in this lesson, we’re going to learn one of the Korean grammar rules, “~이에요/예요”.
This grammar is used in a lot of situations, so it will be useful to learn it.
Basic Korean words to use in lesson
In this lesson, we’ll use the following words.
| Word | Pronunciation | Audio | In English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 나라 | nala | Country | |
| 사람 🧍 | salam | person | |
| 미국 🇺🇸 | migug | USA | |
| 일본 🇯🇵 | ilbon | Japan | |
| 중국 🇨🇳 | jung-gug | China | |
| 베트남 🇻🇳 | beteunam | Vietnam | |
| 캐나다 🇨🇦 | kaenada | Canada | |
| 튀르키예 🇹🇷 | twileukiye | Turkiye | |
| 브라질 🇧🇷 | beulajil | Brazil | |
| 스페인 🇪🇸 | seupein | Spain | |
| 멕시코 🇲🇽 | megsiko | Maxico | |
| 태국 🇹🇭 | taegug | Thailand | |
| 학생 👨🎓 | hagsaeng | Student | |
| 작가 | jagga | Writer | |
| 의사 👩⚕️ | uisa | Doctor | |
| 경찰 | gyeongchal | Police | |
| 화가 👩🎨 | hwaga | Painter | |
| 영화 🎥 | yeonghwa | Movie | |
| 감독 🎬 | gamdog | Director | |
| 요리사 🧑🍳 | yolisa | Chef | |
| 자전거 🚲 | jajeongeo | Bicycle | |
| 커피 ☕ | keopi | Coffee | |
| 연필 ✏️ | yeonpil | Pencil | |
| 공책 📒 | gongchaeg | Notebook | |
| 모자 👒 | moja | Hat | |
| 직업 | jig-eob | Job |
Meaning of ‘-이에요/예요’
‘-이에요/예요’ is used at the end of a noun, usually to describe a person or thing.
we mostly use it to introduce ourselves, describe things or people, or ask questions.
we’ll see more uses in a variety of examples at the end of the lesson.
Form of ‘-이에요/예요’
‘-이에요’ is used when a noun ends with consonant.
- ex) 저는 학생이에요 (I’m student)
‘-예요’ is used when a noun ends with consonant.
- ex) 저는 의사예요 (I’m doctor)
Practice of ‘-이에요/예요’
Let’s practice with some examples of how you can utilize ‘-이에요/예요’.
어느 나라 사람이에요?
Practice answering the question “where are you from?”.
| Question | Answer | Audio | In English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 어느 나라 사람이에요? | Where are you from? | ||
| 저는 미국 사람이에요. | I’m from USA | ||
| 저는 일본 사람이에요. | I’m from Japan | ||
| 저는 중국 사람이에요. | I’m from China | ||
| 저는 베트남 사람이에요. | I’m from Vietnam | ||
| 저는 캐나다 사람이에요. | I’m from Canada | ||
| 저는 튀르키예 사람이에요. | I’m from Turkiye | ||
| 저는 브라질 사람이에요. | I’m from Brazil | ||
| 저는 스페인 사람이에요. | I’m from Spain | ||
| 저는 멕시코 사람이에요. | I’m from Mexico | ||
| 저는 태국 사람이에요. | I’m from Thailand |
What do you for a living?
Practice answering the question “What do you for a living?”.
| Question | Answer | Audio | In English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 직업이 뭐예요? | What do you for a living? | ||
| 저는 학생이에요. | I’m a student | ||
| 저는 작가예요. | I’m a writer. | ||
| 저는 의사예요. | I’m a doctor | ||
| 저는 경찰이에요. | I’m a police | ||
| 저는 화가예요. | I’m a painter. | ||
| 저는 영화감독이에요. | I’m a movie director | ||
| 저는 요리사예요. | I’m a chef. |
What is this?
Practice answering the question “What is this?”.
| Question | Answer | Audio | In English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 이건 뭐예요? | what is this? | ||
| 이건, 자전거예요. | This is a bicycle. | ||
| 이건, 커피예요. | This is a coffee. | ||
| 이건, 연필이에요. | This is a pencil. | ||
| 이건, 공책이에요. | This is a notebook. | ||
| 이건, 모자예요. | This is a hat. |
In this lesson, you learned the meaning and practiced one of Korean grammar that is ‘-이에요/예요’.
I introduced this grammar in first grammar lesson because it is used in many different situations, especially when introducing yourself.
Thank you for reading, see you next time.
