Hiii I was wondering if you can do a lot of sentences of how 이/가 and 는/은 are different. Maybe some include the 을/를 too. And also some that have both 는/은 and 이/가 ☺️☺️
anon asked: I see a lot of posts on Tumblr about 이/가 but they just leave me more confused. Can you help? thanks
Sentences to Showcase the Usage of 이/가 and 은/는: [+what are they?]
Please go here for more context on how/when to use them. This post will be kinda long, so I’ll put a TLDR at the top.
TLDR; if the main noun is an agent then use, 은/는 or if the main noun is an experiencer, then use 이/가
Now, what the hell is an agent or an experiencer. A good way to figure this out is to ask yourself, “is the entity doing the action or undergoing the event?” 은/는 are general particles (commonly used for the agent as they are the ones doing or causing the action), whereas 이/가 are particles used to emphasize (commonly used for the experiencer as they are in contact with the event; I will explain more later in the blog). Both are nominative—which is what makes the argument of “subject” and “topic” extremely confusing and meaningless because they don’t accurately identify the noun’s role in the sentence.
I am fortunate enough to have studied thematic roles and syntax in depth during my time in linguistics, however, I understand that a lot of my followers haven’t! So, I will give you a visual:
So again, ask yourself, “who/what is doing/causing the action?” or “who/what is undergoing the event?” Sometimes, it is also easy to look at the verb or adjective and make a judgement there considering it's common** for 이/가 to go with adjectives and common for 은/는 to go with verbs. Another way to think about it: if you need to place emphasis on the agent, then you can use 이/가.
** just because it's common, it does not mean it's a rule (however, it is a good tip)
Below is an example of why the above statement is not a rule.
이다 [to be] is special because it is a copula. A copula is a verb that joins/links the main noun and it's complement. We have many copulas in English (BE, feel, smell, look, become--to name a few). Korean has three: 이다, 아니다, and 되다.
Let’s try to place it in a sentence where both 은/는 and 이/가 occur in contrast:
매일 신발들은 신어야 하는데 오늘은 이 신발이 안 신으면 안 돼요
In the sentence above ^^, the dependent clause [매일 신발들은 신어야 하는데] gives background information for the main clause [오늘은 이 신발이 안 신으면 안 돼요]. “Generally,” the speaker says, “everyday I have to wear shoes, but I must wear these shoes [specifically] today.”
The sentence shows that there is something emphasized about the shoes; “these shoes must undergo being worn by me”. Whatever the reason may be, the speaker intentionally highlighted the shoes in the second clause as the ones that they must wear that day.
1) If the main noun is doing the action, use 은/는
2) If the main noun is undergoing the action, use 이/가
3) If you want to emphasize the main noun, use 이/가
Hopefully, you’re still following me. Let’s look at other examples:
오늘은 날씨가 좋아요 - today, the weather is good
그 이어폰은 제 게 아니에요 [게 = 것+이] - Those earphones aren’t mine
새로운 선생님이 여자예요 - the new teacher is a woman
선생님은 한국 분이 아니에요 - the teacher is not Korean
제 이름은 지연이 아니고 희주예요 - My name is Heeju, not Jiyeon
비빔밥 말고 다른 한식이 있어요? - Other than bibimbap, do you have other Korean food?
그 남자는 캐나다에 갈 때 미혼이 아닐 거 같아요 - I don’t think that man will be single if/when he travels to Canada
Here’s the worst part; sometimes, there’s no fkn difference between the meanings. Which also makes it confusing. So, try to stick to the rules in the post linked and the patterns from this post.
1. Use 이/가 after an object when you’re describing an agent’s feelings or state of mind
EX. 존은 책을 읽는 게 좋아요; 존은 책이 좋아요 = John likes (reading) books
2. Use 이/가 after the noun that precedes (goes before) a copula
EX. 존은 한국에 온 지 3년이 되었어요 = John has been in Korea for 3 years
3. Adjectives and Intransitive verbs (no object), can take on 이/가 if you want to emphasize the main noun
EX. 내일은 날씨가 바람이 불 거 같아요 = It seems like it’s going to be windy tomorrow
4. Transitive verbs (takes an object), usually use 이/가 for the first noun and 을/를 for the object
EX. 존이 이를 닦는 중이에요 = John is [in the middle] of brushing his teeth
Okay! I really hope this helped! If there’s still any confusion, please don’t hesitate to send me a message to ask for clarification or more examples! 이/가 and 은/는 are honestly some of the hardest for English speakers learning Korean to grasp because we don’t really have particles like this that distinguish nouns in English. Though, with this, I hope you can get better at it!
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