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.
