Learn the difference between 이에요 (ieyo) and 예요 (yeyo)
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| Hi everybody! Jae here. Welcome to Ask a Teacher, where I’ll answer some of your most common Korean questions. |
| The question for this lesson is… |
| What’s the difference between 이에요 (ieyo) and 예요 (yeyo)? |
| Both 이에요[ieyo] and 예요[yeyo] are used like the English verb "to be." So how do you know which one to use? The answer is actually pretty simple: If the last word of the sentence ends in a consonant, you add 이에요 (ieyo). If the last word ends in a vowel, you add 예요 (yeyo). |
| Let’s break it down with some examples so you know which ending to use and when to use it. |
| Let’s say you want to introduce your new friend, 민수[Minsu]. How would you say, “This is Minsu?” 민수[Minsu] ends in a vowel, so you'd say, 민수예요 [Minsuyeyo] with the 예요 (yeyo) ending. |
| Let’s do another example with the word, 선물[seonmul], which means “gift” or “present.” Imagine that you bought something for your friend—how would you say, “It’s a gift?” Since 선물[seonmul] ends in a consonant, you'd say, 선물이에요 [Seonmurieyo] with the 이에요 (ieyo) ending. |
| One final example would be where you use both. For example, you see a drink on the table, and you want to ask, “Is it juice or water?” The Korean word for “juice,” 주스[jeuseu], ends in a vowel, and the word for “water,” 물[mul], ends in a consonant. So what do you do? Here’s a hint. You have to ask two questions, one ending in 예요 (yeyo) and the other in 이에요 (ieyo). Do you know the answer? The answer is: 주스예요? 물이에요? [Jeuseuyeyo? Murieyo?]. |
| Remember, even if you make a mistake, you'll still be able to get your point across. However, knowing the difference is a great way to improve how natural you sound in Korean! |
| How was this lesson? Pretty interesting, right? |
| Do you have any more questions? Leave them in the comments below and I’ll try to answer them! |
| See you next time. 다음 시간에 만나요. (Daeum-sigane mannayo.) |
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