eunhaeng ape sinhodeungi isseoyo.

There is a traffic light in front of the bank.

Breakdown of eunhaeng ape sinhodeungi isseoyo.

• ~이: subject particle
• ~에: location particle
• 있다: to exist
• 은행: bank

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?