Tuesday, 16 December 2008

Topic Particle - 은/는

은 and 는 are topic particles. They are attached to nouns, adverbs, other particles or endings. It shows the subject of the sentence or may be used to show "contrast" or "emphasis".

When the noun ends in a consonant, you will use "은".

When the noun ends in a vowel, you will use "는".

Here are two examples:-
  1. 물 : 물 + 은 ---> 물
  2. 우유 : 우유 + 는 ---> 우유

I'll now give you some example sentences, including their English translation:-

  1. 냉면이 쌉니다. 불고기 비쌉니다 --- Naeng-myun is cheap. However, Bulgogi is expensive.
  2. 버스가 느립니다. 지하철 빠릅니다 --- The bus is slow. However, the subway train is fast.
  3. 여름이 덥습니다. 겨울 춥습니다 --- It's hot in summer. However, it's cold in winter.

1 comment:

  1. Can you please specify when exactly in the sentence you are using each of those particles? I understand the "ending vowel part" but I don't know in what scenario you would use un/nun and ee/GA...

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