Breakdown of douryou to issyo ni hirugohan wo tabemasu.
をwo
direct object particle
食べるtaberu
to eat
とto
companion particle
一緒 にissyo ni
together
昼ご飯hirugohan
lunch
同僚douryou
coworker
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Questions & Answers about douryou to issyo ni hirugohan wo tabemasu.
How do you pronounce 同僚 and what does it mean in this sentence?
同僚 is pronounced dōryō. It means “colleague” or “coworker.” In this sentence it’s the person you’re having lunch with.
Why is the particle と used after 同僚?
The particle と means “with” when you’re indicating a companion. So 同僚と literally means “with (my) colleague.”
What does 一緒に add, and why is there a に at the end?
一緒に means “together.” Grammatically, 一緒 is a na-adjective (or noun), so you add に to turn it into an adverbial phrase modifying the verb. Without に, it wouldn’t properly link to 食べます.
Why is を used before 食べます?
昼ご飯 (lunch) is the direct object of the verb 食べます (to eat). The object-marker を marks 昼ご飯 as what’s being eaten.
What’s the nuance between using 昼ご飯, 昼食, and ランチ?
- 昼ご飯 (ひるごはん) is a very common, casual word for “lunch.”
- 昼食 (ちゅうしょく) is more formal or written.
- ランチ is borrowed from English and is casual, often used in menus or when talking about “going out for lunch.”
Can we change the word order, for example say 同僚と昼ご飯を一緒に食べます?
Yes. Japanese allows some flexibility: 同僚と昼ご飯を一緒に食べます is perfectly natural. The verb still stays at the end.
Why is the verb 食べます instead of the plain form 食べる?
食べます is the polite present tense form. If you’re speaking in a casual context (with friends), you could say 食べる, but in most workplace or polite settings you’d use 食べます.
Can I omit 一緒に and just say 同僚と昼ご飯を食べます?
Yes. 同僚と昼ご飯を食べます still means “I have lunch with my colleague.” Omitting 一緒に is fine—it just drops the explicit “together,” which is often understood from と.