Learn Hardcore Korean: seorap ane jageun mulgeoneul neoheosseoyo.

안에 is a locative expression meaning “inside.” It’s built from 안 (“inside”) + the location particle 에. Together, 서랍 안에 specifies the interior space of the drawer as the place where the action happens.

Why do we say 작은 물건 instead of 물건 작은?

In Korean, adjectives (descriptive verbs) directly precede the noun they modify in their attributive form. The adjective 작다 (“to be small”) changes to 작은 before a noun:

• 작다 → 작은 + 물건 (“item”) = 작은 물건 (“small item”)

Putting 작은 after 물건 would break normal Korean word-order rules.

What is the function of 을 in 물건을?

을 (object particle) marks 물건 as the direct object of the verb 넣다 (“to put”). Because 물건 ends in a consonant, we use 을; if the noun ended in a vowel, we’d use 를 instead.

What does 넣었어요 mean grammatically?

넣었어요 is the past‐tense, polite ending of the verb 넣다 (“to put in”). It breaks down as:
• 넣- (stem meaning “put in”)
• ‑었- (past tense marker)
• ‑어요 (polite ending)
So 넣었어요 = “(I) put (something) in.”

Why is there no subject like 저는 in this sentence? Can we include it?

Korean often omits the subject when it’s clear from context. Here, “I” is implied. If you want to be explicit, you can say:
저는 서랍 안에 작은 물건을 넣었어요.
That simply adds 저는 (“as for me”) at the front.

Can we use 서랍 속에 instead of 서랍 안에, and is there any nuance?

Yes. Both 속에 and 안에 mean “inside.”
• 속에 often emphasizes the internal space of a container or a more metaphorical “inside.”
• 안에 is a general “inside.”
With a physical drawer, you can use either without much change in meaning:
• 서랍 속에 작은 물건을 넣었어요.
• 서랍 안에 작은 물건을 넣었어요.

What’s the difference between 서랍 안에 and 서랍에 here?

서랍에 작은 물건을 넣었어요 also means “I put a small item in the drawer.”
• 서랍에 simply marks the target/location of the action.
• Adding 안에 stresses that the item ends up inside the drawer’s interior.
In everyday speech, both are perfectly natural for describing putting something into a drawer.