KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean grammar › -에서 (장소)
Korean Grammar “-에서 (장소)”: Meaning and Usage (TOPIK 2)
How to attach it
This particle does not change: it attaches to every noun in the same way, whatever the last sound is.
| Korean | Meaning | With the particle | Romanization |
|---|---|---|---|
| 공항 | airport | 공항에서 | gonghangeseo |
| 식당 | restaurant | 식당에서 | sikdangeseo |
| 공원 | park | 공원에서 | gongwoneseo |
Explanation
친구는 지금 도서관에서 책을 읽어요.
The particle “-에서” marks the place where an action happens, “at / in ~.” The sentence means “My friend is reading a book at the library now.” “-에” is for destinations and locations of existence (가다, 오다, 있다), so it cannot go with an action verb like 읽다.
Pronouncing the example sentence
Example sentence: 친구는 지금 도서관에서 책을 읽어요.
In natural speech, sounds link and shift across words. The table below reads each word separately, as it sounds when said on its own.
| Syllable | Letters (consonant + vowel + final) | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 친구는 | ||
| 친 | ㅊ+ㅣ+ㄴ | chin |
| 구 | ㄱ+ㅜ | gu |
| 는 | ㄴ+ㅡ+ㄴ | neun |
| 지금 | ||
| 지 | ㅈ+ㅣ | ji |
| 금 | ㄱ+ㅡ+ㅁ | geum |
| 도서관에서 | ||
| 도 | ㄷ+ㅗ | do |
| 서 | ㅅ+ㅓ | seo |
| 관 | ㄱ+ㅘ+ㄴ | [과] gwa |
| 에 | ㅇ+ㅔ | [네] ne |
| 서 | ㅅ+ㅓ | seo |
| 책을 | ||
| 책 | ㅊ+ㅐ+ㄱ | [채] chae |
| 을 | ㅇ+ㅡ+ㄹ | [글] geul |
| 읽어요 | ||
| 읽 | ㅇ+ㅣ+ㄺ | [일] il |
| 어 | ㅇ+ㅓ | [거] geo |
| 요 | ㅇ+ㅛ | yo |
A ㅇ at the start of a syllable is silent; at the end of a syllable it sounds like “ng”.
Sound changes in this phrase
- Linking: when a syllable ending in a consonant (patchim) is followed by a syllable that starts with a vowel, the consonant moves over to the next syllable. 관에 → [과네]
Politeness level of the example
Ends in -요. The everyday polite style, and a safe choice with shop staff, colleagues, strangers and anyone older than you.
Words in the example sentence
These words from the TOPIK vocabulary lists appear in the phrase (shown in dictionary form).
| Korean | Part of speech | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 지금 | noun | now | TOPIK level 1 |
| 읽다 | verb | to read | TOPIK level 1 |
Practice
Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.
Question 1 Choose the word that fits the blank: 친구는 지금 도서관____ 책을 읽어요.
Show the answer
Answer: 친구는 지금 도서관에서 책을 읽어요.
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