Word
퇴근하고 나서 저녁을 먹어요.toegeunhago naseo jeonyeogeul meogeoyo.
Meaning
After leaving work, I eat dinner.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of toegeunhago naseo jeonyeogeul meogeoyo.
~을~eul
object particle
먹다meokda
to eat
저녁jeonyeok
dinner
퇴근하고 나서toegeunhago naseo
after leaving work
Questions & Answers about toegeunhago naseo jeonyeogeul meogeoyo.
What does 퇴근하고 나서 mean?
- 퇴근하다 means “to leave work.”
- Adding -고 나서 creates the phrase “after doing [X],” so 퇴근하고 나서 literally means “after leaving work.”
Why do we have both -고 and 나서? Can we just say 퇴근하고?
- -고 alone simply links two actions: “leave work and …”
- -고 나서 emphasizes sequence: you fully finish the first action, then start the next.
- You can say 퇴근하고 저녁을 먹어요, but that sounds more like two simultaneous actions; -고 나서 clearly marks “first this, then that.”
What is the function of 을 in 저녁을 먹어요?
- 을 is the object particle. It marks 저녁 (“dinner”) as the thing being eaten.
- Without it, the sentence would feel incomplete or too casual.
What level of politeness is 먹어요?
- 먹어요 is the polite non-formal style (해요체).
- It’s used in everyday polite conversation with friends, colleagues, or people you’re not extremely close to.
Why is the subject omitted? Who is doing these actions?