9/10/2020 Topic Particle - 는 / 은 | Learn Korean: LP's Korean Language Learning

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Topic Particle - 는 / 은
Learn Korean: Sentence Order

Please refer to Korean Listening Exercise - Topic Particle 는/은 for the
audio recording of the sentences found in this lesson.

For the video recording of this lesson, please see below. :)

Learn Korean: Topic Particle - 는 / 은 KOREAN LANGUAGE

GUIDE
AUDIO RECORDINGS

● Introduction
Welcome
● Korean Alphabet
Korean Alphabet
● Recording -
Sentence Order Sentence Order
. ● Topic Particle - 는/은
Particles ● Identifier Particle -
● Topic Particle - 는 / 가/이
은 ● Additive Particle - 도
● Identifier Particle - ● Object Particle 를/을
가/이
● Time/Place Particle
● Subject Particles 에
Particles are functional words that do not have any meaning in ● Additive Particle - 도 ● This, It and That
themselves. ● Object Particle - 를 / ● Pronouns (I, You)
을
● Pronouns (He, She)
● Time / Place Particle - 그, 그녀, 걔, 그분
They are like helpers in that they are attached to the end of nouns to -에
indicate what that noun is and how it functions in a sentence. ● Pronouns (He, She)
. - 얘, 쟤, 걔
Pronouns ● Pronouns (They) -
This particles section is divided into several parts. 그들, 걔들, 그분들
● Pronouns (I, You) -
나, 저, 너, 당신 ● Nouns (Present,
These are: ● Pronouns (He, She) Past)
- 그, 그녀, 걔, 그분 ● Nouns -
● Pronouns (He, She) Nominalising
는/은 - Topic particle ┐ Subject particles - 얘, 쟤, 걔 ● Nouns -
가/이 - Identifier particle ┘ ● Pronouns (They) - Nominalising Verbs
그들, 걔들, 그분들 ● Numbers and
도 - Additive particle
● Pronouns- This, It, Counting I
를/을 - Object particle That ● Numbers and
에 - Time/place particle ● Nouns - Present, Counting II
Past WORD BUILDER:
LISTENING
● Nouns -
Note: 는/은 and 가/이 are 'Subject particles.' The explanations are Nominalising ● Top 10 Nouns
given in the 'Subject Particles' section. ● Nouns - ● Top 10 Adjectives
Nominalizing Verbs
● Top 10 Verbs
● Nouns - Numbers
● Top 10 Adverbs
and Counting
Please have a look at the following examples to learn how particles ● Top 10
● Adjectives - Present,
are used in sentences. Exclamations
Past
● Adjectives - Polite Get Free Updates
For example, [Present, Past]
Enter your email addr
나는 학생이다 = I am a student ● Adjectives -
Descriptive Subscribe
● Adjectives -
Connective
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는, the topic particle, is attached to the end of 나, which means the ● Verbs - Present,
pronoun "I", to show that the topic is about "I" or the subject is "I". Past
● Verbs - Polite
LEARN KOREAN
[Present, Past]
Here is another example, ■ With Music
● Verbs - Future [Will]
나도 학생이다 = I am a student, too. ● Verbs - Continuous
■ With Videos
RESOURCES
In this sentence, 도, the additive particle, is attached to 나 to show that ● Verbs - Connective
♠ Korean Language
in addition to a person or people who are students, "I", too, am a ● Verbs - Can
(Grammar) - PDF file
student. ● Verbs - Have
♠ Pop-up Korean
● Verbs - Want Dictionary
Now, let us go through each of these particles. ● Verbs - Descriptive I ♠ Korean Dictionary:
● Verbs - Descriptive Google Translate
II
Learn …
는/은 [Topic Particle] ● Verbs - Speech
Like Page
● Adverbs - 부사
The first particle, we'll learn, is 는/은, the topic particle. 는/은 is used ● Particles - 께/에게/
for a subject or topic of a sentence. 는 is used for nouns without a final 한테 Be the first of your
friends to like this
consonant, and 은 for nouns with a final consonant. ● Particles - 으로/로
● Particles - 에서, 까
지
Let me explain,
● Particles - 만 [only] Learn
나는 = I am ● Possessive - 의
K
FOLLOWERS
사람은 = A person is ● Conjunctions - And Mga sumusubaybay
(391) Susunod
나 consists of ㄴ+ㅏ ● Conjunctions - But
[~지만]
ㄴ = n (an initial consonant) ● Conjunctions - But
ㅏ = a (a vowel) [는데/은데]
● Conjunctions -
As you can see, 나 is a word without a final consonant, therefore 는 is Because, So [~서]
attached to it. ● Conjunctions -
Because [때문에]
On the other hand, 사람 which means 'a person' has 람 as a final ● Conjunctions -
character, and 람 consists of ㄹ+ㅏ+ㅁ If/Once [~면]
● Conjunctions -
ㄹ = r,l (an initial consonant) If/Once [~거든]
ㅏ = a (a vowel) ● Conjunctions -
When [~때]
ㅁ = m (a final consonant) Sundin
● Conjunctions - While
사람 is a word with a final consonant. Therefore, 은 is attached to it. [~며/면서] SEARCH THIS BLOG
● 5W1H Custom S
The reason for these two different types of the topic particle, 는/은, is ADVANCED GRAMMAR Search

that for words with a final consonant, it is easier to pronounce them ● Comparatives & LABELS

with 은 rather 는. Superlatives

Grammar
Compare these two pronunciations, ● Imperatives - 해, 하
지마 Listening
사람는 = sa-ram-nun ● Have to - 해야 한다 Exercise
사람은 = sa-ram-un → sa-ra-mun [사라믄] ● Allowed to - 해도 된 Special
다 Expressions
● I like doing - 하는게 Music
As you can see, 사람는 is more rigid and awkward to pronounce, 좋다, 하는걸 좋아한다 Pronunciation
whereas 사람은 is more fluid and easy to pronounce. 사람은 is ● I think - ~고 생각해
Advanced Grammar
actually pronounced 사라믄. The final consonant of 람, which is ㅁ, is (Opinion) Let's Speak Korean
Updates Verb
transferred to 은 to make it sound 믄. ● I think/It seems - 하
는 거 같애 (General) Particles Conjunction
Pronouns Adjectives
(사람은 sounds a bit like "Sarah Moon" whereas 사람는 may sound ● I used to do - 했었어
Colloquialism Interviews
like "Saram Noon".) ● I used to do - 하던 Nouns Videos Words
Listen to the pronunciations for yourselves in the Google Translate. ● (I learned that) - ~더 Word Builder Resources
라고 Homonyms Phrases

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"This particle [는/은] is used as "am/are/is" in English."

I would disagree. 는/은 is a subject marker. It tells you what the subject
of a sentence is. The "am/are/is" meaning is conveyed in the verb, so
in:

나는 착하다 = I am kind ('착하다' contains the 'is' meaning because 착

하다 means 'be good (in character)'.)

In the case of something like, '나는 학교에 갔다' or 'I went to school',
there is no 'is' meaning. In both cases, '은/는' just tells you what the
subject is.
Reply

Replies

кαмкơмα 6:56 AM, December 30, 2013

excuse me ..i cant understand when i can use 는 , 은 and 이 ,
가?

Reply

Anonymous 7:52 PM, May 15, 2007

Dear....

Thanks for your post for us as a reference to learn Korean, but one
important thing I'd like to ask you? Particles are used to modify Nouns
or Verbs? I learned that particles are subject markers, so, they modify
nouns, aren't they?
Reply

Luke 10:04 AM, May 19, 2007

Yes, you're right.
Every particles listed here all modify nouns.
Reply

Luke 10:08 AM, May 19, 2007

Thanks jstele, it is indeed more suitable to call [는/은] as subject
particles
Reply

Anonymous 7:09 PM, July 27, 2007

i was confused before with when to use 는/은 vs 이/가 , but this helped
explain it to me. thank you~~~
Reply

Anonymous 10:12 AM, April 27, 2008

I thought 이/가 were the subject whereas are topic particles
Reply

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● (I found that) - ~던데 Reading Exercise Words In

The following are example sentences using 는/은, the topic particle. ● I heard / You said -
Korean Language

~며 KOREAN LESSONS
나는 학생이다 = I am a student
● There is / I have - 있 ★ Learn Korean - 002
그는 친절하다 = He is kind 다/있네 ★ Learn Korean - 003
이것은 연필이다 = This is a pencil SPECIAL EXPRESSIONS
★ Learn Korean - 011
● Are you doing? - ~ ★ Learn Korean - 012
하늘은 높다 = The sky is high 는 거야? [Informal]
★ Learn Korean - 013
그녀는 공부한다 = She studies ● Are you doing? - ~
시는 거예요? [Polite] ★ Learn Korean - 014
존은 갔다 = John went
● Are we doing? - 하 ★ Learn Korean - 015
영수는 먹었다 = Young-su ate 는 거야 / 거예요? ★ Learn Korean - 016
● Go to do - ~러 가다 ★ Learn Korean - 017
나 = I (pronoun) ● To do something - ~ ★ Learn Korean - 018
기 위해
학생 = a student ★ Learn Korean - 180
● Try doing - 해 보다
그 = he KOREAN
● Of course, I've done
친절하다 = kind it before - 해봤죠
PRONUNCIATION HELP

이것 = this ■ Korean Words

● Give the favour of Pronunciation Guide
연필 = pencil doing - 해 주다 by Wiki Project
하늘 = sky ● Would you like to KOREAN WORDS
높다 = high go? - 갈래요?
■ Korean Words: 단어
그녀 = she ● Shall we do
something? - 우리 뭐 MY FAVOURITE LINKS
공부하다 = study 할까? Desiring God
존 = John
● It's cold, isn't it? - 춥 Compassion
가다 = go 지요? International
영수 = Young-su (a male name) ● Let's do it - 하자 ABOUT ME
먹다 = eat ● Easy to do / Difficult Luke
to do - ~기 쉽다 / ~기
어렵다 View my complete
Use Google Translate to listen the pronunciations of these words. profile
● I know how - 어떻게
하는지 알아
Note: There are no articles in the parts of speech in Korean. "A, an
● Habitually - ~되면 ~
and the" which are used to identify and specify a noun in English and 게 돼요
other languages are absent in Korean grammar. ● Because I'm - ~거든
요
● I will go first - 먼저
갈게
Continue to the next section:
PHRASES
Identifier Particle - 가 / 이
● As I was donig - ~하
다 보니깐
OTHER LESSONS
Tweet
● Addressing people
● Pronunciation
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66 comments:

Anonymous 3:22 AM, February 28, 2007

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Replies

Anonymous 10:20 AM, January 25, 2016

I can exp

Reply

Anonymous 10:13 AM, April 27, 2008

*는/은 - topic
Reply

Anonymous 10:18 AM, April 27, 2008

the topic particle is to emphasize another part of the sentence
eg. 부산은 차요 the emphasis being on "not cold"
Reply

Lisa 12:02 PM, June 30, 2009

thankyousomuch for this!
ive been searching for around for a bit for some decently laid out
simple korean grammar and this is perfect! :D :D

p.s.
does '가' always change 나 → 내 ?
Reply

Luke 4:06 PM, July 01, 2009

You're welcome, Lisa. My pleasure!

나 always changes to 내 before 가.

Therefore, 내가 must be used at all times, and 나가 is definitely

incorrect.
Reply

Fred 5:06 AM, August 01, 2009

"I thought 이/가 were the subject whereas 는/은 are topic particles"

Hmm I as well thought 는/은 were topic particles. In Japanese the

equivalent は is called a topic particle. And at KoreanClass101, they
call 는/은 topic particles.

이/가 aren't necessarily subject particles. Identifier is the right word.

クレープが食べたい。
Kure-pu ga tabetai.
If you say it's a subject particle, then the crepes (french pancakes)
want to eat. No, it identifies the thing I want to eat.

는/은 are used to distinguish something from other things. Like

compared to everything else, the sky is so blue.
하늘은 저리도 파랑이에요.

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sky [topic particle] so blue is
As for the sky, it is so blue.

The only thing I've disliked is that 는/은 can be replaced with either 이/
가 or 를/을 depending on the situation.

Identifier particles are usually used with existence. I haven't seen topic
particles used that much.
Reply

Anonymous 11:24 PM, August 27, 2009

I think my complaint is comparatively easy.

"도 is used in the similar way as 는/은. However 도 adds the meaning
of "also and too." "

You mean to. Too means too much, oo little, or whatever.

Awesome guide by the way. I find it very comprehensive and clear.

Reply

Anonymous 4:37 AM, August 31, 2009

Luke

This is the best Korean learning website I have ever come across so
far. I've been a Korean drama fan for quite a few eyars now and am
farmiliar with some of the spoken Korean already, but when it comes to
reading and speaking Korean and making my own sentences, I simply
could not make any profess without good resources. You make
learning Korean soooo much easier for a beginner like me. Now when I
try to read a Korean, a lot of things suddenly make sense. Thank you
so much. Great stuff!
Reply

Anonymous 12:35 PM, February 16, 2010

@ Anomynous "You mean to. Too means too much, oo little, or
whatever"

Too WAS correct. "to" (with one o) is a preposition(I went "to" the park),
whereas "too" is a modifier as you pointed out (I am too tired), but it
can also be synonymous with "also"(He works there, too.)
Reply

Rhys 5:35 AM, February 22, 2010

On 은/는 I think you mean Pronoun not verb
Reply

Luke 2:53 PM, February 22, 2010

Hi Rhys,

Well spotted, I just corrected.

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Cheers.

Luke
Reply

Rhys 7:16 AM, February 24, 2010

Haha No problem.
Anyway thanks, this blog is a great help!
Reply

Anonymous 3:22 PM, May 20, 2010

IS anyone on this still?
Reply

Ann wong 6:14 PM, July 11, 2010

Hi, could you axplain about the action verb and non-action verb. Is 가/
이 used as object particle for non-action verb? I found it in some
Korean song lyrics. By the way, I have a suggestion. Could you please
make grammar explaintation through song lyrics? this will help me a lot
to understand the content and learn new things too.
Reply

Luke 2:06 AM, July 12, 2010

가/이 is always used as an identifier particle. It's like 은/는 except that
가/이 specifically identifies who actually did something.

If you could give me an example when 가/이 is used as an object

particle for non-action verbs, I could better answer your question.

I might also consider making grammar explanations for song lyrics.

Any suggestions for the songs?

By the way, I'm actually doing the minimal work on my blog right now
so I can't promise that I'll post them soon. But I'll post them whenever I
can afford to.

Cheers
Reply

Lareien Lacroix 4:22 PM, October 22, 2010

Thank you Luke!
n_n

I'm so happy reading your blog! n_n

thank you for your time!!!

Reply

Nana 4:34 AM, January 03, 2011

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Hi
In many other websites and books, the particle -이 / -가 is the subject
particle and -는 / -은 is called the topic particle wich is used to mention
what the sentence is about. So...I'm kind of confused...
Reply

Lezz 12:44 PM, January 13, 2011

Luke, when making a time or place particle sentences , the order is in
the middle right. But when you are making a long sentences that need
both time and place to be put, which order do you have to put first. Is it
subject-time-place-verb or subject-place-time-verb or either order is
possible? Example,
i:로크는 한국에 5월에 왔다.
ii:로크는 5월에 한국에 왔다.

Thank you very much.

Reply

Luke 1:02 PM, January 13, 2011

Hi Lezz,
I'd say either of them is possible. However, if you're writing a plain
sentence. For example, "I came to Korea in May." It'd be more natural
and common to write,

루크(Luke?)는 5월에 한국에 왔다.

subject-time-place-verb

However if you want to emphasize the fact that you came to Korea "in
May", you'd write,

루크는 한국에 5월에 왔다.

subject-place-time-verb

Whichever comes right before a verb usually gets emphasized.

So go with the subject-time-place-verb unless you want to emphasize

"when"
in which case you'd go with the subject-place-time-verb pattern.

So the example above,

제니는 한국에 5월에 오전에 왔다.
the time has been emphasized.

However it'd be more common to write in a simple, plain sentence, 제

니는 5월에 한국에 왔다.
= Jenny came to Korea in May.

Good point. I might improve on this "particles" post in near future.

Reply

Anonymous 9:18 PM, January 22, 2011

This is such a useful site, and you have obviously worked very hard on
it. You have explained "nun 는/ga 가" better than the many text books
that I have. Kamsa hamnida! 감사핲니다

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Reply

Jhommark 9:28 PM, May 30, 2011

your explanation of these two particles is very helpful to us..we were
enlightened by it and of course by you..however, i just want to clear
another thing..let's say i just want to say we planted trees..what will i
use? 우리가 or 우리는..if someone asked me if what did we do, then i
will say 우리는 나무를 심었, isn't it? and when someone asked me who
planted those trees, then i will say 우리가 나무를 심었, am i right? but
as i asked you, what if no one asked me what or who and then i just
want to say or tell that we planted trees..which one will i use? thanks
for your very good tutorial..
Reply

Pop Master 12:47 AM, June 01, 2011

I really enjoyed studying Korean Language! And I learned a lot of
things by just reading your posts.

I'm new here in Blogspot so you may visit my blog and tell me
something that I can Improve to my blogs.

I love studying foreign language and I'm stuck in this Language,

including the Nihon-go.

The two language resembles each other and they almost have the
Chinese origins.

Kamsahamnida!
Reply

Graham 3:28 AM, August 03, 2011

This is the best explanation of this concept I've ever read.
Bookmarked!
Reply

Luke 10:50 PM, August 04, 2011

Hi, Jhommark

You'd just say 나무를 심었어, leaving out 우리가/우리는.

In fact, in Korean, unlike English or other languages, we leave out the

subject.
Reply

Aui 11:29 PM, August 08, 2011

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This is the best tutorial I've ever came across to! Why didn't I ever
found this in the first place before? Everything is just so perfectly laid
out, comprehensively explained, for beginners like me. Originally I just
had the interest to learn Korean because I'm fond of watching Korean
Dramas (I know right, so childish of me) and I get tired of reading the
subs (lazy me) cause I think I kinda waste my time reading the subs
and I couldn't focus on what's happening in the scene itself.. Anyways,
I pretty much have a basic picture of Korean grammar, just the S-O-V
structure, but now I'm willing to start from the beginning again about
this as I realize this tutorial will be more easy to understand than the
two previous ones I saw online also... THANK YOU VERY MUCH
AGAIN!! :)
Reply

Luke 9:25 PM, August 10, 2011

Hi Aui, you're welcome! :)
Hope you get the most out of the resources here.
Reply

Anonymous 2:10 AM, October 06, 2011

I want the FORMAL... please make a Formal Grammar I know you
made a Informal Grammar lesson.. I want the FORMAL... Thank you...
Reply

Luke 10:46 PM, October 10, 2011

Hi Anonymous,

This lesson is about the particles only.

If you want to learn more about the formal/polite forms, please refer to
the relevant lessons like "Nouns - Present, Past", "Adjectives - Polite
[Present, Past]" and "Verbs - Polite [Present, Past]".

You can find them on the right-hand panel where the lessons are listed
down.
Reply

Pop Master 1:37 AM, October 21, 2011

@jstele ... regarding to your comment about the particles (neun/eun) ...
in addition to what Luke already said ... (neun/eun) particles are indeed
subject markers .. it is similar to (ka/i) particles that they both indicate
the subjects .. they cannot be used as "am/is/are" because the verbs
and adjectives are always placed at the end of all sentences based on
Korean Sentence Pattern

Subject(or Doer)+ Object(including the Places, Time, etc.) + Verbs(or

Adjectives, Adverbs)

Since "am/is/are" are considered as "helping verbs/be-verbs" in

English .. they cannot be (neun/eun)...
Reply

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Pop Master 1:38 AM, October 21, 2011

My Korean grammar skills have improved a lot after I read this blog..
thanks God I found this!
Reply

Pop Master 1:41 AM, October 21, 2011

I'm too lazy to type this in Korean using Google Trans...

this is very short because I'm still a beginner..

Nan Luke-eul neomu komahaetda.

Reply

Pop Master 1:42 AM, October 21, 2011

Oh by the way I also improved my reading speed in Korean because I
read the subtitles(in Hangul) in K-pop songs..
Reply

Anonymous 12:35 PM, November 24, 2011

This is incredibly helpful. I could never tell when to use 는/은 and 이/가,
but after reading this blog I understand much better. Thank you so
much:)))
Reply

Cailin 2:23 AM, December 04, 2011

wow, i love you so much right now!!
thank you so much!!
i've been wondering about the difrence for so long now, but any korean
i asked about the diference was unable to explain it me.
but it's really clair now, a better explanation wouldnt have been
possible. :)
thanks so much again!
Reply

Luke 9:37 PM, December 04, 2011

Hi Cailin!

You're welcome! My pleasure! :-)

Reply

Julia 7:37 AM, December 13, 2011

thank you so much for explaining the difference between the two!
i've looked everywhere, but it only says that it'll just sound natural after
a while when you get used to the language, but you're explanation is
really helpful! ^_^
thanks again, your awesome!
Reply

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micKEY 12:45 PM, December 13, 2011

내가 also means 'I', right? so, in which cases do we use 내가?
내가 제일잘나가. =)
Reply

Luke 8:19 PM, December 20, 2011

Hi micKEY

내가 제일 잘나가 means "I'm the one who's quite cool

(recently/nowadays)"

가 was used to emphasise the fact that it's "I", and not "others" who are
quite cool/famous.
Reply

Anonymous 12:50 AM, January 09, 2012

can you explain why when we use 가 in the sentence and say 'you', we
read it as 니가/너가, but it written as 네가..
and this blog really useful to learn more about korean especially
grammar. I find it really difficult when learn from my mother language..
thanks for providing this.. ^^
Reply

Replies

Luke 3:14 PM, December 08, 2012

Hi Anonymous,

Yes, 네가 is the correct written form, and when we speak, we

usually say "니가 or less frequently 너가."

I guess this is because it's more cumbersome to say "네가",

and a lot easier to say "니가."

But otherwise, I suspect it's one of the things that we use the
way it is without thinking much about.

There is no rule per se for why 네가 is pronounced "니가 or

너가," it is most likely due to the ease of pronunciation.

Reply

MYDEARCHOPSTICKS 8:41 AM, February 05, 2012

Hey Luke,

Just to let you know that for this sentence, 바다는 푸르다, doesn't 푸르
다 mean green, not blue?
Reply

Replies

Luke 1:58 PM, December 08, 2012

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Hi MYDEARCHOPSTICKS,

푸르다 can mean both blue and green. :-)

But usually, 푸르다 has a nuance of blue.

You could say 푸르다 is greenish blue as well.

Reply

Jemima Kezia 6:37 PM, February 15, 2012

Uaa! Kamsahamnida for this blog, luke :)
This is a very helpful resources for my korean learning ^^
Im a beginner who just started to learn korea about a few days ago.
Thank God i found your blog.

PS: Yes i trust in Jesus. He's the great I AM, the Way, the Truth and
the Life. My blessed Redeemer :)

Keep spreading the gospel! For it is the POWER of GOD unto

salvation. AMen. God bless you

Cheers
Reply

Sarah 7:07 AM, April 29, 2012

Hi there!
Thank you for your explanations but it seems I'm still having a lot of
trouble trying to discern when to use which particle... :( I think the main
reason is because I've been reading up online about topic/subject
particle which seems to have different explanations. Some say using
이/가 places the emphasis on the noun that precedes it, while using 은/
는 places emphasis on whatever follows.

This is in line with what you said, but many people have explained it in
REVERSE:

이것이 *연필*이에요. This is A PENCIL.

*이것*은 연필이에요. THIS is a pencil.

I've also read that 은/는 can also be used for contrasting:

오늘은 예뻐 보여요. [Today(and not other days) you look pretty.]

What would be the nuance of the sentence if 은 was replaced with 이?

Since 가/이 as you have pointed out stresses what comes before it(오
늘), would it have the same function as when using 은?

I'm completely confused at this point, and I hope you can finally put my
mind at rest and explain it in just a little bit more detail with the same
sentences in korean using the topic and subject particles 이/가 or 은/는
with each and maybe stating the different nuances? Thanks in
advance! :)
Reply

Replies
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Luke 11:14 AM, December 24, 2012

Hi Sarah,

I would say the emphasis can be on both "이것" and "연필"

depending on how you interpret it.

이것이 *연필*이에요. This is A PENCIL.

The fact that other things are not pencils but "THIS" is the
pencil.

Or, put in a different way, if someone doesn't know what a

pencil is you could point it out and say, 이것이 "연필" 이에요.

When we say,

*이것*은 연필이에요. THIS is a pencil.

what we're saying is, while other things can be this and that,
this is "a pencil."

저것은 공책이에요 = That is a notebook.

저것은 지우개예요 = That is a rubber/eraser.

이것은 연필이에요 = This is a PENCIL.

Or put in a different way, while those are different things,

THIS is a pencil ("이것"은 연필이에요).

So for 는/은, the nuance is "while those are such and such,
this is ~~"

whereas for 가/이, the nuance is "those are not "pencils,"

THIS is the PENCIL."

Hope this helped clarify your confusion to some extent, I

hope!

Cheers.

Reply

Anonymous 9:19 AM, September 07, 2012

Hi Luke,

I have a question. Is 난 a shortened form of 나는? Where would you

use 난?

Thanks
Reply

Replies

Luke 3:16 PM, December 08, 2012

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Hi Anonymous,

Yes, 난 is a shortened form of 나는.

난 is more often used in spoken Korean. :-)

Reply

ella 12:55 AM, October 23, 2012

Hi, I just wanted to say thank you very much indeed for the clearest
and most comprehensive (without being overwhelming) explanation of
various Korean grammar points I have been able to find so far. It has
really helped me a lot! I am always so amazed that there are people
who take time out to help others (essentially) for free like this. It's quite
a testament to the kindness of strangers! Thanks ^_^
Reply

Replies

Luke 10:09 AM, December 08, 2012

Hi ella,

You're welcome!
Thank you for your compliment!
Cheers. :-)

Reply

enasalabsi 10:10 PM, July 30, 2013

Hi.

I stall feel confuse

we use 는/은 when we explain something or When we want to draw

attention to the person you're talking about

what about 가/이 when we use

i'm really sorry but my big problem is that so i need really your help to
explain

감사합니다
Reply

Luke 10:37 AM, August 10, 2013

We use 는/은 when we talk about general things. For example, 제임스
는 빠르다 = James is fast.

We use 가/이 when we talk about specific things, for example, 제임스
가 이 컴퓨터를 고쳤어 = James fixed this computer.

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Reply

enasalabsi 6:27 AM, August 13, 2013

i see 가/이 only in specific things

thanks a lot

Reply

Anonymous 6:05 PM, November 28, 2013

Luke

Can you put more than 1 는/은 in 1 sentence?

eg:
저는 맥주는 마셔요. 와인은 안 마셔요.
Reply

Unknown 3:44 AM, May 18, 2014

Thank you for your lessons. I started to learn Korean from TTMIK but
today I found your blog and the explanations are very, very good.
Thank you so much. I have a question. Why the verb 공부하다 is 공부
한다.
감사합니다
Reply

Replies

Luke 3:07 PM, May 18, 2014

Hi Camelia, 공부하다 is a plain form used in a dictionary but
공부하다 becomes 공부한다 which is a written form so you
would use this form to say for example, 내 친구는 과학을 공
부한다 = My friend studies science.

Reply

Anonymous 2:16 AM, April 17, 2017

Thanks dude... these help alot. May God bless you.
Reply

Unknown 7:57 PM, November 25, 2018

I'm so happy I found your blog. I'm learning a lot from this. Thank you
very much, Luke!
Reply

Unknown 11:17 AM, May 30, 2019

안녕하세요, is there any pdf file for this lessons? .or i should say a
offline mode..감사합니다..
Reply

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Unknown 5:40 PM, June 17, 2020

Thank you so much, I really understand this. 감사함니다
Reply

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