Breakdown of noteubuk chungjeongiga eodi issneunji ara?
어디eodi
where
~가~ga
subject particle
있다issda
to be
노트북noteubuk
laptop
Questions & Answers about noteubuk chungjeongiga eodi issneunji ara?
What does the ending -는지 do in this sentence?
It turns a direct wh-question into an embedded question. So 어디 있어? (Where is it?) becomes 어디 있는지 (where it is), which can then be used as the object of verbs like 알다 (to know), 모르다 (to not know), 묻다/물어보다 (to ask), 생각하다 (to think/wonder).
- Here: 알아? = Do you know? → 어디 있는지 알아? = Do you know where it is?
Why is it 있는지 and not 있어 or 있니?
Because you cannot put a direct question form in front of 알다. You must embed it:
- Direct: 어디 있어?
- Embedded: 어디 있는지 Only the main verb (알아?/알아요?/아세요?) carries the sentence-ending (politeness) ending.
Why is there -가 on 노트북 충전기?
-가 marks the subject of the embedded clause. Inside the clause [노트북 충전기가 어디 있는지], the charger is the thing that “is (located).” The whole bracketed clause is the object of 알아.
Can I drop the subject marker and say 노트북 충전기 어디 있는지 알아?
Yes, in casual speech you’ll often hear the -가 omitted. Including is a bit clearer/cleaner; omitting it sounds natural in conversation.