안녕하세요? 🤗 Welcome back! In this lesson, I'll teach you about the Korean object marker! You'll see the sentence examples using the present tense ending 아/어/여요.
<Table of Contents>
1. Words
Here are some words you'll need to know. Please listen and repeat. Don't forget to utilize the noun organizer to keep the new words. If you want to download the organizer, please click here.
cooked rice, meal | |
water | |
juice | |
pencil | |
eraser | |
book | |
notebook | |
the Korean language |
2. Korean object marker
1) What is the object?
What is the object of a sentence? An object is a noun, noun phrase, or pronoun that receives the action of a verb (according to "M-W Learner's Dictionary"). For example, if you say "I read the book," then the book is an object of this sentence.
In English, it's easy to identify the object because it comes after the verb. However, in Korean, you need to attach an object marker to the noun to make it the object of the sentence.
2) What is the object marker?
을 [eul] / 를 [leul] is attached to a noun and tells you that the noun is the object of the sentence. For the same example above, "I read the book," the object of the sentence is the book. The book in Korean is 책. So, we attach the object marker to this 책.
3) The forms of the object marker
There are two forms for this object marker, 을 and 를. To decide what to use, please pay attention to the last syllable of the noun. Does the last syllable have the final consonant or end with a vowel? If there is the final consonant, you attach 을. If not, you will add 를. Take a look at the chart below!
받침 final consonant | 을/를 object marker | 예시 example |
O | 을 | 연필을 써요. (I) use the pencil. |
X | 를 | 지우개를 써요. (I) use the eraser. |
The last syllable of 연필 is 필. I markered it in red. It has the last consonant ㄹ. So, we attach 을 after the noun. The last syllable of 지우개 is 개. I marked it in blue. 개 has the first consonant ㄱ and the vowel ㅐ but it doesn't have one more consonant at the end ( = the last consonant) after the vowel. So, we attach 를.
3. 하다 verbs with object marker
When the verbs end with the word "하다", I call them 하다 verbs. 하다 means do. For some nouns (that are action-related), if you attach 하다 you can make them into verbs.
For example, the noun version of "study" is 공부 and if you attach 하다 to it, you can make the verb, 공부하다 (verb) study! Now, since it is a noun+하다, we can use the object marker to a noun and separate them.
공부하다 = 공부를 하다 = study
The meaning doesn't change, it is just one more way to say it in Korean! Also sometimes it sounds more natural if you use a separate version. Here are some more examples for you!
숙제하다 = 숙제를 하다 = do homework
수영하다 = 수영을 하다 = swim
야구하다 = 야구를 하다 = play baseball
4. Examples
Here are some example sentences using the object marker and informal present tense. Try to read them out loud as you study.
1
책 is a book. It can be a book, the book, books. The Korean language doesn't have articles and is also not particular in the manner of the number of nouns.
사요 came from the basic verb 사다 which means "to buy". By the basic sentence order "Subject - Object - Verb," we will say 저는 책을 사요. However, 저는 can be omitted when the speaker and the listener know who is buying the book.
2
민지 is a female Korean name in Korean. This sentence is about 민지. So we use the topic marker. 공책 has the word "책(book)" 공 means empty, so it means empty book, in other words, notebook.
3
밥 means "cooked rice". Since it is a staple food of Korea, the meaning of 밥 is expanded and also means "meal". 밥 has the final consonant ㅂ, so we will attach the object marker 을 to it. 먹어요 came from the basic form 먹다 which means "to eat". You are talking about yourself, so 저는 (I) has disappeared.
4
물 is water. It ends with the final consonant ㄹ, so let's add 을 to it. Even though we write it as 물을, make sure you pronounce it as [무를]. It is because the ㄹ moves on to the empty letter spot ㅇ. This phenomenon is called the linking sound. 마셔요 came from 마시다 which means drink.
5
Let's see one more example with 마셔요. This time we have the word 주스(juice). If you read it out loud, you will be easily able to guess what this noun is! The last syllable of 주스 is 스. It doesn't have the final consonant. That is why we attach 를 to it.
6
You can divide 하다 verbs into two parts using the object marker. So, 공부하다 can be also 공부를 하다. Can you tell me why you have to attach "를" to 공부?
7
I'm studying Korean. / I study Korean.
There are two ways to say "I'm studying Korean." First, you can attach 를 to "한국어(Korean)" and use 공부해요 as a verb. You can also separate 공부해요 to 공부를 해요 and put 한국어 in front of 공부 and make "한국어 공부(studying Korean)" as one object. Make sure not to use 한국어를 공부를 해요. Using the object marker twice in the sentence doesn't sound natural.
5. Wrap-up & Worksheets: Korean Object Marker
To tell an object in a sentence, you have to use the object marker.
Object marker: 을 or 를.
Use 을 for nouns with the final consonants. Use 를 for nouns without the final consonants.
How was the lesson? The object marker is a very basic and important marker in Korean. Please practice and master it using the free, printable PDF worksheets below! Thank you for studying with My Korean Lesson!
1. Practice the marker!
2. Solve the quiz!
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