19. Singular Pronouns

Korean Singular Pronouns

Korean language has so many pronouns but they all aren’t necessary to know. Many students learn the 2nd person pronoun ‘당신’ but it often sounds rude to use it in a casual conversation. Many people use it only when they got pissed off by someone. So, Let’s not make those mistakes. Remember. Only Korean jun can provide these awesome lessons lol. (It’s so embarrassing to say it myself but yeah I had to)

1st Person Singular pronouns
with Honorific

Korean grammar has a highly developed honorific system. So it has non-honorific pronouns and honorific pronouns both. In this course, You will learn how to use ‘저’ only because it’s similar to English ‘I’ more than ‘제’

저는 샤워하고 있어요
I’m taking a shower

준이 저를 자꾸 때려요
Jun keeps hitting me

Remember!

Pronouns don’t decide if it’s a subject or an object. Only markers do.

1st Person Singular pronouns
with non-honorific

I’m not going to teach you about it in details to avoid confusing for now. But, you should learn it to understand native Koreans because they use non-honorific pronouns with honorific sometimes. Of course, 저 is recommended for you.

나는 어제 준씨랑 식사했어요
I had dinner with Jun yesterday

나를 때려요!
Slap ME

I use a honorific ending in this sentence but I started with 나 which is a non honorific pronoun. Koreans say in this way sometimes when they talk to close people but still use honorific between them.

Korean Object & Subject Pronoun

Korean grammar doesn’t distinguish singular pronouns for subject and object because they use ‘markers’ to make those. So pronouns are not so important than English pronouns.

2nd Person Singular Pronouns
with Honorific

Native Koreans don’t use 2nd person pronouns in conversations. Maybe you can see or hear it only in a song or poem. Using a 2nd pronoun 당신 in conversation can be very rude. Koreans often use it to insult others or to be so dramatic, poetic.

당신은 오늘 어디가요?
Where are you going today?

Koreans would consider your Korean is very not good if you say it.

How Do Koreans Do In Real?

So, in this time, I will teach you how really Koreans deal with it.

Jun씨는 오늘 어디가요?
Where are you(Jun) going today?
= Jun is my name, don’t get confused

Adult Koreans prefer use ‘Name + 씨’ especially when they meet not close people. Young Koreans prefer to check each other’s age and use another pronouns.

3rd Person Singular Pronouns
with Honorific

It’s a super easy one. 100% same to 2nd person pronouns. Koreans prefer calling someone by their name instead of using pronouns. Of course, Korean grammar has 3rd person pronouns but they really don’t use it. they are something for literature and it can be often rude if you say it in a conversation.

그것 이것 저것

그것, 이것 and 저것 are singular pronouns which mean ‘that’, ‘this’, ‘that’. 것 means ‘thing’ or ‘stuff’ in Korean. Korean grammar doesn’t have ‘it’ but 그것 has a very similar function to ‘it’ in English.

그것은 공책이에요
That’s a notebook / It’s a notebook

이것은 가방이에요
This is a bag

저것은 용이라구요
I said that’s a DRAGON

The Best Way

Koreans skip a pronoun with a marker instead of using it mostly. It solves many problems with pronouns. Plus, it sounds really really natural.

어디가요?
Where are you going?

어제 준씨랑 식사했어요
I had a meal with Jun yesterday

준이 자꾸 때려요
Jun keeps hitting me

Oh yes. This is how we speak.