7 ways to ask someone out in Korean, from coffee to 'will you go out with me?'
Asking someone out in Korean is a staircase, not a jump. First you find out whether they are free, then you suggest something small, and only much later do you say the sentence that makes it official. Skipping steps is possible, but it is not how most Korean relationships start.
These seven lines follow the staircase in order, all in polite 요 speech, which is what two people who are not yet a couple use with each other even when they are the same age. Each note says what the line commits you to and what to say next.
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주말에 뭐 해요?
jumare mwo haeyo?
What are you doing this weekend?
Literally: On the weekend what do?
The probe. It commits you to nothing, and the answer tells you whether to continue. If they say 아직 몰라요 (I don't know yet), that is your opening.
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커피 한잔 할래요?
keopi hanjan hallaeyo?
Want to grab a coffee?
Literally: Coffee one cup do-want?
The lowest-pressure invitation there is; it can be twenty minutes and it can be an afternoon. -(으)ㄹ래요 asks what the other person wants, which is softer than 커피 마셔요 (let's drink coffee).
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시간 있으면 같이 저녁 먹을래요?
sigan isseumyeon gachi jeonyeok meogeullaeyo?
If you have time, want to get dinner together?
Dinner is a step up from coffee, and 시간 있으면 (if you have time) gives them an easy exit, which is exactly why it reads as confident rather than pushy.
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같이 영화 볼래요?
gachi yeonghwa bollaeyo?
Want to see a movie together?
Literally: Together movie watch-want?
Works best when you already have a film in mind: ○○ 개봉했는데 (○○ just came out) in front of it makes the invitation about the movie, which is the point.
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다음에 같이 가요.
daeume gachi gayo.
Let's go together sometime.
Literally: Next time together go.
Say it when they mention a place they want to try. It can be a polite nothing or a real plan, so follow it within a few days with a date and time if you mean it.
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언제 시간 돼요?
eonje sigan dwaeyo?
When are you free?
Literally: When does time work?
The sentence after a yes. In Korea the person who asked usually proposes the plan, so have a day or two ready instead of leaving it open.
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우리 사귈래요?
uri sagwillaeyo?
Will you go out with me?
Literally: We date-want?
This is the 고백 (confession) that turns dating into a relationship, usually after several dates, not before the first. Couples in Korea tend to count their anniversary from the day this was said.
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Notice how many of these end in -(으)ㄹ래요: it asks what the other person wants rather than stating what you want, and that is the register of a Korean invitation. Also notice what is missing: there is no Korean equivalent of 'would you like to go on a date with me' for a first meeting. You propose coffee, and the date is understood.