Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Korean grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about jibe gayo.
What does 집에 mean and why is the particle -에 used here?
집 means “house” or “home.” The particle -에 marks a destination or location, so 집에 literally means “to (the) home.”
What is 가요, and why don’t we just say 가?
가요 is the polite-informal present/future form of the verb 가다 (to go). You take the verb stem 가- and add the polite ending -아요/어요, giving 가요. Just 가 is the plain dictionary stem and isn’t used by itself to form a polite sentence.
Is 집에 가요 present tense or future tense?
Korean doesn’t sharply distinguish between “I am going” and “I will go.” 집에 가요 can mean either “I am going home” (right now) or “I will go home” (soon), depending on context.
Why is there no subject like “I” or “she” in 집에 가요?
Korean often omits subjects when they’re clear from context. Here, the implied subject is 저는 (“I”), so it’s short for 저는 집에 가요 (“I am going home”).
What’s the difference between 집에 가요 and 집에 갑니다?