Learn Hardcore Korean: chinguwa sikdangeseo babeul meogeoyo. - I eat rice at the restaurant with a friend.

에서 marks the location of an action (“at the restaurant”). In contrast, 에 simply marks existence or destination (“to the restaurant” or “in the restaurant”). Since you’re eating there, use 식당에서.

Why does 밥 take the object particle -을 instead of -를?

Korean has two object particles: -을 after consonants and -를 after vowels. Since 밥 ends in the consonant ㅂ, you attach -을, giving 밥을.

What form is 먹어요, and why is it used here?

먹어요 is the polite present form of 먹다 (“to eat”). It’s commonly used in everyday conversation when you want to sound polite but not overly formal.

Why isn’t there a subject like “I” or “we” in this sentence?

Korean often omits the subject when it’s clear from context. Here, the speaker is understood to be “I” (저). If needed, you could say 저는 친구와…먹어요, but it’s usually dropped for simplicity.

Can I switch the word order, for example, say 식당에서 친구와 밥을 먹어요?

Yes. Korean is relatively flexible before the verb, as long as you keep the verb at the end. Both orders mean the same: you’re eating a meal with a friend at a restaurant.

Why is 밥 used instead of a more general word like 음식?

While 음식 means “food,” 밥 colloquially means “meal.” Native speakers say 밥을 먹다 for “have a meal.” Saying 음식을 먹다 sounds more like “eat food (in general)” rather than “share a meal.”

Could I use a more informal or more formal version of 먹어요?

Yes. For casual speech with friends, you might say 먹어. For formal speech (e.g., announcements), you’d say 먹습니다.

Is there an alternative to 와 for “with”?

You can use -랑 in casual speech: 친구랑 식당에서 밥을 먹어. But in polite speech, 친구와…먹어요 is more standard.