i jibeun bojeunggeumi najaseo johayo.

Questions & Answers about i jibeun bojeunggeumi najaseo johayo.

What does do in 이 집은?

is the topic marker. It tells you that this house is the thing being talked about.

So 이 집은 means something like:

  • As for this house...
  • This house, ...

It does not mean the house is doing the action. It just sets the topic for the rest of the sentence.

A very literal breakdown is:

  • 이 집은 = as for this house
  • 보증금이 낮아서 = because the deposit is low
  • 좋아요 = it is good / I like it

Why is 보증금 followed by instead of 을/를?

Because 보증금 is functioning as the subject of 낮다.

In Korean, adjectives like 낮다 behave more like verbs, and they usually take a subject marked with 이/가.

So:

  • 보증금이 낮다 = the deposit is low

Not:

  • 보증금을 낮다

Here, the structure is:

  • 이 집은 = topic
  • 보증금이 = subject of 낮다
  • 낮아서 = because it is low
  • 좋아요 = is good / I like it

This is a very common pattern in Korean: a topic can contain a smaller clause inside it with its own subject.


What exactly is 보증금?

보증금 is a security deposit paid when renting a place in Korea.

It is not the same thing as monthly rent. Related housing words include:

  • 보증금 = deposit
  • 월세 = monthly rent
  • 전세 = a Korean lease system with a very large deposit and usually no monthly rent
  • 관리비 = maintenance/building fee

So this sentence is specifically saying something positive about the deposit amount, not necessarily the rent.


How is 낮아서 formed?

낮아서 comes from the adjective 낮다 (to be low) plus -아서, which often means because or links to the next clause.

Formation:

  • 낮다
  • remove 낮-
  • add -아서낮아서

So 보증금이 낮아서 means:

  • because the deposit is low
  • or more literally, the deposit being low, ...

In this sentence, -아서 gives the reason for 좋아요.


Why do we use 낮다 for the deposit? Could I use 적다 instead?

낮다 is the most natural choice when talking about a price, cost, fee, rate, or deposit being low.

Examples:

  • 가격이 낮다 = the price is low
  • 월세가 낮다 = the monthly rent is low
  • 보증금이 낮다 = the deposit is low

적다 means to be few / to be little in quantity, so it is used more for amount or number, not usually for a listed price or fee.

So:

  • 보증금이 낮다 = natural
  • 보증금이 적다 = less natural in this context

Why is the ending 좋아요 and not something like 좋습니다 or 좋아해요?

좋아요 is the polite informal style, very common in everyday speech.

  • 좋아요 = polite, natural, conversational
  • 좋습니다 = more formal, more like announcements, business situations, or very formal speech

As for 좋아해요:

  • 좋아요 often means it is good
  • 좋아해요 usually means I like it / like something

In this sentence, 좋아요 sounds very natural because it expresses a judgment about the house:

  • This house is good / nice because the deposit is low

You could also understand it as I like it, depending on context, but 좋아요 is the standard phrasing here.


Why doesn’t the sentence say 저는?

Because Korean often omits subjects when they are obvious from context.

If you are the one giving your opinion, Korean usually does not need to say 저는 every time.

So:

  • 이 집은 보증금이 낮아서 좋아요. = perfectly natural
  • 저는 이 집은 보증금이 낮아서 좋아요. = possible, but often unnecessary and a bit heavier

Korean prefers leaving out words that listeners can easily infer.


Can I say 이 집은 보증금은 낮아서 좋아요?

You can, but it changes the nuance.

Using 은/는 on 보증금 adds contrast or special emphasis:

  • 이 집은 보증금은 낮아서 좋아요.

This can imply something like:

  • As for the deposit, it’s good because it’s low...
  • maybe but something else may not be so good

So the original:

  • 이 집은 보증금이 낮아서 좋아요.

is more neutral and straightforward.


What is the sentence structure in simple terms?

A helpful way to see it is:

[Topic] + [reason clause] + [main comment]

So here:

  • 이 집은 = topic
  • 보증금이 낮아서 = reason
  • 좋아요 = main comment

You can think of it like:

  • As for this house, because the deposit is low, it’s good.

This kind of structure is very common in Korean.


Could 좋아서 be used instead of 좋아요 here?

Not by itself at the end.

  • 좋아서 means because it is good or links to another clause
  • 좋아요 finishes the sentence

So:

  • 이 집은 보증금이 낮아서 좋아요.
  • 이 집은 보증금이 낮아서 좋았어요. ✅ past tense
  • 이 집은 보증금이 낮아서 좋은데요. ✅ softer, conversational
  • 이 집은 보증금이 낮아서 좋아서 ❌ incomplete by itself

Is this sentence natural in real life?

Yes, it sounds natural, especially when discussing rental options.

Depending on tone and situation, native speakers might also say:

  • 이 집은 보증금이 낮아서 괜찮아요.
    = This house is okay/good because the deposit is low.

  • 이 집은 보증금이 낮아서 마음에 들어요.
    = I like this house because the deposit is low.

  • 이 집은 보증금이 낮은 편이라 좋아요.
    = I like this house because the deposit is on the low side.

But your original sentence is already natural and useful.


What is the difference between 이 집은 and 이 집이 here?

They give different focus.

  • 이 집은 = as for this house, setting it up as the topic
  • 이 집이 = this house as the subject, often with stronger focus or contrast

Compare:

  • 이 집은 보증금이 낮아서 좋아요.
    Neutral topic-comment style: As for this house, it’s good because the deposit is low.

  • 이 집이 보증금이 낮아서 좋아요.
    Sounds more like This house is the one that’s good because the deposit is low, often in contrast to other houses.

In most everyday cases, 이 집은 is the more natural choice for this sentence.

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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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