Korean Basic Korean Grammar Syllabus

Basic Korean Grammar syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Basic Korean Grammar in Korean, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Sentence Structure

   2 topics

   • Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) Order
   • Particles in Korean
2. 2

   Basic Verb Conjugation

   3 topics

   • Present Tense
   • Past Tense
   • Future Tense
3. 3

   Basic Adjectives

   2 topics

   • Descriptive Adjectives
   • Conjugation of Adjectives

Basic Korean Grammar flashcards for Korean

22 of 49 cards from the Basic Korean Grammar deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is the basic word order of a standard Korean sentence?

   Subject-Object-Verb (SOV). The verb always comes at the end of the sentence, e.g. "I apple eat" (저는 사과를 먹어요).

2. In Korean SOV order, where must the verb (or predicate) always be placed?

   At the very end of the sentence/clause. The final verb is grammatically mandatory and cannot be moved.

3. How does Korean word order differ from English word order?

   English is SVO (Subject-Verb-Object) while Korean is SOV (Subject-Object-Verb). In Korean the verb comes last instead of in the middle.

4. Because Korean marks grammatical roles with particles, how flexible is the order of the subject and object?

   The subject and object can be reordered (e.g. Object-Subject-Verb) without changing meaning, because particles show each word's role. Only the verb's final position is fixed.

5. Why can words be moved around in a Korean sentence without losing meaning?

   Because particles (attached to nouns) mark each word's grammatical function, so the role of a word is known from its particle, not its position.

6. In the sentence 저는 학교에 가요 ("I go to school"), identify the SOV/adverbial structure.

   저는 = subject (I), 학교에 = place/adverbial (to school), 가요 = verb (go). The verb 가요 comes last.

7. What is a particle (조사) in Korean grammar?

   A short suffix attached to the end of a noun (or pronoun) that indicates its grammatical role in the sentence, such as subject, object, topic, or location.

8. Which particles mark the subject, and how do you choose between them?

   이 after a consonant, 가 after a vowel. E.g. 책이 (book-SUBJECT), 친구가 (friend-SUBJECT).

9. Which particles mark the topic, and how do you choose between them?

   은 after a consonant, 는 after a vowel. E.g. 책은 (book-TOPIC), 친구는 (friend-TOPIC).

10. Which particles mark the object (direct object), and how do you choose between them?

    을 after a consonant, 를 after a vowel. E.g. 책을 (book-OBJECT), 사과를 (apple-OBJECT).

11. What is the difference between the topic particle (은/는) and the subject particle (이/가)?

    이/가 simply marks the grammatical subject or introduces new information; 은/는 marks the topic, sets the general subject of discussion, and is used for contrast or emphasis.

12. What does the particle 에 indicate, and give an example.

    에 marks a location, destination, or time (a static/non-action context). Example: 학교에 가요 (go to school), 3시에 (at 3 o'clock).

13. What is the difference between 에 and 에서 as location particles?

    에 marks a destination or static location/existence (going to, being at); 에서 marks the location where an action takes place. E.g. 집에 있어요 (be at home) vs. 집에서 먹어요 (eat at home).

14. Which particle means "and" (connecting two nouns) and how is it chosen?

    과 after a consonant, 와 after a vowel (formal); 하고 or (이)랑 are more casual. E.g. 빵과 우유 (bread and milk).

15. What do the particles 에게 / 한테 indicate?

    They mark the recipient of an action, meaning "to" a person. 한테 is informal, 에게 is standard. E.g. 친구에게 줄게요 (I'll give it to my friend).

16. What does the particle 도 mean?

    "Also / too / even." It replaces the subject/topic/object particle. E.g. 저도 (me too), 이것도 (this one too).

17. How is the present tense formed in the polite informal (해요) style from a verb stem?

    Drop 다 from the dictionary form to get the stem, then add 아요 (if the last stem vowel is ㅗ or ㅏ) or 어요 (otherwise). 하다 becomes 해요 (irregular contraction).

18. Conjugate 가다 (to go) into present-tense polite 해요 form, and explain the contraction.

    가다 → stem 가 + 아요 = 가아요, which contracts to 가요 (identical vowels merge).

19. Conjugate 먹다 (to eat) into present-tense polite 해요 form.

    Stem 먹- (last vowel ㅓ, not ㅗ/ㅏ) + 어요 = 먹어요 ("eat/eats").

20. What single Korean present-tense form covers English "I eat," "I am eating," and "I do eat"?

    The one present tense form (e.g. 먹어요) covers simple present, present continuous, and emphatic present; Korean does not conjugate these separately.

21. How is the present tense formed in the formal polite (합니다) style?

    Add 습니다 to a consonant-final stem, or ㅂ니다 to a vowel-final stem. E.g. 먹다 → 먹습니다, 가다 → 갑니다.

22. How is the past tense formed in Korean (해요 style)?

    Add the past-tense infix 았/었 to the stem, then 어요. Use 았 if the last stem vowel is ㅗ/ㅏ, otherwise 었; 하다 becomes 했. So the ending is 았어요 / 었어요 / 했어요.

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