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Breakdown of eoje sajineul jjigeosseoyo.
~을~eul
object particle
어제eoje
yesterday
사진sajin
photo
찍다jjikda
to take
Questions & Answers about eoje sajineul jjigeosseoyo.
What does 어제 mean?
어제 (eo-je) means “yesterday.” It indicates when the action took place.
What does 사진을 mean, and what’s the function of -을?
사진 (sa-jin) means “photo.” The particle -을 (-eul) marks 사진 as the direct object of the verb, showing that the photo is what’s being “taken.”
What does 찍었어요 mean, and what is the root verb?
The root verb is 찍다 (jjik-da), meaning “to take (a photo).” 찍었어요 (jjigeot-seo-yo) is its past-tense, polite form, so it means “(I/you/etc.) took (a photo).”
Which tense and politeness level is 찍었어요?
It’s in the past tense and uses the standard polite (해요) speech level, appropriate for everyday polite conversation.
How would you say this sentence in casual (informal) speech?
You can drop the polite ending -요 and use 찍었어, yielding 어제 사진을 찍었어 for talking with close friends or younger people.
How about a more formal or honorific form?
Use the formal polite ending -습니다, giving 어제 사진을 찍었습니다. This is common in presentations or talking to people of higher status.
Why is there no subject like “I” in the sentence?
Korean often omits the subject when it’s understood from context. Here, the implied subject is “I,” so you don’t have to say 저는 explicitly.
How do you turn this into a question?
Simply raise your intonation and add a question mark: 어제 사진을 찍었어요? This means “Did (you) take a photo yesterday?”
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“How do speech levels work in Korean?”
Korean has multiple speech levels that indicate formality and politeness. The most common are the formal polite (‑습니다/‑ㅂ니다), informal polite (‑아요/‑어요), and casual (‑아/‑어) forms. Which level you use depends on who you're speaking to and the social context.
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