Breakdown of jeoneun bumonimeul jaju saenggakhaeyo.
Questions & Answers about jeoneun bumonimeul jaju saenggakhaeyo.
In Korean, 는 is the topic marker. It highlights 저 (“I”) as the topic of the sentence—what you’re talking about. It doesn’t necessarily mean “subject” in the grammatical sense (that’s 가/이), but it sets the stage: “As for me, …”
을 marks 부모님 (“parents”) as the direct object of the verb 생각하다 (“to think of”). You need 을 (after a consonant-ending noun) to show what you’re thinking about. Without it, the sentence would be incomplete or sound unnatural.
자주 is an adverb meaning “often.” In Korean syntax, adverbs normally precede the verb they modify. Placing 자주 right before 생각해요 clearly indicates the frequency of the action.
- Start with 생각하다 (“to think”).
- Remove -하다, leaving the stem 생각.
- Attach the polite informal ending -해요 (the -아요/어요 pattern for -하다 verbs becomes -해요).
Result: 생각하다 → 생각해요.
생각해요 is the polite informal (해요체) form. Alternatives:
- Formal polite (합니다체): 생각합니다
- Casual (반말): 생각해
- Plain/written narrative: 생각한다
Choose based on who you’re talking to and the context.
- 저는: Often dropped because context gives you the subject. E.g., 부모님을 자주 생각해요 still means “I often think of my parents.”
- 부모님을: You need some object unless it’s already clear. In very casual speech you might also drop 을, saying 부모님 자주 생각해요, but the listener must know you’re talking about your parents.
-님 is an honorific suffix that shows respect. When talking about one’s own or others’ parents, Koreans use 부모님 rather than 부모 to convey politeness and respect.
Korean has flexible word order as long as the verb stays at the end.
- 부모님을 자주 생각해요 is neutral.
- 자주 부모님을 생각해요 is also correct but puts stronger emphasis on “often.”
The nuance shifts slightly, but both convey the same core meaning.