seonsaengnim samusireun ijjok bokdo kkeute isseoyo.

The teacher’s office is at the end of this hallway.

Breakdown of seonsaengnim samusireun ijjok bokdo kkeute isseoyo.

• ~은: topic particle
• ~에: location particle
• 선생님: teacher
• 있다: to exist
• 사무실: office
• 복도: hallway
• 끝: end
• 이쪽: this side

Questions & Answers about seonsaengnim samusireun ijjok bokdo kkeute isseoyo.

Why is the topic particle 은 used after 사무실 instead of the subject particle 이?

In Korean, 은/는 marks the topic—what you’re talking about—whereas 이/가 marks the subject, often introducing new information. By saying 선생님 사무실은, you’re signaling “As for the teacher’s office…” and then giving its location. If you used 사무실이, it would simply state “the office exists,” without the nuance of “speaking about.”

What does 이쪽 mean in 이쪽 복도, and why not just 이 복도?

이쪽 literally means “this side” or “this direction.”

• 이쪽 복도 stresses “the corridor this way” (the one nearer to us).
• You can say 이 복도 끝에, but 쪽 adds a sense of “this particular side/path.” It sounds more natural when guiding someone.

What is the role of 에 in 끝에, and could I use 끝에서 instead?

• 에 after 끝 marks a static location: “at the end.”
• 끝에서 would mean “from the end” or “at (the place where an action happens) the end.”
  Since we’re describing where the office is located, we need 에 (“at that spot”).

Why don’t we say just 끝 without a particle?

Korean requires a location particle to link a place with the verb:

• 에 for static existence or destination (“at/to”)
• 에서 for the place of action (“at/from”)
  Without 에 or 에서, the listener wouldn’t know how 끝 relates to 있어요.

Why is 있어요 used at the end? What does it indicate?

있다 means “to exist” or “to be located.”

• 있어요 is the polite informal present form.
• Here it tells us “the office exists/is located at the end of this corridor.”
  In a more formal register, you’d say 있습니다 instead.

Can I say 선생님의 사무실 instead of 선생님 사무실? What’s the difference?

Both are correct:

• 선생님의 사무실 uses the possessive particle 의 (“teacher’s office”).
• 선생님 사무실 drops 의 because possession is clear from context.
  Omitting 의 is common in everyday speech.

How would I ask “Where is the teacher’s office?” using similar vocabulary?

You can say:
• 선생님 사무실이 어디에 있어요?
Here, 이/가 marks 사무실 as the subject, and 어디에 있어요 means “where is (it) located?”

What’s the difference between 이쪽 복도 끝에 and 저쪽 복도 끝에?

• 이쪽 = “this way/this side” (nearer to the speaker or listener)
• 저쪽 = “that way/that side” (farther away or over there)
  So 저쪽 복도 끝에 있어요 would mean “It’s at the end of that corridor,” pointing to a more distant hallway.