |
| 내다 | 내다 means to hand over money: a specific amount, a fee, or a treat for someone else. 계산하다 is settling the whole bill. |
Settling up after Lunch
A customer is at the restaurant counter. The staff member confirms whether payment is already complete before asking for the payment method.
Customer
계산해 주세요.
Gyesanhae juseyo.
I’d like to pay, please.
Staff
아직 계산 안 했어요?
Ajik gyesan an haesseoyo?
You haven’t paid yet?
Customer
네. 카드로 계산해요.
Ne. Kadeuro gyesanhaeyo.
That’s right. I’m paying by card.
계산해 주세요 starts the checkout process. 계산 안 했어요 asks about a past action, while 카드로 계산해요 gives the payment method. The customer answers 네 to confirm the staff member's negative question: yes, it is true that payment has not happened yet.
Phrases for Paying and Checking a Total
카드로 계산하다 means paying by card; 현금으로 계산하다 means paying in cash. 로 and 으로 mark the means of payment. 카드 ends in a vowel, so it takes 로. 현금 ends in a consonant other than ㄹ, so it takes 으로. Neither phrase says who is treating whom.
같이 계산하다 means paying together, usually putting the items on one bill in a checkout conversation. 따로 계산하다 means paying separately. These phrases concern how the payment is grouped. If a group needs a particular split, explaining which items belong to each person is clearer than assuming “separately” always means equal shares.
다시 계산하다 means calculating again. In a shop, it may concern checking the total after an error. In a classroom, it may mean redoing a maths problem. 다시 supplies “again”; 계산하다 itself does not imply that the first calculation was wrong.
Where Will You See the 계산 Word Family?
계산대 labels the checkout counter. It names a place, so seeing it does not tell you whether you must pay before or after eating. 계산서 names the bill or statement of charges. 영수증 is the receipt showing a transaction; asking for one is different from asking to begin payment.
The formal 계산합니다 can appear in an explanation of how an amount is worked out. In a restaurant conversation, the shorter polite 계산해요 and the request 계산해 주세요 are more useful. 계산하세요 is directed toward someone else; it is not how you offer to cover your friend's meal yourself.
In dialogue, 제가 계산할 거예요 identifies the speaker as the payer. It can be an offer to cover the meal when the group is deciding who pays. The sentence alone does not say how much the bill is or whether the other people have accepted that offer.
What Is Easy to Mix Up?
계산해요 contains the noun 계산 plus the contracted ending 해요. Keep 계산하다 and 계산해요 together as single words. In 계산 안 해요, the negative 안 separates the noun part from 해요. The longer 계산하지 않아요 keeps the verb stem together and puts a space before 않아요.
A question such as 계산했어요 asks whether payment happened when the bill is the topic. In a maths lesson, the same form asks whether someone calculated something. Look first at the object or setting: 가격, “price,” does not by itself guarantee the paying sense, because a price can also be calculated.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 계산대 | checkout counter | The place to pay. |
| 계산서 | bill / statement | Lists the amount due. |
| 영수증 | receipt | Records the purchase or payment. |
| 현금 | cash | Pairs with 으로 to describe payment in cash. |
The restaurant vocabulary lesson places these words alongside ordering expressions. The money vocabulary lesson covers the wider payment set.
Mini Drill: at the Checkout
- Choose “by card”: 카드로 or 카드에?
- Give the polite past of 계산하다.
- Put spaces into 계산안해요.
- Which noun names the checkout counter: 계산서 or 계산대?
Show drill answers
- 카드로.
- 계산했어요.
- 계산 안 해요.
- 계산대; 계산서 is the bill.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 따로 계산하다 mean paying together?
- Which word means receipt?
- Can 계산하다 describe doing maths without any payment?
Show answers
- No. It means paying separately.
- 영수증.
- Yes. Calculation is its basic meaning.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Ask for the Bill?
계산해 주세요.
What Is 계산서?
The bill itself. The counter where you pay is 계산대, and both words are built on the noun 계산 (calculation).
What Is 계산대?
The checkout or cashier counter in a shop, where you go to pay.
Can It Mean Calculate?
Yes. Working out a sum is the basic meaning, and 가격을 다시 계산했어요 means 'I calculated the price again.' Context tells you whether someone is doing the maths or paying the bill.
Which Words Are Related to 계산하다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Read 지불하다, 내다 and 주문하다. Test any form in the Korean verb conjugator.