Learn Hardcore Korean: janggeori bihaengeseo jegongdoeneun ginaesigeul masissge meogeosseoyo. - I enjoyed the in-flight meal provided on the long-distance flight.

In Korean, all relative clauses or descriptive verb phrases come before the noun they modify.
– 장거리 비행에서 제공되는 기내식 literally means “the in-flight meal that is provided on a long-haul flight.”
– In English you’d say “the in-flight meal provided on a long-haul flight,” placing the clause after meal.

What does the particle -에서 indicate in 장거리 비행에서?

-에서 marks the location or setting of an action. Here it means “on” or “during” the long-haul flight.
– 장거리 비행에서 = “on a long-haul flight”

How is the passive voice formed here with 제공되다, and why is it used?

– 제공하다 means “to provide.”
– Adding 되다 makes it passive: 제공되다 = “to be provided.”
We use the passive because the sentence focuses on the meal being served by the airline, not on who serves it.

What is the function of 제공되는 in modifying 기내식?

제공되는 is the present-tense attributive form (verb stem + -는) of 제공되다. It turns the verb into an adjective phrase that directly modifies 기내식:
– “the in-flight meal that is (being) provided”

Could I use 제공된 instead of 제공되는, and what’s the difference in nuance?

Yes.
– 제공된 기내식 uses the past attributive -ㄴ/은, “the in-flight meal that has been provided.”
– 제공되는 (present attributive) is more descriptive or general, as if stating a routine.
– 제공된 emphasizes the action is completed.

What does the compound 기내식 literally mean?

기내식 = 기내 (機內, “inside the cabin”) + 식 (食, “meal”).
So it literally means “cabin-inside meal,” i.e. in-flight meal.

Why is 맛있게 used instead of 맛있다?

맛있다 is an adjective (“to be delicious”), but to describe how you ate something you need an adverb.
– Add -게 to make the adverb 맛있게 (“deliciously” or “tastily”), so it modifies 먹었어요 (“ate”).

What level of politeness or formality is shown by 먹었어요?

-었어요 is the polite informal (standard polite) past-tense ending, used in everyday conversation with strangers, colleagues, or in service situations.