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Questions & Answers about i bangeun kkaekkeushaeyo.
What does 이 mean in 이 방은 깨끗해요?
이 is the demonstrative adjective meaning this. In 이 방은, it specifies this room, i.e. the room close to the speaker.
What is the function of the particle 은 in this sentence?
은 is the topic marker (also called the topic particle). It attaches to 방 to introduce this room as the topic of the sentence. It tells the listener, “I’m talking about this room.”
Why is -해요 used at the end of 깨끗해요?
The ending -해요 is the polite present tense ending in conversational Korean (해요체). Attaching -해요 to a verb or adjective stem makes it polite and present‐time: 깨끗해요 means “(it) is clean.”
How does the adjective 깨끗하다 change to 깨끗해요?
깨끗하다 is a -하다 adjective. To form the polite present tense:
- Drop -다 → 깨끗하-
- Add -아/어-요. Here 하 + 아요 contracts to 해요. Result: 깨끗하 + 아요 → 깨끗해요.
Why isn’t there a separate 이다 (“is”) as in English?
In Korean, descriptive adjectives (형용사) act like verbs (often called “descriptive verbs”). They carry their own copula function. So 깨끗하다 already means “to be clean,” and you simply conjugate it (깨끗해요) without adding 이다.
How do you make this sentence negative to say “This room is not clean”?
Two common ways:
- Place 안 before the predicate: 이 방은 안 깨끗해요.
- Use -지 않아요 after the stem: 이 방은 깨끗하지 않아요.
How do you turn this into a question: “Is this room clean?”
In polite speech you can simply use rising intonation:
- 이 방은 깨끗해요?
For more formal questions, switch to -습니까: - 이 방은 깨끗합니까?
How would you say “that room is clean” (instead of this room)?
Change the demonstrative 이 (this) to 저 (that over there):
- 저 방은 깨끗해요.
How do you say “this room was clean” (past tense)?
Conjugate 깨끗하다 into the polite past tense -했어요:
- 이 방은 깨끗했어요.