i chinguneun haksaengieyo.

이 친구는 학생이에요.i chinguneun haksaengieyo.
This friend is a student.
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Questions & Answers about i chinguneun haksaengieyo.

What does 이 mean in this sentence?
Here 이 is the demonstrative adjective meaning “this.” It points to someone (in this case, “friend”) who is close to the speaker.
Why do we say 친구 even though the English translation is “friend” but we often say “this friend”?
친구 alone means “friend.” In Korean you often specify proximity with 이 (“this”), 그 (“that” near the listener), or 저 (“that” far from both). Here 이 친구 means “this friend” (the person near the speaker).
What is the role of the particle 는 after 친구?
는 is the topic marker. It indicates that 친구 (“friend”) is what the sentence is about. In English you might render it as “As for this friend, (he/she)...” It can also give a slight contrast or emphasis depending on context.
Could we use 이 as a subject marker instead of 는?
No. 이 and 가 are SUBJECT markers, not demonstratives. The demonstrative 이 here is part of 이 친구 (“this friend”). The subject marker for a noun ending in a vowel is 가, and for a noun ending in a consonant is 이. Since 친구 ends in a vowel sound, its subject marker would be 가 if you wanted to say 이 친구가. But then you’d be marking “this friend” as the subject, not the topic.
Why do we use 이에요 after 학생 instead of simply 학생?

이에요 is the polite ending of the copula 이다 (“to be”).

  • After a noun ending in a consonant (학생 ends in ㅇ), you attach 이에요.
  • After a noun ending in a vowel, you attach 예요.
    So 학생이에요 = “(He/She) is a student” in polite speech.
What’s the difference between 이에요 and 입니다?

Both are polite ways to say “is.”

  • 이에요/예요 is informal polite (주로 친구 사이, 초급 학습자용).
  • 입니다 is formal polite (공식적인 자리, 뉴스, 발표 등).
Can I omit 이 and just say 친구는 학생이에요?
Yes, you can say 친구는 학생이에요. That would mean “As for a friend, (he/she) is a student.” But you lose the demonstrative meaning “this.” It becomes more general: “A friend is a student.”
What if I want to say “That friend is a student”?

Use the demonstrative 그 instead of 이:
그 친구는 학생이에요.

Can I make this sentence more casual?

Yes. In casual speech you can drop the polite ending and say:
이 친구는 학생이야.

How would I ask “Is this friend a student?”

Simply turn it into a question by raising your intonation or adding a question mark:
이 친구는 학생이에요?
You can also add -까 for a slightly more formal question:
이 친구는 학생일까요?