Learn Hardcore Korean: i kapeneun masissneun keopiro yumyeonghaeyo. - This café is famous for its delicious coffee.

는 is the topic particle. It marks 카페 as the topic (“as for the café”). It sets up what we’re talking about. Unlike the subject particle 가, which introduces new information, 는 often indicates known information or emphasizes a general statement.

Why is 로 used in 맛있는 커피로 and what nuance does it add?

The particle 로 here indicates “reason” or “cause” in the pattern N(으)로 유명하다 (“to be famous for N”). 맛있는 커피로 literally means “by/with delicious coffee,” but idiomatically “for delicious coffee.” It explains why the café is famous.

Could we replace 로 with 에서 in this sentence?

No. 에서 marks location or starting point (e.g., 카페에서 공부하다 “study at a café”). To express the cause of fame, Korean uses the fixed pattern N(으)로 유명하다. Using 에서 유명하다 would sound unnatural in this context.

What kind of word is 유명하다 and how do we get 유명해요?

유명하다 is a descriptive verb (형용사) meaning “to be famous.”
To conjugate it into the polite present tense:

Drop -다 from 유명하다
Add -해요 → 유명해요
This is the standard polite ending for descriptive verbs: -아요/어요.

Why do we say 맛있는 instead of 맛있은 for the attributive form of 맛있다?

Korean descriptive verbs have different attributive stems:
• Present attributive: -는 → 맛있는 커피 (coffee that is delicious now)
• Past attributive: -은 → 맛있은 커피 (coffee that was delicious)
Since we’re describing the coffee’s current taste, we use the present attributive 맛있는.

Can we omit 이 in 이 카페는? What changes?

Yes. 카페는 맛있는 커피로 유명해요 is perfectly fine. Omitting 이 removes “this,” making the statement more general. Adding 이 (this) specifies that you’re talking about a particular café.

Is it possible to say 커피가 instead of 커피로 and keep the meaning?

No. 커피가 유명해요 would mean “the coffee is famous,” shifting the subject to the coffee itself. If you said 커피가 맛있어서 유명해요, it means “because the coffee is delicious, (it) is famous,” which changes the nuance and structure. To say “famous for coffee,” you need 커피로.

What’s the difference between 맛있는 커피로 유명해요 and 커피가 맛있어서 유명해요?

• 맛있는 커피로 유명해요 is a concise idiomatic phrase focusing on the fame (“famous for delicious coffee”).
• 커피가 맛있어서 유명해요 spells out the cause‐and‐effect (“it’s famous because the coffee is delicious”), emphasizing the reason more explicitly but sounding less like a set expression.