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Questions & Answers about i chaekeun yeppeoyo.
What is the function of the particle 은 in 이 책은 예뻐요?
은 is the topic marker. It highlights 이 책 as the topic of the sentence, carrying the nuance “As for this book…” and setting it up for the comment that follows.
Why is the particle shown in brackets?
Brackets indicate that the particle is optional. In spoken or informal Korean, if context is clear, you can drop 은 and still say 이 책 예뻐요. Including 은 simply adds clarity or emphasis.
What’s the difference between using 은 and 이 in this sentence?
- 은 marks the topic: “As for this book…”
- 이 marks the subject: “This book [performs the action or has the property].”
Using 이 책이 예뻐요 treats the book as the subject (often for new information), while 이 책은 예뻐요 treats it as the topic (often for known or contrasted information).
Why is 예뻐요 spelled like that instead of 예쁘어요?
When an adjective ends in -으다 (here 예쁘다), you drop the 으 before attaching -아요/-어요. So:
예쁘다 → stem 예쁘- → drop 으 → 예쁘 → add -어요 → 예뻐요.
Is 예쁘다 an irregular adjective?
Yes. It belongs to the ㅡ-irregular group. For these words, you always remove the ㅡ in the final syllable of the stem before adding -아/-어요, then choose 아 or 어 based on the preceding vowel. In 예쁘다, you drop 으 and add 어, giving 예뻐요.
Could I also say 이 책이 예뻐요? What’s the nuance?
Yes—이 책이 예뻐요 is grammatically correct.
• 이 책이 예뻐요 presents “this book” as the subject, often introducing new info or simply stating a fact.
• 이 책은 예뻐요 presents it as the topic, often implying contrast (e.g., compared to other books) or emphasizing “as for this one…”.