Learn Hardcore Korean: hakgyoe sae dongariga saenggyeosseoyo.

In this sentence, 생기다 means to come into existence or to be created. The form 생겼어요 is the past-tense polite form, implying that the club didn't exist before and has just been formed. In contrast, 있어요 simply means there is/are and only states existence without suggesting anything new was formed.

Why is the particle 에 used after 학교 instead of 에서?

With verbs like 생기다 that express appearance or formation, Korean uses 에 to mark the location where something comes into being. So 학교에 새 동아리가 생겼어요 literally means a new club has formed at school. If you used 학교에서, it would focus on the action taking place at school (e.g. 학교에서 동아리를 만들었어요 – “(We) made a club at school”).

What's the difference between 새 and 새로운? Could you use 새로운 동아리 instead?

Both 새 and 새로운 mean new, but they differ in style. 새 is a short adjective commonly used in everyday speech to directly modify nouns (as in 새 동아리). 새로운 comes from the adjective 새롭다 plus -ㄴ and feels a bit more formal or descriptive. You can say 새로운 동아리, but 새 동아리 sounds more natural in casual conversation.

What exactly is a 동아리?

A 동아리 is a student club or extracurricular group within a Korean school or university. It’s typically organized around hobbies, sports, academic interests, or cultural activities. Unlike the Konglish 클럽, which can refer to nightlife venues, 동아리 specifically denotes on-campus student organizations.

Why is the ending -어요 used on 생겼어요?

The ending -어요 is part of the polite informal speech level. In 생겼어요, -었- marks the past tense, and -어요 makes the sentence politely informal. This style is very common in daily conversation when you want to be respectful but not overly formal. With close friends you might say 생겼어, and in formal settings you’d use 생겼습니다.

Does 생겼어요 imply the club was formed long ago or just recently?

While 생겼어요 is a past-tense form, it generally implies the event happened recently or at least at an unspecified time in the past. To clarify timing, you can add a time adverb, for example: 어제 새 동아리가 생겼어요 (“A new club formed yesterday”).

Could you use 만들다 instead of 생기다? For example, 새 동아리를 만들었어요?

Yes. 만들다 means to make or to create, so 새 동아리를 만들었어요 also works and emphasizes the action of creating the club (by students or organizers). 생기다, however, focuses on the result—that the club has come into existence—without stressing who performed the action.