Korean word order — the verb goes last, particles do the rest
English is Subject–Verb–Object: I drink coffee. Korean is Subject–Object–Verb: 저는 커피를 마셔요 — literally “I coffee drink”. Once that clicks, most beginner sentences are just slotting words into a frame.
The base frame
[who] + [where] + [what] + [does]. The verb (or adjective) always ends the sentence, and in polite everyday speech it ends with -아요/어요.
The five beginner frames
| Frame | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Someone does something | 저는 커피를 마셔요. | I drink coffee. |
| I want to … | 저는 한국어를 배우고 싶어요. | I want to learn Korean. |
| Going somewhere | 저는 학교에 가요. | I go to school. |
| Doing something at a place | 친구는 카페에서 커피를 마셔요. | My friend drinks coffee at a café. |
| Living / working somewhere | 저는 서울에서 살아요. | I live in Seoul. |
| Describing something | 김치가 맛있어요. | Kimchi is delicious. |
| Something is at a place | 고양이가 집에 있어요. | The cat is at home. |
| Not doing something (안) | 저는 커피를 안 마셔요. | I don’t drink coffee. |
| When you go somewhere | 주말에 저는 공원에 가요. | On the weekend I go to the park. |
| Having / not having | 저는 시간이 있어요. | I have time. |
| Doing something with someone | 저는 친구와 영화를 봐요. | I watch a movie with a friend. |
| Giving / sending to someone | 저는 친구에게 선물을 줘요. | I give a present to a friend. |
What can move, what cannot
- Because particles mark each role, 커피를 저는 마셔요 is still understood (it stresses the coffee).
- In the basic written patterns practised here, the predicate goes last: 저는 커피를 마셔요, not 마셔요 저는 커피를. (Spoken Korean can move things around; the beginner target is verb-last.)
- Korean drops the subject when it is obvious: 커피 마셔요? — “(Do you) drink coffee?”
Negation
Put 안 right before the verb: 저는 커피를 안 마셔요. (I don’t drink coffee.)