keompyuteoga saerowoyo.

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Questions & Answers about keompyuteoga saerowoyo.

What does the -요 ending in 새로워요 signify?
The -요 at the end makes the sentence polite and is part of the -아요/어요 conjugation pattern used in everyday speech. Attaching -아요/어요 to the verb or adjective stem plus marks the polite (but casual-to-neutral) register. Without -요, 컴퓨터가 새로워 would be very casual; in more formal contexts you might instead use 새롭습니다.
Why does 새롭다 change to 새로워요 instead of something like 새롭아요?

새롭다 is a ㅂ-irregular descriptive verb (adjective). When you conjugate a ㅂ-irregular adjective into -아/어요 form, you:

  1. Drop the final from the stem 새롭-
  2. Add (to yield 새로우-)
  3. Then attach -요새로워요

If it weren’t irregular, you’d normally see stem + 아/어요, but here the orthographic rule kicks in.

What’s the difference between the subject marker 이/가 and the topic marker 은/는, and why is used in 컴퓨터가?
  • 이/가 mark the grammatical subject, often introducing new information or emphasizing “who/what is doing/being” something.
  • 은/는 mark the topic, often used to contrast or refer back to known information.
    In 컴퓨터가 새로워요, the speaker is simply stating new information about the computer, so is appropriate. We use (not ) because 컴퓨터 ends with a vowel sound.
How do you say “new computer” as a standalone noun phrase in Korean (e.g. “I bought a new computer”)?

You need the attributive form of 새롭다, which also follows the ㅂ-irregular rule:

  1. Drop 새롭-
  2. Add
    • 새로운
      So new computer is 새로운 컴퓨터.
Why are there no words for “a” or “the” in 컴퓨터가 새로워요?
Korean does not have direct equivalents to English articles a or the. Definiteness/indefiniteness is inferred from context or by adding demonstratives like 이/그/저 컴퓨터 (“this/that computer”) or numerals and counters (e.g. 한 대의 컴퓨터, “one computer”).
How do you say “The computer is not new.” in Korean?

You can form the negative in two common ways:

    • adjective:
      컴퓨터가 안 새로워요.
  1. Adjective + -지 않다:
    컴퓨터가 새롭지 않아요.

Both mean “The computer is not new.”

Does 새롭다 only mean “brand-new,” or can it mean “novel” or “fresh” in other contexts?

새롭다 covers both:

  • brand-new: a just-purchased, unused item (e.g. 새로운 차 “a brand-new car”)
  • novel/fresh: something you haven’t experienced before (e.g. 새로운 경험 “a novel experience,” 새로운 아이디어 “a fresh idea”).
    Context will tell you which shade of “new” is intended.