Learn Hardcore Korean: jeoneun jeongmal hangugeoreul johahaeyo.

저 is the first-person pronoun “I,” and -는 is the topic marker. Together, 저는 literally means “As for me,” indicating that what follows is about you (not necessarily the grammatical subject).

Why do we use 정말 here, and where can it go in the sentence?

정말 means “really/truly” and is an adverb that intensifies the verb 좋아해요 (“like”). You can place 정말 before the verb or immediately before the object:

저는 정말 한국어를 좋아해요.
저는 한국어를 정말 좋아해요.
Both versions are correct; the emphasis shifts slightly depending on placement (on “really” vs. “Korean”).

Why is 한국어를 marked with -를 instead of another particle?

-를 is the object particle, used when the noun (한국어) is the direct object of a verb. Here, Korean (한국어) is what you like, so it takes -를. If you used -가, you’d be marking it as the grammatical subject, which wouldn’t fit 좋아해요 (a transitive verb).

What’s the difference between 좋다 and 좋아하다?

좋다 is an adjective meaning “to be good” or “to be pleasing.” When you want to say “to like” something, you attach -아/어하다 to the adjective stem:

좋 + 아하다 → 좋아하다 (“to like”).
Then you conjugate 좋아하다 into 좋아해요 for polite present tense.

What politeness level is 좋아해요?

좋아해요 is in the polite informal style (해요체). It’s appropriate for most everyday situations, including talking to strangers, acquaintances, or anyone you don’t call by name in an intimate way. The plain (반말) form would be 좋아해.

Why did we choose the topic marker -는 for 저는 instead of the subject marker -가 (제가)?

Using the topic marker -는 (저는) frames the sentence around your perspective (“As for me, …”). -가 (제가) would emphasize the grammatical subject and often answers questions like “Who is doing the action?” Topic marking with -는 is more natural for general statements about yourself.

Can I omit 저는 in casual conversation?

Yes. If context is clear, you can drop the topic:

정말 한국어를 좋아해요.
or even
한국어를 정말 좋아해요.
Korean frequently omits pronouns when the topic/subject is understood.

What is the basic word order in this sentence?

Korean follows Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) order:
1) Subject/Topic: 저는
2) Object: 한국어를
3) Verb: 좋아해요
This differs from English’s SVO order (“I like Korean.”).

How should I pronounce 한국어를 좋아해요?

Break it into syllables: 한-국-어-를 좋-아-해-요. In standard pronunciation:

한국어를 [han.gu.gʌ.rɯl] (both ㄱ’s are the same ‘g/k’ sound)
좋아해요 [t͡ɕo.a̠.ɦɛ.jo] (note the smooth transition from 좋아 to 해요)
Focus on clear syllable boundaries and slightly aspirated initial consonants when appropriate.