Korean sentence structure for beginners: word order, dropped subjects and linking clauses

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Korean grammar feels backwards at first because the verb comes last and half the words you expect are missing. Once you see the pattern, though, it is remarkably regular. This guide covers the shape of a Korean sentence: word order, what gets left out, how particles do the work that word order does in English, and how to join two ideas into one sentence.

Subject, object, verb

English puts the verb in the middle: I eat rice. Korean puts it at the end: I rice eat.

저는 밥을 먹어요. (jeoneun babeul meogeoyo) — I eat rice.
친구가 책을 읽어요. (chinguga chaegeul ilgeoyo) — My friend reads a book.
저는 학교에 가요. (jeoneun hakgyoe gayo) — I go to school.

The rule that matters most: the verb or adjective always comes last. Everything else can move around a little, but the sentence ends on the verb, and the verb ending carries the tense, the politeness level and whether it is a statement or a question.

Particles mark who does what

In English, "the dog bit the man" and "the man bit the dog" differ only in word order. In Korean, small particles attached to each noun tell you its role, so the order is freer.

은/는 marks the topic: what the sentence is about.
이/가 marks the subject: who or what does the action.
을/를 marks the object: what the action is done to.
에 marks a destination or a time; 에서 marks where an action happens.

Because the roles are marked, 밥을 저는 먹어요 is still "I eat rice", just with emphasis shifted. Beginners should stick to the standard order, but it helps to know why Korean tolerates shuffling. The particle guide on this site goes into 은/는 versus 이/가 in detail.

Dropping the subject (and more)

Koreans leave out anything the listener can already work out. If you are talking about yourself, you rarely say "I"; if someone asks a question, you answer without repeating it.

A: 밥 먹었어요? (bap meogeosseoyo?) — Have (you) eaten?
B: 네, 먹었어요. (ne, meogeosseoyo) — Yes, (I) ate.

Neither sentence has a subject, and B does not even repeat the object. This is normal, not lazy. Saying 저는 and 당신은 in every sentence sounds stiff, and 당신 (you) in particular can sound cold or confrontational. Use names, titles or nothing at all.

Asking questions

In polite speech, a question usually looks exactly like a statement with rising intonation. In writing, you add a question mark.

커피 마셔요. — (I) drink coffee.
커피 마셔요? — Do (you) drink coffee?

Question words go where the answer would go, not at the front:

어디에 가요? (eodie gayo?) — Where are you going?
뭐 먹어요? (mwo meogeoyo?) — What are you eating?
언제 와요? (eonje wayo?) — When are you coming?

Joining clauses

Instead of a separate word like "and" or "but" between two sentences, Korean usually changes the ending of the first verb. -고: and (then)

밥을 먹고 커피를 마셔요. — I eat and (then) drink coffee.
이 식당은 싸고 맛있어요. — This restaurant is cheap and tasty.

-지만: but

한국어는 어렵지만 재미있어요. — Korean is hard but fun.
비싸지만 사고 싶어요. — It is expensive but I want to buy it.

-아서/어서: because, or and then (in sequence)

배가 고파서 라면을 먹었어요. — I was hungry, so I ate ramyeon.
시장에 가서 과일을 샀어요. — I went to the market and bought fruit (there).

Choose -아서 after a verb stem whose last vowel is ㅏ or ㅗ (가다 → 가서), -어서 after other vowels (먹다 → 먹어서), and 해서 for 하다 verbs (공부하다 → 공부해서). One trap: the tense goes only on the final verb. Say 배가 고파서 먹었어요, not 고팠어서.

Putting it together

Build longer sentences one link at a time:

저는 어제 친구를 만났어요. — I met a friend yesterday.
친구를 만나서 영화를 봤어요. — I met a friend and (with them) watched a film.
영화는 길었지만 재미있었어요. — The film was long but fun.

A good exercise is to describe your day in five short sentences, then join them in pairs with -고, -지만 and -아서/어서.

Habits that help

Read the verb at the end first when a sentence confuses you, then work backwards.
Notice what is missing and ask yourself who the speaker means.
Copy short sentences from dramas or webtoons and swap one noun at a time.

Which part of Korean word order trips you up most? Post a sentence you are unsure about in the comments and others can help you check it.