Breakdown of jeoneun eumageul jeil johahaeyo.
~을~eul
object particle
저jeo
I
~는~neun
topic particle
음악eumak
music
좋아하다johahada
to like
제일jeil
the most
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Questions & Answers about jeoneun eumageul jeil johahaeyo.
Why do we use 저는 instead of just 저?
저 means “I.” Adding 는 makes 저는, where 는 is the topic marker. It signals “as for me,” telling the listener that you’re talking about yourself. In Korean you can’t leave the topic unmarked like you often can in English.
What is the function of 을 in 음악을?
을 is the object particle (used after a consonant). It marks 음악 (“music”) as the direct object of the verb 좋아해요 (“like”).
What does 제일 mean here?
제일 literally means “the most” or “number one.” Placed before 좋아해요, it makes the sentence “I like music the most.”
What’s the difference between 제일 and 가장?
Both words mean “most.”
- 제일 is more conversational and very common in speech.
- 가장 is slightly more formal and often appears in writing or formal contexts.
Why is the verb 좋아해요 at the end of the sentence?
Korean follows a Subject–Object–Verb (SOV) word order. Verbs (and adjectives in Korean act like verbs) always come at the end of a clause.
Why do we say 좋아해요 instead of 좋아요?
- 좋다 is an adjective meaning “to be good.”
- 좋아하다 is a verb meaning “to like.”
When you express “I like X,” you need the verb 좋아하다, so in polite form it becomes 좋아해요. Saying 음악이 좋아요 is also possible (“Music is good”), but to explicitly say “I like music,” you use 음악을 좋아해요.
What level of politeness is 좋아해요?
The ending -아요/어요 (here -해요) indicates the polite informal level (해요체). It’s appropriate for everyday conversation with people who aren’t extremely close friends or younger than you.
Can you omit 저는 in casual speech?
Yes. If the topic (“I”) is clear, you can drop 저는 and simply say 음악을 제일 좋아해요. In very casual speech among close friends, you might even shorten further to 음악 제일 좋아해.