밥 사줘
bap sajwo
The English phrase "treat me" is expressed in Korean as 밥 사줘 (bap sajwo).
This phrase is used as a request for someone else to pay for a meal or a drink. To specifically ask someone to treat you to alcohol or drinks, you can replace 밥 with 술.
What does it mean word for word?
The expression 밥 사줘 literally translates to "buy me rice" or "buy me a meal".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
If you want to make the request polite and suitable for people you are not extremely close with, you should use 밥 사줘요.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the request polite, you can add the suffix –요 (-yo) to the end of the phrase, resulting in 밥 사줘요.
How do you pronounce it?
bap sajwo
Did you know?
- While 밥 사줘 is a request for a meal, Koreans often use the phrase 밥 한번 같이 먹자 ('Let's eat rice together sometime') as a polite way to end a conversation without actually scheduling a date.
- The word 밥 is so fundamental to Korean care that asking 밥 먹었어? ('Did you eat rice?') functions as a general greeting to check on someone's well-being rather than a literal question about their meal.
- In Korean social dynamics, the expectation of who pays is often predetermined by age or professional rank, meaning the person with the highest status is traditionally the one expected to fulfill the request 밥 사줘.
Examples in context
- 나 밥 사줘.na bap sa-jwo.Treat me to a meal.
- 지은아, 제발 밥 사줘.Ji-eun-a, je-bal bap sa-jwo.Ji-eun, please treat me to a meal.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their lunch plans at a cafe.
- 지은 Ji-eun도현아, 나 밥 사줘.Do-hyeon-a, na bap sa-jwo.Do-hyeon, treat me to a meal.
- 도현 Do-hyeon왜? 내가 왜 사줘야 해?wae? naega wae sa-jwo-ya hae?Why? Why should I treat you?
- 지은 Ji-eun오늘 내 생일이잖아!oneul nae saeng-il-i-jan-a!It's my birthday today!
- 도현 Do-hyeon알았어, 맛있는 거 사줄게.ar-as-seo, mas-iss-neun geo sa-jul-ge.Alright, I will treat you to something delicious.
