요금이 얼마예요?

When to use

This is a direct and polite way to inquire about the taxi fare. It's best to ask this before the journey begins, especially if you are unfamiliar with the route or potential costs.

Speech Level

The '-예요' ending makes this a standard polite question (해요체 - haeyoche). It's appropriate for asking taxi drivers or other service personnel.

How it works

The sentence is structured as Subject + Verb (implied 'is'). '요금' (fare) is the subject, and '얼마예요?' (How much is it?) is the predicate.

• 요금이 (yogeumi): Noun 'fare' + subject particle '이'. '이' marks 'fare' as the subject.
• 얼마예요? (eolmayeyo): Interrogative 'how much' + polite copula '-예요'. It literally means 'How much is it?'

Sound Changes

The final consonant 'ㅁ' in '요금' carries over to the empty consonant slot in the particle '이', resulting in the liaison pronunciation [요그미] (yogeumi).

Notes

Ask this before starting the ride to avoid surprises about the fare.