Learn Hardcore Korean: chaek kkeute sajini isseoyo. - There is a photo at the end of the book.

The particle -에 marks a location (or time) where something exists or happens. In 책 끝에, it tells us where the photo is—at the end of the book.

Why is there no 의 in 책 끝에 (why not 책의 끝에)?

Korean often combines two nouns without the genitive 의. 책 끝 is a compound meaning book’s end. You can add 의 in more formal writing (책의 끝), but in everyday speech it’s usually omitted.

Why is 사진 followed by -이 (as 사진이)?

-이 is the subject marker for nouns ending in a consonant. It marks 사진 as the subject of the existence verb 있다 (“there is/exists”). If the noun ended in a vowel, you’d use -가 instead.

What kind of verb is 있다 and what does 있어요 mean here?

있다 is the existence (or possession) verb in Korean. 있어요 is its polite present form. In a sentence like this, it means “there is” or “there exists.” The basic pattern is [Location]에 + [Subject]이/가 + 있다.

Can we use 끝에서 instead of 끝에? What’s the difference between -에 and -에서?

-에 marks the location of existence with 있다. -에서 marks the location of an action or the starting point of movement. Since we’re only stating that the photo exists at that spot, we use 책 끝에. 책 끝에서 would imply an action taking place there, which doesn’t fit this sentence.

How is 끝에 pronounced? Are there any sound changes?

The final consonant ㅌ in 끝 is normally unreleased [t̚], but because it’s followed by the vowel 에, it resyllabifies and is released at the start of the next syllable. You get something like [끄떼] (IPA [k͈ɯ.t͈e]). There’s no extra sound change beyond this regular linking release.

Is the word order fixed, or can we say 사진이 책 끝에 있어요 instead?

Korean word order is flexible, but the most neutral pattern for existence sentences is [Location]에 + [Subject]이/가 + 있다. 사진이 책 끝에 있어요 is grammatically correct and means the same, but starting with the location (as in 책 끝에 사진이 있어요) is slightly more natural because you first set the scene—where something is.

What if I want to add contrast or topic to 책 끝에; can I use a topic marker?

Yes. If you say 책 끝에는 사진이 있어요, you’re adding 는 to 끝에 to make it a topic. It emphasizes “as for at the end of the book, there is a photo…”, perhaps implying but not in the middle or not elsewhere. Without 는, it’s just a straightforward location statement.