Lesson 3: Korean sentence structure

안녕하세요 한국어 학생들! (Hello Korean Students)

Get ready to take a fascinating (and somewhat topsy-turvy) journey into the world of Korean sentence structure. Now, you might be wondering, “Why topsy-turvy?” Well, brace yourselves because we’re about to shake things up!

In English, we’re used to the Subject-Verb-Object order, like “I eat apples.” But Korean, like a rebellious teenager, says, “No, thank you. I’d rather do it my way!” So, in Korean, we would say “I apples eat.” A bit quirky, isn’t it?

Don’t panic yet! You’re not in the Twilight Zone. It’s just the Korean language’s unique way of doing things. And believe me, once you get the hang of it, you’ll be constructing sentences faster than a K-pop idol can bust out a dance move!

As we dive into this lesson, keep an open mind, enjoy the ride, and remember – making mistakes is part of the process. Let’s not forget that even a Hangul hero like King Sejong probably spilled his ink a few times.

So, buckle up, language explorers! It’s time to decode the exciting structure of Korean sentences and start talking like a local. Are you ready to add some K-drama flair to your Korean? Then let’s roll!

Basic Korean Sentence Structure

For many Korean language learners, the Korean sentence structure might seem very different and not so straight forward. However, you will be able to create a lot of different sentences when you get used to the fact that all verbs and adjectives are placed at the end of the sentence. This is great because once you learn few more verb endings you can really improve your level of Korean so just stick with it and you will get there over time. So, let’s firstly compare the Korean sentence structure with the English sentence structure.

BASIC Korean sentence structure

SOV = I to school go

BASIC English sentence structure

SVO = I go to school

Verbs and adjectives are placed at the end of the Korean sentence.

Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) Order in Korean

In Korean, the verb or action word typically comes at the end of the sentence. The subject starts the sentence, followed by the object, and then the verb. So, if we translate the English sentence “I love Korea” into Korean, it becomes “I Korea love” (저는 한국을 사랑해요).

This might seem a little alien at first, but you’ll find that it’s a consistent rule, and as you become familiar with it, it will start to feel more natural.

To summarise

• The subject stays at the beginning of the sentence but the object switches places with the verb.

• Verb or adjective will ALWAYS be at the end of the sentence and you will learn how to conjugate verbs to give the sentence a different meanings i.e. past tense.

I always enjoyed learning different verb endings and once you are comfortable with them, you can convey different intentions and feelings. It’s a lot of fun!

The Role of Particles

The Korean language makes heavy use of particles, small words that follow a noun or verb and indicate its relationship to the rest of the sentence. For example, the particles ‘이/가’ are often attached to the subject of a sentence, and ‘을/를’ are typically used with the object.

Using our previous example, the particle ‘는’ is attached to ‘저(I)’, indicating that ‘I’ is the subject. Similarly, ‘을’ is attached to ‘한국(Korea)’, showing that ‘Korea’ is the object.

Verbs and Adjectives

Verbs in Korean play a crucial role. They are always at the end of a sentence and can show tense, politeness level, and mood. For instance, ‘사랑해요’ is a verb indicating a present tense action in a polite way.

Interestingly, adjectives function like verbs in Korean. They can also be located at the end of a sentence and conjugated according to tense and politeness level.

Sample sentences

Do not worry too much about the particles for now (I have omitted some on purpose). Just get a feel for how are the Korean sentences structured.

엄마 집에 왔어요. – Mum came (to) home.

사라 학교에 가요. – Sara goes to school.

아빠 저녁 먹어요. – Dad eats dinner.

Korean statement sentence structure

Subject + Noun + (이다 – “to be”)

This type of sentence will enable you to say sentences like ” I am a student”, “I am a woman”, “I am a singer” etc.

In Korean, we conjugate verbs, similar to English. 이다 means “to be”. It is in its stem form and so we need to conjugate it to “am” i.e. “I am a student”. We will learn about conjugation later on, but we will explain the sentence structure first.

Just like with the previous sentence structure, the subject is at the beginning of the sentence and the verb with the object switches places.

Sample sentences

It is also important to note that oftentimes, the subject of the sentence can be dropped and you will know who or what the subject of the sentence is based on the context. Don’t worry if this does not make sense at first, you will be able to grasp this part of Korean easily because it’s so common.

사람이에요. – It’s a person.

책이에요. – It’s a book.

옷이에요. – It’s clothes.

Subject + verb sentence structure

This structure is the same in English and in Korean.

Sample sentences

엄마 와요. – Mum comes.

비 와요. – Rain comes. (It’s raining).

저 봤어요. – I saw.

저 공부해요. – I study.

*Note – 비 와요 – is a fixed expression but to translate it naturally to English it becomes “It’s raining”.

Subject + adjective

In Korean, when describing nouns using adjectives such as “I am happy”, the adjectives must be conjugated from the word “to be delicious” to “delicious”. We will learn about conjugation later, for now, just take a note of the position of the different words.

Sample sentences

책 재미있어요. – The book is interesting.

옷 예뻐요. – Clothes are pretty.

한국말 어려워요. – Korean language is hard.

Vocabulary for the below activity

Activity

Make sentences out of these words and write down your English translation for each sentence.

1. 해요,친구,노래
2. 요리,해요,엄마
3. 친구,만나요
4. 해요,게임
5. 엄마,착해요
6. 똑똑해요,저
7. 읽어요,저,책
8. 먹어요,사과

Answers

1. 칙구 노래 해요. – (My) friend is singing.
2. 엄마 요리 해요. – (My) mom is cooking.
3. 친구 만나요. – I am meeting friend.
4. 게임 해요. – I am playing game.
5. 엄마 착해요. – (My) mum is kind.
6. 저 똑똑해요. – I am smart.
7. 저 책 읽어요. – I am reading a book.
8. 사과 먹어요. – I am eating apple.

Note – In Korean, there are certain words you don’t need to say i.e. “my” as you can see above. You can include them but you don’t have to.

Wrap up

And there you have it! You’ve just embarked on a thrilling adventure into the world of Korean sentence structure. I bet you never thought sentence structure could feel like a roller-coaster ride, did you?

By now, you should be dancing the SOV jig with ease, making verbs wait their turn at the end of the line. Remember, practice makes perfect, and every mistake you make is just a stepping stone to proficiency. So, don’t be shy about trying out those Korean phrases!

You know, I think of Korean sentence structure as a puzzle pieces which we just need to put together. Once you will learn how to conjugate verbs, you will probably know what I mean as you will take of some parts of the verb and add others. But, learning a language is not a weekly or even a monthly task, you will have to take one step at a time.

You know, as we journeyed through this lesson, I’ve started picturing you all as Korean sentence chefs, mixing your subjects, objects, and verbs into a delicious sentence stew. Be sure to taste-test your creations regularly to ensure they’re turning out just right!

So, why not whip up a sentence or two right now? Drop your freshly cooked Korean sentences in the comments below. Don’t worry if they’re a little raw or spicy; we’re all here to learn and grow together. Plus, who knows? Your sentence might be the secret recipe someone else needs to make their Korean language journey a little bit easier!

Remember, every sentence you construct gets you one step closer to chatting like a K-drama star. So, keep up the good work, and I’ll see you all in our next lesson. Until then, 화이팅! (Hwaiting – Keep it up!)