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In Korean, polite speech is very important. The endings 입니다, ㅂ니다, and 습니다 are used to make formal and polite statements. You will often hear these endings in official situations, news reports, presentations, or formal writing. Beginners first learn 입니다 because it is common when introducing yourself or describing something.
These endings allow you to express facts and simple actions in the present tense in a respectful way. They are an essential part of your Korean grammar foundation.
Here is how to use these endings:
👉 If the verb stem ends in a vowel, use ㅂ니다.
👉 If the verb stem ends in a consonant, use 습니다.
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 저는 학생입니다. | I am a student. |
| 이것은 책입니다. | This is a book. |
| 저 사람은 선생님입니다. | That person is a teacher. |
| 여기는 서울입니다. | This place is Seoul. |
| 제 이름은 민수입니다. | My name is Minsu. |
| 먹습니다. | I eat. |
| 갑니다. | I go. |
| 봅니다. | I see. |
| 읽습니다. | I read. |
| 공부합니다. | I study. |
| Verb Stem | Ends with | Ending | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 가다 (to go) | Vowel | ㅂ니다 | 갑니다 |
| 먹다 (to eat) | Consonant | 습니다 | 먹습니다 |
| 읽다 (to read) | Consonant | 습니다 | 읽습니다 |
| 보다 (to see) | Vowel | ㅂ니다 | 봅니다 |
Use 입니다 after a noun to describe what something is.
Use ㅂ니다 / 습니다 after a verb stem to politely describe an action.
These forms are used in formal speech and writing.
Now you know how to use 입니다 and ㅂ니다 / 습니다 to make polite statements in Korean! These are important grammar patterns in TOPIK I and in real-life formal Korean. Practice making your own sentences using these endings — this will help you build confidence and sound respectful.
Happy studying! 화이팅! ✨
In Korean, the endings 이에요 and 예요 are used to make polite informal statements. They are the informal counterparts of 입니다, and are much more common in everyday conversations. You will hear them often when talking with friends, in shops, in casual business situations, or on TV.
These endings are used only with nouns and are perfect for making basic descriptive sentences like "This is..." or "I am...". They are essential for beginner learners who want to sound polite but not too formal.
Here is how to use these endings:
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 저는 학생이에요. | I am a student. |
| 이것은 책이에요. | This is a book. |
| 저 사람은 선생님이에요. | That person is a teacher. |
| 여기는 서울이에요. | This place is Seoul. |
| 제 이름은 민수예요. | My name is Minsu. |
| 오늘은 일요일이에요. | Today is Sunday. |
| 저건 커피예요. | That is coffee. |
| 여기는 카페예요. | This place is a cafe. |
| 저 사람은 배우예요. | That person is an actor. |
| 제 친구예요. | (It’s) my friend. |
Use 이에요 after a noun ending in a consonant.
Use 예요 after a noun ending in a vowel.
This is a polite but informal way to describe things and people in everyday conversation.
Now you know how to use 이에요 and 예요 to make polite informal statements in Korean! You will use these forms a lot in your everyday life in Korea or when talking to Korean friends. Practice making sentences with them — the more natural they sound, the better!
Happy studying! 화이팅! ✨
In Korean, to say that something is not something else, you can use the pattern 이/가 아닙니다. This is the formal polite way to make a negative statement about a noun. It is commonly used in polite conversations, presentations, and written texts.
By using 이/가 아닙니다, you can politely and clearly deny or correct information — an important skill in everyday Korean.
Here is how to use this structure:
It means "is not / am not / are not."
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 저는 학생이 아닙니다. | I am not a student. |
| 이것은 책이 아닙니다. | This is not a book. |
| 저 사람은 선생님이 아닙니다. | That person is not a teacher. |
| 여기는 서울이 아닙니다. | This place is not Seoul. |
| 제 이름은 민수가 아닙니다. | My name is not Minsu. |
| 오늘은 일요일이 아닙니다. | Today is not Sunday. |
| 저건 커피가 아닙니다. | That is not coffee. |
| 여기는 카페가 아닙니다. | This place is not a cafe. |
| 저 사람은 배우가 아닙니다. | That person is not an actor. |
| 그건 제 친구가 아닙니다. | That is not my friend. |
Use 이/가 아닙니다 to politely say that something is not something else.
It is used after nouns in formal and polite speech.
이 아닙니다 → after consonant-ending nouns.
가 아닙니다 → after vowel-ending nouns.
Now you know how to use 이/가 아닙니다 to politely make negative statements in Korean! This is an essential grammar pattern for TOPIK I and for real-life conversations when you need to correct or deny information. Practice it well, and you will sound more confident and polite.
Happy studying! 화이팅! ✨
In Korean, 이/가 아니에요 is used to politely say that something is not something else in everyday conversation. It is the informal polite version of 이/가 아닙니다, and it is very common in daily life, especially when talking with friends, acquaintances, or strangers in casual settings (cafes, shops, on the street, etc.).
As a beginner, mastering 이/가 아니에요 helps you sound natural and polite at the same time in most daily conversations.
Here is how to use this structure:
It means "is not / am not / are not."
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 저는 학생이 아니에요. | I am not a student. |
| 이것은 책이 아니에요. | This is not a book. |
| 저 사람은 선생님이 아니에요. | That person is not a teacher. |
| 여기는 서울이 아니에요. | This place is not Seoul. |
| 제 이름은 민수가 아니에요. | My name is not Minsu. |
| 오늘은 일요일이 아니에요. | Today is not Sunday. |
| 저건 커피가 아니에요. | That is not coffee. |
| 여기는 카페가 아니에요. | This place is not a cafe. |
| 저 사람은 배우가 아니에요. | That person is not an actor. |
| 그건 제 친구가 아니에요. | That is not my friend. |
Use 이/가 아니에요 to politely say that something is not something else in informal settings.
It is used after nouns in daily conversation.
이 아니에요 → after consonant-ending nouns.
가 아니에요 → after vowel-ending nouns.
Now you know how to use 이/가 아니에요 to politely make negative statements in Korean during everyday conversations! This is a very useful pattern in real life and in the TOPIK I exam. Practice it well, and your Korean will sound more natural and polite.
Happy studying! 화이팅! ✨
In Korean, 있어요 and 없어요 are essential expressions used to say whether something exists, is present, or to say whether you have or don’t have something. These expressions are very commonly used in daily conversation. As a beginner, learning these patterns early will allow you to express many useful things, such as what you have, who is there, or what is available.
- 있어요 → there is / there are / I have / you have - 없어요 → there isn’t / there aren’t / I don’t have / you don’t have
Here is how to use these structures:
Both expressions are informal polite and are used in most everyday conversations.
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 시간 있어요. | I have time. |
| 시간 없어요. | I don’t have time. |
| 돈 있어요? | Do you have money? |
| 돈 없어요. | I don’t have money. |
| 친구 있어요. | I have friends. |
| 남자친구 없어요. | I don’t have a boyfriend. |
| 여기 화장실 있어요? | Is there a restroom here? |
| 여기 주차장 없어요. | There is no parking lot here. |
| 언니 있어요. | I have an older sister. |
| 펜 있어요? | Do you have a pen? |
Use 있어요 to say that something exists or that you have something.
Use 없어요 to say that something does not exist or that you don’t have something.
These forms are informal polite and are very common in daily conversation.
Now you know how to use 있어요 and 없어요 to express possession and existence in Korean! This is one of the most useful patterns in real life and in the TOPIK I exam. Practice making your own sentences using 있어요 and 없어요 to talk about what you have and what is around you.
Happy studying! 화이팅! ✨
In Korean, 입니까?, ㅂ니까?, and 습니까? are used to ask formal polite questions. You will often hear these forms in formal settings like news, announcements, speeches, interviews, customer service, and in written documents. They sound respectful and are not commonly used in casual everyday conversation.
You can use this structure to ask about both identity / status and actions.
Here is how to form formal polite questions:
👉 If the verb stem ends in a vowel, use ㅂ니까?.
👉 If the verb stem ends in a consonant, use 습니까?.
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 학생입니까? | Are you a student? |
| 선생님입니까? | Are you a teacher? |
| 여기가 서울입니까? | Is this Seoul? |
| 이것은 책입니까? | Is this a book? |
| 오늘이 월요일입니까? | Is today Monday? |
| 먹습니까? | Do you eat? |
| 갑니까? | Do you go? |
| 봅니까? | Do you see? |
| 읽습니까? | Do you read? |
| 공부합니까? | Do you study? |
| Verb Stem | Ends with | Ending | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 가다 (to go) | Vowel | ㅂ니까? | 갑니까? |
| 먹다 (to eat) | Consonant | 습니까? | 먹습니까? |
| 읽다 (to read) | Consonant | 습니까? | 읽습니까? |
| 보다 (to see) | Vowel | ㅂ니까? | 봅니까? |
Use 입니까? after a noun to ask about identity/status.
Use ㅂ니까?/습니까? after a verb stem to ask about an action.
These forms are used in formal settings (news, presentations, announcements).
Now you know how to use 입니까? and ㅂ니까?/습니까? to ask formal polite questions in Korean! While they are more common in formal contexts, you may also encounter them in TOPIK I questions. Practice recognizing and using these forms so you can sound respectful and professional when needed.
Happy studying! 화이팅! ✨
In Korean, 이에요? and 예요? are used to ask polite questions about identity or status of something. They are a very natural and friendly way to ask "Is it...?" or "Are you...?" in everyday conversations.
This is one of the first and most useful patterns you will learn to ask questions about people, things, and places. You will often hear it used in casual polite speech, instead of more formal patterns like 입니까?.
Here is how to form polite questions with this structure:
It means "Is it...?", "Are you...?", or "Am I...?" depending on the context.
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 학생이에요? | Are you a student? |
| 선생님이에요? | Are you a teacher? |
| 여기 서울이에요? | Is this Seoul? |
| 이것은 책이에요? | Is this a book? |
| 제 이름이 민수예요? | Is my name Minsu? |
| 오늘이 일요일이에요? | Is today Sunday? |
| 저기 식당이에요? | Is that a restaurant? |
| 저 분이 사장님이에요? | Is that person the boss? |
| 커피예요? | Is it coffee? |
| 영화예요? | Is it a movie? |
Use 이에요? / 예요? to politely ask if something is something in daily conversation.
이에요? → after nouns ending in consonant.
예요? → after nouns ending in vowel.
Very useful and natural for beginner Korean learners.
Now you know how to use 이에요? and 예요? to ask polite questions in Korean! This is one of the most common question patterns in real-life conversation and in the TOPIK I exam. Practice asking and answering using this pattern — it will help your Korean sound friendly and natural.
Happy studying! 화이팅! ✨
In Korean, 있어요? and 없어요? are used to ask polite questions about existence or possession. They are common in everyday conversation and polite speech, making them very useful for learners. You use 있어요? to ask if something or someone exists or if someone has something. Use 없어요? to ask if something or someone does not exist or if someone does not have something.
The structure is simple:
👉 Use 이 after nouns ending in a consonant, and 가 after nouns ending in a vowel.
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 책이 있어요? | Is there a book? / Do you have a book? |
| 시간이 있어요? | Do you have time? |
| 돈이 있어요? | Do you have money? |
| 사과가 있어요? | Is there an apple? / Do you have an apple? |
| 컴퓨터가 있어요? | Do you have a computer? |
| 책이 없어요? | Isn't there a book? / Don't you have a book? |
| 시간이 없어요? | Don't you have time? |
| 돈이 없어요? | Don't you have money? |
| 사과가 없어요? | Isn't there an apple? / Don't you have an apple? |
| 컴퓨터가 없어요? | Don't you have a computer? |
Use 있어요? to ask if something exists or if someone has something.
Use 없어요? to ask if something does not exist or if someone does not have something.
Always use the correct particle 이/가 before these verbs.
These forms are polite and suitable for daily conversation.
Now you know how to ask polite questions about existence and possession using 있어요? and 없어요?! Practice these to ask about what people have or what exists around you, which is very useful in daily Korean conversations. Keep practicing, and 화이팅! ✨
