Unit 4: To Be or Not To Be (이에요 / 예요, 아니에요)

In English, the verb "to be" is incredibly important. You use it to say "I am a student," "This is an apple," or "That is a cat." In Korean, there is also a verb for "to be," but it works a bit differently!

1. To Be: 이에요 (i-e-yo) / 예요 (ye-yo)

The Korean equivalent of "to be" (am / is / are) in polite everyday speech is 이에요 [i-e-yo] or 예요 [ye-yo].

Unlike English where the verb changes based on the subject (I am, you are, it is), in Korean, the choice between 이에요 and 예요 simply depends on the last letter of the preceding noun.

• Noun ends in a consonant + 이에요
• Noun ends in a vowel + 예요

Examples: * 학생 (hak-saeng) = student. It ends in a consonant (ㅇ). -> 학생 + 이에요 = 학생이에요. (I am a student / He is a student.) * 사과 (sa-gwa) = apple. It ends in a vowel (과 -> ㅏ). -> 사과 + 예요 = 사과예요. (It is an apple.) * 물 (mul) = water. Ends in a consonant (ㄹ). -> 물 + 이에요 = 물이에요. (It is water.)

Note: In Korean, the verb always comes at the end of the sentence!

2. Not To Be: 아니에요 (a-ni-e-yo)

To say "is not" or "am not", we use the word 아니에요 [a-ni-e-yo]. This comes from the verb 아니다 (to not be).

Unlike "이에요 / 예요", 아니에요 is the same regardless of whether the noun ends in a consonant or a vowel. However, we typically use the subject particle 이/가 before it (we'll learn more about particles in the next unit, but for now, just memorize the pattern).

• Noun + 이/가 + 아니에요

Examples: * 우유 (u-yu) = milk. -> 우유 + 가 아니에요 = 우유가 아니에요. (It is not milk.) * 학생 (hak-saeng) = student. -> 학생 + 이 아니에요 = 학생이 아니에요. (I am not a student.)

3. Asking Questions

To turn these statements into questions, you don't need to change the word order! Just raise your intonation at the end.

• 학생이에요. (I am a student.)
• 학생이에요? (Are you a student?)
• 사과예요. (It is an apple.)
• 사과예요? (Is it an apple?)

Summary

• Noun (consonant) + 이에요 = It is...
• Noun (vowel) + 예요 = It is...
• Noun + 아니에요 = It is not...