person pronouns

Pronouns

In Korean, language varies based on the age, position, or relationship between the listener and speaker, and this rule applies to personal pronouns too. Use the informal (casual) form when speaking with close friends or younger people, and the polite (honorific) form when addressing adults or people you've just met.

ㅤ	informal I	polite I	informal You	polite You
single	나	저	너	X
plural	우리	저희	너희	X

Korean has pronouns for ‘you(polite), he, she, and they’, but these sound formal like in books or novels rather than conversational. In real conversations, Koreans typically refer to people using words that represent the person's role or relationship, as shown in the examples below.

‘(name) 씨’ is similar to Mr/Miss in English, but it's not a very formal expression. It's used to politely address someone who is not very close to you, like a casual friend, colleague, or someone around your age. On the other hand, ‘(name) 님’ is a more polite and formal expression. — **‘(name) 씨’ is similar to Mr/Miss in English, but it's not a very formal expression.** It's used to politely address someone who is not very close to you, like a casual friend, colleague, or someone around your age. On the other hand, **‘(name) 님’ is a more polite and formal expression.**

Possesive

1. -의 + belongings

’의' is a marker that indicates possession.

선생님의 컴퓨터

Teacher’s computer.

엄마의 아이패드

Mom’s iPad.

저의 커피 (= 제 커피)

[polite] My coffee.

→ '저의' is correct, but when speaking, it's usually shortened to '제' for simplicity.

나의 커피 (=내 커피)

[informal] My coffee.

너의 커피 (=네 커피)

[informal] Your coffee.

→ Since ‘네’ sounds the same as '내', it's commonly written or pronounced as '니' in most situations.(ex. 니 커피)

However, the possessive marker ‘의’ is often omitted. If we were to summarize possessive pronouns in a table, it would look like this:

ㅤ	informal I	polite I	informal You	informal You
single	내	제	네(니)	X
plural	우리	저희	너희	X

Please note that it sounds more natural to use plural forms (우리, 저희) when referring to my 'family' or 'country'. This appears to be influenced by Korea's historically community-centered society.

저희 집 My house

저희 엄마 My mom

우리 언니 My sister

우리나라 My country (Our country)

2. -의 것

If you want to use possesive pronouns like ‘mine’ or ‘yours’, you can add ‘-것’ to the end of a noun.

선생님의 것.

Teacher’s.

엄마의 것.

Mom’s.

제 것.

[polite] Mine.

내 것

[informal] Mine.

The possessive marker ‘의’ is often omitted, and ‘것’ is commonly pronounced as ‘꺼’ in casual speech. So, just adding ‘-꺼’ to a noun is enough.

선생님 꺼. Teacher’s.

엄마 꺼. Mom’s.

제 꺼. Mine.

내 꺼. Mine.

1. ( )는 선생님이에요.	I am a teacher (polite)
2. ( )는 선생님이야.	I am a teacher (informal)
3. ( )는 여자, ( )는 남자야	We are girls, You guys are boys (informal)
4. 이 책은 ( )꺼예요.	This book is mine(polite)
5. ( ) 엄마는 사장님이에요.	My mom is an owner(polite)

Words & Answer

Words

선생님	teacher
여자	woman, girl
남자	man, boy
책	book
엄마	mom, mother
사장님	boss, owner, CEO

Answer

1. (저)는 선생님이에요.	I am a teacher (polite)
2. (나)는 선생님이야.	I am a teacher (informal)
3. (우리)는 여자, (너희)는 남자야	We are girls, You guys are boys (informal)
4. 이 책은 (제) 꺼예요.	This book is mine(polite)
5. (저희) 엄마는 사장님이에요.	My mom is an owner(polite)