Learn Hardcore Korean: oneul achime nuni jogeum wasseoyo.

The particle 에 here marks a point in time. When you say 오늘 아침에, you’re literally saying “at this morning.” Without 에, it’s just a noun phrase; with 에, it becomes a clear time adverbial indicating when the action occurred.

Why is 눈 followed by the subject marker 이 instead of the topic marker 은?

In 눈이 조금 왔어요, 눈 is the grammatical subject of the verb 오다. We use 이/가 to mark subjects, especially when introducing new or important information. If you used 은, you’d be making 눈 the topic, implying contrast or that you’ve already been talking about snow.

Why do we use the verb 오다 (to come) to describe snow falling?

In Korean, weather phenomena like rain and snow are described with 오다 (“to come”). So 비가 오다 means “it rains” and 눈이 오다 means “it snows.” Think of the precipitation “coming down” toward you.

What tense and politeness level is conveyed by 왔어요?

왔어요 is the past tense polite form. Breakdown: verb stem 오- + past tense marker -았/었- → 왔- + polite ending -어요 → 왔어요. This is commonly used in everyday conversation.

Why is the adverb 조금 placed before the verb 왔어요?

In Korean, adverbs typically precede the verb they modify. 조금 (“a little”) modifies 왔어요, so it naturally comes right before the verb.

What’s the difference between 조금 and 좀?

Both mean “a little,” but:
• 조금 is more neutral and slightly more formal.
• 좀 is a colloquial contraction of 조금 and is very common in spoken Korean.
In this sentence, you could say 눈이 좀 왔어요 and it would feel a bit more casual.

Could we say 눈이 내렸어요 instead of 왔어요? If so, is there any nuance?

Yes, 눈이 내렸어요 is perfectly correct and means “it snowed.”
• 내리다 literally means “to descend,” so 눈이 내리다 emphasizes the downward motion of snowflakes.
• 오다 is just the fixed expression for precipitation. Both are used, but 눈이 오다 is the most common everyday phrase.

What happens if we omit 오늘 아침에 and just say 눈이 조금 왔어요?

The sentence still means “It snowed a little,” but you lose the specific time reference. It becomes a more general statement about a recent snow event rather than pinpointing “this morning.”