jageun raempeureul chaeksang wie dueosseoyo.

I put the small lamp on the desk.

Breakdown of jageun raempeureul chaeksang wie dueosseoyo.

• ~에: destination particle
• ~을: object particle
• 작다: small
• 책상: desk

Questions & Answers about jageun raempeureul chaeksang wie dueosseoyo.

Why is 작은 used instead of 작다 before 램프?

In Korean, you can’t place the plain adjective 작다 directly before a noun. To modify a noun, you need the adjective’s attributive form. For 작다, the attributive form is 작은. So 작은 램프 literally means “small lamp.”

What does the particle 를 after 램프 indicate?

를 (or 을 after a consonant) is the direct‐object marker. It tells you that 램프 is what’s being acted upon by the verb 두었어요 (“put”).

What is the function of 위에 in 책상 위에?

위 means “top” or “above,” and -에 is the locative particle indicating “at” or “on.” Together 위에 means “on top of.” So 책상 위에 means “on the desk.”

Could I use 위로 instead of 위에 here?

위로 also involves “upward” direction (“toward the top of”), so it suggests movement to the top. Since 두다 is placing something and leaving it there (a static location), you use 위에 (“at/on top of”), not 위로.

Why is the past tense 두었어요 and not 둔다?