Cheatsheet - Grammar
Korean grammar points with examples. Inspired by Min's Korean Language Class (Video 1, Video 2)
You can put your grammar knowledge to the test by practicing writing sentences with the Writing Practice Tool.
This is an actively growing list! If you want something added or you see a mistake, do not hesitate to contact me!
N = Noun, V = Verb (action verb), A = Adjective (descriptive verb)
Grammar Point | Meaning | Usage | Examples |
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- 은/는 | Topic marking particle |
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- 이/가 | Subject marking particle |
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- 께서 | Honorific subject marking particle |
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- 을/를 | Object marking particle |
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- 고 | Connect statements together (and) |
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- 하고 | Listing various things and people (and) |
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- (이)랑 | Listing various things and people (and) |
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- 와/과 | Listing various things and people (and) - used mainly in writing |
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- 지만 | Connect opposite statements (but) |
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- 아서/어서/여서 | Connect incidents in order |
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- 아서/어서/여서 | Express that the following is the reason for the previous statement |
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- (으)니까 | Express that the preceding is the reason for the following statement |
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- 아/어서요 | Express reason or cause for something (because) |
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- (으)니까요 | Express reason or cause for something (because) |
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- (으)ㄴ데 | Following clause is opposite or in contrast to the preceding clause |
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- 는데 | Following clause is opposite or in contrast to the preceding clause |
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- 거나 | Express choice between two options (or) |
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- (으)러 | Express the purpose for going or coming to a place |
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- (으)려고 | Express the purpose for doing certain things |
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- (으)면서 | Express that actions occur simultaneously |
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- (으)면 | Supposing an unceratin condition (if, when, once) |
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- 게 | Functions as an adverb |
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- ㅂ/습니까 | Present tense of a formal polite question |
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- ㅂ/습니다 | Present tense of a formal polite statement |
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- 아/어요 | Present tense of an informal polite statement |
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- 아/어요? | Present tense of an informal polite question |
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- 아/어요 | Present tense of an informal polite suggestion |
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- (이)지요? | Verify information you already have is right |
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- 지요? | Verify information you already have is right |
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- (으)ㄹ까요 | Suggest or ask about a preference |
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- (으)ㄹ래요 | Express or ask about intention |
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- (으)ㅂ시다 | Suggest or propose to do something |
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- (으)세요 | Politely request something (please do) |
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- (으)십시오 | Formally and politely request something (please do) |
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- (으)ㄹ게요 | Express willingness to do something |
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- (으)ㄴ데요 | Disagree with or oppose to a statement |
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- 인데요 | Disagree with or oppose to a statement |
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- (으)려고요 | Express plan to do something |
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- 군요 | Express surprise or wonder upon learning something new |
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- 는군요 | Express surprise or wonder upon learning something new |
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- 네요 | Express surprise or wonder upon learning something from direct experience |
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- 이/가 아니다 | Negation (is not) |
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- 고 있다 | Present progressive |
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- 고 싶다 | Express wish, hope or want (want to..) |
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- 지 않다 | Negate action or state |
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- (으)ㄹ 수 있다 | Express ability to do something (can) |
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- (으)ㄹ 수 없다 | Express inability to do something (can't) |
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- 지 못하다 | Express inability to do something (can't) |
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- 지 말다 | Express prohibition from doing something (do not) |
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- (으)ㄹ 것이다 | Future tense |
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- (으)ㄴ 것 같다 | Express assumption or thought about an action that already happened (seems like, looks like) |
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- 는 것 같다 | Express assumption or thought about a present action (seems like, looks like) |
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- (으)ㄴ 것 같다 | Express assumption or thought about a present adjective (seems like, looks like) |
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- (으)ㄹ 것 같다 | Express assumption or thought about an action or adjective that will happen (seems like, looks like) |
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- (으)ㄴ 후에 | Express something that is done after something (after) |
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- (으)ㄹ 때 | Express the time or period the action takes place |
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- 기 전에 | Express something that is done before something (before) |
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- 기 때문에 | Express that the preceding is the reason for the next statement |
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- (으)ㄴ 지 | Indicate how much time passed since some situation or action (since) |
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- (으)러 가다 | Express going to a place to perform an action |
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- (으)러 오다 | Express coming to a place to perform an action |
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- (으)려고 하다 | Express intention or plan that has not yet acted upon |
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- 아/어/여도 되다 | Express permission or approval for a behavior (it's ok if ...) |
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- 아/어/여야 되다 | Express obligation or necessity (have to / must / should) |
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- 아/어/여야 하다 | Express obligation or necessity (have to / must / should) |
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- 아/어/여 보다 | Express trying out or experiencing something |
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- 아/어/여 주다 | Express request for someone to perform an action |
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- 기로 하다 | Make a promise with another person or oneself (promise to, decide to) |
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- 는 게 좋겠다 | Express speaker's thinking or suggestion |
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- 았/었/였으면 좋겠다 | Express wish or hope for something that has yet to be (wish, hope, it would be nice if ...) |
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- (으)ㄴ 적이 있다 | Express having an experience in the past |
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- (으)ㄴ 적이 없다 | Express not having an experience in the past |
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- (으)ㄹ까 봐 | Express that the speaker did or is doing something out of worry or concern for something that had occured or will occur (worried, afraid that ...) |
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- (으)ㄹ까 하다 | Express the speaker's intention or rough plan that could still change (thinking about ..., planning to ...) |
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- 게 되다 | Express change from one state to another not due to the speakers direct influence (to end up) |
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- 았/었/였 | Past tense |
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- 겠 | Express a future event or assumption |
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- (으)시 | Express respect to the subject |
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- (장소)에 | Express direction or location of a person or thing (to [location]) |
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- (시간)에 | Express when action is taken (at/on [time/date]) |
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- 에서 | Express where the action occurs |
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- 에게 | Express a noun is a recipient or target of an action |
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- 한테 | Express a noun is a recipient or target of an action. More colloquial than 에게 |
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- 께 | Express honorifically a noun is a recipient or target of an action |
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- (으)로 | Express the direction of movement |
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- 에게서 | Refer to the entity from which an action originates |
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- 한테서 | Refer to the entity from which an action originates |
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- 보다 | Compare between nouns |
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- 처럼 | Express that some action or thing appears similar or the same to the preceding noun (like, as [adjective] as a [noun]) |
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- (에서/부터) - 까지 | Express the physical or temporal range over which an action or event occurs (from [...] to [...]) |
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- 도 | Express addition or inclusion of another thing to something that already exists (too, also) |
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- 마다 | Express repetition of the same or similar situation |
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- 밖에 | Only |
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- (이)나 | Express that one of the listed nouns will be chosen |
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- (이)나 | Express that the number or amount of something is more than expected (more than expected) |
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- 하고 | Express doing something with someone. 같이/함께 usually follows. |
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- 와/과 | Express doing something with someone. 같이/함께 usually follows. |
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- (이)랑 | Express doing something with someone. 같이/함께 usually follows. |
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- 의 | Express possession ([noun]'s [noun]) |
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- (은)ㄴ | Modifies present tense descriptive verbs and past tense action verbs to nouns |
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- 는 | Modifies present tense action verbs to nouns |
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- (으)ㄹ | Modifies future tense action verbs to nouns |
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- 기 | Modifies verbs to nouns (V-ing) |
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- 안 | Negate verb (not, do not) |
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- 못 | Express inability to perform an action or that there are external reasons for inability (can't) |
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- (이)나 | Indicate the amount of something is larger than expected or emphasize a large amount |
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- (이)나마 | Accept something even though it is displeasing or insufficient |
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- (이)라도 | Indicate something is not the best option but the most acceptable among many options |
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- (이)야말로 | Emphatically state something |
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- 대로 | Used when following with what the preceding statement points to or intends (like [something], according to [something]) |
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- 마저 | Indicate addition of the last remaining thing to the current state or amount |
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- 뿐 | Nothing other than.., only |
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- 뿐만 아니라 | Conveys the meaning of not only [something], but [something] |
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- (으)ㄹ 뿐 | Only, just |
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- (으)ㄹ 뿐만 아니라 | Conveys the meaning of not only [something], but [something] |
| 그는 가난할 뿐만 아니라 못생겼어요음식이 없을 뿐만 아니라 음식을 살 수 있는 돈도 없어요 |
- (은/는)커녕 | Express negation by emphasizing the preceding statement (let alone) |
| 집은커녕 차도 없다제주도는커녕 부산도 못 가 봤다 |
- 조차 | Indicate an inclusion of extreme cases that are hard to predict (not even) |
| 집에 쌀조차 없다그는 자기잡 주소조차 외우지 못한다 |
- 치고(는) | Indicate the state of a noun is advanced or beyond what is expected |
| 한국의 여름 날씨치고 시원한 편이다외국인치고는 한국어를 잘한다 |
- (으)로서 | Indicate a status, position or qualification (as a [title]..) |
| 선생님으로서 열심히 가르쳐야 한다엄마로서 아이들을 잘 양육하는 것은 당연한 일이다딸로서 부모님께 최선을 다해 효도하고 싶다 |
- 같이 | Emphasize the time indicated by the preceding statement |
| 나는 매일 새벽같이 일어나 회사에 간다우리 엄마는 나에게 매일같이 전화한다 |
- 만큼 | Indicate a similar level or limit to the preceding statement (as much as) |
| 저는 이 우주만큼 당신을 사랑해요나만큼 너를 생각해 주는 사람은 없을 것이다 |
- 에다가 | Indicate an entity that something is added to |
| 밥에다가 빵까지 먹었더니 너무 배가 부르다이 치마에다가 빨간색 티셔츠를 입으면 너무 예쁠 것 같다 |
- 아/야 | Used to address a friend, younger, person, animal, etc. |
| 수민아, 뭐 해?선호야, 우리 이번 주말에 놀러 가자 |
- 던 | Imply that an event or action has not been completed in the past but has been stopped (V-ed) |
| 어렸을 때 먹던 음식이 그립다우리가 자주 갔던 호수는 지금 없어졌다 |
- 던 | Recollect a past repeated action |
| 라면은 제가 예전에 자주 먹던 음식이에요예전에 자주 아프던 아이가 요즘은 건강해요 |
- 았/었었 | Indicate a past event that is different from the present or does not continue to the present |
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- 다가(는) | A connective ending used when an action or state is stopped and changed to another action or state |
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- (으)ㄴ/는지 | A connective ending used to indicate an ambigous reason or judgement about the follow statement |
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- (으)ㄴ들 | A connective ending used when a result is opposite even if the speaker acknowledges the supposition (even if) |
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- (느/으)니만큼 | A connective ending used to admit to the truth of the preceding statement and state that it is the cause or reason for the following statement (because, to the extent that [something]) |
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- (으)ㄹ수록 | A connective ending used to imply that as the extent of the preceding statement becomes larger, the following statement also changes accordingly |
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- (으)ㄹ지라도 | A connective ending to express something won't change even if the speaker acknowledges the supposition (even if ...) |
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- (으)려면 | A connective ending to assume a situation and then express a plan or intention to do something in that situation (if ... then should ...) |
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- (으)며 | A connective ending used to list more than two actions, states or facts |
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- (으)므로 | A connective ending used to indicate a reason or cause (because) |
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- 거든 | A connective ending used to express a condition (if ... is true, then ...) |
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- 길래 | A connective ending referring to the cause or reason of the following statement (because) |
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- 느라고 | Express a reason for a negative consequence (because, due to) |
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- 다가 | Indicate the continuation of an action in the first statement while the action in the following statement occurs as a result |
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