[Grammar] N이/가, N은/는, N을/를 : 조사 Particles

Korean Particles mostly attached to a noun, so there is no space between nouns and particles. Let’s see what kind of particles are in Korean.

 

1. Subject particles -이/가

Noun(ends with a consonant) + 이

Noun(ends with a vowel) + 가

	Noun(ends with a vowel)	Noun(ends with a consonant)
Subject particles	Noun(ends with a vowel) + 가 날씨가 좋아요. The weather is nice.	Noun(ends with a consonant) + 이 이름이 뭐예요? What's your name? 오늘이 며칠이에요? What's the date today? 과일이 비싸요. The fruit is expensive.
Topic particles	Noun(ends with a vowel) + 는 저는 송주미예요. I am Song Jumi. 저는 미국 사람이에요. I am American. 선생님은 한국 사람이에요. The teacher is Korean.	Noun(ends with a consonant) + 은 제 친구는 한국어를 잘해요. 그런데 저는 한국어를 못해요. My friend speaks Korean very well, but I don’t. (제 친구가 => 제 친구는, 제가 => 저는 )
Object particles	Noun(ends with a vowel) + 를 커피를 마셔요. 친구를 만나요.	Noun(ends with a consonant) + 을 책을 읽어요. 음악을 들어요.

 

Subject particles attach to a noun to tell us that noun is a subject in a sentence.

Koreans often drop the subject particle –이/가 when they make conversations.

 

-  연필 있어요? Do you have pencils?

-  연필 없어요. I don’t have pencils.

-  돈 있어요? Do you have money?

 

2. Topic particles or comparison particles -은/는

-은 and 는 are not subject particle.

-은/는 can substitute -이/가(subject particle) and -을/를(object particle), which means you CAN’T use the topic particle and the subject/object particle for one noun.

 

When -은/는 are topic particles, they substitute subject particles or object particles, which means you cannot use -이/가(or 을/를) and 은/는 at the same time. 

Noun(ends with a consonant) + 은 Noun(ends with a vowel) + 는

 

2-1 When you introduce a noun 

저는 송주미예요. I am Song Jumi.

저는 미국 사람이에요. I am American.

선생님은 한국 사람이에요. The teacher is Korean.

 

2-3 -은/는 also can mean ‘comparison’.

은/는 is used when comparing or contrasting two things, and in such cases it can be attached not only to subjects but also the objects or other parts of the sentence.

 

제시카는 미국 사람이에요. 그렇지만 세라는 케나다 사람이에요.

Jessica is American However, Sarah is Canadian.

 

나는 사과는 좋아해요. 그런데 수박은 안 좋아해요.

I like apples, but I don’t like water melons. (사과를 => 사과는 수박을 => 수박은 )

 

제 친구는 한국어를 잘해요. 그런데 저는 한국어를 못해요.

My friend speaks Korean very well, but I don’t. (제 친구가 => 제 친구는, 제가 => 저는 ) 

 

3. Object particles -을/를

Object particles attach to a noun to tell us that noun is an object in a sentence. 

 

Noun(ends with a consonant) + 을

Noun(ends with a vowel) + 를

 

밥을 안 먹었어요. I didn’t eat a meal.

커피를 마셔요. I am drinking coffee.