Topic Marker

TODO:

• Break this up into individual words,
• Create a page for Topic Markers, Adj. Endings, etc..
• Don't use -X anymore for anything.

ㄴ/는/은 appear in several forms, in several roles, and can have a dramatically different meaning.

Topic Marker

조 Topic Marker

Attached to almost any word, this denotes the object of comparison, the exhibit, the universal context, etc... Broadly, this is the topic of the sentence.

This is a 보조사 (Helping Marker).

Topic markers generally appear as the absolute very first thing in a sentence. (See Sentence patterns.)

The exception to this rule is when you are using it for comparison, in which case, it may mark the two things being compared.

벌기는 어렵고 쓰기는 쉽다. Earning is hard, but spending is easy.

The direct comparison to English is the phrase "Concerning X, ...", where X is the topic. Oftentime, in fact, almost all of the time, the topic is also the subject of the following sentence, unless some other subject is specified.

If the word ends in a vowel, the topic marker is 는. If the noun ends in a consonant, it is 은.

Here are some examples.

나는 딸기가 좋다.

"Concerning me (as opposed to everyone else), I like strawberries." Or literally, "Concerning me, strawberries are good." Better translated as "I like strawberries."

딸기는 나에게 좋다.

"Concerning strawberries, I like them." Or, literally, "Concerning strawberries, they are good for me." Better translated as, "I like strawberries."

좋기는 딸기가 좋다.

"Concerning things I like, I like strawberries." Or, literally, "Concerning goodness, strawberries are good." Better translated as "I like strawberries."

See Also

• Subject

Present Tense Action Verb Adjective Form Ending

This is also the Present Tense 관형사형 전성 어미 (Adjective Form Ending) when attached to 동사 (Action Verbs).

동사 that end in vowels or consonants take 는.

Remember that hard consonants followed by ㄴ make their nasal sound.

Past Tense Action Verb Adjective Form Ending

-ㄴ/은 is the Past Tense 관형사형 전성 어미 (Adjective Form Ending) when attached to 동사 (Action Verbs).

동사 that end in vowels take ㄴ, while those that end in consonants take 은.

Present Tense Adjective Verb Adjective Form Ending

-ㄴ/은 is the Present Tense 관형사형 전성 어미 (Adjective Form Ending) when attached to 형용사 (Adjective Verbs).

형용사 that end in vowels take ㄴ, while those that end in consonants take 은.