LEARN + KOREAN / Note 8 TOPIK I

Where Is It? (있어요)

있다 means “to exist,” and once you have it, describing where anything is becomes an assembly line: name the object, name the place, drop in a position word, attach 에 to that position word, and end on 있어요. Change only the position word and you’ve relocated the object without touching anything else in the sentence. The same 에 also does double duty as “to,” turning a place into a destination: 학교에 가요 is “I go to school,” built exactly the same way as the existence sentences below.

Position Words

Korean	English
위 wi	on top of, above
아래 arae	under, below
밑 mit	under, beneath
앞 ap	in front of
뒤 dwi	behind
옆 yeop	next to, beside
안 an	inside
밖 bak	outside
오른쪽 oreunjjok	right side
왼쪽 oenjjok	left side
사이 sai	between

It’s Right There

어디에 있어요?

eodie isseoyo?

Where is it?

학교에 가요.

hakgyoe gayo.

I go to school.

In Real Life

에 marks a place something exists at or moves toward, but the instant an action happens at that place, it changes to 에서. 교실에 있어요 (“I’m in the classroom”) describes existence, while 교실에서 공부해요 (“I study in the classroom”) describes an action happening there. Swapping the two is one of the most common beginner mistakes, and native speakers will still understand you, but it’s worth training your ear for.

가방이 의자 위에 있어요.

gabangi uija wie isseoyo.

The bag is on the chair.

가방이 의자 앞에 있어요.

gabangi uija ape isseoyo.

The bag is in front of the chair.

가방이 의자 아래에 있어요.

gabangi uija araee isseoyo.

The bag is under the chair.

필통이 책상 위에 있어요.

piltongi chaeksang wie isseoyo.

The pencil case is on the desk.

책이 가방 안에 있어요.

chaegi gabang ane isseoyo.

The book is in the bag.

남자가 집 밖에 있어요.

namjaga jip bakke isseoyo.

The man is outside the house.

안나 씨가 유진 씨하고 책상 사이에 있어요.

anna ssiga yujin ssihago chaeksang saie isseoyo.

Anna is between Eugene and the desk.

In Real Life

In person, Koreans skip the whole sentence structure constantly and just point while saying 저기 (“over there”). Asked 어디 있어요?, a real answer is often just 저기요! with a finger, not a full 가방이 의자 위에 있어요. The grammar matters most when you can’t point, over the phone or in writing.

Vocabulary

Objects

Korean	English
필통 piltong	pencil case
연필 yeonpil	pencil
지우개 jiugae	eraser
시계 sigye	clock
칠판 chilpan	blackboard
창문 changmun	window
냉장고 naengjanggo	refrigerator
달력 dallyeok	calendar

Places

Korean	English
식당 sikdang	restaurant
영화관 yeonghwagwan	movie theater
카페 kape	cafe
은행 eunhaeng	bank
도서관 doseogwan	library
근처 geuncheo	nearby
건너편 geonneopyeon	across from
편의점 pyeonuijeom	convenience store
화장실 hwajangsil	bathroom, restroom
마트 mateu	mart, grocery store
정류장 jeongnyujang	bus stop