eoje billin soseoreul oneul achime bannaphaesseo.

object particle

Breakdown of eoje billin soseoreul oneul achime bannaphaesseo.

• 어제: yesterday
• 오늘: today
• 아침: morning

Questions & Answers about eoje billin soseoreul oneul achime bannaphaesseo.

Where is the subject? Why isn’t it written?

• Korean drops subjects when they’re obvious from context. Here it’s understood as I (or we).
• To say it explicitly:
  • Topic: 나는/저는 어제 빌린 소설을 오늘 아침에 반납했어(요).
  • Subject (often contrastive): 내가/제가 어제 빌린 소설을 오늘 아침에 반납했어(요).

How does 어제 빌린 소설 work? Why 빌린?

• It’s a relative clause: 빌리다 (to borrow) + past attributive -(으)ㄴ → 빌린.
• So 어제 빌린 소설 = “the novel (I) borrowed yesterday.”
• Forming past modifiers:
  • Verb stem + -은/‑ㄴ (consonant → -은, vowel → -ㄴ): 먹다 → 먹은, 가다 → 간, 빌리다 → 빌린.

Can I say 어제 빌렸던 소설 or 어제 빌렸어? What’s the difference?

• 빌린 modifies a noun (attributive) → “the novel (I) borrowed…”
• 빌렸어 is a finite verb → “I borrowed…”
• 빌렸던 adds a nuance of “that I had borrowed before/previously” or a bit of reminiscence/contrast. It’s okay here, but 빌린 is the neutral choice.

Why 소설을 and not 소설이? When do I use 을/를?