i gwairi sinseonhaeyo.

This fruit is fresh.

Breakdown of i gwairi sinseonhaeyo.

• ~이: subject particle
• 이: this
• 과일: fruit
• 신선하다: fresh

Questions & Answers about i gwairi sinseonhaeyo.

Why are there two 이 in 이 과일이? They look exactly the same!

The first 이 is the demonstrative this, modifying 과일 (“this fruit”).
The second 이 is the subject particle, attached because 과일 ends in a consonant.
They look identical in spelling but serve different roles: one is a determiner, the other a case marker.

Why isn’t there a copula like 이다 in this sentence?

In Korean, adjectives (형용사) are actually descriptive verbs.
신선하다 is a descriptive verb meaning “to be fresh.” When you conjugate it into the polite form, 신선해요 already carries the sense of “is fresh.” You don’t need an extra copula like 이다.

Why is it 신선해요 instead of 신선아요 or 신선어요?

신선하다 is a 하다-adjective (Sino-Korean root 신선 + 하다). For 하다-adjectives, you drop -다 and add -해요 (not the usual vowel-harmony -아요/어요).
So 신선하다 → 신선해요.

What’s the difference if I used 은/는 instead of 이/가 (i.e., 이 과일은 신선해요)?

이/가 marks the subject and often introduces new or emphasized information.
은/는 marks the topic and can imply contrast or that the listener already knows the topic.

• 이 과일이 신선해요 focuses on identifying which fruit is fresh.
• 이 과일은 신선해요 means “As for this fruit, it’s fresh,” perhaps contrasting it with other fruits.

How can I turn the statement into the question “Is this fruit fresh?”

You have two simple options:

1. Use rising intonation (informal question):
   이 과일이 신선해요?
2. Use a formal question ending:
   이 과일이 신선합니까?

How do I say “This fruit is not fresh”?

Two common negation strategies:

1. Put 안 before the adjective:
   이 과일이 안 신선해요.
2. Use the negative -지 않다 form:
   이 과일이 신선하지 않아요.

If I want to say “I like fresh fruit,” how do I place 신선 in front of 과일?

You need the attributive (modifying) form 신선한 instead of 신선하다. For example:
신선한 과일을 좋아해요.

Why don’t we mark 과일 as plural when talking about multiple fruits? If I really want to emphasize “fruits,” what do I do?

Korean often omits plural markers when context makes number clear. 과일 can mean “fruit” in general or “fruits.”
To explicitly mark plurality, you can add 들:
이 과일들이 신선해요.
But in most everyday sentences, especially with demonstratives like this, the singular/plural distinction is clear without 들.