What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 저녁 먹었어요? is composed of 저녁 (evening/dinner) and 먹었어요? (ate/did eat).
Which one should you use?
The forms differ based on the level of politeness and the specific timing. Use 오늘 저녁 먹었어요? to ask if someone ate dinner today. The form 오늘 저녁을 드셨나요? is a formal way to ask if someone had dinner today, while 저녁을 드셨습니까? is an even more formal version of the question.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Korean uses different registers depending on who you are speaking to. The casual version 저녁 먹었어? is used with close friends or people younger than you. For a more respectful approach toward elders or in formal settings, you can use 저녁 식사 하셨어요? or the formal 저녁을 드셨나요? and 저녁을 드셨습니까?
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the past tense marker -었- in 먹었어요 to indicate that the action of eating is completed.
How do you pronounce it?
jeonyeok meogeosseoyo?
When do people say it?
In Korean culture, asking if someone has eaten is a common way to say hello or show care, often serving as a social greeting rather than just a literal inquiry about food. If someone asks you this, a standard positive response is 네, 먹었어요. (Yes, I ate.), and a standard negative response is 아니요, 아직 안 먹었어요. (No, I haven't eaten yet.).
Did you know?
- The word 저녁 is believed to be a compound that includes the Middle Korean word 녘, which means 'around the time of'. This suggests the word's origins are tied to a specific time of day rather than just the meal itself.
- If someone asks you this, you do not always have to answer with your actual eating status. Since it is often a greeting, a simple 'Yes, I did' is a polite way to acknowledge their concern even if you are actually hungry.
- Using 저녁 식사 하셨어요? instead of 저녁 먹었어요? changes the verb from 'eat' to 'do a meal', which is a common way to increase politeness in Korean.
Examples in context
- 저녁 먹었어요?jeonyeok meogeosseoyo?Did you eat dinner?
- 수빈 씨, 저녁 먹었어요?subin ssi, jeonyeok meogeosseoyo?Subin, did you eat dinner?
Example conversation
Subin calls Dohyeon on the phone in the evening.
- 수빈 Su-bin도현 씨, 저녁 먹었어요?dohyeon ssi, jeonyeok meogeosseoyo?Dohyeon, did you eat dinner?
- 도현 Do-hyeon아니요, 아직 안 먹었어요.aniyo, ajik an meogeosseoyo.No, I haven't eaten yet.
- 수빈 Su-bin그럼 같이 먹을까요?geureom gachi meogeulkkayo?Then shall we eat together?
- 도현 Do-hyeon네, 좋아요!ne, joayo!Yes, that sounds good!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 저녁, CC BY-SA 4.0.
