TeacherJoy

This is Part 2 of a multi-part series based on my master’s thesis in linguistics.

Let’s focus on “-이/-가.”

Many learners think the particle “-이/-가” just marks the grammatical subject. But in Korean, it does much more.

“-이/-가” often introduces new information or describes a specific situation. And here’s the key — new information isn’t just the noun with “-이/-가.”

It’s the entire statement.

News articles are a great example.

A news article with widely known information?

Useless.

But if someone you know did something unexpected or unknown — now that’s news.

In any language, the subject is usually someone or something known to the audience. That’s universal.

In Korean, when giving new information, you should not drop the subject with the subject marker “-이/-가.” Like: 세금이 올랐습니다. (Taxes have risen.)

On the other hand, with emphasis, “-이/-가” can carry an implication of exclusivity.

“세금이 올랐습니다” can simply mean “Taxes have risen.”

But with a higher pitch on the phrase with “-이/-가” — “The ones that have risen are taxes, not the others.”

The other person in the conversation might respond: “아닙니다, 물가가 올랐습니다.” — “You’re wrong. It’s prices, not taxes.”

Want to insist you’re the best? Say: “제가 최고예요” — it’s YOU, not anyone else in the conversation.

But “저는 최고예요” just means “I’m generally the best.”

“-이/-가” introduces new information, and even when it implies exclusivity, that implication is itself new information for the listener — all with one tiny marker.

There’s actually so much more to “-이/-가,” and I hope I can talk about it more in the future.