Breakdown of sujini doseogwaneseo hangugeoreul gongbuhaeyo.
~이~i
subject particle
~을~eul
object particle
~에서~eseo
location particle
도서관doseogwan
library
공부하다gongbuhada
to study
한국어hangugeo
Korean language
수진sujin
Sujin
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Questions & Answers about sujini doseogwaneseo hangugeoreul gongbuhaeyo.
What does the -이 in 수진이 do, and how is it different from -가 or -는?
-이 is the subject marker used after a consonant — it tells you who’s performing the action.
- -가 is the subject marker after a vowel.
- -는/은 are topic markers (used to introduce or contrast). Using 수진은 instead of 수진이 would shift the nuance to “As for Sujin…” rather than simply “Sujin (is the one) who….”
Why do we say 도서관에서 instead of just 도서관?
-에서 marks the location where an action takes place. Without it, 도서관 is just a noun meaning “library.”
If you said 도서관에, you’d imply movement toward the library or the existence of something there, not the site of the activity.
What’s the difference between -에 and -에서?
- -에 indicates destination (“to the library”) or location of existence (“at the library” in a static sense).
- -에서 indicates location of an action (“studying at the library”) or starting point of movement (“from the library”).
Why is 한국어를 followed by -를?
-를 is the direct-object marker (used after a vowel). It shows that 한국어 (“Korean language”) is what’s being studied. Verbs like 공부하다 are transitive here, so you need an object marker.
What does 공부해요 mean, and why isn’t it 공부하다?
공부해요 is the polite present-tense form of 공부하다 (“to study”):
- The verb stem is 공부하-.
- In the -아요/어요 polite form, 하 becomes 해.
- Add 요 → 공부해요 = “(She) studies” / “is studying.”
Why is the order 주어 + 장소 + 목적어 + 동사 (subject + place + object + verb)? English is SVO, but here it’s SOV.
Korean is typically SOV. Adverbials like place (도서관에서) and time usually precede the verb. As long as you keep the case particles (이/가, -에서, -를) intact, you can move those chunks around for emphasis, but the verb ends the sentence.
Can I say 수진이는 도서관에서 한국어를 공부해요? What changes?
Yes. Changing 수진이 to 수진은 makes her the topic: “As for Sujin, she studies Korean at the library.” It adds a nuance of contrast or known information, whereas 수진이 simply introduces her as the subject performing the action.