darimiga gojang nasseoyo.

The iron is broken.

Breakdown of darimiga gojang nasseoyo.

• ~가: subject particle
• 고장 나다: to break down
• 다리미: iron

Questions & Answers about darimiga gojang nasseoyo.

Why is 다리미 followed by -가 instead of -을/를?

-가 is the subject marker in Korean. In 다리미가 고장 났어요, the iron (다리미) is the thing that “broke” on its own, so it’s the subject of the intransitive verb 고장 나다 (“to break down”). If you wanted to say “I broke the iron,” you’d use the object marker -를 with 고장 내다 (the transitive counterpart).

What does 고장 났어요 literally mean and how is it formed?

고장 났어요 is the polite-past form of the compound verb 고장나다:

• 고장 (“breakdown,” a noun)
• 나다 (“to occur” or “to happen”)
• -았/었어요 marks polite past tense.
  So literally it’s “a breakdown occurred,” idiomatically “(it) broke.”

Why are 고장 and 났어요 written separately instead of as one word?

Korean often separates a Sino-Korean noun (고장) and the verb (나다) even when they form a single lexical meaning. Writing 고장 났어요 makes the noun–verb boundary clear. You might occasionally see 고장났어요 in very casual texts, but the standard is to split them.

What level of politeness is -었어요, and when should I use it?

-었어요 is the polite informal (or “standard polite”) style. You use it: • With people you’re not extremely close to (e.g., co-workers, acquaintances)
• In most everyday conversations to show respect without being overly formal
If you need higher formality (e.g., announcements, to superiors), you’d say 고장 났습니다; for very casual speech among friends, you might say 고장 났어.

What’s the difference between 고장 나다 and 고장 내다?

• 고장 나다 (intransitive): “to break down,” something breaks on its own.
• 고장 내다 (transitive): “to break (something),” someone causes an item to break.
Example:
– 다리미가 고장 났어요. (The iron broke.)
– 제가 다리미를 고장 냈어요. (I broke the iron.)

How would I say “I broke the iron” in Korean?

Use the transitive causative 고장 내다 and mark 다리미 as the object:
제가 다리미를 고장 냈어요.

Can I drop the subject particle and say 다리미 고장 났어요?

Yes. In casual spoken Korean it’s common to omit 가, especially in notes or quick updates:
– 다리미 고장 났어요.
But in full sentences or more formal contexts, including 다리미가 is clearer and preferred.