jeoneun chinguege jeonhwahaeyo.

I call a friend.

Breakdown of jeoneun chinguege jeonhwahaeyo.

• 친구: friend
• 저: I
• ~는: topic particle
• ~에게: dative particle
• 전화하다: to call

Questions & Answers about jeoneun chinguege jeonhwahaeyo.

Why is 에게 used after 친구? Can I use a different particle?

에게 marks the indirect object or recipient of an action—in this case, the person you’re calling. You cannot use -을/를 here because 친구 isn’t the direct object of “call” (the direct object is the act of calling, 전화).
Alternatives:

• Colloquially you can say 친구한테 전화해요 (한테 = informal equivalent of 에게).
• To show extra respect, for someone above you socially, you could use the honorific dative 께, e.g. 선생님께 전화해요.

Why isn’t there a direct object marker (like -를) on 친구?

Because 친구 is not a direct object but the receiver of the phone call. The basic verb is 전화하다 (“to make a phone call”), so if you wanted to treat 전화 as a noun, you could say 전화를 해요 (placing -를 on 전화), but you still wouldn’t attach -를 to 친구.

What’s the difference between 저는 and 제가 in this sentence?

• 저는 uses the topic marker -는, framing “I” as the topic of conversation.
• 제가 uses the subject marker -가, placing slight emphasis on “I” as the doer.
  In everyday polite speech, 저는 친구에게 전화해요 is most common. 제가 would sound more emphatic or used in a contrastive context.

Can I drop 저는 and just say 친구에게 전화해요?

Yes. Korean often omits topics or subjects when they’re clear from context. 친구에게 전화해요 can naturally mean “I call my friend” or “I’m going to call my friend,” depending on the situation.

What is the dictionary form of 전화해요, and how does it conjugate?

• Dictionary form: 전화하다 (to make a phone call).
• Stem: 전화하-.
  • Present polite: 전화해요 (하 + 요 → 해요)
  • Past polite: 전화했어요 (하 + 었어요 → 했어요)
  • Future polite: 전화할 거예요
  • Progressive: 전화하고 있어요 (“am calling”)

Does 전화해요 mean I’m calling right now or that I habitually call my friend?

Korean present tense can express both habitual actions and an action happening soon or right now (depending on context).

• If you want to stress “I am in the middle of calling,” use the progressive: 전화하고 있어요.
• Otherwise, 전화해요 might mean “I habitually call my friend” or “I’ll give them a call (soon).” Context and intonation clarify.

Why is 전화 combined with 하다? Is 전화하다 a single verb?

Yes. 전화 is a Sino-Korean noun meaning “phone call.” When you add 하다 (“to do”), it forms the verb 전화하다 (“to make a call”). Many Korean verbs are built this way (e.g., 공부하다, 운동하다).

How do I say “Call me” or give a command from 전화해요?

You switch to the imperative mood:

• Polite: 전화해 주세요 (“Please give me a call”)
• Casual: 전화해 (“Call me!”)
• Formal: 전화하십시오 (“Please call,” in formal settings)

Can I use a different word order, like putting 전화해요 before 친구에게?

Yes. Korean word order is flexible as long as each particle remains attached:

• 저는 전화를 해요 친구에게 ✗ (wrong: 전화 needs its verb)
• 저는 전화해요 친구에게 ✗ (awkward)
  Better permutations:
• 저는 전화해요 친구에게 (rare, sounds off)
• 저는 친구에게 전화를 해요 (if you split noun and verb)
  However, the most natural is 저는 친구에게 전화해요 or 친구에게 전화해요.