1. Introduction
Korean has a different sentence structure from English.
The basic word order is Subject + Object + Verb (SOV).
The verb always comes at the end of the sentence.
2. Basic Structure
Subject (who) + Object (what) + Verb (action)
Examples:
나는 책을 읽는다. (naneun chaegeul ikneunda) = I read a book.
학생이 밥을 먹는다. (haksaengi babeul meokneunda) = The student eats rice.
3. Adding Particles
Subject → 이/가 or 은/는
Object → 을/를
Examples:
고양이가 물을 마신다. (goyangiga mureul masinda) = The cat drinks water.
저는 한국어를 배운다. (jeoneun hangugeoreul baeunda) = I learn Korean.
4. Word Order vs. English
English: Subject + Verb + Object
Example: I eat an apple.Korean: Subject + Object + Verb
Example: 나는 사과를 먹는다. (naneun sagwareul meokneunda)
5. Sentence Practice
나는 영화를 본다. (naneun yeonghwareul bonda) = I watch a movie.
친구가 편지를 쓴다. (chinguga pyeonjireul sseunda) = A friend writes a letter.
학생이 책을 산다. (haksaengi chaegeul sanda) = The student buys a book.
6. Exercises
Rearrange the words into proper Korean word order:
책을 / 나는 / 읽는다 → 나는 책을 읽는다.
Translate into Korean: “She eats bread.” → 그녀는 빵을 먹는다.
Make three sentences in SOV structure.
7. Summary
Korean sentences follow the SOV (Subject-Object-Verb) structure.
The verb always comes last, which is the most important rule to remember.
Once you understand this, building more complex Korean sentences becomes much easier.