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beoseuga jeil ssayo.

버스가 제일 싸요.beoseuga jeil ssayo.
The bus is the cheapest.
FromLesson 10inHardcore Korean
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Questions & Answers about beoseuga jeil ssayo.

What does 제일 mean? Can I say 가장 instead? Is there any difference?

제일 means “most” or “the most,” marking the superlative degree (e.g., “cheapest”). You can replace 제일 with 가장 without changing the basic meaning. The nuance is that 제일 is more colloquial and common in speech, while 가장 is slightly more formal or literary. Both are correct:

  • 버스가 제일 싸요.
  • 버스가 가장 싸요.
Why is it 싸요 instead of 싸다?

싸다 is the dictionary (infinitive) form meaning “to be cheap.” To make it present tense and polite (해요체), you drop -다 and add -요:

  • 싸다 → 싸요
    If you speak casually to close friends, you use 싸; in very formal situations (하십시오체), you’d say 싸합니다 or 싸습니다.
What kind of word is 싸다? It feels like a verb but means “cheap.”
In Korean, adjectives that end in -다 (like 싸다, 예쁘다, 많다) are called descriptive verbs (형용사). They behave like verbs in that they conjugate (싸다 → 싸요, 예쁘다 → 예뻐요) and serve as predicates without needing a separate “to be” verb.
Why is the particle 가 used in 버스가 제일 싸요 instead of 는?

가 is the subject marker, highlighting “bus” as the thing that is cheapest. Using 는 (버스는 제일 싸요) makes “bus” the topic, which can imply contrast or that you’re already talking about the bus.

  • 버스가 제일 싸요: Emphasizes that the bus meets the condition (cheapest).
  • 버스는 제일 싸요: As for the bus, (it) is the cheapest (perhaps among things you’ve been discussing).
How do you say “The bus is cheaper than the taxi”?

Use the comparative marker 보다 (“than”) plus 더 (“more”):

  • 버스가 택시보다 더 싸요.
    Literally: “Bus-subject taxi-than more cheap.”
If I’m talking about buses in general, shouldn’t I say 버스들 for “buses”?
Plural marking 들 is optional when context is clear. 버스가 제일 싸요 naturally means “buses are the cheapest” among the options. You could say 버스들이 제일 싸요 to emphasize individual buses, but it often sounds redundant in general statements.
What level of politeness is 싸요? Are there more polite or casual ways to say it?

싸요 is standard polite (해요체), good for everyday conversations with people you’re not super close to.

  • Casual (반말) with friends: 싸
  • Formal/polite (하십시오체) in very official contexts: 싸합니다 or 싸습니다

More from this lesson

gicha~bodadeossadabeoseuga gichaboda deo ssayo.jihacheolbeoseubissada
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“How do speech levels work in Korean?”
Korean has multiple speech levels that indicate formality and politeness. The most common are the formal polite (‑습니다/‑ㅂ니다), informal polite (‑아요/‑어요), and casual (‑아/‑어) forms. Which level you use depends on who you're speaking to and the social context.

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