jijeongseogeun pyeonhago ttohan mudaewa gakkawo.

Questions & Answers about jijeongseogeun pyeonhago ttohan mudaewa gakkawo.

What does 지정석 mean exactly?

지정석 means assigned seat or reserved seat.

  • 지정 = designation / assignment
  • 석 = seat

So 지정석은 means as for the assigned seat(s) or the assigned seats in this sentence.


Why is 은 attached to 지정석?

은 is the topic particle.

So:

  • 지정석은 = as for assigned seats / assigned seats, ...

It marks 지정석 as the thing being talked about. In English, we often do this just with word order, but Korean uses particles to show the role more clearly.

A very natural way to feel it is:

  • 지정석은 편하고 또한 무대와 가까워.
  • As for the assigned seats, they’re comfortable and also close to the stage.

Why is it 편하고 and not just 편해?

편하고 uses -고, which connects one description to another and means and.

Breakdown:

  • 편하다 = to be comfortable
  • 편하고 = comfortable and

So the sentence is linking two qualities:

  1. 편하고 = (it) is comfortable, and
  2. 또한 무대와 가까워 = also close to the stage

If you said 편해, that would usually sound like the sentence ends there unless you add another connector.


What does 또한 mean, and is it necessary?

또한 means also, furthermore, or in addition.

In this sentence, it emphasizes that there is a second advantage:

  • 지정석은 편하고 또한 무대와 가까워.
  • Assigned seats are comfortable and also close to the stage.

Is it necessary? No. The sentence still works without it:

  • 지정석은 편하고 무대와 가까워.

That version is a bit simpler.
또한 can sound a little more formal or written than everyday casual speech.

In conversation, people might more naturally say things like:

  • 지정석은 편하고 무대와도 가까워.
  • 지정석은 편하고 게다가 무대와도 가까워.

Why is it 무대와 가까워? Why use 와?

와/과 means with, but with some adjectives like 가깝다 (to be close), it is used to mark the thing something is close to.

So:

  • 무대와 가깝다 = to be close to the stage

This is a very common pattern:

  • 집이 학교와 가까워요. = The house is close to the school.
  • 역과 가까워요. = It’s close to the station.

So even though English uses to, Korean often uses 와/과 with 가깝다.


Why is it 가까워 and not 가깝어?

Because 가깝다 is conjugated irregularly.

The dictionary form is:

  • 가깝다 = to be close

When making the casual present form, the ㅂ changes:

  • 가깝다 → 가까워

This is a ㅂ-irregular adjective pattern.

Similar examples:

  • 덥다 → 더워 = hot
  • 어렵다 → 어려워 = difficult
  • 가깝다 → 가까워 = close

So 가까워 is the correct conjugated form.


Why does the sentence end with 가까워 instead of 가까워요 or 가깝습니다?

This is about speech level.

  • 가까워 = casual / intimate style
  • 가까워요 = polite everyday style
  • 가깝습니다 = formal style

So the original sentence is in casual speech.

The same sentence in polite form would be:

  • 지정석은 편하고 또한 무대와 가까워요.

In formal style:

  • 지정석은 편하고 또한 무대와 가깝습니다.

Why isn’t the subject repeated in the second part of the sentence?

Korean often omits repeated subjects when they are obvious from context.

Here, 지정석은 is the topic for the whole sentence, so it applies to both descriptions:

  • 지정석은 편하고
  • (지정석은) 또한 무대와 가까워

In English, we usually repeat they are or at least understand it clearly:

  • Assigned seats are comfortable and also close to the stage.

In Korean, repeating the topic would sound unnecessary.


Is this sentence natural Korean?

Yes, it is understandable and grammatical. However, 또한 can sound a bit written or formal compared with everyday conversation.

So the sentence is fine, but in casual spoken Korean, many speakers might prefer:

  • 지정석은 편하고 무대와도 가까워.
  • 지정석은 편하고 게다가 무대와도 가까워.

A small point: adding 도 after 와 gives the sense of also close to the stage, which sounds very natural when listing another benefit.

So:

  • 무대와 가까워 = close to the stage
  • 무대와도 가까워 = also close to the stage

What is the difference between 편하다 and 편리하다 here?

In this sentence, 편하다 means comfortable.

  • 편하다 = comfortable, at ease
  • 편리하다 = convenient

For seats, 편하다 is the natural choice because you are talking about how the seats feel physically or how आराम/comfortable they are.

Examples:

  • 이 의자는 편해요. = This chair is comfortable.
  • 이 앱은 편리해요. = This app is convenient.

So for 지정석, 편하다 fits much better than 편리하다.


Could 또한 go somewhere else in the sentence?

Yes, Korean adverbs like 또한 often have some flexibility in placement, though some positions sound more natural than others.

Original:

  • 지정석은 편하고 또한 무대와 가까워.

You could also see:

  • 지정석은 또한 편하고 무대와 가까워.

But in real usage, many speakers would simply leave 또한 out or use a more conversational expression.

So while placement can vary, the original placement works by emphasizing the second point after -고:

  • it’s comfortable, and also close to the stage.
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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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