doseogwaneseo chaegeul gollayo.

도서관에서 책을 골라요.doseogwaneseo chaegeul gollayo.
I choose a book in the library.
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Questions & Answers about doseogwaneseo chaegeul gollayo.

What does 도서관에서 mean?
도서관 means “library,” and 에서 is the location particle that marks where an action happens. So 도서관에서 translates as “at the library.”
Why do we use 에서 instead of 에 here?

Both 에 and 에서 can refer to a place, but:

  • 에 marks a static location or destination (“I am at the library,” 도서관에 있어요; “I go to the library,” 도서관에 가요).
  • 에서 marks where an action takes place (“I choose a book at the library,” 도서관에서 책을 골라요).
What role does 책을 play in the sentence?
책 means “book.” The particle 을 marks 책 as the direct object of the verb 골라요. Together 책을 골라요 means “(I) choose a book.”
Why is the verb 고르다 conjugated to 골라요?

고르다 is a 르-irregular verb. In the present polite form:

  1. Remove 르 from 고르.
  2. Add ㄹ to the verb stem, making 골르 → 골르
    • ㄹ = 골ㄹ.
  3. Attach -아요 (because the last vowel in the new stem, ㅏ, pairs with -아요). Result: 골라요.
Why is there no subject in this sentence?

Korean often omits the subject when it’s clear from context. Here, the speaker (I/you/he/etc.) is understood. If you want to be explicit, you can add a topic or subject:

  • 저는 도서관에서 책을 골라요 (“As for me, I choose a book at the library”)
  • 친구가 도서관에서 책을 골라요 (“My friend chooses a book at the library”)
How would you change this sentence to past tense?

Conjugate 고르다 to past polite:

  1. Apply the same 르-irregular rule (as above) to get 골라.
  2. Attach -았어요 (because 골라 ends in ㅏ).
    Result: 도서관에서 책을 골랐어요 (“I chose a book at the library.”)
How can you turn 도서관에서 책을 골라요 into a question?

In spoken Korean you can simply raise your intonation:

  • 도서관에서 책을 골라요?
    Or add an interrogative ending for clarity:
  • 도서관에서 책을 골라요? (neutral)
  • 도서관에서 책을 골라요? / 골라요? is already polite.
  • For formal speech: 도서관에서 책을 고르십니까?
Can particles like 을/를 be omitted in casual speech?

Yes, in very casual or rapid speech learners sometimes drop particles if context is clear:

  • 도서관에서 책 골라요
    However, for clarity and standard writing, it’s better to keep 을/를 so learners practice the full structure.