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Explaining Korean Object Particles 을 and 를 to Beginners

1/7/2025

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In Korean, the object particles 을 and 를 are used to indicate the object of a sentence, much like how "to" or "the" might function in English. Their usage depends on whether the noun they follow has a final consonant (받침) or not. Here's a simple and detailed explanation for beginners:
1. What Are Object Particles?Object particles mark the object in a sentence — the person or thing that receives the action of the verb. For example:
  • 사과를 먹어요 → "I eat an apple."
    • Here, 사과를 shows that "apple" is the object being eaten.

2. When to Use 을 or 를?The choice between 을 and 를 depends on the final sound of the noun:
  • Use 을 if the noun ends with a consonant.
  • Use 를 if the noun ends with a vowel.

3. Breaking It Down:(1) Use 을 after a consonantIf the noun ends with a consonant sound, attach 을:
  • 책 (book) → 책을
    • 책을 읽어요. → "I read a book."
  • 밥 (rice) → 밥을
    • 밥을 먹어요. → "I eat rice."
(2) Use 를 after a vowelIf the noun ends with a vowel sound, attach 를:
  • 사과 (apple) → 사과를
    • 사과를 먹어요. → "I eat an apple."
  • 영화 (movie) → 영화를
    • 영화를 봐요. → "I watch a movie."

4. Easy Rule for Beginners
  • Check the last letter of the noun:
    1. If it has a 받침 (final consonant), use 을.
    2. If it doesn’t have a 받침 (ends in a vowel), use 를.

5. Quick PracticeHere are some nouns. Let’s add 을 or 를:
  • 고양이 (cat) → 고양이를
  • 물 (water) → 물을
  • 커피 (coffee) → 커피를
  • 책 (book) → 책을

6. Why This Matters?Using the correct object particle makes your sentence grammatically clear and helps you sound more natural in Korean.

7. Helpful TipThink of 을 and 를 as tools to connect the object to the action. This concept is unique to Korean grammar, but with practice, it will feel natural!
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Final ending (어말어미)

7/7/2024

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Final ending(어말어미) is not just a theoretical concept, but a practical tool in Korean grammar. It's an ending that comes at the end of a verb, adjective, or predicate particle when it is conjugated. There are connective endings(연결어미) that connect to the next word, transformative endings(전성어미) that change the part of speech, and final endings(종결어미) that conclude the sentence. These final endings are essential for forming complete sentences in Korean and conveying meaning effectively.
  1. Connective endings (연결 어미): These endings connect to the next word, allowing for the creation of complex sentences and phrases.
    Ex) "-고" (and) - 나는 밥을 먹고 친구를 만났다. (I ate rice and met my friend.)
  2. Transformative endings (전성 어미): These endings change the part of speech of the word they are attached to, allowing for flexibility in sentence construction.
    - Noun transformative endings (명사형 전성 어미)
      Ex) "-ㅁ/음"
      그의 꿈은 세계 여행을 하는 것이다. (His dream is to travel around the world.)  꾸다(Verb) --> 꿈(Noun)              그의 울음은 나를 슬프게 했다. (His crying made me sad.) 울다(Verb) --> 울음(Noun)    
  3. - Determiner/Unconjugated adjective transformative endings (관형사형 전성 어미) 
      Ex) "-ㄴ/은"
      예쁜 꽃이 피었다. (A pretty flower bloomed.)                                                                                                              예쁘다(Adjective) --> 예쁜(Determiner adjective)                                                                                                        적은 돈이라도 아껴 쓰세요. (Even if you have a small amount of money, save it.)                                                      적다(Adjective) --> 적은(Determiner adjective)
    -  Adverbial transformative endings (부사형 전성 어미)
       Ex) "-게"
       그는 빠르게 달린다. (He runs fast.)
    These transformative endings allow you to change the part of speech of a word, making it easier to express complex ideas and nuances in Korean.
  4. Sentence endings (종결 어미): These endings conclude the sentence, expressing various moods, tenses, and attitudes.
    Ex) "-습니다" (polite declarative sentence ending) - 저는 한국어를 공부합니다. (I study Korean.) 
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The stem and ending of predicates

6/4/2024

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Let's study the sentence, “안녕하세요, 오늘 날씨가 정말 좋네요.”
The base form or dictionary form of "안녕하세요" is "안녕하다".
Korean verbs and adjectives are formed by combining a word's stem and an ending.
Unlike English adjectives, Korean adjectives have a descriptive function similar to verbs.

In Korean, "안녕하세요" is an adjective.

The "안녕하-" in "안녕하세요" is the stem, which is the part that doesn't change when the adjective is conjugated.
In "안녕하세요," "-세요" is an interrogative ending of ordinary honorifics as 안녕하세요 is asking the other person's status politely.

"가" in "날씨가" is a subjective particle that tells us that the weather is the subject of the sentence.

The base form of "좋네요" is "좋다."
The stem of 좋네요 is "좋," and "네요" is an exclamatory sentence final ending. The final ending of exclamatory sentences in Korean is 감탄형 종결어미, and the interrogative ending of ordinary honorifics is 예사 높임의 의문형 종결 어미.
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띄어쓰기 (Word Spacing)

8/9/2023

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In written Korean, the correct spacing between words is essential in order to send the right message.

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활용 (Conjugation)

8/8/2023

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In Korean, the process of changing the form of verbs and adjectives to express different grammatical meanings or functions is called 활용 (Conjugation). This is achieved by attaching various elements called 어미(ending) to the 어간(stem). 어간 does not change when conjugated. 어간 and 어미 can be separated into distinct units, and 어간 generally have a consistent form. The combination of 어간 and 어미 allows verbs and adjectives to convey a wide range of grammatical meanings and functions.

Terminology:
  • 활용 (Conjugation) refers to the conjugation of verbs and adjectives in Korean.
  • 어미 (ending) is the ending attached to the 어간 (stem) of verbs and adjectives to change their form.
  • 어간 (stem) is the stem of a verb or adjective.
  • The combination of 어간 and 어미 allows for a variety of grammatical meanings and functions.
Examples:
  • 먹다  - to eat
  • 먹어요 - I eat (polite)
  • 먹었어요  - I ate (polite)
  • 먹을거예요 - I will eat (polite)


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The structure of Korean sentences.

8/8/2023

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There are five basic Korean sentence structures. ​
S1) Subject+ Predicate (S+P).
토끼가 뛴다.
​
A rabbit jumps.​
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S2) Subject + Adverb+ Predicate (S+A+P).
토끼가 높이 뛴다.
​The rabbit jumps high. 
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S3) Subject + Object + Predicate (S+O+P).
토끼가 풀을 먹는다.
The rabbit eats grass. ​
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S4) Subject + Complement + Predicate (S + C +P).
토끼는 새가 아니다.
The rabbit is not a bird. ​
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S5) Subject + Object + Adverb + Predicate (S+O+A+P).
토끼가 풀을 많이 먹는다.
The rabbit eats grass a lot.
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품사 (Parts of speech)

8/8/2023

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품사는 문법적 관점에서 단어들이 가지고 있는 공통성을 기준으로 단어들을 분류한 유형입니다.
​Parts of speech are the types of words categorized based on the commonalities they have from a grammatical point of view.

한국어에서 쓰이는 모든 단어는 명사, 대명사, 동사, 형용사, 부사, 감탄사, 관형사, 수사, 조사 등 9 품사로 분류됩니다.
All words used in Korean can be categorized into 9 parts of speech: noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, interjection, pre-noun, numeral, and postposition.
반면에 영어 단어들은 명사, 대명사, 동사, 형용사, 부사, 감탄사, 접속사, 전치사 등 8 품사로 분류됩니다. 
On the other hand, English words are categorized into eight parts of speech: noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, interjection, conjunction, and preposition.
명사, 대명사, 동사, 형용사, 부사, 감탄사는 한국어와 영어에서 모두 공통되는 품사입니다.
Nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and interjections are common parts of speech in both Korean and English.
한국어는 언어의 특성상, 관형사와 조사라는 품사가 있습니다.
Due to the nature of Korean language, there are parts of speech called pre-noun and postposition.
​관형사는 명사, 대명사, 및 수사 앞에 놓여 이런 명사들을 수식합니다. 관형사는 형용사처럼 활용되지 않습니다.
Pre-nouns are placed before nouns, pronouns, and numerals to modify these words. Pre-nouns are not conjugated like adjectives.
​영어의 전치사는 단어 앞에 붙지만, 조사는 단어 뒤에 붙습니다.
​In English, prepositions are placed before words, whereas particles are placed after words.
조사는 명사, 대명사, 수사, 부사 뒤에 위치하여 그 단어들을 수식합니다. 
Postpositions are placed after nouns, pronouns, numerals, and adverbs and modify them. ​
한국어 문장에는 단어 사이에 공백이 있습니다. 그러나 단어와 조사 사이에는 공백이 없습니다.
In a Korean sentence, there is a space between words. But there is no space between a word and a postposition.
다른 단어들과는 달리 조사라는 단어는 문장에서 단독으로 사용될 수 없습니다. 
Unlike other words, the word postposition can not be used alone in the sentence. ​
조사는 문장안에서 단어를 주어나 목적어로 만듭니다. 또한, 조사는 단어에 특별한 의미를 부여하거나 단어 사이의 접속사 역할을 합니다.
Postpositions make the words a subject or an object in the sentence. 
Also, postpositions add a special meaning to the words, or work as a conjunction between words.
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