Breakdown of eunhaeng ape sinhodeungi isseoyo.
~이~i
subject particle
~에~e
location particle
있다issda
to exist
은행eunhaeng
bank
앞ap
front
신호등sinhodeung
traffic light
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Questions & Answers about eunhaeng ape sinhodeungi isseoyo.
Why is 앞에 used instead of just 앞?
앞 alone is a noun meaning ‘front.’ To show that it’s the place where something exists, Korean adds the locative particle -에. So 앞에 means ‘at/in front of.’
Why don’t we say 은행의 앞에 (bank’s front)?
Korean normally drops the possessive 의 when talking about location. Instead of “bank’s front,” you simply say 은행 앞에 with the locative -에. Adding 의 here sounds overly formal or awkward.
Why is 신호등 followed by -이 (신호등이)?
In an existential sentence with 있다 (‘to exist’), the thing that exists is marked as the subject with -이/가. Here, 신호등이 is the subject, meaning ‘the traffic light.’
What does 있어요 mean, and why is it used here?
있어요 is the polite present-tense form of 있다, which means ‘to exist’ or ‘to have.’ In this sentence, it translates as ‘there is.’ So 신호등이 있어요 = ‘there is a traffic light.’
Why is the particle -에 used with 앞 instead of -에서?
-에 marks a static location (‘where something is’), while -에서 marks where an action takes place (‘where something happens’). Since 있다 expresses existence (a state, not an action), we use -에.
Can we switch the word order to 신호등이 은행 앞에 있어요?
Yes. Korean has flexible word order because particles mark grammatical roles. Both 은행 앞에 신호등이 있어요 and 신호등이 은행 앞에 있어요 mean the same thing.
What are the different politeness levels for 있어요?
- Formal polite: 있습니다 (은행 앞에 신호등이 있습니다)
- Standard polite: 있어요 (as given)
- Informal/casual: 있어 (은행 앞에 신호등 있어)
Is it possible to drop particles or words in casual speech?
Yes, in informal spoken Korean learners sometimes omit particles for brevity:
- 은행 앞에 신호등 있어 (drops -요)
However, dropping essential particles like -에 or -이/가 can cause confusion, so it’s best to master the full forms first.