Grammar basics

Korean grammar works very differently from English, but it follows consistent, logical patterns. The two biggest adjustments for English speakers: verbs come at the end of sentences, and small words called "particles" attach to nouns to show their role. Once you internalise these patterns, Korean becomes surprisingly predictable.

Sentence structure

Unlike English (Subject-Verb-Object), Korean uses Subject-Object-Verb order. The verb always comes last. This means you need to hear the whole sentence before you know what action is being described. It also means you can often drop the subject if it's clear from context — the verb ending tells you who's speaking:

English	Korean	Literally
I eat rice.	저는 밥을 먹어요.	I (topic) rice (object) eat

The verb always comes at the end.

Particles

Particles are small words that attach to nouns to show their function in a sentence — whether something is the subject, the object, a location, a time, etc. English uses word order for this ("The dog bit the man" vs "The man bit the dog"), but Korean uses particles. This means Korean word order is flexible: as long as the right particles are attached, the meaning is clear. Think of particles as labels that tell you what role each noun plays:

Particle	Function	Example
은/는	Topic marker	저는 (as for me)
이/가	Subject marker	밥이 (the rice)
을/를	Object marker	밥을 (rice as object)
에	Location, time	학교에 (to school)
에서	Location of action	학교에서 (at school)
의	Possession	저의 책 (my book)
와/과, 하고	And, with	친구와 (with friend)
도	Also	저도 (me too)

은/는 vs 이/가: The topic marker (은/는) and subject marker (이/가) confuse many learners. The topic marker introduces what you're talking about ("As for me..."), while the subject marker identifies who or what is doing something. Often they overlap, but 은/는 emphasises contrast or introduces new topics, while 이/가 emphasises the subject itself.

• Use 은 after consonants, 는 after vowels
• Use 이 after consonants, 가 after vowels

This/That

Korean has three levels of distance for demonstratives (this/that), not just two like English. "이" refers to things near the speaker, "그" refers to things near the listener or just mentioned, and "저" refers to things far from both people. Add "것" (thing) to make pronouns:

Korean	Meaning
이	this (near speaker)
그	that (near listener)
저	that (far from both)
이것	this thing
그것	that thing
저것	that thing over there

Basic sentence patterns

Korean sentences follow predictable patterns. Learning these templates lets you generate countless sentences by swapping vocabulary. The patterns below are the foundations you'll use constantly.

A는 B예요/이에요 (A is B)

This is the basic "A is B" pattern for equating two things. Korean doesn't have a verb "to be" like English — instead, the copula (예요/이에요) attaches directly to the noun. Use 이에요 when the noun ends in a consonant, 예요 when it ends in a vowel:

• 저는 학생이에요 — I am a student
• 이것은 책이에요 — This is a book

Use 이에요 after consonants, 예요 after vowels.

Negation

Korean has several ways to negate statements, depending on whether you're saying something isn't done (안), can't be done (못), or isn't something (아니에요). The negation word comes before the verb:

안 + verb (not) — for things you choose not to do:

• 안 먹어요 — I don't eat

못 + verb (cannot):

• 못 먹어요 — I can't eat

Noun + 아니에요 (is not):

• 학생이 아니에요 — I'm not a student

Questions

Forming questions in Korean is simple: just raise your intonation at the end, or add a question word. The sentence structure stays the same — there's no need to rearrange words like in English ("You are going" → "Are you going?"). In Korean, "가요" (go) with falling intonation means "I'm going"; with rising intonation, it means "Are you going?":

• 이거 뭐예요? — What is this?
• 어디 가요? — Where are you going?

Question word	Meaning
뭐	what
누구	who
어디	where
언제	when
왜	why
어떻게	how
얼마	how much

Speech levels

Korean encodes respect and social relationships directly into verb endings. The same verb has different forms depending on who you're speaking to: a boss, a friend, or a child. This isn't optional politeness — using the wrong level can be offensive or awkward. There are seven speech levels, but only three are commonly used in modern Korean. Start with the polite (해요) level, which is appropriate for most situations:

Level	Usage	Example
Formal (합니다)	Business, news	먹습니다
Polite (해요)	Everyday polite	먹어요
Casual (해)	Friends, younger	먹어

Start with 해요 (polite) level.

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