This Is My Family (은/는)

Korean marks more than just the subject of a sentence. Attach 은 or 는 to a person or thing and you’re announcing the topic, the thing the rest of the sentence is about to comment on: subject + 은/는 + job + 이에요/예요 is the whole formula for saying who someone is. It also splits “I” into two words depending on the job that word is doing: 저 when it’s out front acting, 제 when it’s tucked in front of a noun showing possession.

저는 vs 제

Notice the casual row changed more than the ending. 저 and 제 are the polite, lowered forms of “I” and “my,” the ones you use with strangers and teachers. Talking to a friend, they drop to 나 and 내.

This Is My Friend

이 사람 (this person) works like a placeholder you can swap for anyone. Once you’ve pointed at someone, 은/는 hands the topic over to their name, their job, or whoever they belong to.

Yes, My Mother Is a Doctor

Family words swap out just as easily, though a few change entirely once you’re speaking casually. 어머니 turns into 엄마 the moment the conversation relaxes, the same shift English makes from “mother” to “mom.”

Vocabulary