Nominal predicates

2 years ago
Nominal predicates : "--이에요"
Sample Dialogues
By 'nominal predicate', we mean a predicate of a sentence that describes the subject by identifying it with another noun: "I am a student." For verbs and adjectives, we learned that there are base forms and stems. We thus get base forms, "가다" for "to go", and "싸다" for "to be cheap", etc. Now, we are facing a new problem. If there is no such thing as the English verb "to be", how are we going to say such sentences as "I am a student"? Many languages lack the verb like "to be," which can be used both in nominal predicates and adjectival predicates. ("I am a student" and "I am tall".) In order to relate two nouns (i.e., the subject and the nominal complement), such languages use so-called 'copula'. In Korean, that copula is "-이다". "-이다" is of course the base form, which still has to be conjugated to be used in actual sentences. Hence, "학생이다" ("to be a student"); " 구 름 이 다 " ("to be clouds").
True stories of the present-tense suffix - 요 and - 세 요 In Lesson 4, -요 and -세요 were introduced. It was, however, not exactly everything that we should know about them.
1) Mid-polite suffix - 아 / 어 요
Verbs and adjectives that we practiced with for -요 suffix in Lesson 4 have something in common: they all have the stem ending in vowel ? without any patch'im following ('가다', '자다', '싸다', etc.) Those whose stems end otherwise, should take either -아요 or -어요.
The last vowel of the stem decides which of the two to take. Once again, the vowel harmony principle ('yang with yang; yin with yin') applies:
If the stem has a yang vowel at the last syllable, use -아요;
If the stem has a yin or neutral vowel at the last syllable, use - 어 요 .
(For yang/yin/neutral vowels, see Lesson 2.)
작 다
to be small
: 작 + - 아 요
→ 작 아 요
"It's small." or "He/ She is small."?
오 다
to come
: 오 + -아요 → ( 오 아 요 ) → 와 요
"Come!" or "I come" or "He/ She comes."
괜찮다[괜찬타]
to be alright
: 괜 찮 + - 아 요
→ 괜 찮 아 요 [ 괜 차 나 요 ]
"It's OK."
주 다
to give
:
주 + - 어 요
→ ( 주 어 요 ) → 줘 요
"Give (me, etc.)!" or "I give."
먹 다
to eat
: 먹 + -어요 → 먹 어 요
"Eat!" or "I eat." or "He/ She eats."
읽 다 [ 익 다 ]
to read
: 읽 + -어요 → 읽 어 요 [ 일 거 요 ]
"Read!" or "I read." or "He/ She reads."
In fact, 가다 → 가요 is a contraction [가 + -아요 → (가아요) → 가요], so are the others
in Lesson 4.
(NB) -하다 verbs and adjectives are rather peculiar. For them, -여요 is assumed instead
of -아요. This may sound quite overwhelming, but -하다 words are in fact easier. All the
- 하 다 stems with no exceptions appear as - 해 요 .
일 하 다
to work → 일해요
공 부 하 다
to study → 공부해요
착 하 다→ 착해요
to be nice (person)
2) High-polite suffix -( 으 ) 세 요
Although not so complicated as -아/어요, this suffix also has its own rules:
If the stem ends without a patch'im, use -세요;
If the stem ends with a patch'im, use -으세요.
가다 : 가 + 세요 → 가세요
웃다 to laugh : 웃 + 으세요 → 웃으세요
안녕하다 : 안녕하 + 세요 → 안녕하세요
괜찮다 : 괜찮 + 으세요 → 괜찮으세요 [괜차느세요]
" 오 영 균 이 에 요 "
Finally, we have reached the detail structure of "안녕하세요. XXX(name)이에요." Since personal names are the same as nouns, we use the nominal-predicate copula, -이다. In order to make it into a real sentence, we need to add either -아요 or -어요 in place of the base form making -다 after -이-. For 이 is a neutral vowel, -어요 is added. -이어요 went through a certain phonological change in modern Seoul speakers' speech, and ended in -이 에 요 .
오 영 균 이 다 → 오 영 균 이 + - 어 요 → 오 영 균 이 에 요 "I am Oh Young Kyun."
Similarly,
학 생 : 학 생 이 에 요 "I am / You are a student" or "He/ She is a student"
기 차 : 기 차 이 에 요 "It's a train."
There are two forms to spell this -이에요: -예요 and -이에요. As far as we are concerned, just - 이 에 요 suffice.