Learn Hardcore Korean: kape geonneopyeoneseo beoseureul gidaryeoyo.

건너편 literally means “the opposite side” or “across.” In 카페 건너편에서, it refers to the spot directly across from the café—so 카페 건너편 = “across from the café.”

Why is 에서 attached to 카페 건너편?

The particle 에서 marks the location where an action takes place. Since you’re waiting “at” or “from” that spot, you add 에서 to 카페 건너편, giving 카페 건너편에서 = “at/across from the café.”

Why do we say 버스를 기다려요 instead of just 버스 기다려요?

기다리다 (“to wait for”) is a transitive verb, so it takes a direct object marked by 를/을. 버스를 is “the bus” plus the object particle 를, making 버스를 기다려요 = “(I) wait for the bus.”

There’s no subject like “I” or “he” in the sentence. Is that okay?

Yes. Korean often omits the subject when it’s clear from context. Here the subject (e.g. 저는 “I” or 우리는 “we”) is implied. If you need to specify, you can say 저는 카페 건너편에서 버스를 기다려요.

Is 기다려요 simple present tense or present progressive?

기다려요 is the polite present-tense form of 기다리다. In Korean, the simple present can describe both habitual actions (“I wait regularly”) and ongoing actions (“I’m waiting now”). To emphasize “right now,” you could say 기다리고 있어요.

Could I use 카페 맞은편에서 instead of 카페 건너편에서?

Yes. 맞은편 and 건너편 both mean “opposite side.” 건너편 comes from 건너다 (“to cross”), so it slightly emphasizes the crossing idea, while 맞은편 is more neutral: “the other/opposite side.”

Why does the verb come at the end of the sentence?

Korean uses Subject–Object–Verb (SOV) word order. Modifiers and phrases (time, place) go first, then object, then verb. Hence 카페 건너편에서 (location) + 버스를 (object) + 기다려요 (verb).

What speech level is indicated by the ending -요 in 기다려요?

The -요 ending marks the standard polite style (해요체). It’s suitable for most everyday situations with strangers or acquaintances. For close friends you might drop 요 (기다려), and for formal contexts you’d use 기다립니다.

Can I add a time expression like “now” in this sentence?

Yes. Simply place it before the verb or at the beginning. For example: 지금 카페 건너편에서 버스를 기다려요 = “I’m waiting for the bus across from the café right now.”