Breakdown of sae sikdangeseo babeul meogeoyo.
밥bap
rice
~을~eul
object particle
먹다meokda
to eat
~에서~eseo
location particle
식당sikdang
restaurant
새sae
new
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Questions & Answers about sae sikdangeseo babeul meogeoyo.
What does 새 mean in 새 식당에서 밥을 먹어요?
새 means new. It’s an adjective placed before a noun to describe it.
Why is -에서 attached to 식당 instead of -에?
-에서 marks the location where an action takes place. -에 would indicate a location of existence or a destination, not where you perform an action.
What role does -을 play in 밥을?
-을 is the object marker. It shows that 밥 (meal) is what the verb 먹어요 (eat) is acting upon.
Why is there no subject in the sentence?
Korean often drops the subject when it’s clear from context. Here, the implied subject is I (저 or 나). You could say 저는 새 식당에서 밥을 먹어요, but it’s not necessary.
What does 밥 mean? Why not 음식?
밥 literally means cooked rice, but is commonly used to mean a meal. 음식 is a more general term for food or dish and sounds a bit more formal.
What level of politeness is 먹어요, and how do I change it to past tense?
먹어요 is polite informal (해요체) in the present tense. To make it past tense, you say 먹었어요 (“ate”).
Can I say 식사해요 instead of 밥을 먹어요?
Yes. 식사해요 means “have a meal” and sounds slightly more formal than 밥을 먹어요, which is more everyday and casual.
Is the word order fixed, or can I say 밥을 새 식당에서 먹어요?
Korean word order is flexible as long as the verb stays at the end. 밥을 새 식당에서 먹어요 is correct but puts emphasis on 밥을. The original order is more neutral.