🏗️ 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:

1. First, say WHO is ordering (나는 = I)
2. Next, say WHAT you want (피자를 = pizza)
3. Finally, say the ACTION (먹어요 = eat)

Examples to Remember

💡 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?

🎯 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?”

Everyone knows you’re talking about yourself!

When You Can Leave Out the Object

Context: Talking about pizza you both see

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

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

How They Combine

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

Sentence Types Through Endings

Same word, different endings = different meanings!

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

1. SOV Order: Subject → Object → Verb (verb ALWAYS last!)
2. Flexible: Particles let words move around
3. Omission: Drop obvious subjects/objects
4. Topic vs Subject: 은/는 (topic) vs 이/가 (subject)
5. Demonstratives: 이 (near me), 그 (near you), 저 (far)
6. 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!