Lesson 5 - Copula & Equational Sentences

Question 1

Copula is:

Answer 1

a special verb that shows up at the end of many Korean sentences.

이에요 after consonants
예요 after vowels (pronounced as 에요)

Note: 예요 is basically 이+에 = 예, so it’s the same meaning as 이에요, just shortened. Korean spelling reminds us of the dropped 이 by writing 예요 after vowels, but that doesn’t mean we pronounce it as 예요.

Question 2

The copula is different from other verbs in that:

Answer 2

it cannot make a complete sentence by itself, but must always have something in front of it—most often a noun expression.

Question 3

Equational Sentences are:

Answer 3

sentences ending with a copula.

The copula translates the English verb “to be” (am, are, is) when it means “it equals” or “it is” (the same thing as).

Question 4

To make a copula negative:

Answer 4

아니에요

The noun expression before the negative copula may optionally appear as a subject (aka have the particle 이/가 after it).

Ex: 영국 사람(이) 아니에요.
He is not English.

Thus negative equational sentences can accommodate 2 subjects, the second of which corresponds to the English component.

Ex: 누가 일본 사람(이) 아니에요?
Who is not Japanese?