Particles - 는, 가

Particles - 는, 가

This particles section is divided into two parts. The first part is on Topic and Identifier particles [는, 가], and the second part, here, is on the remaining particles, [도, 를, 에].

In these two posts, we're going to learn about 5 common particles used in sentences in Korean. These are:

• 는/은   - Topic particle           ┐ Subject particles
• 가/이   - Identifier particle       ┘
• 도        - Additive particle
• 를/을   - Object particle
• 에        - Time/place particle

Note: I have grouped 는/은 and 가/이 into one category, the 'Subject particles.' The explanations are given below in the 'Subject Particles' section.
Particles are functional words that do not have any meaning in themselves. They are like helpers in that they are attached to the end of nouns to indicate what that noun is and how it functions in a sentence.

For example,

• 나는 학생이다 = I am a student

는, the topic particle, is attached to the end of 나, which means the pronoun "I", to show that the topic is about "I" or the subject is "I".

Here is another example,

• 나도 학생이다 = I am a student, too.

In this sentence, 도, the additive particle, is attached to 나 to show that in addition to a person or people who are students, "I", too, am a student.

Now, let us go through each of these particles. 


는/은 [Topic Particle]

The first particle, we'll learn, is 는/은, the topic particle. 는/은 is used for a subject or topic of a sentence. 는 is used for nouns without a final consonant, and 은 for nouns with a final consonant.

Let me explain,

• 나는 = I am
• 사람은 = A person is

 나 consists of ㄴ+ㅏ

• ㄴ = n (an initial consonant)
• ㅏ = a (a vowel)

As you can see, 나 is a word without a final consonant, therefore 는 is attached to it.

On the other hand, 사람 which means 'a person' has 람 as a final character, and
람 consists of ㄹ+ㅏ+ㅁ

• ㄹ = r,l (an initial consonant)
• ㅏ = a (a vowel)
• ㅁ = m (a final consonant)

사람 is a word with a final consonant. Therefore, 은 is attached to it.

The reason for these two different types of the topic particle, 는/은, is that for words with a final consonant, it is easier to pronounce them with 은 rather 는.
Compare these two pronunciations,

• 사람는 = sa-ram-nun
• 사람은 = sa-ram-un → sa-ra-mun [사라믄]

As you can see, 사람는 is more rigid and awkward to pronounce, whereas 사람은 is more fluid and easy to pronounce. 사람은 is actually pronounced 사라믄. The final consonant of 람, which is ㅁ, is transferred to 은 to make it sound 믄.

(사람은 sounds a bit like "Sarah Moon" whereas 사람는 may sound like "Saram Noon".)
Listen to the pronunciations for yourselves in the Google Translate.

The following are example sentences using 는/은, the topic particle.

• 나는 학생이다 = I am a student
• 그는 친절하다 = He is kind

• 이것은 연필이다 = This is a pencil
• 하늘은 높다 = The sky is high

• 그녀는 공부한다 = She studies 
• 존은 갔다 = John went
• 영수는 먹었다 = Young-su ate

나 = I (pronoun)
학생 = a student
그 = he
친절하다 = kind
이것 = this
연필 = pencil
하늘 = sky
높다 = high
그녀 = she
공부하다 = study
존 = John
가다 = go
영수 = Young-su (a male name)
먹다 = eat

Use Google Translate to listen the pronunciations of these words.

Note: There are no articles in the parts of speech in Korean. "A, an and the" which are used to identify and specify a noun in English and other languages are absent in Korean grammar.


가/이 [Identifier Particle]

가/이 is used similarly as 는/은 in that they indicate a subject but 가/이 is used when it is necessary to identify the person or thing that is talked about in a sentence.

For example,

• 나는 샀다 = I bought
• 내가 샀다 = I bought 

Note: 나 is changed to 내 when it is used before 가.

Both of these two sentences mean "I bought" but 내가 샀다 puts more emphasis on the subject of the sentence, "I".

In the sentence, 내가 샀다, it is more concerned about 'who' bought rather than 'what' I did.

On the other hand, 나는 샀다, is more concerned about 'what' I did.

• 내가 샀다 = I bought [It wasn't anyone else but I who bought]
• 나는 샀다 = I bought [I bought rather than doing something else]

It is similar to the way in English where a person stresses a certain word to give it more emphasis or importance.

For example, 

• Who bought a new t-shirt? 
• 내가 샀어 = I bought it. 

Note: It is incorrect to say, 나는 샀어, because the person is asking about whobought a new t-shirt rather than asking about what they did.

• What did you do in the park?
• 나는 잤어 = I slept (I took a nap)
  

Note: The person may be asking to several people about what they did in the park. One person might say they took a stroll while another person may have had lunch there. But as for me, what I did was 'sleeping'.
Therefore,

• 나는 잤어 = I slept

It is wrong to say 내가 잤어 in this case because the person is not asking aboutwho slept but what they did in the park. If the person asked me, 'Who slept in the park?', I would answer, 내가 잤어 or 마크가 잤어 (Mark slept).

The identifier particle, 가/이, identifies the subject of a sentence. 가/이 is concerned about who did the things asked.

Like the 는/은 example above, 가 is used for words without a final consonant and 이 for words with a final consonant.

Here are example sentences:

• 내가 마셨다 = I drank (It wasn't anyone else but me)
• 동생이 먹었다 = Younger brother/sister ate (It wasn't someone else but them)

• 민지가 왔다 = Min-ji came (It wasn't some other person but Min-ji)
• 안토니가 갔다 = Anthony went (It wasn't some other person but Anthony)

• 저것이 한강이야 = That is the Han River
• 빌딩이 높다 = The building  is high
• 공원이 넓다 = The park is large/spacious

마시다 = drink
동생 = younger brother/sister
먹다 = eat
민지 = Min-ji (a female name)
오다 = come
안토니 = Anthony
가다 = go
저것 = that
한강 = the Han River (in Seoul)
빌딩 = a building
높다 = high
공원 = a park

넓다 = spacious, large

Use Google Translate to listen the pronunciations of these words. 


Subject Particles [는/은 and 가/이]

는/은 and 가/이 both are used for the subject of a sentence but 는/은 introduces a topic or a subject whereas 가/이 identifies a subject.

In addition to their differences already explored above, here is another big difference between the two particles.

The topic particle, 는/은, is used in cases when we make a general or factual statement whereas 가/이 is not.

For example,

• 치타는 빠르다 = A cheetah is fast
• 치타는 느리다 = A cheetah is slow (This would be a wrong statement)

However, if you visited a zoo and saw a cheetah who seems to move very slowly, you might say,

• 치타가 느리다 = (That) cheetah is slow

So the identifier particle, 가/이, indicates a certain person or thing that the speaker and listener know or are aware of. In this case, it would be that cheetah in the zoo.

Here is another example,

• 바다는 푸르다 = The sea is blue
• 바다는 까맣다 = The sea is black (In general, this is a wrong statement.)

But say, you saw the sea at night and you may exclaim,

• 바다가 까맣다! = The sea is black!

The sea in this sentence is identified as a particular sea at night, and both the speaker and listener know which sea is being talked about. This is not a general statement. Therefore the identifier particle, 가/이, is used in this case.

Of course, 바다가 푸르다 is also perfectly acceptable. However, the difference is that the sea in this sentence is also a particular sea that is known by both the speaker and the listener.

• 바다는 푸르다 = The sea is blue (A general statement)
• 바다가 푸르다 = The sea is blue (The sea is identified and known by the speaker and listener)

It's similar to the way articles are used in English.

For example,

• An apple is red = 사과는 빨갛다  (A general or factual statement about an apple)
• The apple is red = 사과가 빨갛다 (A particular apple that the speaker identifies and indicates to the listener)