🏗️ Building Korean Sentences: Your Construction Guide
The Big Picture: Building with Blocks
Imagine you’re building with LEGO blocks. In English, you put blocks in a strict order: who → does what → to what. But Korean? It’s like a magical LEGO set where the blocks can move around, and you can even leave some blocks out! The secret? Each block has a special sticker (a particle) that tells everyone what job it does.
1️⃣ Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) Word Order
The Basic Recipe
In English, we say: “I eat pizza” (Subject → Verb → Object)
In Korean, it’s: “I pizza eat” (Subject → Object → Verb)
English: I eat pizza
↓ ↓ ↓
Korean: 나는 피자를 먹어요
I pizza eat
Think of it Like a Restaurant Order
🍕 The Korean Way:
- First, say WHO is ordering (나는 = I)
- Next, say WHAT you want (피자를 = pizza)
- Finally, say the ACTION (먹어요 = eat)
Examples to Remember
| English | Korean | Word-by-Word |
|---|---|---|
| I read a book | 나는 책을 읽어요 | I + book + read |
| She drinks water | 그녀는 물을 마셔요 | She + water + drink |
| We watch movies | 우리는 영화를 봐요 | We + movie + watch |
💡 Key Insight: The VERB always comes at the END in Korean. Always. No exceptions. It’s like the period at the end of a sentence!
2️⃣ Flexible Word Order
The Magic of Korean Particles
Here’s where Korean gets exciting! Those little “stickers” (particles) on each word? They let you shuffle words around!
는/은 = marks the TOPIC or SUBJECT 을/를 = marks the OBJECT (what receives the action)
Watch the Magic
All of these mean “I eat pizza”:
나는 피자를 먹어요 (Normal order)
↓ ↓ ↓
I pizza eat
피자를 나는 먹어요 (Pizza first for emphasis)
↓ ↓ ↓
pizza I eat
Both sentences are correct! The particles (는, 를) tell us who’s doing what.
Why Change the Order?
| Order | Meaning/Emphasis |
|---|---|
| 나는 피자를 먹어요 | “I eat pizza” (normal) |
| 피자를 나는 먹어요 | “PIZZA is what I eat” (emphasizing pizza) |
🎯 Remember: The verb ALWAYS stays at the end. Only the subject and object can dance around!
3️⃣ Subject and Object Omission
The Disappearing Act
Korean speakers often drop words when the meaning is clear from context. It’s like texting shortcuts!
When You Can Leave Out the Subject
Context: Your friend asks “What are you doing?”
| Full Response | Short Response |
|---|---|
| 나는 밥을 먹어요 | 밥 먹어요 |
| (I rice eat) | (rice eat) |
Everyone knows you’re talking about yourself!
When You Can Leave Out the Object
Context: Talking about pizza you both see
| Full | Short |
|---|---|
| 나는 피자를 좋아해요 | 좋아해요! |
| (I pizza like) | (Like!) |
The Super Short Version
Sometimes both subject AND object disappear:
Q: 뭐 해요? (What doing?)
A: 먹어요! (Eating!)
⚠️ Important: Only drop words when the context makes the meaning crystal clear!
4️⃣ Topic vs Subject: The Subtle Difference
The Great Debate: 은/는 vs 이/가
This is where many learners get confused. Let’s make it simple!
은/는 = TOPIC marker (What we’re talking ABOUT) 이/가 = SUBJECT marker (Who DOES the action)
The Spotlight Analogy 🔦
Think of a stage play:
- 은/는 puts a gentle spotlight on something: “Speaking of THIS…”
- 이/가 is like a bright spotlight: “THIS ONE right here does it!”
Examples That Make It Clear
| Marker | Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 은/는 | 나는 학생이에요 | “As for me, I’m a student” (introducing yourself) |
| 이/가 | 내가 학생이에요 | “I’M the student!” (answering “Who’s the student?”) |
Quick Rule
- New information → Use 이/가
- Known/contrasted info → Use 은/는
Q: 누가 했어요? (Who did it?)
A: 내가 했어요! (I did it!)
↑ 가 marks NEW information
5️⃣ Demonstratives: 이/그/저
Pointing Words in Korean
Korean has THREE words for “this/that” based on distance:
graph TD A["Speaker 🧑"] --> B["이 = THIS<br/>Near speaker"] A --> C["그 = THAT<br/>Near listener or mentioned before"] A --> D["저 = THAT over there<br/>Far from both"]
The Distance Chart
| Korean | English | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| 이 | This | Close to ME |
| 그 | That | Close to YOU or already mentioned |
| 저 | That over there | Far from BOTH of us |
How They Combine
| Base | + 것 (thing) | + 사람 (person) | + 곳 (place) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 이 | 이것 (this thing) | 이 사람 (this person) | 이곳 (this place) |
| 그 | 그것 (that thing) | 그 사람 (that person) | 그곳 (that place) |
| 저 | 저것 (that thing over there) | 저 사람 (that person) | 저곳 (that place) |
Real-Life Examples
이것은 뭐예요? = What is THIS? (pointing at something near you)
그것은 제 거예요 = THAT is mine (pointing at something near listener)
저것 좀 봐요! = Look at THAT! (pointing at something far away)
6️⃣ Sentence Endings and Meaning
The Power of Endings
Korean sentence endings completely change the mood and politeness level. The verb stem stays the same, but the ending transforms everything!
Politeness Levels
| Level | Ending | Example (to eat) | When to Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Formal | -ㅂ니다/습니다 | 먹습니다 | Business, news, speeches |
| Polite | -아요/어요 | 먹어요 | Everyday conversations |
| Casual | -아/어 | 먹어 | Close friends, younger people |
Sentence Types Through Endings
Same word, different endings = different meanings!
| Type | Ending | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statement | 먹어요 | 나는 먹어요 | I eat |
| Question | 먹어요? ↗ | 먹어요? | Do you eat? |
| Suggestion | 먹을까요? | 먹을까요? | Shall we eat? |
| Command | 먹어요/드세요 | 드세요 | Please eat |
Rising and Falling Tone
먹어요. ↘ = I eat. (statement - voice goes down)
먹어요? ↗ = Do you eat? (question - voice goes up)
🎭 Fun Fact: Written Korean doesn’t always use question marks in casual writing. Context and tone tell you if it’s a question!
🎯 Putting It All Together
Let’s build a complete sentence step by step:
Goal: “That person over there eats this pizza”
Step 1: WHO? → 저 사람 (that person over there)
Step 2: Add topic marker → 저 사람은
Step 3: WHAT? → 이 피자 (this pizza)
Step 4: Add object marker → 이 피자를
Step 5: ACTION (at the end!) → 먹어요
Final: 저 사람은 이 피자를 먹어요!
📝 Quick Summary
- SOV Order: Subject → Object → Verb (verb ALWAYS last!)
- Flexible: Particles let words move around
- Omission: Drop obvious subjects/objects
- Topic vs Subject: 은/는 (topic) vs 이/가 (subject)
- Demonstratives: 이 (near me), 그 (near you), 저 (far)
- Endings: Change mood, politeness, and sentence type
🚀 You’ve Got This! Korean sentence structure is like a flexible puzzle. Once you understand the pieces and their markers, you can build anything. The verb stays at the end like an anchor, and everything else can dance around with their particle partners!