Breakdown of yeogiseo sajineul jjigeodo dwaeyo?
~을~eul
object particle
~에서~eseo
location particle
사진sajin
photo
찍다jjikda
to take
여기yeogi
here
되다doeda
to be allowed to
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Questions & Answers about yeogiseo sajineul jjigeodo dwaeyo?
What does 여기서 mean, and why is 서 used instead of 에?
여기서 literally means “at here” or “from here.” The particle -서 in 여기서 is the location‐of‐action marker (equivalent to “at” in English). If you used 여기에, you’d be using -에, which often marks a target or destination (“to here”) rather than the place where an action happens.
How is 사진을 찍어도 돼요? structured grammatically?
It breaks down into three parts:
- 사진 = “photo”
- -을 = object-marker showing that 사진 is what’s being taken
- 찍어도 돼요? = “is it okay to take (it)?” (찍다 “to take [a photo]” + permission grammar -아/어도 되다)
What does the grammar -아/어도 되다 express, and how do you form it?
The structure Verb stem + -아/어도 되다 is used to ask for or give permission. You form it by:
- Dropping 다 from the verb (찍다 → 찍-)
- Adding -아도 or -어도 (찍 + 어도 → 찍어도)
- Attaching 되다 in the polite form (되어요 → 돼요)
Why is 되어요 written as 돼요?
In spoken and standard Korean, 되어요 contracts to 돼요 for ease of pronunciation. The vowel sequence -되어- becomes -돼-.
Can you drop the object marker -을 in 사진을 찍어도 돼요?
Yes. In casual or spoken Korean, it’s common to omit -을/를 when the object is clear. So you could say 사진 찍어도 돼요? with no change in meaning.
Why is there no subject in this sentence?
Korean often omits subjects when they’re understood from context. Here, the speaker is implicitly asking “Can I take a picture here?” so I is the assumed subject and doesn’t need to be stated.
How formal or polite is 찍어도 돼요? Can you make it more or less polite?
-아/어도 돼요? is politely casual—suitable for strangers or acquaintances.
• More polite: 찍어도 되세요? or 찍어도 되겠습니까?
• Less polite (to friends/family): 찍어도 돼?
Could you replace 찍다 with another verb, like 촬영하다?
Yes. 촬영하다 (to film/photograph) is more formal. For example, 여기서 촬영해도 돼요? means the same thing in a slightly more formal register.
What’s the difference between -아/어도 돼요 and -아/어도 괜찮아요?
Both ask for permission. -아/어도 돼요 literally means “is it permitted to…?”
-아/어도 괜찮아요? means “is it okay if…?”
They’re interchangeable in most contexts, but 괜찮아요 can feel a bit softer or more casual.