안녕하세요!
Hey there, it's 2024, and this year, I've decided to tackle a new language: Korean. I've always been drawn to its awesome culture and incredible food, not to mention I've got some Korean pals I'd love to chat with in their native tongue!
Follow along as I jot down my weekly language adventures in this journal. Being a visual learner, it's my go-to for tracking progress—and who knows, maybe one day I'll pass on what I've learned to others.
Stay tuned for updates on this exciting journey!
Week 1
This week, we'll start with one of the most commonly used particles in forming sentences in Korean: 은 and 는.
These particles are known as topic markers, used to indicate the topic of the sentence. The closest English equivalent is "As for something."
For example, the sentence 저는 브라이언 이에요 can be translated as "As for me, I am Brian."
But why are there two versions, 은 and 는?
It's because in Korean, the final consonant of the preceding word determines which particle to use. Let's take the example of the previous sentence's topic, 저. The final consonant of this word is ㅓ, which is a vowel. Therefore, you pair this topic with 는.
On the other hand, if we take the topic 오늘, which means "today," the final consonant is ㄹ, which is a consonant. For this, you would match it with 은.
Initially, this may seem complicated, but as you continue learning, it becomes intuitive because matching these particles helps in easier pronunciation.
See you next week!