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Questions & Answers about chaegi jaemiisseoyo.
What does 이 do in 책이 재미있어요?
이 is the subject particle. It marks 책 as the subject of the sentence. You attach 이 after a noun that ends in a consonant; if the noun ends in a vowel, you use 가 instead.
Is 재미있어요 a verb or an adjective?
In Korean, descriptive verbs (often called adjectives in English) are verbs that describe states. 재미있어요 comes from 재미있다, which literally combines 재미 (fun) + 있다 (to exist/have). So 재미있다 means “to have fun” → “to be interesting.” The form -어요 is the polite present tense ending for verbs.
Why do people sometimes write 재밌어요 instead of 재미있어요?
재밌어요 is a colloquial contraction of 재미있어요. In casual speech and informal writing, Koreans often drop or shorten syllables for ease. Both forms mean exactly the same thing.
What politeness level is the ending -어요?
The -어요 ending is the standard polite (also called “요-form”) used with strangers, acquaintances, or in most everyday situations.
- More casual: 재미있어 (no 요)
- More formal: 재미있습니다 (formal/official tone)
Can I say 책은 재미있어요 instead? What changes?
Yes. 은/는 is the topic marker, while 이/가 is the subject marker.
- 책이 재미있어요 simply states that “the book is interesting” as new information.
- 책은 재미있어요 sets “book” as the topic or contrast: “As for the book, it’s interesting (but maybe other things aren’t).”
Why does the verb come at the end in Korean?
Korean follows Subject–Object–Verb (SOV) word order. Descriptive verbs (like 재미있다) always appear at the end of the clause. That’s a core feature of Korean syntax.
How do I turn 책이 재미있어요 into a question “Is the book interesting?”
Simply raise your intonation at the end when speaking: 책이 재미있어요?
If you want to make it explicitly interrogative in writing, you can also add a question mark as shown.
How do I say “The book is not interesting”?
Use the negative form 재미없다 (fun-not-exist → “to be uninteresting”) and add -어요:
책이 재미없어요.