chinguneun seongjeogi johaseo ibeone janghakgeumeul badasseo.

subject particle

Breakdown of chinguneun seongjeogi johaseo ibeone janghakgeumeul badasseo.

• ~을: object particle
• 친구: friend
• ~는: topic particle

Questions & Answers about chinguneun seongjeogi johaseo ibeone janghakgeumeul badasseo.

Why is 친구 followed by 는?

는 marks 친구 as the topic of the sentence.

So 친구는 means something like:

• as for my friend
• my friend, ...
• speaking of my friend, ...

It does not necessarily mean strong contrast here, although 는 can sometimes suggest contrast in other contexts. In this sentence, it mainly introduces who the sentence is about.

A very natural English-like way to feel it is:

• My friend got a scholarship this time because their grades were good.

Korean often uses a topic marker where English would simply use the subject.

Why is it 성적이 좋다, not 성적을 좋다?

Because 좋다 is a descriptive verb/adjective-like word, and with 좋다, the thing that is good is usually marked with 이/가.

So:

• 성적이 좋다 = the grades are good
• not 성적을 좋다

Here, 성적 is not a direct object. It is the thing being described as good, so 이/가 is the natural particle.

This pattern is common:

• 날씨가 좋아요 = The weather is good.
• 기분이 좋아요 = I feel good / My mood is good.
• 성적이 좋아요 = The grades are good.

What exactly does 성적 mean here?