아/어 달라고 A grammar to ask someone to do something

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"Please do" or "Please give" is a Korean phrase used to request something from someone. "Please do" or "Please give" is a Korean phrase used to request something from someone. It is a common expression used to politely ask for help or a favor. 

The "please" part is added to convey respect and gratitude. In conversation, this phrase demonstrates politeness and a humble demeanor. The selection between "아" or "어" relies on the verb stem and follows the rules of verb conjugation in Korean. 

This phrase is commonly used to uphold polite interactions, reflecting the cultural values of respect and consideration. Using "아/어 달라고" when seeking assistance or making requests enhances politeness, leading to respectful and courteous communication exchanges in Korean discourse.

In this lesson, we will learn about how to add 아 / 어 달라고 at the end of words. In the previous lesson, we learned how to make quoted sentences. This time we will combine these two things in one complete sentence.

Imperative Sentences Quoted with 주다: ~ 달라고

We learned about how to make imperative sentences. However, when making imperative sentences, we can also add ~ 아 / 어 주다 at the end of words to emphasize that the thing we are saying is something we want to do ourselves. As an example:

• 앉아! = sit down!
• 앉아 세요 = Please sit down!
• 열심히 하세요! = Do well!
• 열심히 해 주세요! = Please do well!

Also Read: How do we say I let him go in Korean

When quoting a sentence that ends with 아 / 어 주세요. However, 아 / 어 주세요 is not quite appropriate to use, instead, when quoting an imperative sentence ending in 아 / 어 주다, we should change ~ 아 / 어 주라고 to 아 / 어 달라고. As an example:

달라고 - I said

In fact, whenever we just say "Give me + noun" and use ~ 주다 (not ~ 아 / 어 주다), then we need to use ~ 달라고 too. Therefore, we can say:

• 접시 를 주세요! = Please give me a plate
• 그릇 을 주세요! = Please give me a bowl

But the above example would be better if it said like the following example:

• 접시 를 달라고 했어요 = I said "give me a plate please!"
• 그릇 을 달라고 했어요 = I said "please give me a bowl!"

However, it should be noted that the use of ~ 달라고 is only done if the actor in the sentence is also the recipient. Or in other words, ask other people with the word "give me" See this example:

> 나는 그 에게 돈 을 달라고 부탁 했습니다 

   (I asked him to "give me" money)

Once again we can use ~ 달라고 when we are asking other people to give something to us. However, when we ask/tell someone to give something to someone else, then we have to use 주라고.

Please: 부탁

The word 부탁 can be used as a noun in a sentence which means "help". As an example:

>> 저는 부탁 이 하나 있어요 

      (I have one request)

In English, however, when we ask for help, it is usually expressed in one of two ways:

Can I ask you a favour? 

Or

Can you help me?

In Korean, there are two ways used to express that we want help / to ask for help.

1. Adding ~ 하다 to noun 부탁. It then creates the verb "to ask for help." As an example:

    기자 들은 Ningning 에게 설명 을 부탁 했어요 

    (Reporters ask Ningning to explain)

In the sentence, I pointed out earlier, "부탁 했어요" comes after the noun. However, if the help we are asking for is a verb, then we have to attach ~달라고 ending with a verb, followed by 부탁 하다. As an example:

> 나는 그 에게 더 크게 말 하라고 부탁 했어요 

    (I asked him to speak louder)

One more thing about the word "부탁 하다" is that Koreans often pronounce it with "부탁 드리다". We have learned in previous lessons that the word "드리다" is used like "주다" but when the person receiving is a respected person. 

When using the word "부탁", the person receiving the favor is us, and we shouldn't use 드리다 when talking about ourselves. However, adding 드리다 to the word "부탁" is the only exception to this rule, and it is very common to say "부탁 드리다" instead of "부탁 하다" when completing this sentence:

> 나는 엄마 에게 요리 달라고 부탁 드렸 어요

    (I asked my mother to cook)

Thus, the Korean grammar "아/어 달라고" not only implies a request or instruction, but also creates a relationship between the speaker and the listener full of mutual understanding. As we continue to hone our skills in using "아/어 달라고," we can deepen the meaning reflected in the structure of the Korean language. 

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