Pronouns

Pronouns
Unlike English, pronouns are not essential for sentences to be grammatically correct in Korean
language, and in many instances, the pronouns can be omitted from normal sentences all together.
It is also important to notice that some pronouns (e.g. 당신, 그, 그녀) are much less frequently used
than other pronouns in spoken Korean.
For more information, please refer to the following links showing the list of most common
pronouns used in Korean language.
● Pronouns (I, You) -    나   ,    저   ,    너   ,    당신
● Pronouns (He, She) -    그   ,    그녀   ,    걔   ,    그분
● Pronouns (He, She) -    얘   ,    쟤   ,    걔
● Pronouns (They) -    그들   ,    걔들   ,    그분들
● Pronouns- This, It, That

Pronouns (I, You) - 나, 저, 너, 당신
In this lesson, we are going to learn about pronouns, especially, "I and You," then "He, She and
They," and how their forms are changed depending on the degree of politeness.
Let's start with "I":
Informal form (나, I)
•   나 = I
•   나는 = I +    는   (Topic particle)
•   난 (usually in spoken Korean)
•   내가 = I +    가   (Identifier particle)
•   나도 = I +    도   (Additive particle)
•   나를 = I +    를   (Object particle)
•   날 (usually in spoken Korean)
•   내 = my
•   내 것 = mine (written Korean)
•   내 꺼 (usually in spoken Korean)
Note:    나 becomes    내 when combined with    가 (Identifier particle)
Polite form (저, I)
•   저 = I
•   저는 = I +    는   (Topic particle)
•   전 (usually in spoken Korean)
•   제가 = I +    가   (Identifier particle)
•   저도 = I +    도   (Additive particle)
•   저를 = I +    를   (Object particle)
•절 (usually in spoken Korean)
•   제 = my
•   제 것 = mine (written Korean)
•   제 꺼 (usually in spoken Korean)
Now for "You":

Informal form (너, You)
•   너 = You
•   너는 = You +    는   (Topic particle)
•   넌 (usually in spoken Korean)
•   네가 = You +    가   (Identifier particle)    (written Korean)
•   니가 (usually in spoken Korean)
•   너도 = You +    도   (Additive particle)
•   너를 = You +    를   (Object particle)
•   널 (usually in spoken Korean)
•   네 = your (written Korean)
•   니 (usually in spoken Korean)
•   네 것 = yours (written Korean)
•   니 꺼 (usually in spoken Korean)
Polite form (당신, You)
•   당신 = You
•   당신은 = You +    은   (Topic particle)
•   당신이 = You +    이   (Identifier particle)
•   당신도 = You +    도   (Additive particle)
•   당신을 = You +    을   (Object particle)
•   당신 = your
•   당신 것 = yours (written Korean)
•   당신 꺼 (usually in spoken Korean)
Note: Just a word of caution,    당신 is very infrequently used when addressing someone in spoken
Korean because it has a nuance of confrontation, and it can be offensive when used wrongly.
Therefore I advise that you do not use    당신 at all when speaking in Korean!
In Korean, if you want address someone directly, it's more common to use their designated position
or status in society, for example,    선생님 (teacher),    사장님 (Head of any company),    사모님 (Wife of
any respectable man),    아저씨 (middle-aged man),    아줌마 (middle-aged woman),    할아버지 (elderly
man),    할머니 (elderly woman)
Note: Doctors are called    의사 선생님 (Doctor-teacher) or just    선생님 (teacher), and any person can
be called    선생님 if you learned something from that person and even if someone is not your
teacher, you may choose to call him/her    선생님 if you respect them, and don't have any other
particular to name to call them.

However, please let me make this clear that it seems that    당신 is more frequently used in songs and
dramas, and    당신 in songs do not sound confrontational, and offensive at all. Actually they sound
very endearing in some songs for some reason. But in dramas,    당신 can still be confrontational and
offensive, and so it's more likely used in the scenes where characters have verbal arguments.
You may also hear    그 쪽 when someone is addressed.    그 쪽 is used in place of    당신 (because    당신
is avoided in spoken Korean as explained above).    그 쪽 literally means "that side."    그 쪽 is not used
frequently at all. It's used between people who share a similar position or status in society, and have
just met and are not sure how to address the other person.
e.g.
•Person A:    점심 드셨어요? (Have you had lunch?)
•Person B: 아뇨. 아직이요. 그쪽은요? (No, not yet, what about you?)

Pronouns (He, She) - 그, 그녀, 걔, 그분
This is the second part of "Pronouns" lesson.
For the first part on "I and You -    나   ,    저   ,    너   ,    당신   "   , please click on the link.
Before I start listing different forms of "He and She" I must say that they're very infrequently used
in actual spoken Korean.
In Korean, when people refer to someone, they mostly use a person's name, their position or status
in society, or omit it altogether if people talking to each other already know who they're talking
about.
However, I include the following list for the sake of completeness. It is likely that the following are
more frequently used in songs, dramas, and books.
•Note: Among the pronouns listed below, one that is more frequently used in spoken Korean
than others would be    걔 which means "he or she" depending on the context.
•   걔 is a very informal form of "he and she," and so, it is usually used among close friends,
and when referring to other people of similar age in a close social network.
•Therefore,    걔 would probably never be used when referring to someone who is older or
senior than you.
•Even when you're referring to someone who is younger or junior than you, you would
probably avoid using    걔 if some degree of respect is expected for each other in a given
conversation. Alternatively, you'd use that person's name, or use the full version of 걔, which
is    그 아이.
•Note:
•   걔 =    그 아이
•   걔 is a contracted form of    그애 which means "that guy/gal/boy/girl."
•   애 is a contracted form of    아이 which means "a child."
Informal form (그, He)
•   그 = He
•   걔 (usually in spoken Korean)
•   걔 is a contracted form of    그 애 which means "that guy/gal/boy/girl"
•   그는 = He +    는   (Topic particle)
•   걘 (usually in spoken Korean)

•   걘 is a contracted form of 걔는
•   그가 = He +    가   (Identifier particle)
•   그도 = He +    도   (Additive particle)
•   그를 = He +    를   (Object particle)
•   걜 (usually in spoken Korean)
•   걜 is a contracted form of 걔를
•   그의 = his
•걔 (usually in spoken Korean)
•   그의 것 = his (written Korean)
•   걔 꺼 (usually in spoken Korean)
Informal form (그녀, She)
•   그녀 = She
•   걔 (usually in spoken Korean)
•   걔 is a contracted form of    그 애 which means "that guy/gal/boy/girl"
•   그녀는 = She +    는   (Topic particle)
•   걘 (usually in spoken Korean)
•   걘 is a contracted form of 걔는
•   그녀가 = She +    가   (Identifier particle)
•   그녀도 = She +    도   (Additive particle)
•   그녀를 = She +    를   (Object particle)
•   걜 (usually in spoken Korean)
•   걜 is a contracted form of 걔를
•   그녀의 = her
•걔 (usually in spoken Korean)
•   그녀의 것 = hers (written Korean)
•   걔 꺼 (usually in spoken Korean)

Polite form (그분, He/She)
•   그분 = He/She
•   그분은 = He/She +    은   (Topic particle)
•   그분이 = He/She +    이   (Identifier particle)
•   그분도 = He/She +    도   (Additive particle)
•그분을 = He/She +    를   (Object particle)
•   그분의 = his/her
•   그분 (   의 is usually omitted in spoken Korean)
•   그분의 것 = his/hers (written Korean)
•   그분 꺼 (usually in spoken Korean)

Pronouns (He, She) - 얘, 쟤, 걔
Following the previous post, Pronouns (He, She) -    그   ,    그녀   ,    걔   ,    그분   , we're going to learn more
about the various ways in which "He and She" are used in spoken Korean.
There are three basic ways to refer to someone (he or she), namely 얘,    쟤 and 걔. They are used in a
similar way to Pronouns- This, It, That.
•   얘 = He or She (This person)
•   쟤 = He or She (That person)
•   걔 = He or She (The person we're talking about who is not present here)
얘,    쟤 and    걔 are the personal equivalents of 이것, 저것,    그것 which are used to refer to "things or
inanimate objects."
Example sentences:
• 효민:    톰 안녕, 얘   는 안나야
• Hyo-min: Hey, Tom. This (person) is Anna.
• 톰:    효민아 안녕.    안녕 안나,    만나서 반가워.
• Tom: Hey Hyo-min, Hi Anna, nice to meet you.
• 톰:    저기 대학빌딩 앞에 쟤   는 누구야?
• Tom: Who is that (person) in front of the university building over there?
• 효민: 아, 쟤   는 성준이야.
• Hyo-min: Well, that (person) is Sung-jun.
• 톰: 아, 그리고, 걔   가 누구더라?       예전에 시티에서 같이 저녁 먹었던 애.
• Tom: Oh, right. And, who was that person (not present)? The guy we had a dinner together
with in the city a while ago.
Note: As has been explained in the previous post,
• 얘,    쟤 and    걔 are very informal forms of "he and she," and so, it is usually used among close
friends, and when referring to other people of similar age in a close social network.
• Therefore, 얘,    쟤 and    걔 would probably never be used when referring to someone who is
older or senior than you.
• Even when you're referring to someone who is younger or junior than you, you would
probably avoid using 얘,    쟤 and    걔 if some degree of respect is expected for each other in a

given conversation. Alternatively, you'd use that person's name, or use the full version of 걔,
which is    그 아이.

Pronouns (They) - 그들, 걔들,    그분들
As I have explained in the previous post, "He and She" are very infrequently used in spoken
Korean. It is the same in the case of "They" as well. It is hardly ever used in normal conversations
(except for    걔들 / 걔네들, the informal form of "They" which is more frequently used in informal
spoken Korean)
What we do instead is to refer to someone by their names, position or status in society or not just
mentioning "He, She, or They" at all in conversations as long as the speakers having a conversation
know who they're talking about.
But for the sake of completeness, I include the various forms of "They" below. They're more likely
to be used in songs, dramas and books with the exception of    걔들 /    걔네들 which, as I said earlier,
are used quite often in informal spoken Korean among close friends or people of similar age in a
close social network.
•Note: Essentially,    걔들 and    걔네들 are both used as "They" in informal spoken Korean,
and are usually interchangeable.
Informal form (   그들 / 그녀들, They)
•   그들 /    그녀들 = They
•   걔들 / 걔네들 (usually in spoken Korean)
•   그들 (when referring to a group of guys or a mixed-sex group)
•   그녀들 (when referring to a group of gals only)
•   그들은 = They +    은   (Topic particle)
•   걔들은 / 걔네들은 (usually in spoken Korean)
•   그들이 = They +    이   (Identifier particle)
•   걔들이 / 걔네들이 (usually in spoken Korean)
•   그들도 = They +    도   (Additive particle)
•   걔들도 / 걔네들도 (usually in spoken Korean)
•그들을 = They +    를   (Object particle)
•   걔들을 / 걔네들을 (usually in spoken Korean)
•   그들의 = Their
•   걔들 /    걔네들 (   의 is usually omitted in spoken Korean)
•   그들의 것 = Theirs (written Korean)
•   걔들 꺼 /    걔네들 꺼 (usually in spoken Korean)

Polite form (그분들, They)
•   그분들 = They
•   그분들은 = They +    은   (Topic particle)
•   그분들이 = They +    이   (Identifier particle)
•   그분들도 = They +    도   (Additive particle)
•그분들을 = They +    를   (Object particle)
•   그분들의 = Their
•그분들 (   의 is usually omitted in spoken Korean)
•   그분들의 것 = Theirs (written Korean)
•그분들    꺼 (usually in spoken Korean)

This, It and That
In this lesson, we learn about some of the most common and useful words, 'This, It and That.'
•This = 이것
•It = 그것
•That = 저것
Example sentences
[Informal written form]
•   이것은 연필이다. = This is a pencil.
•   그것은 창문이다. = It is a window.
•   저것은 꽃이다. = That is a flower.
[Polite written form]
•   이것은 연필입니다. = This is a pencil.
•   그것은 창문입니다. = It is a window.
•   저것은 꽃입니다. = That is a flower.
Note: For more information on the formality and the written and spoken forms, please read Nouns -
Present, Past.
이것,    저것 and    그것 are mainly used in the written form. The equivalent spoken forms are 이건, 그
건 and 저건.
Please note that 이건,    그건 and    저건 are actually contracted forms of 이것은,    저것은 and 그것은.
• →  이것은 이건
• →  그것은 그건
• →  저것은 저건
Here are the sentences in the spoken form.
[Informal spoken form]
•   이건 연필이야.
•   그건 창문이야.
•   저건 꽃이야.
[Polite spoken form]
•   이건 연필이에요.
•   그건 창문이에요.
•   저건 꽃이에요.
"Here, there and over there" are used in similar ways to "This, it and that".
•Here = 여기

•There (it) = 거기
•Over there = 저기
Alternatively, (A bit more formal)
•Here =    이곳 (Lit. This place)
•There (it) =    그곳 (Lit. That place (it) )
•Over there =    저곳 (Lit. That place over there)
Example sentences
•   이곳은 어디예요? = Where is this place? (Where are we?)
•   이곳은 서울이에요. = This place is Seoul (We're in Seoul.)
•   저곳은 뭐예요? = What is that place over there?
•   그곳은 서울시청이에요. = That place (It) is a Seoul City Council.
•   저기는 어디예요? = Where is that over there?
•   저기는 남대문이에요. = That is Namdaemun (shopping center).
•   그리고 여기는 세종문화회관이에요. = And this place is Sejong Cultural Center.
여기는 is also usually contracted to    여긴 for the pronunciation's sake.
• →  여기는 여긴
• →  거기는 거긴
• →  저기는 저긴
Similarly, 이,    그 and    저 are used with    쪽 to make the following words to denote a certain direction.
•   이쪽 = This direction
•   그쪽 = That direction (it)
•   저쪽 = That direction
Example sentences
•   이쪽은 거실이에요. = This way is (to) the living room.
•   그쪽은 베란예요. = That way (It) is (to) to the verandah.
•   저쪽은 출구예요. = That way is (to) the exit.
•   샘 [Sam]:     여기 화장실 어디 있어요? [Where is the toilet here?]
•   민지 [Minji]:    화장실은 저쪽에 있어요. (The toilet is that way.)
•   샘 [Sam]:    서점은 어디 있어요? [What about a bookstore? (Lit. Where is a bookstore?)]
•   민지 [Minji]:   서점은 이쪽에 있어요. [The bookstore is this way.]
이,    그 and    저 are used with nouns to mean 'this, it and that' respectively.
•   이 나무 = This tree
•   그 집 = That house (It)
•   저 산 = That mountain
•    이 사과 맛있어요 = This apple is delicious
•    저 사과도 맛있어요 = That apple is delicious, too.
•     이 음식점은 비빔밥이 유명해요 = This restaurant is famous for Bibimbap. (Lit. This
restaurant, Bimbimbap is famous.)

•   저 빌딩은 63   빌딩이에요 = That building is the 63 building. (The landmark building in
Seoul)
Note:
Bibimbap - is a popular Korean dish. The word literally means "mixed meal." Bibimbap is served as
a bowl of warm white rice topped with 나물, namul (sautéed and seasoned vegetables) and 고추장,
gochujang (chili pepper paste). A raw or fried egg and sliced meat (usually beef) are common
additions. The ingredients are stirred together thoroughly just before eating. It can be served either
cold or hot.