-아/어 달라고

a/eo dallago

Grammar · 1 sense

Quoting a command for a favor or request

Examples

아빠가 쓰레기 버려달라고 하셨어요.

Dad asked you to take out the trash (for him).

남동생이 나한테 도와 달라고 했어.

My younger brother asked me to help him.

When you'd hear it

This is common in both conversation and writing when reporting a request, from casual family talk to polite workplace speech. The politeness comes from the following verb, as in 달라고 했어 or 달라고 하셨어요.

What learners get wrong

달라고 frames a request made for the requester’s benefit, while 주라고 reports telling someone to do something or give something, not necessarily for the requester. Compare 도와 달라고 했어, “asked me to help,” with 도와 주라고 했어, “told me to help someone.”

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