Learn Korean: Noun + 에

Let’s take a look at the Korean sentence pattern Noun + 에. If there is one thing easier in Korean than English, that would be the concept of prepositions. It is easy to carelessly mix up in, at, and on, but in Korean, the problem is not very evident. It has limited usages though. The other functions are played by another marker 에서. That is the tricky part, but here are some usages of 에 we can keep in mind. We use 에 particularly to express that someone or something is in a certain location and it is not necessarily moving. In this sense, it is compatible with verbs like 있다 (to have), 없다 (to not have), and 많다 (to be many). We use it in sentences like <We have a dog at home, There is a knife in the kitchen, There are no people in the park, and There are many books on the floor>. The highlighted parts show the place-nouns 에 is attached to. In Korean, they are 집, 주방, 공원, and 바닥 respectively. When 에 is attached, they become 집에, 주방에, 공원에, and 바닥에. The verb is placed at the end. Here are the actual sentences: 집에 개가 있어(요), 주방에 칼이 있어(요), 공원에 사람(이) 없어요, and 바닥에 책이 많아(요). We also use 에 to indicate the direction of an action or the destination the subject is heading to. In this sense, it is compatible with verbs like 가다, 오다, and their derivatives (들어오다, 나가다). We use it in sentences like <I go to school?>. School is the word 에 is attached to. A school in Korean is 학교. It becomes 학교에. The verb (가다) is placed at the end so the actual sentence is 학교에 가(요). Sometimes, it’s a matter of vocabulary. That is why learning phrases is more effective than learning words because we know which particle suits naturally. Other usages of 에 includes telling where we put something (에 넣다), where we hide something (에 숨기다), where we throw something (에 버리다), where we leave something (에 두다), etc.

여기에 귀신이 있어.

There is a ghost here.

우리 집에 와.

Come to my house.