Learn Hardcore Korean: dongryowa hamkke jeomsimeul meogeoyo.

와/과 are particles meaning “and” or “with” when indicating accompaniment or listing items. You attach 와 after a noun ending in a vowel and 과 after a noun ending in a consonant. Since 동료(同僚) ends in a vowel sound, we use 와 to mean “with a colleague.”

Can we use 랑 instead of 와? What’s the difference between 동료와 and 동료랑?

랑 is an informal, spoken equivalent of 와/과. Both mean “with” here, so 동료랑 점심을 먹어요 is perfectly natural in casual conversation. There’s no change in meaning, but 와/과 sounds slightly more formal or written than 랑.

What is the function of 함께, and is it necessary?

함께 means “together.” It isn’t strictly necessary because 와/랑 already implies “with,” but adding 함께 emphasizes the idea of doing something jointly.

동료와 점심을 먹어요 → “I eat lunch with a colleague.”
동료와 함께 점심을 먹어요 → “I eat lunch together with a colleague.” (more explicit)

Could we use 같이 instead of 함께? What’s the nuance difference?

Both 같이 and 함께 mean “together.”

같이 is more colloquial and common in spoken Korean.
함께 feels slightly more formal or literary.
Either 동료와 같이 점심을 먹어요 or 동료와 함께 점심을 먹어요 works fine.

Why is 점심을 marked with 을?

을 is the object particle. It marks 점심 (lunch) as the direct object of the verb 먹다 (to eat). Without 을, listeners might not immediately know what is being eaten.

Why is there no subject like 저 in the sentence? Who is eating lunch?

Korean often omits the subject when it’s clear from context or verb endings. The polite ending -어요 implies a first-person subject (usually 저). So the full idea is (저는) 동료와 함께 점심을 먹어요: “I eat lunch with a colleague.”

What does the verb ending -어요 indicate in 먹어요?

-어요 is the polite informal present tense ending. It’s used in everyday conversation with people you’re not extremely close to (colleagues, acquaintances).

More formal: 먹습니다
Less formal/familiar: 먹어

Can we change the word order, for example, 점심을 동료와 함께 먹어요? Is it still correct?

Yes. Korean word order is flexible as long as particles (을, 와, 와 함께) stay attached to their nouns. 점심을 동료와 함께 먹어요 is perfectly natural and has the same meaning.

What’s the difference between 동료 and 친구?

동료 means “colleague” or “co-worker,” someone you work with.
친구 means “friend,” a personal relationship outside of work or school.
Use 동료 in professional contexts and 친구 for personal/social contexts.

How would you say “I have lunch with my friends three times a week” in Korean?

You can say:

저는 일주일에 세 번 친구들과 함께 점심을 먹어요.
• 저는 – I (topic)
• 일주일에 세 번 – three times a week
• 친구들과 – with friends (들 for plural, 과 for “with”)
• 함께 점심을 먹어요 – eat lunch together

Or more casually:

일주일에 세 번 친구들이랑 점심 먹어요.