안녕하세요!
Welcome back to another language-learning adventure at SKAPETOKOREA. Buckle up because we’re about to dive headfirst into the exciting world of Korean verbs, or should I say “the” verb – 이다.
You might be thinking, “Oh boy, a lesson on a single verb? I can already hear the crickets chirping.” But hold on to your language textbooks, because 이다 is no ordinary verb. It’s the Korean equivalent of “to be,” and trust me, it’s got more moods and forms than a K-drama star!
It might seem like a small, insignificant word, but you’ll soon see that it plays a critical role in the Korean language. Consider 이다 the secret sauce that ties everything together in a sentence, just like kimchi does in a traditional Korean meal.
So, ready to embark on this thrilling 이다 journey with us? Excellent! Let’s be, err… I mean, let’s BEGIN!
Meaning
In Korean, “이다” is the equivalent of the verb “to be“ in English. It’s used to describe a state of being or to connect a subject with a noun or adjective that describes it. Think of sentences like “I am a teacher” or “I am Sara”. In Korean, those sentences would employ “이다” to convey the same meaning.
However, unlike in English, “이다” is not used in the same way with adjectives. The Korean language does not use “to be” before adjectives. For example, we say “저는 행복해요.” (I am happy.) instead of “저는 행복이다.”
One important feature of “이다” is that it attaches to the end of a noun. For instance, in the sentence “그는 학생이다” (He is a student), “이다” is attached to “학생” (student) to form the sentence.
At its core, 이다 signifies the concept of existence, identity, and equality. It functions as a linking verb that connects the subject and the predicate, allowing us to describe and attribute qualities or characteristics to the subject. By using 이다, we can express statements about who or what something is.
Here are key points to grasp about the basic meaning of 이다:
Existence:
이다 indicates the existence of someone or something. It signifies that a subject exists or is present in a particular context or situation. For example:
- 저는 선생님이에요. – I am a teacher.
- 저는 학생이에요. – I am a student.
- 저는 사라예요. – I am Sara.
Identity:
이다 helps us identify and define the subject. It allows us to specify the nature, occupation, relationship, or quality of the subject. For example:
- 이 책은 좋은 책이에요. – This book is a good book.
- 이 영화는 재미있는 영화이에요. – This movie is interesting.
Conjugation
All verbs in Korean need to be conjugated. “이다” is literally translated to “to be” in English. It needs to be changed to just “be”. All the verbs in Korean end in “다” and when we conjugate them, we almost always drop the “다”.
NOUN + 이다
There are also different politeness levels in Korean. 이다 is conjugated based on the speech level and formality of the situation. The basic conjugation is as follows:
- If the noun ends in a consonant: 이에요 (i-e-yo)
- If the noun ends in a vowel: 예요 (ye-yo)
Examples
- 물 (mul) –> ends in a consonant so we add 이에요 –> 물이에요 (It’s water)
- 차 (cha) –> ends in a vowel so we add 예요 –> 차예요 (It’s tea)
- 사과 (sa-gwa) –> ends in a vowel so we add 예요 –> 사과예요 (It’s an apple)
- 학생 (hak-saeng) –> ends in a consonant so we add 이에요 –> 학생이에요 (He/she’s a student)
Past tense
You will learn more about past tense here, but for now I will show you how to conjugate the word “이다” to a past tense.
- If the noun ends in a consonant: 이였어요 (i-yeoss-eo-yo)
- If the noun ends in a vowel: 였어요 (yeoss-eo-yo)
Examples
- 선생님 (seon-saeng-nim) end in a consonant so we add 이였어요 –> 선생님이였어요 (It was a teacher)
- 바나나 (ba-na-na) ends in a vowel so we add 였어요 –> 바나나였어요 (It was a banana)
- 저 (jeo) ends in a vowel so we add 였어요 –> 저였어요 (It was me)
- 사람 (sa-ram) ends in a consonant so we add 이였어요 –> 사람이였어요 (It was a person)
- 저 선생님이였어요. – I was a teacher.
Future tense
Future tense will be further introduced here, but let’s look at the conjugation of 이다.
- Regardless of whether the word ends in a consonant or a vowel, we add 일 거예요
Examples
- 저 + 일 거예요 –> 저일 거예요 – (It will be me)
- 학생 + 일 서예요 –> 학생일 거예요 – (It will be a student)
- 저 학생일 거예요. – I will be a student.
Do not worry about the different tenses too much for now, once you learn how to conjugate different verbs, it will make more sense. Just remember the conjugation for “이다” for now and come back to this lesson later to go over it once more.
아니다 – To not be
“아니다” is a Korean verb that means “to not be” or “to be not.” It is the negation form of the verb “이다” (to be). It is commonly used to express negation or denial in Korean sentences. The basic form of “아니다” is often used as a declarative statement to indicate that something is not the case or does not possess a particular quality.
For example:
- 그는 학생 아니예요. – He is not a student.
Conjugation
The conjugation for 아니다 is very simple, just add 아니에요 to any noun.
NOUN + 아니에요
- 물 아니에요. – It’s not water.
- 사과 아니에요. – It’s not apple.
- 저 아니에요. – It’s not me.
Past tense
If we want to conjugate 아니다 to a past tense, just change it to 아니였어요.
- 저 아니였어요. – It wasn’t me
- 저 학생 아니였어요. – I wasn’t a student.
- 고양이 아니였어요. – It wasn’t a cat.
Future tense
If we want to conjugate 아니다 to a future tense, just change it to 아닐 거예요.
- 저 선생님 아닐 거예요. – I won’t be a teacher.
- 사과 아닐 거예요. – It won’t be an apple.
- 저 아닐 거예요. – It won’t be me.
Different politeness levels in Korean
As you may already know, there are different politeness levels in Korean.
ㅂ니다
The most formal and polite form is to attach ㅂ니다 to a verb.
Therefore:
- 이다 becomes 입니다
- 아니다 becomes 아닙니다
- 저 학생 아닙니다. – I am not a student.
- 저 학생입니다. – I am a student
- 저 선생님 아닙니다. – I am not a teacher.
- 저 학생입니다. – I am a student.
- 저 아닙니다. – It’s not me.
- 저입니다. – It is me.
이에요/예요
The second less formal but still polite level is what we have covered already and it is the most commonly used form of polite language. For now, do not worry too much about different levels of politeness, just know that there are few. It will help you identify them but you can mainly use the “요” polite level.
- 저 학생이에요. – I am a student.
- 저 학생 아니에요. – I am not a student.
The informal level of Korean is as below.
- If the word ends in a consonant, add 이야
- If the word ends in a vowel, add 야
- 나 학생이야. – I am a student.
- 나 학생 아니야. – I am not a student.
- 물이야. – It’s water.
- 나야. – It’s me.
Note that the word “I” also changes depending on whether you are using the formal or informal level of Korean.
- 저 – I (formal)
- 나 – I (informal)
Activity 1
Fill in the blanks using the correct form of 이다 (The “요” politeness level).
- 저는 학생 ______. – I am a student
- 그것 제 책 ______. – That is not my book.
- 저는 여자 ______. – I am a woman.
- 우리는 친구 ______. – We are friends.
- 저는 남자 _________. – I am not a guy.
Activity 2
Translate the following sentences to English (use dictionary if you must).
- 이거 제 집이에요.
- 그는 제 친구예요.
- 이거 뭐예요?
- 우리는 학생이에요.
- 그거 사과예요.
Activity 3
Convert the following Korean sentences into their negative form using “아니다”.
- 그는 의사예요.
- 이것 제 펜이에요.
- 우리는 팀이에요.
- 우리는 가족이에요.
- 그것 책이에요.
Activity 1 Answers
- 저는 학생이에요. – I am a student
- 그것 제 책 아니에요. – That is not my book.
- 저는 여자예요. – I am a woman.
- 우리는 친구예요. – We are friends.
- 저는 남자 아니에요. – I am not a guy.
Activity 2 Answers
- 이거 제 집이에요. – This is my house.
- 그는 제 친구예요. – He is my friend.
- 이거 뭐예요? – What is this?
- 우리는 학생이에요. – We are students.
- 그거 사과예요. – That is an apple.
Activity 3 Answers
- 그는 의사예요. – 그는 의사 아니에요 (He is not a doctor).
- 이것 제 펜이에요. – 이것 제 팬 아니에요 (This is not my pen).
- 우리는 팀이에요. – 우리느 팀 아니에요 (We are not a team).
- 우리는 가족이에요. – 우리는 가족 아니에요 (We are not a family).
- 그것 책이에요. – 그것 책 아니에요 (That is not a book).
Wrap up
Well, we’ve done it! We’ve tamed the wild beast of Korean grammar known as “이다”. You’ve now mastered the art of being… in Korean, of course!
We’ve learned to be a student, be a teacher, be a friend, and even be not a doctor – all thanks to our trusty sidekick “이다”. Who knew so much could be done with such a small word, right? But don’t be fooled by its size, as we’ve seen today, “이다” carries a lot of weight in the Korean language, just like a little chili pepper in a big bowl of kimchi stew.
Now, don’t just sit there being all proud and mighty! It’s time to put your knowledge into action. Remember, the best way to learn a language is to use it. So, start incorporating “이다” in your everyday Korean conversations. Maybe start by telling your friends, “나는 K-Explorer이다!” (I am a K-Explorer!)
Leave your thoughts about this lesson in the comments below, and don’t hesitate to share your favorite sentences using “이다”. Your fellow K-Explorers and I would love to hear them.
Thanks for joining today’s lesson, and until next time, 이만… not 이다, but 이만 가겠습니다! (I’ll be going now!) Stay tuned for more exciting lessons. 안녕히 계세요.