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Questions & Answers about i jadongchaga meosisseoyo.
What does 이 mean in this sentence?
이 is the demonstrative determiner “this.” It points to something close to the speaker. When attached directly before a noun (here 자동차), it becomes 이 자동차 meaning “this car.”
Why is 가 used after 자동차 instead of 은/는?
-가 is the subject marker, highlighting 자동차 as the subject of the verb 멋있어요. If you used -은/는 (이 자동차는 멋있어요), you’d introduce “this car” as a topic and imply contrast or background (“As for this car, it’s cool [perhaps unlike others]”).
What does 멋있어요 mean, and why doesn’t it look like a typical adjective?
멋있어요 is the polite present form of 멋있다, which literally means “to have coolness” but functions as “to be cool” or “to be stylish.” Though it ends in -있다 (the same verb as “to exist/have”), in this adjective it describes a quality.
How do you change 멋있어요 to a more casual or more formal style?
- Casual: 멋있어
- Formal (deferential): 멋있습니다
- Plain dictionary: 멋있다
Politeness level depends on the ending: -어/아요 is polite, -습니다 is formal polite, and no ending or -다 is plain.
Could I say 이 차가 멋있어요 instead?
Yes. 차 is a shortened form of 자동차 (“car”). 이 차가 멋있어요 is perfectly natural and more colloquial.
Why is the verb placed at the end of the sentence?
Korean generally follows Subject–Object–Verb (SOV) order. Here, 이 자동차가 (subject) comes first, followed directly by the verb 멋있어요. There is no object in this sentence.
What’s the difference between 이, 그, and 저 when describing a noun?
- 이: “this” (near the speaker)
- 그: “that” (near the listener or already mentioned)
- 저: “that over there” (far from both speaker and listener)
Choose based on the location or discourse context.
How would I turn the sentence into a question asking if the car is cool?
Raise your intonation or add a question mark:
이 자동차가 멋있어요?
The structure stays the same; in speech your voice lifts at the end.
Can I omit the subject marker 가 in casual spoken Korean?
Yes, in very casual or fast speech you might hear 이 차 멋있어 without 가, but particles help clarify roles and are recommended when you’re learning.