Question 1

Why is 저는 used at the beginning of the sentence? What role does it play?

Accepted Answer

저 means “I” in the humble/polite register, and -는 is the topic marker. By saying 저는, you establish “I” as the topic of your statement (“As for me…”). In everyday polite speech, this makes the sentence more natural and clear.

Question 2

Why is 와 placed after 버스? Is it just “and”?

Accepted Answer

Yes, 와 is a particle that means “and” (it connects nouns). You use 와 if the preceding noun ends in a vowel (버스→버스와). If the noun ends in a consonant, you’d use 과. In casual conversation you might also hear 하고 or (이)랑 instead.

Question 3

Why does only 지하철 have the object marker -을, while 버스 does not?

Accepted Answer

When you link two nouns with 와, they form a single object phrase. You attach the object marker -을 (or -를) only to the final noun in that phrase. So 버스와 지하철을 means “the bus and the subway” as one combined object of the verb 비교했어요.

Question 4

What tense and politeness level is 비교했어요? How would I say it in the present or in a more formal style?

Accepted Answer

비교했어요 is past tense in the polite informal style. The structure is 비교하- (stem) + -였어요 (past polite), which contracts to -했어요.  
• Present polite informal: 비교해요 (“I compare…” or “I’m comparing…”)  
• Future polite informal: 비교할 거예요 (“I will compare…”)  
• Past polite formal: 비교했습니다 (“I compared…” in formal/professional contexts)

Question 5

Can I drop 저는 and just say 버스와 지하철을 비교했어요?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. Korean often omits the subject/topic when it’s clear from context. If you’re already talking about what you did, 버스와 지하철을 비교했어요 is perfectly natural.

Question 6

Is 비교했어요 the only way to talk about comparing? What’s the difference between 비교하다 and 비슷하다?

Accepted Answer

비교하다 means “to compare” (actively examining similarities and differences). 비슷하다 means “to be similar.”  
• Use 버스와 지하철을 비교했어요 when you actively compare features.  
• Use 버스와 지하철이 비슷해요 to say “The bus and the subway are similar,” without implying you performed a comparison.

Question 7

How can I add more detail about what aspects I compared?

Accepted Answer

You can insert a phrase like -면에서 (“in terms of…”) between the nouns and the verb. For example:  
버스와 지하철을 가격, 소요 시간, 편리함 면에서 비교했어요.  
This means “I compared the bus and the subway in terms of price, travel time, and convenience.”

jeoneun beoseuwa jihacheoreul bigyohaesseoyo.

Breakdown of jeoneun beoseuwa jihacheoreul bigyohaesseoyo.

Questions & Answers about jeoneun beoseuwa jihacheoreul bigyohaesseoyo.

More from this lesson

Master Korean — from jeoneun beoseuwa jihacheoreul bigyohaesseoyo to fluency