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Questions & Answers about sigani jungyohaeyo.
Why is 시간 marked with 이 instead of 가?
In Korean, 이 and 가 are both subject markers. You use 이 after a noun that ends in a consonant, and 가 after a noun that ends in a vowel. Since 시간 ends with the consonant ㄴ, it takes 이: 시간이.
What part of speech is 중요해요?
중요해요 is the polite present-tense form of the descriptive verb (often called an adjective in English) 중요하다 (“to be important”). In Korean, descriptive verbs behave like adjectives do in English but are conjugated like verbs.
Could I say 시간은 중요해요 instead? What’s the difference?
Yes, you can.
- 시간이 중요해요 simply states “Time is important” with no special emphasis beyond presenting it as a fact.
- 시간은 중요해요 uses the topic marker 은, which puts 시간 in the spotlight or sets it as known information. It can imply a contrast (e.g. “Time is important, but…”) or that you’re talking about time specifically rather than something else.
How do I make 시간이 중요해요 more formal?
Switch the polite -해요 ending to the formal -합니다 ending. You get 시간이 중요합니다, which is appropriate in presentations, announcements, or when speaking to someone of much higher status.
How would I say “Time is important” in casual speech?
Drop the polite ending -요 and use the plain form -해: 시간이 중요해. You might even omit the particle in very informal contexts: 시간 중요해, though that sounds quite terse.
Can I leave out 이 and just say 시간 중요해요?
In everyday casual talk you sometimes hear particles dropped, but in polite conversation it’s best to keep 시간이 중요해요 intact. Omitting 이 in a polite sentence can sound ungrammatical or incomplete.
Are there other words I can use instead of 중요하다 to express “important”?
Yes. A common alternative is 소중하다, which means “to be precious” or “to cherish.” It carries a warmer, more emotional nuance:
• 시간이 소중해요 – “Time is precious.”
You can also use synonyms like 필수적이다 (“to be essential”) in more formal or written contexts: 시간이 필수적이에요.
How is 시간 pronounced, and why do I sometimes see it written as “sigan”?
Phonetically it’s [shi-gan], because Korean ㅅ before ㅣ sounds like “sh.” The standard romanization is sigan, where si approximates [shi], and gan stands for [gan]. This system helps you map Korean letters to Latin letters consistently.