Breakdown of dongryowa hamkke jeomsimeul meogeoyo.
~을~eul
object particle
먹다meokda
to eat
함께hamkke
together
와wa
and
점심jeomsim
lunch
동료dongryo
colleague
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Questions & Answers about dongryowa hamkke jeomsimeul meogeoyo.
Why do we attach the particle 와 to 동료 instead of 과?
In Korean, the choice between 와 and 과 depends on the final sound of the noun:
- If a noun ends in a vowel, use 와.
- If it ends in a consonant, use 과.
Since 동료 ends in the vowel sound -료, we use 동료와 for “with a colleague.”
Can I say 동료랑 점심을 먹어요 or 동료하고 점심을 먹어요 instead?
Yes. 랑 and 하고 are colloquial equivalents of 와/과. They both mean “with” (and sometimes “and”).
- 동료랑 점심을 먹어요 (very common in spoken Korean)
- 동료하고 점심을 먹어요 (also casual)
Using 동료와 is slightly more formal or written.
Why is 점심을 used here, not 점심이 or 점심에?
- 을 is the object marker; it shows that 점심 is what you’re eating.
- 이/가 marks the subject; 점심이 먹어요 would make “lunch” the eater.
- 에 marks time or location; 점심에 먹어요 means “I eat (something) at lunchtime,” not “I eat lunch.”
What speech level is 먹어요, and how can I adjust formality?
먹어요 is the polite informal (해요) form in the present tense. You can change formality like this:
- More formal/deferential: 먹습니다
- Casual/familiar: 먹어
- Expressing future intention: 먹을 거예요 (“will eat”)
Why is there no subject like 저는 in the sentence?
Korean often omits the subject when it’s clear from context. Here, it’s understood that the speaker (I) is the one eating lunch with a colleague. If you want to specify, you can add 저는:
저는 동료와 함께 점심을 먹어요.
What is the difference between 함께 and 같이?
Both mean “together,” but the nuance differs:
- 함께 is slightly more formal or literary.
- 같이 is more colloquial and common in speech.
You could say 동료와 같이 점심을 먹어요 with the same overall meaning.
Does word order matter? Could I say 점심을 동료와 함께 먹어요?
Korean word order is flexible because particles mark grammatical roles.
점심을 동료와 함께 먹어요 is perfectly natural and simply places slight emphasis on 점심을 without changing the meaning.