Breakdown of i chaegi jinjja jaemiisseoyo.
Questions & Answers about i chaegi jinjja jaemiisseoyo.
In 이 책이, there are actually two separate 이s:
- The first 이 is a demonstrative determiner meaning “this.”
- The second 이 is the subject particle (attached to 책) that marks 책 as the grammatical subject of the sentence.
They look identical in Hangul but serve different functions.
Both mark 이 책 (“this book”), but with different particles:
- 이 책이 uses 이 (subject marker) to introduce or emphasize the subject—often when giving new information or stressing what’s interesting.
- 이 책은 uses 은 (topic marker) to set 이 책 as a known topic or contrast it with something else.
Example: • 이 책이 재미있어요. (This book is interesting [and I’m focusing on this book as the subject].)
• 이 책은 재미없어요. (As for this book, it’s not interesting [perhaps compared to others].)
- 진짜 is an adverb meaning “really,” “truly,” or “for real.”
- It’s colloquial and friendly—common in spoken Korean and casual writing.
- In very formal or polite contexts (e.g., academic papers, business letters), you’d usually use 정말 or 매우 instead.
Yes. All three intensify the adjective, but with slight nuance and register differences:
- 진짜 재미있어요. (Very casual, conversational tone.)
- 정말 재미있어요. (Neutral politeness—safe in most contexts.)
- 매우 재미있어요. (Quite formal—common in writing or official speech.)
In Korean, adverbs (like 진짜, 정말, 매우) generally precede the verb or descriptive verb they modify. Placing them after would be ungrammatical:
• Correct: 진짜 재미있어요.
• Incorrect: 재미있어요 진짜.
재미있어요 comes from:
- 재미 (noun: “fun,” “interest”)
- 있다 (descriptive verb: “to exist,” “to have”)
When combined (재미 + 있다), you get 재미있다, meaning “to be interesting” or literally “to have fun/interest.” Conjugated politely: 재미있어요.
In Korean grammar, 재미있다 is a descriptive verb (often called an adjective in English explanations).
- Like action verbs, descriptive verbs end in -다 in dictionary form.
- They describe a state or quality rather than an action.
- Conjugation patterns for descriptive verbs mirror those of action verbs in speech levels (e.g., -어요, -습니다, -아/어).
- -어요 is the polite informal speech level (해요체), used in everyday conversations with strangers, colleagues, or acquaintances.
To change register: • More casual (반말): 이 책 진짜 재미있어.
• More formal polite (합쇼체): 이 책이 진짜 재미있습니다.
재밌어요 is a very common colloquial contraction of 재미있어요:
- 재미 + 있
- 어요 → 재밌어요
Both are correct and mean the same thing; 재밌어요 simply reflects everyday spoken Korean.
- 어요 → 재밌어요
Yes. Korean often omits subjects or objects when they’re clear from context. In casual speech, you might just say:
• 진짜 재미있어요!
Especially if you’ve just mentioned 이 책 or are pointing at it, the listener will understand you’re talking about “this book.”