나와 내 친구
nawa nae chingu
In Korean, "me and my friend" is translated as 나와 내 친구 (nawa nae chingu).
This phrase is used to refer to the speaker and one other person who is a friend.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 나 (me/I), 와 (and), 내 (my) and 친구 (friend).
Which one should you use?
나와 내 친구 uses the particle 와, which is more common in written text or formal speech than the spoken particle 랑 found in 나랑 내 친구.
How does it change in a sentence?
In formal or polite situations, use 저와 제 친구 instead of 나와 내 친구 to show respect to the listener. In casual spoken Korean, the particle 랑 is often used instead of 와 to mean "and", as seen in 나랑 내 친구.
How do you pronounce it?
nawa nae chingu
Did you know?
- The word 친구 (chingu) is strictly used for people of the same age, so calling someone older a 'friend' can actually be seen as socially incorrect.
- While 내 is used for 'my', the same syllable 내 was historically the native word for 'smoke' before it was replaced by the Sino-Korean word 연기 to avoid confusion with too many homophones.
- Beyond the word 친구, Korean has the specialized term 절친 ('jeol-chin') to describe a best friend, which is a clipped version of the phrase 절친한 친구.
Examples in context
- 영희 씨, 저와 제 친구가 오늘 저녁에 밥을 먹으려고 합니다. 함께 오실래요?Yeonghui, my friend and I are planning to have dinner tonight. Would you like to join us?
- 정말로 감사합니다, 제 친구와 저는 여러분을 도와드릴 수 있어서 기쁩니다.Thank you very much, my friend and I are glad to be able to help you.
- 오늘은 나랑 친구랑 영화 보러 갈 거야. 같이 갈래?I'm going to watch a movie with my friend today. Do you want to come along?
- 나와 내 친구는 학교에 갔어.nawa nae chinguneun hakgyoe gasseo.Me and my friend went to school.
- 나와 내 친구는 영화를 봤어.nawa nae chinguneun yeonghwareul bwasseo.Me and my friend watched a movie.
Example conversation
Ji-eun and Hyeon-u are talking about their weekend plans.
- 지은 Ji-eun이번 주말에 뭐 해요?ibeon jumare mwo haeyo?What are you doing this weekend?
- 현우 Hyeon-woo나와 내 친구가 등산을 갈 거예요.nawa nae chinguga deungsaneul gal geoyeyo.Me and my friend are going hiking.
- 지은 Ji-eun정말 좋겠네요!jeongmal jokesseneyo!That sounds great!
- 현우 Hyeon-woo네, 아주 기대돼요.ne, aju gidaedwaeyo.Yes, I'm really looking forward to it.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 내, CC BY-SA 4.0.
