Learn Hardcore Korean: • jeoneun gukjeseon jwaseokboda guknaeseon jwaseogi deo johasseoyo. - I liked domestic flight seats more than international flight seats.

보다 is the comparative particle meaning “than.” In Korean, to say “A is better than B,” you attach 보다 to B (the “than” part):
• A보다 B이/가 더 좋다 – “B is better than A.”

Why doesn’t 국제선 좌석 take a subject marker like 이/가?

Because 국제선 좌석 is the noun being compared (the “than” element) and already bears the comparative marker 보다. You don’t need 이/가 on that noun. The subject marker goes on the noun that’s doing the “better” (or more) action, which in this pattern is the second noun.

What is the role of 더 in this sentence?

더 literally means “more.” It precedes the adjective to emphasize the comparative degree.
• With 더: 국내선 좌석이 더 좋았어요 – “Domestic seats were more good (i.e., better).”
• Without 더, A보다 B이 좋았어요 still implies “B was better than A,” but adding 더 makes the contrast clearer or stronger.

Why is 국내선 좌석 marked with 이 instead of 가 or another particle?

The particle 이/가 is the subject marker; you use 이 after a consonant-ending noun and 가 after a vowel-ending noun.
• 좌석 ends in the consonant ㄱ, so it takes 이.
(If it ended in a vowel, e.g. 의자, you would say 의자가.)

Why is the adjective 좋다 used here with 좋았어요 rather than the verb 좋아하다?

• 좋다 is an adjective meaning “to be good,” often used to describe things or experiences.
• 좋아하다 is a verb meaning “to like” (an active liking by a person).
When you evaluate an object or situation in Korean, you typically use 좋다 (“it was good”). Saying 좋아했어요 would shift the focus to “I liked it,” which is less natural when comparing features.

Why is 좋았어요 in the past tense instead of present tense (좋아요)?

The speaker is referring to a specific past experience (e.g., the flight just taken), so they use past tense –았어요. If you’re talking about a general, ongoing preference you would say:
• 저는 국내선 좌석이 (국제선 좌석보다) 더 좋아요.

What does 저는 do in this sentence, and can it be dropped?

저는 marks “as for me” (topic marker 는 on 저). It sets you up as the one doing the liking. In Korean, you can often omit the topic if context is clear:
• 국제선 좌석보다 국내선 좌석이 더 좋았어요
Both versions are correct; including 저는 just makes it explicit.

Is it necessary to repeat 좌석 twice, or can we omit one occurrence?

Repeating 좌석 clarifies you’re comparing seats specifically. If the context is obvious, you can drop the first or second 좌석:
• 국제선보다 국내선 좌석이 더 좋았어요
• 국제선 좌석보다 국내선이 더 좋았어요
Both are acceptable in casual speech but slightly less precise.

Can we change the word order to 국내선 좌석이 국제선 좌석보다 더 좋았어요?

Yes. You’re still following the comparative pattern A보다 B이/가 더 + adjective, just with B first:
• 국내선 좌석이 국제선 좌석보다 더 좋았어요
This places emphasis on 국내선 좌석 as the subject right away.

Could we add the possessive particle 의, as in 국제선의 좌석보다 국내선의 좌석이 더 좋았어요?

You can, to be more formal or explicit:
• 국제선의 좌석보다 국내선의 좌석이 더 좋았어요
However, Koreans often drop 의 when the relationship is obvious, so the shorter version is more common.