2 · Before a noun, and verbs as nouns
Adjectives before a noun: 좋은, 예쁜, 맛있는
the descriptive modifier
In front of a noun, an adjective takes -은 after a consonant or adds n after a vowel; 있다 and 없다 take -는.
Korean adjectives are verbs: 집이 커요 is “the house is big”, with 크다 doing the work of “is big”. To put the same word in front of a noun, as in “a big house”, the stem takes a modifier ending and the result stands directly before the noun: 큰 집. There is no form that does both jobs: 커요 집 and 크 집 are not Korean.
After a stem ending in a consonant, the ending is -은: 작다 → 작은 방, 좋다 → 좋은 사람. After a vowel, only an n is added to the last syllable: 비싸다 → 비싼 옷, 예쁘다 → 예쁜 꽃, 친절하다 → 친절한 직원. A noun with 이다 works the same way: 학생인 동생, “my younger sibling, who is a student”.
Adjectives built on 있다 and 없다 take -는 instead, the ending of action verbs: 맛있는 빵 (tasty bread), 재미있는 책 (an interesting book), 재미없는 영화 (a boring film). The irregular stems change as they do before other endings with (으) — 덥다 → 더운 날, 빨갛다 → 빨간 차 — and a stem in 리을 loses its l: 길다 → 긴 머리.
The usual mistakes: putting the sentence form before the noun (예뻐요 꽃), giving the words in 있다 the adjective ending (재미있은 영화), and expecting the form to say something about time. 좋은 사람 is “a good person”, now and in general; a state in the past needs another ending, -던 or -았던, which comes later.
The form
| after a consonant: 은 | 작다 → 작은 가방 |
| after a vowel: n is added | 비싸다 → 비싼 시계 |
| 있다 and 없다: 는 | 맛있다 → 맛있는 빵 |
| irregular stems | 덥다 → 더운 날, 길다 → 긴 머리 |
| a noun with 이다 | 의사이다 → 의사인 친구 |
| negative | 안 좋은 소식, 크지 않은 집 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
After a consonant, the adjective takes -은 before the noun.
저는 작은 차를 사고 싶어요.I want to buy a small car.
After a vowel, an n joins the last syllable.
이 근처에 조용한 카페가 있어요?Is there a quiet café near here?
Words in 있다 and 없다 take -는.
정말 재미있는 영화였어요.It was a really good film.
Irregular stems change as before any ending with (으).
오늘은 정말 더운 날이에요.Today is a really hot day.
A noun with 이다 becomes a modifier with -인.
간호사인 언니는 밤에 일해요.My older sister, who is a nurse, works at night.
A closer look
More than one description
Two adjectives before one noun are joined with -고, and only the last one takes the modifier ending: 싸고 맛있는 식당, “a cheap, good restaurant”; 작고 조용한 방, “a small, quiet room”.
A description can carry its own subject: 키가 큰 사람 is “a person whose height is big”, a tall person, and 머리가 짧은 아이 a child with short hair. The subject with 이/가 stays inside the phrase, in front of the adjective it belongs to.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
-
the word ends in 있다 or 없다
it takes -는: 맛있는, 재미없는, 멋있는
멋있는 사진이네요.What a great photo.
있다 and 없다 are verbs of existence and keep the endings of action verbs here, even where they describe.
How to spot it
- -은
- -는
- 좋은
- 예쁜
- 맛있는
Example sentences
빨간 우산이 제 거예요.The red umbrella is mine.
정말 예쁜 꽃이네요.What pretty flowers.
맛있는 빵집을 알아요?Do you know a good bakery?
따뜻한 물 한 잔 주세요.A glass of warm water, please.
저는 긴 치마를 자주 입어요.I often wear long skirts.
요즘은 바쁜 날이 많아요.I have a lot of busy days at the moment.
8 more example sentences
좀 더 큰 사이즈 있어요?Do you have a slightly bigger size?
친절한 직원이 길을 알려 줬어요.A friendly member of staff showed me the way.
어려운 질문이 하나 있어요.I have a difficult question.
재미없는 수업은 시간이 안 가요.Boring lessons seem to go on for ever.
깨끗한 수건 있어요?Do you have a clean towel?
하얀 운동화를 샀어요.I bought white trainers.
키가 큰 사람이 제 남편이에요.The tall man is my husband.
높은 산에 올라가 봤어요?Have you ever climbed a high mountain?
Worth knowing (1)
-
Before the noun or at the end?
Where English says “a big house”, Korean often prefers the adjective at the end: “this house is big”, 이 집은 커요. And where English says “there are many people”, Korean says 사람이 많아요, “people are many”; 많은 사람 exists, but in a sentence like this it sounds translated.
오늘은 공원에 사람이 많아요.There are a lot of people in the park today.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
재미있다 describes, so it feels like an adjective — but 있다 and 없다 take -는 before a noun, and so does every word built on them: 맛있는, 멋있는, 재미없는.
Before a noun: -eun after a consonant, an n after a vowel, and -neun for itda and eopda.
Your turn
9 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.