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Breakdown of taeksineun beoseuboda ppallayo.
~는~neun
topic particle
버스beoseu
bus
~보다~boda
comparative particle
택시taeksi
taxi
빠르다ppareuda
fast
Questions & Answers about taeksineun beoseuboda ppallayo.
In the sentence 택시는 버스보다 빨라요, what is the function of 는 after 택시?
The particle 는 is the topic marker. By marking 택시 as the topic, it signals “as for taxis…” and frames the rest of the sentence as a comment about taxis.
What exactly does 보다 mean in 버스보다?
Here 보다 means “than.” It’s attached directly to the noun you’re comparing against—in this case, 버스—so 버스보다 means “than the bus.”
Why is there no subject marker (like 이/가) on 버스?
When you use 보다 for comparisons, you attach 보다 directly to the noun without any extra particle. Adding 이/가 before 보다 would be ungrammatical here.
Why do we say 빨라요 instead of 빠르요 or 빠릅니다?
The adjective 빠르다 is a ㅡ-irregular. In polite present tense you drop the ㅡ and add -아요, giving: 빠르 + 아요 → 빨라요. If you want a more formal style, you can use the deferential ending: 빠릅니다.
Can you insert 더 (more) in this sentence for emphasis?
Yes. You can say 택시는 버스보다 더 빨라요 to emphasize “more.” However, even without 더, the comparative meaning is already clear.
Could I flip it and say 버스는 택시보다 느려요? Does it mean the same thing?
Absolutely. 버스는 택시보다 느려요 means “As for the bus, it’s slower than the taxi.” It’s the same comparison but with 버스 as the topic.
Is there any difference between using 더 빠르다 versus -보다 빠르다 for making comparisons?
- 더 빠르다 literally means “to be more fast,” and it works when context is given (e.g., 더 빠르다 [내 차는 네 차보다 더 빠르다]).
- -보다 빠르다 explicitly states “faster than,” which is clearer when you immediately specify the thing you compare against. In many cases you can even combine them: 버스보다 더 빨라요.
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“How do speech levels work in Korean?”
Korean has multiple speech levels that indicate formality and politeness. The most common are the formal polite (‑습니다/‑ㅂ니다), informal polite (‑아요/‑어요), and casual (‑아/‑어) forms. Which level you use depends on who you're speaking to and the social context.
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