Do you know how to indicate that you have something or someone in Korean? How about describing the existence or location of something or someone in Korean? In this post, we will explore the three different ways to use a Korean word, “있어요.”

If you like to watch K-dramas or enjoy listening to K-pops, you probably have heard of this Korean word, “있어요” many times. What does “있어요” mean? It has several different meanings, depending on context. When someone asks you “_______이/가 있어요?” It is used:

1.  to indicate the possession of something or someone, such as “Do you have/own…” in Korean.

2.  to describe the existence of something or someone such as, “Is there…?” in Korean.

You can simply answer the question, “_______이/가 있어요?” in the following pattern.

  *이/가: subject markers in Korean.

• When a noun ends in a consonant: noun + 이

   ex) 돈 (money) + 이 =  돈이

•  When a noun ends in a vowel: noun + 가

    ex) 친구 (friend) + 가 =  친구가

When someone asks you a question such as, “Where is your girlfriend?”, you can also use “있어요”:

3.  to give the location of something or somebody.

You can add a location or place before “있어요”. However, do not forget to add ‘-에’ after the location or place. ‘–에’ means ‘at or in’ in Korean.

You will hear this crucial Korean word, “있어요” on a daily basis, so I would like to encourage you to get familiar with the usage of this word within the context.

롯데 월드 (Lotte World) is a popular amusement park in Korea. 롯데 월드는 어디에 있어요? (Do you know where Lotte World is in Korea?) Is it in 서울(Seoul) or 부산 (Busan)?

롯데 월드는 _____에 있어요.

To find out the answer you can click the following link:

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264152

감사합니다! (Thank you!)

***Related Vocabulary***

1. 있어요    (to have, to exist, or to be at/in)
2. 가방    (bag)
3. 한국 친구    (Korean friend)
4. 병원    (hospital)
5. 수영장    (swimming pool)
6. *이/가: subject markers in Korean.
   •   When a noun ends in a consonant: noun + 이

    ex) 돈 (money) + 이 =  돈이

   •   When a noun ends in a vowel: noun + 가

   ex) 친구 (friend) + 가 =  친구가

7. 집    (home)
8. 학교    (school)
9. 미국    (America)
10. 롯데 월드    (Lotte World) – a popular amusement park in Korean.