Today we’re going to look at some expressions where you might use the verb 있다. The verb 있다 can mean “to have”. For example, “돈이 있어요?” means “[Do you] have money?” (돈 = money. 이 = subject marking particle used after a consonant. 있어요 = “have” in the standard polite form. In the deferential polite form this sentence will be, “돈이 있습니까?” (돈 = money. 이 = subject marking particle. 있습니까 = “have” in the interrogative form of the deferential polite form.) The sentence “네, 돈이 있어요” or “네, 돈이 있습니다” can mean “yes, [I] have money” in both the statement form of the standard and deferential polite form.

For more on the endings of the statement and interrogative forms of the standard and deferential polite forms, check out the post for October 19, 2009. Now when you want to negate this and say, “No, I don’t have money” the sentence will look like this, “아니요, 돈이 없어요“. (아니요 = No. 돈 = money. 이 = subject marking particle. 없어요 = don’t have.) Here, when you want to say that you “don’t have” something, you’re going to use the verb 없다 which means “to not have”. In the deferential polite form this verb will be 없습니다. In English you just place the word “don’t” in front of “have” to express the opposite of “have”.

However in Korean the expression “don’t have” is an entirely different word. Now there are other considerations to make when you use the verb 있다. 있다 can also mean “to be present”. This sentence, “집에 있어요” means “[I’m] at home” or more literally, “[I’m] present [in the] home”. (집 = house/home. 에 = locative particle. 있어요 = “present”.) Another example is a sentence like this, “여기 있어요!” which means “[I’m] here!” or more literally “I’m present!” (여기 = here. 있어요 = present). Context is key to understanding which meaning 있다 will take on.

Here are some clues that may help you determine which meaning 있다 will take. For example a sentence like 저기 있어요/없어요 gives you a clue that 있다/없다 will take on the meaning of “to be present”. Placement words like 여기 (here), 거기 (there), 저기 (over there) is a hint that 있다 must take on the meaning of presence. If you tried to make this sentence substituting “to have” it doesn’t make much sense. When there is an object involved (or non human things) like this sentence “가방이 없어요/있어요” it makes more sense that 있다 will take on the meaning of “have” or “don’t have”. (가방 = bag. “[I] have the bag”.)