Putting It Together

Korean Grammar 1

Course 1 · Chapter 10 · Putting It Together

🧱 Putting It Together — 문장 만들기

You now have every part of a basic Korean sentence: the order (Korean Grammar 1, chapter 1), the sounds (chapter 2), the particles (chapters 3 and 4), "to be" (chapter 5), verbs and describing words (chapters 6 to 8), and numbers and time (chapter 9). This last chapter shows you how the parts fit into whole sentences, reads a short passage with you, explains the levels of politeness in outline, and recaps the course.

The rule in one box A sentence is built left to right, and the verb comes last:
[when] + [topic/subject + 은/는/이/가] + [place + 에/에서] + [object + 을/를] + [verb or describing word + ending]
Leave out whatever the listener already knows, and put the polite -요 ending on the end.

A recipe for any sentence

Decide the final word first. What is the verb or describing word, and which tense? (Chapters 5 to 8)
Put the endings on it. Dictionary form → stem → -아요/-어요, -았어요/-었어요 or -ㄹ 거예요; add 안 for "not". (Chapters 6 and 7)
Add the nouns in front, each with its particle. Doer: 은/는 or 이/가. Thing acted on: 을/를. Place: 에 or 에서. Means: (으)로. (Chapters 3 and 4)
Choose each particle by the final sound of its noun: consonant or vowel.
Add time at the start (어제, 세 시에) and drop what is obvious.
Check the sounds. Where syllables meet, apply the sound changes from Chapter 2.

One sentence, grown step by step

Step	Korean	Meaning
verb	읽어요. ilgeoyo.	(I) read.
+ object	책을 읽어요. chaeg-eul ilgeoyo.	(I) read a book.
+ place	도서관에서 책을 읽어요. doseogwan-eseo chaeg-eul ilgeoyo.	(I) read a book at the library.
+ topic	저는 도서관에서 책을 읽어요. jeo-neun doseogwan-eseo chaeg-eul ilgeoyo.	I read a book at the library.
+ time	어제 저는 도서관에서 책을 읽었어요. eoje jeo-neun doseogwan-eseo chaeg-eul ilgeosseoyo.	Yesterday I read a book at the library.
+ description	어제 저는 조용한 도서관에서 큰 책을 읽었어요.	Yesterday I read a big book at a quiet library.

A short passage to read

Every word and ending below comes from this course. Read it aloud, then check each sentence against the meaning.

Korean	Romanization	English
저는 민수예요.	jeo-neun minsu-yeyo.	I am Minsu.
저는 서울에 살아요.	jeo-neun seoul-e sarayo.	I live in Seoul.
저는 학생이에요.	jeo-neun haksaeng-ieyo.	I am a student.
아침에 학교에 가요.	achim-e hakgyo-e gayo.	In the morning I go to school.
도서관에서 책을 읽어요.	doseogwan-eseo chaeg-eul ilgeoyo.	I read books at the library.
세 시에 친구를 만나요.	se si-e chingu-reul mannayo.	At three I meet a friend.
친구는 커피를 마셔요. 저는 물을 마셔요.	chingu-neun keopi-reul masyeoyo. jeo-neun mul-eul masyeoyo.	My friend drinks coffee. I drink water.
오늘은 바빠요. 내일은 안 바빠요.	oneur-eun bappayo. naeir-eun an bappayo.	Today I'm busy. Tomorrow I'm not busy.

Count the clues the particles give you: 저는 and 친구는 set up a contrast between the two people, 친구를 and 책을 are objects, 서울에 and 학교에 are where something is or where you go, and 도서관에서 is where an action happens.

Levels of politeness: an outline

Korean verbs and describing words change their ending to show how you speak to the listener. This is separate from the tenses. There are several levels; here are the ones a learner meets first, shown with the verb 가다 (to go) and the question "Are you going?"

Level	Ending	"(I) go"	Used for
Formal polite	-ㅂ니다 / -습니다	갑니다 gamnida [감니다]	news, speeches, announcements, first meetings, customer service
Everyday polite	-아요 / -어요	가요 gayo	most daily speech with strangers, colleagues, older people (the form used throughout this course)
Casual	the 아요/어요 form without 요	가 ga	close friends, younger people, family

Watch out: the casual level can be rude Casual speech (반말 banmal) is warm among friends of the same age, but rude to a stranger or an older person. If you are unsure, use the everyday polite -요 form: it is never wrong.

The formal polite level

Take the stem: after a vowel add -ㅂ니다, after a consonant add -습니다. For a question change 다 to 까: 갑니까? gamnikka? (Are you going?). The formal form is the same for all verbs, including 하다 verbs; no 아/어 vowel rule is needed.

Dictionary form	Everyday polite	Formal polite
가다 to go	가요	갑니다 gamnida
마시다 to drink	마셔요	마십니다 masimnida
공부하다 to study	공부해요	공부합니다 gongbuhamnida
먹다 to eat	먹어요	먹습니다 meokseumnida [먹씀니다]
읽다 to read	읽어요	읽습니다 ikseumnida [익씀니다]
살다 to live	살아요	삽니다 samnida (the ㄹ drops)
이다 to be	이에요 / 예요	입니다 imnida

The casual level

Drop the 요 from the everyday form: 먹어, 가, 해, 좋아. For "to be" the casual forms are 이야 (after a consonant) and 야 (after a vowel): 학생이야, 친구야.

Showing respect to the person you talk about: -(으)세요

Separate from the speech level, Korean has an honorific marker -(으)시- for a respected person who is the doer. In the everyday form it appears as -세요 after a vowel or -으세요 after a consonant. It is also the usual polite way to make a request, and it makes up many set phrases.

Korean	Meaning
가세요 gaseyo	(please) go; (he/she, whom I respect) goes
읽으세요 ilgeuseyo	(please) read
물 주세요. mul juseyo.	Please give me water.
안녕하세요? annyeonghaseyo?	Hello. (a polite greeting)
드세요 deuseyo	(please) eat / drink (honorific for 먹다, 마시다)
계세요 gyeseyo	is (there) (honorific for 있다, used for people)
감사합니다. gamsahamnida.	Thank you. (formal)

Watch out: do not use the honorific about yourself The honorific -(으)시- is for the other person (or a third person you respect), never for yourself: say 저는 가요, not 저는 가세요. A later course covers honorifics, humble forms and the other speech levels in full.

🗣️ In Use — 실제 예문

A first meeting at two levels.

① Meeting for the first time

A: 안녕하세요? 저는 민수입니다. annyeonghaseyo? jeo-neun minsu-imnida. Hello. I am Minsu. (formal)

B: 안녕하세요? 저는 지연이에요. 학생이에요? annyeonghaseyo? jeo-neun jiyeon-ieyo. haksaeng-ieyo? Hello. I am Jiyeon. Are you a student?

A: 네, 학생이에요. 서울에 살아요. ne, haksaeng-ieyo. seoul-e sarayo. Yes, I am a student. I live in Seoul.

② Two friends

A: 뭐 해? mwo hae? What are you doing? (casual)

B: 공부해. 너는? gongbuhae. neo-neun? Studying. And you?

A: 나는 커피 마셔. na-neun keopi masyeo. I'm drinking coffee.

📋 Course Recap — 정리

Chapter	The key idea
1 · How a Korean Sentence Works	subject → object → verb; the verb is last; no articles; the subject is often dropped
2 · Hangul Beyond the Basics	tense consonants, compound vowels, double finals; six sound changes
3 · Topic and Subject Particles	은/는 and 이/가: choose the form by the final sound, the job by what is new or contrasted
4 · Object, Place and Direction Particles	을/를, 에, 에서, (으)로, 과/와, 도
5 · To Be	이다 → 이에요/예요; 아니다 → 이/가 아니에요
6 · Verbs 1: The Everyday Polite Present	stem + 아요/어요 with contractions; 하다 → 해요
7 · Verbs 2: Past, Future and Negation	-았/었어요, -ㄹ/을 거예요, 안 and -지 않다
8 · Adjectives and Questions	describing words act as verbs; modifier forms; question words
9 · Numbers, Counters and Time	two number systems; counters; clock, dates, money
10 · Putting It Together	building sentences; levels of politeness

What this course did not cover

Korean Grammar 1 is the sentence core. Still to learn: the irregular verb patterns, joining clauses ("and", "but", "because"), suggestions and requests, ability and wanting, and the honorific and humble forms in full. You can already read and build simple, correct Korean sentences.

✏️ Try It Yourself — 연습

Work out the answer first, then click to check.

1. Build "I drink water at home." from 저, 집, 물, 마시다.

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저는 집에서 물을 마셔요. (집에서: an action in a place; 물을: consonant, so 을.)

2. Build "Yesterday my friend went to school."

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어제 친구가 학교에 갔어요.

3. Build "Tomorrow I will not read a book."

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내일 책을 안 읽을 거예요. (or 책을 읽지 않을 거예요.)

4. Build "I am not a doctor; I am a teacher."

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저는 의사가 아니에요. 선생님이에요.

5. Say "It's a very quiet library" using a describing word in front of the noun.

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아주 조용한 도서관이에요.

6. Ask "What time are you going to school?" and answer "At eight."

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몇 시에 학교에 가요? and 여덟 시에 가요.

7. Change to the formal polite level: 공부해요, 먹어요, 학생이에요.

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공부합니다, 먹습니다, 학생입니다.

8. Change to the casual level: 마셔요, 좋아요, 친구예요.

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마셔, 좋아, 친구야.

9. Ask politely for water.

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물 주세요.

10. Read the opening of the passage and say what the topic particle on 저는 and 친구는 is doing.

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It sets up the two people as topics and, by putting them side by side, contrasts them: I drink water, my friend drinks coffee (Korean Grammar 1, chapter 3).

Course Complete. You have finished Korean Grammar 1. The next steps are the irregular verbs, joining clauses and the full honorific system, which a later course would take up.