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Questions & Answers about ipjanggwoneul boyeo jugo ipjanghaesseo.

What does 보여 주고 mean here, and why is it two words?

보여 주다 literally means to show (something) to someone / to let someone see.

It is made from:

  • 보이다 / 보여 = to be seen / to show
  • 주다 = to give

In Korean, verb + 주다 often adds the sense of doing something for someone or to someone. So 보여 주다 is not just show, but more specifically show to someone.

In real writing, you may also see 보여주고 written as one chunk in informal contexts, but the standard spacing is 보여 주고.

Why is the object marked with 을 in 입장권을?

The particle 을 marks 입장권 as the direct object of 보여 주고.

So:

  • 입장권 = admission ticket / entry ticket
  • 입장권을 = the ticket as the thing being shown

A native English speaker might expect no marker because English just says show the ticket, but Korean usually marks the object explicitly.

Why is there no subject in this sentence?

Korean often leaves out the subject when it is already understood from context.

So 입장권을 보여 주고 입장했어 naturally means something like:

  • I showed my ticket and entered
  • (He/She/We) showed the ticket and entered

The subject is omitted because Korean does this very often when it is obvious from the situation.

What does -고 do in 보여 주고?

-고 connects two actions. Here it means something like:

  • and
  • and then
  • after doing

So the structure is:

  • 입장권을 보여 주고 = showing the ticket
  • 입장했어 = entered

Together: showed the ticket and entered.

In this sentence, the order of actions is important: first the ticket is shown, then the person enters.

Why is only the last verb in the past tense? Why not make both verbs past?

This is a very common Korean pattern.

When two verbs are connected with -고, usually only the final verb carries the tense and speech-level ending:

  • 보여 주고 입장했어

Even though 보여 주고 does not have a past ending itself, the whole sentence is understood as past because the final verb 입장했어 is in the past tense.

English often repeats tense more clearly, but Korean does not need to.

What does 입장했어 mean exactly?

입장하다 means to enter, especially in the sense of being admitted, going in officially, or entering a venue/event/building.

So 입장했어 is the casual past form:

  • 입장했다 = entered
  • 입장했어 = entered / went in

This sounds a bit more formal or situation-specific than a very general verb like 들어갔어 (went in).

Why use 입장하다 instead of 들어가다?

Both can relate to entering, but the nuance is different.

  • 들어가다 = to go in / enter in a general physical sense
  • 입장하다 = to enter/admit oneself into a place such as a theater, stadium, event hall, etc.

Because the sentence includes 입장권 (admission ticket), 입장하다 fits very naturally. It sounds like entering a place where admission is controlled.

So this sentence feels like:

  • show your ticket
  • be admitted / enter
What speech level is 입장했어?

입장했어 is in the casual informal style, often called 반말.

Compare:

  • 입장했어 = casual
  • 입장했어요 = polite
  • 입장했습니다 = formal/polite

So this sentence would be natural when speaking to a friend, someone younger, or in casual narration.

Is 보여 주고 implying that the ticket was shown to a staff member?

Yes, that is the natural interpretation.

The sentence does not explicitly say to whom, but from context, a listener will usually understand that the ticket was shown to a gate worker, employee, or someone checking admission.

Korean often leaves out this kind of information when it is obvious.

Could this sentence mean showed the ticket and was allowed in, or does it only mean entered?

Literally, it means showed the ticket and entered.

The idea of being allowed in is not directly stated, but it is strongly implied by the situation. Since 입장권 is an admission ticket, the sentence naturally suggests the normal sequence:

  1. show the ticket
  2. get admitted
  3. enter

So the sentence itself says entered, but the real-world meaning often includes the idea that entry was permitted after the ticket check.

Can 주고 here mean gave the ticket?

No, not in this sentence.

Even though 주다 by itself means to give, in 보여 주다 it forms a combined expression meaning to show to someone.

So:

  • 입장권을 줬어 = gave the ticket
  • 입장권을 보여 줬어 = showed the ticket

That is an important difference.

Would 입장권을 보여주고 들어갔어 also be natural?

Yes, that would also be natural.

The difference is mainly nuance:

  • 입장권을 보여 주고 입장했어 = a bit more tied to the formal act of admission
  • 입장권을 보여 주고 들어갔어 = more everyday, simply showed the ticket and went in

Because 입장권 already sets the context, both sound fine, but 입장했어 matches the ticket/admission situation especially well.

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“How do speech levels work in Korean?”
Korean has multiple speech levels that indicate formality and politeness. The most common are the formal polite (‑습니다/‑ㅂ니다), informal polite (‑아요/‑어요), and casual (‑아/‑어) forms. Which level you use depends on who you're speaking to and the social context.

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