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Questions & Answers about badaga areumdawoyo.
What does 바다 mean?
바다 means “sea” or “ocean” in English. It refers to a large body of saltwater.
What is the function of -가 in 바다가?
The particle -가 is the subject marker. It attaches to a noun to show that the noun is the subject of the sentence. Here, 바다가 marks “the sea” as what is being described.
Why is there no 이다 (“to be”) in this sentence?
In Korean, adjectives like 아름답다 are actually descriptive verbs (often called 형용사). They function as predicates by themselves, so you don’t need the copula 이다. Saying 바다가 아름답다 already means “The sea is beautiful.”
What is 아름다워요, and how does it relate to 아름답다?
아름다워요 is the present polite form of the adjective 아름답다 (“to be beautiful”). In spoken Korean, attaching -요 makes the statement polite:
아름답다 (dictionary form) → 아름다워요 (polite present)
How do you conjugate 아름답다 into 아름다워요?
아름답다 is a ㅂ-irregular adjective. To conjugate to the polite present:
- Drop -다 → 아름답-
- Change ㅂ to 우 → 아름다우-
- Add -요 → 아름다워요
What’s the difference between 아름다워요 and 아름답습니다?
Both are polite, but they differ in speech level:
- 아름다워요 uses the 해요체 (informal polite).
- 아름답습니다 uses the 합니다체 (formal polite).
Use 아름다워요 in everyday conversation; 아름답습니다 in formal settings or presentations.
When would you say 바다는 아름다워요 instead of 바다가 아름다워요?
Using -는 (topic marker) instead of -가 shifts the nuance:
- 바다가 아름다워요 simply states “The sea is beautiful.”
- 바다는 아름다워요 implies a contrast or sets “the sea” as the topic (“As for the sea, it is beautiful [but ...].”). Use -는 when you want to contrast or emphasize the topic.
Can you omit 바다가 in this sentence?
Yes. Korean often drops the subject if it’s clear from context. So just 아름다워요 can mean “It’s beautiful,” assuming your listener knows you’re talking about the sea.
How do you change this sentence into the past tense?
Conjugate 아름답다 into 아름다웠어요:
- Drop -다 → 아름답-
- Change ㅂ-irregular: ㅂ → 우 → 아름다우-
- Add -었어요 → 아름다웠어요
Result: 바다가 아름다웠어요 (“The sea was beautiful.”)