아침 먹었어요
achim meogeosseoyo
To say I ate breakfast in Korean, say 아침 먹었어요 (achim meogeosseoyo). It politely tells someone you have already had your first meal of the day.
Use 아침 먹었어요 to tell someone you have already eaten breakfast, for example when they ask if you have eaten.
What does it mean word for word?
아침 (achim) literally means morning but is commonly used to mean breakfast. 먹었어요 (meogeosseoyo) is the polite past tense of 먹다, to eat.
Which one should you use?
아침 식사 했어요 uses 식사, which means a meal and sounds slightly more formal and precise. 아침을 먹었습니다. is a formal way to say it.
How does it change in a sentence?
Drop the polite ending 요 to get 아침 먹었어, the informal version for friends or people younger than you.
How do you pronounce it?
Say achim meogeosseoyo. The double s is held a little longer and sounds tense.
Did you know?
- In Korean culture, asking 밥 먹었어요? ('Have you eaten?') is often used as a warm greeting similar to 'How are you?', regardless of whether the person is actually hungry.
- Historically, the word 아침 was written as 아ᄎᆞᆷ in Middle Korean, featuring a vowel that no longer exists in the modern language.
Examples in context
- 네, 아침 먹었어요.ne, achim meogeosseoyo.Yes, I ate breakfast.
- 저는 이미 아침 먹었어요.jeoneun imi achim meogeosseoyo.I already ate breakfast.
- 아침 먹었어요, 걱정 마세요.achim meogeosseoyo, geokjeong maseyo.I ate breakfast, don't worry.
Example conversation
Two colleagues are talking in the office kitchen in the morning.
- 민지 Min-ji지훈 씨, 아침 먹었어요?Jihoon ssi, achim meogeosseoyo?Jihoon, did you eat breakfast?
- 지훈 Ji-hun아니요, 아직 안 먹었어요.aniyo, ajik an meogeosseoyo.No, I haven't eaten yet.
- 민지 Min-ji저는 아침 먹었어요.jeoneun achim meogeosseoyo.I ate breakfast.
- 지훈 Ji-hun그렇군요, 민지 씨.geureotgunyo, Minji ssi.I see, Minji.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 아침, CC BY-SA 4.0.
