Lesson 1 Notes

Korean follows the SOV (Subject-Object-Verb) word order pattern:

• Subject (S) + Object (O) + Verb (V)

This is different from English which follows SVO order:

Key point: In Korean, the verb always comes at the end of the sentence.

Korean Particles

Topic Particle: 은/는

Used to introduce or contrast a topic - shows what the sentence is about.

• 은: used with nouns ending with 받침 (batchim/final consonant)
• 는: used with nouns ending without 받침

Example: 물(water)은 (with batchim), 너(you)는 (without batchim)

Note: When using a name with batchim, you must use 이는 (e.g., 채원이는)

Subject Marker: 이/가

Shows who or what is performing the action (the subject).

• 이: used with nouns ending with 받침
• 가: used with nouns ending without 받침

Example: With batchim - 채원이가, Without batchim - 유미가

Object Marker: 을/를

Indicates the object of a verb - the thing receiving the action.

• 을: used with nouns ending with 받침
• 를: used with nouns ending without 받침

Korean Sentence Endings

Formal/Polite Endings: 이에요/예요

These endings mean "is" or "am" in a polite form (similar to です in Japanese).

• 이에요: used with nouns ending with 받침
• 예요: used with nouns ending without 받침

Examples:

• 물(water)이에요 (with batchim): "It is water."
• 사과(apple)예요 (without batchim): "It is an apple."

Casual Endings: 이야/야

These endings mean "is" or "am" in a casual form (similar to だ in Japanese).

• 이야: used with nouns ending with 받침
• 야: used with nouns ending without 받침

Examples:

• 물(water)이야 (with batchim): "It's water."
• 사과(apple)야 (without batchim): "It's an apple."

Korean Personal Pronouns

Professions in Korean

Nationality in Korean

Pattern: [Country] + 인 (person)

Example Sentences

Formal/Polite Form (이에요/예요)

• 저는 학생이에요. (I am a student.)
• 그는 선생님이에요. (He is a teacher.)
• 나는 배우예요. (I am an actor.)
• 그녀는 요리사예요. (She is a chef.)
• 유미는 경찰이에요? (Is Yumi a police officer?)
• 저는 한국인이에요. (I am Korean.)
• 채원씨는 일본인이에요? (Is Chaewon Japanese?)
• 아니요, 저는 한국인이에요. (No, I am Korean.)

Casual Form (이야/야)

• 수진이는 학생이야. (Sujin is a student.)
• 민석이는 의사야. (Minseok is a doctor.)
• 우리는 회사원이야. (We are office workers.)
• 너는 간호사야? (Are you a nurse?)
• 그들은 모델이야? (Are they models?)
• 나는 가수야. (I am a singer.)
• 브린스니는 영국인이야? (Is Brinsley British?)
• 응, 나는 영국인이야. (Yes, I am British.)

Responding to Questions

Honorific Titles

• 님 (nim): Honorific suffix used with titles (e.g., 선생님 - teacher, 부모님 - parents)
• 씨 (ssi): Similar to Mr./Ms./Mrs., attached after names (e.g., 유미씨 - Ms. Yumi)

Pronunciation Notes

• 간호사 (nurse) is pronounced [가노사]
• 읽다 (to read) is pronounced [익따]
• 읽어요 (I read) is pronounced [일거요]
• 영국인 (British person) is pronounced [영구긴]