Breakdown of doseogwane haksaengdeuri isseoyo.
~이~i
subject particle
학생haksaeng
student
도서관doseogwan
library
~에~e
location particle
Questions & Answers about doseogwane haksaengdeuri isseoyo.
Why is 도서관 followed by 에 instead of 에서?
The particle 에 indicates the location where something exists or is located. Since 있다 here means “to exist” or “there is/are,” we use 에 for the place of existence. The particle 에서 marks the location of an action (e.g. 도서관에서 공부해요 “I study at the library”), so it isn’t used with 있다 to express simple existence.
What does 있어요 mean, and what level of politeness is it?
있어요 is the polite informal present form of 있다, meaning “to exist,” “to have,” or “there is/there are.” The -어요 ending makes the sentence polite in everyday conversation. Dropping -요 (i.e. 있어) is casual, and using -ㅂ니다 (i.e. 있습니다) is more formal.
Why do we add 들 in 학생들? Is it always needed to show plural?
The suffix 들 explicitly marks the noun 학생 (“student”) as plural (“students”). In Korean, plurality is often inferred from context, so 들 is optional when the meaning is clear. You’d use 학생들 when you want to emphasize “multiple students.”
Why is the subject marker 이 used after 들, and could we use 가 instead?