I. Examples
Just like 이/가, 은/는 is also a subject marker attached to a noun, making the noun function as the subject of the sentence. When a noun ends in a vowel, 는 is used, and when it ends in a consonant, 은 is used.
<Example 1>
- 안녕하세요? 저는 샘이에요. (Hello, I am Sam.)
<Example 2>
- 형은 키가 커요. 동생은 키가 작아요.
(My older brother is tall.
My younger brother is short.)
II. Grammar Point
1. Ending in Vowel + 는 / Ending in Consonant + 은
2. Approximates to ‘As For’ or ‘Regarding’
은/는 is used when the speaker wants to talk about or explain to designate the subject as the main topic, idea or issue of discussion. Thus, 은/는 as a subject marker is equivalent to ‘as for’ or ‘regarding’.
- 저는 한국 사람입니다. (I am Korean.)
- 지수는 29살입니다. (Jisoo is 29 years old.)
- 그의 직업은 대통령입니다. (He is President.)
3. Emphasizing the Preceding Subject
은/는 is mostly used when referring to something already known to both sides in the communication or something mentioned earlier in a conversation. That is, 은/는 is used when expressing ‘old’ infos.
- 저는 내일 제이슨을 만나요.
근데 제이슨은 시드니에서 왔어요.
(I am going to meet Jason tomorrow.
By the way, Jason is from Sydney.)
- 저는 작년에 시드니에 여행 갔었어요.
그때 시드니는 정말 아름다웠어요.
(I went to Sydney last year.
Sydney back then was really beautiful)
- 옛날에 한 남자가 살았어요.
그 남자는 두 명의 아이들이 있었어요.
(Once upon a time, there lived a man.
He had two children.)
4. When Comparing or Contrasting Two Things
은/는 is used when comparing or contrasting two things. In this case, 은/는 can come after not only the subjects in a sentence but also the objects or other parts of the sentence. It can be said that this is the most commonly used type of 은/는.
- 에릭은 미국 사람이에요.
그런데 샘은 한국인이에요.
(Eric is American. Sam, however, is Korean.)
–> subject comparison
- 저는 축구는 좋아해요.
그런데, 야구는 별로 관심없어요.
(I like soccer. However, I am not interested in baseball.)
–> object contrast
- 서울에는 겨울마다 눈이 와요.
그런데 부산에는 눈이 거의 오지 않아요.
(In Seoul, it snows every winter.
However, in Busan, it rarely snows.)
–> location contrast
- 사과 있어요?
아니요. 포도는 있어요.
(Do you have apples?
No, (but) we have grapes.)
III. Practice
- 남동생___ 의사이고, 누나___ 변호사이에요.
- 아이스크림___ 달고, 햄버거___ 짜요.
- 지금 한국___ 여름인데, 시드니___ 겨울이에요.