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jeoneun sae oseul sasseoyo.

저는 새 옷을 샀어요.jeoneun sae oseul sasseoyo.
I bought new clothes.
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Questions & Answers about jeoneun sae oseul sasseoyo.

Why do we use 저는 instead of 제가 in this sentence?
저는 uses the particle -는, which marks the topic of the sentence (“as for me”). 제가 would use -가, the subject marker, which emphasizes “I” as the doer. In everyday Korean, the topic marker -는/은 is more common for introducing what the sentence is about, so “저는” suits “I bought new clothes” perfectly.
What does the particle -을 do in 옷을 샀어요?
-을 (the alternative form of -를) marks the direct object of a verb. In 옷을 샀어요, 옷 (“clothes”) is what is being bought, so we attach -을 to show that relationship: 옷을 = “(the) clothes (object).”
Why is it 새 옷 and not 새로운 옷?

Both are grammatically correct, but Koreans often shorten 새로운 (new) to its attributive form 새 when it directly modifies a noun.

  • 새로운 옷 sounds slightly more formal or emphatic.
  • 새 옷 is more natural in everyday speech for “new clothes.”
What is the tense and politeness level of 샀어요?

샀어요 is the past tense polite form:

  • Root verb: 사다 (“to buy”).
  • Past stem: 샀-.
  • Polite ending: -어요.
    Together, 샀어요 = “(I) bought” in a polite but not overly formal register.
What is the dictionary form of 샀어요, and how do we transform it?

The dictionary (infinitive) form is 사다.

  1. Drop -다 to get the stem: 사-.
  2. Apply the past tense irregular: 사- → 샀- (ㅏ + ㅂ-irregular → ㅏ + ㅆ).
  3. Add the polite ending -어요 → 샀어요.
Can you explain the basic word order in 저는 새 옷을 샀어요?

Korean follows Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) order:

  1. Subject/Topic: 저는 (“I” as the topic)
  2. Object: 새 옷을 (“new clothes” as the object)
  3. Verb: 샀어요 (“bought”)
    In English (SVO) we say “I bought new clothes,” but Korean places the verb at the end.
How would pronunciation change when saying 새 옷을 quickly?
When spoken rapidly, 새 옷을 can sound like /새돌을/ or [sɛdɔtɯl]. The final consonant ㅅ in 새 links with the vowel 오 in 옷, making a blended “d” sound. This is a natural liaison phenomenon in Korean.
Is 저는 always necessary, or can we omit it?

You can often omit 저는 if context is clear:

  • In a shopping conversation, you might just say 새 옷을 샀어요 (“I bought new clothes”) because the listener knows who you’re talking about.
  • Including 저는 adds clarity or contrast (“As for me, I bought new clothes”).