Korean Lessons ᚛ Level 1 - My First Steps in Korean (Lessons 1 to 30) ᚛ Lesson 20 - The Subject of a Sentence in Korean [이 / 가]
The Subject of a Sentence in Korean [이 / 가]
이 and 가 are the particles that mark the subject of a sentence, in the same grammatical function as in English. The subject is what performs the verb.
Function of 이 / 가 in Korean
Like all particles, 이 and 가 are placed just behind the noun phrase which they correspond to.
- If the noun phrase ends in a vowel: [Subject]가
- If the noun phrase ends in a consonant: [Subject]이
언니가 공부합니다.
Breaking down the sentence:
- 가 indicates the subject of the sentence, which is 언니 (= big sister)
- 공부합니다 is the verb 공부하다 (= to study), conjugated in the present tense in the formal style
So, when forming the sentence in English, we get:
→ My older sister is studying.
불고기가 맛있어.
Breaking down the sentence:
- 가 indicates the subject of the sentence, which is 불고기 (= bulgogi (Korean dish))
- 맛있어 is the verb 맛있다 (= to be delicious), conjugated in the casual present tense
So, when forming the sentence in English, we get:
→ The bulgogi is delicious.
길이 넓어요.
Breaking down the sentence:
- 이 indicates the subject of the sentence, which is 길 (= the road)
- 넓어요 is the verb 넓다 (= to be wide), conjugated in the polite present tense
So, when forming the sentence in English, we get:
→ The road is wide.
손이 아파요.
→ My hand hurts. (lit: My hand is sore.)
민지가 너를 좋아해.
→ Minji likes you.
돈이 없어요.
→ I have no money. (lit: Money does not exist.)
Note: after someone's name that ends in a consonant, we do not add 이 but 이가.
- 지민 → 지민이가
- 정국 → 정국이가
Particle Omission
Lastly, in everyday conversations, as with the topic particle 은 / 는, the particle 이 / 가 may be omitted in order to simplify sentences if there is no ambiguity as to what the noun phrase that would precede it is. Generally, these are short sentences in which there is no doubt of the meaning of the words.
불고기가 맛있어.
불고기 맛있어.
→ The bulgogi is delicious.
But if there is any hesitation, keep it!
Exercises
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