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Questions & Answers about chaegi neomu dukkeowoyo.
What is the function of 이 in 책이?
이 is the subject particle that marks 책 as the subject of the sentence. Korean uses 이/가 to indicate what the statement is about: 이 follows nouns ending in a consonant, while 가 follows those ending in a vowel.
What does 너무 mean and how is it used here?
너무 generally means too or so/very, depending on context. It intensifies the adjective that follows. In 책이 너무 두꺼워요, it carries the sense of too (excessively), implying the book’s thickness is a problem.
Why is 두껍다 conjugated as 두꺼워요?
Adjectives in Korean are treated as descriptive verbs. To form the polite present tense:
• Drop -다 from 두껍다 → 두껍
• Add -어요 → 두껍어요
• Sound assimilation simplifies 두껍어요 to 두꺼워요.
What level of politeness does the ending -요 indicate?
The -요 ending marks the polite informal style (아/어요체), suitable for everyday conversations with people who are not extremely close or vastly older. It’s the default polite register.
Can 너무 ever mean very without a negative connotation?
Yes. In casual speech, many Koreans use 너무 simply as very or really, especially with positive adjectives (e.g., 너무 예뻐요 for very pretty). With adjectives that imply overload (like 두껍다), it still tends to mean too. To avoid ambiguity, you can use 매우 or 아주 for very in neutral contexts.
How would you turn 책이 너무 두꺼워요 into a noun modifier?
To describe 책 with that adjective, use the adjective stem plus -은 (because 두껍다 ends in a consonant):
• 너무 두껍 + 은 → 너무 두꺼운 책 (“a book that is too thick”).
Can you use the topic marker 은 instead of the subject marker 이 here?
Yes. 책은 너무 두꺼워요 is also correct. Using 은 makes 책 the topic, often implying contrast (e.g., as for this book, it’s too thick). The meaning stays largely the same, but the nuance shifts slightly toward emphasis or contrast.