Learn Korean for Free | Beginner Korean Grammar # 4
Who did it? What is there? What is pretty? 이/가 helps point to the star of the sentence.
What Does N이/가 Mean?
이/가 marks the subject of a sentence. It is often used when introducing new information or focusing on a specific person or thing.
The Rule
Consonant + 이
바람 → 바람이
꽃 → 꽃이
Vowel + 가
비 → 비가
학교 → 학교가
💡 Remember: 나 + 가 → 내가, 저 + 가 → 제가, 누구 + 가 → 누가
Useful Korean Words
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 비 | rain |
| 바람 | wind |
| 지갑 | wallet |
| 돈 | money |
| 꽃 | flower |
| 시간 | time |
| 눈 | snow |
| 열쇠 | key |
Korean Grammar Examples
비가 와요.
It is raining.
바람이 불어요.
The wind is blowing.
지갑이 있어요.
I have a wallet.
돈이 없어요.
I have no money.
꽃이 참 예뻐요.
The flowers are very pretty.
Quick Quiz 🎯
- 비 → 비______
- 바람 → 바람______
- 친구 → 친구______
- 버스 → 버스______
Answers: 비가 / 바람이 / 친구가 / 버스가
Answering “who?”
A: 누가 민수 씨예요? — Who is Minsu?
B: 제가 민수예요. — I’m Minsu.
제가 and 저는 are both useful
제가 is 저 + 가; do not write 저가 for this meaning. In the dialogue, 제가 identifies the person the question asks about. 저는 민수예요 is natural when introducing yourself as the topic. Avoid a rule that says one particle always means “I” and the other does not: both can follow a word referring to the speaker.
Practice in context
Complete the answers with 이 or 가: ① 뭐가 있어요? 책___ 있어요. ② 누가 와요? 친구___ 와요.
Answers and explanation
① 책이 있어요. 책 ends in ㄱ. ② 친구가 와요. 친구 ends in a vowel. For the question word 누구, the usual combination with 가 is 누가. Ask 누가 와요? and give a new answer using a name.
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