3 Sentence Summary of This Lesson:
- Korean word order is opposite to English: Subject → Object → Verb, with the verb always at the end.
- Everything (time, place, objects, manner) fits between the subject and verb in a specific order that must be learned through practice.
- Grammar particles (이/가, 을/를) mark each word's role, allowing more flexible word order than English during conversation.
The word order in Korean is quite the opposite of English in most cases, which is marvelously difficult, because it’s like learning how to ride the bicycle backwards.
This is the same reason why Koreans are notoriously known for our poor English skills, even though this has gotten much better over time.
Here’s an example sentence in English:
The dog ate the cake that I made yesterday.
First, let’s identify the basics.
Subject: The dog
Verb: Ate
Object: The cake
Adjective Clause: That I made yesterday.
It’s focus, first, on “The dog ate the cake.”
In Korean, this would become “개가 케익을 먹었다.”
- Subject → Object → Verb
In Korean, the verb is always at the end. The subject comes first, like in English, but the rest will be placed in the exact opposite positions.
So everything comes in between the subject and the verb. We always say that for Korean, you must always listen until the end of the sentence, since the verb that comes last can change the meaning entirely.
개가 케익을 먹었다.
S. O. V.
- All The In-betweens!
Then how to order the words that come between the subject and the verb? This is one that requires practice and is important in order to make your Korean sentences sound natural.
So as an example, let’s place “that I made yesterday” into the Korean sentence we translated.
Firstly, “that I made yesterday” would become “내가 어제 만든.”
Now, 개가 케익을 먹었다 + 내가 어제 만든 = 개가 [내가 어제 만든] 케익을 먹었다.
Because the adjective clause “that I made yesterday” is a clause that gives more information about the cake, in comes in front of cake.
Before giving you longer sentences as an example, here’s the table which shows the order of words organized:
Order | Korean Function | English Function |
1 | 주어 | Subject |
2 | 시간 | Time |
3 | 장소 | Place |
4 | 간접 목적어 (~에게) | Indirect Object |
5 | 직접 목적어 (~을/를) | Direct Object |
6 | 방법 / 정도 | Manner / Degree |
7 | 동사 | Verb |
With the chart above, we can make the following sentence:
제가 어제 카페에서 친구한테 선물을 몰래 줬어요.
S. T. P. I.O. D.O. M/D. V.
This sentence means, “I secretly gave my friend a present at the cafe yesterday.”
I secretly gave my friend a present at the cafe yesterday.
S. M.D. V. I.O. D.O. P. T.
Korean: S. [ T. P. ] [ I.O. D.O. ] [ M/D. V. ]
English: S. [ M.D. V. ] [ I.O. D.O. ] [ P. T. ]
Like above, in Korean, everything comes in between the subject and the verb.
- The Grammar Particles Set You Free!
Even though at the beginning, it might feel annoying to learn how to use the grammar particles like 이/가 and 을/를, these particles are the exact reason why Korean sentence’s word order is much more lenient than English.
In English, there are no “grammatical markers” inside the sentence. The role of the words are decided by where the words are placed.
e.g.)
English: Lucy wants to learn Korean fast.
S. V. O. M/D
Korean: 루시는 한국어를 빨리 배우고 싶어 합니다.
S. O. M/D. V.
→ ** Yes, “to learn…” is part of the object in English, but in Korean, “wants to learn” becomes one. “To want to do something” is “-고 싶어 하다.” This one is best just memorized, but don’t worry to much now! You will learn it gradually.
This sentence can be done differently in Korean:
빨리 한국어를 배우고 싶어해요, 루시는.
Although this isn’t an organized sentence, it surely CAN be said this way. Especially during daily conversations.
This is possible because we “mark” the words with the “particles” that don’t quite mean anything, but are simply markers that mark which words are subjects, objects, etc.
At the beginning, it’s best to focus on the most organized word order. Once you start learning vocabulary and get started on the basic grammar lessons, try to make different sentences and keep on practicing.
- Sentence Order:
Order | Korean Function | English Function |
1 | 주어 | Subject |
2 | 시간 | Time |
3 | 장소 | Place |
4 | 간접 목적어 (~에게) | Indirect Object |
5 | 직접 목적어 (~을/를) | Direct Object |
6 | 방법 / 정도 | Manner / Degree |
7 | 동사 | Verb |
→ 제가 오늘 홍대에서 친구를 위해 케익을 정성스럽게 만들었어요.
S. T. P. I.O. D.O. M/D. V.
(I made a cake for my friend with the utmost care in Hongdae today.)
- Adjective Order:
Order | Korean Function | English Function |
1 | 지시사 (이/그/저) | Demonstrative |
2 | 수량 | Number |
3 | 크기 / 상태 | Size / Opinion |
4 | 색깔 | Color |
5 | 명사 (꾸밈을 받는 단어) | Noun |
저 두 마리의 귀엽고 작은 하얀 강아지
D. Num. S/O. C. N.
Those two small and cute, white dogs
- Adverb Order:
Type | English Function | Order |
시간 / 장소 부사 | Time / Place Adverbs | At the very beginning of the sentence or right in front or behind the subject. |
정도 부사 | Degree Adverbs | Right in front of the word that it describes |
부정 부사 | Negative Adverbs | Must be in front of the verb |
→ 내일 우리는 만난다. OR 우리는 내일 만난다. (We are meeting tomorrow.)
→ 그가 너무 빨리 달린다. (He runs too fast.)
→ 나는 사과를 안 먹는다. (I don’t eat apples.)
Try the following exercise.
Try to make the following sentences in Korean. It could be better to go over the basic grammar lessons first to be able to complete them. You can come back to this exercise after you’ve learned some basic vocabulary and how to conjugate verbs. For those of you who already have the basics down, make use of the dictionary to try to translate them.:
- I met my friend at the park yesterday.
Answer
나는 어제 공원에서 친구를 만났다.
- Tom gave a present to his mom at home today.
Answer
톰은 오늘 집에서 엄마에게 선물을 주었다.
- She secretly ate the cake in the kitchen last night.
Answer
그녀는 어젯밤 부엌에서 케이크를 몰래 먹었다.
- My father slowly read a book in the living room this morning.
Answer
나의 아버지는 오늘 아침 거실에서 책을 천천히 읽으셨다.
- I saw those two cute white dogs.
Answer
나는 저 두 마리의 귀여운 하얀 강아지를 보았다.
- I bought that one big red apple at the market yesterday.
Answer
나는 어제 시장에서 저 하나의 큰 빨간 사과를 샀다.
- He did not drink coffee at the cafe.
Answer
그는 카페에서 커피를 안 마셨다.
- We really want to learn Korean fast.
Answer
우리는 한국어를 정말 빨리 배우고 싶다.
- Lucy did not give the letter to me yesterday.
Answer
루시는 어제 나에게 편지를 안 주었다.
- John carefully gave those three beautiful red roses to Mary at the restaurant last night.
Answer
존은 어젯밤 식당에서 메리에게 저 세 송이의 아름다운 빨간 장미를 조심스럽게 주었다.
* For more practice exercises, visit the ‘Practice Hub’.
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