abeojineun sijange gayo.

아버지는 시장에 가요.abeojineun sijange gayo.
Father goes to the market.
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Questions & Answers about abeojineun sijange gayo.

Why do we say 아버지는 with 는 at the end instead of just 아버지?
In Korean, 는 is the topic‐marker particle. By attaching 는 to 아버지, you set “Dad” as the topic of the sentence (“As for Dad…”). Without a particle, the listener wouldn’t know what role 아버지 plays (subject, object, etc.).
What’s the difference between the topic marker 은/는 and the subject marker 이/가, for example in 아버지가 시장에 가요?
  • 은/는 (topic marker) frames what you’re talking about or contrasts it.
  • 이/가 (subject marker) identifies the grammatical subject, often when presenting new information.
    So:
    • 아버지는 시장에 가요 → “As for Dad, he goes to the market” (general statement or contrast).
    • 아버지가 시장에 가요 → “It’s Dad who goes to the market” (emphasis on “Dad” as the one doing it).
Why is 시장 followed by 에 instead of the object marker 를?

에 marks a destination or location. Here, 시장에 가요 means “go to the market.”
Using 를 (a direct object marker) would imply 가다 takes a direct object, which it doesn’t—가다 is intransitive and doesn’t act upon an object.

What’s the difference between 에 and 에서 when talking about places?
  • 에 marks direction or destination:
    • 도서관에 가요 (“go to the library”).
  • 에서 marks the place where an action happens or the origin of motion:
    • 도서관에서 공부해요 (“study at the library”).
    • 서울에서 왔어요 (“came from Seoul”).
How do we get 가요 from the dictionary form 가다?
  1. Remove -다 from 가다, leaving the stem 가.
  2. Because the stem vowel is ㅏ, attach -아요 → 가 + 아요 = 가아요.
  3. The two vowels contract into 가요.
    This yields the Present Tense, Polite Informal form.
What’s the difference between 가요 and the more formal 갑니다?

Both are polite present forms of 가다, but differ in formality:

  • 가요: Polite Informal (used in everyday respectful speech).
  • 갑니다: Polite Formal (used in formal announcements, news reports, or speaking to strangers in formal settings).
Does 가요 mean “is going” (progressive) or “goes” (habitual/simple present)?

Korean simple present can cover both habitual and near-future senses. 가요 generally means “goes” or “will go.” For an ongoing action right now, you use the progressive form:
• 가고 있어요 → “is going right now.”