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Learn Hardcore Korean: chinguege sajin han jangeul boyeo jwoyo. - I show one photo to a friend.

Hardcore Korean
/Lesson 35
/chinguege sajin han jangeul boyeo jwoyo.

chinguege sajin han jangeul boyeo jwoyo.

친구에게 사진 한 장을 보여 줘요.chinguege sajin han jangeul boyeo jwoyo.

I show one photo to a friend.

Breakdown of chinguege sajin han jangeul boyeo jwoyo.

object particle

dative particle

Questions & Answers about chinguege sajin han jangeul boyeo jwoyo.

What does -에게 do in 친구에게?

-에게 marks the person who receives the action, similar to to in English.

So in 친구에게, it means to a friend or to the friend.

In this sentence, the friend is the person the photo is being shown to, not the thing being shown.

Related forms:

한테: more conversational, very common in speech
께: honorific, used for someone deserving respect

So:

친구에게 = neutral/written-style to a friend
친구한테 = casual-spoken to a friend
선생님께 = to the teacher (honorific)

Why does Korean say 사진 한 장 instead of just 사진 하나?

Korean usually uses a counter when counting nouns.

Here:

사진 = photo
한 = one
장 = counter for flat things like sheets of paper, photos, tickets, cards, etc.

So 사진 한 장 literally means photo one sheet/item, which is the normal Korean way to say one photo.

Using 하나 directly with many nouns is possible in some casual situations, but with specific items like photos, the counter expression 한 장 is the more natural choice.

보여 주다boyeo juda

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Why is it 한 장 and not 하나 장?

Before counters, Korean usually uses special shortened number forms.

So:

하나 becomes 한
둘 becomes 두
셋 becomes 세
넷 becomes 네

That is why you get:

한 장 = one sheet/photo
두 장 = two sheets/photos
세 장 = three sheets/photos

So 하나 장 is not the normal form.

Why is the object marker attached to 한 장을? Why not 사진을?

In a noun + number + counter phrase, the case particle often goes after the whole counted phrase.

So 사진 한 장을 is very natural.

You can also hear:

사진을 한 장 보여 줘요

Both are correct. The difference is mostly about phrasing and emphasis, not core meaning.

A simple way to think about it:

사진 한 장 acts like one complete noun phrase: one photo
then -을 marks that whole phrase as the object

So 사진 한 장을 is completely normal Korean.

What is going on with 보여 주다? Why is 주다 there?

보여 주다 is a very common expression meaning to show.

Literally, 주다 means to give, but in combinations like this it often adds the idea of doing something for someone or directing the action toward someone.

So:

보여 주다 = to show someone something

You can think of it as something like:

let someone see
or very literally, give seeing

In real usage, though, you should just learn 보여 주다 as a standard verb meaning show.

Where does 보여 come from?

It comes from 보이다.

Very roughly:

보이다 can mean to be seen, to show, or sometimes to look/seem, depending on context
when connected with -어, it becomes 보여
then with 주다, you get 보여 주다

So:

보이다 → 보여 → 보여 주다

For a learner, the most useful thing is to recognize 보여 주다 as a common set expression.

Why is it written 보여 줘요 with a space? Can I write 보여줘요?

Yes, you will see both.

The standard teaching form is usually 보여 줘요, because 주다 is functioning like an auxiliary verb after the main verb.

But in everyday writing, especially texts and casual messages, 보여줘요 is also very common.

For learners, a safe rule is:

write 보여 줘요 in careful writing
recognize 보여줘요 when you see it

Both represent the same pronunciation and meaning in normal use.

What politeness level is 줘요?

-요 makes the sentence polite but not formal-stiff.

So this is the everyday polite style often called 해요체.

It is appropriate in many normal situations:

with strangers
with coworkers
with people you are being polite to

Related levels:

보여 줘 = casual, intimate
보여 줘요 = polite everyday
보여 줍니다 = formal

Why is there no subject in the sentence?

Because Korean often leaves out the subject when it is already understood from context.

English usually needs a subject like I, you, or she, but Korean often does not state it if it is obvious.

So this sentence could mean something like:

I show a friend a photo
She shows a friend a photo
Please show a friend a photo

The exact subject depends on the situation and the meaning already provided in context.

This is very normal in Korean.

Can I replace 친구에게 with 친구한테? And can I change the word order?

Yes to both.

친구에게 and 친구한테 both mean to a friend.
The difference is mainly style:

친구에게 = a bit more neutral or written
친구한테 = more conversational

And Korean word order is flexible as long as the particles are clear and the verb stays at the end.

So these are all possible:

친구에게 사진 한 장을 보여 줘요.
사진 한 장을 친구에게 보여 줘요.
친구한테 사진 한 장을 보여 줘요.
사진을 한 장 친구에게 보여 줘요.

The most basic pattern is still:

recipient + object + verb

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