Learn Hardcore Korean: jeoneun jumalmada chaegeul ilgeoyo.

In Korean, 는 is a topic marker while 가 is a subject marker. 저는 sets “I” as the topic of conversation, often implying you’re talking about your habits or providing general information. If you used 제가, you’d be simply marking “I” as the grammatical subject, usually to introduce new information or emphasize “I” specifically. In this sentence, we’re describing a routine (every weekend), so the topic marker 는 is most natural.

What does 주말마다 mean and how does the 마다 ending work?

주말마다 literally means “every weekend.” The suffix 마다 attaches to time expressions (e.g., 아침마다 “every morning,” 한 달마다 “every month”) to indicate repetition. It’s very common in everyday Korean to express “whenever (time expression) comes around, ….”

Could I say 매주말 instead of 주말마다?

Yes, 매주말 also means “every weekend” (where 매- is a Sino-Korean prefix meaning “every”). Both are grammatically correct, but 주말마다 is more colloquial and widely used in speech. 매주말 can sound slightly more formal or written.

Why do we add 을 to 책 to make 책을?

The particle 을 (or 를 after vowels) is the object marker in Korean. It tells us that 책 (“book”) is the direct object of the verb “읽다” (“to read”). Without 을, the role of 책 in the sentence would be unclear.

Why is the verb 읽어요 in this form, and what speech level is it?

읽어요 is the present tense, polite informal (해요체) form of 읽다 (“to read”). Korean has multiple speech levels:

읽습니다 is the formal polite form (하십시오체).
읽는다 is the plain form often used in writing or diary entries.
읽어요 is used in everyday polite conversation with strangers or acquaintances.

Can I omit 저는 and just say 주말마다 책을 읽어요?

Absolutely. Korean often drops pronouns when the context is clear. Saying 주말마다 책을 읽어요 still means “I read books every weekend.” Omitting 저는 makes the sentence more concise and is very common in conversation.

Is it possible to reorder the sentence, like placing 책을 before 주말마다?

Yes, Korean has flexible word order as long as the verb stays at the end. You could say 책을 주말마다 읽어요, which emphasizes 책을 slightly more or sounds a bit unusual depending on context. The most natural spoken order is 주말마다 책을 읽어요, placing the time expression first.