TL;DR
- -달라고 하다 is how you report someone asking you to give them something or do something for them 🎁
- It comes from 달라 (imperative of 주다) + -고 하다 (quotation marker) and combines requests with indirect speech 💬
- Use it when telling others what someone asked you for, maintaining the original request's meaning ✨
What is -달라고? 🤔
-달라고 하다 is the indirect speech form you use when reporting that someone asked you to give them something or do something for them! 🎯
It's basically the quoted version of 달라 (the imperative form of 주다) ✨
Think of it like this: when your friend says "나한테 펜 줘!" and later you tell someone about it, you'd say "친구가 펜을 달라고 했어" 📝
How to Form It 🛠️
The pattern is super straightforward! 💪
Verb stem + 달라고 하다
But here's the key: you only use this with verbs that involve giving or doing something for someone 🎁
→ 친구가 도와달라고 했어요.
(My friend asked me to help them.) 🤝
→ 엄마가 전화하라고 하셨어요.
(Mom told me to call her.) 📱
→ 동생이 과자를 사 달라고 했어.
(My younger sibling asked me to buy them snacks.) 🍪
Common Patterns 🌟
Here are the most frequently used combinations you'll hear! 👂
도와달라고 = asking for help 🆘
→ 선생님이 도와달라고 하셨어요.
사 달라고 = asking to buy something 🛒
→ 아이가 장난감을 사 달라고 울었어요.
빌려달라고 = asking to borrow 📚
→ 친구가 책을 빌려달라고 했어요.
보내달라고 = asking to send 📮
→ 고객이 자료를 보내달라고 요청했습니다.
가르쳐 달라고 = asking to teach 👨🏫
→ 후배가 한국어를 가르쳐 달라고 부탁했어.
Past vs. Present Reporting 🕐
You can change the tense of 하다 to show when the request happened! ⏰
했다 = the request happened in the past 📅
→ 어제 친구가 전화하라고 했어요.
한다 = reporting as a general fact or habit 🔄
→ 동생이 맨날 돈을 달라고 해요.
할 거다 = will ask/will probably ask 🔮
→ 내일 아마 도와달라고 할 거예요.
Polite Requests 🙇
When someone made a polite request, you can show that by using the full quote form! 💝
→ 손님이 창문을 열어 달라고 하셨어요.
(The guest asked me to open the window.) 🪟
→ 부장님이 보고서를 내일까지 제출하라고 하셨습니다.
(The director asked me to submit the report by tomorrow.) 📊
-라고 vs. -달라고 ⚡
Don't confuse these two! They're different but related 🎭
-라고 하다 = reporting a general command 📢
→ 선생님이 조용히 하라고 했어요.
-달라고 하다 = reporting a request for something to be given/done for them 🎁
→ 선생님이 숙제를 내일까지 내라고 했어요. (just a command)
→ 선생님이 도와달라고 하셨어요. (asking for help from me)
The key difference: -달라고 implies the action benefits the person making the request! 💡
Exceptions ⚠️
When the verb is already 주다/드리다 🎀
If someone literally asks you to "give" something, you keep it simple:
→ 친구가 책을 달라고 했어요. ✅
(My friend asked me to give them the book.)
NOT: 친구가 책을 줘달라고 했어요 ❌
With -아/어 주다 constructions 🌈
When a verb already has 주다 attached, you replace 주다 with 달라:
- 도와주다 → 도와달라고
- 사 주다 → 사 달라고
- 빌려주다 → 빌려달라고
→ 동생이 게임을 같이 해 달라고 졸랐어. 🎮
(My sibling nagged me to play games together.)
Quick Recap 🎯
Use -달라고 하다 when reporting someone's request for you to give them something or do something for them! 💪
It's warm, it's useful, and you'll hear it everywhere in daily conversation! 🗣️
Now you can tell everyone what people are asking from you! 😊
Try the following exercise.
Complete the sentences using the correct form of -달라고 to report what was requested. 💬
- 친구가 저한테 펜을 빌려 _ 했어요.
Answer
달라고
- 동생이 엄마한테 용돈을 _ 했어요.
Answer
달라고
- 손님이 직원에게 물을 _ 했어요.
Answer
달라고
- 선생님께서 학생들에게 숙제를 내일까지 제출해 _ 하셨어요.
Answer
달라고
- 아이가 부모님께 장난감을 사 _ 했어요.
Answer
달라고
- 친구가 저한테 전화번호를 알려 _ 했어요.
Answer
달라고
- 사장님이 보고서를 다시 작성해 _ 하셨어요.
Answer
달라고
- 동료가 저한테 도와 _ 했어요.
Answer
달라고
- 엄마가 동생에게 방을 청소해 _ 하셨어요.
Answer
달라고
- 고객이 환불해 _ 했어요.
Answer
달라고
Vocabulary
빌리다 - to borrow
용돈 - allowance, pocket money
손님 - customer, guest
직원 - employee, staff
제출하다 - to submit
장난감 - toy
전화번호 - phone number
알려 주다 - to let know, inform
보고서 - report
작성하다 - to write, compose
동료 - colleague
청소하다 - to clean
환불하다 - to refund
Common mistakes
- ⚠️ Don't forget that -달라고 is used specifically with the verb 주다 (to give) - it reports requests for someone to give or do something for the speaker
- 🔄 Remember that -달라고 changes to -라고 after verb stems (e.g., 도와 달라고, 해 달라고)
- 🗣️ Don't confuse -달라고 (indirect request) with -라고 하다 (indirect statement) - they serve different grammatical purposes
- ✋ Be careful with the politeness level - the reported request uses -달라고 regardless of how politely the original request was made