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Breakdown of ohueneun nalssiga heuryeoyo.
~는~neun
topic particle
~가~ga
subject particle
날씨nalssi
weather
~에~e
time particle
흐리다heurida
cloudy
오후ohu
afternoon
Questions & Answers about ohueneun nalssiga heuryeoyo.
Why is 오후에는 used here instead of just 오후에?
오후에 simply marks the time (“in the afternoon”), whereas 오후에는 combines the time marker -에 with the topic marker -는, turning it into “as for the afternoon…” This topicalizes or even contrasts the afternoon with other times (e.g. morning), implying “it’s cloudy in the afternoon (but maybe not at other times).”
What’s the difference in nuance between -에 and -에는?
- -에: pure time/location marker (“at/in/on”).
- -에는: -에
- topic marker -는, making that time or place the topic of the sentence.
Use -에는 when you want to set that time or place as the frame of reference or contrast.
- topic marker -는, making that time or place the topic of the sentence.
Why do we say 날씨가 흐려요 with 가, and not 은 or 는 on 날씨?
Here 날씨 (weather) is the grammatical subject of the descriptive verb 흐리다 (“to be cloudy”). The subject marker -가 marks it neutrally as the one doing/experiencing the state. You could say 날씨는 흐려요, but that would make “weather” the topic and sound more like “as for the weather, it’s cloudy” rather than simply “the weather is cloudy.”
Is 흐리다 a verb or an adjective?
In Korean grammar, 흐리다 is a descriptive verb (형용사), which we often call an “adjective” in English because it describes a state. But it conjugates like a verb:
• Present polite: 흐려요
• Past polite: 흐렸어요
• Plain casual: 흐려
Why do we add -요 at the end? How would I say it more casually or more formally?
-요 is the polite informal ending.
• Casual (반말): 흐려
• Polite informal (default): 흐려요
• Formal polite: 흐립니다
Can I drop 날씨 and just say 오후에는 흐려요?
Yes. In everyday speech Koreans often omit 날씨가 when it’s obvious you’re talking about the weather. 오후에는 흐려요 still clearly means “It’s cloudy in the afternoon.”
Can I put the time expression at the end, like 날씨가 오후에는 흐려요?
Yes, Korean word order is flexible. 날씨가 오후에는 흐려요 is grammatically correct, but native speakers usually place the time phrase first (오후에는 날씨가 흐려요) to set the scene before stating what happens.
How would I say “It was cloudy yesterday afternoon”?
Add 어제 for “yesterday” and change to past tense:
어제 오후에는 날씨가 흐렸어요.
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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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