Korean Sentence Structure
Korean sentences are structured in these word orders:
- subject + verb
- subject + descriptive verb
- subject + object + verb
Subject- who or what the sentence is about
Object- who or what is affected by the verb
Verb- what the subject does
Please never forget that a verb always ends a Korean sentence. This will go a long way in helping you understand Korean sentence structure.
Subject + Verb
-First, is the subject that does the verb.
-Second, is the verb that the subject does.
The table below displays Korean sentences with their English translations below.
| Subject | Verb | Sentence |
| 사람 | 가요 | 사람 가요. |
| person | go | The person goes. |
| 개 | 자요 | 개 자요. |
| dog | sleep | The dog sleeps |
| 고양이 | 앉아요 | 고양이 앉아요. |
| cat | sit | The cat sits. |
Subject + Descriptive Verb
In Korean there are descriptive verbs which take the place of adjectives in English. Here are examples of English adjectives in use versus Korean descriptive verbs in use.
♦ English Adjective Style- The dog is happy.
♦ Korean Descriptive Verb Style- Dog happy.
In Korean the word “is” is not necessary because “happy” is a descriptive verb not an adjective.
The table below displays Korean sentences with their English translations below.
| Subject | Descriptive Verb | Sentence |
| 바나나 | 커요 | 바나나 커요. |
| banana | big | The banana is big. |
| 남자 | 행복해요 | 남자 행복해요. |
| man | happy | The man is happy. |
| 여자 | 똑똑해요 | 여자 똑똑해요. |
| woman | smart | The woman is smart. |
Subject + Object + Verb
English sentence structure is subject-verb-object(SVO). Korean sentence structure is subject-object-verb(SOV). Here is an example of the English sentence structure versus the Korean sentence structure.
♦ English sentence structure- The monkey eats a banana.
♦ Korean sentence structure- The monkey a banana eats.
This may be difficult to become comfortable with. Remember, a verb always ends a Korean sentence.
The table below displays Korean sentences with their English translations below.
| Subject | Object | Verb | Sentence |
| 원숭이 | 바나나 | 먹어요 | 원숭이 바나나 먹어요. |
| monkey | banana | eat | The monkey eats a banana. |
| 학생 | 책 | 읽어요 | 학생 책 읽어요. |
| student | book | read | The student reads a book. |
| 아기 | 우유 | 마셔요 | 아기 우유 마셔요. |
| baby | milk | drink | The baby drinks milk. |
Korean Verbs and Descriptive Verbs
Korean verbs and descriptive verbs can be conjugated into many different forms to express:
- tense
- passiveness
- causality
- honorifics
Korean verbs and descriptive verbs are made up of a stem + 다. To conjugate the verbs 다 is dropped and a new verb ending is added.
| Basic Form | Low Honorific Conjugated Form | English Translation |
| 가다 | 가요 | go |
| 해복하다 | 행복해요 | happy |
| 자다 | 자요 | sleep |
If you see 다 at the end of a verb, it is the basic form and has not been conjugated.
Korean verbs and descriptive verbs can also be split up into two categories.
- verb stem + 다
- verb stem + 하다
Verb stem + 하다 verbs are usually derived from Chinese
When -하다 is dropped from a verb stem + 하다 verb, it becomes a noun.
ex. 행복하다 = happy 행복 = happiness
Just remember if you see 다 at the end of a verb, it has not been conjugated and is not used in most speech.