Question 1

Why is 가 used in 의자가 instead of 은/는?

Accepted Answer

가 is the subject particle in Korean, marking what the sentence is about in terms of action or state. 은/는 is the topic particle and can imply contrast or general statements. Here, you’re simply stating “the chair is comfortable”, so you use 의자 + 가 to mark it as the subject experiencing the quality 편하다.

Question 2

Is 편해요 a verb or an adjective?

Accepted Answer

In Korean grammar, 편하다 is a descriptive verb (often called an adjective in English). Descriptive verbs behave like verbs in that they conjugate, but semantically they describe a state or quality (e.g., “comfortable,” “small,” “hot”). When you say 편해요, you’re using the polite present tense conjugation of this descriptive verb.

Question 3

Why don’t we need a copula like 이다 in 의자가 편해요?

Accepted Answer

Descriptive verbs in Korean (like 편하다, 즐겁다, 아프다) already include the meaning “to be [adjective].” They end in -다 in the dictionary form and you conjugate them directly. So there’s no separate 이다 (“to be”) needed. Saying 의자가 편해요 literally means “the chair becomes/​is comfortable.”

Question 4

How do you change 의자가 편해요 to the past tense?

Accepted Answer

To make the past tense of the descriptive verb 편하다, you replace -해요 with -했어요.  
• 의자가 편했어요.  
This means “The chair was comfortable.”

Question 5

How would you make 의자가 편해요 into a polite question?

Accepted Answer

You simply raise the intonation or add the question ending -나요? or -습니까? in very formal speech. Commonly:  
• 의자가 편해요? (informal polite)  
• 의자가 편합니까? (formal polite)

Question 6

How do you form the negative of 의자가 편해요?

Accepted Answer

You can use 안 before the verb or 지 않다 after the verb stem. Two common forms:  
• 의자가 안 편해요. (colloquial)  
• 의자가 편하지 않아요. (more neutral/polite)

Question 7

Can I use 편안하다 instead of 편하다? What’s the difference?

Accepted Answer

Both 편하다 and 편안하다 mean “comfortable,” but 편안하다 is a bit more formal or expressive, emphasizing a sense of ease or peace. You’d say:  
• 의자가 편안해요.  
in contexts where you want to stress comfort or relaxation.

Question 8

Why is there no marker like -에 (location) in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

You only need -에 when indicating location, time, or direction (e.g., 학교에 가요 = “I go to school”). Here, 의자 is the subject, not a location, so you use 가/이.

Question 9

If I point at a chair and say “this chair is comfortable,” how do I specify this?

Accepted Answer

Add the demonstrative 이 before 의자:  
• 이 의자가 편해요.  
That means “This chair is comfortable.”

Question 10

Can I drop 의자 and just say 편해요?

Accepted Answer

Yes, in a context where the subject is understood, you can omit it. For example, if someone just sat down and you want to comment, you could say:  
• 편해요? (“Is it comfortable?”)  
• 편해요. (“It’s comfortable.”)

uijaga pyeonhaeyo.

Breakdown of uijaga pyeonhaeyo.

Questions & Answers about uijaga pyeonhaeyo.

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