jihacheoreun beoseuboda ppareugo beoseuneun jihacheolboda neuryeo.

The subway is faster than the bus, and the bus is slower than the subway.

Breakdown of jihacheoreun beoseuboda ppareugo beoseuneun jihacheolboda neuryeo.

• ~는: topic particle
• ~은: topic particle
• 버스: bus
• ~보다: comparative particle

Questions & Answers about jihacheoreun beoseuboda ppareugo beoseuneun jihacheolboda neuryeo.

What does 보다 mean and how is it used in 지하철은 버스보다 빠르고?

보다 means “than” in comparisons. The basic pattern is
A는 B보다 + adjective.
So 지하철은 버스보다 빠르다 literally means “The subway is faster than the bus.” In your sentence, 빠르고 is just the connective form of 빠르다 (see next question).

Why is 빠르고 used instead of 빠르다?

-고 is the connective ending that joins two clauses. You take the adjective stem (빠르-) + 고, giving 빠르고, which means “is fast and….” It links the first clause (“The subway is faster than the bus”) to the second (“the bus is slower”).

Why does the second clause use 느려 instead of 느리다 or 느리고?

1. 느려 is the present informal (반말) form of 느리다—you drop -다 and just say 느려.
2. You don’t need -고 here because it’s the final clause of the sentence, not connecting to anything after it.

What’s the role of the particles 은/는 in 지하철은 and 버스는? Could I use 이/가 instead?