초급 · Beginner

Lesson 2. 은 / 는 — what you are talking about

Two Tags: 을/를 and 은/는 · 6분

You have been using this since your first sentence:

저는 학생이에요.

은/는 puts a noun up front and says: *this is what I am talking about.* English often reaches for “as for…”.

커피를 마셔요. — As for me, I drink coffee.

Same split, one more time

after a consonant · after a vowel

선생님 · 저

Do not worry yet about 은/는 versus 이/가. That comparison is real, and it has a whole course of its own later. Right now one habit carries you a long way: use 은/는 on the person or thing your sentence is about, usually at the very front.
저는 한국 사람이에요.As for me, I am Korean.
제 동생은 학생이에요.My younger sibling is a student.
오늘은 시간이 없어요.Today, I have no time. 은/는 can mark time too — “as for today”.

It also does contrast

Put 은/는 on two things and the sentence sets them against each other.

커피 좋아해요. 그런데 차 안 좋아해요.
— I like coffee. But tea, I don’t.

연습 · Practice

이 레슨에는 풀어 보는 문제가 6개 있습니다. 앱에서 하나씩 맞히며 넘어갑니다.
6 exercises come with this lesson — open it to work through them.

이 레슨 열기Open this lesson in the app
← 앞 레슨Lesson 1. 을 / 를 — the thing you act on
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