Breakdown of naneun gongwoneseo dongmureul bwayo.
~을~eul
object particle
~에서~eseo
location particle
~는~neun
topic particle
나na
I
공원gongwon
park
동물dongmul
animal
보다boda
to see
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Questions & Answers about naneun gongwoneseo dongmureul bwayo.
What does the particle -는 in 나는 indicate, and how is it different from the subject marker -이/가?
-는 is the topic marker. It sets 나 (“I”) as the topic or theme of the sentence, often implying a general statement or contrast with other topics. The subject marker -이/가 (as in 내가) instead highlights the subject for focus or identification, without carrying that topic/contrast nuance.
Why do we use 공원에서 instead of 공원에 in this sentence?
The particle -에서 marks the location where an action takes place (“at/in the park”). -에 can mark a static location (“at/in”) or a direction/target, but for actions like seeing, eating, or studying, Korean uses -에서 to specify “where” the action happens.
Why is 동물 followed by -을 in 동물을?
-을 is the object marker attached to a noun ending in a consonant, indicating that 동물 (“animal”) is the direct object of the verb 보다 (“to see”). If the noun ended in a vowel, you would use -를 instead.
How do we conjugate 보다 to 봐요, and why isn’t it 보아요?
The verb stem of 보다 is 보. Because the stem ends in the vowel ㅗ, you add the polite ending -아요, yielding 보아요. In everyday speech, 보아요 contracts to 봐요 for smoother pronunciation.
What word order do we see in 나는 공원에서 동물을 봐요, and is it flexible?
This sentence follows Topic–Location–Object–Verb order (나는 / 공원에서 / 동물을 / 봐요). Korean is generally SOV (Subject–Object–Verb). You can reorder the pre-verbal elements for emphasis (e.g., 동물을 나는 공원에서 봐요), but the verb must stay at the end and each particle must stay attached to its noun.
Can we omit 나는 or other elements if they’re clear from context?
Yes. Korean often drops pronouns or other parts when the meaning is clear. For example, 공원에서 동물을 봐요 (“(I) see animals in the park”) is perfectly natural if the speaker and listener both know who’s doing the seeing.
What level of politeness does the ending -요 in 봐요 convey?
The -요 ending marks the polite informal level (해요체), suitable for everyday conversation with peers, strangers, or in most service situations. In formal settings you might use 봅니다, while casual speech among close friends or family could drop -요 entirely and become 봐.