hyudaeponeseo piryo eobsneun sajineul jiwoyo.

Questions & Answers about hyudaeponeseo piryo eobsneun sajineul jiwoyo.

What does 필요 없는 mean literally, and how is it built?

필요 없는 literally means without need or not needed.

It is built like this:

  • 필요 = need / necessity
  • 없다 = to not exist / to not have
  • 없는 = the noun-modifying form of 없다

So:

  • 필요 없는 사진 = photos that are not needed
  • more naturally in English: unnecessary photos or photos you don't need

This is a very common Korean pattern:

  • noun + 없는 + noun

For example:

  • 쓸모없는 물건 = useless item
  • 시간 없는 사람 = a person who doesn't have time

So in this sentence, 필요 없는 is describing 사진.

Why is 없는 used before 사진 instead of 없어요 or 없다?

Because 없는 is the form used when 없다 describes a noun directly.

Compare:

  • 사진이 없어요. = There are no photos.
  • 필요 없는 사진 = photos that are not needed

In Korean, when a verb or adjective modifies a noun, it changes form.
Here, 없다 becomes 없는 before the noun 사진.

This is similar to how English uses a relative clause:

  • photos that are not needed

Korean compresses that idea into:

  • 필요 없는 사진
Why does 휴대폰 take 에서 here?

에서 marks the place where an action happens, or the place something is removed from.

So:

  • 휴대폰에서 = on the phone / from the phone

In this sentence, the action is 지워요 = delete/erase, so 에서 shows the location or source of deletion.

  • 휴대폰에서 사진을 지워요.
    = I delete photos from the phone

A learner might expect , but 에서 is more natural with an action taking place there.

Very roughly:

  • = to / at / in
  • 에서 = at / in / from, for where an action occurs
What is the role of in 사진을?

is the object marker.

It marks 사진 as the thing being deleted.

So:

  • 사진을 지워요 = delete photos

The dictionary form of the verb is 지우다 = to erase / delete, and it takes a direct object.

Because 사진 ends in a consonant, it uses rather than .

Compare:

  • 사진을 지워요
  • 파일을 지워요
  • 앱을 지워요

If the noun ended in a vowel, you would use :

  • 메모를 지워요
What tense and speech level is 지워요?

지워요 is the present polite form of 지우다.

Dictionary form:

  • 지우다 = to erase / delete

Polite present:

  • 지워요

This form is commonly used in everyday conversation. Depending on context, it can mean:

  • I delete
  • I'm deleting
  • I delete regularly
  • sometimes even I'll delete it

Korean present tense is flexible, so the exact English translation depends on context.

Why is it 지워요 and not 지우어요?

Great question—this is a contraction.

The verb is:

  • 지우다

To make the polite present form, you attach -어요:

  • 지우 + 어요

But in Korean, 우 + 어 often contracts to :

  • 지우어요 → 지워요

So 지워요 is the normal form.

You see the same kind of contraction in other verbs too.

Does 지우다 specifically mean deleting digital files, or can it mean other kinds of erasing too?

지우다 is a broad verb. It can mean:

  • erase
  • wipe off
  • remove
  • delete

So it works for both physical and digital things.

Examples:

  • 글씨를 지워요. = erase writing
  • 화장을 지워요. = remove makeup
  • 파일을 지워요. = delete a file
  • 사진을 지워요. = delete a photo

In this sentence, because the object is photos on a phone, 지워요 clearly means delete.

Could I also say 삭제해요 instead of 지워요?

Yes, often you can, but the nuance is a little different.

  • 지워요 = everyday, natural, common
  • 삭제해요 = more technical or formal, like delete in a computer/menu sense

For phone photos, 지워요 sounds very natural in ordinary speech.

Compare:

  • 사진을 지워요. = natural everyday speech
  • 사진을 삭제해요. = also possible, but more technical/system-like

So if you're speaking casually, 지워요 is usually the better choice.

Why is there no subject in the sentence?

Because Korean often omits the subject when it is obvious from context.

So:

  • 휴대폰에서 필요 없는 사진을 지워요.

could mean:

  • I delete unnecessary photos from my phone
  • You delete unnecessary photos from your phone
  • We delete unnecessary photos from the phone

The listener usually figures it out from the situation.

This is extremely common in Korean, and sentences often sound more natural without an explicit subject unless it needs emphasis or clarification.

Is the word order fixed here?

Not completely. Korean word order is more flexible than English, as long as the particles make the roles clear.

This sentence is:

  • 휴대폰에서 필요 없는 사진을 지워요.

But you could also say:

  • 필요 없는 사진을 휴대폰에서 지워요.

Both are understandable because:

  • 에서 marks the location/source
  • marks the object

That said, some orders may sound more natural depending on what you want to emphasize.
The original sentence flows naturally as a neutral statement.

Is 휴대폰 the most common word for cell phone?

휴대폰 is a standard and very common Korean word for mobile phone / cell phone.

You may also hear:

  • 핸드폰

In everyday Korean, both are common, though 휴대폰 is often considered a bit more standard.

So in this sentence:

  • 휴대폰에서 = on/from the cell phone

Both learners and native speakers should recognize it easily.

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How do speech levels work in Korean?
Korean has multiple speech levels that indicate formality and politeness. The most common are the formal polite (‑습니다/‑ㅂ니다), informal polite (‑아요/‑어요), and casual (‑아/‑어) forms. Which level you use depends on who you're speaking to and the social context.

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