achimmada seonsaengnimkke insareul haeyo.

I greet the teacher every morning.

Breakdown of achimmada seonsaengnimkke insareul haeyo.

• 하다: to do
• ~를: object particle
• 선생님: teacher
• 아침마다: every morning

Questions & Answers about achimmada seonsaengnimkke insareul haeyo.

What does the particle 마다 in 아침마다 mean?

마다 attaches to a noun to mean every/each. So 아침마다 means every morning. You can use 마다 with time words and other nouns:

• 주말마다 every weekend
• 달마다 every month
• 사람마다 each person Note: 마다 attaches directly to the noun. Don’t say 아침에마다; just say 아침마다.

Can I say 매일 아침 or 매 아침 instead of 아침마다? Are there differences? Can I say 매일 아침마다?

• 매일 아침 and 아침마다 both mean every morning. 아침마다 can feel a touch more “each and every morning,” but in most contexts they’re interchangeable.
• 매 아침 is acceptable but less common and a bit bookish.
• Don’t combine them: 매일 아침마다/매 아침마다 is redundant and unnatural. Use either 매일 아침 or 아침마다.

Why is it 선생님께 and not 선생님에게 or 선생님한테?

• 께 is the honorific “to” (dative) particle, used for people you should show respect to (teachers, elders, customers, etc.).
• 에게 is neutral and common in writing.
• 한테 is casual and common in speech. With a teacher, 께 is the safest polite choice.

Is 께 only for people? Can I use it for friends or things?

께 is used almost only for honor-worthy people (and sometimes deities: 하느님께). Don’t use 께 for objects or places, and don’t use it for friends; use 한테 or 에게 for those:

• 친구한테/친구에게 to a friend
• 회사에 to a company (place/institution)

Do I need to say 저는 at the start?