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Questions & Answers about aireul mannayo.
What is 를 in 아이를 만나요?
를 is the object‐marking particle. It attaches to the noun 아이 (child) to show that child is the direct object of the verb 만나요.
Why do we use 를 instead of 을 after 아이?
Korean has two object markers: 를 after vowels and 을 after consonants. Since 아이 ends with the vowel ㅣ, you attach 를, not 을.
What is the dictionary form of 만나요, and how is it conjugated?
The dictionary form is 만나다 (to meet).
Stem: 만나
Present polite ending: -아요/어요
Since the stem vowel is ㅏ, you add -아요, but the final ㅏ and ㅏ of 만나 merge into one, giving 만나요.
What level of politeness is 만나요?
만나요 is in the polite informal style (해요체). It’s suitable for everyday conversation with strangers, colleagues, or anyone you need to be polite to but aren’t in a very formal setting. The formal polite style (합니다체) would be 만납니다.
Why is there no subject in this sentence, and who is doing the meeting?
Korean often drops the subject when it’s obvious from context. Here, the implied subject is usually I (the speaker). Depending on context it could also mean “we,” “you,” or “they,” but most commonly it’s “I meet a child.”
How do you express “I am meeting a child” (continuous action) in Korean?
Use the progressive construction ~고 있다.
만나 + 고 있다 → 만나고 있다
Polite form: 만나고 있어요
So “I am meeting a child” is 아이를 만나고 있어요.
How would you say “I met a child” in the past tense?
Change to the past polite ending -았/었어요.
만나 + 았어요 → 만났어요
Thus “I met a child” is 아이를 만났어요.
How can you specify that you are meeting more than one child?
Add the plural marker 들 to 아이, making 아이들, and then attach the object particle:
아이들을 만나요 (“I meet children”).