Do you want to ask someone out on a date, speaking in Korean? Your success would depend on many factors, of course. From a linguistic perspective, however, there is only one simple sentence structure you’d need to learn, to stack the odds in your favor:
- 오늘(은) = Today
- 저랑 = with me
- …(으)러 = to do… (purpose)
- 가시죠? = Would you like to go? ( = Let’s go )
If we rearrange the words, the sentence literally means “Today, would you like to go with me to do.… ?” or “Today let’s go to do.… “ You only have to replace the …. part with a verb conjugated to specify a purpose: 먹으러 (to eat), 커피 한 잔하러 (for a coffee), 점심식사하러 (for a lunch), 맥주마시러 (to drink beer), 산책하러 (to take a walk), 저녁식사하러 (to have dinner), 춤추러 (to dance), etc. The key here is that you DO NOT change any other words – 저랑 and 가시죠. They are the words that make it sound natural, respectful, polite, and confident enough for a lady or a gent to accept your proposal. Your textbook may teach you “With me” is “나와 함께.” Sure it’s correct, but only in a textbook or in a poem. Nobody speaks like “나와 함께 가시죠” in real world everyday conversations.
*If you are already familiar with your date, e.g., she/he is your peer or a colleague, tone down the register by one notch to a more informal but still polite level:
오늘 나랑 ….(으)러 갈래요? (= Will you go to …. with me today?)
This videoclip shows the Korean way to “deserve the fair”:
Obviously, it is not their first date.^^
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