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    This document provides an overview of basic grammar concepts in the Korean language, including: 1) Korean uses particles added to the end of words rather than changing word forms. This makes the rules clear without exceptions. 2) Korean does not use articles like "the" and "a(n)". Context determines their meaning. 3) Particles like -과/-와/-하고 are used as conjunctions meaning "and". 4) Subject and topic markers -이/-가 and -은/-는 indicate what is doing the action and what is being talked about, respectively. 5) The verb 이다 acts as a copula to link subjects to predicates

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    BASICS 1

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    This document provides an overview of basic grammar concepts in the Korean language, including: 1) Korean uses particles added to the end of words rather than changing word forms. This makes the rules clear without exceptions. 2) Korean does not use articles like "the" and "a(n)". Context determines their meaning. 3) Particles like -과/-와/-하고 are used as conjunctions meaning "and". 4) Subject and topic markers -이/-가 and -은/-는 indicate what is doing the action and what is being talked about, respectively. 5) The verb 이다 acts as a copula to link subjects to predicates

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    32 views4 pages

    Basics 1

    Uploaded by

    Andi A
    This document provides an overview of basic grammar concepts in the Korean language, including: 1) Korean uses particles added to the end of words rather than changing word forms. This makes the rules clear without exceptions. 2) Korean does not use articles like "the" and "a(n)". Context determines their meaning. 3) Particles like -과/-와/-하고 are used as conjunctions meaning "and". 4) Subject and topic markers -이/-가 and -은/-는 indicate what is doing the action and what is being talked about, respectively. 5) The verb 이다 acts as a copula to link subjects to predicates

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    of 4

    31/03/22 08.

    01 Duolingo - The world's best way to learn Korean

    Basics 1
    29 8 165

    To Be
    In this lesson we're going to learn how to make some sentences using the verb ~이다,
    corresponding to the English verb to be. Let's get started!

    Nouns
    Korean nouns do not decline for number, case, or gender. The noun is the noun. Period.
    Simpler than English.

    However, Korean is an agglutinating or agglutinative language. Rather than changing the


    base noun depending on its use in a sentence, extra pieces called particles are added to
    introduce more meaning. In general these pieces are added to the end of the word.

    While that may seem scary, agglutinating languages usually have very clear rules so that
    people don't get confused when a basic word becomes buried inside a larger piece. The same
    is true for Korean. This means that you don't have to worry about memorizing exceptions to
    the rules, like we do in English!

    The and A(n)


    Korean does not have articles, and only context tells you whether you would need a "the" if
    said in English. The article "a(n)" is not used.

    And
    One common piece is and. Unlike in English where there is one word for "and" that can
    function in all situations, Korean has several. We introduce three here; all of which are used
    with nouns.

    Korean Example Usage

    ~하고 남자하고 Common in speaking

    ~와 남자와 Common in writing, after a


    vowel

    ~과 소년과 Common in writing, after a


    consonant

    Topic and Subject

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    31/03/22 08.01 Duolingo - The world's best way to learn Korean

    The most common, and trickiest, particles represent the topic and the subject of a sentences.
    Basics 1
    These two particles represent two different, but overlapping,29
    ideas. 8 165

    The subject marker shows who is doing the action.

    Korean Example Usage

    ~이 소년이 After a consonant

    ~가 남자가 After a vowel

    The topic marker shows what the speaker is talking about.

    Korean Example Usage

    ~은 소년은 After a consonant

    ~는 남자는 After a vowel

    Note: 는 is often contracted to -ㄴ in spoken language. (남자는 → 남잔)

    The topic marker adds emphasis, contrast, or limits what is being talked about. 저 (meaning
    "I") becomes 제 before the subject particle 가.

    Usage Example Explanation

    Limited topic 저는 여자입니다. (I am a Irrelevant of anyone else, I


    woman.) am a woman. (May imply
    that someone else might be
    as well.)

    Contrasting topic 저는 여자입니다. (I am a Unlike the others, I am a


    woman.) woman.

    Subject 제가 여자입니다. (I am a I am a woman. (May imply


    woman.) that out of the given
    options, I am the one who
    is a woman.)

    은/는 can be used with general statements as well because you only want to talk about the
    notion as a group, and nothing else.

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    31/03/22 08.01 Duolingo - The world's best way to learn Korean

    Usage Example Basics 1 Explanation


    29 8 165
    General topic 빵은 음식입니다. (Bread is Bread, for one, is food.
    food.)

    General subject 빵이 음식입니다. (Bread is Out of the given choices, it


    food.) is bread that is food.

    A sentence may have several topics. Why a topic is not considered as a special case of a
    subject will be explained later.

    Copula
    The verb ~이다 is the only verb that is agglutinative.

    English Korean

    (It) is X. X입니다.*

    Y is X. Y가/는 X입니다.

    In the speech level (more about that later) we're using at this point in the course, this verb
    will always be realized as ~입니다 for a statement.

    To Not Be
    Korean has a separate verb, 아니다, which means "not to be." This verb is not agglutinative,
    and it comes after the thing that the subject is not, or a complement. The complement
    particle is also 이/가. At this point, this will always be realized as 아닙니다.

    English Korean

    (It) is not X. X가 아닙니다.*

    Y is not X. Y가/는 X가 아닙니다.

    PLURAL MARKER 들
    There is a plural suffix, 들, but using 들 is often optional. It can be omitted if plurality is
    implied within the sentence, and is otherwise necessary for animate nouns/people but
    uncommon with inanimate nouns.

    들 is not used when making a general statement.

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    31/03/22 08.01 Duolingo - The world's best way to learn Korean

    Korean English Basics 1 Usage


    29 8 165
    남자는 사람입니다. Men are people. General statement

    남자들은 사람입니다. The men are people. Referring to actual, specific


    men

    의
    As an exception, 의 as a particle (meaning of) can also be pronounced 에.

    Where is the subject?


    When the subject (or any other sentence component) is well implied in the context, you may
    freely drop it in Korean, though you will mostly see and be asked to submit full sentences
    here since translation exercises do not come with any context. If you come across an
    incomplete sentence in this course, then the dropped component is probably people in
    general (often translated to one or you) or something very obvious even without context.
    Otherwise we accept every possible pronoun for the omitted components.

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