Breakdown of sikdangeun samusiri issneun cheung araee isseoyo.
~에~e
destination particle
~이~i
subject particle
~은~eun
topic particle
있다issda
to be
식당sikdang
restaurant
사무실samusil
office
층cheung
floor
아래arae
below
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Questions & Answers about sikdangeun samusiri issneun cheung araee isseoyo.
Why is 은 used after 식당 instead of 이/가?
은/는 is the topic marker in Korean. By using 은 after 식당, the speaker is setting “the restaurant” as the topic of the sentence (“As for the restaurant…”). If you used 이/가 (식당이), you’d be marking it as the grammatical subject without the same nuance of “topic.”
What does 사무실이 있는 층 mean, and why is 있는 there?
This is a relative clause. In Korean, you place 있는 (the present-tense form of 있다, “to exist/have”) before a noun to describe it. So:
- 사무실이 있는 = “that has an office”
- 층 = “floor”
Together, 사무실이 있는 층 means “the floor that has an office.”
Why can’t we say 사무실 있는 층 without 이 after 사무실?
The 이 in 사무실이 있는 is the subject marker, showing that 사무실 is the thing “existing” there. In very casual speech you might hear it dropped, but grammatically you need 사무실이 to link it correctly to 있는.
What function does 아래에 serve in this sentence?
아래 means “below” or “under,” and when you add the locative particle -에, it indicates location. So 아래에 = “below (some reference point).” Here the reference point is 사무실이 있는 층 (“the floor with the office”).
Why is it 아래에 있어요 instead of just 아래 있어요?
Korean requires a locative particle (-에) with existence verbs like 있다 to specify “where” something exists. Omitting 에 would sound ungrammatical or very informal.
Could we reorder the sentence—for example, 사무실이 있는 층 아래에 식당이 있어요?
Yes. Korean word order is relatively flexible thanks to particles. You could say:
- 사무실이 있는 층 아래에 식당이 있어요.
This simply places the location phrase first and then the topic 식당이, which still works but shifts the emphasis slightly.
What level of politeness is 있어요, and can it be changed?
있어요 is the polite informal (해요체) form of 있다. You can adjust formality:
- 있습니다 (formal/polite)
- 있어 (casual/familiar, among close friends)
Is there any difference between 아래 and 밑 when saying “below”?
Both 아래 and 밑 can mean “under” or “below.” Subtle differences:
- 아래 often sounds a bit more formal or abstract.
- 밑 can feel more concrete (like under a table or an object).
In this sentence, 아래에 is more natural for describing floors in a building.