Learn Hardcore Korean: gangajiga sopa-eseo jago isseoyo.

-이/가 marks the grammatical subject and often introduces or highlights new or specific information. -은/는 marks the topic and adds a “speaking of…” or contrastive feel. So 강아지가 suggests “the (a) puppy (as the subject)…” whereas 강아지는 would feel like “as for the puppy…”. Both are grammatically fine, but the nuance differs.

What does -고 있어요 mean here?

It’s the present progressive: “be doing.” Form = verb stem + -고 있다. So 자고 있어요 means the action is ongoing right now. Note: -고 있다 is used with action verbs; with some posture/result verbs you also see -아/어 있다 (e.g., 앉아 있어요), but not with 자다.

Why 소파에서 and not 소파에?

에서 marks the location where an action occurs. 에 typically marks a place of existence or destination. Since sleeping is an action performed at a place, 소파에서 is the natural choice. You’d use 소파에 with existence: 소파에 강아지가 있어요.

Could I just say 자요 instead of 자고 있어요?

Yes, 자요 can mean either “sleeps” (habitual) or “is sleeping” depending on context. 자고 있어요 explicitly marks the ongoing action now and removes ambiguity.

Can I drop the subject and say 소파에서 자고 있어요?

Yes. Korean often omits subjects when they’re clear from context. Use 강아지가 when you need to introduce or emphasize the subject (for contrast, clarity, or new information).

How would this change in casual or very formal speech?

Casual: 강아지가 소파에서 자고 있어 (drop 요).
Polite (current sentence): …자고 있어요.
Very formal: …자고 있습니다.

What does the 요 at the end do?

요 marks polite speech (해요체). It makes the sentence appropriate for most everyday situations with people you’re not intimate with. Removing 요 makes it casual; switching to -습니다 makes it formal.

Is 소파 the standard spelling? I’ve seen 쇼파 too.

The standard spelling is 소파. 쇼파 is common in informal writing but is nonstandard.

What’s the pronunciation of the whole sentence?

Roughly: gang-ajiga sopa-eseo jago i-sseo-yo. Note that 있어요 is pronounced with a double-s sound: 이써요.

Should it be 소파에서 or 소파 위에서?

Both are possible. 소파에서 means “at/on the sofa” in context. 소파 위에서 explicitly says “on top of the sofa,” which you might use for extra clarity or contrast with being under/behind it.

Is 잠자고 있어요 okay, or should it be 자고 있어요?

Both are correct. 자다 is the everyday verb and is more common in speech. 잠자다 also means “to sleep,” but it can feel a bit more formal or child-directed. For “fell asleep,” use 잠들었어요.

How do I make it negative?

Natural and common: 안 자고 있어요.
Slightly more formal/explicit: 자고 있지 않아요. Both mean “not sleeping (right now).” 자지 않고 있어요 is also possible but sounds more like “is refraining from sleeping.”

Can I change the word order?

Yes, Korean allows flexibility for emphasis: 소파에서 강아지가 자고 있어요 is also natural and foregrounds the location. The most neutral orders here are subject–place–verb or place–subject–verb.

How do I say how many puppies?

Use the animal counter 마리 before the subject marker: 강아지 한 마리가 소파에서 자고 있어요 (one), 두 마리가… (two), 세 마리가… (three), etc.

Would I ever use an honorific verb like 주무시다 for a dog?

Typically no—주무시다 is reserved for people you honor. Pet owners might jokingly use it, but the normal choice for animals is 자다: 강아지가 … 자고 있어요.

Do I need to add 지금 to mean “now”?

No. -고 있어요 already implies an ongoing action, so “now” is understood. You can add 지금 (e.g., 지금 … 자고 있어요) to emphasize the timing.