Meaning
To eat the evening meal.
Cultural Background
The phrase '저녁 식사 하셨어요?' is often used as a greeting. If someone asks you this, they aren't always inviting you to eat; they are showing they care about your well-being. Dinner (Hoesik) is a key part of business culture. Using '저녁 식사를 하다' in an invitation implies a formal gathering where team bonding and hierarchy are reinforced. In traditional homes, the eldest person must start their '저녁 식사' before anyone else at the table can begin eating. Younger Koreans often shorten '맛있는 저녁 식사 하세요' to '맛저하세요' in digital spaces like KakaoTalk or Instagram.
Drop the 'reul'
In casual conversation, say '저녁 식사 해요' instead of '저녁 식사를 해요' to sound more natural.
Don't say 'Siksa meokda'
Avoid saying '식사를 먹다'. It's a common beginner mistake. Stick to '식사를 하다'.
Meaning
To eat the evening meal.
Drop the 'reul'
In casual conversation, say '저녁 식사 해요' instead of '저녁 식사를 해요' to sound more natural.
Don't say 'Siksa meokda'
Avoid saying '식사를 먹다'. It's a common beginner mistake. Stick to '식사를 하다'.
The Greeting
If someone asks if you've had dinner, a simple 'Yes, I have' is enough. You don't need to list everything you ate!
Use 'Mat-jeo'
Want to sound like a local on social media? Use '맛저' (Mat-jeo) when posting a photo of your dinner.
Test Yourself
Fill in the blank with the correct form of '하다' in the polite present tense (해요).
저는 지금 가족과 저녁 식사를 ___.
The sentence describes a current action ('지금'), so the present polite form '해요' is correct.
Which of the following is the most polite way to ask a colleague if they have eaten dinner?
Choose the best option:
'저녁 식사 했어요?' uses the polite '요' ending and the formal '식사' noun, making it perfect for a colleague.
Match the Korean phrase with its English equivalent.
Match the following:
These are the basic tense variations of the phrase.
Complete the dialogue.
A: 오늘 같이 저녁 식사 할까요? B: 미안해요. 저는 벌써 ___.
B says 'already' (벌써), so the past tense '했어요' is required.
🎉 Score: /4
Visual Learning Aids
Formal vs. Casual Dinner
Practice Bank
4 exercises저는 지금 가족과 저녁 식사를 ___.
The sentence describes a current action ('지금'), so the present polite form '해요' is correct.
Choose the best option:
'저녁 식사 했어요?' uses the polite '요' ending and the formal '식사' noun, making it perfect for a colleague.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
These are the basic tense variations of the phrase.
A: 오늘 같이 저녁 식사 할까요? B: 미안해요. 저는 벌써 ___.
B says 'already' (벌써), so the past tense '했어요' is required.
🎉 Score: /4
Frequently Asked Questions
10 questionsYes, it sounds a bit stiff. With friends, '저녁 먹자' (Let's eat dinner) is much better.
Yes, just replace '저녁' with '아침' (Achim) to get '아침 식사를 하다'.
'식사' is the formal word for a meal, while '밥' literally means 'cooked rice' but is used casually to mean 'food' or 'meal'.
You say '벌써 저녁 식사 했어요' (Beolsseo jeonyeok siksa haesseoyo).
It's grammatically correct to include it, but in 90% of spoken Korean, it is omitted.
Usually anytime after 5:00 PM or 6:00 PM is considered '저녁'.
Use the honorific form: '오늘 저녁 식사 같이 하실 수 있으세요?'
It's a slang abbreviation for '맛있는 저녁' (Delicious dinner).
No, that is redundant. Use '식사를 하다' or '저녁을 먹다'.
No, '저녁' is only for evening. Lunch is '점심' (Jeomsim).
Related Phrases
저녁을 먹다
similarTo eat dinner (casual)
아침 식사를 하다
builds onTo have breakfast
점심 식사를 하다
builds onTo have lunch
외식을 하다
specialized formTo eat out
진지를 잡수시다
specialized formTo have a meal (honorific)
