Breakdown of geu sinhodeung dwie hoengdanbodoga isseoyo.
~가~ga
subject particle
~에~e
location particle
있다issda
to exist
신호등sinhodeung
traffic light
그geu
that
뒤dwi
back
횡단보도hoengdanbodo
crosswalk
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Questions & Answers about geu sinhodeung dwie hoengdanbodoga isseoyo.
Why is 그 used before 신호등?
그 is a demonstrative meaning “that.” It specifies which traffic light you’re talking about—namely, the one already mentioned or the one in view.
How do you express the English article “the” in Korean, such as in “the traffic light”?
Korean doesn’t have direct articles like “the” or “a.” Instead you:
- use context to show definiteness, or
- add demonstratives like 그 (“that”), 이 (“this”), 저 (“that over there”)
So in 그 신호등, 그 functions like “the” by pointing to a specific traffic light.
What does 뒤에 mean in this sentence?
뒤 means “back” or “behind,” and the locative particle -에 marks location. Together, 뒤에 means “behind.” Placed after 신호등, it gives “behind the traffic light.”
Why is -에 used with 뒤 instead of -에서?
- -에 indicates a static location (“where something is”).
- -에서 indicates where an action takes place or the starting point of movement.
Since we’re simply stating where the crosswalk exists (no action or movement), we use 뒤에 with -에.
Why does 횡단보도 take the subject particle -가 here instead of an object or topic particle?
This is an existence sentence with the verb 있다 (“to exist”). The item that exists is marked by the subject marker -가: 횡단보도가.
- Using -을/를 would make 횡단보도 the object of some action (which doesn’t apply here).
- Using -은/는 would make it the topic, suggesting contrast or known information rather than new existence.
What role does 있어요 play in this sentence?
있어요 is the polite-form of 있다, meaning “to exist” or “to have.” Here it simply states that the crosswalk exists behind the traffic light: “there is a crosswalk.”
Can you change the word order of this sentence in Korean?
Korean word order is flexible, but the natural pattern for existence statements is:
Location + Subject + 있다
Thus 그 신호등 뒤에 횡단보도가 있어요 is most idiomatic. You could say 횡단보도가 그 신호등 뒤에 있어요, but that shifts emphasis onto the crosswalk rather than the location.