Basic Sentence Structures in Korean

The Korean language follows a subject-object-verb (SOV) order, which means that the subject comes first, followed by the object, and then the verb. Let’s break down a basic sentence and explore some common sentence patterns.

Basic Sentence Structure:

In English, we often say “I eat an apple.” In Korean, this sentence would be structured as “저는 사과를 먹어요” (jeoneun sagwareul meogeoyo).

• 저는 (Jeoneun): This is the subject marker, equivalent to saying “I” in English.
• 사과를 (Sagwareul): This is the object marker, equivalent to “an apple” in English.
• 먹어요 (Meogeoyo): This is the verb, equivalent to “eat” in English. The “-요” at the end adds politeness to the sentence.

Common Sentence Patterns:

1. Statement:
   • 저는 사과를 먹어요 (Jeoneun sagwareul meogeoyo) – I eat an apple.
2. Question:
   • 사과를 먹어요? (Sagwareul meogeoyo?) – Do you eat an apple?
3. Negation:
   • 저는 사과를 안 먹어요 (Jeoneun sagwareul an meogeoyo) – I don’t eat an apple.
4. Connecting Sentences:
   • 오늘은 학교에 가요. 그리고 친구를 만나요 (Oneuleun hakgyoe gayo. Geurigo chingureul mannayo) – Today, I go to school. And I meet my friend.

Practice Sentences:

1. 나는 커피를 마셔요 (Naneun keopireul masyeoyo) – I drink coffee.
2. 고양이는 물을 마셔요 (Goyangineun muleul masyeoyo) – The cat drinks water.
3. 너는 책을 읽어요? (Neoneun chaeg-eul ilgeooyo?) – Do you read a book?
4. 나는 피자를 안 먹어요 (Naneun pijareul an meogeoyo) – I don’t eat pizza.
5. 여름에 나는 바다에 가요 (Yeoreume naneun badae gayo) – In summer, I go to the beach.