Learn Hardcore Korean: jeoneun sae raempeureul sasseoyo.

저는 is 저 + 는, where 저 means “I” and -는 is the topic marker. It sets “I” as the topic of the sentence (“As for me…”), which is why the rest of the sentence (buying a lamp) relates back to “I.”

Why is the lamp marked with -를 (as in 램프를)?

-를 is the object marker. It attaches to the noun being acted upon—in this case, 램프 (“lamp”)—to show that it is the direct object of the verb 샀어요 (“bought”).

How do we form 샀어요 from the base verb 사다?

Start with the verb 사다 (“to buy”).
Remove -다 to get the stem 사-.
Add the past tense marker -았- (because the stem vowel ㅏ pairs with -았-).
Then add the polite ending -어요.
Result: 사 + 았 + 어요 = 샀어요.

What does 새 mean, and why isn’t it 새로운?

새 means “new” when used directly before a noun as an attributive adjective.

새로운 is a longer form that also means “new,” but when you want the short, everyday modifier before a noun, Koreans typically use 새 (e.g., 새 책 “new book,” 새 차 “new car”).

Why can’t the adjective 새 come after 램프를, like “램프를 새 샀어요”?

Korean uses the order (Topic) – (Object) – (Verb), and when modifying a noun with an adjective, the adjective must appear before the noun (pre-nominal modifier). So you say 새 램프 (“new lamp”), then 를 for the object marker, and finally 샀어요.

Can you drop 저는 and just say 새 램프를 샀어요?

Yes. In Korean, if the context makes it clear who is acting, you can omit the topic or subject. 새 램프를 샀어요 is perfectly natural and translates as “(I) bought a new lamp.”

How would you make this sentence more formal?

You can use the formal polite ending -습니다 instead of -어요:
저는 새 램프를 샀습니다.
Or drop 저는 for brevity:
새 램프를 샀습니다.

What’s the pronunciation of 샀어요? Any irregularities?

샀어요 is pronounced [샏써요] (sat-sseo-yo). The consonant ㅅ at the end of the stem blends with the vowel ㅓ in -어요, creating a double “ss” sound.