받아먹다
ba-da-meok-da · literally “Receive and eat”
Situation: You read 아기가 이유식을 잘 받아먹어요 on a parenting blog, then 뇌물을 받아먹었다 in a news headline.
✕ What AI tells you
Translates both literally as 'receive and eat', so the news reads as 'he received and ate a bribe'.
Why it fails: In a double verb, the first verb sets up how the second happens. 받아먹다 is eating what someone feeds you — a baby taking a spoon, a dog catching a treat. Figuratively, it means pocketing money or favors, and it's negative.
✓ What Koreans actually say
Read the first verb as 'how' and the second as 'what'. Then check whether the pair has a figurative meaning in news, dramas or lyrics.
아기가 잘 받아먹어요.
a-gi-ga jal ba-da-meo-geo-yo
'The baby eats well when fed' — the literal, everyday use
점심은 사 먹었어요. / 해 먹었어요.
sa meo-geo-sseo-yo / hae meo-geo-sseo-yo
'I bought my lunch' (ate out) vs 'I cooked it myself'. English just says 'I had lunch'.
잡아먹다
ja-ba-meok-da
Literally 'catch and eat' (a predator). Figuratively 'eat someone alive': 잡아먹을 듯이 쳐다봤어 — 'glared like he'd eat me'.
가져다드릴게요.
ga-jyeo-da-deu-ril-ge-yo
'I'll bring it to you' (polite). Three verbs — take, carry, give — in one.
Cultural nuance, in depth
English uses one verb plus a preposition ('bring over', 'eat out'). Korean chains verbs instead: 들고 가다 (carry and go), 찾아오다 (look for and come = visit), 뛰어가다 (run and go). Most are transparent once you read them as 'how + what'. The tricky ones are those that grew a second meaning: 받아먹다 (take bribes), 잡아먹다 (bully, or 'eat up' time and money: 시간을 잡아먹다), 집어먹다 (help yourself, grab a bite). When a double verb shows up in a headline or an argument, assume the figurative meaning first.
- #grammar
- #double-verbs
- #food
- #vocabulary
More on daily life
- Daily Lifev0.5
-아/어 내다
-a/eo nae-da · “Do and put out”
AI gets it wrong:했어 just states who did it. 내다 after a verb adds 'all the way through, despite difficulty'. 해냈어요 is the triumphant 'I did it!' Koreans actually say.Say instead:선생님, 저 해냈어요!See why → - Daily Lifev0.5
-아/어 대다
-a/eo dae-da · “Do and touch”
AI gets it wrong:대다 after a verb means doing it over and over, too much — and the speaker is annoyed. The dog didn't just bark; it wouldn't stop barking all night.Say instead:애가 장난감 사 달라고 졸라 대요.See why → - Daily Lifev0.5
-아/어 두다 · 놓다
-a/eo du-da · no-ta · “Do and put down”
AI gets it wrong:놓다 and 두다 ('put') after a verb mean the action is done ahead of time and the result stays in place. Your host is saying 'The room's ready, and I'll leave the door open for you.'Say instead:제가 식당 예약해 둘게요.See why →