Learn Hardcore Korean: urineun doseogwaneseo hamkke gongbuhaeyo.

우리 means “we.” Attaching -는, the topic marker, makes it “as for us.” It sets “we” as the topic of the sentence, highlighting what “we” are doing. If you used the subject marker -가 (making 우리가), you’d be focusing more on “we” as the doer, which can sound like you’re emphasizing exactly who did it rather than the action itself.

Why is the particle 에서 used with 도서관 instead of 에?

-에서 marks the place where an action happens. Since 공부해요 (“to study”) is an action, you say 도서관에서 (“at the library”). In contrast, -에 would indicate destination or static location (“to the library” or “in the library”), not where the action takes place.

What does 함께 mean, and can it be replaced with 같이?

함께 means “together.” You can swap it for 같이, which is more colloquial. Both convey the idea of doing something jointly, but 함께 sounds a bit more formal or literary.

How is the verb 공부해요 formed from 공부하다?

공부하다 is the dictionary form (“to study”). To make it polite present tense, you attach -아요/어요. Because 하다 verbs become -해요, 공부하다 turns into 공부해요. Think: 공부 (study) + 해요 (do, polite) = 공부해요.

What role does the ending 요 play in 공부해요?

The -요 ending makes the sentence polite and respectful. It’s the default in friendly or formal conversation when you’re not extremely close with your listener or when you want to be courteous.

Why is the verb placed at the end of the sentence in Korean?

Korean follows Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) order, so verbs (and adjectives) come last. Here, 우리는 (subject/topic) + 도서관에서 함께 (location + adverb) + 공부해요 (verb).

Can you omit 우리는 and still make sense?

Yes. If the context is clear, Koreans often drop the topic or subject. 도서관에서 함께 공부해요 still means “We study together at the library.”

Why isn’t there an object marker like 를 before 공부?

In 공부하다, 공부 combines with 하다 to form a verb meaning “to study.” Since 공부 is part of the verb itself (not a separate noun object), you don’t add 를. Verb-forming nouns with -하다 generally omit object markers.