Breakdown of jeoneun hangsang yaksogeul jikyeoyo.
~을~eul
object particle
저jeo
I
~는~neun
topic particle
항상hangsang
always
Questions & Answers about jeoneun hangsang yaksogeul jikyeoyo.
What politeness level is this, and who can I say it to?
The ending -요 in 지켜요 is the standard polite style. It’s appropriate for most everyday situations—co-workers, strangers, service staff, teachers, etc. It’s friendly but respectful.
- More formal: 지킵니다
- Casual (to close friends/younger people): 지켜
- Plain/written style: 지킨다
Why is it 저는 and not 제가?
저는 uses the topic particle -는, which frames “as for me.” It presents “me” as the topic and makes a general statement about your habit. 제가 (subject marker -가) highlights the grammatical subject more narrowly, often for new or contrasted information. Here, the topic feel (“as for me, I…”) fits well.
Do I need to say 저는 at all?
No. Korean often drops the pronoun when it’s clear from context. You can simply say:
- 항상 약속을 지켜요. (Natural and common) Use 저는 when you want to contrast yourself with others or explicitly emphasize “as for me.”
Why is it 약속을 and not 약속는/약속은?
약속 is the object of the verb 지키다 (“to keep”), so you use the object marker -을/를. Since 약속 ends in a consonant (ㄱ), it takes -을 → 약속을.
Using 약속은 would topicalize “promise(s)” and shift the focus: 약속은 (저는) 항상 지켜요 = “As for promises, I always keep (them).”