Planning lunch at a restaurant | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 같이 점심 먹을래?

   Would you like to have lunch together?

   같이

   together

   점심

   lunch

   먹을래?

   would you like to eat?

   More detail

   같이 means “together” and indicates that the activity is shared by the speaker and the listener or another understood participant. It is an adverb, so it modifies the action rather than naming a person or thing. Example: 같이 가요. — “Let’s go together.” 점심 means “lunch,” the midday meal. It is a noun and can be used with 먹다 (“to eat”) to talk about eating lunch. Example: 점심을 먹어요. — “I eat lunch.” The object particle 을 appears in this example; it is not present in the fixed utterance because Korean often omits a recoverable particle in casual speech. 먹을래? contains 먹다, “to eat,” plus the ending -(으)ㄹ래?, which asks about someone’s willingness or intention. Because 먹다 ends in a consonant, this form is 먹을래?; after a vowel, the ending is commonly -ㄹ래?. In this utterance, the question is directed to the listener and has the intended meaning “Would you like to eat?” or, with the preceding noun, “Would you like to have lunch?” The ending is casual, so it suits an informal relationship. Example: 같이 갈래? — “Would you like to go together?” Together, 같이 점심 먹을래? means “Would you like to have lunch together?” The order is 같이 (“together”) + 점심 (“lunch”) + 먹을래? (“would you like to eat?”). The following response, 좋아. 어디로 갈까?, is compatible with accepting this invitation, but the fixed utterance itself is the invitation and does not state what the listener decides.

2. 좋아. 어디로 갈까?

   That sounds nice. Where should we go?

   좋아

   sounds good

   어디로

   where to

   갈까?

   shall we go?

   More detail

   좋아 means “That sounds nice” here. It is the present form of 좋다 (“to be good; nice”). In casual speech, 좋아 can evaluate a suggestion positively; it is not necessarily the verb “to like” in this sentence. For example, 좋아! can mean “Okay!” or “Sounds good!” when accepting a plan. 어디로 asks “where to.” 어디 means “where,” and 로 marks the direction or destination of movement. Korean uses 로 after a vowel (as in 어디로) and generally 으로 after a consonant, with 로 also used after ㄹ. The destination marker is different from 에서, which commonly marks the place where an action occurs. 갈까? means “shall we go?” The verb is 가다 (“to go”); its stem 가- combines with the suggestion/question ending -ㄹ까?, giving 갈까? The subject is not stated in the Korean wording, but the fixed translation and conversation support the shared suggestion “shall we go?” The ending can also be used for a speaker’s own deliberation in another context, so its exact perspective comes from context. Together, 좋아 accepts the proposed plan, and 어디로 갈까? asks which destination to choose: “That sounds nice. Where should we go?” The wording is casual, suitable for an informal conversation.

3. 여기 근처의 작은 식당은 어때?

   Maybe the small restaurant near here.

   여기 근처의

   near here

   작은

   small

   식당

   restaurant

   어때?

   how about it?

   More detail

   여기 근처의 combines 여기 (“here”) with 근처 (“nearby area”) and the particle 의, which marks the following noun phrase as being associated with that location. In this sentence, it modifies 작은 식당, giving “the small restaurant near here.” The reusable pattern is [place] 근처의 [noun]: for example, 학교 근처의 카페 means “the café near the school.” 작은 is the form of the adjective 작다 (“to be small”) placed before a noun. The ending changes 작다 to its attributive form 작은; 작은 itself describes the noun that follows. Example: 작은 방 means “a small room.” 식당 means “restaurant” and is a noun. It can be used in other noun phrases, such as 좋은 식당 (“a good restaurant”) or 식당에 가다 (“go to a restaurant”). In the fixed sentence, it is the place being suggested. 어때? comes from 어떻다, meaning “to be how” or “how is it?” In this form, it asks for an evaluation or suggestion. After a noun phrase, [noun]은/는 어때? is a reusable pattern meaning “How about [noun]?” or “What do you think of [noun]?” Here, 은 follows 식당 because 식당 ends in a final consonant. The question is informal. Together, 여기 근처의 작은 식당 means “the small restaurant near here,” and 어때? asks whether that option seems suitable. The whole utterance therefore means “How about the small restaurant near here?” This matches the fixed translation’s suggestion of that restaurant and fits the following reference to going there if it is not busy.

4. 바쁘지 않으면 거기로 가자.

   Let's go there if it isn't busy.

   바쁘지 않으면

   if it isn't busy

   거기로

   there

   가자

   let's go

   More detail

   바쁘지 않으면 means “if it isn’t busy” here. 바쁘다 is the base form meaning “to be busy.” -지 않다 negates it, and -으면 attaches to the negative expression to form an “if/when” condition. Thus, 바쁘지 않으면 means “if it isn’t busy.” Here, the omitted subject is understood as the proposed destination, supported by the fixed translation and the surrounding context. 거기로 refers to a destination or direction: 거기 means “there,” and -로 marks movement toward or in the direction of that place. 여기로 means “to here,” while 저기로 means “to over there.” In this exchange, “there” is the proposed destination. 가자 comes from 가다, “to go.” The ending -자 makes an informal proposal for the speaker and listener to do something together, so 가자 means “let’s go.” By contrast, 가요 uses a polite ending and can be a polite statement or, depending on context, a polite suggestion; -자 is the clear casual proposal form. Together, 바쁘지 않으면 sets the condition, 거기로 identifies the destination, and 가자 proposes going there: “Let’s go there if it isn’t busy.”

5. 입구 앞에서 만날까?

   Should we meet by the front door?

   입구

   entrance

   앞에서

   in front of; by

   만날까?

   shall we meet?

   More detail

   입구 means “entrance.” It is a noun and can be used with location expressions, for example: 입구가 어디예요? — “Where is the entrance?” 앞에서 means “in front of; by” here. 앞 is “front,” and 에서 marks the place where an action happens. Compare 앞에, which commonly marks a location or the place where something is situated: 입구 앞에 있어요 — “It is in front of the entrance.” With an action such as meeting, 입구 앞에서 만나요 means “Let’s meet in front of the entrance.” 만날까? is a suggestion or deliberation question meaning “Shall we meet?” The verb is 만나다, “to meet.” Its stem is 만나-; before -ㄹ까?, it becomes 만날까?. The ending -ㄹ까? can ask whether the speaker and listener should do something together. For example, 같이 갈까? — “Shall we go together?” Together, 입구 앞에서 만날까? means “Should we meet by the front door?” More literally, it asks whether the participants should meet in front of the entrance. The place expression 입구 앞에서 identifies where the meeting would happen, and 만날까? turns the proposal into a question.

6. 네가 나를 볼 수 있는 곳에서 기다릴게.

   I'll wait where you can see me.

   네가

   you

   나를

   me

   볼 수 있는

   can see

   곳

   place

   기다릴게

   I’ll wait

   More detail

   네가 means “you” as the subject. It is 너 (“you”) plus the subject marker 가; the form 네가 is used here rather than the basic dictionary form 너 because the pronoun is doing the seeing. For example, 네가 와 means “You come.” 나를 means “me” as the object. It is 나 (“I/me”) plus the object marker 를; here, the speaker is the person being seen. Korean uses 나 for “I/me,” with its role shown by particles such as 는 or 가 for a subject and 를 for an object. 볼 수 있는 describes 곳 as a place where the seeing is possible. 볼 comes from 보다 (“to see”) in the -(으)ㄹ form, and 수 있다 is the construction for being able or having the possibility to do something. 있는 is the form of 있다 (“to exist/be”) that modifies a following noun. Thus, 볼 수 있는 곳 is the reusable pattern “a place where [someone] can see [something].” For example, 사진을 볼 수 있는 곳 means “a place where you can see the photos”; the subject of 볼 is supplied by context when it is not stated. 곳 is a noun meaning “place” or “location.” In this sentence it is the location described by the preceding clause, so the whole noun phrase means “the place where you can see me.” A more general example is 조용한 곳 (“a quiet place”), where 조용한 also modifies 곳. 기다릴게 comes from 기다리다 (“to wait”) plus the informal ending -(으)ㄹ게(요). This ending presents the speaker’s willingness or commitment to do something, so here it means “I’ll wait.” The full form 기다릴게요 is more polite; 기다릴게 is casual. It is not the noun 곳 that carries this ending: the verb 기다리다 does. Putting the parts together, 네가 나를 볼 수 있는 곳에서 means “at the place where you can see me.” The particle 에서 marks the place where an action occurs, and 기다릴게 adds the speaker’s commitment to wait there. The complete utterance therefore means, “I’ll wait where you can see me.”

7. 그럼 내가 너를 찾아갈게.

   Then I'll come find you.

   그럼

   then; in that case

   내가

   I

   너를

   you

   찾아갈게

   I’ll go find

   More detail

   그럼 sets up the utterance as a consequence or response: “then” or “in that case.” It is a compact discourse expression; here it leads into the speaker’s proposed action. 내가 means “I” as the subject of this action. It is 나 (“I”) plus the subject particle 가, with the contracted form 내가. The particle marks the person carrying out the action, rather than the person affected by it. For example, 내가 할게 means “I’ll do it.” 너를 means “you” as the object being sought. 너 is the informal singular second-person pronoun, and 를 marks the object of the verb. The specific person meant by 너 is the person identified as “you” in the fixed translation. The object particle has other forms depending on the preceding word: 를 follows a vowel, while 을 follows a consonant. 찾아갈게 is the form used here for “I’ll go find you.” Its base form is 찾아가다, meaning “to go to someone or somewhere in order to find or visit them.” The form combines 찾아가- with -ㄹ게, which presents the speaker’s intention or undertaking, often with the listener in mind. For example, 내일 찾아갈게 means “I’ll come find you tomorrow.” The related 찾아오다 instead describes coming toward the speaker’s or another reference point’s location; 찾아가다 describes going toward the person or place being visited. Together, 그럼 (“then/in that case”) + 내가 (“I,” the subject) + 너를 (“you,” the object) + 찾아갈게 (“will go find”) produces: “Then I’ll come find you.” The sentence presents the speaker’s intended action as a response to the situation, with the speaker going to locate or visit the listener.

8. 그다음에 자리를 부탁하자.

   After that, we can ask for a table.

   그다음에

   after that; then

   자리

   table; seat

   부탁하자

   let’s ask; let’s request

   More detail

   그다음에 means “after that” or “then.” 그다음 means “what comes next” or “the next thing,” and -에 marks the time when something happens. For example, 그다음에 만나요 means “See you then.” Here, the time reference is understood from what came before, without adding a new event or participant. 자리 means a place or seat. In this utterance, the fixed translation identifies the intended meaning as “table,” as in requesting a table at a restaurant or similar place. The form 자리를 consists of the noun 자리 plus the object marker -를; the marker shows that it is what is being requested. The same noun can mean “seat” in another context, but that is not the intended reading here. 부탁하자 comes from 부탁하다, “to ask for” or “to request.” The ending -자 attached to 하다 forms a proposal such as “let’s do it.” Thus, 부탁하자 proposes making the request; it is not the ordinary present-tense form 부탁해 and does not by itself describe a completed request. For example, 도움을 부탁하자 means “Let’s ask for help.” Putting the parts together, 자리를 부탁하자 means “let’s ask for a table”: 자리 is the requested item, -를 marks it as the object, and 부탁하자 proposes making the request. With 그다음에 at the beginning, the whole utterance means “After that, let’s ask for a table.”