Learn how to use the location-marking particles 에 (e) and 에서 (eseo)
Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.
| Hi everybody! Jae here. Welcome to Ask a Teacher, where I’ll answer some of your most common Korean questions. |
| The question for this lesson is… |
| How do I use 에 [e] and 에서 [eseo]? |
| In English, you use words such as “at,” “in,” “on,” “to” and “from” to talk about location. In Korean, you need location marking particles when giving directions or talking about where something is. The particle 에 [e] can be translated as, “at,” “to,” “on” or “in” depending on the context. The particle 에서 [eseo] can also mean “at,” “in” or “from” and marks where an action is performed or a temporary point of departure. |
| Let’s do some examples so you can learn how to use 에 [e] and 에서 [eseo] correctly. |
| Let’s use the sentence 저는 집에 있습니다. [Jeoneun jibe itsseumnida.] meaning "I am at home." In this sentence, the particle 에 [e] indicates the location where "I" exists. The particle is located right after the noun 집 [jip] to show the location. |
| Let’s do an example using an action. 저는 한국에서 일합니다. [Jeoneun hangugeseo ilhamnida.] meaning "I work in Korea." Here, the particle 에서 [eseo] is used to mark the location of an action, which is 한국 [hanguk] “Korea.” |
| Let’s do one more example, using a temporary point of departure, which can be translated as “from.” 그는 방금 외국에서 돌아왔습니다. [Geuneun banggeum oegugeseo dorawatsseumnida.] meaning "He just came back from abroad." Here the particle 에서 [eseo] is marking where “he” is coming from, which is 외국 [eoguk] “abroad.” |
| If it’s still a little confusing, just remember this: PLACE + 에서 [eseo], meaning "in" or "at," marks the location of an action. |
| How was this lesson? I hope that makes more sense now! |
| Please leave any more questions in the comments below and I’ll try to answer them! |
| See you next time. 다음 시간에 만나요. (Daeum-sigane mannayo.) |
Comments
Hide