Learning About Korean Sentence Structures

Are you fascinated by the Korean language and eager to become fluent in it? One of the toughest parts of learning the Korean language is mastering the sentence structure. It differs from how sentences are formed in English, and can be challenging for many learners. Placing words in the wrong sequence can drastically change the meaning of your sentence and cause misunderstandings. Whether you are a beginner just starting to learn the Korean language or an advanced learner looking to refine your skills, this blog post will provide you with valuable insights and practical tips to help you navigate the intricacies of Korean sentence structures.

Korean Sentence Structure vs English Sentence Structure

• • Subject-Object-Verb

    Most basic Korean sentences follow the Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) pattern. It is one of the most striking differences between Korean and English sentences as the latter follows a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order. For example, in English, we would say "I ate an apple," while in Korean, the same sentence would be "I an apple ate." Additionally, the subject (i.e. I, she, he) is often omitted from the sentence if it is clear from the context, which can take some getting used to for English speakers.

    Examples:

    

    • I ate an apple = 저는 사과를 먹었어요 (jeo-neun sa-gwa-leul meog-eoss-eo-yo)
      - Subject: 저 jeo = I
      - Object: 사과 sa-gwa = apple
      - Verb: 먹었어요 meog-eoss-eo-yo = ate
    • I am reading a book = 저는 책을 읽고 있어요 (jeo-neun chaeg-eul ilg-go iss-eo-yo)
      - Subject: 저 jeo = I
      - Object: 책 chaeg = book
      - Verb: 읽고 있어요 ilg-go iss-eo-yo = reading

• • Subject-Verb

    For certain sentences where there is no object involved, the sentence follows the Subject-Verb order, which is similar to English sentence structure.

    Examples:

    • Professor came = 교수님이 오셨다 (gyo-su-nim-i o-syeoss-da)
      - Subject: 교수님 gyo-su-min = professor
      - Verb: 오셨다 o-syeoss-da = came
    • Father laughed = 아빠가 웃었다 (a-ppa-ga us-eoss-da)
      - Subject: 아빠 a-ppa = father
      - Verb: 웃었다 us-eoss-da = laughed

• • Subject-Adjective

    At times, when you’d like to describe something, the sentence may only contain a subject and an adjective. This structure is also similar to English, where it follows the Subject-Adjective format.

    Examples:

    

    • The food is delicious = 음식이 맛있어요 (eum-sig-i mas-iss-eo-yo)
      - Subject: 음식 eum-sig = food
      - Adjective: 맛있어요 mas-iss-eo-yo = delicious
    • I’m tired = 저는 피곤해요 (jeo-neun pi-gon-hae-yo)
      - Subject: 저 jeo = I
      - Adjective: 피곤해요 pi-gon-hae-yo = tired

   

  Korean Particles

  You may have noticed that there are additional words in the sentences listed above that do not seem to hold any meaning. For example, 이, 는, and 를. These are Korean particles, which are an essential part of Korean grammar that play an important role in clarifying the relationships between words in a sentence.

  • 이/가 (i/ga): 이/가 are subject markers placed immediately after the noun to point to the subject of a sentence. For example, 아빠가 웃었다 (a-ppa-ga us-eoss-da). The subject in this sentence is 아빠 (a-ppa).
  • 을/를 (eul/leul): 을/를 are object markers placed after the object of a sentence. For example, 저는 책을 읽고 있어요 (jeo-neun chaeg-eul ilg-go iss-eo-yo). In this sentence, the object is 책 (chaeg).
  • 은/는 (eun/neun): 은/는 are topic markers that follow a noun to introduce it as the topic of the conversation. For example, 저는 사과를 먹었어요 (jeo-neun sa-gwa-leul meog-eoss-eo-yo). In this case, this conversation talks about “my experience” (저 jeo = I) eating an apple.
    
    Subject Markers vs Topic Markers

    You must be wondering what’s the difference between subject markers 이/가 (i/ga) and topic markers 은/는 (eun/neun). A topic marker is often used to imply contrast, while a subject marker simply indicates which word in a sentence is the subject.For example, when someone says “the bread is delicious” (빵은 맛있어요 ppang-eun mas-iss-eo-yo), they are implying that the bread is delicious while something else is not.

   

  Mastering the sentence structure of the Korean language can be difficult, but with practice and persistence, you can become fluent in no time.

  Interested in learning more about the Korean language? ONLYOU Korean Language School offers Korean classes in Singapore to teach learners of different proficiency levels. Find out more about our Korean lessons here.