Learn Hardcore Korean: jeoneun chaegeul du gwon ilgeoyo.

저 means “I,” and 는 is the topic particle. It marks “I” as the topic of the sentence—kind of like saying, “As for me…” in English. It doesn’t always translate one-to-one but signals that what follows is about “me.”

Why is 책을 used instead of just 책?

을 is the object particle; it tells you that 책 (book) is the direct object of the verb 읽어요 (read). If the noun ends in a vowel, you’d use 를 instead (e.g., 사과를 먹어요 “I eat an apple”).

Why do we say 두 권 instead of 이 권 or 둘 권?

Korean uses two number systems:

Native Korean (하나, 둘, 셋, …) with most counters like 권 (books). Here, “two” becomes 두, so 두 권.
Sino-Korean (일, 이, 삼, …) with certain counters like 번 (times), 시 (hours). You wouldn’t normally pair 이 with 권.

Could I use a different counter or number system? For example, 책 두 개 읽어요?

Yes. 개 is the general counter for “items,” so 책 두 개 읽어요 also means “I read two books.” But 권 is the specific counter for books, so it sounds more precise.

Can I reorder the words? For instance, 저는 두 권 책을 읽어요?

The usual pattern is: Topic → Noun + (Number + Counter) → Object marker → Verb.
You can also say 저는 책 두 권을 읽어요, moving the object marker to the end of the noun phrase. But 저는 두 권 책을 읽어요 feels off because the counter and the noun should stick together.

What level of speech is 읽어요? Why not 읽는다 or 읽습니다?

읽어요 is polite informal (해요체) present tense, common in everyday conversation.

읽습니다 is polite formal (합니다체).
읽는다 is the plain or dictionary form, often used in writing or casual thoughts, not in polite speech.

Does it mean “I’m reading two books right now” or “I habitually read two books”?

It can be either, depending on context:

If you’re in the middle of reading, it’s like “I’m reading two books (at the moment).”
If you’re talking about routines, it means “I read two books (in whatever period you mean).”
Korean present tense often covers both habitual and progressive meanings.

Can I drop 저는 and just say 책을 두 권 읽어요?

Yes. Korean frequently omits the subject/topic when it’s clear from context. If everyone knows you’re talking about yourself, 책을 두 권 읽어요 is perfectly natural.