Learn Hardcore Korean: saebyeogeneun gongwoni joyonghae.

-에 marks time/place: 새벽에 = “at dawn.”
Adding the topic marker -는 gives -에는, which topicalizes the time phrase: “As for at dawn…,” often implying a contrast with other times.
Both are correct. 새벽에 공원이 조용해 is neutral; 새벽에는 공원이 조용해 suggests “but not necessarily at other times.”

Can I contract 새벽에는 to 새벽엔?

Yes. 새벽에는 → 새벽엔 is a very common colloquial contraction. Meaning and nuance are the same.

Why is it 공원이 and not 공원은?

이/가 marks the grammatical subject and pairs naturally with descriptive predicates like 조용하다. It presents the park as the thing that has the property “quiet.”
은/는 marks a topic (“as for the park…”), often contrastive.
You could say 공원은 in some contexts (e.g., contrasting the park with other places), but with 새벽에는 already topicalized, 공원이 is the natural choice.
Form note: -이 is used after a consonant (공원), -가 after a vowel.

Where is the “to be” verb? What is 조용해 exactly?

Korean “adjectives” are descriptive verbs. 조용하다 means “to be quiet.”

Dictionary form: 조용하다
Stem: 조용하-
Present casual: 조용해 = “is quiet”
There is no separate “be” verb here; you do not use 이다 with descriptive verbs.

How do I make this sentence polite or formal?

Casual (banmal): 새벽에는 공원이 조용해.
Polite: 새벽에는 공원이 조용해요.
Formal: 새벽에는 공원이 조용합니다. Avoid 조용하세요 here; that’s usually an imperative (“Please be quiet”) or an honorific description of a person, not a place.

Can I change the word order?

Yes, Korean allows flexible word order for non-final elements. The predicate usually stays at the end. For example:

Why not say 공원에서 조용해?

-에서 marks the location where an action happens. 조용하다 is a state of the subject, not an action done “at” a place.

공원이 조용해 = “The park is quiet.”
Use -에서 with action verbs: 사람들이 공원에서 운동해요 (“People exercise in the park”).

Can I drop particles like 는 or 이 in casual speech?

Often, yes: 새벽엔 공원 조용해. This is common in conversation. For clarity (especially when learning or writing), keep particles in.

What’s the difference between 새벽 and 아침?

새벽: the pre-dawn hours up to around sunrise (roughly 1–5/6 a.m.).
아침: morning from around sunrise to late morning.
So 새벽에 = “at dawn,” 아침에 = “in the morning.”

How do I say “The park is not quiet at dawn”?

새벽에는 공원이 조용하지 않아(요). (neutral, common)
새벽에는 공원이 안 조용해(요). (colloquial)
Or use the opposite adjective: 새벽에는 공원이 시끄러워(요). (“noisy”).

Does 공원 mean “the park,” “a park,” or “parks in general” here?

Korean has no articles. 공원이 could be:

A specific park known from context (“the park”),
A newly introduced park (“a park”),
Generic (less typical with 이/가, but possible from context).
To speak generically, you might say 공원은 보통 새벽에 조용해요 (“Parks are usually quiet at dawn”) or 대부분의 공원은… (“Most parks…”).

How do I turn it into “a park that is quiet at dawn”?

Use a noun-modifying form: 새벽에 조용한 공원.
Example: 새벽에 조용한 공원을 좋아해요. (“I like parks that are quiet at dawn.”)

Can I intensify or modify “quiet”?

Yes:

정말/아주/되게/엄청 조용해(요). = “really/very/super quiet.”
Colloquial 너무 조용해(요) often means “very quiet” (though literally “too quiet”).

How do I ask “Is the park quiet at dawn?”