[Grammar] Particle : N에 : N이/가 N에 있어요/ 없어요

1. -에 is a particle that has many meanings. 

1-1 Place (existence) 

-에 often with 있어요/없어요 and 살아요

it means something/someone is at/on/in a place.

 

선생님이 학교에 있어요.

(The teacher is at the school. )

 

수연 씨가 도서관에 있어요. 

(Soo yeun is at the library.

 

언니가 집에 없어요.

My older sister is not at home.

 

 

1-2. Place (destination)

 

-에 often with 가요(go)/와요(come)/다녀요(attend), it indicates a destination.

 

어디에 가요?

Where are you going?

 

저는 지금 집에 가요.

I am going home.

 

화장실에 가요.

I am going to the restroom.

 

언제 한국에 와요?

When are you coming to Korea?

 

저는 A대학교에 다녀요.

I am attending at A University.

 

1-3. Time 

 

1) -에 also means verb/adjective happens at/in/on the time.

 

내년에 케나다에 가요.

I am going to Canada next year.

 

금요일에 친구 집에 가요.

I am going to my friend’s house on Friday.

 

아침에 학교에 있어요.

I am at school in the morning.

 

12시에 점심 먹어요.

I eat lunch at 12 o’clock.

 

2) As you can see, you can use two 에 in one sentence which are different meanings. You should add 에 after most time nouns, but some time nouns don’t need 에 such as 오늘, 어제, 내일, 매일/매주/매달/매년, 언제, 지금.

 

지금 뭐 해요?

What are you doing now?

 

오늘 백화점에 가요.

I am going to a department store today.

 

매일 공부해요.

I study every day.

 

 

 

3) If there are more than two time nouns, you can just add 에 for the last time noun.

 

 

오늘 오후에 영화를 봐요.

I am going to watch a movie this afternoon.

 

이번 주 월요일에 시간이 없어요.

I don’t have time this Monday.

 

다음 주 수요일 7시에 만나요.

Let’s meet at 7 next Wednesday.

 

 

2. N이/가 N에 있어요/ 없어요

Indicates whether a particular object or person exists in a particular place. This structure is used very often in everyday conversations, and it can clearly express existence and absence.

 

2-1 Rule

 

N이/가           N에             있어요/ 없어요

= N에            N이/가         있어요/ 없어요

 

   고양이가 방에 있어요.

= 방에 고양이가 있어요.

The cat is in the room.

 

책이 책상위에 있어요.

= 책상위에 책이 있어요.

The book is on the desk.

 

This sentence structure that can clearly express whether the subject exists in a specific place. This makes it easy to describe the position of an object or person in a daily conversation.