Basic Invitations and Shared Action | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 우리 지금 가요.

   Let us go now.

   우리

   we/us

   지금

   now

   가요

   go

   More detail

   우리 means “we/us.” In this utterance, the fixed translation shows it as the group included in “let us.” Korean 우리 can refer to a first-person plural group, and the exact membership of that group is not specified here. Example: 우리 같이 먹어요. means “Let’s eat together.” 지금 is the time adverb “now.” It places the going at the present time. Example: 지금 와요. means “I’m coming now” or “Come now,” depending on the surrounding context and the intended subject. 가요 is the polite conversational form of 가다, “to go.” The ending -요 marks a polite speech style. In this sentence, the context and fixed translation make it a suggestion involving the speaker and listener: “let’s go.” The same form can also mean “go” or “goes” in other contexts, so the surrounding meaning determines its role. Example: 학교에 가요. means “I go to school” or “I’m going to school,” depending on context. Together, 우리 + 지금 + 가요 produces “Let’s go now.” The group identified by 우리 is invited to go, and 지금 specifies that this should happen now. The utterance uses polite everyday Korean.

2. 우리 같이 먹어요.

   Let us eat together.

   우리

   we; us

   같이

   together

   먹어요

   eat

   More detail

   우리 means “we” or “us” here: it refers to the speaker together with at least one other person. Korean 우리 does not change for subject versus object in this form. It can also occur before a noun to mean “our,” but that is not its function in this sentence. Example: 우리는 학생이에요. — “We are students.” 같이 means “together.” It is an adverb, so it describes how the eating happens. Example: 같이 가요. — “Let’s go together.” 먹어요 means “eat” here. Its base form is 먹다 (“to eat”); 먹어요 is the polite present-style form used in the 해요 speech style. The verb stem 먹- combines with -어요, producing 먹어요. This form can describe an action happening now or a gentle suggestion such as “let’s eat,” depending on context. Example: 저는 밥을 먹어요. — “I eat rice” or “I am eating.” Together, 우리 같이 gives “we/us together,” and 먹어요 supplies the polite suggestion or proposal to eat. Thus the whole utterance means “Let us eat together.”

3. 우리 지금 시작해요.

   Let us start now.

   우리

   we; us

   지금

   now

   시작해요

   start; begin

   More detail

   우리 means “we” or “us.” In this utterance, the fixed translation selects the inclusive “let us” reading: the speaker proposes that the speaker and the listener start together. Korean 우리 itself does not show a separate subject form for this distinction; its role is understood from context. Example: 우리 같이 먹어요. means “Let’s eat together.” 지금 means “now.” It is a time word and can be placed before the action it specifies, as here. Example: 지금 가요. means “I’m going now” or, with a suitable context, “Let’s go now.” 시작해요 means “start” or “begin” here. Its base form is 시작하다 (“to start”); 시작해요 is the polite, non-past 해요-style form. The -해요 ending is part of the conjugated form of this 하다 verb, not a separate standalone verb meaning “do” in this sentence. Example: 수업을 시작해요. means “We start the class” or “Let’s start the class,” depending on context. Together, 우리 + 지금 + 시작해요 expresses “Let us start now.” 우리 identifies the group the proposal includes, 지금 sets the time, and 시작해요 supplies the polite action form. In this context, the polite -요 style makes the proposal suitable for ordinary respectful conversation.

4. 우리 여기서 멈춰요.

   Let us stop here.

   우리

   we; us

   여기서

   here

   멈춰요

   stop

   More detail

   우리 means “we/us” here. Korean 우리 can also mean “our” in other constructions, but in this sentence it functions as the participant group for the action. With a polite suggestion ending, 우리 ... 해요 is a useful pattern for “let’s ...”. 여기서 means “here” as the place where the action occurs. It consists of 여기 (“here”) plus the location particle 에서, often shortened in speech and writing to 서 after 여기. The particle marks the setting or location of an action; it is different from a form that merely marks a destination. 멈춰요 is the polite-present form of 멈추다, “to stop.” The stem 멈추- combines with -어요; the vowels contract, producing 멈춰요. The ending -요 adds polite conversational style. In this sentence, the form is understood as a suggestion addressed to the group: “let’s stop,” rather than as a bare dictionary-form statement. Together, 우리 + 여기서 + 멈춰요 gives “Let us stop here.” The pattern 우리 [place] [verb]-어요 can be reused for a polite suggestion that the group perform an action at a specified place.

5. 저랑 같이 와요.

   Come with me.

   저랑

   with me

   같이

   together

   와요

   come

   More detail

   저랑 means “with me” here. 저 is the humble first-person pronoun “I/me,” and -랑 is a colloquial particle meaning “with” in this use. The related form is 이랑, used after a consonant; 랑 is used after a vowel. For example, 친구랑 가요 means “I go with a friend.” 같이 means “together.” It commonly combines with a person or group to show that an action is done together: 같이 먹어요 means “Let’s eat together” or, depending on context, “Eat together.” 와요 is the polite present-style form of 오다, “to come.” It comes from the verb stem 오- plus the polite ending -아요, with contraction: 오다 → 와요. In Korean, this ending can express a present action or a polite request; in this sentence, the fixed translation shows the request “Come.” Together, 저랑 같이 와요 literally organizes the meaning as “with me, together, come,” and naturally means “Come with me.”

6. 저를 기다려요.

   Wait for me.

   저를

   me (object)

   기다려요

   wait for

   More detail

   저를 means “me” as the object of the action. 저 is the humble first-person singular pronoun, and 를 marks the noun phrase as the object. The form 저를 is used when the speaker is the person being waited for; the subject is not stated here. 기다려요 comes from the verb 기다리다, “to wait.” The ending -어요 makes a polite everyday form. In this utterance, the polite form is used as a request: “wait.” A useful pattern is N을/를 기다리다, “to wait for N”; the object marker is 을 after a consonant and 를 after a vowel. For example, 친구를 기다려요. means “I’m waiting for a friend” or, depending on context, “Please wait for a friend.” Together, 저를 (“me,” the object) and 기다려요 (“wait” in a polite request) produce “Wait for me.” The subject is left unstated, as is common when it is clear from the situation. This is a polite, ordinary way to make the request.