Unit 8: Have, Don't have, There is, There isn't (있어요 / 없어요)

In English, "I have a car" and "There is a car" are two very different sentences. In Korean, both of these concepts are expressed using the exact same word: 있어요.

1. 있어요 (i-sseo-yo) = I have / There is / It exists

있어요 comes from the verb 있다 (to exist / to have).

Depending on the context, it can mean: 1. Something exists or is present in a location ("There is a...") 2. Someone possesses something ("I have a...")

When using 있어요, the object we are talking about takes the subject marker (이/가) because grammatically, we are saying "This object exists."

Examples: * 물 (mul) = water. 물 + 이 있어요 = 물이 있어요. (Meaning 1: There is water.) (Meaning 2: I have water.)

• 친구 (chin-gu) = friend. 친구 + 가 있어요 = 친구가 있어요. (Meaning 1: There are friends here.) (Meaning 2: I have friends.)

2. 없어요 (eop-seo-yo) = I don't have / There isn't / It doesn't exist

The exact opposite of 있어요 is 없어요, which comes from the verb 없다.

Examples: * 시간 (si-gan) = time. 시간 + 이 없어요 = 시간이 없어요. (Meaning: I don't have time. / There is no time.)

• 돈 (don) = money. 돈 + 이 없어요 = 돈이 없어요. (Meaning: I don't have money.)

3. Asking Questions

To turn these into questions, simply raise your intonation at the end!

• 사과가 있어요. = I have an apple.

• 사과가 있어요? = Do you have an apple? / Is there an apple?

• 질문이 없어요. = I don't have a question.

• 질문이 없어요? = Do you not have any questions?

Summary

• 있어요 = I have / There is
• 없어요 = I don't have / There isn't
• Use the subject marker (이/가) with the noun you have or don't have!