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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 요 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:
- Drop the final ㅂ from the stem 새롭-
- Add 우 (to yield 새로우-)
- Then attach -요 → 새로워요
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 가 used in 컴퓨터가?