jeoneun yeongeoreul gongbuhaeyo.

I study English.

Breakdown of jeoneun yeongeoreul gongbuhaeyo.

• ~을: object particle
• 저: I
• ~는: topic particle
• 공부하다: to study

Questions & Answers about jeoneun yeongeoreul gongbuhaeyo.

Why is 저는 used rather than just 저?

• 저 is the pronoun “I/me.”
• -는 is the topic particle. Together, 저는 literally means “as for me,” marking the topic of the sentence.
• Without -는, you’d just have the word for “I,” but it wouldn’t show its grammatical role.

What’s the difference between 저는 and 제가?

• 저는 = “I” + topic marker -는 (as for me…).
• 제가 = “I” + subject marker -가 (emphasizing the subject or introducing a new subject).
• Use 저는 when you want to set or contrast a topic; use 제가 when you’re highlighting who is doing something or answering “who?”

Why is 영어를 used here, and what does -를 do?

• 영어 means “English.”
• -를 is the object marker (used after a vowel-ending noun).
• 영어를 tells us that English is the direct object of the verb “study.”

Can you omit 저는 and just say 영어를 공부해요?