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Questions & Answers about sigyega gojang nasseoyo.
What does 가 do in 시계가 고장 났어요? Why not 를?
가 is the subject marker. In 시계가 고장 났어요, the clock (시계) is the subject experiencing the malfunction. 고장나다 is intransitive, so there is no direct object to mark with 를.
What is the structure of 고장 났어요? Is 고장 a verb?
고장 is a noun meaning “breakdown/malfunction,” and 나다 (“to occur”) is the verb. Together they form the intransitive verb 고장나다 (“to break down”). According to Korean spacing rules, you write them separately: 고장 났어요.
Why do we use the past-tense form 났어요 instead of a present tense like 나요?
나다 here indicates that the malfunction has already happened. Using past tense (났어요) expresses “it broke (and is now broken).” A present form like 고장나요 would sound odd, because you’re reporting a completed event, not an ongoing action.
Can we say 시계는 고장 났어요 instead? What’s the nuance between 는 and 가 here?
Yes, 시계는 고장 났어요 is grammatical. 는 turns 시계 into the topic (“As for the clock, it’s broken”), often implying contrast or shared context. 가 simply marks the new or neutral subject without any contrasting nuance.
Why don’t we say with a particle on ?