jip oenjjoge uchegugi isseoyo.

There is a post office to the left of the house.

Breakdown of jip oenjjoge uchegugi isseoyo.

• ~이: subject particle
• 집: house
• ~에: location particle
• 있다: to exist

Questions & Answers about jip oenjjoge uchegugi isseoyo.

What does each part of 집 왼쪽에 우체국이 있어요 mean?

• 집 means “house.”
• 왼쪽에 is 왼쪽 (“left side”) plus the location particle 에, so “to/on the left (of).”
• 우체국이 is 우체국 (“post office”) plus the subject particle 이, marking “post office” as the thing that exists.
• 있어요 is the polite form of 있다, “to exist” or “to have,” so here “there is.”
  Put together, it literally says, “At the left side of the house, a post office exists.”

Why do we use 에 after 왼쪽 instead of another particle?

The particle 에 marks a static location where something exists. Since we’re stating the location (“to the left of the house”) and not describing an action happening there, 에 is the correct choice.

When should I use 에서 instead of 에?

Use 에서 when you’re describing an action taking place at a location (“I eat at home” = 집에서 먹어요). Use 에 for existence or destination (“There is a cat at home” = 집에 고양이가 있어요; “I go home” = 집에 가요).

Why is 우체국이 used instead of 우체국은?